Everything starts from Menghualu

Chapter 453: Xue Dingfei Makes Trouble at the Duke's Mansion
Among them, only Cao Cheng was the least concerned and even had some expectations.

"Husband, did anything good happen to you today? Why is this happening?" Shen Zhiyi asked

"Why, Madam, don't you like it?" Cao Cheng said with a smile.

"Not really, it's just that you didn't tell me in advance, so I'm a little tired," Shen Zhiyi said coquettishly after hearing this.

"Haha, Madam, it's actually not a big deal. It's just that Xue Dingfei is back." Cao Cheng said
"What did you say? Husband, are you saying that Xue Dingfei is back? He is still alive?" Shen Zhiyi asked in surprise

"That's right, Madam. Not only did he come back alive, but His Majesty also gave him a sinecure. He will probably move back to the Xue family tomorrow." Cao Cheng said directly
"This, this is too strange, why did he come back suddenly? By the way, husband, Xue Dingfei is back, do you want to go back?" Shen Zhiyi said

"For such a big thing, of course I have to go back. After all, no matter what my adoptive father thinks, he will definitely do what he should do. Even if it's not a big event, a family dinner is always inevitable."

"So when the time comes, not only me, but also you, my lady, will have to accompany me back." Cao Cheng said
"Oh? Is that so? That's great. I haven't been out for a long time. By the way, do you want to bring Jiang Xuehui along? Let Xue Dingfei meet her together?" Shen Zhiyi said

"It's better not to do that. After all, she is just a concubine. It's not appropriate for her to attend the family banquet. I will invite Xue Dingfei alone another day and introduce him to her then." Cao Cheng said
After hearing this, Shen Zhiyi simply smiled. In fact, she didn't want Jiang Xuehui to go. She was just testing her husband just now. Now that she heard that she didn't need to bring her, she was naturally very happy.

"Okay, Madam, it's getting late. We should continue working hard." Cao Cheng said
Time soon came to the next day, and Xue Dingfei arrived at the gate of the mansion in a carriage.

After teasing Xue Ye who came to cause trouble for him, he walked straight in, as if this had always been his home, with such confidence.

The two things made the mother and son very angry, but Xue Dingfei had a special status. In this family, only Xue Yuan, the Duke of Dingguo, dared to discipline him, and no one else could do that.

Even though Madam Xue has been promoted to the position of legitimate wife, she is still a concubine after all. Although her title is legitimate, her status is not smooth. Xue Dingfei is the crown prince appointed by the late emperor, and she has no right to interfere.

So when Xue Yuan came back, a scene that gave him a headache happened. When Mrs. Xue saw him come back, she seemed to have found her backbone.

"Master, you must make the decision for me. You don't know that once Dingfei comes back, he will... oh, I won't live anymore. I'd rather die!" Mrs. Xue said

Looking at his wife's exaggerated acting skills in front of him, he was very impatient and wanted to say a few words, but when he saw Ye'er next to him, he swallowed his words back.

Then he walked straight to the room, walked to the door and pushed it hard, then shouted, "Xue Dingfei, get out here!"

"Who is this? How dare you call me by my name? Don't you know who I am? Do you want to die? Hey, isn't this Duke Dingguo? What brought this upon you?" Xue Dingfei asked

After hearing this, Xue Yuan became furious and raised his fist to hit him. Xue Dingfei had been bullied since he was a child, so he was naturally good at dodging.

After struggling for a long time, Xue Yuan didn't even touch the corner of his clothes. He couldn't really do anything. If he broke something, who knows what people would say about him.

"Xue Dingfei, you little bastard, stop right there!" Xue Yuan said angrily
"You told me to stop, so I'll stop. I won't listen to you. If you want me to listen to you, just stand there and don't move, and I won't run away." Xue Dingfei said with a smile

"You, okay, you stand there and I won't move." Xue Yuan agreed reluctantly after hearing this.

"You, Xue Dingfei, tell me clearly, what do you want?" Xue Yuan said directly
"What do I want? What do you think I want? I came back this time hoping that you would die soon. Then this Duke's Mansion would be mine." Xue Dingfei said

"You! You rebellious son, rebellious son! I will beat you to death today!" Xue Yuan said angrily
Xue Dingfei was naturally not a person who would suffer losses. When Xue Yuan made a move, he would naturally follow suit. Xue Yuan was afraid of the consequences and never caught Xue Dingfei.

"Okay, you little brat, listen to me. I've arranged a family dinner the day after tomorrow and I'll call everyone back to meet you."

"I warn you, if you act like this again, I will punish you!" Xue Yuan saw that he couldn't catch up, so he stopped and said.
After hearing this, Xue Dingfei knew that Xue Yuan was serious. He stopped making a fuss and said directly, "Okay, I promise you. That's it. I'll go back to my room if there's nothing else."

The academy did not continue the fight because there was a family dinner the day after tomorrow. Who knows, there might be some uninvited guests by then. As the protagonist, it would not be good to get bruised and battered.

So naturally he couldn't do it, and now the remaining mother and son were unhappy, and Mrs. Xue continued to cry.

"Alright, that's enough! Stop messing around. There's a family dinner the day after tomorrow. What do you want me to do? Beat him up so badly that he can't see anyone the day after tomorrow?"

"Everyone, go back to your rooms. If you have anything to say, wait until the day after tomorrow to discuss it!" Xue Yuan shouted
After hearing this, Xue's mother and son could only return to their room unwillingly.

After they left, Xue Yuan returned to the study. His face was gloomy. He knew very well why Xue Dingfei did this.

This man came back to take revenge on him, but he knew it was useless now. After all, this guy was His Majesty's benefactor, and he couldn't do anything to him.

Time passed slowly, and soon it was the third day. On this day, the Duke's Mansion was decorated with lights and was very lively, and all the servants were busy.

Although not many people were present in person due to the family dinner, all the gifts that should be given were delivered, and family members naturally came as well.

The first one to arrive was Xue Shu. When Xue Shu appeared at the door, Madam Xue hurriedly stepped forward to support her and said nervously, "Didn't I tell you that you are in danger now, so don't come." "Mother, today is such a special day, how can I not come? You can do that first. I have asked the imperial physician. As long as you are careful, there will be no problem." Xue Shu said
After hearing this, Mrs. Xue naturally had nothing to say, so she helped the person in. Not long after they went in, Cao Cheng and his wife's carriage arrived.

When Xue Yuan saw him coming, he walked forward with a smile and saluted Shen Zhiyi, while Cao Cheng saluted Xue Yuan. Then the three of them entered the mansion talking and laughing.

Not long after walking in, Cao Cheng saw Xue Dingfei. Xue Yuan naturally noticed him as well, so he quickly called him over.

Even though the situation today was special, Xue Dingfei did not make a fuss but came here obediently.

"You little brat, why don't you come over to meet your big brother?" Xue Yuan said to Xue Dingfei.
After hearing this, Xue Dingfei was immediately confused. Wasn't he older than Cao Cheng? How could he be his elder brother? However, the situation was not right, so he didn't dare to say anything more.

After all, one's own family knows one's own business. Fake is fake after all, and there is still a lack of confidence. Cao Cheng was not surprised at all that Xue Dingfei gave in so quickly.

After all, the other people present didn't know his background, but he knew it clearly.

"Hey, godfather, considering our age, I should be the one calling the prince 'big brother'." Cao Cheng said
"No, he has been wandering around for so many years, and you have always been the eldest in the family. Besides, I know very well how old my son is. He is definitely not as old as you." Xue Yuandao
After hearing this, Cao Cheng could only nod helplessly, then looked at Xue Dingfei apologetically, and then the few of them went in.

Because it was a family dinner, there was no need to be polite. After everyone met and greeted each other, they all took their seats. In such an occasion, private matters would naturally not be said.

So the meal was a happy one, and there was nothing unusual about it. But after the meal, the unusual thing happened.

After the meeting, Xue Yuan called Cao Cheng directly to the study and started chatting with him.

"Foster father, it's not appropriate for you to see me alone on a day like today, right?" Cao Cheng said
"There's nothing wrong with that. This bastard is just here to collect his debt. No matter what I do, he'll still be the same person, so I don't need to bother with him at all."

"Okay, let's not talk about him anymore. Let's talk about business. I want to hear your opinion." Xue Yuan said
"Godfather, before I say anything, let me ask you a question. Are you sure this is the Xue Dingfei of the past?" Cao Cheng said with a serious face.

"Hmm? Cheng'er, what do you mean by that? Do you have any doubts?" Xue Yuandao
"Foster father, yes, I did have some doubts because everything was too coincidental. In order to cover up Shen Jie's affairs, I told Zhang Zha that Xie Wei and Yan Lin had a close relationship."

"At that time, I just wanted to divert Zhang Zha's attention and stop him from staring at us, but I didn't expect that this Xue Dingfei would appear right after that."

"This is all too coincidental, and the time is too short. I now strongly suspect that this person has returned a long time ago, but has never dedicated himself."

"If this is true, then it's hard to say whether this person is real or fake." Cao Cheng said
"Well, Cheng'er, what you said makes sense. However, I have tested him before, and everything he said is true. The key is that His Majesty also believes that he is telling the truth."

"You should also know what happened back then. They were hiding together back then. I'm sure His Majesty also knows something. Since he didn't see any problems, I guess there won't be any problems."

"Originally, everything I said was true, but after hearing what you said today, it does seem a little suspicious. How about this, I'll test him again later." Xue Yuan said
"Foster father, it's not that I'm suspicious, it's just that this incident is too coincidental. We are blind and planning something big, so we can't be careless." Cao Cheng said solemnly.

"Well, Cheng'er, don't worry. Your father knows what's going on." Xue Yuan nodded.
"Okay, I feel relieved when you say that. By the way, foster father, I'm afraid we need to be more careful in our communication from now on." Cao Cheng said directly
"Yeah, now that this brat has appeared, it's indeed inconvenient. Judging from what happened this time, Xie Wei is a big threat."

"What do you think? Should we find a chance to get rid of him?" Xue Yuan said in a deep voice
"Foster father, I think we should not act rashly. This Master Xie may not be as simple as we see. There may not only be your Majesty behind him." Cao Cheng said
"Hmm? Cheng'er, what do you mean? Xie Wei was sent from the south?" Xue Yuan said
"It's very likely, godfather. You might as well think about it carefully. Since Xie Wei showed up, how many of our plans have been ruined by him? On the surface, it all seemed to be His Majesty's intention."

"But don't you think that Xie Wei from the Jiangnan Xie family is a little too capable? In the past few years, no matter what His Majesty asked him to do, he was able to complete it very well."

"Our deep-minded Majesty, didn't even point out any of his mistakes? And many of these things cannot be accomplished by ability alone."

"I know, maybe I'm wrong. This Master Xie may be really capable, but the more capable he is, the greater the threat he poses to us."

"So what I mean is, we might as well send someone to keep an eye on him. It doesn't matter even if he finds us. We just need to keep an eye on him and the people around him."

"If there really is someone behind him, then he must have contacted them. What do you think will happen if he doesn't contact them for a long time?" Cao Cheng asked directly.
"Well, what you said makes sense. He is indeed very suspicious. Your idea is good. I will arrange for someone to do it tomorrow." Xue Yuan nodded.
After finishing the serious business, Cao Cheng naturally prepared to leave, so he turned and left the study, then picked up his wife and got on his own carriage.

"Husband, why did you talk to father for so long? What did you talk about?" Shen Zhiyi asked

"What else can I say? Of course I should talk about my good brother who suddenly showed up. What he has done in the past few days is really wonderful." Cao Cheng said with a smile

"Oh? Husband, is there any hidden secret here?" Shen Zhiyi asked

"Of course. In addition to making his concubine his legal wife before his body was cold, my adoptive father also did a lot of other things."

"Among all this, there is one thing that others don't know, which is that my adoptive father almost killed his good son with his own hands." Cao Cheng said in a deep voice
"Ah? Actually, there is such a thing? This is too good, this is too good?" Shen Zhiyi said in surprise

"Of course. How can my adoptive father be at ease if Xue Dingfei suddenly comes back at this time? Not to mention that my adoptive mother and that disappointing brother are also here."

"I'm afraid this Duke's Mansion will be in chaos for a while from now on, but this has nothing to do with me anymore." Cao Cheng said with some emotion
(End of this chapter)