When Song Yan returned, it was already around the hour of shen. The lanterns on both sides of the long corridor were all lit. The thrushes beneath the corridor were all covered with black cloth. Occasionally a chirping bird call echoed in the night sky. He ran through the long corridor, swiftly crossed the arched bridge, and rushed breathlessly into Guanju Courtyard.

Today he had almost won—just that close, just that tiny bit. If only he had been a bit more experienced, he could have achieved a great victory this time. If he had succeeded, he wouldn’t have to be threatened by these people anymore and could rescue Junior Brother A’Heng and that pitiful little boy. What a pity—it was still just short. Standing before the expressionless Song Chuyi, his heart was uneasy, as if it harbored a restless rabbit.

Song Chuyi looked at him across the huanghuali wood desk, her tone flat and devoid of waves: “I remember I said at the time to let you think carefully about whether you wanted to tell me the truth. It seems you don’t want to tell me the truth.”

Song Yan kept his head lowered, looking exactly like a child who had done something wrong, wanting to defend himself but not knowing where to start.

“I heard that yesterday you withdrew three thousand taels of silver from the accounting office.” Song Chuyi watched as Song Yan’s head suddenly shot up, his expression uneasy, and she pulled at the corner of her mouth. “Did you think you were being very secretive? Those who don’t manage a household don’t know the price of firewood and rice. Do you know that every large expenditure must be reported to First Sister-in-law and Grandmother?”

Young masters of wealth always felt that the family’s money was inexhaustible. How would they know about things like keeping accounts and reporting expenditures? He immediately panicked and clutched at his robe somewhat uneasily.

Before he could speak, Song Chuyi pulled out a stack of papers from her drawer and threw them in front of him: “These are the gamblers you’ve been seeking out these days. How have they helped you?”

Song Yan’s eyes widened. Looking at the names clearly recorded on those papers, he felt his fingertips turn cold and couldn’t utter a single word.

He thought of A’Heng, trapped in the gambling den unable to escape, his son so ill he was nearly dying. His head hung very low, and his voice was also very low: “When I was in Shu, there was a junior fellow student who came to hear Teacher’s lectures. His family was poor—he traveled thousands of miles over mountains and rivers to Shu just to hear Teacher’s lectures once a month. Though poor, he was extremely good to us. Occasionally if we gave him anything or treated him to a meal or two, his wife would certainly make us some small things within her ability as a return gift.” Song Yan raised his eyes to steal a glance at Song Chuyi. Seeing she appeared to be listening seriously, he gathered his courage and continued in one breath: “But when I returned to the capital this time, I discovered he had borrowed money at usurious rates. I scolded him for being possessed by demons and gave him three hundred taels of silver, telling him to return home and prepare for next year’s provincial examination. But he said this amount of money wasn’t nearly enough—his wife and children were all being held by the gambling den. I went to the gambling den, but those people refused to release them, saying he owed nearly twenty thousand taels of silver…”

This was a trap, leading Song Yan in step by step, extremely patient and gradual. The person who laid this scheme must have unfathomable depths of scheming.

Looking at Song Yan standing beside her at a loss, waiting to be scolded, Song Chuyi’s heart suddenly softened. She had always known Song Yan was a child who easily grew soft-hearted. Speaking of this matter, she should blame herself for being too inattentive—teaching her younger brother principles of conduct but forgetting to teach him that the world was treacherous. To read ten thousand books and travel ten thousand miles—Song Yan had only accomplished half so far. Fortunately, her reaction wasn’t slow either. Everything was still in time.

“You don’t have these twenty thousand taels of silver, but they’re pressuring your classmate called A’Heng more and more urgently. His wife and children have also suffered greatly, so you couldn’t bear to watch anymore. Yet you didn’t dare trouble the family over this, so you decided to gamble once, as the gambling den people suggested?” Song Chuyi’s tone was very gentle, much gentler and calmer than when she had questioned him a few days ago, as if she was no longer angry.

Song Yan nodded: “Those people were going to chop off A’Heng’s fingers. How could a maimed person have any official career afterward?”

Song Chuyi smiled and asked instead of answering: “Then A’Yan, think about it—how could a person addicted to gambling, who would borrow money at usurious rates and place his wife and children over a fire, become a good official in the future? He’s not young anymore, a full cycle of twelve years older than you. You say he was very devoted to your teacher, so why didn’t your teacher say he would take him as a disciple? Well, not that he would take him as a disciple—after all, there are quotas for disciples. Your master, including you, has only taken seven disciples in total. But he didn’t even let him enter the school, only allowing him to attend lectures once a month that even the sons of Qu County could attend. Doesn’t this seem a bit strange?”

Song Yan was somewhat stunned. Yes, why was the teacher, who always pitied the poor and cherished the weak, so harsh toward this junior fellow student who had traveled far and stayed in Shu for a full three years? One should know that normally, no matter how many poor students there were in the county, the teacher was willing to admit them into the school and have the senior brothers teach and answer their questions.

“Moreover, this junior fellow student of yours appeared at such a convenient time.” Song Chuyi further prompted him: “When you were in Shu, did he only like to associate with you and your six senior brothers? After you returned to the capital, how did he happen to be so impoverished and destitute that he could coincidentally run into you and seek your help?”

This person’s character was fundamentally flawed. From the very beginning he had improper standing, so the teacher and senior brothers all disliked him and refused to let him audit classes in the school, even though he had persisted for three years.

Thinking of this, Song Yan recalled the anxious looks in A’Heng’s eyes every time he hired people to help select those fighting roosters…

Some things suddenly became clear, like being awakened by a revelation. He stood rooted to the spot in shock, not knowing for a moment how to react. A’Heng had deceived him, using his sympathy and three years of friendship in Shu, using the pitiable misery of innocent women and children—he had deceived him.

He thought of the IOU he had signed at the gambling den today and felt even his voice trembling: “Elder Sister, today at the gambling den, I signed a promissory note for five thousand taels…”

The amount wasn’t important. What mattered was that it was an IOU from a gambling den, with his signature and seal on it.

His words had barely fallen when the door was knocked loudly. Qing Ying entered with a pale face, clutching a letter. Because she gripped it too hard, the envelope had already been crushed out of shape. She handed the letter to Song Chuyi: “Miss, this is a letter specially sent to you by Guanshan, who serves beside the Heir of Marquis Jinxiang. It was brought over from Old Master’s side.”

This was provocation—complete and utter provocation. If it weren’t for the agreement with Old Master Song for three days, Old Master Song would be invoking family law right now. Song Chuyi glanced at Song Yan and reached out to take the letter in her hand.