As a young marshal, it's reasonable for me to have 300,000 private troops, right?

When Qi Fan saw this, his heart skipped a beat, and he couldn't sit still any longer.

He could clearly see that the favorability ratings above Lu Shouxuan, Dai Xianyu, and Zhang Shouyi were dropping rapidly, from around 30% to below 20% in the blink of an eye.

Even Xu Shuyang, whose value was originally -15%, saw his value slide to -20%!

Just then, the system notification sounded in his mind without warning, with a hint of urgency:

[Ding! Multiple targets have shown a significant decrease in their affinity towards the host, triggering an emergency mission!]

[A new task is issued to the host: Raise the favorability of any three random people to 80 points. The host will receive a new reward.]

[Mission Rewards: 1 Grade B Army Card, 1 Grade B Skill Card.]

[Warning! The favorability rating of surrounding targets is continuously decreasing. Please take remedial measures immediately!]

Qi Fan's heart tightened; this favorability rating had dropped far too quickly!

He quickly considered in his mind that Zhang Shoufang's words had already sealed the deal, and a direct confrontation was definitely not an option. He could only try to find a way for both sides to back down.

He quickly took two steps forward, tilted his little face up, and spoke to the concubines with a childlike innocence and sincerity.

"Don't overthink it, Moms. That's not what my sister meant."

He paused, secretly glanced at Zhang Shoufang, and then continued.

"My two siblings and I have just arrived at the Marshal's Mansion and are not familiar with everything here, so we are inevitably a little reserved. My sister was just afraid that we would not know the rules and offend the ladies, so she deliberately said that to remind us."

"We'll see." He changed the subject, his eyes full of anticipation.

"If we're not familiar with this place, how can we truly consider it our home? We'll need the mothers to take us around more often and teach us the rules so we can adapt quickly and truly make this our home."

These words were perfectly worded, giving Zhang Shoufang a way out, flattering the concubines, and subtly echoing Lu Shouxuan's earlier statement that "this is your home."

Sure enough, the tense atmosphere in the room eased as soon as he finished speaking.

Qi Fan clearly saw that the favorability ratings above the heads of the concubines no longer declined, but instead rebounded slightly. Lu Shouxuan returned to 25%, Dai Xianyu to 23%, and Zhang Shouyi to 24%.

Fifth concubine Zhang Shouyi was the first to laugh. She stepped forward and gently patted Qi Fan's head.

"Our Sixth Brother is so eloquent and quick-witted! No problem, tomorrow Fifth Mother will personally take you three siblings on a tour of the Marshal's Mansion and explain every nook and cranny to you!"

Fourth concubine Xu Shuyang stood aside, her expression softening slightly, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes as she muttered to herself.

This little thing looks young, but it's quite clever. It managed to defuse such a tense atmosphere in an instant. It's really something. I'll have to pay more attention to it in the future.

Her favorability rating stopped at -18% and didn't continue to decline.

Second concubine Lu Shouxuan's face regained its gentle smile, and third concubine Dai Xianyu's hands, which were twirling Buddhist prayer beads, also resumed their rhythm. The two women's gazes toward Qi Fan softened considerably.

Lu Shouxuan stepped forward and gently patted Qi Fan's back, speaking with concern.

"Alright, alright, stop standing there. You three siblings have been traveling all day, you must be tired and hungry, you need to rest."

She turned to the maid beside her and instructed, "First, take the three young masters and ladies to the prepared rooms to wash up and rest, then have someone bring dinner to their rooms."

Then he said to Qi Fan, "Tomorrow morning, you three siblings come to my room for breakfast. I'll have the kitchen make some of your favorite dishes."

Qi Fan nodded quickly, tugged at Zhang Shoufang who was still sulking, and then called Zhang Xueming to bow obediently to the concubines.

Thank you, moms!

Although Zhang Shoufang was still somewhat unconvinced, seeing that Qi Fan had already made his point, she didn't make a scene anymore. She simply pulled Zhang Xueming along and followed the maid to the room.

The maid led the three to a neatly prepared side room in the backyard. The room contained three beds, and the stove was burning brightly, dispelling the chill from the journey.

On the table were snacks and hot tea prepared by the kitchen. After the maidservant helped the three of them wash up, she bowed and withdrew.

The three of them ate a few bites of snacks to fill their stomachs, and the fatigue from their long journey overwhelmed them, so they each lay down on their beds.

As night deepened, the sound of wind and snow outside the window gradually subsided, and the room became so quiet that only their breathing could be heard.

Just then, Zhang Shoufang turned over and looked at Qi Fan lying on the bed next to her.

"Liu Zi, why were you trying to curry favor with those concubines in the side room just now?"

Qi Fan was taken aback, and before he could speak, Zhang Shoufang continued.

"Our mother suffered her whole life, wandering from place to place with our father, and never enjoyed a single day of happiness before she passed away. Second Aunt said she wanted to be our biological mother, but isn't that just replacing our mother? I said those things on purpose for them to hear, all for our mother's sake!"

Qi Fan understood. Zhang Shoufang was older and had a deeper affection for her mother. Her earlier conflict was entirely out of a desire to protect her mother's dignity.

He couldn't very well say that he did it to increase favorability and complete the system task, so he had to quickly rack his brains and come up with a reasonable excuse.

This was not a difficult task for Qi Fan, who had been a live streamer in his previous life. He had seen many people with special fetishes during his previous live streams, and dealing with all kinds of tricky questions was already commonplace for him. He had long since developed the ability to adapt to changing circumstances.

"Sister, I know you're doing this for Mom, and I don't blame you. But we've only just arrived at the Marshal's mansion and haven't even settled in yet. If we fall out with these concubines so soon, it won't do us any good."

"Think about it." He paused, his tone deliberately deep.

"We still don't know what that 'free father' is really thinking. Now that things have gotten too tense, it will be difficult for the three of us siblings to stay here."

After listening, Zhang Shoufang's eyes gradually brightened. She pondered for a moment and then suddenly realized what she meant.

"I understand what you mean! You want to appease them first, wait for Dad to come back, see his attitude, and then make a plan, right?"

Qi Fan: "?"

He paused for a moment, then couldn't help but ask himself: Is that what I meant? It seems... not entirely, but this interpretation doesn't seem wrong either?

Before he could react, Zhang Shoufang said with admiration.

"Liu Zi, you're really something! You think things through much better than me, and you're definitely smarter. I was too impulsive just now and didn't consider all the details."

Qi Fan felt a little embarrassed by the praise, his cheeks flushed slightly, and he scratched his head.

"Hey, it's nothing. Go to sleep, you're all tired after a long day. I reckon Dad should be back tomorrow."

Zhang Shoufang nodded, the knot in her heart untied, but her fatigue intensified, and soon her breathing became even.

Zhang Xueming was so sleepy he could barely keep his eyes open, and was now fast asleep.

Qi Fan looked out at the night sky and breathed a sigh of relief, finally managing to get away with it.

On the other side, in another courtyard of the Marshal's Mansion, a completely different lively scene unfolded.

The four concubines gathered in the room of the second concubine, Lu Shouxuan. A mahjong table had already been set up, and the maids brought out tea and fruit. The four of them sat down around it, ready to pass the time and relieve their boredom.

Playing mahjong was the favorite pastime of the concubines in the Marshal's mansion. Almost every night, whenever they had free time, they would gather together to play a few rounds.

The sound of shuffling mahjong tiles filled the air, and the second concubine, Lu Shouxuan, spoke first, her tone carrying a hint of approval.

"You all saw it just now, didn't you? This Liu Zi is indeed extraordinary. Don't let his upbringing with Zhao Chungui fool you; he's never been to the Marshal's Mansion. His social skills and ability to read people are clearly not something an ordinary child possesses."

"That's right!" Third concubine Dai Xianyu echoed as she arranged the tiles.

"None of the Zhang family's offspring are mediocre. They're all shrewd and clever. This Liu Zi may be young, but he's much more cunning than we think."

Lu Shouxuan nodded and said solemnly, "That's what we say, but we sisters have to pay more attention to them from now on. Master values ​​these six sons the most, so we can't neglect them. We have to treat them like our own children and not let Master find fault with them."

"Second Sister is right!" Fifth Concubine Zhang Shouyi said as she drew her cards.

"The master's attitude towards Liu Zi is clearly different from his attitude towards the other children. We sisters should all know which is more important. Taking good care of them is also for our own good."

At this moment, Fourth Concubine Xu Shuyang, who hadn't spoken much, suddenly spoke up. She lightly touched a card, her tone carrying a hint of ambiguous emotion.

"To be honest, Zhao Chungui is quite pitiful. She suffered her whole life following the master, and finally when he became successful and deserved to enjoy his life, she passed away. Look at this mansion, it's always a case of 'when people leave, the tea cools.' We still need to plan more for ourselves."

Her words carried a hint of provocation, yet also seemed to express her feelings, instantly making the atmosphere at the card table a little less lively.

Lu Shouxuan glanced at her but didn't reply, instead silently drawing her cards; Dai Xianyu continued to twirl her prayer beads, her expression indifferent; Zhang Shouyi smiled, played a card, and changed the subject.

"Let's not talk about that anymore, let's play cards! The winner has to treat us to some snacks!"

The clatter of mahjong tiles rang out again, but each person harbored their own thoughts.