That night Shaoshang tossed and turned. Before dawn the next day, she sent someone to the Yuan residence with a message, specifically requesting that the top Yuan candidate come escort her back to the palace. So Yuan Shen had servants hitch up a ostentatiously gold-and-jade-encrusted carriage and came hurrying to the Cheng residence before morning court, only to hear his puffy-eyed fiancée solemnly demand that he break off their engagement.

“What did you say?” Yuan Shen suspected he’d heard wrong. “Just the day before yesterday you said you absolutely wouldn’t break the engagement. It’s only been one day and two nights and you’ve already changed your mind? Did you oversleep?” —These past few days, because some places were resisting the land survey decree, the court was in chaos. Huo Buyi shouldn’t have time to cause trouble.

Shaoshang pressed one hand against the carriage wall, confirming: “You heard correctly. I advise you to break off the engagement quickly. If it’s too late, things might get terrible.”

“What happened yesterday? Who came to see you?” Yuan Shen was quite alert.

Shaoshang told him about Luo Jitong’s visit. Yuan Shen’s expression grew grave: “…So fast. I didn’t expect he had no feelings whatsoever for the Luo family. I thought he’d be constrained by them and couldn’t immediately turn hostile.”

Shaoshang turned and sat down leaning against the carriage wall, saying nothing.

Yuan Shen struck his palm with his fist and laughed coldly: “However, this isn’t surprising either. The Grand Empress Dowager of Huai’an and the Prince of Donghai treated him with such warmth and trust, yet Huo Buyi still betrayed them without hesitation!”

Shaoshang found these words grating but couldn’t refute them.

Yuan Shen cursed under his breath for a while, then said as if joking: “Even if he’s completely severed ties with the Luo family, what do you mean by asking me to break the engagement? Could it be that once he’s free to marry, you’ll throw yourself at him?”

“You know that’s not me.” Shaoshang sneered. “In my entire life, I most hate those two words ‘forgiveness.’ It’s precisely because of those two words that some people harm and hurt others without scruple. Anyway, after things pass, they admit their mistake and apologize, and there’s always someone telling you to let it go, let it go. Hmph, some things in this world, once done are done, once hurt is hurt. Why must one forgive!” Like her—she would never forgive Mother Cheng and Ge Shi.

—Old Master Cheng and Madam Xiao could at least say they fought for the family’s children’s future, and she had enjoyed some of this hard-won wealth and stability. But Mother Cheng was so selfish—just to keep control of her son and daughter-in-law, she went and harmed an innocent child. Even after death, she would never forgive her. Not all elderly people deserve respect!

Yuan Shen was silent for a moment, then said: “Then why are you rushing me to break the engagement? The Luo family isn’t an ordinary household either. Suffering such great humiliation, would they easily let Huo Buyi off? Things aren’t this simple.”

Shaoshang didn’t answer, but instead said: “Do you know Huo Buyi’s habits in conducting affairs? The year the Prince of Donghai declined the heir position, I helped pack up things at the Eastern Palace and found old dossiers requesting merit for Huo Buyi and letters he’d written to the Prince of Donghai.”

Yuan Shen looked at her suspiciously.

“There was one incident. At the time he was probably sixteen or seventeen. The Emperor assigned him and Zhang Yao to separately suppress two bandit strongholds in Yuzhou. One stronghold was in Liang Kingdom, one in Lu Commandery. To be honest, the Liang Kingdom stronghold was indeed weaker and more isolated, so the Emperor originally intended to send Huo Buyi to Liang Kingdom. However, Zhang Yao kept feeling indignant, telling people he was just there to set off the Emperor’s foster son. So Huo Buyi voluntarily switched with Zhang Yao.”

Yuan Shen said: “Zhang Yao is indeed narrow-minded—to actually compete with a young man barely of age. No wonder even with extraordinary martial skills, His Majesty doesn’t value him.”

“The Prince of Donghai worried about Huo Buyi, but Huo Buyi reassured him in a letter, saying that although the Liang bandits had fewer people, they came from the same clan, flesh and blood kinsmen connected by bloodline, united in purpose. Whereas the Lu group, though more numerous, was a ragtag mob gathered from all directions, assembled for profit and bound to scatter when profit was exhausted.”

Yuan Shen noticed the detail: “When was that letter written?”

“Just after the two forces left the capital.”

“That is to say, as early as when His Majesty intended to send them to suppress bandits, Huo Buyi had already investigated the circumstances of those two strongholds clearly.”

“Exactly.”

Yuan Shen stroked his sleeve, pondering silently.

Shaoshang continued: “Later, the situation developed just as Huo Buyi predicted. Zhang Yao couldn’t conquer for a long time, and the troops he led suffered heavy casualties. But Huo Buyi, after some division and disintegration, easily took the stronghold… hmph, several bandit chiefs’ heads were even severed by their own people to atone for their crimes.”

Yuan Shen frowned: “…This was coincidence. If Zhang Yao hadn’t been narrow-minded, if the two forces hadn’t switched, who knows how it would have ended.”

“Don’t worry, two years later what you hoped for came to pass.” Shaoshang said irritably. “At that time, His Majesty had just taken Long territory and needed to pursue several routes of scattered fleeing soldiers. I don’t know if someone couldn’t stand Huo Buyi, but they actually sent him to pursue the route of fleeing soldiers led by the enemy chieftain’s younger brother. Sadly, Huo Buyi himself had just come down from a brutal major battle. His subordinates were exhausted, men and horses weary, with significant casualties. And the enemy forces were either death warriors raised for many years or clansmen from the same ancestry.”

Yuan Shen remembered, his face darkening: “I know this matter. Huo Buyi caught up with the fleeing soldiers and without a word fought to the death. Finally he returned to camp to report mission accomplished with the enemy chieftain’s head, then recuperated at Marquis Cui’s home for nearly half a year before recovering.”

At that time the Emperor was heartbroken. When conferring merits, he deliberately suppressed certain people’s rewards and honors—probably to vent for his foster son. However, it was precisely because of this hard-fought deadly battle that court officials looked at Huo Buyi, who hadn’t yet reached capping age, with new respect, saying ‘General Huo Chong’s successor has appeared,’ completely overlooking Ling Yi.

Shaoshang nodded: “Now you understand. He dares to abruptly sever ties with the Luo family—either he’s left himself backup and the Luo family doesn’t dare turn on him, or he’s thrown caution to the wind and doesn’t care, not fearing enmity with the Luo family.”

“What exactly are you trying to say?” Yuan Shen was suspicious.

Shaoshang said: “By the same logic, he dares to abruptly tell me to break the engagement with you—either he’s thought of countermoves, or he’s planning to throw caution to the wind. Young Master Yuan, how do you plan to respond?”

Yuan Shen was angry: “Am I supposed to fear him?!”

“The former would be fine—your Yuan family isn’t to be trifled with either. Besides, your scheming is no less than Huo Buyi’s. What I fear is the latter—if he completely abandons face, when things blow up all over the city and people point fingers at you, what will you do?” Not many men want to become the protagonist of scandal, much less the suspected cuckolded supporting male character.

Yuan Shen was indeed dumbfounded.

They reached the palace gate. Shaoshang patted Yuan Shen’s shoulder: “Think it over carefully. When Huo Buyi goes mad, he bites. You can’t very well bite back. Don’t worry about me. Though I’ve suffered many losses at his hands, he hasn’t fared well either.”

Yuan Shen thought Shaoshang’s mention of biting was metaphorical. Actually, Shaoshang spoke the truth.

The two parted at the palace gate. Yuan Shen’s head was full of troubles—he nearly even took the wrong path to the Secretariat.

The Grand Empress Dowager remained bedridden as usual, her person drowsy and confused. She didn’t even know Shaoshang had returned to Yong’an Palace. Shaoshang felt very sad. After feeding her medicine, the Grand Empress Dowager hazily asked about Huo Buyi’s legal case. Shaoshang vented her frustration by furiously denouncing Huo Buyi, amusing the Grand Empress Dowager into repeated soft laughter.

Several more days passed, and the Cheng family’s young lady’s name once again spread throughout the capital, high and low.

First, Colonel of the Rapid Waters Luo Bin publicly announced he would recruit a husband for his widowed daughter who’d returned home, shocking all the capital’s nobility. Those with sharper ears and eyes already knew the Crown Prince intended for Luo Jitong to marry Huo Buyi as his wife, and everyone knew the Luo family was delighted and overjoyed about this. The current situation clearly wasn’t the Luo family suddenly going mad—it must be Huo Buyi who changed his mind.

Without prior consultation, everyone’s gaze turned toward the Cheng family. Poor Old Master Cheng couldn’t avoid the Luo family people enough this time. He simply claimed illness and hid.

What was even stranger: following the precedent of Yuan Shen’s broken engagement with the Cai family years ago, Huo Buyi should show some remorse toward the Luo family, right? But looking at the Luo family’s actions, it didn’t seem so. Luo Bin first had his daughter live in seclusion to recover her health, declining all banquet invitations and gatherings. Then while speaking of recruiting a husband, he rejected all marriage proposals from relatives and friends, seemingly planning to marry his daughter far away to the borderlands—looking at it this way, it seemed the Luo family secretly feared Huo Buyi. How strange indeed!

At the same time, Huo Buyi had already loaded large and small carts with tiger bone, bear gallbladder, deer antler, wild ginseng, sable furs, hunting hawks, and other rare items, plus gold, gemstones, ivory, spices, fine horses, and fierce mastiffs brought by merchant caravans from the distant northern desert, proceeding in grand procession toward the Cheng residence.

Cheng Shi recalled how his daughter looked when heartbroken and gravely ill years ago and was so angry he wanted to hit someone. Huo Buyi knelt before him submitting to beating and scolding, but it was still Madam Xiao who desperately restrained her husband—even His Majesty never hit him. You mustn’t strike!

The three were deadlocked for quite a while before each spoke a passage.

Madam Xiao’s words were more dignified: “You needn’t come apologize to us. Though we are Niaoniao’s parents, we didn’t care for or properly raise her from childhood. Now we regret it too late. Whatever path Niaoniao wants to walk in the future, whatever kind of person she wants to marry, we’ll let her decide… Take all these things back with you.”

Huo Buyi naturally refused, only saying: “I’m not trying to get you two to plead my case. It’s just that the trouble I caused back then nearly implicated everyone in the Cheng residence. Every time I think of this, I cannot feel at peace.”

Cheng Shi clenched his fist and said in a heavy voice: “Five years ago, Niaoniao was so ill she nearly died. Don’t think that just because you suffered during exile, you don’t know Niaoniao was repeatedly beyond treatment. If you don’t believe me, you can go look at the row of rooms in the back courtyard. There’s still a coffin made halfway for Niaoniao.”

Huo Buyi’s head jerked up sharply. Finally he calmly and silently took his leave.

After he left, Madam Xiao asked her husband: “Why did you tell Huo Buyi about Niaoniao’s grave illness? I thought you’d always approved of Yuan Shanjian as son-in-law.” This way, the one surnamed Huo would never let go.

Cheng Shi sighed: “If Yuan Shanjian did something to wrong Niaoniao, do you think Niaoniao would become so gravely ill?” —Love as deep, hate as deep; that’s why the injury was so severe. He’d been through it himself. He hoped his daughter wouldn’t have regrets in the future.

In the courtyard, Old Steward Cheng’s eyes were dazzled by the mountain-high pile of gifts. Among them was an enormous deer antler rack that left one gaping—with over twenty thick branches spreading in all directions, nearly one zhang wide. It couldn’t fit through ordinary doors. Old Steward could only dismantle both door panels on either side of the main gate to get this priceless deer antler rack inside.

After tallying gifts until his hands were sore and mouth dry, barely able to catch his breath, Old Steward contentedly remarked to his old friend’s son Fu Yi that the family head should have had more young ladies—then how glorious their household would be!

Fu Yi thought privately: with just one daughter causing such chaos, if there were several more, who knows how many times the Cheng family’s main gate would need dismantling.

Seeing the residence in complete chaos, Cheng Shaogong called Fifth Cheng to help move things. Fifth Cheng glared: “Why should I move things?”

“Because you should be very happy!” Cheng Shaogong smiled gleefully. “The future bride of the son of Prefect Yuan, whom you hate to the bone, is about to be stolen away!”

Fifth Cheng was stupefied.

After such grand fanfare, everyone in the capital from noble ministers down to peddlers and porters were incredibly excited, uniformly focusing their gaze on the Huo, Yuan, and Cheng families. In wine towers, in food stalls, after court dismissal—discussion was rampant everywhere—

It was said Old Marquis Ban once sighed ‘I wonder if I’ll live to see Huo Chong’s son marry’;

It was said Court of Judicial Review Minister Ji Zun silently withdrew his retirement memorial, saying he wanted to see Huo Buyi marry before resigning;

It was said Yuan Shen fought desperately to break off with the Cai family precisely for the Cheng family’s young lady—was this current situation not karmic retribution;

It was said the Prince of Ruyang ‘slipped up’ while drunk, describing in detail how Huo Buyi and Cheng Shaoshang had been intimately affectionate during their outing years ago. Once the floodgates opened, more gossip enthusiasts chimed in describing the intimate appearance they’d witnessed when Huo and Cheng interacted back then…

For a time, the lush ancient tree branches and leaves above the Yuan residence seemed to grow even more verdant and green.

However, what the capital crowd was most interested in was: how would this matter develop?

Some said the Cheng young lady would heed her family’s opinion, abandoning Yuan Shanjian for Huo Buyi. Others said the Cheng young lady would sooner or later cry her heart out with Huo Buyi, unable to restrain their feelings. Still others said the Cheng young lady would refuse to break the engagement to the death, then Huo Buyi would forcibly seize her, making Yuan and Cheng a pair of tragic lovebirds. Even more said Huo Buyi was ruthless and determined to find opportunity to eliminate his rival. Of course, some rebutted, saying Huo Buyi was fairly upright—probably planning to openly duel and seize the beauty… Oh my heavens, just thinking about it was so exciting!

The Crown Prince also got an earful of gossip and sighed: “Zicheng, tell me—how can people be so idle? Father Emperor just ordered over a dozen commandery prefects executed for inaccurate land surveys, yet no one discusses it. They only stare at your affairs.”

Huo Buyi was silent for a moment: “I also didn’t anticipate this.”

—He’d specifically chosen this period to cast off the Luo family and visit the Cheng residence, thinking everyone’s attention would be on the land survey matter. Who knew he’d underestimated the capital crowd’s gossip enthusiasm. Now the situation had reversed. With his scandal blocking the front, few people bothered about the Emperor’s strict enforcement of land surveys.

The Emperor indicated his foster son was very effective. He himself was very satisfied.

The scandal fermented rapidly. Even Cai Yun, idle at home, felt some pity for this disciple and former nephew-in-law. He couldn’t help saying: “Shanjian, why did you insist on breaking the engagement back then? If not, by now you and my niece would have children.”

Yuan Shen met this with silence.

Returning home, after changing clothes Yuan Shen went to see his father, only to be startled to find his mother Lady Liang also present.

“…The situation is as such. Please believe me, parents—Shaoshang didn’t do anything improper. It’s all Huo Buyi acting willfully and recklessly. Having the family subject to gossip is my fault.” Yuan Shen prostrated himself in apology.

Yuan Pei had also heard the bubbling scandal outside but laughed quite open-mindedly: “A modest maiden, the noble man seeks her. Unable to obtain her, he tosses and turns. In ancient times, mutual admiration between men and women was also an elegant matter. Spreading talk is no harm.” As he spoke, he coughed lightly twice.

“Father…” Yuan Shen was shocked.

Lady Liang smiled: “When your father returned home from his travels and informed his parents he wanted to marry Fifth Heyi, it caused chaos in the household. Your grandfather beat your father countless times. Your grandmother wailed that she didn’t want to live. During that period, the entire commandery watched the Yuan family’s joke. When family women went out to banquets, they were constantly mocked: ‘Has your Pei Lang settled down?’ Hehe, didn’t we get through it?”

She took the outer robe passed by a maid and gently draped it over Yuan Pei. Yuan Shen watched his parents’ intimate gestures, feeling uncomfortable all over. He said in a low voice: “How, how is this the same? This is ‘enmity of wife-stealing.’ If we show weakness, won’t the Yuan family become a laughingstock!”

“Shanjian, come here.” Yuan Pei beckoned gently. Yuan Shen obeyed and knelt properly beside his father.

Yuan Pei lightly placed his hand on his son’s handsome, upright shoulder and said warmly: “Since childhood you’ve been strict and self-disciplined. You never needed elders to supervise your studies and practice. Whether seeking learning from masters or entering court as an official, you’ve been able to bring glory to the Yuan family name. In the blink of an eye, so many years have passed. You’ve grown up, able to stand alone. Yet your father feels regret—I never properly talked with you.”

“Your breaking the engagement with the Cai family and seeking to marry the Cheng family was probably the first action in your life since becoming sensible that had nothing to do with profit and loss, right?” Yuan Pei’s expression was loving, as if seeing his son who was only three heads tall when he left home for war—such a lovely, jade-snow pudgy little baby, tender little mouth blowing bubbles, clutching his trouser leg and refusing to let go.

“Your father hopes you’ll think clearly: your current refusal to let go of the Cheng family—is it because you truly love her and must marry her, or is it for the sake of face, stubbornly refusing to admit defeat out of spite? If the latter, you might as well be magnanimous, let it go, fulfill their marriage destiny. That wouldn’t diminish you as an upright and graceful true gentleman. Marquis Huo would remember your kindness and would certainly support our Yuan family with all his strength in the future. If the former… my son, have you thought it through clearly?”

His father’s eyes were weathered yet wise, like a beam of light shooting into his heart. Yuan Shen couldn’t help feeling bewildered—

Actually, the first time he saw Shaoshang at the lantern market, he didn’t think much of it. Later, seeing her several more times, he only found her clever and interesting. Even her unruly, aggressive manner was likable. He thought: marrying her wouldn’t be bad.

Who knew—later he was always a step too late. Over time, it became an obsession instead. But since Huo Buyi blocked the way ahead, he also peacefully sought another good woman for a wife. Until, until over five years ago…

Before his eyes floated that cold starry-mooned night. Having heard the news, he’d rushed urgently into the palace, just seeing her emerge along the palace lane.

The girl’s figure was thin and frail, dully and woodenly supporting herself against the palace wall, slowly shuffling forward. Cruel as scaling a live fish, she’d been stripped raw of her former fresh vitality, leaving only exhaustion, her shoulders crushed by endless grief, rage, and grievance.

When she raised her head, those dried eyes that had wept themselves empty were larger and blacker than usual. The cold, mocking gaze shot over, instantly searing his heart—Yuan Shen felt a breathless agitation, compassion bordering on admiration, an emotion he’d never experienced in his orderly twenty-one years of life.

Only, he’d never known how to handle this kind of feeling.