Xu Nian’an looked up at the young man’s face shining like a pearl in the moonlight and said, “Oh? Tell me about it?”

Zhao Huanxi said, “Are you afraid I will tell Zufu that we are a fake couple?” With that, he handed the lamp to Xu Nian’an and said, “Is it true? Is it true?” He laughed and ran ahead.

Xu Nian’an was somewhat surprised. She had thought Zhao Huanxi would mention her family or money, but he hit the nail on the head. Currently, she was indeed most afraid of letting Guogong Yé know that she and Zhao Huanxi were just a fake couple. Guogong Yé had been sincerely good to her and the Xu family, so she didn’t want to disappoint him.

Sometimes she also felt hypocritical, but she just didn’t want to spend her whole life repaying this favour. She hoped that one day she would live for herself, not for her parents, not for her in-laws, not for social obligations, not for anything.

If she were to be a real couple with Zhao Huanxi, she feared she wouldn’t have that day.

In her contemplation, the person who had run ahead came back, extending a fist in front of her and saying, “Dong Jiejie, hold out your hand, I have something good for you.”

He placed his fist in her palm and gently opened it.

A little glow rose from her palm and floated away gracefully.

“Firefly? Where did it come from?” Xu Nian’an asked joyfully.

“It’s right up ahead.” Zhao Huanxi pulled her sleeve and ran ahead. They soon arrived at a stream.

The stream was fed from Lan Lake, with various shaped rocks embedded along its banks, and planted with reeds and calamus.

At this moment, the lush reeds and calamus were full of twinkling fireflies, some flying low over the water’s surface. Looking around, it was like a shimmering river of stars in the sky.

The two stood on the pathway, quietly admiring the beauty of the fireflies dancing lightly. Zhao Huanxi said, “There’s a saying in the book; A bag of fireflies and reflection of snow. Dong Jiejie, do you think if I catch a bunch of fireflies and take them back, can they really be used for reading?”

囊萤映雪 (náng yíng yìng xuě): A famous Chinese idiom referring to two separate historical figures: Che Yin, who was too poor to buy oil and caught fireflies in a silk bag to study by their light, and Sun Kang, who studied by the light reflected off the snow. It is used to describe someone who studies with extreme diligence despite poverty.

Xu Nian’an looked at his eager expression as if he was itching to try it out and said, “That’s just an allegory to encourage people to study hard. If someone really tries to read by the light of fireflies or reflection of snow, they’ll be blind before passing the Imperial Examination.”

Zhao Huanxi couldn’t help but chuckle and gave up the idea.

They continued walking, not far away, they could faintly hear the low sobbing and comforting voice of some women.

The path was winding, and with the darkening sky, the two couldn’t immediately discern where the voice was coming from. They heard a woman saying, “…Saosao, you really don’t have to argue with my Er Ge every day like this. He hasn’t brought anyone back, right? Regardless of what he does outside, as long as he knows not to bring anyone home, isn’t that giving you enough face?”

Zhao Huanxi and Xu Nian’an looked at each other. This was Zhao Shuxian’s voice.

The woman who was sobbing let out a cold laugh upon hearing this and stopped crying, saying, “Meimei really has a big heart. In a few months, Meimei will also be married. In the future, if Meifu is like your Ge, I hope Meimei can also have the same tolerance as you are advising me today!”

There was a moment of silence, then Zhao Shuxian exclaimed in frustration, “What kind of person is this? I kindly came to advise, yet I got cursed instead? Kindness is met with ingratitude!”

After a while, there was complete silence. Zhao Huanxi and Xu Nian’an continued to move forward holding the lantern.

Xu Nian’an asked Zhao Huanxi, “Do you think Shuxian Tangmei’s kindness is really not appreciated?”

Zhao Huanxi said, “What kindness did she show? Her Er Sao clearly just compared her future husband to her Er Ge, and she said her Er Sao cursed her. It shows that she is not unaware that her Er Ge’s behavior is not good. It’s just that when the whip didn’t hit oneself, one would say it doesn’t hurt.”

Xu Nian’an nodded and said, “So, when dealing with others, one should not try to be clever. Many times, when others don’t say anything, it doesn’t mean they haven’t noticed. They just can’t be bothered to talk to you, and they will gradually distance themselves from you anyway.”

Zhao Huanxi thought for a moment, then suddenly turned to Xu Nian’an and said, “Last time Lu Bofu said that Lu Gongzi and Wenlin are good friends.”

Xu Nian’an abruptly stopped and said to him, “Don’t go talking nonsense in front of Ah Xiu. Marriage is a serious matter, and it also involves the relationship and reputation of the elders of both families.”

Zhao Huanxi said, “But is the relationship and reputation of the elders more important than Lu Gongzi’s lifelong happiness?”

“How can you be sure that Lu Gongzi won’t be happy if he marries Zhao Shuxian?”

“You see her jumping around like this, being hypocritical. If it were you, would you like it?”

“I… I can’t represent Lu Gongzi.”

“You see, even when you say that, you feel guilty, don’t you?” Zhao Huanxi sighed heavily and said, “If Lu Gongzi’s marriage is unhappy in the future, and Wenlin knows that you, as his elder sister, were well aware but didn’t warn him, I wonder how he would feel?”

Xu Nian’an reached out and hit him, saying, “Getting all high and mighty now? Threatening me?”

“If you can’t argue, you resort to violence. You’re really the donkey that has exhausted its tricks.” Zhao Huanxi made a face at Xu Nian’an and ran off laughing.

He is referring to an idiom "Donkey that has exhausted its tricks" that means at the end of one's resources/at one’s wit’s end.

✦

Early the next morning, at the Wu Residence, Wu Cheng arrived at the Meixiang Courtyard looking haggard, with dark circles under his eyes.

Zheng Man’er had already gotten up and was having breakfast. When she saw him, she hurriedly asked, “Cheng Lang, Qin’er didn’t come back all night. What happened?”

After a night, Wu Cheng had already adjusted his emotions, and now he was only filled with hatred.

He sat down at the table and said, “It’s nothing. My mother is worried that Qin’er will follow in Se’er’s (the one who got punished for soybean) footsteps, so she wants to discipline her for a couple of days. Once she’s disciplined, she’ll be sent back to you.”

Zheng Man’er was somewhat worried. After all, Qin’er was the maid she brought from home, and she knew many of her secrets. She wanted to ask Wu Cheng a few more questions, but seeing his extremely poor complexion, she was afraid of touching on a sore subject, so she changed her question and asked, “Cheng Lang, what’s wrong? You look like you haven’t slept all night.”

Wu Cheng sneered inwardly but said, “Don’t mention it. I was dragged out to play cards with them all night again. Fortunately, I won over a hundred taels of silver. Hurry up and eat. After you finish, I’ll take you out of the residence to buy hairpins.”

Upon hearing this, Zheng Man’er didn’t care about anything else and happily agreed.

After breakfast, Wu Cheng took Zheng Man’er out of the residence. Wu Furen received the news and quickly ordered a few servants to secretly follow them, in case Wu Cheng did something irrational.

Wu Cheng took Zheng Man’er to the gate of the Wenjun Academy. It was the time when the students were going to school, so there were a lot of people coming in and out of the gate.

Zheng Man’er was a bit stunned as soon as she got out of the carriage. She asked Wu Cheng puzzledly, “Cheng Lang, where is this place?”

Wu Cheng sneered and dragged her to the steps of the academy, then shouted at the gate, “Zhao Huanxu, you son of a turtle, come out! I treated you as a friend, but you treated me like a fool! You even sent me a woman who is already pregnant. Is this how the Jing Guogong Residence’s Fifth Branch behave? You even want others to raise your child?”

There was a poem by that mocks a noble family, saying, "The family's wives are all 'poking-eyed rabbits,' the family's men are all 'shy turtles'." According to legend, rabbits become pregnant by looking at the moon, and "poking-eyed rabbit" refers to the improper behavior of the family's wives. "Shy turtle" is a derogatory term insulting the men of the family, saying that the men of the family, regarding the improper behavior of the women, "shrink their heads" back and turn a blind eye. Once this concept emerged, people began to avoid the character "龟" (turtle) altogether. Since turtles had a bad reputation, their descendants naturally also became stigmatized and bore the name of being cursed, so son of a turtle is a heavy insult.

This outburst was shocking and scandalous. Moreover, Zhao Huanxu was a well-known figure in the Wenjun Academy (there were not many students from noble families in the academy), which immediately attracted the attention of the students, who stopped to watch.

Zheng Man’er was terrified. When she came to her senses, she came over and hugged Wu Cheng’s arm, confused, and said, “Cheng Lang, what are you saying? This child is yours…”

“Shut up, you bitch!” Wu Cheng pushed her away and pointed at her, saying, “Qin’er has already confessed everything. You’re still pretending in front of me! A scholar can be killed but not insulted! Let me tell you, if you don’t let me find that person surnamed Zhao to settle this matter today, I’ll kill you!”

Zheng Man’er’s heart sank under his fierce gaze, and hearing that Qin’er had confessed everything, she felt her head spinning. Her legs went weak, and she collapsed to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.

Wu Cheng continued to curse.

By the time Zhao Huanxu received the news and rushed out of the academy, a large crowd had gathered at the gate to watch the commotion. Among them were students from the academy, passersby, and even the teachers from the academy.

Zhao Huanxu felt a buzzing in his head, as if he had been struck by lightning.

Seeing the teachers from the academy among the crowd, he gritted his teeth and went over to bow to them.

The teacher, who had always treated him well, shook his sleeve and said, “Such a disgrace to our scholarly traditions! How can this be tolerated?” After speaking, he turned and left.

Zhao Huanxu’s face flushed red with anger. He wanted nothing more than to kick Wu Cheng, who was still cursing there, to death. However, in this situation, he had to forcibly suppress his anger and pretend to be innocent. He went over and grabbed Wu Cheng’s arm, saying, “Wu Xiong, what are you doing? Why are you suddenly causing a scene at the gate of my academy?”

“You dog-shit still dares to show your face?” Wu Cheng grabbed his collar and pointed to Zheng Man’er on the ground. “The bitch is here. If you don’t admit it now, I’ll take you to court!”

He grabbed Zhao Huanxu and loudly said to the onlookers, “Look, this is the man, Zhao Huanxu. Everyone, take a good look at this face! Not only did he send his friend a woman he slept with, but he also offered a two-for-one deal, sending his own child along with her.”

In the crowd, some shook their heads and laughed mockingly, while others pointed and whispered. Zhao Huanxu felt as if his face was being stripped away.

He pushed Wu Cheng away and said angrily, “You person surnamed Wu, watch your mouth! If you continue to slander me like this, I’ll sue you for defamation!”

“Sue me for defamation? Fine, let’s go to the authorities! I also want to sue you for conspiring to deceive in marriage. You got her pregnant, asked me to take her in as a concubine, and even wanted me to remember your favor as a matchmaker. Are you out of your mind? Let’s go, to the authorities! Whoever refuses is the ‘Wangbadan’ (bastard)!” Wu Cheng grabbed Zhao Huanxu’s clothes and tried to drag him to the authorities.

How could Zhao Huanxu go with him? Without coordinating their statements beforehand, who knew what the woman on the ground would say.

Seeing that Zhao Huanxu didn’t move, Wu Cheng stopped pulling him and pointed at Zhao Huanxu’s nose, cursing, “I know that Jing Guogong Residence’s Fifth Branch doesn’t get along with the First Branch, and you often speak ill of my younger brother-in-law Zhao Huanxi in front of me. I thought of you as my friend and always helped you instead of him, right? If you want to compete for the title of grandson-heir (the one who will inherit the Guogong Title), that’s the business of your Jing Guogong Residence, not mine. But you can’t use me as a tool to disgust them! I took you as a friend, so I deserve to have shit thrown at me by you?”

With this statement, the surrounding discussions grew even louder.

Zhao Huanxu did not expect that Wu Cheng would act so boldly when angered. His face was turning white when suddenly someone approached from the side, tapped him on the shoulder, and exclaimed, “Xiongdi, do you have a grudge against Zhao Huanxi? Why didn’t you say so earlier? Zhao Huanxi’s enemies are my, Zhu Zhifu’s friend! Stop fighting, it’s just a child, I’ll help you raise this child!”

As Zhu Zhifu spoke, he approached and helped up the tearful Zheng Man’er, offering her comfort and concern.

Zhao Huanxu: “……”

The onlookers: “…..”

Wu Cheng: “Hahahahaha, Zhu Gongzi, that’s right! Zhao Huanxu and Zhao Huanxi are Tang brothers, but their enmity runs deep! To disgust Zhao Huanxi’s sister, he sent me a woman with a child. If you want to trouble Zhao Huanxi and make friends with him, you’re definitely on the right track!”

“Wu Cheng, don’t talk nonsense. Who has a grudge against Zhao Huanxi?” Zhao Huanxu felt a sense of shame and panic as his veil of secrecy was ripped off in public.

“Whether I speak the truth or not, you know it yourself. You always elevate yourself and belittle Zhao Huanxi, just because you see the example of the Zhu family favoring a talented son over the legitimate eldest. By befriending Zhu Gongzi, aren’t you just trying to learn from the Zhu family? Ha, you consider yourself wise? I spit on you!” Wu Cheng spat at his face and walked away in a swagger!