Chapter 54 I still have a granddaughter!

Originally, Qin Shaotian wanted to prepare for the autumn imperial examination in peace. However, before he could even have a single day of rest, he received the news that Qin Yong had failed and, worse still, his identity had been exposed.

At that moment, Qin Shaotian nearly smashed his entire room to pieces. He simply could not fathom it—was Shen Xuan really that difficult to deal with?

After venting his frustration and calming down, Qin Shaotian immediately made a decision. Since soft tactics failed, he would resort to hard ones!

Was Shen Xuan not blessed with good luck? Did he not have his own tricks? Fine, then he would dispense with all these superficial games.

Qin Shaotian instantly wanted to send someone to eliminate Shen Xuan, to completely erase this hidden threat from the world.

Yet, upon second thought, Qin Shaotian realized that sending his own men still carried a certain amount of risk. After all, the network of subordinates he had built up was not entirely hidden from the Qin family.

If he truly made a move, Qin Nunian’s attitude might be unpredictable, but Qin Zhenjun, Elder Qin, would definitely find out. If that old man were to learn of this, Qin Shaotian feared he would be in deep trouble.

Therefore, Qin Shaotian devised a plan to secretly cultivate a temporary assassin, and the chosen candidate was naturally Han Yu, who harbored a deep grudge against Shen Xuan.

"It's all the fault of that piece of trash Qin Yong. The manager of the Immortal Current Pavilion must have been living too comfortably, which completely addled his brain."

A cold glint flashed across Ye Tingjie's eyes as he spoke with a sinister tone.

"Forget it. We will settle the score with him later."

Qin Shaotian's expression was far from pleasant, his voice icy cold.

"Then, Young Master, what should we do now? Should we still go make trouble for Shen Xuan?"

Ye Tingjie lowered his head further, asking with a hint of hesitation.

Qin Shaotian put down his teacup and spoke with a playful, teasing air.

"Hah, why not? Didn't he come up with some kind of medicinal diet? And its effects have been exaggerated to miraculous proportions."

"In that case, let's make it sound even more miraculous! Let every high-ranking official and noble in the capital know about this! When the time comes, we won't even need to lift a finger—naturally, others will go make his life miserable!"

Upon hearing this, Ye Tingjie could not help but wear a look of excitement, and he spoke with eager enthusiasm.

"Brilliant, Young Master! I'll have people handle it right away!"

Qin Shaotian wore a smug expression, a flash of excitement similarly crossing his eyes.

Inside the An residence, two little heads peeked around a doorframe, secretly observing the grim, ashen-faced An Changming. Two pairs of large eyes blinked incessantly, the emotions reflected within them entirely bewildered.

"Young Miss, why do you suppose the Master went out and came back looking so angry?"

Xiao Ying scratched her head, looking at An Miaoyu beside her with a completely baffled expression.

"You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask?"

An Miaoyu rolled her eyes in annoyance, speaking with a speechless tone.

"Then, Young Miss, why don't you go ask him?"

Xiao Ying glanced at An Miaoyu, then back at An Changming inside the room, and cautiously asked.

Watching the innocent expression on the little maid's face, An Miaoyu's mouth twitched, and she quickly waved her hand.

"If you want to go, you go. I'm certainly not going to walk into the lion's den!"

"This servant wouldn't dare! The Master is clearly still in the middle of a rage. If I were to go, I'd definitely be punished."

Xiao Ying shook her head like a rattle-drum and waved her hands repeatedly in refusal.

"And you think I'm not afraid of being punished?"

An Miaoyu covered her head, her tone filled with utter helplessness.

"Young Miss, how can you compare yourself to a humble servant? The Master dotes on you the most."

Xiao Ying blinked her eyes, her tone dripping with persuasion.

"It does seem that way."

An Miaoyu touched her fair chin and thought about it, feeling that Xiao Ying's words made some sense.

"So, Young Miss, hurry and go. The Master probably needs your comfort right now."

Xiao Ying pressed on with renewed persuasion.

"Fine! Then I'll go!"

An Miaoyu gritted her teeth and turned to walk into the room.

It was as if she were a general marching off to the battlefield, exuding an air of desolate and chilling tragic heroism.

"Young Miss, you can do it!"

Xiao Ying clenched her fists, silently cheering her young mistress on.

With her hands behind her back, An Miaoyu walked over to An Changming in a few steps and asked in a sweet voice.

"Grandfather, where did you go today? Why do you look so unhappy ever since you came back?"

An Changming was racking his brains over how to drag Shen Xuan into their Imperial Medical Academy. Hearing An Miaoyu's voice out of nowhere, he was nearly frightened out of his wits.

He was about to scold her, but the words reached the tip of his tongue before he swallowed them back down.

Looking at his exceptionally beautiful granddaughter, An Changming's eyes grew brighter and brighter, and a mischievous, wicked grin spread uncontrollably across his face.

"Grandfather, are you alright?"

Seeing the smile on An Changming's face, An Miaoyu felt a creeping sensation of dread and instinctively lowered her voice to ask.

"Ahem!"

Hearing the inquiry, An Changming finally snapped back to reality. After a couple of awkward, light coughs, the smile on his face turned benevolent, and he spoke in a gentle voice.

"What could possibly be wrong with your grandfather? By the way, Miaoyu, how familiar are you with that Shen Xuan from the Coming of Monarchs?"

Listening to her grandfather's gentle tone, An Miaoyu felt her scalp tingle. After thinking for a moment, instead of answering directly, she countered with a question.

"Why are you asking about this?"

"Never mind that for now. You just need to answer your grandfather: what is your relationship with that Manager Shen?"

An Changming waved his hand impatiently.

"It's alright, I suppose. Manager Shen takes pretty good care of me."

An Miaoyu hesitated for a moment before finally answering honestly.

"That's just wonderful!"

An Changming slapped his thigh abruptly, his tone quite excited.

"Ah?"

An Miaoyu was completely dumbfounded by the sight. She scratched her head in utter incomprehension, her rosy lips parting slightly, and the expression on her face was wonderfully comical.

"My grandfather went out for a trip, could he have lost his mind? Should I ask Young Master Shen to examine him?"

An Miaoyu could not help but think to herself.

After rejoicing for a moment, seeing the strange look on his granddaughter's face, An Changming felt his old face flush red. He gave another light cough and said,

"Ahem, well, Miaoyu, from now on you can visit Coming of Monarchs more often. Discuss and consult with young friend Shen on medical matters whenever you can, and it would be best if you could become friends."

"But Grandfather, wasn't it you who told me to show my face in public less often?"

An Miaoyu was even more bewildered now. Her pretty eyes widened in disbelief, and she subconsciously blurted out the question.

An Changming’s expression froze, and he asked with uncertainty,

"Did I ever say that?"

An Miaoyu nodded vigorously, her expression deadly serious.

"Then just pretend I never said those words. In any case, you must remember this, girl: you must grow much closer to that Shen Xuan."

Helpless and unwilling to offer further explanation, An Changming simply brandished his authority as a grandfather and spoke in a stern tone.

"Such a good thing can happen?"

Seeing that her grandfather did not seem to be joking, An Miaoyu subconsciously thought to herself.

"Did you hear me?"

Seeing that his granddaughter remained silent for a long while, An Changming furrowed his brow and repeated the question once more.