The arrival of the Kitchen God Festival meant that the New Year was drawing ever closer. Less than a month had passed since the bloody slaughter on the eve of the Winter Solstice, yet it already felt as distant as something that had happened last year.
Everyone in Count Yongfeng’s Estate was busy with three things.
The first was, naturally, a thorough housecleaning and offerings to the Kitchen God, lest he go up to Heaven and file a bad report on them.
Because Fu Xi Yan was universally acknowledged as the unluckiest member of the family that year, he was chosen to preside over the offering, in the hope that the Kitchen God would be moved by his heartfelt sincerity and put in a few extra good words for them.
Fu Xi Yan: “…” Mm. Psychology is a science too.
Elio’s Notes: The Kitchen God was traditionally believed to report a household’s conduct to Heaven near the end of the lunar year, hence the joke about preventing him from “tattling.”
The second matter was Yu Su Huan’s request that he prepare an additional courtyard.
Fu Xi Yan had not thought much of it and merely passed along the instruction. It was only when Fu Fu happened to ask about it that he learned their visitor was Shou Nan Shan, the third-ranked of the Immortal Treasury Palace’s Four Chief Stewards, who was said to have already become a Martial King.
Fu Fu immediately rewarded him with a hard rap on the head. “You’ve spent this long with their Young Master, and you still haven’t memorized the names of the Immortal Treasury Palace’s Four Chief Stewards?”
For the past two days, Fu Xi Yan had practically flinched at the words “Immortal Treasury Palace.” He nearly wailed, “Father, don’t say those three words.”
“Which three words? ‘Young Master’? ‘Immortal Treasury Palace’?”
“…Neither one.”
Fu Fu lowered his voice. “What? Has he been giving you grief?”
Fu Xi Yan sighed. “I’d rather he scolded me or hit me.”
Fu Fu immediately took offense. “You’ve never been this deferential to your own father! What kind of drug did he feed you?”
“The Harmonized Yang Pill. Much more expensive than any drug.”
Fu Fu was speechless for a moment. After thinking, he said, “In that case, we should receive Martial King Shou properly when he arrives. The Commandery Prince of Pingluo’s grandsons arrived a few days ago, and His Majesty was so pleased that he bestowed quite a few fine things on us. I’ll have them all brought out.”
Fu Xi Yan opened his mouth, intending to say there was no point wasting all that effort, but then remembered that he himself was living proof of how difficult it became to refuse someone after accepting their hospitality. Perhaps if Shou Nan Shan accepted enough gifts, he too would become a little easier to talk to.
Yu Su Huan had not said everything outright that day, but her meaning had been perfectly clear. Fu Xi Yan simply did not know what kind of person this Shou Nan Shan was. Hopefully he’s as laid-back and easygoing as Aunt Yu.
Of the three matters, the last was the most unexpected—
Fu Dong Wen was being sent to Zijing Academy to study.
When Fu Fu announced the decision, everyone in the Fu family was astonished except the four people who had already known: Fu Xuan, Madam Fu, Fu Li An, and Fu Dong Wen. Fu Dong Wen’s birth mother, Concubine Qian, nearly cried herself senseless.
Fu Xi Yan asked in confusion, “The spring Metropolitan Examination is almost here. Third Brother isn’t going to sit it?”
Fu Dong Wen said calmly, “My learning is insufficient. Even if I passed and became a jinshi, my ranking would not be high. I would rather study for another three years.”
Fu Xi Yan said, “But New Year is almost here. Why rush away now?”
Fu Dong Wen could not be bothered inventing an excuse. “Father’s decision.”
Everyone’s eyes immediately fell on Fu Fu. Fu Fu said, “You said it yourself: the spring Metropolitan Examination is approaching, so the academy is in the midst of intense preparations. Going now will let him soak up the atmosphere.”
Fu Xi Yan: “…” You think that excuse actually holds up?
Elio’s Notes: The Metropolitan Examination (会试), also commonly called the Spring Examination (春闱), was the capital-level stage of the imperial civil-service examinations.
But neither Concubine Qian nor Fu Dong Wen objected, so everyone else had even less reason to stop him.
When Fu Fu left the main hall, he discovered a fat little tail following behind him and stopped. “Didn’t I tell you to go oversee the offering? Why are you following me?”
Fu Xi Yan said, “Third Brother is leaving to study. What about Eldest Brother?”
Fu Fu paused, then replied irritably, “Your eldest brother is naturally staying in Haojing to sit the Metropolitan Examination.”
Fu Xi Yan looked doubtful. “Really?”
“Really.” Fu Fu flicked his sleeve, plainly unwilling to entertain him further.
“Back when you sent me to Luoyang, was it because you were afraid something would happen in Haojing?”
Fu Fu immediately whirled around. “Why are you shouting so loudly?”
Fu Xi Yan crossed his arms and looked sideways at him. “So was it or wasn’t it?”
Fu Fu: “…”
The foolish little dumpling of years past was no longer quite so easy to fool.
Fu Xi Yan: “…”
I was never easy to fool in the first place… was I?
“Come with me to the study.” Fu Fu led him through layer after layer of covered walkways, but when they reached the study, they found servants cleaning the courtyard and had no choice but to change course for the garden.
Father and son squatted atop the artificial hill, looking down over the somewhat desolate winter garden of Count Yongfeng’s Estate.
Fu Fu asked, “When did you notice?”
Fu Xi Yan said, “Today, when you decided to send Third Brother to Zijing Academy. You already invited teachers from Zijing Academy to teach at the Fu Clan School. Why would Third Brother need to travel all that way in the dead of winter?”
Fu Fu slowly sat down and dusted his hands. “Originally, I wanted him to travel and study elsewhere. But the world has been too unsettled recently, and it isn’t safe for him to be alone outside, so I decided on Zijing Academy instead. I donated a substantial sum of money, so at least he’ll live comfortably there. As for Li An, I previously considered having him enter officialdom with his juren qualification and seek a post outside the capital. He is the legitimate son, so once he inherits the title, he can still rise through the ranks. But his mother absolutely refused, so we can only wait until after next year’s Metropolitan Examination.”
Fu Xi Yan said, “Is it really that serious?”
“Imperial favor is the hardest burden to bear.”
“Isn’t this like Lord Ye professing to love dragons?” A few months ago, Fu Fu had been wholeheartedly determined to throw himself under Emperor Jianhong’s banner and become an imperial loyalist.
Elio’s Notes: Lord Ye was famous for claiming to love dragons, only to be terrified when a real dragon appeared before him. The idiom describes someone who professes enthusiasm for something but recoils when confronted with the reality.
There were too many twists and turns behind the matter to explain quickly, and Fu Fu did not want his son knowing too much of the ugliness involved. He therefore said only, “His Majesty intends to move against the Rong family.”
He spoke too quickly, and Fu Xi Yan did not catch it. “Who?”
Fu Fu shook his head. “This matter is absolutely confidential. It must not be leaked.”
“You could at least tell me clearly before giving me the opportunity not to leak it.”
Fu Fu leaned close to his ear and whispered, “The Rong family.”
Fu Xi Yan said, “That sounds familiar. The Rong family said to possess books enough for a hundred cities and a thousand years of heritage?”
“A thousand-year-old clan is an exaggeration, but their foundations run deep and must not be underestimated. When Rong Yue, the head of the Rong family, was young, he was even more famous than Lou Wu Zai is today. Not only was his martial arts skill exceptional, his literary talent was outstanding as well, and he placed third in the palace examination. If he had not been close to Prince Yunzhong back then and aroused His Majesty’s suspicion, he would never have had to send his own younger sister into the imperial palace and spend his days drinking himself into oblivion.” Fu Fu shook his head sorrowfully. “Behind one general’s success lie ten thousand bleached bones. Rong Yue is still alive, yet he has already become little more than a walking corpse.”
Fu Xi Yan raised an eyebrow. “Then why bother going after him?”
“Who knows? Back then, my father was too busy bullying our relatives to get mixed up in it, so I don’t know the details very well.” Fu Fu patted his shoulder. “In any case, Count Yongfeng’s Estate will inevitably pass to Li An in the future. The Fu family… I entrust to you.”
“Pah, pah, pah!”
“…You unfilial son! What are you doing?!”
“Don’t say such unlucky things.” Fu Xi Yan urged him, “Quick, you spit three times too.”
Fu Fu continued glaring at him.
Fu Xi Yan simply smacked him three times on the back, forcing three muffled grunts out of him.
“You unfilial son, you…”
Fu Xi Yan said, “My brother is young. He can’t outmaneuver those old foxes at court. I’m still a child myself and can’t hold up the Fu family either. This household still needs you and Uncle, those two old bags of bones, to keep working hard.”
“…I never said I was going to stop working.”
“Then don’t casually raise death flags. You’ll scare people.”
Fu Fu frowned. “What is a ‘flag’?”
Elio’s Notes: In modern fiction and internet slang, “raising a flag” means saying or doing something that ominously foreshadows a future event—especially death. Fu Xi Yan hears his father’s solemn entrustment as a classic “death flag.”
Fu Xi Yan smiled. “It means… Oh, Father, would you like to fly?”
Before Fu Fu could figure out what “fly” meant, his outrageously unfilial son struck him off the artificial hill with one palm, then, before he hit the ground, caught him beneath the stomach and lowered him safely to his feet.
The culprit completely failed to notice how Fu Fu’s face had gone from pale to green and from green to black. Instead, he asked smugly, “Was that fun?”
A gigantic, enormous, absolutely colossal rap landed on his head.
“If I don’t beat you today, I’ll be damned!”
＊
Fu Dong Wen departed early the next morning. When Fu Xi Yan came to see him off, Fu Dong Wen handed him a chest of books. “They’re too heavy, and I don’t want to carry them. Keep them. Read them or eat them—either way, get a little more ink into that belly of yours.”
Fu Xi Yan: “…See you in three years.”
Fu Dong Wen said, “Who knows where we’ll meet by then.”
Fu Xi Yan paused, suddenly realizing that his third brother had not failed to notice the dangerous undercurrents running through the family. His quiet obedience was itself a form of unspoken support.
Fu Xi Yan pulled several banknotes from inside his robes. With New Year approaching, business at Xiang’ao Da was getting better and better, and his dividends had increased accordingly.
“Even if you live frugally at home, travel with a full purse. Take plenty of silver with you…”
“Thanks.” Fu Dong Wen accepted his younger brother’s contribution without ceremony.
Fu Xi Yan stepped aside, and Fu Xia Qing came forward.
Fu Dong Wen said, “I’ll definitely come back when you get married.”
Fu Xia Qing smiled. “It doesn’t matter if you don’t. I’ll be the main attraction that day and far too busy. Whether you come or not, I probably won’t even notice.”
Fu Dong Wen nodded. “All right.”
Fu Xi Yan, watching from the side: “…” They really are full siblings born of the same father and mother.
Then came Fu Li An, holding Fu Chen Xing by the hand.
Fu Li An was characteristically concise: one pouch of loose silver and two words—“Take care.”
Fu Chen Xing offered up his beloved bamboo dragonfly, then looked timidly at his third brother, afraid he might not like it.
Fu Dong Wen accepted it and smiled. “Thank you, Chen Xing.”
Only then did Fu Chen Xing break into a cheerful, relieved smile.
“All right, go.” Fu Fu urged them. Immediately afterward came wailing fit for a funeral. Concubine Qian clutched her son’s hand and refused to let go, making it impossible to tell whether the family was seeing someone off on a journey or sending someone to his burial.
Fu Xi Yan: “…” Our family really has no particular commitment to auspiciousness.
＊
Fu Dong Wen had barely left before Shou Nan Shan arrived.
Noon in winter was warmer than morning or evening, but it was still unusual to see someone outdoors wearing only a single robe. When the long wind blew, his two broad sleeves lifted with it, bringing the phrase “clean breezes in both sleeves” vividly to life. He drank from a wine gourd as he rode a green donkey that ambled along at its own leisurely pace, looking rather like an immortal descending from a painting. Commoners followed him eagerly all the way through the streets and only reluctantly dispersed when he reached Count Yongfeng’s Estate.
Yu Su Huan had received word early and was waiting at the entrance. Watching him dismount, she shook her head helplessly. “You could walk on your own two legs faster than that donkey.”
Shou Nan Shan patted the donkey’s head. “Slow is slow. Better to tire it than tire me.” With that, he straightened his robes and headwear. “Where is the Young Master? Where is the Young Madam? Quickly, take me to pay my respects.”
Seeing curiosity and amusement sparkling in his eyes, Yu Su Huan warned him, “The Young Master has been in a bad mood lately. Don’t go too far.”
“He finally has a sweetheart. Why would he be in a bad mood?” The laughter in his voice was practically overflowing. Then he looked up and saw Fu Li An and Fu Xi Yan walking toward them side by side. He hurriedly lowered his voice. “Handsome, refined, and dignified. Truly exceptional.”
Yu Su Huan lowered her voice too. “The one beside him.”
Shou Nan Shan’s smile froze. Even when the two men reached the entrance, it was still rather stiff. “Apologies for imposing.”
Fu Li An smiled and saluted. “Martial King Shou’s presence brings glory to our humble home. It is our great honor. Your courtyard has already been prepared. This way, please.”
The reception given to a Chief Steward could not exceed the one given to the Young Master, so Fu Li An was naturally the one who came forward. But with the Metropolitan Examination approaching, Fu Xi Yan felt bad about taking up too much of his brother’s time. Once they reached the courtyard where Pei Yuan Jin was staying, he found an excuse and sent Fu Li An away.
As Fu Li An left, Shou Nan Shan could not resist glancing at Yu Su Huan again, as though asking, That really wasn’t the one?
Yu Su Huan ignored him and walked straight inside.
Shou Nan Shan looked at Fu Xi Yan and tentatively addressed him. “Young Madam?”
Fu Xi Yan: “…” Do you know something? If you weren’t a Martial King, you would already be dead.
Holding back a breath, Fu Xi Yan said, “Martial King Shou, please come inside.”
Shou Nan Shan took that as an acknowledgment. He could not help sighing inwardly, but when he saw Pei Yuan Jin sitting calmly in the hall without the slightest disturbance, he suddenly felt that his sigh made no sense at all. The Young Master himself did not object, so who was Shou Nan Shan to care?
He was naturally broad-minded, and after mocking himself a little, he immediately cheered up. He took the bundle from the green donkey and dropped it onto the table. “I came in a hurry and only had time to obtain a few things. Young Madam, please don’t take offense.”
Pei Yuan Jin: “…”
He looked at Fu Xi Yan, who was staring fixedly at a vase in the corner and doing his utmost to appear completely uninvolved.
“Young Madam, look!” Shou Nan Shan produced a pair of gloves. “I heard that Young Madam specializes in fist techniques, so I paid a considerable sum for this pair of Cloudsilk Gauntlets. They’re supple as though boneless, yet impervious to blades and spears. From now on, you can directly confront any weapon below Earth grade!”
G-good stuff…
Fu Xi Yan’s little eyes slowly drifted back and stuck themselves to the gloves.
Shou Nan Shan encouraged him. “Try them, try them. See whether they fit.”
No! I’m already indebted to them for everything I’ve eaten. How can I accept gifts and make myself even more beholden?! Fu Xi Yan! Wake up! You cannot keep making the same mistake!
Fu Xi Yan kept both hands firmly tucked inside his sleeves. “My hands are large. Those look a little small.”
“Do they?” Shou Nan Shan picked them up and tried them on himself. “You can at least try.”
Yu Su Huan struggled to suppress the smile at the corner of her mouth and picked up a medicine bottle from the bundle. “What’s this?”
Shou Nan Shan enthusiastically explained, “I heard that Young Madam recently advanced, so on the way here I got two bottles of foundation-strengthening, origin-nourishing medicine from the Little Divine Physician. They’re Mystic-grade. Young Madam can take these for now, and once you advance to the Mortal-Shedding Stage, I’ll go get two bottles of Earth-grade medicine.”
Fu Xi Yan could distinctly feel himself producing too much saliva, and even his refusal had lost most of its conviction. “I’m only at the late Vajra Stage. Surely I don’t need medicine this good?”
Seeing him refuse repeatedly, Shou Nan Shan’s eyes turned thoughtfully. “There’s also this Longevity Pill. It’s especially good for older people. Count Yongfeng isn’t exactly young anymore, is he?”
Fu Xi Yan: “…” Does he have to be this considerate? He’s leaving me nowhere to run!
Afraid that if he stayed any longer he would finally cave, Fu Xi Yan took a deep breath and said, “My brother’s examination is coming up. I’m going to help tutor him. Make yourselves at home. Call me if you need anything.”
Without waiting for anyone to persuade him to stay, he slipped away like a loach.
Shou Nan Shan looked at Pei Yuan Jin, then asked Yu Su Huan, “Has the Young Master’s ‘eight’ gotten its first stroke yet?”
Yu Su Huan said, “Thanks to your efforts, the character ‘no’ has acquired its horizontal stroke.”
Elio’s Notes: The idiom 八字还没一撇—literally, “the character 八 doesn’t even have its first stroke yet”—means that something has not even begun to take shape. Yu Su Huan jokes that instead of helping the relationship progress, Shou Nan Shan has managed to produce the horizontal stroke in 不, meaning “no.”
Shou Nan Shan looked at the things on the table. “Then what should I do with all this? Return it?”
Yu Su Huan looked toward Pei Yuan Jin. Pei Yuan Jin said calmly, “Leave it.”
Shou Nan Shan pulled Yu Su Huan outside. “You didn’t explain things clearly in your letter either. What exactly is the situation now? Why does it look to me as though our Young Master is the more proactive one?”
Yu Su Huan said, “Didn’t you receive the report from the Wind Division? Zhao Tong Qu has entered seclusion and is preparing to attempt another breakthrough to the Martial King Stage.”
“It’s already his third try. What’s so surprising?”
“Rammed earth only grows firmer with every pounding. He was taught half of the Sacred Flame Art, after all, and has the Heaven-Guiding Art as his foundation. He hasn’t even advanced to the Martial King Stage yet, and the Thunder Divisions around the country are already growing restless and eager to make moves. If he succeeds, the Immortal Treasury Palace will only become more chaotic. The Young Master has been stuck at the peak Dao-Entry Stage for two years. How could he not be anxious?”
Shou Nan Shan shook out his sleeves and said dismissively, “If the Young Master had never been born, Zhao Tong Qu would already have been adopted by the Palace Master as his son. It’s only natural that he would be dissatisfied. The Palace Master and the Elders may be in seclusion, but the First Chief Steward is still here. Zhao Tong Qu won’t be able to make any waves.”
Yu Su Huan said, “The First Chief Steward hasn’t appeared for a long time either.”
Shou Nan Shan was, after all, an old veteran who had helped Pei Xiong Ji carve out his domain, and clearly knew more than she did. “Don’t worry. The Palace Master deliberately left the First Chief Steward behind to support the Young Master. Until the Young Master is capable of standing entirely on his own, the First Chief Steward will not attempt his next advancement.”
Yu Su Huan relaxed slightly. “Then what about Tan Bu Ju and Ren Fei Ying?”
“Tan Bu Ju is a subordinate of my Wind Division. I’ll naturally bring him back. As for Ren Fei Ying… he may be in the north. Before I came here, I already handed the matter over to Abu’ersilang, Chief Manager of the Wind Division in the Northern Lands. He’ll investigate.”
Yu Su Huan’s expression changed slightly. She murmured, “The north…”
Shou Nan Shan looked at her. “You still can’t let go?”
“I never let go in the first place. How could I put it down?” A faint sorrow appeared on Yu Su Huan’s usually composed and cheerful face, like a wisp of cloud across a clear sky—easy to overlook, yet undeniably there.
Shou Nan Shan changed the subject. “Then as for the Young Madam…”
Yu Su Huan seemed lost in her own thoughts. Without responding, she continued walking, leaving Shou Nan Shan standing there thoughtfully.
＊
More than half a month had passed since Lou Wu Zai and Fu Xi Yan last met. Throughout that time, the two had remained in correspondence.
Fu Xi Yan knew that Lou Wu Zai had already eliminated any doubts concerning the parentage of Count Jianning’s two grandsons and Marquis Dehua’s second son, and was now investigating Grand Commandant Liu’s family. Fu Xi Yan had expected it would take some time before there were results, only to suddenly receive an invitation asking him to meet at the same restaurant where they had eaten last time.
Lou Wu Zai apparently never wasted any thought on choosing meeting places. Wherever they met last time was where they met next time. He showed absolutely no interest in innovation.
Fortunately, the restaurant’s roasted peanuts had been exceptionally flavorful last time, and Fu Xi Yan had been thinking about them ever since.
One pot of clear wine, one plate of peanuts, one plate of roasted meat, and one roast chicken.
Now that they knew each other better, Fu Xi Yan had become much more casual when ordering, adhering to the principle of not wasting food and choosing only things they liked. Unfortunately, Lou Wu Zai was preoccupied this time and had little appetite.
“The Four Young Lords of Haojing case will be closed soon.”
Fu Xi Yan asked, “They solved it?”
Lou Wu Zai said expressionlessly, “A Southern Yu spy has been captured and confessed to everything.”
Fu Xi Yan was astonished. Hadn’t they already concluded that Southern Yu would have needed to be struck in the head by lightning to expend that much effort and take such enormous risks merely to kill a few young aristocrats who had not even grown into anything yet? How had that suddenly become established fact?
Lou Wu Zai said, “Not long ago, the Southern Yu emperor fell gravely ill. The Regent intended to replace him, but Leader of the Spirit Sect Wu Xuan Yin led the Southern Yu ministers and caught him in the act. The Regent is now dead, and his followers have entrenched themselves around Rongcheng, preparing to proclaim the Regent’s son as the new king. With Southern Yu in civil turmoil, His Majesty intends to take advantage of the situation, and the Four Young Lords of Haojing case provides an excellent excuse. Not only that, Liao Shang has probably received orders as well. The attack on the Censorate prison will also be conveniently attributed to Southern Yu.”
Fu Xi Yan had seen far too many instances of people “calling a deer a horse” in his previous life. Politicians would happily “cover their ears while stealing a bell” if their interests demanded it, so he was not especially surprised. He was merely worried that all of Lou Wu Zai’s earlier work had been rendered meaningless and that Lou Wu Zai might have difficulty accepting it.
Elio’s Notes: “Calling a deer a horse” means deliberately distorting obvious truth for political purposes, while “covering one’s ears while stealing a bell” mocks self-deception—acting as though hiding something from oneself means others cannot see it either.
Lou Wu Zai said, “I also investigated Grand Commandant Liu’s family. His sons are all biological. In truth, the second and third sons were unlikely to have been adopted in the first place.”
Fu Xi Yan understood what he meant. Great aristocratic households placed enormous importance on bloodlines. Adopting another family’s child was something done only out of necessity. If a family already had someone to continue the ancestral line and faced no pressure to produce an heir, why would they adopt?
Fu Xi Yan said, “Maybe Mei Xia Ying simply painted that picture however he pleased, and I was overthinking it.”
The trail had gone cold, and the case was closed. There was nothing left for them to investigate.
Lou Wu Zai said, “The case may have reached its official conclusion, but the true culprit has not been caught. No matter what, Brother Fu should remain careful.”
“You too, Brother Lou.”
They touched cups, and their temporary investigative partnership was officially dissolved.
But Lou Wu Zai was right. The public conclusion of the Four Young Lords of Haojing case existed only because politics required one. The mastermind remained hidden in the shadows and could strike again at any time.
As Fu Xi Yan walked down the street, even knowing that Xiao Sang and Xiao Zhang were somewhere nearby, he still had the illusion that danger lurked on every side.
The pedestrians walking past, the vendors hawking their goods, even children licking candied hawthorn skewers could all be people sent to take his life—he had sunk far too deeply into the plots of novels he had read. It felt as though, at any moment, every one of them might suddenly draw a blade and charge straight at him…
Fu Xi Yan abruptly realized something was strange about his thoughts. When his awareness fully returned, he discovered that he was no longer on the street at all. Someone had grabbed him by the back of his waist and was racing along Zhuque Avenue toward the imperial palace.
Feeling him struggle in his grasp, Shou Nan Shan laughed. “Even Dao-Entry experts struggle for quite a while inside my One Dream, One World. I never expected Young Madam to wake up so quickly.”
Hearing a familiar voice, Fu Xi Yan relaxed slightly. “Where are you taking me?”
“To storm the imperial palace.”
“Huh?”
“To kill the emperor.”
“…”
“If I succeed, you’re my accomplice, and Count Yongfeng’s Estate becomes a household of traitorous rebels. If I fail, you’re still my accomplice, and still a traitorous rebel.” His tone remained airy and casual, without the slightest guilt or excitement over dragging someone else into disaster, as though he were describing something perfectly ordinary.
Fu Xi Yan was speechless. “What kind of grudge could possibly justify this?”
Shou Nan Shan smiled. “But I’m an extremely obedient person. If you order me to stop in your capacity as Young Madam, I’ll have no choice but to stop.”
Fu Xi Yan: “…”
He asked sincerely, “Does Pei Yuan Jin know you’re doing this?”
Shou Nan Shan said, “If he knew, wouldn’t that damage your marital harmony?”
Fu Xi Yan said, “You don’t think you’re damaging it right now?”
“Well, first you’d have to admit you’re married.” Shou Nan Shan’s logic was remarkably clear. “When we get back, you can encourage the Young Master to beat me up. I won’t dodge. Ah, we’re nearly there.”
Zhuque Gate was already directly ahead.
Fu Xi Yan had absolutely no desire to stake his life on discovering whether a man pretending to be insane would recover his reason at the final moment. “In my capacity as Young Madam, I order you to return to Count Yongfeng’s Estate immediately!”
Every word was squeezed out through clenched teeth.