Young Master Pei, who’d desperately wanted to sit beside Yan Sanhe, was dumbfounded.

Clearly before entering the study, these two had walked one at the front and one at the back, looking like they’d never acknowledge each other until death.

How did entering this door make Yan Sanhe call Xie Fifty to sit beside her?

Pei Xiao sat down rather despondently, only to hear Yan Sanhe speak. “Master Tang, have you considered it?”

Tang Jianxi asked in return, “What does Miss Yan wish to know?”

“Much that I wish to know. For instance, what kind of person was Tang Zhiwei in her boudoir? What kind of person was her father, Tang Qiling?”

Yan Sanhe paused slightly.

“I want to know what roles Tang Qiling’s student Zhu Yanting, and you, Master Tang, played in Tang Zhiwei’s life, as well as Tang Qiling’s unavoidable case.”

Every word Yan Sanhe spoke struck Tang Jianxi’s heart directly.

Especially when the three characters “Zhu Yanting” emerged, his breathing unconsciously quickened slightly.

“Miss Yan!”

Tang Jianxi forcefully suppressed his alarm. “This is my wife, Tao Qiao’er.”

After marriage, women were addressed by their husband’s surname. Their maiden names could no longer be spoken to outsiders.

Yet when Tang Jianxi made introductions, he straightforwardly spoke his wife’s name—too unexpected.

Just then, Tao Qiao’er smiled slowly at the six people. “Besides Miss Yan, I still don’t know how to address the others.”

Only now did Yan Sanhe understand—Tang Jianxi was using his wife’s maiden name as bait to probe Third Master and Young Master Pei’s identities.

She said nothing, leaving the choice to Xie Zhifei.

If he wanted to speak, he could.

If he didn’t want to, she also had ways to cover it over.

“My surname is Xie, given name Zhifei, courtesy name Chengyu. Third in my family.”

Xie Zhifei glanced at Pei Xiao. “His surname is Pei, given name Xiao, courtesy name Mingting. The remaining three are our guards. If they weren’t all injured today, they wouldn’t be seated.”

“So it’s Young Master Xie and Young Master Pei. My apologies.”

Tao Qiao’er looked the two up and down appraisingly, sighing. “One can tell at a glance they’re from good families—well-bred, learned, polite, intelligent and clever.”

Hearing his wife praise two young, handsome gentlemen, Tang Jianxi seemed somewhat displeased. “May not be so intelligent!”

Tao Qiao’er smiled. “Could it be Master wishes to test them?”

Tang Jianxi looked at Pei Xiao intentionally or otherwise. “Then please, Young Master Pei, tell me—why did I resign my office and return to seclusion?”

What kind of question is that?

Young Master Pei pulled out a skin-deep smile. “I’m not a tapeworm in Master Tang’s belly. How could I possibly guess?”

Tang Jianxi immediately darkened his face, lifted his teacup, and stopped engaging.

Lifting tea meant dismissing guests.

How did things suddenly turn to dismissing guests?

Young Master Pei quickly looked at Xie Zhifei beside him: Brother, heaven and earth bear witness—I didn’t say anything!

Xie Zhifei also sensed something wrong and coughed lightly to remind Yan Sanhe.

Yan Sanhe hardly needed his reminder—her mind had already begun considering why.

Setting aside everything else, just based on Tang Jianxi seeing Tang Zhiwei’s calligraphy and rushing down the mountain, he shouldn’t make a gesture of dismissing guests.

“There’s one thing I haven’t had time to tell Master Tang.”

Yan Sanhe carefully observed every expression on Tang Jianxi’s face. “If Jingchen’s coffin won’t close, her children and grandchildren will suffer misfortune—minor disasters at best, death at worst.”

There was also this twist?

Tang Jianxi forced himself to say, “She’s a nun, childless and daughterless. What children and grandchildren? Her only adopted daughter Mingyue has already been entered in my Tang clan genealogy—long severed from her.”

“Does the Tang family truly have no descendants?”

“Hmph!”

Tang Jianxi slapped the table, raging. “The Tang family’s descendants—why should I care if they live or die, you bunch of fools, idiots!”

“If you don’t want to speak, then don’t. Why insult us?”

Young Master Pei muttered quietly. “Some recluse—not a shred of grace or dignity.”

“Ignorant child, you understand nothing!”

Tang Jianxi pounded the desk bangingly, as if already enraged beyond measure.

Wrong!

Very wrong!

Yan Sanhe’s brows tightened. Just as she was about to speak, Xie Zhifei beat her to it. “Does Master Tang have some unspeakable difficulty?”

Finally, someone intelligent.

Tang Jianxi lifted his eyelids to glance at Xie Zhifei, his tone very calm. “Past matters cannot be spoken of, must not be spoken of.”

Xie Zhifei: “Why must they not be spoken of?”

Tang Jianxi didn’t respond, throwing everyone an expression of “young people, comprehend it yourselves.”

Can’t comprehend it!

Xie Zhifei looked at Yan Sanhe in bewilderment.

Yan Sanhe probed, “Did Master Tang swear an oath to someone?”

Tang Jianxi looked at Yan Sanhe, submerged in candlelight, and finally said slowly, “I swore a poisonous oath to Jingchen—past matters can only be taken to the grave, never speak a single word outside.”

“What constitutes ‘past matters’?”

“Matters related to the Tang family, people related to the Tang family—all can only be taken to the grave.”

“So you wanted to test whether we’re clever.”

Yan Sanhe didn’t pursue why he swore such an oath. “Because in what follows, we can only rely on guessing. If we guess correctly, you nod. If incorrectly, you shake your head.”

Tang Jianxi stroked his beard, his face full of relief as he grunted out one word: “Mm!”

While he looked relieved, Young Master Pei nearly leaped from his chair.

How to guess?

Guess what?

You, Tang Zhiwei, Zhu Yanting, plus Tang Qiling—so many people, so many matters. When the hell will we finish guessing?

“Master Tang, there’s another method.”

Young Master Pei’s terrible ideas bubbled up. “Set up a spirit altar in the courtyard and light incense. Confess to the Bodhisattva. The Bodhisattva should forgive you.”

“A gentleman’s word cannot be retracted.”

Tang Jianxi looked at Pei Xiao. “Young Master Pei doesn’t understand such a simple principle?”

You stubborn fool!

Pei Xiao leaned forward to look at Yan Sanhe: Boss, speak up—do we guess or not?

Yan Sanhe glanced back at him coolly: What kind of question is that? Do we have a choice?

“Master Tang, we’ll guess.”

Boss Yan decided immediately, wasting not a moment. “First question: what kind of person was Tang Zhiwei in her boudoir? Third Master, what do you think?”

Since Tang Jianxi only nodded or shook his head, the guessers could only be them.

Xie Zhifei had been to Jingchen’s room, seen and questioned Qingzhu and Ruzhen—he was most qualified to discuss this.

“Talented woman.”

Xie Zhifei seemed to have long anticipated Yan Sanhe would ask him, adding, “Proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Read the Four Books and Five Classics, especially favored poetry and verse. Master Tang, am I right?”

Tang Jianxi neither shook nor nodded his head, instead asking fixedly, “What makes you think so?”

“Music, chess, calligraphy, and painting need no elaboration. Any far-sighted parents in prominent families would have their daughters learn these. For Tang Qiling’s daughter to lack even this ability—wouldn’t that shame the Tang family when spoken of? As for the Four Books and Five Classics…”

He tilted his head to look at Yan Sanhe, his gaze holding pride no one else could see.

“Someone who could say ‘the straight string dies by the roadside; the curved hook gains nobility’ must have the Four Books and Five Classics in her belly. As for saying she especially favored poetry and verse, it’s because of the poem she composed when winning the courtesan queen title.”

Yan Sanhe: “Master Tang, is Third Master correct?”