“Look at me now—do you think I can go to class like this?” Cheng Xu pointed at his own leg and said dismissively to Da Su, “When you see Master Zhang, just tell him the truth. Say that I was punished by Grandmother, that I can barely walk, and that I’ll only be able to attend clan school in the afternoon. Master Zhang may be strict, but he’s not unreasonable. Just go and ask for leave on my behalf, and he’ll definitely approve it.”
Da Su still hesitated somewhat.
Cheng Xu continued, “Why aren’t you going quickly? In two quarters of an hour, class will start. If you go to ask for leave then, according to the clan school’s regulations, I’ll be counted as absent. Master Zhang has always enforced rules impartially—he won’t care about my reasons for requesting leave!”
Da Su was even more familiar with the clan school’s regulations than Cheng Xu.
Not daring to delay, he could only respond “Yes” and ran off to the clan school.
Huanxi, however, was so frightened he trembled, saying, “Young Master, are you really not going to clan school this morning? If Madam finds out, she’ll definitely throw me out…”
Cheng Xu glanced at him contemptuously and said, “If you displease me, do you believe I can throw you out right now? I don’t need to wait for Madam to find out!”
“I believe, I believe, I believe!” Huanxi said with a long face. “I’m just afraid that if Madam finds out… Where should we go now? If we return to Duojia Pavilion, that girl Biyu will definitely inform Madam, and once Madam knows, Grand Madam will know too. What about going to Chunze Pavilion? There are still guests who haven’t left, and the Second Branch’s old ancestor loves that place—I’m afraid he might be entertaining guests there… What about going to Tinghongfeng Residence? No, no, that won’t work. The Second Branch’s Shi the Elder often comes and goes there. If you go, the servants there will definitely tell him, and he’ll seize the opportunity to tell Grand Madam… Where else can we go…”
Cheng Xu impatiently slapped him and said, “What nonsense are you spouting? Of course we’re returning to Duojia Pavilion. When Mother hears I didn’t attend class, she’ll only worry about my leg—why would she think I skipped class? Even if Grandmother finds out, it doesn’t matter. Don’t let her stern face fool you—her heart is actually the softest. When she learns I didn’t go to class because my leg hurt, she’ll definitely send someone to check on me quietly… The most dangerous place is the safest place. You still have much to learn!”
“No wonder everyone praises Young Master for being clever!” Huanxi fawned. “My mother says that following you, Young Master, has made even my brain work better than before.”
“Be careful your flattery doesn’t backfire,” Cheng Xu laughed heartily, then said in a low voice, “Hey, let me ask you—if you offended a young lady, what method would make her stop being angry with you?”
Huanxi was stunned.
He was half a year younger than Cheng Xu. Because he served at Cheng Xu’s side, whenever the maids saw him, which one didn’t greet him with smiles and pleasant words? Offending people… that was something others did to him.
Huanxi thought carefully—it seemed he really hadn’t offended anyone!
Even if he had, who would dare give him attitude?
Could there actually be someone who dared give the Young Master attitude?
Huanxi recalled the conversation he’d overheard outside Yuru Residence a few days ago.
Could Young Master really have fallen for Second Miss Zhou?
Thinking this over, he felt it made sense.
Second Miss Zhou was so beautiful—who wouldn’t like her upon seeing her!
He’d even seen that collateral branch member Cheng Ju from the Fifth Branch secretly hiding in the grove, spying on Second Miss Zhou!
However, he really didn’t know how to win Second Miss Zhou’s favor.
Second Miss Zhou was a proper highborn young lady. He couldn’t treat her like that sweeping girl Xiao Liu from the front courtyard—when he’d offended her, he’d spent five copper coins on two packets of melon seeds, and Xiao Liu had been happy with him again…
Thinking of this, he tentatively said, “Why don’t you buy something for Second Miss Zhou?”
This time it was Cheng Xu who was astonished.
He tapped Huanxi’s head and said, “How did you know I offended Second Miss Zhou?”
“This, this…” Huanxi couldn’t very well say he’d overheard Yuru and Biru’s private conversation. In his desperation, inspiration struck: “Among all the young ladies in the household, I thought about it—besides Second Miss Zhou, you couldn’t possibly offend anyone else, could you?”
Cheng Xu knew he’d probably heard some gossip.
As the thought flashed through his mind, his mouth fell open.
Even Huanxi had guessed it, so Grandmother… must have guessed it too…
But Grandmother had exempted him from morning and evening attendance.
In other words, she was prohibiting him from seeing Zhou Shaojin… What should he do about this?
Cheng Xu suddenly felt as restless as if sitting on pins and needles.
After thinking it over, he called out “Huanxi” and said, “We’re going to Fourth Uncle’s place!”
Huanxi flinched upon hearing this and said, “Go, go to Fourth Master’s place?”
“Yes!” Cheng Xu murmured.
When Zhou Shaojin had mistakenly entered Sanzhi Pavilion, it was Fourth Uncle Cheng Chi who had helped resolve her predicament.
Fourth Uncle definitely knew about his feelings.
From childhood, he had greatly admired this fourth uncle of his.
While others were studying hard behind closed doors, he was out traveling mountains and rivers, seeking the Dao and immortals. While others were writing feverishly in examination halls, he was living freely and uninhibitedly, lingering in pleasure quarters and entertainment houses… Logically speaking, for families like theirs, even if Fourth Uncle wasn’t expelled from the household, he should have been punished and reprimanded. Yet whether it was Father or Grandmother, neither seemed able to control Fourth Uncle—they could only coax him with kind words. Even the Second Branch’s old ancestor Cheng Xu could do nothing about Fourth Uncle. Five years ago, when Fourth Uncle decided to take the imperial examinations, everyone found it laughable. Third Branch’s Uncle Yi had even mocked him: “If Fourth Brother can succeed in the examinations, then all of us who’ve spent ten years in cold window study should jump into Lake Mochou!”
No one had expected that in just three years, Fourth Uncle would progress from county graduate to provincial graduate, all the way to the spring examinations, becoming a successful candidate in the fifteenth year of Zhide’s reign.
At that time, everyone in the family was utterly shocked.
But what was even more unexpected was that after becoming a successful candidate, Fourth Uncle didn’t participate in the Hanlin Academy’s selection for junior compilers. After the Qionglin Banquet, he returned directly to Jinling City, as if he’d taken the examination merely to silence the Second Branch’s old ancestor and others, so they would no longer control him.
After that, he continued doing whatever he pleased… For a period, he even wore his hair in a Daoist topknot and dressed in Daoist robes, making Grandmother fear he was going to become a Daoist priest.
Such a person, in Cheng Xu’s eyes, was like the sword-bearing wandering heroes in chapter books—living freely with clear grudges and unrestrained nobility, someone he greatly admired.
If he could convince Fourth Uncle about his situation with Zhou Shaojin, then with Father and Grandmother… it would definitely be twice as effective with half the effort!
Although since beginning his studies he’d been diligently working hard and had less contact with Fourth Uncle, he still remembered how Fourth Uncle used to take him everywhere to play when he was young… Fourth Uncle would definitely help him!
For a moment, Cheng Xu felt his prospects were once again full of hope.
He immediately headed toward Cheng Chi’s residence “Xiaoshan Conggui” located on the east side of Jiuru Lane, saying to Huanxi as he walked, “Why does Fourth Uncle live in such a remote place, and why call it ‘Xiaoshan Conggui’? There are quite a few small mountains made of Taihu rocks, but I haven’t seen a single osmanthus tree. Could there have been a grove of osmanthus trees that were all cut down? But why would they be cut down? That Qin Zi’an from our clan school—you know, that tall, thin fellow—I heard his family planted over a hundred osmanthus trees and became wealthy villagers, which shows osmanthus trees are quite valuable… If all the osmanthus trees were cut down, why not change the name? I wonder when this name was chosen? Who gave it this name…”
Xiaoshan Conggui was at the boundary between the First Branch and Second Branch, at the northernmost part of the garden, separated from the back street of Jiuru Lane by only a wall.
He chattered on, but no one responded.
Cheng Xu looked back to see Huanxi following him somewhat tremblingly.
“What’s wrong with you?” Cheng Xu asked strangely. “You look like your parents just died?”
Huanxi said with a bitter face, “If my parents died, I’d just have to arrange the funeral… that wouldn’t frighten me!”
“What do you mean by that?” Cheng Xu stopped walking and looked at him with furrowed brows.
Huanxi felt a chill on his neck and said, “Don’t you remember? Last time, Duofu from Fifth Branch’s Master Wen’s side used the Cheng family’s name to lend money at usurious rates. Later when the matter reached Fourth Master, he beat Duofu half to death right there on the ground. Master Wen not only didn’t dare say a word for Duofu, but had to stand by with a smile on his face. Afterward, he even had to invite Fourth Master to dinner…”
“What does that have to do with you? He didn’t beat you, did he?” Cheng Xu said with slight annoyance. “Besides, Fourth Uncle manages the household affairs. If he didn’t beat such a person half to death as an example to others, should he wait until someone reported it to the authorities before helping Uncle Wen clean up the mess?”
The problem was that afterward, Fourth Master had called him in and asked one question—”I heard Huanqing is your elder brother”—then left him standing in the study… for nearly two hours before he could leave.
If Fourth Master’s senior maid Nan Ping hadn’t reminded him, “If this matter hadn’t involved someone close to the Young Master, our Fourth Master wouldn’t have bothered,” he wouldn’t have known Fourth Master was warning him!
Huanxi had never dared tell Cheng Xu.
At that time, Duofu had approached the personal servants of several branches, asking them to contribute shares so everyone could profit together. His elder brother Huanqing, who managed carriages and horses in the outer courtyard, had contributed a share in his name without informing him…
It was something he didn’t even know about, yet Fourth Master knew.
These past few years, it had been like a sword hanging over his head, frightening him into behaving properly without doing anything transgressive.
When he saw Fourth Master shortly, he didn’t know if Fourth Master would remember that incident…
Huanxi’s calves trembled as he followed Cheng Xu to Xiaoshan Conggui Courtyard.
Fourth Master’s residence wasn’t a place just anyone could visit.
Last time Huanxi came, he’d been anxious arriving and terrified leaving, not noticing at all what Xiaoshan Conggui Courtyard looked like. This time with Cheng Xu taking the lead, his heart was slightly more at ease, and he dared observe the surrounding scenery.
Just as Young Master Cheng Xu had said, there were quite a few mountains made of Taihu rocks in Xiaoshan Conggui Courtyard—a cluster here, a pile there, in various forms: some delicate, some substantial, some graceful, some plain. Combined with towering ancient trees, wild grass growing abundantly, and clear springs flowing between them, those who didn’t know might think they’d wandered into some deep mountain forest. Yet there wasn’t a single osmanthus tree to be seen.
They had just stepped onto the courtyard’s bluestone path when Fourth Master’s servant Qingfeng appeared on the path, dressed in a blue Daoist robe.
“Young Master!” He bowed to them both. “Why have you come? Please have tea in the flower hall—I’ll go inform Sister Nan Ping right away.”
Cheng Xu stopped and said, “Fourth Uncle isn’t here?”
Otherwise, why would Nan Ping be entertaining guests?
Qingfeng smiled and said, “Fourth Master went to Jiming Mountain with Sixth Master Gu. He said he’d return the day after tomorrow.”
Cheng Xu was greatly disappointed and said, “Then fine. When Fourth Uncle returns, send someone to tell me. I have urgent business with Fourth Uncle. I won’t go in today.”
Qingfeng smiled and responded “Yes,” escorting Cheng Xu and Huanxi out of Xiaoshan Conggui Courtyard.