By the time she saw Cheng Xu, Yuan Shi had completely calmed down.

She smiled as she instructed the maids to serve tea and refreshments, asking about Cheng Xu’s daily life in a gentle tone.

Yuan Shi’s wet nurse watched and couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.

She had known it would be like this.

No matter how angry Yuan Shi was in her heart, as soon as she saw the young master, all her temper vanished. So whenever Yuan Shi said she would discipline the young master, none of those serving nearby dared take it seriously.

She exchanged glances with the maids and servants serving in the room, and everyone quietly withdrew on tiptoe, leaving the mother and son to speak intimately.

Yuan Shi observed this and secretly nodded in approval of her wet nurse’s tact. Then she used a toothpick to spear a piece of melon for her son, smiling, “They say it’s no longer available on the market. You’ve loved eating this since you were small—have more.”

Cheng Xu was the eldest legitimate grandson of the first branch and the future clan head of Nine-Harmony Lane. Without him doing anything, people naturally gravitated toward him, voluntarily delivering news about him. But this time Yuan Shi had immediately sent someone to summon him, and he didn’t know why his mother was looking for him. He smiled as he accepted the melon and began eating.

Yuan Shi then asked him, “I heard you’ve been quite close to Cheng Xiangqing lately? Usually you don’t associate much with people like him. Why did you change your mind?”

In Yuan Shi’s view, Cheng Lu had lost his father early and been raised alone by his widowed mother, yet he could be smooth and versatile with everyone praising him. If he wasn’t a great sage or virtuous person, then he was a great villain—whether the former or latter, neither made suitable friends. Better to maintain respectful distance.

Cheng Xu hadn’t expected his mother to ask about this. He said vaguely, “Didn’t he pass the scholar examination? Some time ago friends hosted a banquet and he was present. Since we’re both Cheng family members, we exchanged a few more words. I found him not bad. Occasionally we talk together.”

“If that’s the case,” Yuan Shi didn’t expose him, frowning as she said, “you should be on good terms with him. Why is he telling others everywhere that you made things difficult for him because of the second young miss from the fourth branch Zhou family… Listen to what he’s saying!”

Cheng Xu was quite surprised.

He knew Cheng Lu had his eye on Zhou Shaojin, but Zhou Shaojin had no good feelings toward Cheng Lu. If Cheng Lu were a person of upright character, he would have let it be. But Cheng Lu was wildly ambitious. When he himself had made things difficult for him, Cheng Lu had actually hinted that he could help him obtain Zhou Shaojin, and had even distanced himself from Zhou Shaojin… In that instant, he had indeed been tempted, but more than that, he felt deep wariness toward Cheng Lu—how could someone who would betray even the woman he fancied truly treat friends sincerely!

Cheng Xu wanted to know what Cheng Lu was really trying to do. At the same time, a thought lurked in his mind: if he didn’t jump into this pit, with Zhou Shaojin’s beauty, Cheng Lu would surely lure others to jump in instead.

Rather than have another person interested in Zhou Shaojin appear, he might as well personally deal with Cheng Lu.

So he had tacitly allowed Cheng Lu to spread rumors, also wanting to see Zhou Shaojin’s reaction. Plus, Zhou Zhen would be returning soon. If he heard such rumors, he would directly reject Cheng Lu… which might not be a bad thing.

As for himself, as long as he asked the elders to intervene, these rumors would collapse on their own.

But he hadn’t expected that after only two or three days, someone had already told his mother.

He thought for a moment and immediately had an idea.

“Mother,” Cheng Xu said sincerely, “there’s something you may not know—Cheng Lu has always wanted to marry Second Cousin from the Zhou family.” He told Yuan Shi about some of the things that had happened, then said, “If his character were good, I naturally wouldn’t interfere. But think about it—with his nature, how could he sincerely seek to marry Second Cousin Zhou? He’s saying this only because Second Cousin Zhou saw through his intentions. Because she wouldn’t have private dealings with him, he became angry from embarrassment and is ruining Second Cousin Zhou’s reputation.”

Though Yuan Shi was surprised, her son’s little schemes were also exposed before her.

She couldn’t help but say, “Even if that’s so, why would he use you as a shield? It must be that your words and actions were careless, making Cheng Lu feel he had an opportunity!

“No matter what Cheng Lu’s reasons are, this matter ends here. I might as well tell you the truth. Your father worked so hard to reach where he is today, but the old ancestor of the second branch still makes various excuses and refuses to return the clan registry to us.

“He now stubbornly spends two or three months each year traveling around, precisely because he fears the connections he built up before will gradually fade with time. He’s hoping that your Cousin Shi can succeed in the examinations soon to help him in his official career. Your father has reached his current position without any help from him—on the contrary, because he holds an important post, your father has had to avoid conflicts of interest and could only linger outside the Six Ministries all these years…

“As long as you pass the imperial examination before your Cousin Shi, even the second branch’s old ancestor won’t have any options no matter how capable he is. How many more years does he have to live? Even if he lives eight hundred years like Pengzu, can his former examination cohort and colleagues live as long as him? When the time comes, he’ll have no choice but to hand the clan registry over to our first branch…

“Back when your grandfather was gravely ill and your father and two uncles were still young, he used that as an excuse to borrow the clan registry—and never returned it…”

Cheng Xu didn’t understand. He said dismissively, “Mother, we’re the first branch—everyone knows that. So what if he has the clan registry? At worst we split apart and our first branch can establish our own clan. With our first branch’s current prominence, re-establishing the clan might actually be a good thing…”

“You don’t understand this matter.” Yuan Shi’s expression gradually became solemn. “Specifically, I don’t know either—you’d have to ask your father. It seems the Cheng family ancestors had clan rules that whoever controls the clan registry is the head and can access the public funds. Look at your father—how could his salary alone support us? How could he socialize with his superiors? How could he help colleagues and friends? Without the public funds to supplement, our family would have been destitute long ago. How else could your father have earned such a great reputation in the capital? It was all built with silver!”

This was the first time Cheng Xu had heard this. He said, “Mother, isn’t Fourth Uncle currently managing the common affairs?”

“That only works if the second branch has someone who can manage those affairs!” Yuan Shi said mockingly. “If Cheng Shi manages the common affairs, how would he have time and energy to participate in the imperial examinations? Otherwise, how could your Fourth Uncle, a distinguished two-examination scholar with such talent and learning, be stuck at home? Your Fourth Uncle is making sacrifices for your father and Second Uncle!”

So Grandmother, Father, Uncle, even Second Great-Uncle and Third Uncle in the capital all feel they’ve wronged Fourth Uncle?

Cheng Xu murmured, “Didn’t Fourth Uncle establish the Yutai Bank? At worst, give all the public property to the second branch and we’ll separate. With Fourth Uncle’s abilities, I don’t believe we couldn’t get by!”

“If only things were as simple as you think!” Yuan Shi recalled when she had just married in, before the Yutai Bank existed, she had made the same suggestion, only to see her husband smile bitterly. She said helplessly, “You’re still young. Some things aren’t for you to know yet. Just listen to your mother, study well, earn your credentials, get the family clan registry back, and your mother will be happy.”

“Just listen to your mother, study well, earn your credentials, and Mother will find you a wife who can help you in your official career, then Mother will be happy”—this phrase had been repeated to him countless times since childhood, except today she added “get the family clan registry back.”

In the past, hearing this would excite him, even make him somewhat complacent. He would think about how his mother was a Grand Secretary’s daughter, how his father would likely enter the cabinet and become a minister if nothing went wrong, his mother would be a minister’s wife, and if he too could enter the cabinet like his father, his mother would become the first woman in all of history… This glory, he very much wanted to give his mother.

But today, he had different thoughts.

“Mother!” Cheng Xu smiled. “Everything has its good and bad sides. Though a wife from an official family can help me in my career, there are also many wastrel children and much trouble. Like our family—don’t we have a fifth branch? I think you’d do better finding me a girl with a clean background, simple family, whose father serves as an official in court. At least she won’t drag me down… If I work hard myself, I can surely earn you an imperial mandate.”

Yuan Shi’s heart jumped.

The conditions her son laid out perfectly matched Zhou Shaojin’s family situation.

It seemed her son had truly set his sights on Zhou Shaojin!

But she didn’t want to fall out with her son over this matter. Not only did she show no unusual expression, she even smiled and said, “I see you’re speaking so logically—have you set your eyes on some young lady? Tell me quickly! Who is it? What does she look like? How did you meet her?”

Cheng Xu dared not say.

He knew that if he revealed even a hint, Zhou Shaojin would be suspected of having private dealings with him. He could not care what Cheng Lu said, because with Cheng Lu’s status and position, as long as the Cheng family denied it, no one would believe his words. But he couldn’t let the family elders suspect Zhou Shaojin. Otherwise, even if his marriage to Zhou Shaojin succeeded, Zhou Shaojin would have no good days ahead. It might even make his mother dissatisfied, leading to conflict between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law…

He smiled nonchalantly, “Mother, am I that kind of person? Secretly spying on other families’ daughters? I was just speaking hypothetically, just thinking aloud. Marriage is arranged by parents through matchmakers—ultimately I still have to listen to Mother.”

“Good!” Yuan Shi had been waiting for her son to say this. She smiled, “Mother has her eye on the eldest daughter of the Min family from Fujian—the younger sister of Min Jianxing, the top scholar of the renchen examination year. You should have heard of their family—one imperial tutor, two top scholars, one second-place scholar, twelve successful examination candidates…”

Cheng Xu’s mind went “boom.” Whatever his mother said after that, he could only hear vaguely, his mind unclear. But his heart knew this matter was heading for disaster.

Mother had definitely been planning to target the Min family for more than just a day or two. Once Mother decided on something, very few people could make her change her mind.

He shot to his feet with a “whoosh.”

“What are you doing?” Yuan Shi’s face darkened, her gaze falling on Cheng Xu’s face like a knife. “Mother is speaking to you! What kind of tantrum are you throwing?”

Like a bucket of cold water poured over his head, Cheng Xu immediately sobered up.

He kept warning himself inwardly.

Stay calm, must stay calm, otherwise things will definitely fall apart and become irreparable!