The carriage rumbled along and stopped in front of a secluded garden in the south of the city. The driver said, “San Yé, San Nainai, we have arrived at Xiaomi Garden.”

Xu Nian’an got out of the carriage and handed the red lacquered food box to Zhao Huanxi, saying, “In a moment, you go knock on the door and give the food box and your name card to the doorman.”

名帖 (míngtiě): A calling card or visiting card. In ancient China, these were essential for social etiquette; one would send their card to the gatekeeper to announce their identity and request an audience.

“Go alone? Aren’t you going in?” Zhao Huanxi suddenly felt unsure.

“You’re the one hosting the banquet for your friends, so it’s only right that you invite this Miaoyin Niangzi yourself. If you don’t invite her personally, how can you impress your friends?” Xu Nian’an replied.

“But… I…” Zhao Huanxi had no idea what to say or do once he went inside.

“No more ‘buts’. She’s just a young lady, she won’t bite. At worst, she’ll refuse, and if she does, you can just come back out. Go on now; if you delay any longer, she’ll be having lunch and won’t have time to see you,” Xu Nian’an urged.

Carrying the food box, Zhao Huanxi hesitantly walked towards the tightly closed gate of the garden. He then turned back to look at Xu Nian’an with a pitiful expression.

Xu Nian’an waved at him, “Go on, I’ll be right here waiting for you.”

Seeing this, Zhao Huanxi knew she definitely wouldn’t be accompanying him inside. He had no choice but to step forward and knock on the door.

A young doorman, who looked about fourteen or fifteen years old, opened the door and glanced up at Zhao Huanxi. “Who are you looking for?” he asked.

“I’m looking for Miaoyin Niangzi.”

“Have a name card?”

“Yes, I do.” Zhao Huanxi presented his name card. Remembering Xu Nian’an’s instructions, he quickly handed over the food box as well, saying, “These are pastries from Caizhi Zhai. Please kindly present them to Miaoyin Niangzi.”

The doorman glanced at the embossed begonia on the lid of the food box, then reached out to take it from Zhao Huanxi. “Please wait a moment,” he said, before closing the door again.

Zhao Huanxi turned around to look for Xu Nian’an, only to find she was no longer there. Startled, he was about to go to the carriage to ask the driver where Xu Nian’an had gone when the carriage window curtain lifted, and Xu Nian’an poked her face out to glance at him.

Seeing this, Zhao Huanxi smiled and felt reassured.

Under a pomegranate tree heavy with fruit inside the courtyard, a charming and graceful woman was sitting on a rattan chair beside a small wooden table, peeling a pomegranate. A fluffy white long-haired cat with blue eyes lay on her lap.

The doorman placed the food box on the small wooden table and handed over the name card. “Xiaojie, there is a young gentleman with the surname Zhao outside who requests an audience.”

Liu Fuyi glanced at the food box on the table, then extended her slender, pale fingers, as delicate as scallions, to take the name card. After a brief look, she said, “Go and invite him in.”

Before long, the doorman led Zhao Huanxi to the pomegranate tree and then returned to his post at the gate.

Seeing that only he and the unfamiliar woman on the rattan chair were left in the courtyard, Zhao Huanxi felt a bit uneasy. He stood where he was and cupped his hands in a polite gesture. “Zaixia, Zhao Huanxi, greets Miaoyin Niangzi.”

“Why are you standing so far away? Come closer and let Jiejie have a good look at you.”

A soft and charming voice drifted to his ears.

Zhao Huanxi frowned slightly, feeling a bit uncomfortable as he raised his eyes to look at Liu Fuyi.

It was only now, with the contrast, that he realized how pleasant and soothing Dong Jiejie’s voice and tone were. But this woman had nothing to do with him, so whether her voice was pleasant or not didn’t matter. He decided to just endure it.

With this thought, he stepped forward two paces, stopping about five or six feet away from Liu Fuyi.

“Hehe, what are you afraid of? Jiejie won’t bite,” Liu Fuyi said with a laugh, covering her small cherry lips with her hand. Her slightly upturned almond-shaped eyes swept over Zhao Huanxi with an ambiguous gaze.

Zhao Huanxi replied seriously, “I’m not afraid of you, I just don’t see the need to get too close.”

“Is that so? Then come and sit,” Liu Fuyi said, gesturing to the wooden stool on the other side of the small wooden table.

Zhao Huanxi thought to himself: I’m a man, what could a woman possibly do to me? With that in mind, he strode over and sat down.

Liu Fuyi shifted her position, reclining seductively on the rattan chair, her posture graceful and alluring. Supporting her head with one hand, she asked, “Xiao Dìdi, what brings you to see Jiejie?”

Zhao Huanxi couldn’t help but frown again. After a moment’s thought, he decided it was best to get to the point quickly and leave, avoiding unnecessary discussions about formalities. Dong Jiejie was still waiting for him in the carriage outside.

“I’d like to invite my classmates for a boat ride. They all admire you greatly, and to make them happy, I would like to extend an invitation for you to join us on the lake,” he stated directly.

“You say your classmates admire me greatly, but don’t you admire me?” Liu Fuyi asked, finding Zhao Huanxi’s attempt at maturity amusing and wanting to tease him.

“I…” Zhao Huanxi was taken aback by her bold question and didn’t know how to respond. He turned his head and said, “I’m already married.”

“Being married doesn’t affect whether you admire me or not. Among those classmates who admire me, are there none who are already married?” Liu Fuyi replied.

“They are who they are, and I am who I am. I only have affection for my own wife and do not admire other women,” Zhao Huanxi replied firmly.

“Oh～ you’re the first to come here to pledge your loyalty (to your wife),” Liu Fuyi said with a teasing tone, tossing the pomegranate she was peeling into his lap. “Help Jiejie peel this pomegranate.”

Zhao Huanxi instinctively caught the pomegranate, examined it briefly, and then placed it on the table. “I won’t peel it.”

“Refusing to peel a pomegranate, are you here to invite me or to make me angry?” Liu Fuyi pretended to be annoyed.

Zhao Huanxi looked at her with a firm expression. “Though I’m not the son of phoenix and dragon (royalties), I’m not used to doing these kinds of tasks myself. If I were to do them, it would have to be because I want to. The only people for whom I would willingly peel a pomegranate are my wife, my mother, my sister,” he paused, then added, “and my future daughter.”

Liu Fuyi’s eyes widened in surprise. “What if I say that if you don’t peel it, I won’t accept your invitation?”

Zhao Huanxi was taken aback, stood up, gave her a formal bow, and said, “I’m sorry for the disturbance,” before turning to leave.

“Stop right there!” Liu Fuyi called out sharply.

Zhao Huanxi turned back around.

“Take your pastries with you!” Liu Fuyi said.

Zhao Huanxi carried the pastries out of the garden.

Xu Nian’an got down from the carriage.

“Dong’er, I wasn’t able to invite her,” Zhao Huanxi said.

Xu Nian’an took the food box from him and said, “Let’s discuss it in the carriage.”

Once they were inside the carriage and it started heading back to the Jing Guogong Residence, Xu Nian’an asked Zhao Huanxi, who looked quite displeased, “What happened?”

Zhao Huanxi replied, still annoyed, “We had a disagreement.”

“Why?”

“She insisted that I peel a pomegranate for her, and I refused.” Zhao Huanxi sought Xu Nian’an’s opinion, “Tell me, I went to invite her for a boat ride. If she agreed, fine; if she refused, so be it. But why does she insist on making me peel a pomegranate? Is it something that should be done just for anyone?”

“Why can’t a pomegranate be peeled for just anyone?” Xu Nian’an asked, curious.

“A pomegranate symbolizes fertility and good fortune. How can I just peel it for another woman?” Zhao Huanxi said with wide eyes.

Xu Nian’an laughed softly. “I didn’t expect you to be quite so traditional.”

“Even if I weren’t traditional, I still wouldn’t peel it for her. We’re not related or close in any way, why should I serve her? I’m not paying her for nothing,” Zhao Huanxi said, still unhappy.

Xu Nian’an smiled at him and opened the food box lid, revealing that a piece of pastry was missing.

“She has accepted your invitation,” she said.

“She didn’t. She said she wouldn’t agree unless I peeled the pomegranate for her. Didn’t you see she didn’t even take the pastries?” Zhao Huanxi said.

“The missing piece of pastry indicates her consent,” Xu Nian’an explained.

Zhao Huanxi leaned in to take a closer look, surprised. “There really is a piece missing. If that’s the case, she must have agreed before I entered, because she didn’t touch the food box in front of me. So why did she say those things to me? Was she just toying with me?”

“Perhaps she was testing you to see if you are a gentleman. If you had not met her expectations, she would have put the pastries back. But you happened to meet her expectations perfectly,” Xu Nian’an said.

“This Miaoyin Niangzi is quite peculiar. I hope she won’t disappoint Qian Xiong, He Xiong and others!” Zhao Huanxi said with concern.

Xu Nian’an: “……….”

When they returned to the Guogong residence, it was mealtime. Assuming Yin Furen had already returned from visiting his third sister, they went directly to Jiaxiang House.

To their surprise, Jiaxiang House was empty. Yin Furen, Nanny Su, Qianhe, Jinyin and the other maids were all gone, leaving only the gatekeeper, Meiyun. She said that Yin Furen had returned briefly but left again with Nanny Su and Qianhe, and she didn’t know where they went.

As Zhao Huanxi and Xu Nian’an were trying to make sense of the situation, Jinyin came running in with disheveled hair, looking panicked. Seeing Zhao Huanxi and Xu Nian’an, she rushed over and cried out, “San Yé, San Nainai, you must go see! Taitai and Laoyé are fighting!”

By the time Zhao Huanxi and Xu Nian’an arrived at Yilan Pavilion, the place was in chaos.

The servants were fighting amongst themselves in the courtyard, while inside the main hall, shouts and curses from Yin Furen and Zhao Mingkun were audible, along with the sounds of things being thrown.

“San Yé, San Nainai, hurry and help Taitai! She’s inside!” Jinyin cried.

Xu Nian’an pushed the stunned Zhao Huanxi aside and shouted loudly at the courtyard entrance, “Stop this immediately! Anyone who continues to fight will be sold off!”

Her commanding voice and strong presence startled the fighting servants, who stopped and turned towards the entrance in alarm.

Zhao Huanxi rushed into the noisy main hall and saw broken dishes and utensils scattered across the floor. His father was grabbing his mother by the hair and slapping her. Zhao Huanyang stood to the side, while his wife, Wei Shi, stood with her arms crossed, calling out, “Gongdiē, Pomu, please stop fighting.”

Zhao Huanxi moved forward, gripping Zhao Mingkun’s raised arm with one hand and grabbing his collar with the other, pushing him forcefully backwards. His eyes were bloodshot with anger. “Do not hit my mother!”

“Zhao Huanxi, you dare to lay hands on Father!” Zhao Huanyang shouted, coming over to grab him.

Zhao Huanxi turned around and landed a punch squarely on Zhao Huanyang’s face, causing blood to spurt from his nose. As Zhao Huanyang staggered, Zhao Huanxi swiftly lifted his leg and kicked him to the ground.

The ground was littered with broken porcelain, and Zhao Huanyang was already bleeding. Wei Shi screamed in shock.

“Beast!” Zhao Mingkun, covered in scratches from Yin Furen, roared in anger at seeing his son being beaten. He rushed towards Zhao Huanxi, ready to strike him.

“Zhao Mingkun, today I will end it all with you!” Yin Furen screamed wildly, brandishing a hairpin and, with her hair disheveled, threw herself at Zhao Mingkun. Her frenzied appearance startled Zhao Mingkun, causing him to turn and flee.

Seeing this, Zhao Huanxi quickly embraced Yin Furen, saying urgently, “Mom, Mom, please don’t do anything reckless.”

At this moment, Xu Nian’an, having dealt with the fighting servants in the courtyard, arrived in the hall. Not bothering to look at Zhao Mingkun and the others, she saw Yin Furen in Zhao Huanxi’s arms, her face pale and streaked with tears, looking utterly heartbroken. Xu Nian’an instinctively felt that something serious had occurred.

“Mom, no matter what’s happened, continuing like this won’t solve anything. Let’s go back and talk it over, alright?” She approached Yin Furen and gently reached out to take the hairpin from her hand, which was clenched tightly and showing signs of strain.

Yin Furen managed to hold back her sobs but couldn’t stop the tears from flowing down her face.

As Zhao Huanxi and Xu Nian’an helped Yin Furen towards the exit, she glared venomously at Zhao Mingkun with bloodshot eyes and said harshly, “Zhao Mingkun, this is just the beginning. Just wait!”

Zhao Mingkun felt a chill from her malevolent gaze. Once Yin Furen and the others had disappeared through the door, he finally reacted, running to the door and shouting at her retreating figure, “You vixen! How dare you strike your husband! I’ll divorce you!”

Yin Furen ignored him. In fact, after her recent outburst, she was now struggling even to walk.

Seeing her dragging her feet on the ground, Xu Nian’an worriedly suggested, “Mom, perhaps you should let Sanlang carry you.”

Yin Furen shook her head, but suddenly her face turned as pale as paper. She clutched her chest in pain, bent over, and coughed up a mouthful of black blood before collapsing unconscious.