Just as Wu Baozhang was deeply feeling uneasy, Cheng Lu, who had left the Cheng family, was walking alone on Zhuque Street.

Night shrouded the wilderness, and the street was quiet and peaceful. Lanterns lit up one after another in the alleys on both sides, creating patches of twinkling lights that gave off an air of luxury.

This was the life he wanted to live.

Thinking this, Cheng Lu stopped in his tracks.

Cheng Chi was relentlessly pursuing him, and the valuables he had managed to bring from home and the money he’d earned afterward had gradually been consumed through repeated escapes.

But he still hadn’t expected that one day he would reach out to Wu Baozhang for two hundred taels of silver, much less that one day he would rely on a woman to get by!

How had he become like this?

Cheng Lu’s gaze grew somber.

He turned around and slowly walked toward Xinglin Alley.

Two ginkgo trees were planted in front of Cheng Jing’s residence in Xinglin Alley.

Their straight trunks and delicate leaves swayed and danced in the night breeze.

Cheng Lu stared blankly at the Cheng family’s large red auspicious gate.

Once, he had stood at the entrance full of envy, imagining that one day he would pass the imperial examinations and wear a brand new green official robe as he was welcomed inside by the Cheng family’s steward, sitting in the spacious and bright flower hall respectfully conversing with Cheng Jing… But now, this dream was gone.

Without the title of a two-examination jinshi degree holder, without his identity as a member of the Cheng family of Jiuru Alley, without his spirited confidence and outstanding bearing… he was now just a homeless dog driven by the Cheng family, unable to return home or acknowledge his relatives.

He wouldn’t let this matter rest like this!

He wouldn’t let Cheng Chi and Zhou Shaojin off!

And he wouldn’t let Cheng Xu have good days either!

Cheng Lu turned around and quickly left Xinglin Alley.

※※※

In the east courtyard of the Cheng residence in Xinglin Alley, Min Jia took the large red gilt begonia flower tray from her maid Su Yue’s hands and said in a low voice, “Is the master still reading?”

Su Yue nodded and said quietly, “The master hasn’t moved for two hours. This is lotus seed and lily soup I had the kitchen stew. Madam, you should at least persuade the master to eat a little. If this continues, I’m afraid his health will collapse before the imperial examinations even arrive.”

She had come from the Min family with Min Jia, and had seen how hard the Min family’s sons studied and how they participated in examinations many times.

Min Jia nodded and said, “You can rest now. I’ll take this lotus seed and lily soup in myself.”

Su Yue nodded and whispered to Min Jia, “At noon, Madam came over. She closed the door and talked with the master for a long time. After Madam left, the master’s expression was very unpleasant. Madam should be careful.”

Min Jia couldn’t help but frown.

This mother-in-law of hers—her son was already married, yet sometimes she still interfered too much.

“I understand!” she replied, gently pushing the door open and walking in.

Ever since returning from Cheng Sheng’s child’s full moon celebration that day, Cheng Xu had stopped speaking to her, let alone sharing a bed.

Originally she had thought that since this matter wasn’t her fault, if he wanted to be angry, let him be angry. But her wet nurse couldn’t help but advise her, “Even if you have ideas that could stabilize the nation, so what? You and the master are already husband and wife. Between husband and wife there should be harmony and beauty. Even if you can’t have harmony and beauty, you should at least treat each other with respect. If you continue like this, you’ll only make your mother-in-law displeased and your husband distant…”

Min Jia thought about how she had married into the Cheng family less than half a year ago, yet her side remained empty without the slightest sign of pregnancy. After brief consideration, she ultimately compromised.

But what she hadn’t expected was that her meek compliance didn’t soften Cheng Xu. Instead, he looked at her coldly, pointed to a corner of the desk, and said, “Just put it down.”

Fine! It was her fault for luring Zhou Shaojin to meet him. She shouldn’t have tested him on that occasion. If there were issues, she should have discussed them clearly behind closed doors after returning home. She would endure his dissatisfaction with her.

Min Jia lowered her head and placed the lotus seed and lily soup on the desk.

Immediately after, she heard Cheng Xu’s voice again, “In the future, don’t let those maids and servants bring things to the study. This is a place for reading. Making the whole room smell of food—what does that look like? And this sweet soup, wherever it’s placed it makes things sticky…”

Min Jia barely restrained herself from smashing the tray on the floor.

He and Zhou Shaojin had an illicit relationship, he wronged Zhou Shaojin—that wasn’t her fault. If he had the ability, he should have resisted the marriage his parents arranged!

Why take it out on her!

Why show her such a cold face!

Min Jia couldn’t help but sneer coldly, “If Husband has any dissatisfaction, just speak directly to Mother-in-law. What time to send you tea each day, what time to send you refreshments, how many meals to eat per day—all of this was established by Mother-in-law. We’re just following the rules! After all, I’m the daughter-in-law, and newly entered the household. I don’t know what the family rules actually are, so I’ve made Husband suffer!”

Her barbed words made Cheng Xu look up involuntarily, his eyes showing surprise.

Min Jia’s expression grew colder. “This is lotus seed and lily soup. Does Husband want it? If not, I’ll have the maid take it back to the kitchen.”

Cheng Xu was enraged.

At noon his mother had come to nag for a long time—saying things like how Fourth Uncle Chi had already entered official service, so he must pass the next examination no matter what, otherwise he’d fall too far behind Fourth Uncle Chi. Saying how Grandmother favored the Chaoyangmen side, and with Fourth Uncle Chi’s methods, sooner or later Grandmother’s private savings would be coaxed away by Fourth Uncle Chi, so he should quickly have a grandson. Then when Grandmother was happy, she might take out several thousand or even tens of thousands of taels from her private savings for them… He had been extremely irritated listening to this and said, “Didn’t you want me to become top scholar? If you keep bothering me with all this trivial nonsense every day, how can I pass?” This successfully silenced his mother.

But unexpectedly, he had just driven his mother away when Min Shi arrived.

His face immediately lengthened. “What exactly do you want to say? You’re also a lady from a prestigious family, a descendant of a famous household. Can’t you be straightforward and say what you have to say? Must you speak this way, with veiled attacks and pointing at the mulberry to curse the locust tree, before you’re comfortable, before you feel powerful?”

Min Jia trembled all over with anger.

What did he mean?

Did he think that because Zhou Shaojin wasn’t from some prestigious family, everything she did was false and hypocritical?

A shadow flashed through Min Jia’s eyes. “Cheng Jiashan, I think you’re the one making veiled attacks and pointing at the mulberry to curse the locust tree. Otherwise why would you feel guilty? I merely told you to tell Mother-in-law if you have any dissatisfaction, and you brought up my background. What, does my background displease you? Then who does please you?” Having said this, she paused before continuing, “Is it your young aunt Zhou Shaojin? So beautiful, like a flower. However you look at her she’s good, however you look at her she’s pleasing. But so what? You still married me, and she still married your fourth uncle…”

Her words were like a knife stabbing his chest.

“Shut up!” Cheng Xu said in a low voice, his eyes bloodshot. “Do you know what you’re saying? Is this what a proper young lady should say? Get out now. I never want to hear such words again!”

He actually dared to drive her out!

In all her years, Min Jia had never been driven out by anyone.

She had never suffered such humiliation.

“You’re driving me out?!” Min Jia glared at Cheng Xu, her gaze full of resentment. “Am I wrong? Didn’t you apologize to Zhou Shi in front of me? What, you can set fires but I can’t light a lamp? You abandoned Zhou Shi, yet we can’t even mention it…”

Cheng Xu laughed.

He thought about how Min Jia had Su Yue deliver him a message saying she felt unwell and didn’t want to alarm the family elders, asking him to go in and bring her out… and how he had so coincidentally encountered Zhou Shaojin.

Min Jia’s heart jumped in alarm, and her words stopped abruptly.

Cheng Xu’s face was pale as paper, one corner of his mouth lifted as if sketching a smile, but the coldness in his eyes filled that smile with mockery.

It made her heart pound with fear just looking at him.

Min Jia involuntarily took a step backward.

But Cheng Xu stood up and slowly walked out from behind the desk, all the way to Min Jia’s side. Looking straight into her eyes, he said in a low voice, “Do you really want to know what happened between Zhou Shaojin and me? Want to know if I still think about Zhou Shaojin now? Want to know if we might rekindle our relationship…”

The gaze he directed at Min Jia was cold and hateful, making Min Jia shiver involuntarily. She murmured, “No, don’t tell me…”

Hearing this, Cheng Xu burst out laughing, though his gaze remained ice cold. He leaned close to her ear and said in a low voice, “I’ll tell you then… I’ve always admired Shaojin, but my mother didn’t agree. My cousins thought this was an opportunity, so they drugged my wine, then found a way to lure Shaojin to the cave in the rockery in our family’s garden. In my daze I sensed that person was Shaojin, so I wanted to create a fait accompli with her, to force the family to agree to my marriage with Shaojin… So I nearly raped Shaojin! Raped her…” As he spoke, the pain buried deep in his heart erupted like a flood, crashing against the dam of his reason. His expression was full of pain and regret. “You wanted to know why I apologized to her, right? This is the truth! There’s no such thing as who wronged whom! No such thing as secret exchanges of affection… Are you satisfied now? Satisfied!”

“No, no, no.” Min Jia’s face turned deathly pale. She looked at Cheng Xu as if seeing a ghost, retreating several steps until her waist hit the armrest of the chair and she finally stopped. “You’re lying! How could this be? You’re the Provincial Graduate of Nanzhili, you’re a scholar, you’re a son of the Cheng family of Jiuru Alley in Jinling… How could you do such a thing! How could you do such a thing… No, it’s impossible, you’re lying to me…”

“Lying to you?!” Cheng Xu sneered. “Didn’t you always want to know the truth? Now you know the truth, you can’t accept it, so you think I’m lying to you. That’s fine too. Just consider it a lie. Go ahead and deceive yourself that Zhou Shaojin and I had an illicit affair. Continue deceiving yourself that my heart belongs to another… Aren’t you a lady from a prestigious family, famously virtuous? My mother insisted on marrying you as her daughter-in-law precisely because of your virtue. Now that this kind of thing has happened, if you swallow your tears, suffer all kinds of grievances, compromise in every way—won’t that perfectly fulfill your reputation for being virtuous and gentle?”