At that moment, the spokespeople of the Ten Great Houses were holding forth in a restaurant.
Chen Xuanqi waved his palm-leaf fan, pointing a finger toward Gao Ying as he laughed. "Old Ringhead, why are you so late today? I thought you weren't coming."
Gao Ying's mouth twitched in disdain. "You lousy chess player, could you lot even put on this show without me holding the stage?"
Chu Tianshu waved a hand and teased, "All right, don't forget Old Gu has a part in this too. Master Chess was asking what kept your venerable self so busy."
You Dongshan, his features sharply defined, spoke indifferently. "What else? The Chen Clan Young Master went to his house."
Those words immediately caught everyone's attention.
Chen Xuanqi's eyes flashed. "Hmm? Really? Dongshan, how did you know? Don't tell me you planted a spy outside his door."
Chu Tianshu let out an exaggerated cry, his fingertips trembling slightly. "Oh my! Brother Dongshan is usually such a sealed gourd, but who knew he was a master of spies behind the scenes? He could give Brother Jinzhong a run for his money."
Yan Jinzhong, usually stern and cold, could not help snapping, "Don't splash dirty water on me, you old mongrel. You fickle dog, leave me out of it."
Something occurred to Gao Ying, and his expression shifted slightly, turning rather ugly.
You Dongshan's face darkened as he retorted, "Keep tabs on him? Do I have nothing better to do? His grandson met my granddaughter and acted like he had some treasure to show off. He was boasting away at my house that day."
Gao Ying looked as though his suspicions had been confirmed, unsure whether to laugh or cry. "I knew it. My grandson's done for in this lifetime."
You Dongshan shot back sarcastically, "I