None of Them at Red Sleeve House Were Human

Red Sleeve House, Courtyard Number One

Since Su Hongxiu had eyes only for Xie An and no longer mentioned composing poetry or prose, the other talented young men felt superfluous. They left the pavilion one after another, gathering in twos and threes to whisper among themselves.

"For today's poetry gathering, I specially prepared several pieces of parallel prose. I'd hoped to win a smile from Miss Hongxiu, but who knew... the moment Xie An showed up, Miss Hongxiu had eyes for no one else. Damn him."

"Wasn't I the same? I prepared twenty poems, yet after Xie An arrived, Miss Hongxiu did not even spare me a glance. I came all this way only to serve as Xie An's foil. Had I known, I would never have come."

"I think Miss Hongxiu is nothing more than a gold-digging woman."

"You call the grapes sour because you cannot reach them. Even the chief clerk and county magistrate's deputy are guests of honor to Miss Hongxiu."

"..."

Meanwhile, Zhang Yunfan stood in a corner beside a distant rockery, his fists clenched tight as his venomous eyes fixed on Xie An upon the imperial consort's couch.

He recalled the day he had gone outside Li Family Village to collect his elder brother Zhang Yunhe's body.

He had dragged his brother's corpse alone through ice and snow before finally burying him in the outskirts of the city.

He knew that his brother had been beaten to death by Uncle Shui of the Xie Household.

And the source of it all was this Xie An!

Zhang Yunfan had lost his parents as a child and had been raised single-handedly by his elder brother. Yet now, his brother had been killed by Xie An.

At that thought, Zhang Yunfan's eyes blazed with towering rage.

In another