Perhaps it was Chen Yi's imagination, but on the way from Spring Lotus Garden to the Old Marquis's Qingjing Residence in the central courtyard, the gazes from the Xiao Mansion's servants and maids seemed much friendlier.
Even the uncles and aunts from the second branch of the family greeted him warmly and politely, first saying, "Good morning, Young Master," then addressing him as Second Son-in-law.
Some he recognized, some he didn't.
Fortunately, with Xiao Wuge there, he was saved from any embarrassment.
Wang Lixing and the others behind him took note of this. When they reached a secluded spot, Wang Lixing commented in a familiar tone, "Second Son-in-law is much more popular in the mansion now."
Ge the Third, who never had a filter, chimed in, "Forget the masters and ladies—even I admire your talent, sir. You have to understand, when you ran away from the wedding..."
Before he could finish, the Armored Warrior beside him quickly clamped a hand over his mouth.
Wang Lixing turned and shot him a glare, then apologized softly to Chen Yi. "That's just how Ge the Third is. Please forgive him, sir."
Chen Yi waved it off, saying openly, "It's nothing. I wasn't in my right mind back then. If I had known the Xiao Mansion would treat me so well, I never would have tried to flee the marriage."
Hearing this, Wang Lixing and the others exchanged a look and all gave him a thumbs-up.
'Besides his talent, the Second Son-in-law has an excellent temperament. Anyone else would have been raising hell after being confined for months.'
Not long after, as Chen Yi walked through the central courtyard's corridor accompanied by Xiao Wuge and the others, an old man with a hunched back came walking towards them, carrying some odds and ends.
Chen Yi and Xiao Wuge voluntarily stepped aside, only to see Wang Lixing and the others bow and give him a military salute. "Uncle Gui."
The old man seemed to be hard of hearing and walked away with a limp, as if he hadn't heard them.
Chen Yi gave him a second glance. Suddenly remembering something, he asked Wang Lixing, "Uncle Gui?"
Wang Lixing's expression was a little strange. He replied in a low voice, "Uncle Gui is a veteran of the Dingyuan Army. He used to be one of the Old Marquis's personal guards."
Chen Yi nodded in understanding and started walking forward. "No wonder you're all so respectful towards him."
Wang Lixing and the others followed. "Uncle Gui is a pitiful man, really. In the final battle years ago when the Old Marquis repelled the Barbarian King's army, Uncle Gui was severely injured. Fortunately, he received timely treatment and it wasn't life-threatening."
"He thought he would be promoted and ennobled upon returning to Shu State, but it was right when the Protectorate and the Governor's Office were undergoing a personnel reshuffle. The military merits of many veterans were unfairly assessed, and Uncle Gui's contributions were completely erased."
"Later, the Old Marquis felt he had wronged him, so he let him stay in the Marquis's Mansion and even arranged for him to marry and have children."
As Chen Yi listened to Wang Lixing recount that past story, they soon arrived outside the Qingjing Residence. His thoughts, however, were mostly on Uncle Gui.
'This "Uncle Gui" must be the elderly servant Pei Guanli mentioned before. After everything he's been through, it's certainly possible he's resentful toward the Xiao Family and has ulterior motives.'
Just as Chen Yi was about to ask the guards to announce him, Xiao Wuge simply waved to the guard at the entrance and pulled him straight into the residence.
"Grandfather, Brother-in-law is here to see you."
Chen Yi followed him around the spirit screen, his eyes sweeping across the area.
The courtyard was smaller than Qinghe Garden, but it was filled with flowers and plants. The bluestone path was flanked by two rows of grape trellises with vines climbing up them. Beneath were all sorts of plants and trees, with a small stream flowing through the middle.
In the distance, he saw three old men sitting in a pavilion on the south side of the courtyard, drinking tea and playing chess.
One of them had a rugged, powerful-looking face and a burly frame, but it was clear that his body was somewhat frail.
The other two were sitting across from each other on either side of a chessboard.
One was impeccably dressed and had an obvious air of nobility about him, but right now his eyebrows were slightly raised as he looked smugly at the old man across from him.
Chen Yi couldn't see the last man's face, but he could hear him grumbling, "Even if you are a Duke, you can't take back your moves like that! This is the third time!"
"What do you mean, 'take back my move'? This old man calls it 'a fierce tiger taking a nap'."
"You and your..."
Before the two could keep bickering, the burly old man to the side stopped them. He then beckoned for Xiao Wuge to come over, his gaze turning to Chen Yi.
Although his eyes were cloudy, Chen Yi could feel his scrutiny.
Without needing to be told, Chen Yi calmly paid his respects. "Chen Yi greets you, Old Master, Duke Zhang, Mr. Sun."
Before the Old Marquis could say anything, Zhang Xuan, who was still trying to figure out how to take back his move, pushed the board away. "Oh? So your grandson-in-law has arrived?"
Sun Fu's vision suddenly went dark, his chest tightening. He nearly stood up to strangle the old fool.
However, knowing a junior was present, he relied on his self-restraint and cultured upbringing to hold back. He turned to size up Chen Yi.
Old Marquis Xiao shot them a glare, then signaled for a servant to bring Chen Yi a chair. "Have a seat."
Chen Yi bowed again before walking over and sitting down, his expression calm.
Although it was his first time meeting the Old Marquis, the Old Duke, and Mr. Sun the Elder, Xiao Wuge had spoken of them often these past days.
Therefore, Chen Yi had a general understanding of the three elders' temperaments; he knew he just needed to sit properly and wait.
After sizing him up, Sun Fu's earlier frustration from the chess game dissipated. He nodded and said, "Not bad, not bad. I can see you're a scholar to the bone."
Zhang Xuan cut in, "You mean the reek of a pedantic scholar?"
"You old coot, you..."
Old Marquis Xiao said helplessly, "I say, you two old geezers, aren't you afraid of making a fool of yourselves bickering in front of a junior?"
"He'd dare?" Zhang Xuan looked at Chen Yi and asked with a smirk that didn't reach his eyes, "Do you know who this old man is?"
'This Old Duke seems to have a problem with me?' Chen Yi inwardly raised an eyebrow.
"Lord Duke Qian."
"Wrong! This old man is your father's sworn enemy!"
Oh?
Chen Yi's mind cleared. 'So that's the root of it.' He smiled. "My father never mentioned it to me. My apologies, Lord Duke."
Zhang Xuan was taken aback. He pointed a finger at him, so angry his beard bristled and his eyes went wide. "You young whelp, you're really not afraid..."
Old Marquis Xiao quickly stopped him. "How old are you? Do you still think you're a child?"
"But what he just said... Is Chen Xuanji saying he doesn't give a damn about me?"
"You're overthinking it."
Old Marquis Xiao gestured for Sun Fu to drag the man away. Zhang Xuan, his face dark, stalked off towards a side room without another word.
After he had left, Old Marquis Xiao saw that Chen Yi was still calm and shook his head with a laugh. "You rascal, did you say that on purpose just now?"
Chen Yi grinned. "Nothing gets past you, Old Master."
'Even though I found Duke Zhang's attitude strange, that didn't stop me from "counterattacking."'
'Of course, I know where the line is. I wouldn't be too obvious about it.'
Old Marquis Xiao chuckled. "Not bad. You're not one to take a loss lying down."
"But if Chen Xuanji were here, he'd probably give you a couple of slaps across the face."
"I would be honored to hear the story."
"It's all old history. Six years ago, the barbarians were pushing east, pillaging the Jiao State area..."
The Old Marquis didn't hide anything and began to tell the story of the grudge between Duke Qian, Zhang Xuan, and Chen Xuanji.
To put it simply, Chen Xuanji, who was serving in the Jiangnan Prefecture's Governor's Office at the time, failed to dispatch grain supplies to support Jiao State in a timely manner, which angered Zhang Xuan.
And that's how the feud between them started.
'But from what I know,' Chen Yi thought, 'my father was sent by the Holy Emperor on a mission to the Western Continent Buddha Country right after that. He probably doesn't even remember the conflict with Zhang Xuan anymore.'
After finishing his story, Old Marquis Xiao said with a smile, "That old fellow focuses on the issue, not the person. If you find the time to write a poem for him, I guarantee he'll be grinning from ear to ear."
Chen Yi hesitated for a moment before replying, "I'll keep that in mind."
After a bit more small talk, Old Marquis Xiao didn't keep him much longer. When he learned Chen Yi wanted to leave the mansion for a walk, he readily agreed.
"What's past is past. Even Jinghong has already forgiven you, so this old man certainly won't hold onto it."
"But you're part of the Xiao Family now, so you should settle down. Don't go to places like South City anymore."
Chen Yi nodded in agreement.
'If I hadn't been looking for some amusement before, I wouldn't have gone out of my way to visit a brothel.'
Not long after, Chen Yi left the Qingjing Residence with Xiao Wuge.
Old Marquis Xiao pondered for a moment, then sent for Zhang Xuan and Sun Fu.
Duke Qian, Zhang Xuan, hurried over and asked impatiently, "Well? Did your grandson-in-law agree?"
Sun Fu laughed and chided him, "You're a Duke, yet you're scheming against a junior like this. Have you no shame?"
Far from being ashamed, Zhang Xuan said proudly, "If I can get a poem as good as Old Xiao's, this old man is willing to cast aside all dignity."
Old Marquis Xiao shot him a glare. "You old scoundrel. I know what foul wind you're about to break the moment you stir."
"Happy now? Chen Yi agreed. But we'll have to see how you smooth things over later. The boy came to pay his respects, and what do you do? Bring up Chen Xuanji."
"Don't worry, don't worry. This old man knows what to do..."
...
After leaving Qingjing Residence, Chen Yi, Xiao Wuge, and the others headed straight back to Spring Lotus Garden. Along the way, he occasionally overheard bits of idle chatter:
"The Second Son-in-law's birthday poem has spread all over Shu State City. I heard many scholars think it's a pity that someone with his talent married into our Xiao Mansion."
"What's there to pity? The mansion treats him very well."
"That may be true, but you can't stop people from talking. I wonder if the Second Miss is still angry at him for trying to flee the marriage."
"Probably not..."
There are no secrets in a large household; as long as no one deliberately puts a stop to it, word gets around quickly and becomes common knowledge.
Fortunately, these comments were all positive, so Chen Yi paid them no mind.
But as he arrived outside Spring Lotus Garden, he saw the hunchbacked Uncle Gui happening to walk out of Jiaxing Garden.
Hmm?
Chen Yi paused, then said with a natural expression, "Brother Xing, please prepare the carriage. The Young Master and I will be leaving the mansion shortly."
'If I remember correctly,' he thought, 'the refuse from the back courtyards is collected before dawn.'
'Anything out of the ordinary means something is afoot. It looks like that secret letter the "Hidden Guard" sent out earlier has gotten a response.'