I Am This Type of Woman

47

Ban Heng glanced at the door, why did Cheng'an residence send a guard at this moment? By now the news that Yan eldest son coming to apologise must have spread over the Capital. Sending someone at this exact moment, not afraid that Yan family would think he was sent to watch a humiliation?

Du Jiu followed behind the steward. Once inside the main hall, he saluted Ban family members and then Yan Ming as if he hadn't known that Yan Ming would be there.

Du Jiu was Rong Xia's closest guard so anyone familiar with Rong Xia knew Du Jiu as well. Yan Ming was even more surprised than the Bans to see him here, but it wasn't because he thought Du Jiu came to see a humiliation, rather that Rong Xia had contact with Ban family.

"Guardsman Du, please sit down." Ban Heng saw the two boxes in Du Jiu's hand. The boxes were not too big or too small, they were like boxes for books or stationaries.

This morning his sister sent some gifts under his name, so this should be the return gifts? Only this morning and the return gifts were here already, wasn't this a bit too hasty? Ban Heng soon lost interest as he thought the content must be some brush, ink, or inkstone. In their family, apart from Grandmother and Mother who dabbled in poetry, none of the others were any scholarly materials.

"Zaixia dares not." Du Jiu saw Yan Ming the gongzi of a minister family was standing so naturally a small guard like himself shouldn't sit. "The gift from Shizi is too precious, Master Count is both joyful and uneasy. Thankful of Shizi's kindness, Master Count prepared this small gift for Shizi, hopefully Shizi doesn't mind."

"Count Rong is too polite, it is just a worthless toy, there is no need for a return gift." Ban Heng waved his hand nonchalantly. "Master Count doing this is treating us like strangers."

Du Jiu's hands that were holding the box shook, just a worthless toy? That was <>, and a genuine one! Who would think of such precious thing as a worthless toy?! Du Jiu had been by Rong Xia's side ever since he was taken up by Rong family as a child. He had seen many good things, but never had he seen a family like the Bans who did 'not bothering with trinkets' this way.

"It's only like strangers if Shizi doesn't accept," Du Jiu smiled, "The painting that Shizi sent never left Master Count's hand, he said it's something a thousand gold can't exchange."

"Ahem, you are welcome." Ban Heng side-eyed Ban Hua, what did she send Rong Xia using his name?

Ban Hua ignored him, she ordered the housekeeper steward to accept the gifts brought by Du Jiu. Now Du Jiu was more convinced the painting must have been from Ban-junzhu.

Du Jiu said his farewell after the return gift was handed over, Yan Ming saw that Du Jiu really came just to deliver a gift. The two families' relation didn't seem to be particularly close. Why did Ban family send a thank you gift to Rong Xia?

Yan Ming remembered a few days ago Rong Xia praised Ban Hua in front of the scholars. What he said had totally ruined Yan family's reputation. At first he was enraged, but after a few days with his father sick at home while Rong Xia was given a promotion, he suddenly realised that Rong Xia wasn't speaking for the Ban family, he did it for His Majesty. His Majesty was suspicious of their family.

Otherwise there wouldn't have been so much movements at the Court. Some officials close to Yan family had been relegated to destitute areas, and some supporters of the Crown Prince had been censured. Even Shi family didn't know they were secretly supporting the Crown Prince, so how did the Emperor know?

T/N – (Refresher) Shi Chonghuai was the Right Minister. Yan Hui was the Left Minister.

The most frightening thing was Rong Xia likely also knew of their secret support for the Crown Prince, but he stood up to defend Ban-junzhu's reputation even if it offended their family. It was ridiculous that everyone thought Rong Xia was an honest and straightforward gentleman, did they know that in his bones he was nothing but a despicable man who never missed a chance to benefit?