Mrs. Zhan rose and said, "General Xiang, as a general, you spend little time in the Capital City. With such a vast estate and no one to truly run the household, can you really rest easy leaving a child there?"

Xiang Minghou faltered for a moment.

"And as for you, Qian Fanji," Mrs. Zhan added, "you are a Buddhist disciple and won’t be in the Capital City for long. Minister Qian has never married either, so he wouldn’t know how to care for a child."

Qian Fanji frowned. "Zhan Chi has never married either. He’s even less suited to look after a child."

"My son might not know how, but my husband and I do. When Pangtuan comes to the Zhan family, we will dedicate ourselves to caring for her and teaching her the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting." Mrs. Zhan felt confident she would prevail.

Qian Fanji’s frown deepened.

"Now, Mrs. Zhan, that’s not right," Qian Fu said unhappily.

"But I’m speaking the truth. A child needs someone with them at all times." 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

"Daughter-in-law of the Zhan family, my Gu family is the best choice! Gu Shuo’s parents are both present. Coming to our Gu family would be far better than your Zhan family. What’s more, the little girl would certainly want to come home with me," Old Man Gu cut in.

Mrs. Zhan turned to glare at him. "Old Man Gu, let’s not even talk about your Gu family. It’s far too crowded. Besides, I heard that a few years ago, the Gu family removed Gu Shuo from the family registry, didn’t they? If Pangtuan grows up with Gu Shuo, wouldn’t she be gossiped about behind her back?"

"So he was removed from the family registry. We’ll just add him back in tomorrow. What’s the big deal?" Old Man Gu said, completely unconcerned.

"..."

’Is the Gu family’s registry just made of paper?’

’They remove and add people whenever they feel like it.’

"Old Man Gu, you have so many children and grandchildren; you know full well how much scheming goes on. If you take that little child back there, I’d be afraid my granddaughter would never make it out." For her granddaughter’s sake, Mrs. Zhan was now ready to confront anyone.

Old Man Gu was so angry his mustache bristled. He’d thought the daughter-in-law of the Zhan family was a gentle, virtuous woman, but it turned out she was a real handful when provoked.

"Anyway, I’m laying it on the line. If the little girl doesn’t come home with me, then wherever she goes, my wife will go."

"Old Man Gu, you can’t be so unreasonable!"

"What’s unreasonable? Her blood fused with my grandson’s. That’s all the reason I need."

"You weren’t the only family involved in the blood fusion."

"..."

’Right, it was four families...!’

The blood-drop kinship test had only made things more complicated.

In the main hall, the group argued back and forth, with no one willing to yield. They went at it until sunset but failed to reach any sort of conclusion.

Dean Chen found it impossible to make a decision on the matter. The child belonged to four families, and you couldn’t exactly split a child into four parts.

"How about this for now?" he said. "Look, the sun has already set. Today is the Emperor’s birthday banquet, and every one of you is an influential figure. It wouldn’t do to be absent."

By now, all the court officials were likely already seated. But this lot? Not a single one of them had the Emperor’s banquet on their mind.

Xiang Minghou, holding Ye Qianning, remained firmly seated, in no mood to attend some birthday banquet.

Qian Fu and Qian Fanji didn’t move either. ’How could a banquet be more important than the child?’

Zhan Yi, Mrs. Zhan, and Zhan Chi also remained still. The old couple had spent half their lives hoping to hold a grandchild. With the child’s fate unsettled, they were in no mood to attend a banquet.

"If you don’t let my great-granddaughter come home with me today, then none of you are going anywhere." Old Man Gu didn’t have to attend the banquet, and upon hearing the Dean’s words, he acted as if he had just gained some leverage.

Everyone rolled their eyes in unison. ’As if any of us want to go.’

"Old Man Gu, envoys from the three kingdoms are here to offer their congratulations, and all the court officials are celebrating with their families. Everyone present is either a high-ranking court minister or a relative of the imperial family. The Emperor will surely hold it against you if you are absent." Dean Chen rose from his seat. "Everyone, please prepare yourselves. Let’s just get through the banquet first and deal with other matters afterward."

The mood in the room was somber, and no one was willing to move—