As Expected of You, Pei Guanli

Night had fallen, yet the ordinarily tranquil Marquis Dingyuan's Estate bustled with lively activity.

Especially within the Qingjing Residence.

Old Marquis Xiao Yuan sat high in the seat of honor, flanked by Duke of Qianguo Zhang Xuan, who wore a look of eager anticipation, and Sun Fu, who wore a thoughtful expression.

On the other side sat Second Master Xiao Wang of the Xiao Family, Second Master Xiao Xuanshuo, and Xiao Dongchen and Xiao Qiuyun, the two members of the Second Branch.

Yet unlike the calm of the old marquis, everyone else wore looks of burning indignation.

A long silence hung in the air.

Old Marquis Xiao slowly spoke, "Wu Ge, did Chen Yi truly act in such a manner?"

Xiao Wuge stood in the center of the hall with drooping head, muttering, "Grandfather, brother-in-law acted in that manner merely as a play; it was for the sake of the third-place scholar..."

Before he could finish, Xiao Xuanshuo roared with irrepressible fury, "As if he needed to show off!"

"How could an outsider meddle in another family's domestic affairs? Moreover, with such unbridled recklessness, did he ever consider the impact it would cause upon our Xiao family?"

"If outsiders learn of this, how will they view our Xiao family?"

Old Marquis Xiao raised a hand to signal him to quiet down, turned to look at Xiao Wang beside him, and said, "Second Elder, you oversee the Disciplinary Hall. What are your thoughts on this?"

Xiao Wang's countenance was slightly sterner than his, clad in black brocaded robes as he sat upright in the grand master's chair, both hands grasping the handle of his cane, and said coldly:

"This is not the first time he has acted in such a manner."

"To say nothing of his previous flight from marriage, the last time he left the estate, he actually ran to the Yanhuaxiang south of the city, and this time he went even further, daring to forcibly seize a woman. What of the future?"

He looked toward the old marquis and stated expressionlessly, "In my view, fifty strokes of the heavy staff and banishment from the household."

Old Marquis Xiao's gaze flickered slightly as he looked toward Duke of Qianguo Zhang Xuan and Sun Fu on the other side.

Before he could speak, Zhang Xuan said with a strange tone, "Do not look at me. As an outsider, I certainly dare not meddle in your family's domestic affairs."

Xiao Xuanshuo opened his mouth, instantly choked with stifled anger.

Sun Fu, however, swept his gaze around and grinned broadly, "Old Brother Xiao, this grandson-in-law of yours is indeed a marvelous person."

"Oh?" Old Marquis Xiao blinked quietly.

How could Sun Fu fail to understand his meaning? He silently cursed the old fellow for wanting to play the good guy himself while leaving the role of the villain to him.

"Though his actions in this matter were somewhat reckless, yet you see that up to now, neither the third-place scholar nor his family have come to the door, which shows the result must have fulfilled their desires."

"Perhaps in days to come when people speak of this affair, not only will they not accuse Chen Yi of exceeding his bounds, but they may even recount it as a fine tale."

Catching the unfriendly glares of Second Master Xiao and the others, Sun Fu coughed and said, "After all, that Li Huaigu is this year's Tanhua; allowing him to have his wish, in days to come he and your Xiao family..."

He left his words unfinished.

Yet he had already made it clear that Chen Yi's actions in befriending Li Huaigu were equivalent to the Xiao family and the third-place scholar forging a favorable connection.

Xiao Wuge nodded repeatedly, lacking only the words to say exactly, exactly, exactly.

As for Xiao Wang, Xiao Xuanshuo, and the others, all of them furrowed their brows unceasingly. To speak thus was simply crooked reasoning and fallacious arguments; when had there ever been such a way to forge a favorable connection?

Furthermore, their Xiao family had inherited two hundred years of heritage in Shuzhou, historically being the ones whom others fawned upon. When had they ever fallen to proactively seeking to befriend a third-place scholar?

Yet seeing that the old marquis did not speak, everyone clearly understood his intent.

Xiao Qiuyun glanced left and right, then smiled and said, "Uncle Sun speaks with reason. That third-place scholar will soon enter the Shuzhou Provincial Administration to serve as an official in the same hall as Elder Brother. To resolve his worries truly counts as a favorable connection."

Xiao Dongchen's expression flickered slightly as he nodded in agreement, "Little Sister speaks correctly. Eldest Uncle, Father, what do you say?"

Xiao Wang let out a cold snort and closed his eyes to rest his mind.

Old Marquis Xiao glanced at him, then waved his hand and said, "That being the case, let this matter be handled as before; wait until Jinghong returns home for her to make the final decision."

"However, with these successive incidents, I believe it is best for Chen Yi to remain within the estate for the time being. As for Wang Lixing and the others, let them go and keep watch outside Chunhe Garden."

Hearing this, Xiao Wang immediately propped himself up on his cane, walked two steps, turned his head, and said, "Eldest, do not blame me for not reminding you-this household still possesses a Disciplinary Hall!"

With that, he walked out the door with a cold expression.

Seeing this, Xiao Qiuyun and Xiao Dongchen bowed to the old marquis, then used the pretext of going to persuade him otherwise and followed him out.

Before long, the Qingjing Residence grew much quieter.

Old Marquis Xiao looked at his two old friends, smiled wryly, and shook his head, "I have made a laughingstock of myself."

Zhang Xuan slumped lazily against his chair, "What does this count as? When you were young, your actions were even more outrageous than those of the Chen boy, and no one ever saw you mocking yourself."

Old Marquis Xiao's face darkened, "You old fellow..."

"Is it not so? Have you forgotten when you took this old man to tour the brothels?"

"Shut your mouth!"

He should have known this old fellow never had half a sentence of good in his mouth.

Accustomed to the two of them, Sun Fu looked toward the door and spoke, "Old Xiao, let me say something off topic."

"Hmm?"

"This grandson-in-law of yours entering the Xiao family may not necessarily be a bad thing."

Seeing his solemn expression, Old Marquis Xiao pondered for a moment, then nodded in sudden realization.

"What riddles are the two of you playing at?"

"Unspeakable..."

Regarding this outcome, Chen Yi had anticipated it long ago and found it not entirely unacceptable.

After all, the Great Wei household of hereditary marquises of military paid strict attention to family status and reputation, which was entirely normal.

Consequently, after comforting Xiao Die, Xiao Wuge, Wang Lixing, and the others, he simply ate and slept as if nothing at all had happened.

Outside Chunhe Garden.

Wang Lixing wore a bitter expression and sighed longingly at the moon.

The remaining armored guards were likewise, save for Ge Laosan, whose mouth clicked incessantly:

"You lot did not lay eyes on that formation. Had we not fled swiftly and been caught by those men, a sound thrashing would certainly have been unavoidable."

"And that third-place scholar met the right person when he met the son-in-law. Had it been anyone else... how could he ever have encountered such an affair? Tell me if I am right or wrong."

"Shut your mouth!"

Leaning against the wall nearby, Liu Si'er wore a look of intense annoyance.

Had he known this would be the outcome, he would never have agreed to act as Chen Yi's "accomplice."

Now, however, he was implicated into keeping watch outside Chunhe Garden, with Wang Lixing and the others watching close by, forcing him to put away any thoughts he might have harbored.

Seeing his expression, Ge Laosan sheepishly clamped his mouth shut.

After a moment, recalling a certain matter, he spoke up, "Fourth Brother, I heard that today a comely-looking maidservant went to your room. Those two grooms were green with envy."

Liu Si'er froze, instantly gripped with alarm. Regaining his composure, he asked with forced calmness, "She went to my room? When?"

"Just not long after we came out of the marquis's mansion. You did not know?"

"Oh, you mean her..."

"Tell me, who was it?"

Liu Si'er glanced sideways at him without answering, instead cupping his fists toward Wang Lixing and stating that he needed to return to retrieve some items to get through the night.

"Go quickly and return swiftly. Second Master and Second Elder have given their word; this time they are serious."

"Rest assured."

Watching him depart, Ge Laosan chuckled maliciously, "Brother Xing, do you believe me? Fourth Brother definitely harbors a sweetheart."

Wang Lixing cast a side-long glance at him, "Fourth Brother spoke one sentence that was entirely correct."

"What is that?"

"Shut your mouth!"

Disregarding the gloomy atmosphere outside Chunhe Garden, Liu Si'er hurried back to his room, lit a single candle, and swept his gaze around.

Seeing no anomalies in the surroundings, he walked over to the edge of his bed, bent down to lift a floor brick beneath it, and upon seeing that the secret letters inside were all present and completely undamaged, he finally let out a breath of relief.

Then he drew out the newest secret letter and began to read it by comparing it against the playscript.

[You have been exposed. Find that person and kill them!]

[Also, the fledgling has been taken over by another; he will contact you when necessary!]

Having finished reading, Liu Si'er's face abruptly revealed murderous intent, "Who is it!?"

Late at night, once the Xiao Manor grew quiet.

Chen Yi, who had dozed for a short while, quietly rose and made his way into another wooden tower.

Catching sight of him, Pei Guanli hurried over as if seeking credit.

"Any discoveries?"

"Brother-in-law, you can rest easy when I handle things."

"Tell me about it."

Once Pei Guanli finished recounting the course of events, Chen Yi stared at her in blank astonishment, "You strolled through the marquis's mansion in such an uninhibited manner?"

Recalling the morning's events, Pei Guanli giggled endlessly, "They are all so foolish; not a single person discovered me."

As expected of you, Pei Guanli.

Chen Yi inwardly shook his head. He had known she was reckless, but he had never imagined she could be this reckless.

Next time, no matter what he said... Forget it; there was still business that required her help.

"The roster?"

"Right here," Pei Guanli produced a slip of paper from her bosom and handed it to him. "I turned his entire room upside down, and even dug out several slips of paper from beneath his bed. I copied every single one of them."

Chen Yi unfolded it to look, seeing that they were all common miscellaneous books, playscripts, and the like...

Wait.

He looked at that final string of Jia, Yi, Bing, Ding and numbers, and couldn't help looking at Pei Guanli to ask:

"You just said the slip of paper?"

"Right, just like the previous Secret Letter."

"Then you put them all back in their original places, didn't you?"

"Of course," Pei Guanli chuckled: "Brother-in-law, am I amazing?"

"Amazing, you're the most amazing."

Chen Yi rolled his eyes, then began going through the study one by one according to the name list on the paper, checking them against the contents of the Secret Letter in an attempt to decipher it.

"So it's this volume of opera scripts, Huangmei opera... nice taste."