As night fell, the usually quiet Dingyuan Marquis's Mansion was abuzz with activity.
Especially within Qingjing Residence.
Old Marquis Xiao Yuan sat in the seat of honor, flanked by Duke Qian, Zhang Xuan, who wore a look of someone enjoying a good show, and a pensive Sun Fu.
On the other side, Second Master Xiao, Xiao Wang; Xiao Xuanshuo; and Xiao Dongchen and Xiao Qiuyun—the two from the second branch—were all seated ramrod straight.
However, in stark contrast to the Old Marquis's calm demeanor, everyone else looked indignant.
A long silence.
Old Marquis Xiao slowly spoke, "Wuge, did Chen Yi really do that?"
Standing in the middle of the hall with his head hanging, Xiao Wuge mumbled, "Grandfather, what he did was just an act, for the Third Place Scholar's sake…"
Before he could finish, Xiao Xuanshuo exploded with uncontrollable rage. "Him and his grandstanding!"
"It's another family's private matter. What right does an outsider like him have to meddle? Besides, for him to act so brazenly... has he ever considered the impact it would have on our Xiao Family?"
"If outsiders were to find out, what would they think of the Xiao Family?"
Old Marquis Xiao raised a hand, signaling for him to be quiet, then turned to Xiao Wang at his side. "Second Brother, you're in charge of the Punishment Hall. What are your thoughts on this?"
Xiao Wang, who looked slightly younger than the marquis, sat in a Grandmaster's Chair dressed in a black brocade robe. His hands were clasped around the handle of a cane as he said coolly, "This isn't the first time he has acted this way."
"Never mind him running from his own wedding. The last time he left the mansion, he went straight to South City Yanhua Lane. This time is even more outrageous. He dared to abduct a young woman. What's next?"
He looked at the Old Marquis, his expression flat. "In my opinion, fifty strokes with the rod and expulsion from the family."
Old Marquis Xiao's gaze shifted slightly as he looked toward Duke Qian, Zhang Xuan, and Sun Fu.
Before he could speak, Zhang Xuan said in a wry tone, "Don't look at me. I'm an outsider; I wouldn't dare meddle in your family affairs."
Xiao Xuanshuo opened his mouth to speak but just looked vexed.
Sun Fu, however, glanced around the room and broke into a grin. "Old Brother Xiao, this grandson-in-law of yours is truly one of a kind."
"Oh?" Old Marquis Xiao gave a subtle wink.
How could Sun Fu not understand his meaning? 'This old fox,' he cursed inwardly. 'Wants to play the good guy and leave me to be the bad guy.'
"Although he was a bit rash in this matter, you'll notice that neither the Third Place Scholar nor his family has shown up at your door. This means the outcome must have been to their liking."
"Perhaps in the future, when people speak of this, they won't say Chen Yi overstepped his bounds. On the contrary, it might even become a celebrated tale."
Noticing the hostile glares from Second Master Xiao and the others, Sun Fu coughed. "After all, that Li Huai'gu is this year's Third Place Scholar. By helping him get what he wanted, in the future, his relationship with your Xiao Family…"
He left the thought unfinished.
But the implication was clear: by befriending Li Huai'gu, Chen Yi had forged a positive connection between the Xiao Family and the Third Place Scholar.
Xiao Wuge nodded emphatically, all but blurting out, 'Exactly!'
As for Xiao Wang, Xiao Xuanshuo, and the others, they just frowned. To them, this was just twisted logic. Who forges connections this way?
Besides, their Xiao Family had a two-hundred-year legacy in Shu State. It had always been others who curried favor with them. When had they ever sunk so low as to have to proactively befriend a mere Third Place Scholar?
But seeing as the Old Marquis remained silent, everyone understood his stance.
Xiao Qiuyun glanced from side to side, then smiled. "Uncle Sun has a point. That Third Place Scholar will soon be entering the Shu State Civil Government Office to serve alongside my brother. Resolving this matter for him is indeed a good way to build a connection."
Xiao Dongchen's expression flickered, and he nodded in agreement. "My sister is right. Eldest Uncle, Father, what do you think?"
Xiao Wang let out a cold snort and closed his eyes, feigning rest.
The Old Marquis glanced at him, then waved his hand. "In that case, we will handle this matter as we have the others. We'll wait for Jinghong to return home and let her decide."
"However, with one incident after another, I think it's best for Chen Yi to remain within the mansion for the time being. As for Wang Lixing and his men, have them stand guard outside Spring Lotus Garden."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Wang immediately used his cane to push himself up. After taking two steps, he turned his head. "Big Brother, don't say I didn't warn you. This family still has a Punishment Hall!"
With that, he walked out the door, his face cold.
Seeing this, Xiao Qiuyun and Xiao Dongchen bowed to the Old Marquis, then excused themselves to go "persuade" him, following him out the door.
In a few short moments, Qingjing Residence was quiet once more.
Old Marquis Xiao looked at his two old friends and shook his head with a wry smile. "What a spectacle."
Zhang Xuan slouched in his chair. "What's the big deal? You were even more outrageous than Young Boy Chen when you were young, and I never saw you make a spectacle of yourself then."
The Old Marquis's face darkened. "You old rascal…"
"Am I wrong? Have you forgotten the time you took me to the brothels?"
"Shut up!"
'He knew not a single decent word would come out of that old rascal's mouth.'
Sun Fu, long accustomed to their bickering, glanced toward the door. "Old Xiao, on a different note…"
"Hm?"
"Your grandson-in-law coming to the Xiao Family might not be a bad thing."
Seeing his serious expression, the Old Marquis pondered for a moment before nodding in sudden understanding.
"What's with all the riddles between you two?"
"It cannot be spoken of…"
…
Chen Yi had long anticipated this outcome, so it wasn't entirely unacceptable.
The Xiao Family, after all, was a family of hereditary Marquis Wu in Great Wei. It was only natural that they valued their prestige and reputation.
So, after reassuring Xiaodie, Xiao Wuge, Wang Lixing, and the others, he ate and went to sleep as if nothing had happened.
「Outside Spring Lotus Garden.」
Wang Lixing wore a bitter expression as he gazed at the moon and sighed.
The other Armored Warriors were in the same state, all except for Ge the Third, who was busy tut-tutting.
"You should have seen the scene. If we hadn't run so fast, we would've been caught for sure. A sound beating would've been the least of it."
"And that Third Place Scholar really lucked out meeting the Master. Who else would do something like that for him… I mean, how could he have gotten so lucky, right?"
"Shut it!"
Liu Si'er, who was leaning against a nearby wall, looked annoyed.
'If I'd known this would be the outcome, I never would've agreed to be Chen Yi's accomplice.'
Now he was stuck standing guard outside Spring Lotus Garden, and with Wang Lixing and the others watching, he had to keep any other ideas to himself.
Seeing his expression, Ge the Third sheepishly shut his mouth.
After a moment, he remembered something. "Brother Si," he said, "I heard a pretty maid went to your room today. The two stableboys were green with envy."
Liu Si'er froze, his heart pounding in alarm. He forced himself to remain calm. "My room? When?"
"Right after we left the Marquis's Mansion. You didn't know?"
"Oh, you mean her…"
"So, who was it?"
Liu Si'er shot him a look and didn't answer. Instead, he cupped his hands toward Wang Lixing and said he needed to go back and grab some things to get through the night.
"Be quick about it. Second Master Xiao and Master Xuanshuo have given the order. This time, it's serious."
"Don't worry."
Watching him walk away, Ge the Third chuckled. "Brother Xing, believe it or not, I bet Brother Si has a sweetheart."
Wang Lixing shot him a look. "Brother Si was right about one thing."
"What?"
"Shut your mouth!"
Leaving the gloomy atmosphere outside Spring Lotus Garden behind, Liu Si'er rushed back to his room, lit a candle, and scanned his surroundings.
Seeing that nothing was out of place, he went to the edge of his bed, bent down, and lifted a loose floorboard. When he saw the secret letters inside were all accounted for and undamaged, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
He then took out the most recent secret letter and began deciphering it using a play script as the key.
You have been exposed. Find that person and kill him!
In addition, the Fledgling has been handed over to someone else. They will contact you when necessary!
After reading, a murderous look instantly appeared on Liu Si'er's face. "Who is it!?"
…
「Late that night, once the Xiao Mansion had fallen silent.」
Chen Yi, who had only been napping, quietly rose and made his way to another wooden building on the grounds.
As soon as she saw him, Pei Guanli sidled up, looking for praise.
"Find anything?"
"Brother-in-law, you can count on me."
"Tell me."
After Pei Guanli finished her story, Chen Yi stared at her, stunned. "You just waltzed through the Marquis's Mansion like that?"
Recalling the morning's events, Pei Guanli couldn't stop laughing. "They're all so dumb. Not a single person noticed me."
'That's Pei Guanli for you.'
Chen Yi shook his head. 'I knew she was reckless, but I never thought she'd be *this* reckless.'
'Next time, I'm definitely not... actually, never mind. I still need her help.'
"Where's the list?"
"Right here," Pei Guanli said, pulling a slip of paper from her robes and handing it to him. "I turned his room upside down. I even found a few slips of paper under his bed and copied everything down."
Chen Yi opened the note. It was all a list of common miscellaneous books, play scripts, and so on…
Wait.
He looked at the final string of characters and numbers and couldn't resist asking Pei Guanli,
"You just said you found slips of paper?"
"Right. They looked just like the other secret letters."
"And you put them all back where you found them, right?"
"Of course," Pei Guanli giggled. "Aren't I great, Brother-in-law?"
"Great. You're the greatest."
Chen Yi rolled his eyes. He then began going through the list, finding each book in the study one by one, and attempting to use them to decipher the message.
"So it's this book of plays. Huangmei Opera… Not bad taste."