In the flower hall, Jiang Xuening sat on the left side, looking up at the person sitting to her right, unable to help but wonder: He also appeared tall and slender with a thin, lanky build, but how did the guts in his belly grow so fat?

She’d thought he would come find her, but hadn’t expected it would be this soon.

It had only been two days.

Xiao Dingfei hadn’t brought that obstructive steward in at all. He picked up tea and took a sip, narrowing his eyes with an expression of enjoyment, smiling broadly as he said: “Didn’t Second Miss say you’d cover for me?”

Jiang Xuening smiled: “You remember quite clearly.”

Xiao Dingfei cupped the tea bowl with both hands, sighing: “Second Miss doesn’t know—I’m completely alone in the capital with no one to rely on. This morning in the Golden Throne Hall, I even offended that cheap father of mine.”

Jiang Xuening gave him face: “Oh?”

So Xiao Dingfei embellished and exaggerated as he recounted the morning court assembly situation. But he showed not a trace of remorse—instead, he gesticulated animatedly, his words actually carrying a hint of pride, as if he’d done something remarkable.

Jiang Xuening knew this was a complete bad egg.

In the previous life, Xiao Dingfei had been very close to her. Examining the reasons: first, because at that time she and Xiao Shu, and the Xiao clan, were in an adversarial relationship, fighting viciously—the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Second, Xiao Dingfei was the type who did everything based on appearances—a lecher and womanizer. She just happened to be the type who loved to string people along and tease them. Weren’t they birds of a feather flocking together?

She also liked people like Xiao Dingfei.

No helping it—a good knife could often stab the Xiao clan until they jumped in frustration, yet they had no way to deal with her. Even someone as lofty and unshakeable as Xiao Shu would often be angered enough to drink medicine to cool her temper.

As for this lifetime…

Jiang Xuening looked at how his gaze wandered over her face as he spoke, and determined in her heart that the “judging by appearances” aspect hadn’t changed. But the other reason was probably because of her relationship with the Yongyi Marquis Manor?

The Yongyi Marquis Manor was Xiao Dingfei’s maternal family. Yan Lin was his younger cousin.

Who in the capital didn’t know she had a good relationship with Yan Lin?

Thinking of Yan Lin, Jiang Xuening’s mood dropped somewhat. When she came back to herself, she only heard the person before her getting more and more exaggerated—something about the Emperor nearly shedding grateful tears for him, Xiao Yuan being so angry he stamped his feet and wailed…

The bragging was about to fly to the heavens!

She suddenly felt a headache and had to interrupt in time: “Young Master, I already know. So what do you want me to do to cover for you?”

Xiao Dingfei was just getting to the exciting part, almost ready to say even that surnamed Xie would kneel before him. Being suddenly interrupted, he felt a bit unhappy. But looking up and seeing this girl who interrupted him with her red lips and white teeth, bright as the sun rising with morning glow, radiant as lotus flowers emerging from green ripples, with delicate crescent brows gently painted into one’s heart—he felt even the tip of his heart tingling, his whole body comfortable. How could he still remember any displeasure?

He ingratiatingly leaned toward her: “Nothing much, just want to ask for advice.”

Jiang Xuening raised her eyebrows: “Ask for advice?”

Xiao Dingfei counted on his fingers: “Look—I have a cheap father, a cheap younger sister, a cheap younger brother, and a cheap stepmother. Sigh, when someone like me returns, they definitely won’t be happy and will want to mess with me. I heard you were also a notorious hellion troublemaker in the capital back in the day. When you returned, you caused such turmoil that the whole household had no peace. I originally wanted to come learn from you. But then I thought—the Xiao clan is much more formidable than the Jiang manor, right? Tell me, should I act like a turtle hiding in its shell for a while, preserve my life first, get familiar with the lay of the land, and then mess with them?”

Jiang Xuening: “…”

How did she become a “hellion troublemaker”?

Xiao Dingfei blinked: “What, is something wrong?”

Jiang Xuening smiled: “No, nothing. Just thinking—if you want to be a turtle hiding in its shell, I’m afraid it won’t help, will it?”

Xiao Dingfei didn’t understand: “How so?”

Jiang Xuening adopted the air of someone experienced, slowly saying: “There’s great learning in this. You must know, people always pick the soft persimmons to squeeze. If you show weakness from the start, everyone will think you’re easy to bully. From then on, forget about peace—anyone who wants to will step on you. Think about what kind of life you lived in the Heavenly Teach in the past. Now you’ve returned to the capital, returned to your own home—are you really going to live more miserably than when you were with the Heavenly Teach? Then what did you come back for? Moreover, you’ve already offended them. What use is cowering? “

Xiao Dingfei nodded: “Makes sense.”

Jiang Xuening looked at him this way and didn’t believe he couldn’t think of this himself.

But isn’t that what people do with each other—pretend?

She smiled and said: “Young Master Dingfei, in this world, do you have any ambitions?”

Xiao Dingfei answered without thinking: “Eat the best, drink the strongest, sleep with the most beautiful—live freely and happily, and don’t let anyone make me go back to suffering days!”

Mm.

Exactly the same answer as the previous life.

Jiang Xuening felt reassured. Wearing a twelve-point benevolent smile, she said: “Then do you know who’s preventing you from living a good life?”

Xiao Dingfei thought to himself “aside from that dog-shit surnamed Xie who the fuck else could it be?” But then thinking about it, without Xie Wei he wouldn’t have today’s life either.

Only he couldn’t say this to Jiang Xuening.

He put on an expression of listening attentively: “Who?”

Jiang Xuening misled him: “It’s precisely the Xiao clan.”

Xiao Dingfei became serious: “How so?”

Jiang Xuening guided him step by step: “You know about the Yongyi Marquis Manor?”

Xiao Dingfei said: “I know, it’s my maternal family. It’s already fallen.”

Yes, it had already fallen.

Jiang Xuening slightly lowered her eyelids, thinking of Yan Lin’s birthday—how the Xiao siblings had both appeared at the banquet, their words and actions, and later Xiao Yuan’s arrogant behavior.

A trace of coldness appeared between her brows and eyes.

Only she didn’t reveal it. In the blink of an eye she smiled again and continued: “I feel sorry for the young master. After twenty years away from the capital, someone else has stolen your nest like a magpie. That Xiao Ye was born of a second wife, yet he treats himself as the heir. The position hasn’t even been granted yet, but he’s already throwing his weight around in the capital. The siblings are both extremely arrogant, occupying your status, your position, spending your wealth, enjoying your blessings! This grievance—even just thinking about it, I can’t endure it. If the marquis manor were still standing, if Lady Yan hadn’t died from melancholy and worry, she would surely stand behind you to support you. How could it be the Duke’s turn to scold you in the Golden Throne Hall? Back then, if Lady Yan hadn’t married him, he probably couldn’t even have gotten the Duke’s position. A bunch of ingrates! Young Master, you’re a dignified man—you shouldn’t weaken your spirit before such a pack of beasts, should you?”

Xiao Dingfei seemed thoughtful: “I shouldn’t.”

Jiang Xuening watched him, knowing he was full of bad intentions. Coming to find her today, he probably hadn’t come with good intentions either. But she didn’t mind using each other, so she said slowly: “You’ve just arrived in the capital. If you don’t know how to stir up trouble, how about I teach you?”

Xiao Dingfei finally broke into a brilliant smile: “Second Miss is truly too good to me.”

After all that roundabout talk, this was what he wanted to hear!

He alone didn’t dare go stir up trouble—heaven knows if that surnamed Xie would use him as an example! But if he “learned” tricks from Jiang Xuening and went to do it, that surnamed Xie couldn’t blame him, right? Moreover, following Jiang Xuening’s words and thinking it over, though that surnamed Xie had never instructed him on what to do when he got to the Xiao household, if he really became a turtle hiding in its shell, though that surnamed Xie might not say anything aloud, he’d surely be sneering inwardly.

Right then, Jiang Xuening raised her voice to tell the servants guarding outside to get lost. After people left, she called Xiao Dingfei to lean his ear close and whispered to him for a good half hour.

Xiao Dingfei nodded repeatedly.

When he finally took his leave, his face was full of spring breeze. He looked at Jiang Xuening like looking at a Bodhisattva enshrined in a temple, cupping his hands: “The Emperor bestowed quite a few things on me—they should be delivered soon. Another day I’ll have people carry them over to honor Second Miss.”

Jiang Xuening also felt in an excellent mood looking at him. After exchanging polite words, she watched him leave the hall.

The Duke’s manor carriage had been waiting outside for who knows how long.

The steward and coachman’s faces were ashen. Shrinking their necks in the cold wind after nightfall, frozen and shivering, they saw Xiao Dingfei emerge from the Jiang manor with light steps and nearly ground their steel teeth to powder with hatred!

Xiao Dingfei didn’t pay them any mind.

After taking his leave from Jiang Xuening, he was as arrogant as if he’d obtained a death-exemption medallion, his nostrils pointing to the sky, not looking at anyone. He jumped onto the carriage and said: “What the fuck are you standing around for? This young master is going back to the manor to take a look.”

The steward nearly fainted from anger.

But after all, he’d mixed in a place like the Duke’s manor long enough to have some experience and position. He could still restrain his anger, and moreover thought someone like Xiao Dingfei would surely never amount to anything. After returning and reporting to the madam, if she was pleased, there might be a great reward.

So all along the way he suppressed his anger, just waiting to return to the manor and watch the Duke and madam discipline this maniac.

The Duke Dingguo manor was a wealthy household in the capital. The residence occupied half a street. Outside the vermillion gate studded with door nails stood two stone lions that looked exceptionally imposing.

Right now the manor gates were wide open, but the carriage was supposed to go to the side entrance.

As soon as Xiao Dingfei emerged from the carriage and saw this, he raised his eyebrows and completely ignored the steward’s guidance, lifting his feet to walk straight to the main gate.

The steward was startled and blocked Xiao Dingfei’s path: “Young master, this main gate isn’t for you to walk through.”

Xiao Dingfei was no good-tempered master.

He was the aggressive type. With a cold laugh, he kicked this sarcastic old thing: “Your mother’s ‘young master’! This young master is the heir personally granted by the late emperor twenty years ago. If you blindly call out one more fucking time, I’ll chop off your head and bring it to the palace! Let’s see who’ll give you justice!”

The steward had come all the way to fetch him back and though he felt the man didn’t like paying attention to people, he hadn’t felt he was this arrogant. How could he expect that as soon as he got off the carriage he’d turn hostile and directly kick him?

A pain in his knee, and he was directly kicked over and rolled away.

Like a rolling gourd, dust from the ground covering him all over, his head also knocked against the steps before the main gate, hurting enough to make him cry out.

But Xiao Dingfei didn’t even glance at him. He’d seen much more miserable and vicious things in the Heavenly Teach—this didn’t even count as a fart. He was even too lazy to move his position and simply stepped on the man’s chest as he climbed the steps.

The attendants guarding the gate had long been dumbfounded—who dared stop him?

They just buried their heads and watched helplessly as he walked in.

Right now, the eunuch who came from the palace to deliver rewards had just left. All the Xiao clan members were in the hall, and the dishes on the table had long grown mostly cold.

Xiao Yuan’s face was extremely ugly.

Xiao Ye had broken a leg in Tongzhou and now sat to the side with his injury.

Duke’s wife Lady Lu was several years younger than Xiao Yuan. She still looked well-preserved with lingering charm, only the gathered lines between her brows inevitably carried several traces of gloom.

Xiao Shu had also specially left the palace today.

When she heard news of Xiao Dingfei’s return to the capital, the Empress Dowager had already fainted. The imperial physicians diagnosed it as emotions being too agitated. Cining Palace told outsiders that the Empress Dowager had fainted from joy at seeing the Xiao clan’s blood relative return.

But Xiao Shu knew it wasn’t that at all.

For the entire Xiao clan, even for the imperial family, those four words “Young Master Dingfei” were like a curse that could strike down and stir up the deepest fears in people’s hearts, making them shocked, angry, and afraid.

From the moment Xiao Dingfei kicked the steward and walked in through the main gate, someone had already rushed ahead to announce it.

Hearing this, Xiao Yuan cold-laughed.

He was determined to give this unfilial son a show of power and properly discipline him, so he deliberately put on airs. Seeing someone entering from afar, he sat in his seat without moving and only said: “You still know to come back!”

Walking all the way from the main gate to here, Xiao Dingfei only felt the Xiao residence was truly too large. Everywhere he looked were artificial mountains and pavilions, carved beams and painted rafters—it could truly be called magnificent and luxurious. Too extravagant!

Thinking this would all be his in the future, he really couldn’t be happier.

So when he stepped through the door, his face also wore an extremely sincere smile: “Oh my, you’re all waiting for this heir? How thoughtful of you—couldn’t be better. This heir was just thinking that having just returned, I need to establish rules for you all. Right now you’re all here, saving this heir from seeking you out one by one.”

What?!

Xiao Yuan’s eyeballs nearly popped out. Caught completely off guard, he didn’t even think of what to say in response.

Xiao Ye could be said to be the person with the most resentment in his heart.

In the past, who in the capital didn’t respect him as the future Duke Dingguo’s heir? His father and mother had always told him that after he came of age, they could legitimately petition His Majesty to grant him the heir position.

But halfway out popped a Cheng Yaojin!

Now he was told that his older brother from back then who had saved the Emperor and been granted the heir title by the late emperor—he hadn’t died!

The moment he saw Xiao Dingfei, his eyes turned red with fury. He cursed: “Who are you to dare establish rules? There’s hierarchy between elder and younger—Father is still here! Won’t you first pay respects to Father?”

Only then did Xiao Dingfei notice there were others nearby.

He couldn’t help but turn his head, looking left, looking right.

As for the other’s rebuke, he didn’t feel much. After all, having begged as a child and being beaten and cursed at since young, he wasn’t the type to be provoked by two or three sentences.

Only looking him over, he felt this young master really looked too inferior. Though his eyes and eyebrows were handsome individually, put together they appeared mean and malicious, full of a petty air. Even though he’d always been unwilling to admit that surnamed Xie’s divine bearing and transcendent appearance, examining Xiao Ye, he really couldn’t match one or two parts out of ten compared to Xie Wei.

Xiao Dingfei couldn’t help but shake his head and sigh: “Come here.”

Xiao Ye was stunned, not understanding what he meant.

Xiao Shu watched this person’s whole manner and for some reason suddenly recalled how in the palace, when Jiang Xuening openly framed You Yue, that kind of unbridled arrogance that regarded no one—she imperceptibly furrowed her brows.

Seeing he didn’t come over, Xiao Dingfei thought this little friend wasn’t very easy to fool, so he walked over instead. Very naturally, he lifted his foot and stepped on the square table before him that was laden with jade dishes of delicacies. With his left hand, he picked up a chicken leg from a plate, took a bite, and smiled: “What are you so nervous about?”

Xiao Ye sat while he lifted his foot onto his table.

This was clearly an insult!

How had Xiao Ye, pampered since childhood, ever suffered such treatment? He opened his mouth with a cold laugh, wanting to humiliate him: “Truly the low-class airs learned from the den of snakes, rats, and thieves in the Heavenly Teach—”

But he didn’t even get to finish his words!

In the brightly lit hall, there was only a crisp “pa” sound!

Xiao Dingfei raised his right hand and mercilessly slapped him across the face. The force was so brutal it snapped his head to the side, nearly making him stumble and fall to the ground beside him!

“Ye’er!”

“What are you doing?!”

Two shocked and furious shouts rang out almost simultaneously—Xiao Yuan and Lady Lu never expected he would suddenly strike Xiao Ye. Finally unable to stay seated, they sprang up, glaring at him with fury!

Xiao Shu fared no better.

When had she ever seen such a hooligan?

That slap was so vicious it made half of Xiao Ye’s face swell high—a shocking sight!

Her eyelids twitched as she said coldly: “Elder Brother Dingfei has just returned home, yet already cannot tolerate his own flesh and blood siblings. If this spreads, won’t it ruin your virtue?”

Xiao Yuan walked toward Xiao Dingfei with a dark face.

Xiao Dingfei glanced at him, then looked back to see Xiao Ye, whom he’d just slapped senseless, had finally managed to sit up straight again. Just as he was about to open his mouth to say something to him, a low laugh emerged from his throat, and he backhanded another slap across his face!

The people in the hall like Xiao Yuan simply couldn’t believe what they were seeing.

The servants attending outside were all scared witless!

Xiao Dingfei grabbed Xiao Ye, who was about to faint and collapse, and hauled him up. With a half-smile, he turned back to Xiao Yuan: “I advise you to calm down. You should know I’m an important person Imperial Tutor Xie brought back this trip. His Majesty is still counting on me for information to suppress the Heavenly Teach. If you dare lay a hand on me, I can turn your two ‘children born of a second wife’ into ‘children born of adultery’!”

Xiao Yuan only felt blood and energy rushing chaotically in his head. At his age, how had he ever received such intense stimulation?

Raising his hand to clutch his chest, his vision went blurry and he couldn’t stand steadily.

His body swayed, nearly collapsing to sit on the ground.

Lady Lu was both alarmed and afraid, tears coming out. She rushed forward to support Xiao Yuan, crying: “Master, master, what’s wrong with you!”

Xiao Yuan finally managed to catch his breath, trembling: “You, what exactly do you want to do!”

Xiao Dingfei only felt this family was used to peaceful days and couldn’t withstand even this little torment—truly too fucking disappointing. He couldn’t help but shake his head and sigh, saying coolly: “I don’t want to do anything. It’s just that when you bastards have good days, I can’t have good days.”

It’s really not that I want to oppose you.

He thought to himself: Your good days end today. If I don’t mess you up, I can’t deliver on my assignment!

Xiao Shu had always been a rare intelligent person. She’d imagined countless times in her mind the situation after Xiao Dingfei returned to the Xiao household, but none of them matched the scene before her eyes.

Someone who doesn’t play by the rules—anyone who encountered him would find him thorny.

Only she was still relatively calm. She quietly clenched her fingers, forcing herself not to lose her temper, put on a smile and said: “His Majesty values elder brother. The heir position will ultimately be elder brother’s, and in the future the Duke’s manor will also be elder brother’s. We’re all family—when one prospers, all prosper; when one suffers, all suffer. Elder brother really has no need to be so wary of my younger brother and me…”

“If you, you stinking bitch, dare call me ‘elder brother’ one more time, I guarantee you won’t even know how you died in the future.” Xiao Dingfei felt all sorts of falseness in those words “elder brother.” Looking at her, though she had a pretty face, from the hair on her head to the corners of her clothes, not a single part didn’t exude an annoying fakeness. Just one glance made him lose his appetite. He couldn’t help but mutter quietly: “Damn, looking like that, even if you stripped naked and begged me to fuck you, I wouldn’t.”

Though it was a mutter, the voice wasn’t small.

Xiao Shu had studied poetry, books, and propriety—when had she ever heard such vulgar and filthy language? In an instant her expression had changed dramatically!