Wenjun Academy is a prestigious academy in the capital, second only to Canglan Academy. It is well-located, so once something happens, it will attract a lot of attention.

Therefore, what happened in the morning had spread throughout the streets and alleys by the afternoon, and even Furens who only stay at home like Yin Furen had heard about it.

Xu Er Nainai, Jia Shi (Zhao Huanxi’s wife) was so angry that she went back to her parents’ home.

Yin Furen hid in the storage room and laughed with Nanny Su for a while. After laughing, she sighed, “In some matters, Nian’an’s way of handling things is indeed more clever than mine. If I were to handle this matter, I’m afraid I wouldn’t achieve the same effect no matter what. The most remarkable is to let the Wu Residence themselves send away that person surnamed Zheng quietly.”

“But with it done this way, Guogong Yé’s face doesn’t look good either,” Nanny Su said as she massaged her shoulders and back.

“Don’t worry, Wu Furen also knows propriety; she will have Wu Cheng come to apologize.” Yin Furen casually handed over the tea cup.

As Yin Furen expected, that same evening Wu Cheng, accompanied by the maidservant Qin’er, arrived at Jing Guogong Residence. He first went to Guogong Yé to apologized and then came to Yin Furen’s place and admitted his mistake.

Zheng Man’er was taken away by Zhu Zhifu, causing Zhao Huanxu to suffer a great loss again. Yin Furen, knowing this, would not argue this son-in-law of her whose merit and demerit counterbalance. After giving him a lecture, she sent him back home with a smiling face.

At the end of the Xu hour (7-9 p.m.), Yin Furen was just planning to tidy up and go to bed to rest. Nanny Su came hurriedly to report that Guogong Yé had used family law on Zhao Huanxu and was currently in the ancestral hall flogging him.

Yin Furen was startled and sat up straight in bed, asking, “He’s really flogged?”

“He was really flogged, even until there was blood!” Nanny Su said.

Yin Furen hurriedly got out of bed and said, “Although he was at fault first, Wu Cheng is after all my son-in-law. If something serious happens… I have to go and persuade him.”

She put on her shoes, and Nanny Su helped her put on her outer garment and arrange her hair before they headed towards the ancestral hall.

Halfway there, they saw a long line of people carrying lanterns heading towards the ancestral hall.

Yin Furen stopped and squinted her eyes to look there, saying, “How come the one at the front looks like Lao Taitai?”

“It is indeed Lao Taitai. Look at what they’re carrying; those are the lanterns from Lingde Hall (Lao Taitai’s). It must be that Fifth Branch has brought reinforcements from Lingde Hall,” Nanny Su said.

Yin Furen sneered, “What’s this? Sacrificing the son to save the mother? Look, as soon as Xu Ge’er was beaten, Wu Taitai didn’t even need to fake illness, Lao Taitai came out directly. Well, since their own mother and grandmother have rushed over, let’s take our time.”

舍了儿子救了老娘 (shě le érzi jiù le lǎoniáng). This is a sarcastic twist on a common saying "Burying the Son to Save the Mother" (Guō Jù mái ér/Guo Ju buries his son). In the story, a poor man is prepared to sacrifice his own child to ensure there is enough food for his elderly mother. While extreme, it was historically praised as the ultimate act of selflessness and devotion to one's parents.
Yin Furen is NOT praising anyone for being filial. Instead, she is using the structure of that famous moral tale to insult Wu Taitai’s tactic. Wu taitai origonally planned to fake illness to bring Lao Taitai out. But now since Zhao Huanxu is already beaten she doesn't need to fake illness anymore, and Lao Taitai is out.

When the pair of master and servant slowly approached the outside of the ancestral hall, they heard Lao Taitai’s distressed and urgent questioning from inside: “…Cong Ge’er passed away early, Mingcheng doesn’t have any other legitimate sons, now only Xu Ge’er’s bloodline remains in this world. Are you trying to end Mingcheng’s line by treating him like this?”

Wu Taitai’s crying suddenly grew louder.

Yin Furen disdainfully sneered and whispered to Nanny Su, “Both the old and the young only know this trick. They talk as if Guogone Yé deliberately killed Wu Di. Are they planning to use Wu Di’s death to control Guogong Yé for the rest of his life?”

Nanny Su replied, “Then *&Guogong Yé** must be willing to be controlled by them for it to work.”

Sure enough, before her words fell, they heard Guogong Yé’s voice from inside, “To be living without knowing propriety, righteousness, integrity, and a sense of shame is worse than death! If Mingcheng could see that his surviving son has become what he is now, he would probably be shivering with cold (disgusted) in his grave!”

“Last time, when the First Branch’s Xi Ge’er injured the son of the Zhu family, you supported him by accusing and pressuring (the Zhu Family). Why, when it’s Xu Ge’er’s turn, you turn a deaf ear and blindly believe? When others splashed such a big bucket of dirty water on him, you didn’t speak up for him, but instead you beat him? Is there a Zufu as biased as you?”

Yin Furen sneered softly, “Not even knowing how biased you are, yet you have the nerve to say Lao Yézi is biased. It’s like Zhu Bajie showing off his skills—striking with a muckrake.”

倒打一耙 - (idiom) to make unfounded counter-charges; put the blame on one's victim; recriminate.
In "Journey to the West," Zhu Bajie, who has a pig-like characteristic, uses a muckrake as a weapon. He often pretends to be defeated, luring the enemy closer, and then suddenly turns around to attack. Later, the idiom "倒打一耙" was used metaphorically to describe someone who, after making a mistake or doing something wrong, not only refuses to admit it but also accuses, exposes, or criticizes the accuser.

Nanny Su couldn’t help but laugh in a low voice.

Yin Furen nudged her with her elbow and said, “Why are you laughing? Be careful they might hear us.”

“I didn’t support him? I told him, if he truly has a clear conscience, I can go to court with him, sue Wu Cheng, and demand a public apology. It’s just that he doesn’t dare! Don’t involve Huanxi in everything. What does this matter have to do with him? He used to be such a good child, but now he has become selfish and narrow-minded, unable to distinguish right from wrong. It’s all because of how you’ve influenced him!”

After listening to Guogong Yé’s scolding, Yin Furen pulled Nanny Su away and said, “Let’s not go. Let them make a fuss, so that they won’t get the opportunity to find me and make trouble again.”

In the Yifang Garden, a lantern hung on the rose arbor. Xu Nian’an sat on the swing, drying hair and making a knot.

打络子 is an ancient Chinese traditional handicraft. "络" means "knot" (as in Chinese knots). "络子" is a type of usage of Chinese knots, made into a bag shape used for carrying things. Chinese knots were very popular in ancient times. When dressing, people would tie cloth belts and then tie a knot to fasten them. In addition, Chinese knots were used as decorations on hair, fan tassels, cloth curtains, and even around the waists of men and women.

The swing suddenly swung more vigorously, and she turned around to see Zhao Huanxi pushing it.

As soon as she looked back, he smiled brightly.

“You’re done washing up,” Xu Nian’an glanced at him and then looked away.

“En!” Zhao Huanxi ran to the front and sat on the swing with her. He had just finished bathing, emanating a damp, fragrant smell.

“Dong Jiejie, who are you making the knot for?” He looked at the half-untangled hair tie in her hand, which was illuminated by the red lantern light, making it difficult to see its color.

“The newly made clothes have arrived. Since I have nothing to do, I’ll make two hair ties for you to wear with them,” Xu Nian’an said.

When Zhao Huanxi heard that she was making hair ties for him, he became excited. He pointed at the hair tie in her hand and asked, “What color is this?”

“Sky blue, to match your snow-blue embroidered lotus on your shoulders, how about that?” Xu Nian’an said.

Zhao Huanxi nodded repeatedly after imagining it, “It looks good.”

After discussing the color matching for a while, Zhao Huanxi said to Xu Nian’an, “Dong Jiejie, when I went to practice martial arts just now, I told Huanrong Tangxiong about moving here, but he said he wouldn’t come.”

“Oh? Why?” Xu Nian’an asked without lifting her eyes.

“He said I have to go to the Imperial Academy during the day, leaving him and you alone in this courtyard is not very convenient.”

Xu Nian’an nodded, “He’s right.”

Zhao Huanxi noticed that although she asked “why”, her expression did not show any surprise from beginning to end. Unable to resist, he asked, “Dong Jiejie, did you also think of this early on? I am just stupid. Problem that you and everyone else can think of, I alone cannot.”

Xu Nian’an turned her face to the side and saw the young man beside her, head bowed, looking melancholic. She nudged him with her elbow.

Zhao Huanxi looked up, his eyes shining under the light, with a pitiful appearance, even the corners of his eyes drooping.

“If neither Huanrong Tangxiong nor I feel it’s inconvenient, would you still feel it’s inconvenient?” Xu Nian’an asked him.

Zhao Huanxi shook his head without hesitation. He didn’t think there would be anything wrong with having Xu Nian’an and Huanrong Tangxiong in the same courtyard.

“The reality is just as you think, there won’t be any inconvenience. I have so many maids around me, and Huanrong Tangxiong is always immersed in the garden. Even if we live in the same courtyard, apart from when you are around, we probably won’t even see each other much. However, outsiders won’t think the same. Huanrong Tangxiong and I feel it’s inconvenient because we are afraid of gossip from outside. You don’t feel it’s inconvenient because you trust our character, so none of us are wrong, and there’s no question of who is stupid or smart,” Xu Nian’an said gently.

Zhao Huanxi’s eyes lit up again. “Dong Jiejie is right. Those who ignore the facts and spread rumors are the ones in the wrong!” With that, he leaped off the swing and walked into the house.

Xu Nian’an asked him, “Where are you going?”

“Didn’t you say Wenlin is only coming for one night? I’m going to organize the questions I need to ask him, so we can save some time,” Zhao Huanxi replied, in quite a good mood.

Xu Nian’an was speechless for a while, thinking to herself that this person is really childlike, his emotions come and go quickly.

The next day, Zhao Huanxu went to the Marquis of Wuding Residence with his injuries to apologize and beg for forgiveness. It’s not known how he pleaded, but he managed to bring Jia Shi back.

After resting for three days at home to recover from his injuries, he went back to the Wenjun Academy to study, which was quite admirable.

On the day before the holiday, Xu Nian’an sent Zhao Huanxi out and then went to Yin Furen’s courtyard as usual.

Yin Furen settled various household matters and sent away the stewards before sitting down with Xu Nian’an. She said, “Tomorrow, Huanxi will be off for the ten-day break. It’s just when Lao Taitai officially moves out of the Buddha Hall. You, come early and we’ll go together to pay respects to Lao Taitai. No matter how things are inside, we can’t let others find fault with us on the surface.”

Xu Nian’an said, “Mom, tomorrow my younger brother will be staying overnight at our house tonight to discuss academic matters with Sanlang.”

Yin Furen, upon hearing this, realized that it actually was one-on-one tutoring for Huanxi. She was immediately delighted and said, “That’s great! What does your brother like to eat? I’ll instruct someone to buy it later. Oh, right, we should send a carriage to pick him up from the Canglan Academy, right? Qianhe, make a note of this. In the afternoon, send a carriage to the Canglan Academy to pick up San Nainai’s younger brother.”

Xu Nian’an smiled and said, “Mom, there’s no need for such trouble. My younger brother always comes back in Lu Gongzi’s carriage. You just need to send a carriage to the West Gate at the You hour (5-7 p.m.) to wait for him.”

Yin Furen asked Qianhe, “Did you take note?”

Qianhe suppressed a smile and replied, “Furen, rest assured, Nubi has taken note.”

Thinking of that Lu Feng, Yin Furen couldn’t help but sigh and said, “Guogong Yé is still biased towards the Fifth Branch.” Guogong Yé personally handles the marriage matters of the son and daughter of the Fifth Branch, and the chosen in-laws are all very good. However, on the side of the First Branch, only Huanxi’s marriage was personally handled by Guogong Yé, and of course, the bride chosen for Huanxi was also very good.

In the evening, after returning from the Imperial Academy, Zhao Huanxi neither went to pay respects to his mother nor returned to the Yifang Garden. Instead, he waited eagerly at the west corner gate of the residence.

Xu Moxiu arrived at the west corner gate of the Jing Guogong Residence in the carriage sent by Yin Furen and saw Zhao Huanxi as soon as she got off the carriage.

“Wenlin!” Zhao Huanxi greeted him happily as he got off the carriage.

Xu Moxiu stood still, looking at Zhao Huanxi’s affectionate expression, feeling quite complex.

In the letter hsi sister wrote to him this time, she mentioned a lot about Zhao Huanxi, including the incident with Pang Guniang. All in all, what she meant was: Zhao Huanxi is not bad, and asked him not to be prejudiced against Zhao Huanxi, but to be more patient with him.