Lu Shi’s mother was actually such a person?

Yan Sanhe pressed her lips tightly together in silence.

“At that time Lu Shi was already a juren. For a juren’s mother to commit such a disgraceful act—Miss, think about it—could Lu Shi still take the examination?”

“Master Tang, I don’t understand the examination system well. Does participating in the spring examination require a clean family background?”

“A clean family background is the most basic requirement.”

Tang Jianxi added, “Of course, many things—if you don’t mention them and I don’t mention them—how would those above know?”

“Lu Shi’s mother caused a scene at the yamen, so the matter became public and couldn’t be covered up.”

“Exactly so.”

Tang Jianxi: “The county yamen officials immediately sent a letter to the capital. The Ministry of Rites officials deliberated repeatedly and decided to revoke Lu Shi’s qualification for the spring examination.”

Yan Sanhe: “When they revoke someone’s qualification, is it just for this one examination, or for their entire life?”

“Just this one time.”

Tang Jianxi’s tone changed. “But Miss, have you considered one thing—under the strange looks and gossip of colleagues, could you hold your head high? Would the chief examiner be biased against your essay because of this matter?”

“What happened after that?”

“It was my teacher who, at the Qujiang Banquet after that palace examination, praised Lu Shi a few times in front of many Ministry of Rites officials and the new batch of jinshi.”

Tang Jianxi reached this point, practically grinding his teeth. “My teacher was a great Confucian scholar and the Crown Prince’s Grand Tutor. His words carried immense weight.”

Yan Sanhe acknowledged this point.

Since ancient times, the higher one’s position and authority, the less they spoke on others’ behalf. But once words were spoken, they could completely alter a person’s destiny.

Lu Shi’s fate was completely changed by these few brief sentences.

To him, Tang Qiling truly had the kindness of a second father.

“Then, after the Tang family met with disaster, how exactly was Lu Shi ungrateful?”

Tang Jianxi closed his eyes, seemingly unwilling to recall the past, but the past was there—unavoidable.

“When the Tang family had their troubles, all of us students firmly believed in our teacher’s character and felt he was wrongly accused. So we jointly submitted a petition crying injustice for him, wanting to do what little we could. All of the teacher’s students came—only Lu Shi…”

Tang Jianxi suddenly opened his eyes. “He was completely unmoved, didn’t even show his face.”

“Why?”

Yan Sanhe frowned. “Logically… he shouldn’t have…”

“Because he was eager to distance himself. At that time Lu Shi had placed third and would enter the Hanlin Academy in a few months—his future was bright. But the teacher was in prison, already a criminal.”

Even after all these years, when Tang Jianxi brought it up again, his heart was still filled with ice-cold bitterness.

“Miss Yan, setting aside his relationship with my junior sister at that time, just considering how the teacher treated him in the past… he shouldn’t have been so heartless and ungrateful.”

Because of Yan Xing’s heart demon, what Yan Sanhe hated most now was people who didn’t know gratitude. “Looking at it this way, he truly is ungrateful—a wolf with a dog’s heart.”

Having someone curse him out felt satisfying, so Tang Jianxi simply shared another matter.

“The night my junior sister competed for the title of courtesan, the signature on Yanling’s poem was ‘Three Friends of Winter.'”

“I know about this.”

“What Miss Yan doesn’t know is that Yanling went to find Lu Shi beforehand, hoping he would appear that night of the courtesan competition.”

“What was his reason for asking him to appear?”

“Yanling feared my junior sister couldn’t hold on inside and wanted Lu Shi to go see her. Even if he said a few insincere lies, my junior sister would have the motivation to persevere. Moreover…”

Tang Jianxi’s lips moved, continuing with extreme difficulty, “Moreover, my junior sister’s body was clean and pure, and he was the man she loved…”

He couldn’t continue speaking.

But Yan Sanhe understood.

For a woman, from birth to death, if one had to find the single most important event in this long life, it should be the wedding night.

For Tang Zhiwei trapped in the Jiaofang Bureau, her wedding night was the night she became courtesan.

Rather than being defiled by another man on courtesan night, it was better to find a man she could psychologically accept, who would gently and tenderly teach her to become a woman.

Chu Yanling had thought it through extremely thoroughly—Lu Shi was the best choice.

“What reason did he give for refusing?” Yan Sanhe asked.

Tang Jianxi laughed coldly and mechanically. “Didn’t want to see her, couldn’t see her, shouldn’t see her!”

Even with all her experience, Yan Sanhe was shocked enough to take half a step back.

He truly was heartless and ungrateful to the extreme!

No wonder after Tang Zhiwei left the Jiaofang Bureau, she went straight to Water Moon Convent. Her devoted affection wrongly given to such a man—her heart was completely broken.

“Did he actually go to the Hanlin Academy later?”

“No!”

“Why not?”

“This just shows Heaven has eyes.”

“I understand—when the spring examination cheating scandal broke, someone questioned the authenticity of Lu Shi, the new Third Scholar.”

“Miss is truly clever.”

Tang Jianxi’s expression was icy. “Many things in this world—you can’t just distance yourself whenever you want. Geese leave sounds, people leave names. The more you try to escape, the less you can escape.”

No wonder even Young Master Pei didn’t know Lu Shi had once placed third—so this was the reason.

Yan Sanhe turned to look at Tang Jianxi. “Master Tang, did you anticipate that Lu Shi today would be so different from before?”

“With this person’s scheming, methods, and viciousness, if he didn’t reach a second-rank high position, that would be what I couldn’t anticipate.”

“Then do you know how he climbed to high position step by step?”

“I don’t know. I only heard an old friend mention it once.”

Tang Jianxi forcibly suppressed the mockery on his face. “That’s just how the world is—those who kill and set fires wear golden belts, while those who build bridges and repair roads have no corpses. It’s pitch black with no light.”

As his words fell, a streak of golden light pierced through from the east.

Yan Sanhe stood shoulder to shoulder with him, looking at that golden light, and said slowly, “Look—hasn’t the sky brightened?”

Tang Jianxi was stunned, then turned his head to glance at Yan Sanhe—

The young woman’s profile was bathed in morning light, so youthful yet so spirited.

…

One day in the mountains, a hundred years in the world—this was the simultaneous sigh in all six people’s hearts as they descended the mountain.

Master Tang and his wife personally saw them off to the riverside.

Yan Sanhe noticed Tao Qiao’er wanted to speak but hesitated. “Madam, if you have something to say, please speak freely.”

“It’s like this, Miss Yan.”

Tao Qiao’er smiled bitterly. “Mingyue was raised by Jingchen’s side for over ten years—their relationship is extraordinary. With her temperament, once she learns Jingchen’s coffin has cracked open, she’ll find you by any means necessary, wanting to understand clearly.”

“Madam wants me to…”

“She’s pregnant, just three months along. Please, Miss, speak kindly with her and don’t let her become anxious.”

“Madam, rest assured!”

Yan Sanhe cupped her fists toward Tang Jianxi. “We part here.”

“Miss, wait.”

Tang Jianxi stepped forward and bowed to Yan Sanhe with a scholar’s courtesy. “Please put your heart into my junior sister’s matter. If the matter concludes smoothly, please send word.”

“Naturally.”

With these simple words, Yan Sanhe turned and boarded the boat, with the five people behind her following one after another.

“Old Qiao, set sail!”

Old Qiao was practically dumbstruck.

He’d been poling boats on this river for most of his life—this was the first time he’d seen Master Tang personally escort guests down the mountain, the first time he’d seen Master Tang bow to a young girl.

This, this, this…

Was this young girl some incredible personage?