Xu Fengjia had indeed stayed two nights at Xiaotang Mountain before returning to the capital.

He was a busy man. Being able to stay two days at Xiaotang Mountain with Madam Xu already counted as making an exception. Upon returning to the capital, he seemed to have a hundred people simultaneously seeking him out. Seventh Miss rose early in the morning and went with him to Leshan Residence to greet the Grand Madam. Just as they left the room, Xu Fengjia was summoned out by a matron from the second gate. “The ministry has matters and requests the Heir to come discuss.”

This outing delayed him until the middle of the night before he returned to Mingde Hall. At midday, he sent someone back to say, “Eating in the palace, not returning.” When dinner time came, the reporting servant said again that the Heir had been pulled by several comrades-in-arms who had come to the capital to report on their duties to a restaurant to drink, telling Young Madam not to wait for him to eat together.

In Great Qin of that time, the more social engagements men had, the more it showed their capability—actually not much different from modern society. If a gentleman from a great family stayed home year-round without anyone inviting him out for revelry and drinking, he would be laughed at. Since Xu Fengjia was such a capable man, social engagements naturally couldn’t be avoided. Seventh Miss could only wait under the lamplight until the second watch before a half-drunk Mr. Xu arrived.

“Sigh, every time you go out, you’re not willing to return unless you’ve been plied with several cups of yellow soup.” Seventh Miss hurried forward to help Lixia and the others remove Xu Fengjia’s outer robe, then summoned two middle-aged matrons to attend Xu Fengjia as he entered the bathing room. Fortunately, though the Heir reeked of alcohol, his mind was still clear. When he emerged from bathing, apart from his face still flushed red, he didn’t show much unseemly drunkenness.

When he came home drunk, the small kitchen naturally prepared sobering soup. Seventh Miss personally sat beside Xu Fengjia to supervise. Seeing him drink a few sips then stir the soup with his spoon without drinking further, she couldn’t help scolding, “This soup only sobers you up when drunk hot. If you don’t drink it now, once it cools, even drinking it won’t help.”

Xu Fengjia, thick-tongued, blew a breath at Seventh Miss, his tone still carrying drunkenness. “It’s sticky. I don’t like drinking it. Might as well just go straight to sleep!”

Seventh Miss quickly held him down, frowning. “No, I have important matters to discuss with you, and they can’t be delayed—if you don’t want to listen, that’s fine. Anyway, tomorrow morning when you wake up, you won’t have time again. If you don’t listen tonight, I simply won’t bring it up.”

Since she said there were important matters to discuss, Xu Fengjia still took it seriously after all. The Heir shook his head, shaking water droplets from his wet hair all over Seventh Miss’s face, then pulled Seventh Miss close, saying inarticulately, “Then you feed me.”

Seventh Miss’s face immediately flushed red. She glanced at the maids and saw several covering their mouths wordlessly withdrawing. Only then did she look away, half-reluctantly allowing Xu Fengjia to pull her onto his lap to sit. She took the sobering soup, scooped up a spoonful, blew on it, then brought it to Xu Fengjia’s lips, saying softly, “You, oh you—I’m still the mistress of a household. I need some dignity in front of the maids…”

Before her words finished, her lips were sealed by Xu Fengjia. The strong alcohol smell immediately surged up, making even Seventh Miss somewhat tipsy. Only then did he reluctantly withdraw, drinking down that spoonful of sobering soup from Seventh Miss’s hand.

Seventh Miss stared blankly at this slightly tipsy man in the candlelight, at his faintly flushed cheeks, at his eyes made especially bright by the alcohol… She became somewhat dazed.

After a long moment, Seventh Miss looked away to cover her reaction, gently pushed Xu Fengjia, and scolded, “Hateful, you spilled soup all over my skirt—behave yourself!”

With great difficulty coaxing Xu Fengjia to drink most of a bowl of sobering soup, in between constantly having to slap away his hands that tried to slip under her clothes, by the time this ordeal was over, even Seventh Miss herself felt somewhat drunk. Her breathing uneven, she complained, “Can you still discuss serious matters or not… No! From now on, whenever you’ve been drinking, we can’t do it!”

Xu Fengjia’s drunkenness seemed to dissipate considerably all at once. He widened his eyes in surprise, questioning, “What’s this about? Do you hate me drinking that much?”

Seventh Miss rolled her eyes at him before saying, “I’m currently taking a formula to strengthen my constitution and replenish my vital energy. Last time Doctor Zhong took my pulse, he said my physical condition has improved somewhat… Though it’s still not very easy to conceive, after all, it’s not without hope. But since my maternal constitution is already weak with vital energy, if conception occurs when you’re under the influence of alcohol, the child could easily be congenitally deficient, or might be mentally impaired, or might have disabilities—these are all unpredictable matters.”

Xu Fengjia’s expression immediately became serious, and the remaining trace of drunkenness vanished without a trace—this man could actually drink a thousand cups without getting drunk, but he very much enjoyed indulging himself in the half-drunk, half-awake tipsy state. However, once shocked, in an instant, he seemed able to expel the effects of alcohol completely.

“There’s such a thing?” He raised his voice slightly in surprise, then fell into contemplation. “Did Doctor Zhong tell you this?”

Without hesitation, Seventh Miss pushed the matter onto Quan Zhongbai. “It was Ruiyun’s older brother who mentioned it in casual conversation with her, so now Ninth Brother doesn’t drink at all anymore.”

Ninth Brother indeed didn’t drink, but only because the boy was self-disciplined, not really related to Quan Zhongbai’s admonishment.

Xu Fengjia’s expression changed. “Then Silang…”

Seventh Miss rolled her eyes at him and scolded, “How clever Silang is—can’t you see that?”

She couldn’t help sighing. “It’s just a pity the child is somewhat slow at learning to speak…” Otherwise, the possibility of future disputes between the two brothers would be even smaller.

Though Silang’s intelligence had been proven to have no issues, Xu Fengjia still seemed to have lingering fears. He casually pulled off the blue jade ring from Seventh Miss’s index finger and put it on his own little finger, declaring loudly, “Let this be our pledge—until the child is born, I won’t drink anymore.”

“Sometimes when comrades come from afar, drinking a little doesn’t matter.” Seventh Miss’s heart sweetened. Unable to help herself, she kissed Xu Fengjia again before whispering in his ear, “Besides, Doctor Zhong is still not very optimistic. He says for me to conceive, I still need to recuperate for another two years. You don’t need to make such a fuss right now…”

Her hand, however, actively slid inside Xu Fengjia’s clothing.

#

By the time clouds dispersed and rain ceased, it was nearly the third watch. Yet Xu Fengjia remained full of energy. He rolled over, lying beside Seventh Miss, and said slowly, “I truly won’t have leisure tomorrow. Second Brother-in-law is going down to Guangzhou. There are many matters at the ministry. I estimate early tomorrow morning I’ll have to enter the palace again to consult with the Emperor. What matter is so urgent it can’t wait until I return?”

“You’re so busy—who knows where you’ll be dragged off to after leaving the ministry?” Seventh Miss regulated her breathing while organizing her thoughts. “Actually, you can’t intervene in this matter anyway, but I still need to tell you, let you know about it.”

Xu Fengjia couldn’t help but give her an ambiguous smile, tapping Seventh Miss’s nose and saying softly, “You’ve truly become like one bitten by a snake fears ropes for ten years—you’ve learned your lesson. Good!”

Seventh Miss fiercely sent him a pair of white-eyed glares before adding and subtracting details as she told Xu Fengjia what Fourth Young Madam had said about past events.

“I’ve already promised Fourth Sister-in-law that next spring, I’ll put in some good words for her with Mother, letting her go to Fourth Brother’s place.” Seventh Miss explained slowly. “This matter after all relates to the Fourth Branch’s privacy. Keep it in mind so when handling affairs in the future, you’ll know to avoid it.”

Xu Fengjia’s drunkenness had completely dissipated. He lay beside Seventh Miss with his head pillowed on his hand. In the dim candlelight, his eyes could faintly be seen flickering. After a long while, he responded lightly, “I understand.”

Seventh Miss also sighed, murmuring, “I’ve always known Fifth Sister-in-law was formidable, but I never imagined…”

Though Seventh Miss was skilled at calculation, she would never place an unrelated human life on the scales as a bargaining chip for transaction.

In terms of ruthlessness alone, Fifth Young Madam far surpassed her.

She forced herself to stay alert and told Xu Fengjia about reviewing the accounts.

“I’ve always suspected Fifth Sister-in-law had some irregularities in the accounts. Just yesterday morning when Grandmother asked me, she also seemed overly solicitous, instead revealing her guilty conscience. As expected…”

This matter was rather complex after all, with many details that had to be explained thoroughly. By the time Seventh Miss finished speaking, the red candles had nearly burned out. Xu Fengjia first got out of bed with his clothes on to replace the candles, then sat beside Seventh Miss hugging his knees, pensively playing with her long hair.

“Only someone as meticulous as you could catch such clues.”

His tone was unexpectedly bland.

Seventh Miss immediately felt something was off.

Whenever she displayed her intelligence and talent, Xu Fengjia’s attitude was always very positive, his tone and expression overflowing with undisguisable admiration.

But this time, Xu Fengjia clearly had reservations…

She slowly propped herself up and sat shoulder to shoulder with Xu Fengjia at the head of the bed, together gazing toward the dim bed curtains.

“What is it? Is something wrong?” Seventh Miss explained further, “I also don’t plan to make a fuss about this matter now. I just wanted you to know we have this bargaining chip available.”

Xu Fengjia was silent for a moment before shaking his head. “I was overthinking.”

He changed his tone. “Unless you were this meticulous, it would indeed be very difficult to catch Fifth Sister-in-law’s weakness—if she were a man, who knows, she might accomplish great achievements, with success no less than Fifth Brother’s.”

Mentioning Fifth Young Master, Xu Fengjia’s tone carried a trace of faint disdain.

Indeed, among his several older brothers, Eldest Young Master focused on managing business, operating the Xu family’s enterprises prosperously. Fourth Young Master was also a notable figure at the border. Only Fifth Young Master, though already at the age of thirty, still circled around the capital with a nominal guard position, actually accomplishing nothing.

Only then did Seventh Miss feel relieved. As she was about to lie down, her heart still couldn’t settle. She furrowed her brows and pressed with another question. “Whether you were overthinking or not doesn’t matter. Just tell me your thoughts. I won’t be angry.”

Perhaps due to her earnest attitude, Xu Fengjia was silent for a moment before finally speaking.

“I just feel that given Fifth Sister-in-law’s meticulous methods, I’m afraid… she may not have left so many traces for you to discover. Some oversights, according to her style, seem somewhat contrived.”

These words struck directly at Seventh Miss’s heart. She bolted upright, unable to wait to agree. “I thought the same! Not mentioning anything else, just regarding Accountant Zhang’s wife…”

She didn’t finish before shaking her head again. “But we can’t stop eating for fear of choking. After all, deeds done will always leave traces, whether many or few. Perhaps some oversights are purely coincidental. Scaring ourselves would be—”

Halfway through speaking, Seventh Miss stopped again.

Her thoughts had originally connected into a single thread, but now seemed to scatter into chaos again. Countless fragments danced before her eyes, various clues spinning in her mind. The logical thread that had been determined suddenly became too fragile.

Right—given Fifth Young Madam’s meticulousness, many errors didn’t match her style!

The old matron had already confirmed to her that this problematic section of the account books was indeed Accountant Zhang’s wife’s responsibility to record. The whole matter seemed very clear—it was Fifth Young Madam, Lin Shan’s wife, Peng Hu’s wife, and Accountant Zhang’s wife, four people separately working from the warehouse, purchasing, and accounting office, colluding inside and out to embezzle public funds.

But if this were the case, there must be a secret line of communication between these three servants and Fifth Young Madam. Would Fifth Young Madam need to so brazenly divert her attention, then speak with Accountant Zhang’s wife when she could enter the room at any moment?

That was in Leshan Residence’s small flower hall, not Fifth Young Madam’s Shensi Hall!

And the relationship between Little Luo Wen and Accountant Zhang’s wife—anyone could inquire about it. This wasn’t any secret matter. If Fifth Young Madam didn’t deliberately want her to take the bait, knowing she had already witnessed her private consultation with Accountant Zhang’s wife, why would she purposely transfer Little Luo Wen away, instead attracting her attention, making her notice the kinship relationship between Little Luo Wen and Accountant Zhang’s wife, thereby arousing suspicion? This could be called making things worse by trying to cover them up.

Moreover, there was the figure Fourth Young Madam mentioned—fifty thousand taels… This wasn’t a number that could be embezzled by making small manipulations in purchasing or the warehouse!

Yet the tricks in the account books didn’t seem like deliberately planted flaws. Besides, these were accounts from several years ago. Could she have been preparing from several years ago for today?

Seventh Miss suddenly froze completely.

Fourth Young Madam’s words echoed in her ears again, like a thunderclap in spring, shocking Seventh Miss until she even trembled slightly.

“Zhang Shi always acts with deep consideration and repeated foreshadowing. What story books call ‘like snakes in grass and lines in ash, hidden veins stretching a thousand miles’—I think describes her methods very aptly.”

Who said those account books must be the original ones from years ago?

People are alive, accounts are dead. Dead things can be falsified!

Seventh Miss could casually think of countless tricks to pass off fake as genuine, especially such minute discrepancies in data. Very likely there was no longer any way to verify them. Even if she later realized she’d been tricked, proving these accounts weren’t original records would probably be very difficult.

Such flaws were prepared precisely for meticulous people like Seventh Miss.

From the moment she entered this household, very likely the entire conspiracy had already been prepared!

First, deliberately showing contradictory attitudes, sometimes arrogant, sometimes submissive, and performing too excessively, making Seventh Miss suspect Fifth Young Madam’s intentions.

Then exposing Accountant Zhang’s wife, Little Luo Wen, following the thread down, making Seventh Miss speculate that Fifth Young Madam indeed had problems with the accounts, had flaws, which was why she was anxious and eager to delay Seventh Miss taking over, giving her time to cover up.

Then giving her soft rebuffs on all sides, arousing ill feelings toward Fifth Young Madam… When reviewing the accounts, she would naturally be especially diligent, employing stratagems, attempting to discover the problems Fifth Young Madam worked so hard to ‘conceal.’

Finally, presenting this false account book to hammer the final nail in the entire scheme—she had almost fooled even Seventh Miss herself!

Seventh Miss suddenly came to her senses, only to feel her palms cold and clammy with sweat. Moving slightly, she realized she had broken out in a cold sweat down her entire back.

Fifth Young Madam was truly the most formidable opponent she’d ever encountered in her life. This move was intricate and dense, moistening things silently. She herself had been completely unaware. If Xu Fengjia hadn’t awakened her with a single phrase, probably the current her would already be making one wrong step after another!

“Fifth Sister-in-law is truly masterful at manipulating people’s hearts.” She couldn’t help but murmur softly. “This move precisely exploited my meticulousness… What was deceived was actually my very meticulousness.”

If Seventh Miss weren’t so meticulous and couldn’t discover the flaws in the account books, this move would no longer have any use…

No, that’s not right!

She suddenly tensed her spine again.

Xu Fengjia moved beside her and grasped her cold hand.

“What is it? What did you figure out?”

Seventh Miss’s contemplation time wasn’t too long, so Xu Fengjia didn’t feel anything too wrong, though his words still carried threads of confusion.

Seventh Miss took a deep breath.

After all this time, this was the first time she felt that in Duke Pingguo’s residence—this complex web of interpersonal relationships and intricate profit connections—she had clearly grasped the key point of the entire situation.

“This whole affair is a scheme!” she stated with certainty, explaining her thoughts to Xu Fengjia. “If I mistakenly trusted the clues in the account books and pursued the investigation, the first two people I’d offend would be Peng Hu’s wife and Lin Shan’s wife.”

Offending the warehouse steward and purchasing steward right at the start of taking office naturally wasn’t a wise move, not to mention these two stewards were extremely loyal to Madam Xu. Suddenly suffering false accusations, how could they be comfortable? Even without speaking of opposing Seventh Miss, their hearts would certainly turn away from her from then on.

Making such a commotion just to investigate discrepancies in this account book—wasn’t it all to embarrass Fifth Young Madam? Yet causing such a storm without being able to investigate anything, Duke Pingguo would naturally have his impression of Seventh Miss greatly diminished.

Not to mention all the steward matrons throughout the residence—which one was a simple character? Making such a huge blunder right upon taking office—how could Seventh Miss continue as mistress in the future and command respect?

By that time, without question, Fifth Young Madam’s opportunity would come again. She had managed the household, managed it well, and had the capability to manage; she was magnanimous, proactively yielding management authority to the Heir’s wife, showing the breadth of mind to manage… Then adding fuel to the flames, probably the mistress’s position would change hands again.

This was what could truly be called snakes in grass and lines in ash, hidden veins stretching a thousand miles. Even Seventh Miss hadn’t imagined that such an intricate conspiracy could actually be successfully woven by Fifth Young Madam!

Even Xu Fengjia couldn’t help falling silent at Seventh Miss’s analysis.

After a long while, he said in a low voice, “Though the scheme has been calculated to the extreme, since you’ve already seen through this matter, I imagine you won’t fall for the trap—”

“No!” Seventh Miss shook her head. She bit her lower lip and began calculating again.

After a long time, she said faintly, “If it were me, having arranged matters to this extent, I wouldn’t rely on just one method to trigger the final result. Even if the target doesn’t fall for the trap, the loopholes in the account books exist after all. If I were her, I would definitely arrange a backup move to broadcast this discrepancy for everyone to know. Though this method is crude, though it would temporarily put her in a passive position, it would equally leave me in a dilemma.”

Xu Fengjia snorted coldly, continuing her thought icily. “Not investigating means you lack courage, and the household staff will look down on you from their hearts. Investigating…”

“Investigating naturally won’t uncover anything either, meaning I lack capability. The steward matrons will equally look down on me, not to mention the Duke’s displeasure.” Seventh Miss’s tone was icy. “Fifth Sister-in-law has gone to such great pains to set up a death trap for me. As matters stand now, whether I investigate or not, I’ll fall into her scheme.”