Star Farming, the eldest lady relies on alchemy to counterattack

Chapter 364 The Conflict Between Yan Fuzhen and Yu Mingche
"Master, Commander Ying has collected two boxes of Thunder Spirit Stones and sent them over for your inspection," Yan Fuzhen reported as he entered.

Ning Xuan was leaning against Yu Mingche, playing with his hair, when Yan Fuzhen suddenly spoke, startling Ning Xuan who was already absent-minded. She pulled hard and almost pulled the strand of Yu Mingche's hair that was wrapped around her hand.

"Sorry, does it hurt?" Ning Xuan looked at Yu Mingche apologetically, touched his face, and followed his face to his neck. There was a bright red hickey on his fair and slender neck. Her gaze continued downward. Ning Xuan knew that there were more marks below his collar.

"It doesn't hurt, Master. Steward Yan is outside." Yu Mingche pulled his collar up a little awkwardly.

Ning Xuan knew that Yu Mingche was shy, so she straightened her clothes and returned to her seat, sitting up straight.

"Bring it in," Yu Mingche said to the outside.

Yan Fuzhen, accompanied by four servants, carried out two large, gem-encrusted chests. Upon opening the chests, he revealed sparkling Thunder Spirit Stones inside, radiating waves of lightning energy.

Ning Xuan got up and walked to the box, examining the spirit stones inside with great interest. Although these spirit stones were very rare, they were not of much significance to the difficulties she was facing in her cultivation. However, once she broke through her current bottleneck, these spirit stones would come in handy.

"Steward Yan, please give a thank-you gift to the soldiers who worked so hard to transport the spirit stones here." After checking, Ning Xuan planned to put the two boxes of thunder spirit stones into her spatial storage.

“Yes, Master.” Yan Fuzhen replied.

"Wait, Patriarch, the box is so deep, we don't know if there are other items inside. For your safety, we should check it carefully again," Yu Mingche stopped him.

“Chief Yu, these two boxes of Thunder Spirit Stones were personally sealed and stored by Commander Ying, and the person who transported the spirit stones was also Commander Ying’s confidant. Is there any need to check them again?” Yan Fuzhen said with a serious expression.

"No matter who sent it, it must be checked. Feng Linran, check it." Yu Mingche waved his hand, and Feng Linran walked forward from behind the curtain. Behind him, someone brought two new wooden boxes.

"Patriarch, Commander Ying is devoted to you. Don't you trust him?" Yan Fuzhen asked Ning Xuan sadly.

Before Yu Mingche moved into the Qingluan Mountain villa, Yan Fuzhen had been avoiding contact with Ying Yaoshi, not wanting Ning Xuan to misunderstand that he still cared about his former master and wasn't attentive enough to Ning Xuan.

But now, with Yu Mingche's arrival, especially during the six months Ning Xuan was missing, there have been more and more conflicts between Yu Mingche and Yan Fuzhen.

“Butler Yan, this has nothing to do with trust. Since I have authorized Mingche to handle household affairs, I will naturally listen to him in this matter. He is acting in accordance with the rules and regulations, and he is not targeting anyone. Isn’t your reaction a bit excessive?” Ning Xuan asked, frowning.

“You weren’t like this before. Are you now unable to understand your place, or are you arrogant and unwilling to follow orders?” Ning Xuan scrutinized Yan Fuzhen, whose face was pale.

Upon hearing Ning Xuan's words, Yan Fuzhen immediately knelt down on one knee. "Patriarch, I was afraid that you would only care about the newcomer and hurt Ying Shuai's sincere feelings. In my haste, I spoke inappropriately. I am willing to accept punishment."

Ning Xuan ignored him. Under Yan Fuzhen's instructions, Feng Linran had already checked each spirit stone and placed them into the new box. Feng Linran was very fast, and after about ten minutes, he had finished checking the two boxes of spirit stones. "Patriarch, the thunder spirit stones have been checked and there are no problems. There are also no problems with these two boxes. Please check them."

Ning Xuan put away the two boxes of Thunder Spirit Stones she had inspected. "Steward Yan, you've helped me a lot, and I remember all your contributions. In the two years you've been by my side, I don't think I've treated you unfairly. Considering our harmonious relationship, if you have any other thoughts, you can tell me. Let's part amicably and not hold grudges," Ning Xuan said.

Yan Fuzhen raised his head instantly, his face filled with disbelief and deep fear hidden in his eyes. Qingluan Mountain Villa was Ning Xuan's usual residence. The Marshal did not have time to stay by Ning Xuan's side, and he could not leave here again.

"Your subordinate swears to follow you to the death and will never leave you. Please see this clearly, Your subordinate is loyal to you and has no other intentions." Yan Fuzhen clenched his right fist and placed it over his heart to express his loyalty to Ning Xuan.

"I hope so. Butler Yan, go back and reflect on your actions. Yu Mingche is my contractor. You can supervise Yu Mingche's behavior, but you cannot openly challenge his authority. If he violates this rule again, you will be dealt with according to the family rules." Ning Xuan finished speaking and left the table. Yu Mingche left with her.

Seeing Yan Fuzhen stand up with a heavy expression, Feng Linran gave him a provocative look, walked up to him, and said in a low voice, "Yan Fuzhen, even your master can't compete with our governor, yet you still dare to jump out and cause trouble. Be careful that one day you'll be kicked out by the family head, and you won't be able to explain it to your master when you go back."

Yan Fuzhen glanced coldly at Feng Linran, then smiled contemptuously. "What does your master's favor have to do with you? You've been hanging around in front of the patriarch for so long," Yan Fuzhen leaned forward slightly, her voice low and filled with biting sarcasm, "the patriarch hasn't even given you a second glance, has he?"

Seeing Feng Linran's angry expression, his fists clenched tightly, Yan Fuzhen slowly smoothed his sleeves, his contempt deepening: "The patriarch wouldn't even bother to look at you. You have no proper duties to perform in the villa, which is why Yu Mingche has to be restrained by me. And you still have the nerve to laugh at me here? How laughable."

Anger surged in Feng Linran's eyes, but he suddenly let out a cold laugh: "Yan Fuzhen, you're all talk and no action. What do you dare disobey the governor's orders? You just wanted to see Miss Ning's attitude, didn't you? Did you get your wish?"

Yan Fuzhen's eyes turned cold. Before he could speak, footsteps suddenly came from outside the door. The two of them simultaneously composed themselves and took a half step back, as if the tense standoff had never existed.

"Steward Yan, someone has come to visit the head of the family. This is a visiting card." A servant rushed over and handed a gold-embossed visiting card to Yan Fuzhen.

Yan Fuzhen opened the post and his expression changed. He immediately contacted Ning Xuan through the smart home assistant, asking, "What is it?"

Ning Xuan asked lazily.

"Master, Young Master Yun's mother, Zhu Hongying, Young Master Lin's mother, Lin Yuzhi, and their father, Yun Tianming, have come to pay their respects. They just submitted their visiting cards and said they hope to come this afternoon," Yan Fuzhen reported.

"They came together?" Ning Xuan asked back.

“Yes, they only sent one invitation,” Yan Fuzhen replied.

"Looks like something's happened," Ning Xuan muttered to herself.