Wang Daxia didn’t believe his father would engage in high-interest lending. He said, “Lord Lu, where did this evidence come from? Is it because I recently offended Yan Shilang? Yan Shilang promised you he wouldn’t trouble us younger generation anymore, but he didn’t say he wouldn’t go after my old man! It must be Yan Shilang framing and slandering him. Please investigate clearly, my lord.”

Lu Bing said, “After that night’s incident, I promised you I would keep an eye on your father. With your father’s sixth-rank military officer status, his capital evaluation falls under the Ministry of Personnel. I already spoke with the ministry—if your father had any troubles, they would immediately inform me.”

“To be frank, Ministry of Personnel Minister Wu Peng and I have an excellent relationship, and we’re currently discussing marriage arrangements between our families. Otherwise, how would the Embroidered Uniform Guard have your father’s capital evaluation dossier? Minister Wu secretly provided this convenience. Without solid evidence, the ministry wouldn’t casually label someone ‘corrupt.’ Every family has its difficult scriptures to recite—go home quickly and ask your father what’s going on.”

Lu Bing’s meaning was clear—this wasn’t framing but actual fact. Without evidence, the Ministry of Personnel wouldn’t wrongly accuse good people.

Wang Daxia again marveled at Lu Bing’s powerful connections and how Lu Bing kept his word, continuously monitoring Wang Qianhu’s situation rather than just talking.

Lu Bing, like Lu Ying, was someone dependable. The capital evaluation was still ongoing, with results coming in autumn—everything could still be salvaged.

Wang Daxia said, “Thank you for the warning, Lord Lu. I’ll go find my father immediately.”

Wang Daxia asked Lu Ying for leave, roughly explaining the situation. Lu Ying, protective of her subordinates, immediately agreed. “Go handle your family matters first. If you can’t get away, you don’t need to report for duty tomorrow morning either.”

Lu Ying’s thinking was simple—if she couldn’t protect her subordinates, how could she command respect? Wang Daxia had offended Yan Shilang while trying to save Ding Wu.

Wang Daxia went directly to the Northern City Military Commissioner to find his father.

This was truly disaster from heaven. Wang Qianhu shook his head repeatedly. “This is impossible! I never touch high-interest lending. Besides, I don’t manage money—all accounts are with my wife.”

Wang Daxia had always looked down on his stepmother Wu Shi. “Then it must be Madam who did it. Coming from a small household, she has shallow vision. Money lent from her hands is no different from money lent from Father’s. People only know it’s the Wang family lending at high interest. The Ministry of Personnel has evidence—if not for Lord Lu already speaking with the Minister, you wouldn’t even have room for remedial action. Once capital evaluation results come out, you’d be directly dismissed.”

Wang Qianhu hurried home to confront his young wife, demanding Wu Shi produce the account books and remaining household funds.

Four thousand taels of silver were missing from the accounts. Wang Qianhu had come urgently, and Wu Shi hadn’t had time to fill this large hole, so it was immediately obvious.

Wang Qianhu slammed the account book on the table. “You lent out four thousand taels in high-interest loans?”

Wu Shi replied timidly, “It wasn’t high-interest lending—it was official loans. My brother said it was specifically for metropolitan degree holders in the capital waiting for positions. Officials certainly wouldn’t default on debts. This was the fastest, safest way to make money. I only did it to make the household more prosperous.”

“You—” Wang Qianhu closed his eyes and took a deep breath. All the “surprises” his son Wang Daxia had given him over the years combined didn’t equal what his young wife delivered today. He said:

“What official loans? Did you personally see the lending contracts? You foolish woman, you can’t even distinguish between high-interest loans and official loans. You believed everything your elder brother said. He took the money and used the Wang residence’s name to make high-interest loans. Someone reported it to the Ministry of Personnel, and it’s now recorded against me in the capital evaluation. I’ve become a corrupt official.”

Wang Qianhu was old enough to be his young wife’s father—they couldn’t really fight. In his fury, he became abnormally calm. “I’ve worked diligently these six years, still personally patrolling at night at my age, hoping to climb higher. Your high-interest lending has made all my years worthless. Forget about promotion—I can’t even keep my current sixth-rank commander position.”

Wu Shi panicked and knelt before Wang Qianhu. “I didn’t mean to! I was wrong! I was also deceived by my brother. I never thought he would harm his own sister! If he had said high-interest lending, I would never have agreed no matter what!”

Wang Qianhu’s previous satisfaction with his young wife now turned to equal disappointment. “Husband and wife are one body. Five thousand taels of silver—nearly all the liquid funds in the Wang household accounts. You took it without consulting me. Since your natal family is closer to you, go back and live with them.”

This meant divorce.

Wang Qianhu was completely disappointed. He had trusted his young wife, entrusting household management to her, even giving her his former wife’s dowry to manage without any suspicion. But his young wife’s heart belonged to her natal family—she nearly moved the entire family fortune there while Wang Qianhu remained in the dark.

Wu Shi tightly hugged Wang Qianhu’s legs, crying, “Master, I was wrong! I caused Master to lose his position—I accept the punishment of divorce! But if I leave, what about Daqiu? Please give me a chance to redeem myself. I’ll go to my natal family to get the money back immediately. I’ll explain clearly to the officials that it was my natal brother who made the high-interest loans—it has nothing to do with Master!”

Just then Wang Daqiu woke from his nap, looking everywhere for his mother. Seeing her crying, he also wailed loudly. The household was in complete chaos. Wang Daxia went to the neighbor’s house for peace and quiet.

Ding Wu had just returned from the market with two chickens to kill, preparing to make chicken stewed with mushrooms tonight to celebrate Wei Caiwei passing the palace female physician examination. He wasn’t returning to Tieling for now—daily doing housework, cooking, and helping Wei Caiwei make various medicinal pills kept him busy.

Ding Wu put on an apron and cut one chicken’s neck, bleeding it into a bowl. Wang Daxia entered through the back door, looking around. “Doctor Wei isn’t home?”

Ding Wu said, “The Directorate of Ceremonial just delivered her badge when someone immediately came asking her to treat illness—said it was female family members of Duke Chengguo’s residence. Truly ‘good wine needs no bush’—once famous, known throughout the world.”

Ding Wu killed one chicken and picked up another.

Wang Daxia had little to say to him, but silence would be more awkward, so he made small talk. “You bought two chickens today.”

Ding Wu skillfully killed the chicken and bled it. “Banxia said you would definitely come freeload dinner tonight. You alone can eat one whole chicken, so she told me to prepare two.”

Hearing this, Wang Daxia was delighted—Wei Caiwei was so good to him, always thinking of him.

Ding Wu poured prepared boiling water over both chickens and began plucking feathers. Wang Daxia brought a small stool to sit and help pluck feathers. “Have you noticed anyone surveilling or following recently? I feel Yan Shifan hasn’t given up—you and Caiwei should be careful…”

Wang Daxia explained about his stepmother Wu Shi’s high-interest lending. “I’m a stepson—it’s not proper for me to enter the inner chambers. I heard bits and pieces from outside. This happened less than a month ago, yet evidence was already conclusively delivered to the capital evaluation. If Yan Shifan wasn’t secretly scheming, I don’t believe it. But Yan Shifan acts very covertly—his minions must be watching my father, and once they caught evidence, they bit down hard.”

As a former Minister of War’s son, Ding Wu naturally understood capital evaluation. “Capital evaluation is managed by the Ministry of Personnel. How does Lord Lu know the Ministry’s evaluation so thoroughly?”

Wang Daxia said, “Ministry of Personnel Minister Wu Peng and Lord Lu have a good relationship—their families are currently discussing marriage. For our family it’s a big matter, but for Minister Wu it’s a small thing.”

Ding Wu’s hand plucking feathers suddenly froze. “Minister Wu is discussing marriage with Lord Lu’s family? Which of Lord Lu’s children is getting married?”

Ding Wu intuitively thought of Lu Ying, because Lu Ying was the fourth miss of the Lu residence. With two remaining younger brothers and one younger sister, according to birth order rules, it should be Lu Ying marrying one of Minister Wu’s sons.

Wang Daxia had no idea Lu Ying was female, still thinking she was an illegitimate son. “Lord Lu’s three elder daughters all married into wealthy families—it should be the fourth miss’s turn. These two families are well-matched…”

Hearing this, Ding Wu’s mind buzzed like a swarm of wild bees, remembering the “kiss” at the goldfish pond. Knowing they were family enemies, knowing their social positions were vastly different, he still thought of that “kiss” during midnight dreams.

Now she was discussing marriage with Minister Wu’s son—a perfect match. This would surely succeed, otherwise Lord Lu wouldn’t have told Wang Daxia…

“Aiya!”

Wang Daxia let out a piercing shriek, pulling Ding Wu from his thoughts. “What happened? Why are you howling?”

Wang Daxia pointed at Ding Wu’s hand. “Why are you plucking my leg hair?”

Ding Wu looked down and realized Wang Daxia, feeling hot with Wei Caiwei absent, had loosened his pant legs and rolled them up to his thighs for coolness.

Wang Daxia’s calves were densely covered with curly hair—even mosquitoes couldn’t penetrate.

They were sitting side by side plucking chicken feathers. Ding Wu, lost in thought, had started plucking Wang Daxia’s leg hair instead.

Ding Wu quickly apologized. “Sorry, I was just thinking about… Yan Shifan targeting your father, wondering what trap he’ll set for Caiwei and me next.”

Wang Daxia believed this explanation. Having been bound to a water wheel and tortured nearly to death by Yan Shifan, anyone would be paranoid about being tortured again. Hence his absent-minded appearance. “No problem—I have plenty of leg hair. Plucking a few doesn’t matter.”

Just as he finished speaking, Mu Baihu came looking for him, saying Wang Qianhu wanted to see him.

Wang Daxia quickly finished plucking all remaining feathers from the chicken in his hands and followed Mu Baihu back, asking quietly, “Did my father divorce that woman?”

Given Wu Shi’s actions, she had committed grounds for divorce under the “seven grounds” rule.

Mu Baihu said, “Madam has returned to her natal home—she said she’s going to get the money back and won’t continue high-interest lending. After getting the money back, everything will be at the master’s disposal.”

So the divorce hadn’t happened.

Wang Daxia snorted coldly. “Retreating to advance—that woman has my father completely fooled.”

Mu Baihu was more optimistic. “Getting the money back and pushing blame onto her elder brother would prove the master’s innocence. With Lord Lu and Minister Wu’s relationship, this capital evaluation’s ‘corrupt’ label can be removed. Everything can still be salvaged.”

But meeting his father, Wang Qianhu asked him, “Confess honestly—did you offend someone outside?”

“No.” Wang Daxia said indignantly, “It’s clearly stepmother’s good deed. Even at this time, you still protect her.”

Wang Qianhu said, “I’ve been Northern City Military Commissioner for so many years—I can still see this trap was deliberately targeting me.”

“Ever since you joined the Embroidered Uniform Guard, you’ve been running to the neighbor’s house daily. The neighbors added a man called Ding Wu—he’s a former Minister of War’s son who should have been exiled to Tieling. How has he been mingling with you all along?”

“You serve in the Embroidered Uniform Guard with access to many secrets. I understand the principle that ‘when ministers aren’t discreet, they lose their lives,’ so I turned a blind eye without questioning you. But now it affects me—I should know something, right?”

Unexpectedly, his old father had this move. Wang Daxia had to briefly explain about Yan Shifan.

After hearing this, Wang Qianhu was silent for a moment, then said, “Go tell Lord Lu—no need to overturn the case, no need to use Minister Wu’s connections. Let the Ministry of Personnel’s capital evaluation dismiss me from office.”

“What?” Wang Daxia suspected he’d misheard. “Lord Lu gave early warning to give us time to smooth things over and preserve your position. With his abilities and relationship with Minister Wu, you’ll certainly pass capital evaluation.”

“No, absolutely not.” Wang Qianhu shook his head repeatedly. “You don’t understand court politics or how terrifying Yan Shifan is. You offended him—of course, it wasn’t your fault. You just did your duty as Lord Lu ordered you to protect Ding Wu. But since Yan Shifan can’t get you, he’ll certainly target me for revenge. If I let him target me, he’ll vent his anger and won’t target you anymore. I’ll only lose my Northern City Military Commissioner position—the hereditary thousand-household title remains. If he persists in targeting you, you might lose your life.”

Author’s Note:

Actually, the one discussing marriage is Lu Bing’s son Lu Yi, who married Minister of Personnel Wu Peng’s daughter, hahaha. Ding Wu misunderstood.