Character Reflects the Person

Gurgle, rumble.

The carriage, black with red patterns forming a serpent's head, pulled by four fine horses, slowly rolled south from the northern gate of Shu Prefecture City along Kanning Street.

Cao Jinghong listened to the clamor around her, slightly pulling aside the brocade curtain at the carriage window, peering through the gap at the scenery outside.

Ten days had passed since Third Place Scholar Li Huaigu paraded through the streets on horseback, yet the taverns along Kanning Street and the scholars within the academy still had him on their lips.

Some described that day's scene in flowery language, embellishing with: "That day's glory was boundless; we could not even catch up on horseback," drawing roars of laughter.

Others said Li Huaigu's path was smooth sailing—first winning the Third Place Scholar, then being assigned to a post in the Shu Prefecture Provincial Administration Office, and returning to claim a beauty as his bride.

Truly, wealth, fame, and beauty—all in hand.

Enough to make others green with envy.

And when they spoke of Li Huaigu, these scholars naturally brought up Chen Yi, cursing him as "that son-in-law of the Marquis of Military's mansion" or "shameless and vile," or "a disgrace to scholarly dignity"—not a single good word among them.

Sifting through the tangled heap of reproach, only two phrases of praise emerged.

One: "That birthday poem—we are no match for him," followed by a scholar now and then affecting refinement, reciting a few lines.

The second tolerable remark: "The half-line poem the Xiao Family son-in-law wrote for the Third Place Scholar has real charm, but it's only half—no chance to glimpse the whole."

Though after this, the talk always turned back to denouncing Chen Yi, no one denied his poetic talent.

"Pluck the flower when it blooms, lest you grasp at empty branches."

Cao Jinghong listened a moment and knew this line came from Chen Yi's mouth, written by his own hand on the day he forcibly seized the Third Place Scholar's wife.

As those scholars had put it: "A shameless degenerate, painting the forcible seizure of a woman in such elegant words—and yet I can't write it myself. Alas, woe is me..."

Hearing this, Cao Jinghong let the curtain fall, silently leaning back on the soft couch padded with plush bedding.

She had to admit—in just three months, her husband had managed to earn the scorn of so many scholars and commoners in Shuzhou City. That itself was a kind of skill.

Xiao Wan'er noticed her expression. "Second Sister, are you tired?"

Cao Jinghong shook her head lightly, the sharpness in her eyes fading. "Elder Sister, in your letter earlier, you said Chen... my husband had changed?"

Seeing her bring up Chen Yi of her own accord, Xiao Wan'er chided, "And you still say that? You left without a word to inspect the Three Towns, and only now think to ask about him."

"Sister..."

"Alright, alright, Elder Sister knows you did nothing wrong. It's all Brother-in-law's fault."

Xiao Wan'er teased her a little, then recounted Chen Yi's behavior before she left the Marquis's mansion.

"After you left, Brother-in-law was shut in his room, copying the Family Rules all day, occasionally reading a book, never complaining."

"Actually, Brother-in-law isn't a bad sort, especially his calligraphy..."

Xiao Wan'er thought of Chen Yi's handwriting, and that led her to the poem Xiao Die had recited to her.

Seeing her pause, Cao Jinghong's eyes turned to her. "His calligraphy?"

Xiao Wan'er came back to herself, took her hand, and smiled. "Second Sister, the writing reveals the man. Brother-in-law's characters are free and flowing—it shows he's a straightforward and unrestrained person."

Straightforward and unrestrained?

Cao Jinghong's mind conjured the gossip she'd just heard.

Her husband's reputation seemed mixed—good at calligraphy and poetry, that much seemed true—but whether he was straightforward and unrestrained or shameless and vile was open to debate.

Fortunately, she was back in Shuzhou City now. Once she returned to the mansion, she could ask and find out.

"Second Sister, let's go to Grandfather's place first."

"Alright..."

Just then, the carriage paused slightly, cutting off Xiao Wan'er and Cao Jinghong's conversation.

Xiao Wan'er steadied herself and asked in confusion, "Huatang?"

Shen Huatang, outside the carriage, pulled the horses to the roadside and replied inside, "Eldest Miss, Second Miss, there's a situation."

Hearing this, Cao Jinghong pulled back the curtain directly and looked outside.

Soon she spotted, not far away outside a Mounting Shop, several Armored Soldiers in Xiao Family guard attire gathered around, with an old man in plain long robes in the middle, arguing with a Xiao Family maidservant.

Wang Lixing and Xiao Die?

Cao Jinghong recognized the household staff, then studied the old man closely, her eyes widening slightly.

Xiao Wan'er couldn't see what was happening and couldn't help asking, "Second Sister, what's going on?"

"Elder Sister, it seems Mr. Yue Ming from Guiyun Academy is having a dispute with the household guards and maidservant."

With so many voices, Cao Jinghong only caught something about a calligraphy copybook, then said, "Sister, wait in the carriage a moment. I'll go and come back."

Xiao Wan'er shook her head. "Mr. Yue Ming dislikes military men the most. I'll go with you."

Knowing she couldn't talk her out of it, Cao Jinghong said no more, helped her down from the carriage, and walked together to the Mounting Shop.

Inside, they heard Mr. Yue Ming sighing: "Young lady, little girl, I am truly fond of this calligraphy copybook. Could you, could you part with it?"

Xiao Die clutched the copybook tightly. "Old Sir, this is the Son-in-law's birthday gift for the Master. How could I give it to you?"

Had Wang Lixing not warned her earlier that this old gentleman was Mr. Yue Ming of Guiyun Academy, the most renowned great scholar in Shu Prefecture...

She was beginning to suspect that the calligraphy piece the son-in-law had previously lost was indeed the work of this old gentleman before her.

But even though she had clearly said this piece could not be given away, the old gentleman still refused to let it go, even reaching out to grab the newly mounted scroll, which made her very angry.

"Son-in-law? That son-in-law of the Xiao Family? Then tell me, old man, where did he buy this calligraphy copybook? I am willing to pay a high price to acquire it."

"Buy it? This was written by the son-in-law himself. Old Sir, if you wish to buy, you may go to the Marquis's mansion and find the son-in-law yourself."

Upon hearing this, Mr. Yue Ming was taken aback. "You say this calligraphy was written by Chen Yi, Chen Qingzhou?"

Xiao Die watched him warily. "Of course it was written by the son-in-law. Could it be that you wrote it? The boss already gave you your calligraphy just now."

Mr. Yue Ming looked at her suspiciously, still unconvinced. "Young lady, I only want this copybook or its source. If you are unwilling, so be it, but why must you lie to deceive me?"

"I didn't..."

Before Xiao Die could continue explaining, Xiao Wan'er spoke up from outside the crowd. "Mr. Yue Ming, please allow Wan'er to say a word."

Only then did the Xiao Family guards and Xiao Die notice Xiao Wan'er and Xiao Jinghong outside the crowd, and they quickly bowed:

"Subordinates greet the Eldest Miss and Second Miss."

"Xiao Die greets the Eldest Miss and Second Miss."

The passersby nearby, as well as the onlookers who had been watching all along, were stunned, finally realizing that these people were the two sisters of the Marquis of Military's main household.

Immediately, most of them knelt to the ground, save for a few scholars with official titles who remained standing upright.

Xiao Wan'er swept her gaze across them and responded gently, "Rise, all of you."

Once everyone had stood, she took Xiao Jinghong's hand and approached the old man, bowing slightly. "Mr. Yue Ming, what Xiao Die said just now is true. This calligraphy was indeed written by Wan'er's brother-in-law, Chen Yi, Chen Qingzhou."

Although she had not seen the copybook in Xiao Die's hands, based on the calligraphy of Chen Yi she had seen before, it was indeed possible that it had caught Mr. Yue Ming's favor.

Mr. Yue Ming looked at them, directly ignoring Xiao Jinghong, and asked, "Miss Wan'er, do you know the meaning of the characters on this scroll?"

Xiao Wan'er paused briefly, then after a moment's thought, she reached out her hand toward Xiao Die.

Xiao Die carefully placed the birthday congratulatory scroll into her hands, glanced at Xiao Jinghong without daring to say more, and then stepped back.

Xiao Wan'er opened the box and took out the calligraphy copybook. With Xiao Jinghong's help, she slowly unrolled it.

The moment the faintest trace of the brushstrokes was revealed, a glimmer of fluorescence emerged, smooth and lustrous like warm jade.

Xiao Wan'er's hand froze instantly. Her eyes widened, and she dared not continue unrolling.

She quickly looked at Xiao Jinghong beside her. Seeing her give a slight nod, her heart was filled with both surprise and joy.

What surprised her was that the characters on the scroll truly possessed a "Calligraphy Artistic Conception."

What delighted her was, naturally, that this scroll might indeed have been written by her brother-in-law, Chen Yi.