Seeing Chu Linlang behaving so freely, His Honor Situ’s rare moment of confusion gradually faded.

He washed his hands at the well, then sat down composedly, picked up his rice bowl, and said to Guanqi who was standing to the side drooling: “Come join us and eat.”

Guanqi had been waiting for exactly these words. He scrambled to the table, picked up his chopsticks, and scooped a large chunk of braised pork into his mouth.

Not bad at all — it melted in the mouth, wonderfully soft and yielding, with something of the flavor from a restaurant back in Lianzhou! The egg stir-fry was good too — perfect eaten alongside a steamed bun!

And so, in this modest main hall, two households with no connection to each other whatsoever ate a meal together, masters and servants all mixed in, making do.

Xia He and Dongxue had never eaten at the same table as their mistress before, and both felt too embarrassed to reach for their chopsticks.

As for Chu Linlang, since marrying into the Zhou household, she had to maintain a degree of propriety when eating in front of her mother-in-law. Whenever there were guests, she would rather go without eating than compromise the elegance expected of an official’s wife. But here in front of His Honor Situ, she could not be bothered to keep up appearances. She just buried her head and ate, her chopsticks striking true with each reach.

Situ Sheng ate little. Noticing which dishes the lady of the house favored, he would nudge the plate, shifting the dish a little closer toward the hard-working Chu Linlang.

The only one who could rival Chu Linlang at the table was Guanqi. Having missed the meal hour on duty with his master today, he ate wolfishly, cheeks working vigorously as he wolfed down his food alongside his bought steamed bun — it was a most satisfying spectacle.

When Guanqi raised his chopsticks toward the last remaining duck leg, he suddenly received a kick under the table.

He looked up, bewildered — only to meet his master’s calm, unhurried glance. While he hesitated, that duck leg was claimed in one clean swipe by Chu Linlang’s chopsticks.

She took it with perfect composure, stripped the duck meat from the bone, and divided it between Xia He and Dongxue.

This made Guanqi feel even more put out. Servants were all servants — how was it that his own master showed so little fondness for him?

When the meal was finished, Situ Sheng finally recovered his manners as a host and personally boiled water, then brewed a pot of clear tea for Chu Linlang.

His Honor Situ paid little attention to food and lodging, yet in the art of tea he had applied considerable effort. The tea set laid out on the table was nothing more than an ordinary purple clay pot and teacups — but the surface was burnished to a smooth, well-seasoned gleam, showing clearly that it was brought out and used every day.

Situ Sheng brewed tea with effortless fluency, his movements carrying an elegance that was impossible to describe. Even Chu Linlang, who had no eye for such refined pursuits, found herself staring.

These refined and cultivated arts — Zhou Sui’an had never seemed to know much about them. Yet Situ Sheng carried them off with a natural ease and grace.

Chu Linlang remembered Xia He once saying that the madwoman who was Situ Sheng’s mother had originally been a woman from a prestigious household. It seemed that was no lie — no matter how fallen a noble family’s child might become, the bearing and refinement bred into their bones from birth was difficult to erase.

Once Situ Sheng had brewed the tea, he handed a cup to Chu Linlang. She sipped it carefully in small mouthfuls, and could not help but nod.

No wonder scholars loved to fiddle with these little teacups — tasted like this, with such careful and deliberate attention, the flavor was indeed different from drinking tea out of a great big bowl.

But the window paper had been pasted, the meal had been eaten, and the tea had been drunk. The hour was growing late, and it was not appropriate for her to linger. She would take her leave of this gentleman here and head back.

Just as she was about to rise, the sound of carriages and horses suddenly erupted outside the gate, followed by insistent knocking: “Is His Honor Situ at home?”

The social calls of the Junior Minister of the Court of Judicial Review were truly demanding. Even at this late hour, visitors still came. But it was not appropriate for Chu Linlang to be seen here alone with Situ Sheng in his private residence.

After all, she had not yet completed the separation, and still carried the name of the Zhou household’s wife. If someone caught a glimpse of her, word might reach the Zhou family and cause misunderstanding — that would only create more trouble.

But the rear gate of the residence was blocked by a pile of clutter and could not be opened in a hurry.

Situ Sheng signaled her not to panic — she could go and wait in the side room next door.

As Chu Linlang led her two maids to hide in the dark, unlit room, she could not help but give a quiet laugh — she had come out of kindness to deliver furniture, and somehow it had all the flavor of being caught in an illicit affair.

Just then, the main gate had already been opened by Guanqi. A bright, hearty male voice was heard: “His Honor the junior minister’s residence is truly difficult to find. I nearly got lost just now.”

Through the door, Chu Linlang heard only Situ Sheng’s steady reply: “I had not known the Fourth Prince would honor me with a personal visit. This subordinate has been remiss in failing to come out to welcome you.”

It appeared that Situ Sheng was now truly a rising figure in court — even at this late hour, a royal prince himself had come personally to his door.

What followed was a string of formulaic pleasantries.

It seemed the Fourth Prince was deeply grateful that during the night of the assassin’s capture, Situ Sheng had been willing to hold back and let the soldiers from his military camp have their way.

Otherwise, if that man had been taken alive and then been directed by whoever controlled him to say something carelessly, the Crown Prince would surely have seized on it and declared it proof that the Fourth Prince had sent the assassin. The Fourth Prince would have been utterly beyond redemption.

After all, that assassin had once been his old trusted retainer. With such an obvious person planted for framing, no matter how you looked at it, it all pointed to him as the one who had tried to assassinate his royal elder brother.

As for the old score of Situ Sheng having helped the Sixth Prince bring down his paternal uncle Prince Tai, and thereby indirectly causing his own mother to be banished to a cold palace — the Fourth Prince did not breathe a word of it. Instead he expressed great concern for His Honor Situ’s daily comforts, looking as if he intended to send some managing servants and attendants to Situ Sheng.

The Fourth Prince Liu Zhen had come prepared. He had long since found out that Situ Sheng had no household managers or servants. Sending people over in person today, even if Situ Sheng wanted to decline, he would find it hard to refuse.

As long as Situ Sheng accepted these people, he and Situ Sheng would from this point forward share some faint thread of connection.

Situ Sheng had already offended the Crown Prince on his behalf, and had also fallen out with the Sixth Prince. He could hardly afford to walk the path straight to a dead end by offending yet another of the Emperor’s sons.

The Emperor was advancing in years. If Situ Sheng had any wits about him, he should understand the importance of the merit earned from supporting the right prince.

So after Situ Sheng indicated that he had indeed already hired people, Liu Zhen smiled lightly: “If you have people, why has no one come to serve tea for so long? His Honor Situ, you are fobbing me off with too little effort. What is it — does my one sincere intention to give you a few servants threaten your very life?”

Situ Sheng lowered his eyes, thinking of how to decline, when from the side room nearby came the clear, bright sound of a woman’s voice: “Your Honor, this servant fell asleep just now. Has a guest come to the hall? This servant will dress immediately and come out to prepare tea!”

After a moment of startlement, Situ Sheng immediately recovered and called out in a loud voice: “Since the housekeeper has already retired, there is no need to rise. Just let the maids serve the guest!”

Before long, Dongxue and Xia He, both wearing expressions as blank as wooden boards, came out of the room, fetched hot water and teacups from the kitchen, and carried them into the hall.

Situ Sheng said in a composed tone: “The Fourth Prince’s Royal Highness can see clearly — this subordinate has indeed already hired a housekeeper and has even purchased maids. Your Highness can also see that my dwelling is simple and modest and cannot accommodate too many people. I hope you will understand. As for His Majesty’s kind intentions — this subordinate will accept them in spirit…  The hour grows late, and this subordinate cannot endure long nights. If the Fourth Prince still has matters to discuss, it would be best to leave them for tomorrow at court.”

With that, he rose to his feet and looked at the Fourth Prince with a mild smile.

Such an obvious send-off — not even the most settled temperament could remain seated. The Fourth Prince studied the two maids who had suddenly appeared, with a darkening look in his eyes, understanding that there was no further way to press the matter.

He had no wish to get into a direct confrontation with Situ Sheng either. After all, Situ Sheng was now a favored man before the Emperor. Even when trying to win someone over, it had to be handled with care.

But to have one’s face so pointedly refused, it was inevitable that he felt sullen and displeased. The expression on his face darkened like the bottom of a cooking pot.

Situ Sheng appeared not to notice the Fourth Prince’s expression at all. Walking ahead to lead the way, he said in an easy tone: “I hear that the Fourth Prince is skilled at swimming. You would know then, that in great rivers and broad waterways, one must move with the current and never push against the flow. The waves run high today, Your Highness. To bide your time in quiet restraint is indeed a mark of wisdom. But one must also understand that one’s strength should be spent where it matters — not wasted in this subordinate’s poor alley and humble dwelling…”

Liu Zhen’s mind was quick. In an instant he caught the implication in these words from His Honor Situ. He involuntarily stopped where he stood and probed: “Your meaning is…”

Situ Sheng still wore the same unhurried expression, and said only in a measured tone: “People of great age are nostalgic. A coat may be new, but a person is dearest when old. The Fourth Prince should think carefully — why does His Majesty hold hopes for you that differ from those he holds for the other princes. In this subordinate’s humble view, you need not waste your efforts any further in the court…”

Liu Zhen’s expression froze, and his eyes slowly widened. He understood at once what Situ Sheng meant.

The Emperor had many sons, but the reason Liu Zhen could hold his own against the Crown Prince was, at the most fundamental level, because his mother consort was deeply cherished and favored by the Emperor.

But in a moment of anxious impatience, he had mistakenly placed his trust in Prince Tai as his great pillar of support, thinking this would stabilize the court and build his influence. Who could have foreseen that this treasonous prince would drag him down with him and leave him with nothing?

Now, his mother Consort Jing, implicated in the affair, had been demoted and banished to a cold palace. And in the court he was like a rat crossing the street — with a few trusted followers aside, every official gave him a wide berth.

He had assumed this Situ Sheng was also a snob and had been showing him no face for that very reason. But the words Situ Sheng had just spoken were clearly a pointed hint — he was giving him guidance!

The Emperor, old and prone to nostalgia? Spending no more effort in court? That meant spending his effort in the inner palace…

With this thought, a revelation broke upon the Fourth Prince like a clearing sky. He could not help but clasp his hands together and bow deeply toward Situ Sheng: “Master! You are truly a man of great talent!”

And so, no longer caring about the slight of being refused by Situ Sheng, with nothing but sincerity on his face, he spoke of a banquet gathering a few days hence, inviting His Honor Situ to be sure to attend — and with that, he took his people and left.

Once everyone had gone, Situ Sheng finally opened the door to the side room. Chu Linlang was sitting there at ease on a stool, cracking melon seeds.

Seeing him come in, Linlang dusted off the melon seed shells from her hands: “Good, the hour is truly not early anymore. Since Your Honor wishes to retire early, I too will take my leave.”

Situ Sheng pressed his lips together: “Thank you, Madam, for speaking up just now to help me out of the situation. But… you were really quite reckless. What if he had seen you — where would your reputation be?”

Chu Linlang had not expected that after helping him in good faith, he would actually turn around and lecture her.

She gave Situ Sheng a look: “Because I knew your mind is sharp. Even without coordinating our words in advance, you would absolutely be able to manage it and not let me be exposed. Moreover, a woman who is practically a former wife already — what reputation is there left to protect? As long as I do not drag Your Honor’s name through the mud and leave you with the reputation of a man who chases flowers and courts romances, that is good enough.”

Listening now, it seemed she had been worrying needlessly. This His Honor Situ was a master at handling people — he had obviously snubbed the Fourth Prince’s face, yet with just a few cryptic words, he had sent that man away cheerfully and contentedly.

Such a skill at playing with people’s hearts and minds — it was truly formidable!

Hearing her use the phrase ‘practically a former wife’ to mock herself, Situ Sheng’s thick brows furrowed slightly, as if he wanted to say something — but in the end he held it back and only said: “It is very late. I will walk you back.”

With that, he left no room for refusal, and sent Guanqi off to fetch the lantern.

And so as dusk fell dark upon the world, Situ Sheng walked through the evening frost, sending Chu Linlang home step by step.

Now deep autumn was about to turn to winter. The difference between morning, evening, and daytime temperatures was great. Chu Linlang had not dressed too lightly, but by night she was shivering with cold all the same. She had not anticipated she would be delayed so long. She had not even brought a proper thick cloak.

Since leaving the Zhou household, she had no carriage of her own. It was also inconvenient to have her clothing and belongings readily at hand when going out…

She was still thinking about this when a large outer robe carrying a faint fragrance of soapberry pods settled over her shoulders.

Linlang turned back in surprise and realized that Situ Sheng had given her his own black cloak.

How could she possibly accept this? Chu Linlang immediately tried to take it off, murmuring that this was not right.

Situ Sheng said in a cool, indifferent tone: “Wearing someone’s cloak costs you nothing of your chastity or reputation. And besides — a woman who is practically a former wife already, what reputation is there left? Would it not be better than freezing and then spending money on medicinal broth?”

Chu Linlang shot him a glare. This fellow loved to use her own words to stop her mouth.

But what he said made sense. Medicinal broth was truly expensive. She could not afford any more unnecessary spending now that money was tight.

Although this black cloak was somewhat worn, it still carried the warmth of its owner’s body heat. Draped over her shoulders, it was wonderfully warm.

Just then, Situ Sheng said slowly: “I have been thinking these past few days — you are so determined to go through with the separation. But your daughter — the Zhou household may not be willing to let her go. She is still young, and a child cannot be without its mother. Would you like me to help you think of some way…”

Chu Linlang interrupted with a rueful smile: “There is no need. It is better for her to stay with her own family. Why make her follow me and suffer?”

Situ Sheng paused: “When parents separate, it is common for children to be placed with the mother. Why not let me speak with Zhou Sui’an and have him agree to let her stay with you first — then when she is old enough to marry, she can return to the Zhou household…”

Chu Linlang had no wish to continue this topic. The bond between her and Zhou Sui’an was spent — but little Yuan’er was innocent. She did not want to expose the truth that Yuan’er was not her own flesh and blood, leaving that child to carry the stigma of being born illegitimate.

So she declined his kindness once more: “She has her grandmother and her father who dote on her, and she will have a new proper mother in the future. It is best not to take her away…”

Situ Sheng’s thick brows knitted tightly. He seemed to fight it for a moment, then said with deliberate bluntness: “Are you afraid you cannot take her, or are you afraid that having a child along will affect your chances of remarrying? Have you not thought — a child without her birth mother, who in that household will truly care for her?”

Chu Linlang had not expected to hear such emotionally charged words of accusation from this official’s lips. She stopped walking involuntarily, stared at Situ Sheng in astonishment: “His Honor Situ, you…”

And Situ Sheng himself had already realized he had lost composure. After all, what was being discussed now was Chu Linlang’s daughter — not himself as a child, small and helpless all those years ago…

The front of the alley was just ahead, and the topic between the two of them had ended up in an awkward stalemate.

Situ Sheng stopped here, clasped his hands in a bow toward her, then turned on his heel with cold abruptness and left without a word of parting.

Chu Linlang hated nothing more than someone who blew hot and cold. She stared at Situ Sheng’s retreating back and muttered under her breath with vexation: “What a load of nonsense about remarrying! As if men have some ocean treasure stored in their trousers? Just barely shaken off one, and now I have to go fishing for another?”

When Chu Linlang led her two maids to the front gate and was about to fish out her key to open the door, a voice full of burning fury suddenly erupted from the shadows nearby: “Who is that man! Why were you coming home so late walking beside him?”

Linlang was startled and shuddered, then looked carefully and found it was Zhou Sui’an speaking to her with blazing, seething anger.

She could not help but frown: “At this hour — what are you doing here?”

It was too dark, and fog had begun to drift down. Zhou Sui’an had been standing a little way off. He had not been able to make out clearly who had been beside Chu Linlang just now. But this did not stop him from venting his fury at her: “You also know it is late? Why were you still walking beside a man? Who is he?”

Chu Linlang did not answer. She only asked: “Have you spoken with your mother? When will the separation document be signed?”

Zhou Sui’an had never realized before that this Chu woman could be this infuriating. She had always been very capable of sparing him worry. But now she had not yet even given him the separation document, and yet she was already coming home at night walking alongside a man without a care.

And moreover… earlier he had pressed his eye to a crack in the gate to look into the courtyard, and had actually found that on the clothesline in the yard, a man’s garment was hanging!

How had he never noticed before — she had always been this kind of fickle, faithless woman!

Chu Linlang heard him making this accusation and understood. He must have seen the garment Dongxue had washed — Situ Sheng’s shirt.

She said only in a flat tone: “Our household is all women. For fear of thieves, we hung up a man’s garment to frighten them off… That person’s belly will not wait for long. You must also move quickly. If there is no other issue, tomorrow we can invite a witness and the two of us can sign the document.”

But Zhou Sui’an did not believe her explanation. The redness slowly seeped into his eyes. The scene just now had made his back teeth ache with sourness.

He asked through clenched teeth: “Chu Linlang, tell me the truth. This time you are so set on separation — is it because you are angry with me, or is it because you already have some wild man on the outside that you have taken up with? What Aunt An from the Xie family said was not wrong — how can we simply let you make demands without limit… Ouch — what are you doing, what are you—”

Zhou Sui’an’s words had barely gotten halfway out when Chu Linlang suddenly looked around in all directions, then grabbed the carrying pole that the neighbor had left by the door for shouldering chamber pots, and brought it down hard across Zhou Sui’an’s back.

Zhou Sui’an was caught completely off guard, and the blow sent him stumbling. He scrambled to cover his head and dodge.

Chu Linlang had been on the receiving end of accusations about her moral conduct from two different men today. Her heart was full of bottled-up grievance, and both arms flailed the carrying pole with ferocious, vigorous strokes.

As she swung, she ground her teeth and snarled: “I will teach you to say ‘wild man’ over and over! I will make you say ‘taken up with’ again and again!”

Zhou Sui’an had been indulged and pampered by Zhao Shi from childhood to adulthood — when had he ever been beaten like this?

And moreover — the one beating him was actually the wife who had once looked up to him as her entire sky!

For a moment it was impossible to say whether his back hurt more, or his masculine pride.

He could only huddle against the wall with his arms wrapped around his head, and say with bitter, wounded indignation: “Linlang, how can you be like this? You once said that no matter how hard it got, you would always walk beside me for the rest of your life!”

His eyes held the glitter of tears at their corners. The aggrieved way he spoke was a shadow of the Zhou family’s young gentleman she had once adored in her youth.

Chu Linlang finally lowered her hand. She looked to the sky and let out a bleak, desolate laugh: “Yes, I said that. But you no longer wish to walk the same road as I — so what am I to do…”

Zhou Sui’an stared at her blankly, stared at the resolute light in her eyes, and finally understood in despair: his wife truly had her mind made up to separate from him.

These past few days, both the Xie family and the Sixth Prince’s side had been sending people to apply pressure without stop, urging them to hand over the shop fronts to Chu Linlang and put an end to this matter as soon as possible.

Even Zhao Shi, who loved money like her very life, had weighed all the pros and cons, considered her son’s future career, and steeled herself to give up those two shop fronts.

Only Zhou Sui’an had been clinging to one last illusion, hoping that Linlang might change her mind and turn back.

His back was burning and throbbing with pain, and the pain had also knocked some sense into him.

He knew that the bond between him and Chu Linlang as husband and wife had truly reached its end.

…Thinking of the final conclusion that Aunt An from the Xie family and his mother had arrived at after their recent exchanges, Zhou Sui’an silently clenched his fist: Chu Linlang, your heartlessness will not excuse my lack of honor!

Things had come to this pass. It was better to end it sooner rather than later. The Second Miss Xie’s belly would not wait.

With this thought, he stood up with some difficulty, and said in a cold, flat tone: “My mother has already nodded her agreement. Tomorrow evening you may come to my residence and we will settle matters between us. But… do not regret it when the time comes!”

This was the first time Zhou Sui’an had ever willingly said that he agreed to separate from her.

Chu Linlang had no patience for the insinuation in his words. She put the carrying pole back and walked into the courtyard without looking back.

As fate would have it, the day of their separation turned out to also be Linlang’s twenty-fourth birthday. By her reckoning, she and Zhou Sui’an’s marriage bond had run to eight full years.

Who could have imagined — in this marriage between the two of them, they had not reached the white-haired end side by side, but had instead come to this parting of ways.

In the early morning, light snow began to drift down in scattered flakes. Xia He boiled red-skinned eggs for her young mistress and twisted up a bowl of long-life noodles — this was her way of marking the birthday.

Chu Linlang finished her noodles, then sat rattling a tortoiseshell, her mind restless and unsettled.

Xia He assumed she was heartbroken. In truth, she had been turning over in her mind what Zhou Sui’an had blurted out the night before: “What Aunt An from the Xie family said was not wrong…”

When she was in Ji Province, she used to chat often with the Sixth Prince’s consort and the Xie family’s old mistress. Women chatting together would sometimes let a word or two about a certain family aunt slip into the conversation.

She had heard said that this particular aunt was no easy figure to reckon with.

Such a family scandal — the Xie family people dared not show their faces, and had only let the Sixth Prince’s consort step out as the front representative to keep her in check. How had a roundabout aunt-by-marriage suddenly shown up at the Zhou family?

The things she had been through were things ordinary women had never experienced. After all, how many girls had nearly been bound by their own father and stuffed into a wedding sedan chair?

These experiences had made Chu Linlang, in moments when she felt unsafe, sensitive enough to be frightened by the rustling of grass and trees.

Chu Linlang thought and thought. She did the arithmetic on the silver she had on hand, then waved a hand and had Dongxue take some coin from it, go to the escort agency nearby, and hire two men — picking the most ferocious-looking, the biggest-built ones available, and ideally men from beyond the frontier who did not understand the official tongue.

Then she was to go to the abandoned temple in the western part of the city and see how many beggars could be found there…

Just as she was making her preparations, her elder sister’s husband and the elder sister herself — Chu Jinyin — came to find her. It turned out that Chu Jinyin had heard that her younger sister had moved out of the household, so she had paid a visit to the Zhou residence first, originally intending to try to reconcile the two parties.

Who would have thought that from her younger brother-in-law’s lips, she learned that very evening the two of them were preparing to sign the document.