Zhu Yuanmo lifted his eyelids to glance at the Old Steward, signaling him to speak freely.

Only then did the Old Steward open his mouth. “Fifth Old Master accepted it, but First Old Master was somewhat unwilling.”

Yan Sanhe asked, “Why unwilling?”

“This old servant only heard that after the Old Grand Master made the announcement that day, First Old Master returned to his room, smashed a beauty vase, and said the Old Master was no good.”

“That’s just jealousy.”

Second Master Zhu, who couldn’t stand anyone speaking ill of his father, said with an iron expression, “Jealous that my father was stronger than him.”

Yan Sanhe looked at Second Master Zhu and remained silent for a while. “Besides that night, did First Old Master express dissatisfaction on any other occasion?”

The Old Steward thought for a long time, then suddenly remembered something.

“When the Old Grand Master passed away and the Old Master became family head, First Old Master was the first to move out of the Zhu household. On moving day, First Old Master and the Old Master quarreled in the Old Grand Master’s study—they even knocked over a screen in the study.”

That screen was quite valuable, inherited from ancestors. The repair alone cost several hundred taels of silver.

Precisely because of the expense, he’d felt distressed for several days.

Zhu Jing remembered it very clearly.

Yan Sanhe’s eyes narrowed sharply. “Why did they quarrel?”

“This old servant truly doesn’t know.”

The Old Steward said, “The Old Grand Master’s fifth seventh-day memorial had just passed. I was so busy my feet didn’t touch the ground. I only heard about it afterward from others.”

Yan Sanhe’s gaze turned to the eldest. “Do you know about this?”

Zhu Yuanmo shook his head.

Yan Sanhe asked, “What about you two?”

Second Master Zhu and Third Master Zhu also shook their heads.

Yan Sanhe said, “Third Master, trouble you to make a trip and ask Madam if she knows about this.”

Third Master Zhu thought it unnecessary—clearly First Old Master was just petty-minded.

“Miss Yan, I think…”

“Li Buyan, you go.”

“I’ll go, I’ll go!”

Third Master Zhu was so startled he immediately pulled open the door and broke into a trot.

Yan Sanhe returned her gaze to Zhu Jing. “What happened after? Did First Old Master cause any more trouble?”

“No more trouble.”

“Did the brothers maintain contact?”

“They did.”

The Old Steward said, “Whenever something happened in this household, First Old Master would come. Whenever something happened in that household, our Old Master would go.”

Yan Sanhe found this somewhat unreasonable. “Acting as if nothing had happened?”

The Old Steward didn’t know how to answer.

As a servant, no matter how much favor he enjoyed before his masters, he couldn’t possibly inquire into such matters.

At this moment, Zhu Yuanmo spoke.

“My First Uncle came and went, but his face never showed much joy. Even at my wedding, he was cold, drank a few cups of wedding wine, and left.”

“Same at my wedding.”

Second Master Zhu added, “But First Uncle’s wife and several cousins were very warm toward us. First Uncle’s wife even privately apologized to my mother, saying my First Uncle was someone who, apart from being good to those whores, cared for nothing else.”

Yan Sanhe said, “Old Steward, how exactly was First Old Master lustful? Tell me in detail.”

The Old Steward’s aged face flushed red.

“Before he was even fifteen years old, First Old Master secretly did that thing with a maid in his room. Because of this, the Old Grand Master gave him a severe beating.”

Not even fifteen years old?

Yan Sanhe asked, “So he broke the Zhu family rules?”

“Indeed he did!”

The Old Steward showed some anger in his expression as he spoke of this.

“The Old Grand Madam was so angered she fell ill. In a fury, she dismissed all the maids in his room and replaced them entirely with young male servants.”

Yan Sanhe asked, “What happened after?”

“Afterward, he behaved himself for a while, but the good times didn’t last. He became involved with the daughter of Cook Jiang in the household, and even got that girl pregnant.”

The three Zhu brothers exchanged glances.

The eldest said, “Old Steward, how is it there was also this matter? We knew nothing of it.”

“It wasn’t anything glorious.”

The Old Steward sighed. “The Old Grand Master and Old Grand Madam, for the sake of First Old Master’s future, issued a gag order. No one was permitted to speak of it outside.”

Yan Sanhe asked, “What happened to Cook Jiang’s daughter afterward?”

The Old Steward replied, “A bowl of abortion medicine was forced down her throat, and she along with her parents were all sold off.”

Li Buyan sneered, “They certainly know how to pick the soft persimmons.”

The Old Steward quickly explained, “The Old Grand Madam’s action was actually lenient. By rights, that family should have been beaten to death with clubs.”

Yan Sanhe’s eyes flickered slightly. “Why do you say this?”

“Miss doesn’t know—Cook Jiang’s daughter truly was no good.”

Decades had passed, yet the Old Steward still ground his teeth in hatred when recalling this matter.

“The Old Grand Madam originally intended to eliminate the mother but keep the child. But upon investigation, Miss Yan, guess what they found?”

“What?”

“That little wretch wasn’t even thirteen years old, yet she’d already secretly mixed with young male servants in the household. At least seven or eight male servants in the Zhu residence had been with her.”

The Old Steward curled his lip in disgust. “Who knows whose child was in that belly?”

Li Buyan fell silent. How fierce!

At this moment, Third Master Zhu came running back, out of breath.

“Miss Yan, my mother says she knows about this. It was First Uncle asking my father for silver. Father didn’t give it, so he made a scene.”

Second Master Zhu sneered. “He was just relying on being the legitimate eldest son and eldest grandson, unwilling to leave the household like that. He wanted to extract more benefits.”

Yan Sanhe suddenly stood up. “Wait for me a moment. I’m going outside to walk a few circles.”

Though the braziers had been moved away, the heat remained. The hot air was making her mind somewhat foggy—she couldn’t think clearly.

The three Zhu masters stared at her intently, not understanding why she would suddenly want to walk outside when the questioning was going well.

Only Li Buyan silently curved her lips upward. Yan Sanhe must have detected something.

Indeed.

Yan Sanhe had detected something wrong.

Just as Second Master Zhu had said, Zhu Xuanguang was the legitimate eldest son and legitimate eldest grandson.

In every great family, the legitimate eldest son and eldest grandson was the one upon whom deep hopes were placed.

Without speaking of distant examples, just take the recent Xie family.

Xie Erli was the legitimate eldest son and eldest grandson. From childhood, he was personally taught by Xie Daozhi, who had planned every step of his future.

In terms of lifestyle, Yan Sanhe had never heard of Xie Erli having any romantic scandals.

Even if he had, given Xie Erli’s taste, he would never have looked at a cook’s daughter.

This was the perspective a legitimate eldest son and eldest grandson of a prominent family should have.

As the eldest son and eldest grandson of the Zhu family, from the age of three when his education began, Zhu Xuanguang should have known the mission he carried.

His every word and deed was personally taught by Old Grand Master Zhu, with an Old Grand Madam watching from the side. Logically, the possibility of him growing crooked was small!

Could he really not have known about the Zhu family’s rule of no relations with women before fifteen?

Or was he naturally rebellious?

The cold wind blew, and Yan Sanhe’s mind became exceptionally clear.

That’s right—why was the Zhu family rule set at fifteen years old, not sixteen or seventeen?

Yan Sanhe turned and headed back inside. Crossing the threshold, she asked:

“The rule of no relations with women before fifteen—besides women being a distraction, is there any other reason for your Zhu family men?”

Zhu Yuanmo’s hands, resting flat on his knees, suddenly clenched into fists, as if he had some difficulty speaking of it.

But in just a moment, his hands relaxed.

“Third Brother, close the door.”

“Alright.”

Once the door was shut, Zhu Yuanmo slowly spoke.

“Miss Yan, in our profession, there’s an unwritten rule.”

“What is it?”

“When men and women sleep together, one must be extremely, extraordinarily careful.”