When Xu Nian’an brought Xu Hui’an to the Second Branch’s courtyard, they was just about to start the banquet.

Ning Furen saw Xu Nian’an and hurriedly greeted her with a smile, “You’re here! I was just about to send someone to find you. Eh, this young lady is…” She couldn’t help but ask when she noticed Xu Nian’an had brought along an unfamiliar girl.

Xu Nian’an replied, “Er Shenshen, this is my fifth younger sister. Yesterday evening, someone from the Second Branch went to our home and delivered an invitation to her, so she has come today.”

Ning Furen’s expression briefly showed confusion, but she quickly smiled again, “She should have been invited in the first place. It’s perfect timing, please, take a seat.”

Xu Nian’an didn’t refuse and led Xu Hui’an with her to the courtyard to take their seats.

The weather was good, and the tables were set outdoors in the courtyard. All the guests were women, except for one mentally unstable man, Shi Gongzi, who was mixed in among them. Because he needed supervision, Shi Da Taitai dared not let him out of her sight.

As Xu Nian’an led Xu Hui’an over, Shi Gongzi looked up and saw Xu Hui’an. He shouted loudly, “It’s that little sister, it’s that little sister, the little sister with the little bird earrings! She has lots of lion candies in her arms, you can find them if you check her clothes!”

Xu Hui’an was indeed wearing a pair of gold bird-shaped earrings.

When he shouted, the expressions of all the women in the courtyard changed.

Shi Da Taitai hurriedly tried to cover his mouth and scolded, “What nonsense are you talking about?”

“I’m not talking nonsense! It was the sister who took me to the garden who told me! The little sister with bird earrings and wearing light yellow clothes, she has lots of lion candies in her arms. It’s her! I want lion candies, I want lion candies…” The foolish young master started to make a fuss.

At this point, even Ning Furen sensed something was wrong. She glanced at the grim expressions of the Xu sisters and quickly pulled them aside to ask for more details.

Xu Nian’an explained the situation to her. Ning Furen then summoned two servants to inquire about the invitation, but both servants claimed they had never sent an invitation to the Xu Residence. For the Second Branch’s legitimate daughter’s coming-of-age ceremony, there was no reason to send an invitation to the First Branch‘s daughter-in-law’s family. When they asked Xu Hui’an to describe the maid who delivered the invitation, no one recognized the maid based on her description.

“Zixi, you heard it too. This matter was certainly not caused by us. Someone must be stirring up trouble!” Ning Furen said angrily. “This person is truly malicious, daring to commit such vile and filthy acts in this Guogong Residence. We must report this to Guogong Yé and investigate thoroughly!”

Xu Nian’an responded, “Er Shenshen, please don’t be upset. I also believe that this was not done by anyone from the Second Branch. Who would use their own family celebration to frame someone? And even implicate their own family? Er Shenshen, the guests are still waiting for you. Please go and attend to them. My sister and I will take our leave.”

Ning Furen comforted the two sisters for a while and let them leave. Being mindful of the Xu Family’s reputation, she didn’t say much in response to the curious gazes from the others.

Xu Nian’an led Xu Hui’an out of the Second Branch’s courtyard, heading towards Jiaxiang House, and said, “Since you’re here, go and pay respects to my mother-in-law. After we’ve eaten, you can go home. In the coming days, unless necessary, don’t go out. You can tell Ah Xiu about today’s incident, but don’t tell Mother, understand?”

Xu Hui’an nodded.

After seeing Xu Hui’an and Danping off as they boarded the carriage, Xu Nian’an returned to Yin Furen’s room.

Yin Furen had already heard about the incident in the small garden and said to Xu Nian’an, “It’s truly shocking. Who could it be, and why would they target your younger sister so viciously?”

Sitting by the bedside, Xu Nian’an stirred Yin Furen’s medicine with a spoon to cool it down and replied, “It can only be them in the Fifth Branch, no doubt about it.”

Yin Furen seemed doubtful and softly said, “Are you sure? That widow from the Fifth Branch—does she really have the guts for this?”

“Even if she doesn’t, the one above her might,” Xu Nian’an said expressionlessly.

“Then hurry and investigate! If it really was their doing, given Guogong Yé’s temperament, he won’t let them off easily!” Yin Furen urged anxiously.

Xu Nian’an shook her head. “Since they dared to make a move so openly in the manor, they aren’t afraid of us following the trail. If we really start digging, there might be other traps waiting for us. This time, they’re aiming to drag the Second Branch down too.”

“Then what should we do? Are we just supposed to swallow this insult?” Yin Furen said angrily. “I underestimated Lao Taitai. To think she could go this far. But why? What does she hope to gain from this?”

Xu Nian’an scooped a spoonful of medicine and handed it to Yin Furen, saying, “That day, my brother took my fifth sister to Zhaohua Temple to meet the He Family. By coincidence, they ran into Lu family’s Lao Taitai and Lu Gongzi. Lu Lao Taitai get along really well wity my sister and took quite a liking to her. Somehow, Zhao Shuxian found out about this and was very worried that my sister might take advantage of my brother friendship with Lu Gongzi to seduce him. She even came to argue with me about it.”

Yin Furen widened her eyes in surprise. “Is this true?”

Xu Nian’an nodded and continued to feed Yin Furen the medicine. “I initially thought that marriage is a serious matter that affects a woman’s entire life. Even if I don’t get along with her, I shouldn’t interfere in someone else’s future. But now, since they dare to target my sister, I can’t hold back anymore.”

Yin Furen replied, “Exactly! Lu Gongzi is such a fine young man. It’s a waste for him to be married into the Fifth Branch. Once the engagement is called off, your brother could facilitate a match, especially since Lu Lao Taitai likes your sister. Wouldn’t that marriage be a hundred or even a thousand times better than the He family’s?”

Xu Nian’an didn’t respond directly and said, “Mom, you should drink this bowl of medicine first, it will get cold soon.”

In the afternoon, the doors of the main room of Lingde Hall were tightly shut. Inside the side room, Lao Taitai was furiously scolding Wu Taitai, “Such a simple matter, and you couldn’t even handle it properly!”

Wu Taitai defended herself, “Who would have thought that Xu Family’s girl, only fourteen, seemingly innocent and unaware of the world, could be so cunning! She noticed something was wrong but kept quiet, waited until the maid was off guard to throw the tea, and then pretended to faint. That’s how everything fell apart.”

Lao Taitai scolded in a low voice, “Xu Nian’an is clever and sharp, how foolish could her sister be? You didn’t handle things properly, and now you’re blaming others for being too smart! Utterly foolish!”

Wu Taitai endured the reprimand in silence. Once Lao Taitai stopped speaking, she softly said, “Though it didn’t work out, there are no loose ends. It can’t be traced back to us.”

Lao Taitai snorted coldly and said, “Now that this has happened, Ning Shi will definitely go to Lao Touzi herself to clear the Second Branch’s name.”

“So what? She has no evidence. Would she dare to make false accusations?” Wu Taitai replied.

Lao Taitai was silent for a moment before sighing, “We must find a way to get the Lu Family to move the wedding date up. Otherwise, I just can’t feel at ease.”

Wu Taitai hesitated. “The wedding date was set long ago. How can we just move it forward on a whim?”

Lao Taitai replied, “Isn’t Lu Lao Taitai known for her poor health? If she were to suddenly fall ill, wouldn’t she want to see her grandson married sooner, fearing she might not live to witness it?”

✦

In the afternoon, Zhao Huanxi returned from delivering invitations and saw Xu Nian’an holding a feather duster, tidying the bookshelves in his study.

He tiptoed over and suddenly reached from behind, covering her eyes with his hands.

Xu Nian’an paused and deliberately said loudly, “Who is this? So bold!”

Zhao Huanxi stifled his laughter, remaining silent.

Xu Nian’an sniffed the air and said, “You reek of perfume. Which brothel have you just come from? Hurry up and let go!”

Zhao Huanxi, bewildered, released his hands and lifted his sleeve to sniff it. “There’s no perfume smell, and I haven’t been to any brothel.”

Xu Nian’an hugged the feather duster, laughing.

Seeing her shoulders shaking as she faced away from him, Zhao Huanxi realized what was happening. He grabbed her shoulders and turned her around, “You tricked me again!”

“Wasn’t it you who started by teasing me first?” Xu Nian’an asked, holding back her laughter.

Zhao Huanxi looked at her smiling face, feeling his heart race. “Why did you suddenly decide to clean the bookshelves? You could’ve just let the maids handle it.” He forced himself to push aside his excitement and change the subject.

“I originally wanted to get a heavier book to press some flower patterns for Yisu, but I noticed dust on the shelves and decided to clean them while I was at it,” Xu Nian’an replied.

Zhao Huanxi glanced up and saw that the thickest book on the shelf was the 《Book of Han》 on the topmost layer. He stood on tiptoe and stretched his arm to reach it, but, despite his height, he was still a little short. Losing his balance, he stumbled forward a couple of steps, accidentally pressing Xu Nian’an, who had been standing in front of him, against the bookshelf.

The sudden closeness left both of them momentarily frozen.

Xu Nian’an lifted her eyes and saw the boy’s delicate and graceful Adam’s apple right in front of her. Without warning, her cheeks flushed with warmth, and she quickly turned her face to the side.

Zhao Huanxi looked down and saw her cheeks flushed pink, her eyes averted, and her eyelashes fluttering like a shy little girl. His courage began to grow.

A bit nervously, he rolled his Adam’s apple and whispered, “Dong Jiejie, I really like you.”

As soon as he spoke, he noticed the flush on her fair skin deepening visibly.

She turned her face and, without saying a word, rested her forehead against his shoulder.

Zhao Huanxi felt his heart racing; he no longer cared about the book and embraced Xu Nian’an gently and protectively.

She didn’t respond verbally, but he sensed that she liked him just a little bit more than before.

That was enough for him; as long as she still liked him a little, he would keep trying.

In the evening, the young couple went to Jiaxiang House to have dinner with Yin Furen. During the meal, Yin Furen asked about Zhao Huanxi’s trip to deliver invitations that day.

“At first, Qian Xiong and the others didn’t believe me; they thought I was just boasting. It wasn’t until I showed them the guarantee letter that they believed me. They even kept the letter, saying they wanted to invite a few friends they were close with to share the joy,” Zhao Huanxi said, his eyes shining with excitement.

Yin Furen and Xu Nian’an exchanged a knowing glance, both filled with amusement.

Xu Nian’an added, “Sanlang, after dinner, could you go and meet Huanxu Tangxiong and ask if he’s going?”

Zhao Huanxi frowned. “There’s no need to call him. Everyone I invited are my friends, and given our relationship, he definitely won’t go.”

Yin Furen looked at Xu Nian’an with confusion: with the things the Fifth Branch had done, why would they still invite Zhao Huanxu?

Xu Nian’an said, “Whether he goes or not is his business, but inviting him is yours. Just because you invite him doesn’t mean he has to attend.”

Zhao Huanxi was still somewhat reluctant, but since Xu Nian’an insisted, he agreed to go invite him.

After dinner, when he went to Lǚyun Pavilion, Yin Furen asked Xu Nian’an, “Why do you insist on having Huanxi invite Zhao Huanxu? It will just lead to him being coldly received.”

Xu Nian’an didn’t answer directly and instead asked, “Mom, Zufu has five sons. Why did he take only the youngest, Wu Shu, to the battlefield?”

Yin Furen recalled, “Wu Di was taught by Guogong Yé from a young age. He was similar to Guogong Yé, skilled in martial arts, with a strong foundation and determination. At a young age, he was already capable of standing on his own in the military.”

“So, one could say that among the five sons, Zufu’s favorite and most valued was actually this youngest Wu Shu who passed away too soon,” Xu Nian’an said.

Yin Furen nodded, “That’s right.”

“Putting oneself in another’s shoes, the son who is most loved and valued, who follows his father into battle and dies—losing a son while becoming a white-haired parent will surely be a lifelong pain for Zufu. This pain will make him more inclined to favor the Fifth Branch a bit more. As long as the two from the Fifth Branch aren’t beyond saving, he will always be willing to forgive and lend a hand.”

Yin Furen pondered for a moment. Recently, although Zhao Huanxu had encountered several issues that made Guogong Yé dislike him, he had been careful to act obediently and ingratiate himself. It seemed he was once again allowed to enter Guogong Yé’s study.

“That’s right, Guogong Yé is like this towards the Fifth Branch,” Yin Furen said, frowning.

Xu Nian’an replied, “So, before we completely bring down Fifth Branch, we must still show a friendly attitude towards them. Our goal in having Sanlang invite people to go boating is so that he and Biao Ge can attend the lectures by the teachers at Canglan Academy. If Zufu finds out, he will definitely insist that we bring Zhao Huanxu along. Right now, I’m having Sanlang invite Zhao Huanxu, and of course, Zhao Huanxu will ask him who else is going. Sanlang still doesn’t know that Yanmei Xiansheng might also be attending, so he’ll likely mention Qian Ming and my brother. When Zhao Huanxu hears that it’s Sanlang’s friends and brother-in-law, given their current relationship, as Sanlang said, he will surely refuse the invitation.

“Once I receive news from my brother confirming that Yanmei Xiansheng will come to the lake, we can have Sanlang ask Zufu to borrow the jade pendant. When Zufu hears that Yanmei Xiansheng will be there, he will certainly tell *&Sanlang** to invite Zhao Huanxu along. At that point, Sanlang can say, ‘I’ve invited him, but he said he has no time to go’.”

Hearing this, Yin Furen’s expression brightened.

Xu Nian’an shrugged and said, “In the end, only Sanlang and Biao Ge will be able to attend the lectures by the teachers at Canglan Academy, so we won’t be to blame. After all, Yanmei Xiansheng specifically chose these two on the boat. It’s not our fault that Zhao Huanxu said he ‘had no time’ to go boating!”

Just as the two of them were laughing, Qianhe entered and reported, “San Nainai, Nanny Hu from Dunyi Hall has come. She says Guogong Yé wants you to go to Dunyi Hall right away.”

Yin Furen looked at Xu Nian’an, who said, “It seems that Er Shenshen has already been to Dunyi Hall. Mother, I’ll go over there for a bit.”