Chapter 278: A Tailor-Made Trap

Time flew, and several days passed in a flash.

The turmoil in Zhoufu gradually eased, and the streets of Yongzhou settled back into everyday smoke.

But the people in the city had differing minds: some lived peacefully, while others were filled with anxiety.

Inside the Ruan mansion, which had once enjoyed a high official standing in Yongzhou, a persistent gloom lingered that could not be dispelled.

These past days, the whole mansion lay deathly silent and oppressive, devoid of any warmth or vitality.

Formerly, the Ruan mansion's servants came and went in an orderly manner—sweeping, serving, running errands, each performing their duties—with faint sounds of speech and movement, fully displaying the orderly bearing of an aristocratic household.

But now, all the servants in the mansion held their breath and kept their heads lowered, tiptoeing through every corner of the courtyard, silent as winter cicadas, daring not to make the slightest extra sound.

Everyone knew full well that ever since a few days ago, when the master returned from the government office, the entire atmosphere of the Ruan mansion had completely changed.

These past days, the master's mood had been awful, his temper violent; no one in the mansion dared to offend him, all behaving timidly, fearful of provoking the master and being punished.

But today was rather different.

Under the corridor of the courtyard, a green-clad young servant hurried past, quickly stepping over the stairs.

He had been helping the mansion's folk pack their belongings these past days; already anxious, and now rushing, he momentarily lost his footing, twisted his ankle, and lurched forward half a step, nearly falling hard onto the stone steps.

Fortunately, he was accustomed to labor and had a nimble build; in the crisis he quickly steadied himself, so it was a scare without injury.

But this slight stumble's sound, in the silent, soundless courtyard, still stood out conspicuously.

Not far away, the on‑duty steward saw this, his face instantly darkened; he strode forward, seized the reckless young servant, and hauled him to a secluded spot under the corridor, his eyes full of exasperated anger.

The steward, who had followed Ruansizong for decades, was steady and experienced, best at reading faces and knowing bounds; seeing someone act so recklessly, he lowered his voice and scolded:

"Becoming ever more lawless! What state is the mansion in now, what temper does the master have, and you have not the slightest clue?"

"With such clumsy, reckless conduct, if you had just fallen and caused a disturbance, startling the master, given his recent temperament, he would surely punish you severely!"

The young servant, scolded, dared not raise his head, his body shrinking continually.

This sight was truly pitiable; the steward, seeing it, involuntarily softened his tone:

"I am teaching you!"

"If you weren't my kinsman's nephew, I wouldn't bother saying this. If you continue like this, embarrassing yourself before the master, then even being beaten to death would be a light punishment!"

The young servant naturally knew who treated him well; he hurriedly composed himself, repeatedly apologizing, speaking softly:

"Uncle, I know I was wrong, I will never be reckless again. Only, these past days my heart has been truly in turmoil; I cannot calm myself to work. Everyone in the mansion is packing their belongings, and word is spreading that our Ruan family will soon completely move away from Yongzhou..."

"Our Ruan family has been rooted in Yongzhou for decades, generations living here, with all our foundations and connections here; if we say we're moving, we move—but where could we go afterwards?"

"Although the main house of the Ruan clan is in Jingchuan, ever since his parents' generation followed the master to take office in Yongzhou, they have never left Yongzhou!"

"He himself was born and raised in Yongzhou..."

"Now the master intends to leave this place—what are they to do?"

"Will they never return hereafter?"

The young servant asked with a bitter face; hearing this, the steward's face darkened—

Earlier, when the master returned from the Zhoufu, his face was ashen, his fury blazing; upon entering the mansion he smashed the tea set on the table, left a command for the servants to pack their belongings and prepare to move, and then shut himself away for several days.

No one knows what exactly happened.

But how could such a great figure as the master possibly tell him every detail?

The steward suppressed his myriad feelings, kept a stern face, and solemnly instructed:

"These matters are not for you to worry about; you need only stay in your lane, do your duty, and wait for the master's orders. When he speaks, we will act—do not chatter or ask unnecessarily, lest you invite trouble."

The young servant dared not retort, quickly lowering his head in reply:

"Yes, nephew, I have remembered!"

Having said that, he turned to resume his chores, but as soon as he moved his feet he stopped again, the anxiety on his face fading a bit, replaced by an embarrassed look.

Seeing the servant dawdle and refuse to leave, the steward gave him an irritated glance, frowned, and snapped:

"Why are you stopping again? Dragging your feet like this, you can't even handle a small task properly—what else do you have?"

The young servant hastily took out a neatly sealed, tidy letter from his bosom, carefully handed it to the steward, and said cheerfully:

"Uncle, don't rush to lecture me; my earlier panic wasn't solely about the move."

"Just now, while on duty at the gatehouse, I happened to receive a letter sent from afar from Dun Cheng—it is a personal family letter from the third young master, specially delivered for the master to open himself. Although the master is angry, seeing this letter will surely please him!"

Hearing this, the steward's expression turned serious, and he instinctively lowered his head—

The envelope bore neat handwriting and a clear signature; no matter how you looked at it, it was Ruan Jintian's penmanship.

The steward carefully inspected the seal, confirmed it was intact, his mind somewhat eased, then waved to dismiss his nephew:

"Good, good, good—I'll go find the master now... You, hurry back to work, don't loaf and chatter."

After the servant left, the courtyard returned to silence.

The steward cradled the letter that had come from afar, dared not delay, his steps steady, he hurried through the courtyard straight to the rear study.

Inside the study at that moment, it was tranquil and soundless.

Ruansizong sat upright in an old, steady grand master's chair, his eyes lightly closed, his whole being enveloped in an unshakable gloom.

Several days have passed, yet the humiliating scene of that day—being publicly rebuked and forced to resign in the front hall by someone from Jiaozuo—remains vivid before his eyes, constantly weighing on his heart, leaving him sleepless and unsettled.

He had been proud for half his life, born into an aristocratic family, having devoted decades to officialdom, serving under several masters, yet never suffered such public humiliation or being so easily cast aside.

That incident remained like a bone in his throat, making him feel stifled and unable to ease his mind.

With eyes closed in contemplation, his mind repeatedly turned over plans for retreat and revenge.

However, just then a faint sound arose, breaking his train of thought.

The steward stepped lightly into the study, lowered his head in a bow, carefully placed the letter in his hand upon the table, and said respectfully:

"Reporting to the master, this is the family letter just received by the gatehouse from the third young master, specially delivered for the master to open personally."

Upon hearing this, Ruansizong halted the motion of opening his mouth to rebuke, slowly opened his weary, cloudy eyes, and a hint of relaxation appeared in his gaze.

All his life he has pursued fame and profit, immersed himself in power and influence.

However, he truly doted on these family descendants as if they were the apples of his eye......

Even if he were still angry, whenever his grandson sent a letter back, he always had to take a look.

Ruansizong raised his hand to receive the family letter, casually tore open the envelope, took out the paper inside, slowly unfolded it, and began reading carefully——

At first, his expression was stern and cold, his brows and eyes filled with lingering gloom.

But as line after line of handwriting came into view, his originally stagnant, dull gaze gradually tinged with tremor and astonishment.

He read each word and sentence meticulously, so intently that he creased the paper with several deep folds and tears.

Silence.

A long silence.

After a certain breath following a moment, Ruansizong seemed to awaken from a great dream, suddenly raising his head and laughing wildly to the sky, saying:

"Good, good, good, truly worthy of being my family's Tian'er!"

"No need to go, no need to go anymore...... From now on, Yongzhou will belong solely to our Ruan clan!"