Without allowing Xie Dongli to speak, Liu Ling bent forward with a face full of gravity.

He pressed his forehead nearly to hers, glared at her, and said word by word to his Wang Fei: “Remember — from today, not a single thread of contact with the An family! Your parents act foolishly — I cannot help that! But you are a person of my prince’s estate, and your every word and action represents me — not your maternal family! The next time you see that Chu Linlang, know that she is my mentor’s steward, and even if you must force yourself, squeeze out three parts of a smile for my sake!”

The Xie Wang Fei was shaken by the Sixth Prince and, full of grievance, said: “But that Chu Shi ruined the reputation of my Xie family…”

The Sixth Prince could contain himself no longer and erupted: “You foolish woman! If it were not for the fact that you carry my child, I would divorce you and send you home this instant! The Xie family’s reputation was ruined by someone else? Was it not your own dissolute sister’s own conduct? If you can’t even reason through this much, bringing you into my household was like bringing disaster through the gate!”

Xie Dongli had married into the Sixth Prince’s estate and, from the beginning, had shared warmth and mutual respect with the Sixth Prince. Never had she suffered such merciless scolding without a shred of face left to her.

The Sixth Prince’s falling out with his mentor had come about because of the misdeeds of the Xie family’s relatives by marriage.

At the time, the Sixth Prince’s favor had been at its height, and too many fawning flatterers surrounded him, making the prince somewhat dizzy with self-importance. Newly wed and young and hot-blooded on top of that, he had insisted that Situ Sheng bend the law and show leniency — so that he might save face before his adoring new wife.

Now that the Sixth Prince had fallen from favor again and had no capable talent like Situ Sheng by his side, there was nothing but endless regret.

After receiving the Sixth Prince’s merciless tongue-lashing, Xie Dongli finally opened her eyes to reason, understood what mattered, and could only speak soft words of apology, coaxing her husband to calm his anger — promising that in future, when she encountered Chu Linlang again, she would conduct herself with propriety.

Her father — though a military man — had throughout his official career been most adept at sidestepping difficulties, walking along the edge of the field and never letting his feet touch the mud.

When it came to dealing with family relatives, his bark was worse than his bite — he made a great deal of noise but never truly kept anyone in line.

It was a wonder that her father had calculated so confidently at the time, believing that marrying a daughter to a low-key prince would mean a quiet and carefree life.

Little did he know — once one entered the gates of such a princely household, how could there ever be true peace?

That night, each household had its own share of unrest.

But as far as Chu Linlang was concerned, after a day full of contention, it was back to the same-as-ever daily life, with just a few small changes.

Lord Situ had recently developed a new habit — he would ride the official horse home at noon to eat lunch, rest for a short while, and then leave again.

Chu Linlang had originally planned to meet Xia Qingyun and talk over the salt boat matters, but this would have to be pushed back.

There was nothing to be done — Lord Situ disliked having outsiders in the house, and she could only find an opportunity to go out and meet Xia Qingyun herself.

But who would have guessed that at lunchtime, when Situ Sheng overheard Xia He and Chu Linlang talking — with the great miss mentioning she needed to go see her elder brother — he said in a pleasant and accommodating tone that since it was Xia He’s elder brother, they could simply invite him to the estate. Why spend money on tea house fees going somewhere else?

Since the lord had already said as much, Chu Linlang also needed to save money. That afternoon she sent word through Xia He, and had Xia Qingyun come to the tea room in the estate’s outer courtyard for a visit.

Because Lord Situ was tired that day, after finishing his midday meal he had gone to the study to take a nap.

When Chu Linlang was chatting with Xia Qingyun in the tea room, Guanqi — who ordinarily seized every chance to nap — was, for reasons unknown, not sleeping, pacing back and forth in front of the tea room’s door like a donkey grinding grain in circles.

After quite some time, when Chu Linlang was seeing Xia Qingyun out, Guanqi slipped into the study in a flash and whispered to Situ Sheng: “The person has left. They only talked about salt trading and ships. That Chu Shi never mentioned the lord even once!”

Guanqi had assumed his master was afraid Chu Shi might leak information and had asked him to go keep watch in the hall. So he had listened carefully at the wall and gave a concise report of the essentials when he returned.

Who could have expected Situ Sheng would be unsatisfied? He looked up, glanced briefly at Guanqi, and said: “Repeat every single word those two said to me.”

Guanqi quickly recounted the conversation between the two of them.

Xia Qingyun seemed to have made money in the northern frontier and was thinking of assembling another ship to go north and do a big run.

But Chu Shi advised Xia Qingyun not to go to the north to trade salt again, saying she had cast lots and felt the north was inauspicious. The money to be made there was great, but the variables were too many. Better to be conservative. The northwest had seen little rain recently — wouldn’t it be better to run ships there instead? Apart from selling salt, they could also trade drilling equipment and frames, and haul spices along.

After all, the wealthy gentry in those parts wouldn’t be able to bathe much for a while — spices to mask unpleasant smells were sure to be in demand!

Hearing this, Situ Sheng smiled slightly. He thought: these days, calls to open markets in the north were growing louder, and those with connections were all eager to go north and make a fortune. This little woman, however, went against the current and advised her partner not to go north.

And the matter of little rainfall in the northwest had been something the Fourth Prince mentioned to him in passing while chatting about the Sixth Prince being reprimanded. Chu Linlang must have overheard it. Quick-witted indeed — she had even thought of going to sell drilling equipment and spices.

But then again, this woman’s knack for making money was something she was born with.

He vaguely recalled — in his youth, he and the willful girl next door had started out as rivals turned acquaintances. Because he had dragged the girl into the water and caused her to get a beating at home. That night, the crying from next door made him a little restless.

The next day, he had pinched a little clay figurine and given it to her as an apology, to see if he could put an end to the girl’s grieving.

As he had expected, she showed not the slightest gratitude, smashed the clay figurine, and discovered the malt candy he had hidden inside.

As a result, a few days later, she was perching on the wall, carefree, grinning at him, and shamelessly asking him to make a few long-bearded old clay grandfathers for her.

Four of the clay figurines’ bellies were to have four “Red Middle” mahjong bamboo tiles — which she supplied — placed inside.

He thought the little girl just wanted to play, so he made a few for her.

As it turned out, she dragged him off to the docks to watch the official-robed candidates passing through the capital on their way to the imperial examinations.

If any of them wore a particularly fine silk robe, little Linlang would give them a clay figurine and insist with absolute conviction that these clay figures were the Star of Literature, and that smashing one was a sign of good fortune.

Though the figurines were given for free, four of the candidates found “Red Middle” mahjong tiles inside their figurines — truly a sign of great luck. Little Linlang had chosen only wealthy young gentlemen, who tipped generously with copper coins.

And so, inspired by the idea of hiding malt candy inside clay figurines, she had earned two strings of copper coins that day.

As thanks, the little girl had specifically bought a small packet of malt candy to give back to him, and told him: this business could be kept going for a long time.

Even without the examination candidates, it could be sold to children.

In her view, though, the clay figurines were too crude — he would need more practice, and matched sets would sell better.

Looking at things now, the little girl who had started with nothing but cunning had grown into something far more formidable.

Word had it that the Zhou household had once been completely destitute, and that all the family’s prosperity had been built up by this Chu Shi — it seemed there was no exaggeration in that.

But what Situ Sheng was really focused on was not Chu Linlang’s business acumen. When he heard Guanqi say that Xia Qingyun had urged Chu Linlang to leave with him, his writing brush paused slightly, and he looked up: “What did Chu Steward say?”

Guanqi answered honestly: “Chu Steward said her father was like a vicious wolf, and that she herself right now was unprotected meat with no owner. She can’t leave yet — she still needs to rely on the lord, you — ahem, this great… this tiger — to scare off her vicious wolf of a father.”

At this, Guanqi was genuinely indignant. That wretched woman — so that was how she was exploiting their lord’s kind heart! Calling his master a beast!

But Situ Sheng only smiled, expression tranquil, and dismissed Guanqi.

A short while later, Chu Linlang came in and asked him whether he would be attending the seventieth birthday banquet of Qi Gong, the Directorate of Education’s Libationer, the next day.

When she finished and looked up, she found her employer in fine, leisurely spirits — he was actually painting. He had painted a white-browed, staring-eyed fierce tiger — truly majestic and awe-inspiring.

Chu Linlang looked on with appreciation as her employer set down his brush, and offered her customary flattery, praising the lord’s painting style as elegant and unrestrained, with a stirring quality that captured the heart.

After the ritual compliment, she asked Lord Situ again whether he intended to personally visit Qi Gong’s estate the next day.

Usually, for social obligations of this sort, Situ Sheng would not attend.

But Qi Gong’s status was different. He was the honored Libationer of the Imperial Academy — half the empire’s examination papers had been set and reviewed by him. And Situ Sheng, as a graduate ranked third in the palace examinations, also counted as one of Qi Gong’s students. Simply sending gifts without attending in person would be considered insufficient courtesy. No matter how busy, he should go in person — only then would the proprieties be fully observed.

But hearing Chu Linlang’s reminder, Situ Sheng only said: “You see to preparing a gift. I’ll write the congratulatory card. Have Guanqi send it along — just have the gift arrive, that will be enough.”

Chu Linlang understood why he would not go. He had once apprehended corrupt officials and applied torture implements to men of the scholar class, and was surrounded afterward by attacks from those pedantic literary men — even impeachment petitions had reached the Emperor.

The guests at Qi Gong’s estate would be the great Confucian scholars and refined men of pure principle of the age — surely no one would be able to converse with a ruthlessly ambitious official. His attending would only create awkwardness for both host and guest.

Hearing Situ Sheng’s words, Chu Linlang hesitated, wanting to say more. She felt that at such an occasion, not attending would easily invite more criticism. But the words reached her lips and she swallowed them back down.

For she was now only Lord Situ’s steward, not the former household manager’s wife.

Situ Sheng was a man of deep reserve, and nothing like the rudderless Zhou Sui’an — so when the employer gave his instructions, she simply had to follow them.

And so Chu Linlang went to the brush and ink shop to collect a polished inkstone she had ordered three days earlier.

This inkstone was carved with age-old pines and cypresses, the craftsmanship quite fine — just right for a birthday gift.

According to Situ Sheng’s wishes, having Guanqi deliver it was sufficient. But Chu Linlang thought about it and decided that, since she bore the title of steward, in such a setting it would be more proper and dignified to deliver the gift in person.

The next day, after Situ Sheng left early for his official duties, Guanqi came to her to collect the birthday gift.

She brought up wanting to go along, and Guanqi looked at her with a meaningful expression: “All right — have you really thought through whether you want to come with me?”

Linlang thought Guanqi’s question was strange, and shot him a look.

This pampered little manservant had been behaving oddly lately — always hovering in front of her. When she asked why, he never had a proper reason.

She would have to ask Lord Situ sometime soon when this fellow’s indenture would be up. If it came to it, she should swap him out for someone diligent and less talkative.

Chu Linlang remained perfectly composed. When the laughter around her had subsided, she raised her voice and said, “This lowly woman is unworthy — knowing nothing of brushwork. Even how to write this character ‘law,’ I learned entirely from the Chief Justice’s guidance — only then did I come to understand the deep meaning within the strokes.”

“Exactly! Now looking at her, this woman has no learning and loves to make a fool of herself in public. If I were Zhou Sui’an, I’d have divorced her too!”

As it turned out, Xie Youran, having just been newly wed, should by all rights have been returning to her family home on the third day. But for some reason, her father had sent word telling her she need not come home for that visit — she should stay in her husband’s household and reflect on herself.

Xie Youran had never feared her thundering-but-toothless father. Since he told her not to return, all the better — she could accompany her husband to the Libationer’s birthday banquet instead, and return to the Xie family that evening.

But when she arrived at the gates of Qi Gong’s estate, Chu Linlang realized she might have been overthinking things.

Truthfully, Chu Linlang’s calligraphy, after receiving the employer’s guidance, had become much better than before. But before the stewards of these great Confucian scholar households, the characters were indeed not fit to be seen.

How was this any different from his childhood, when other children had mocked and excluded him because of his mother’s madness?

Xie Youran had no fear of making a scene in this sort of setting — she had always been the sort who, when she herself was displeased, made sure no one else had peace. She whispered instructions to the old woman beside her, and the old woman, understanding at once, led the maidservants to the back gate to register the gifts, and along the way, to find something to take against Chu Linlang.

“I’ve heard she sued her own husband, and Situ Sheng was the one who took the case. Afterward she actually became Situ Sheng’s household steward. Could it be Situ Sheng is coveting this woman’s beauty?”

The speaker said all this quite loudly, clearly not intending to spare Chu Linlang any face.

And the maidservant chimed in to help the old woman, crying out deliberately: “Chu Niangzi, do you not know? The other day you incited people to disrupt Lord Zhou’s wedding, and that person has already been locked up at the yamen. You, the mastermind behind it all, are not hiding away from trouble — how dare you show yourself at such a prominent elder’s estate! What — just because you’re the steward of the Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review, you think you can run wild in the capital without any law to hold you?”

Before the words fell, another wave of mocking laughter rose around them, growing louder and louder.

Situ Sheng harboring a criminal suspect in his own home? That really did have a certain flavor of the fox guarding the henhouse.

Guanqi glared hard at the old woman, then turned to follow Chu Linlang to the very back of the queue.

In an estate like the Imperial Academy Libationer’s — how could there be such rude people?

The Qi estate’s steward, a man learned in the literary arts, fixed his gaze on the wet characters on the ground and could not suppress a cold laugh. “Might I ask — which great calligraphy master of this age are you? These twisting, crooked characters — how can you write them out and show them in public?”

Since Lord Situ was not attending — already an impropriety — if she then sent only a little manservant, would it not give the staff of Qi Gong’s estate even more reason to find fault? So she had to go in person, to make at least a somewhat dignified impression.

Since the employer needed cooking to relieve his mind, she did not stand on ceremony. She promptly picked up a large piece of stir-fried egg, put it considerately into Situ Sheng’s bowl first, then ate with gusto herself.

That the lord only wished for the gift to arrive was understood. But Chu Linlang thought — since she held the title of steward, in that kind of setting it was still more appropriate for her to go in person and deliver the gift, rather than leave the matter to a manservant.

She had been extricated from the crowd by Chu Linlang, who pulled her back, and they went to rejoin the queue at the end.

She thought with irritation: that busybody woman Chu Linlang must have said something and used some leverage to coerce the master!

At this point the back gate was bustling with people, like a marketplace, with everyone lining up to register gift lists.

Guanqi hadn’t expected this brazen woman to flare up again, but this time he felt Chu Linlang had spoken quite well. He quickly offered out the box containing the inkstone in his hands.

Chu Linlang had previously heard from Zhou Sui’an about Situ Sheng’s poor reputation in the capital, but she had never imagined it could be so bad as to reach this level — with even the great pillar of the refined scholarly class, Qi Gong, publicly refusing to give him an inch of face.

That conversation between the Sixth Prince’s estate and the Xie family, deliberated through the night, was something Xie Youran — confined in the Zhou household — knew nothing about. She only knew that on the day of the ceremony, Auntie An had given her a firm guarantee: she would definitely be able to convict the mastermind behind everything.

So today, Xie Youran had dressed in her finest and come with Zhou Sui’an.

Her own reputation was ruined — so she was determined to make Chu Linlang lose face before all these eyes!

The old woman gave a cold laugh and said, “What manner of person is Qi Gong? Those who come to offer birthday wishes are all from noble and official families. How can a convicted woman be allowed to stand here and defile the Libationer’s estate!”

She had just been thinking this when her body lurched — someone had pushed her bodily out of the queue and taken her place.

Chu Linlang, seeing the situation, gave a slight smile. “Since the earth deity of Qi Gong’s estate has already received this gift on his behalf, my duty as steward has been fulfilled. I will not impose any further upon your distinguished company — I take my leave!”

Qi Gong’s estate had been bestowed by a former emperor, with its vermilion gates and imposing stone lions — genuine guests came through the front gates, paid their respects to Qi Gong, and attended the banquet, while stewards from each household had the gifts brought in through the back gate.

So, regarding how large a face Situ Sheng had — to think he would dare shelter a person accused of disgracing a fifth-rank general’s daughter.

After saying this, she turned and walked away. For some reason, as she was about to leave, she thought of Situ Sheng’s hands cut and bleeding in the deep of the night, quietly processing the gloom of it alone in his study.

Luckily, the old woman’s voice had been too loud and had attracted attention after all. The Qi estate’s steward had heard and came hurrying over.

Seeing Chu Linlang now, Xie Youran was furious that the authorities were dragging their feet — why had they not yet stopped that reputation-ruiner Chu Linlang from walking around freely?

If she just turned and left, in a crowd like this, the most decorous choice would be to go along with it gracefully — turn and walk away, and avoid stirring up more trouble.

The way the Sixth Prince had sent her off so warmly and personally — it made the Wang Fei feel a twinge of jealousy, suspecting the Sixth Prince had long harbored a desire for Chu Shi’s beauty and had now seized this chance to get a little closer.

The back gate was bustling and crowded as a marketplace, everyone queuing to register their gift lists.

No way could she get her hands free — so standing idly to one side was also unseemly.

After being elbowed back by Chu Linlang, who dragged her back a step, they returned to stand at the very end of the queue.

For this trip with Xia Qingyun’s ships, they could not go empty. If all went well, next year she truly could buy a shop in the capital.

And so the matter stood for a moment — even if the whole city was laughing at her, so what? She had already become Zhou Sui’an’s wife, and was carrying Zhou Sui’an’s child. What business was it of anyone else?

The lord had said to send anything — as long as the gift arrived, that would be sufficient…

Chu Linlang turned to look at Guanqi. Guanqi seemed somewhat accustomed to this sort of thing. He said with a lazy shrug: “The lord knew he’d be turned away at the door — that’s why he sent me. After all, I’m a man, my skin’s thick enough to take it. But you insisted on coming! Let me tell you — since you’re here, you’d better hold it together. Don’t get so humiliated that you cry in front of everyone and embarrass our lord, giving them more to laugh at!”

Xie Youran assumed her father must be furious about the wedding humiliation and was venting on her again.

As it turned out, Situ Sheng had long known that Qi Gong harbored deep displeasure toward him.

Guanqi had not expected his master would set him this thankless task, but he could never have imagined it would escalate to this doubly humiliating degree. How many bowls of noodle soup would it take to compensate for the face lost today?

Before Chu Linlang could speak, Guanqi was already furrowing his brows fiercely to ask, “Hey, what do you mean? Does sending a birthday gift exempt you from queuing?”

People like these, with no family background, were nothing but knives in the Emperor’s hand. Nothing more.

Such officials who followed only the Emperor’s will, single-mindedly grasping for power, were naturally given a wide berth by respectable families — best to keep such entanglements to a minimum.

This was just the moment of the Qi Gong birthday banquet, and holding one’s tongue was the most fitting conduct.

Now surrounded by scorn and mockery, she should go along with the current, turn around, and leave — avoiding any further trouble.

This said, she pointed at the large character on the ground: “This character ‘law’ contains water — it means water is used to balance all things. Whether noble official or white-robed commoner, before the law, all should be treated equally, as water is equal and impartial. Those who break the law should be removed — ‘gone.’ The Chief Justice teaches those in his household as his servants and servants in this same manner, and conducts himself accordingly. He enforces the law with strictness, yet has earned the name of cruel official — something that has made everyone avoid him. This outcome was surely not something even the lord’s former mentor, who personally educated him, had foreseen. Today is the Libationer’s birthday banquet. Our lord respects Libationer’s integrity and incorruptibility, and so does not send the usual jade and fine objects. Instead, he presents this single character, ‘law,’ as an offering — to express that he has never forgotten the sage’s teachings he absorbed through years of hardship and study.”

“Wait — isn’t that woman who wrote the character the divorced wife of Zhou Lang from the Ministry of Revenue?”

Hearing all this discussion, the old woman and maidservant from Xie Youran’s party both wore expressions of delight, looking smugly toward Chu Linlang standing in the middle of the courtyard.

From the sound of this Zhou household old woman, it seemed the cruel official’s female steward had actually run afoul of the law and was waiting for constables to arrest her!

She felt if she spoke of anything else it would be fine, but when she deliberately invoked the name of the Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review, the people around her involuntarily edged a half-step away from the cruel official’s steward.

It was just unknown whether the ruthless official Situ Sheng, when it came to the delicate female steward of his own household, would also be iron-faced and impartial — branding iron and all.

As they spoke, the large wet character on the ground had already slowly dried and faded, leaving no trace.

But Chu Linlang did not take it. Instead, she crossed through the crowd to the corner of the courtyard, picked up a cleaning mop left there for sweeping the yard, then dipped it in the water from the wooden bucket nearby, returned to the center of the courtyard, and swung the mop across the stone-paved ground, writing one large character — “law.”

There was no help for it — Situ Sheng’s promotions had been too swift, each step treading on others to get ahead, which had deeply offended the refined scholarly class at court.

The character “law” anyone can write — and the word-analysis rhetoric this woman employed was something even a child with some schooling could produce. Yet this woman invoked that character to declare that Situ Sheng upheld the law, that even at the cost of offending everyone he remained unshaken and even-hearted as water. And she further ridiculed the household’s master — that such a man of strict and righteous enforcement should be treated so — had they forgotten the sage’s teachings?

The more people gossiped about it, the more she wanted to make a show of not caring. She — Xie Youran — was not someone a few mouthfuls of spit could drown.

But today she was in Qi Gong’s estate, representing the face of Situ’s household.

As it happened, when she stepped out of the carriage, she had caught sight of Chu Linlang walking toward the back gate with her maidservants and manservants.

Had this woman eaten the gall of a bear and the liver of a leopard? She truly had some nerve! Word had it she had even hired people to disrupt her former husband’s wedding — enraging the Xie family’s second daughter until she was vomiting with pregnancy sickness in her carriage!

With that thought, she suddenly turned and walked straight back to the Qi estate steward, smiling as she said loudly, “Your refusal to accept the Chief Justice’s gift, Steward, was done on Qi Gong’s orders. But I came to deliver the gift under my lord’s orders. Since I have come, and the person is here — the gift must be delivered. Whether it is accepted or not — that is your household’s affair.”

Standing behind the maidservant were the Zhou family’s steward and an unfamiliar-looking old woman.

The Zhou household steward wore an expression of helplessness — she didn’t want to join in humiliating the former mistress, yet she couldn’t walk away outright either, and could only shake her head and sigh helplessly at Chu Linlang.

So Xie Youran had no idea that the yamen had already released Xia Qingyun.

No wonder he was shut away in the study late at night, unable to work through his pent-up distress.

Even knowing he would be turned away at the gate, observing the proprieties between teacher and student meant one still had to make the visit — which was why he had sent Guanqi to take this humiliating trip.

What a sharp-tongued and uncompromising woman — Situ Sheng really did know how to send someone to make trouble! It remained to be seen whether Qi Gong’s estate steward could hold up against this unexpected kick!

He first looked Chu Linlang up and down from head to toe, then with a three-part feigned smile said to her: “My apologies, Steward — Qi Gong has given specific instructions that while anyone may come to offer congratulations, the gift from the Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review is something Qi Gong cannot accept. Please do not waste your time — take the gift and return now.”

Chu Linlang glanced up in fury — and found the person who had pushed her out of line to be quite familiar. Yes — it was the maidservant by Xie Youran’s side.

So she brought Dongxue, and together with Guanqi, went to Qi Gong’s estate.

If things simply ended today with the Qi estate steward driving her away, tomorrow the joke about the ruthless official whose gift had nowhere to go would fly across the capital again!

Even Guanqi was covering his face in dismay, almost wanting to bury himself in Dongxue’s arms.

Since she was already here, Chu Linlang simply led the group to queue slowly at the back. Once the gift was registered, she could leave — and on the way back, she could stop by the spice shop to discuss matters of incoming stock.

Guanqi had not expected this brazen woman to flare up again, but this time he thought Chu Linlang had spoken quite well — he quickly held out the box containing the inkstone in his hands.

She had known from Zhou Sui’an that Situ Sheng’s reputation in the capital was bad, but she had never imagined it could sink so low — that even Qi Gong, a great pillar of the refined scholarly class, would refuse him face-to-face without the slightest courtesy.

The conversation between the Sixth Prince’s estate and the Xie family, deliberated through the night, was something Xie Youran in the Zhou household knew nothing of. She only knew that on the wedding day, Auntie An had given her a firm guarantee that the mastermind would certainly be convicted.

So Xie Youran today came dressed in her full finery, together with Zhou Sui’an.

Her reputation had been destroyed — so she was utterly resolved to make Chu Linlang lose face in front of all these eyes!

The old woman gave a cold laugh: “What manner of person is Qi Gong? Those who come to offer birthday wishes are all from noble and official families — how can a convicted woman be allowed to stand here and defile the Libationer’s estate!”

She had just been thinking this when her body lurched — she was bodily pushed out of the queue by someone, who then took her place.

Chu Linlang, seeing this, gave a faint smile: “Since the earth deity of Qi Gong’s estate has already received this gift on his behalf, my duty has been fulfilled. I will not impose any further upon your honored company — I take my leave.”

—