"Are you sure there really isn't?"
Shen Tang's expression darkened slightly as she checked with Qin Li again.
If even Qin Li didn't know, then Xu Wenzhu had really outdone himself.
Qin Li noticed something was off in Shen Tang's tone and expression. He hesitated over whether to mention the matter of marrying into the family, but after thinking it over, he brought it up tactfully. "Wenzhu seems to have something on his mind lately."
"Something on his mind? What?"
"Marriage among the clan's younger generation."
Shen Tang knew at once that this was connected. Her voice turned stern. "Marriage among the clan's younger generation? Hmph. Could this 'younger generation' be Xu Wenshi? What was Xu Wenzhu thinking? Didn't he know you couldn't make a melon sweet by forcing it?"
Xu Xie hadn't just tried to force things; he'd even wanted to bend someone out of shape.
Did he think Gongxi Chou was someone who could be pushed around?
Qin Li listened closely and caught a hint of something amiss.
And so, ruler and subject began comparing notes.
They hadn't realized there was a problem until they did—and then they were stunned.
Qin Li said, "Wasn't Xu Wenshi the one who had feelings for Gongxi Chou?"
Shen Tang said, "Wasn't Xu Wenzhu forcing Xu Wenshi to marry into the Gongxi Clan?"
The two fell into a long, peculiar silence. They stared at each other, both seeing confusion on the other's face.
Qin Li had gotten his information from Xu Xie, who had insisted it was accurate when questioned repeatedly. Shen Tang's information came from Xu Quan and that bizarre family letter; it was there in black and white, so it couldn't be wrong. So what on earth were those brothers up to?
People tended to laugh for no reason when