The servant's eyes reddened at the thought of Xiang Changshou, who had passed away. "Young Master's health was already poor. After being cursed by those people with their venomous words, he vomited blood again. What's more, they cruelly blocked the doctor from entering the room."
Although the Young Master had been ill for many years, he was kind-hearted and treated his servants well. He never scolded or hit them. If he learned that someone's family was in trouble, he would even give them money to help them through difficult times.
"By the time the housekeeper sent someone to the yamen to retrieve the Master, the Young Master had already fainted. Those people also feared that a life would be lost. Furthermore, the Master promised to compensate each family with one hundred taels of silver, so they left. However, the Young Master could not hold on in the end."
After hearing the story, Zhan Feiyu and He Nuan exchanged a look. If they had only suspected before, they were now certain.
After the servant bowed and retreated, Zhan Feiyu looked at Master Xiang, who was walking out of the house with Jiao Lianyu and the others. "Master Xiang is so thorough and smooth. Even if he were worried about Madam Xiang, who was facing imprisonment, he wouldn't have failed to anticipate that the Li clan would come to cause trouble."
He Nuan's eyes turned cold. It was said that even a tiger wouldn't eat its cubs, but Master Xiang hadn't directly harmed Xiang Changshou. Instead, he had watched him die. "To prevent the clan members from taking advantage, everyone remembered to return the artifacts to the storeroom, and even the guest rooms were locked. How could he possibly forget that he had a sickly son at home?"
Zhan Feiyu sighed. This was Master Xiang's cunning. Even if someone pointed it out, Master Xiang could defend himself.
Moreover, all the bad deeds were done by others. Even if it went to the yamen, Master Xiang would be innocent.
"May the esteemed young masters have a good journey." Master Xiang was about to send them out of the courtyard when the announcement of new arrivals by a servant came from outside. What's more, it was the female members of the family.
"Quickly, let them take shelter inside the house." Master Xiang hurriedly instructed the housekeeper to drive away the Xiang clan members in the courtyard. The third branch of the Qiu family had declined, and there wasn't even a male descendant who could hold their ground. However, Master Xiang's gaze swept over Qiu Huaixin, who stood beside Jiao Lianyu. This was the young master of Lord Qiu, and the characters for "Qiu" were the same in both names.
Clan Leader Xiang and Xiang Ningyuan wanted to seize the opportunity to cause trouble. With a group of men standing there, how could the female members of the third branch of the Qiu family come to pay their respects?
Even though they were not widows yet, it was only a matter of time before they became widows after the court's verdict. If they were to be in the same room with so many men, it would ruin the reputation of the Qiu family's female members, and the Qiu family would surely hold Xiang Lao Wu accountable.
Jiao Lianyu, being extremely astute, saw the evasive glances of the Xiang clan members and forced himself to speak, "Please, everyone, temporarily withdraw. Thank you."
"Second Young Master is too polite." Clan Leader Xiang chuckled sheepishly but dared not cause any more trouble. He could only lead the group of men to the side rooms flanking the mourning hall.
As the dark crowd in the courtyard retreated, Jiao Lianping immediately spotted Zhan Feiyu and He Nuan standing under the corridor. "Why are you here?"
Qiu Huaixin and Jiao Lianyu were also taken aback. Neither of them had expected Zhan Feiyu to come to the Xiang family to pay her respects.
Master Xiang's expression changed slightly. The young girl, dressed in plain clothes, had a youthful face but her gaze was calm. Besides her scholarly demeanor, she also possessed the grace and bearing of a noble family's descendant.
Without anyone else needing to say it, Master Xiang knew that this was the only disciple of the Grand Scholar who had been widely rumored in Qianzhong Prefecture during this period, a noble lady whom even Lord Qiu treated with courtesy.
Jiao Lianping performed a courtesy of peers. "Miss Zhan."
Qi Changlin, standing nearby, was stunned. For scholars like them, Zhan Feiyu's opportunities were so extraordinary that even a play would not dare to depict them so vividly. Who would have thought that just two years ago, she was a country girl who, overnight, leaped into prominence to become Scholar Gu's disciple, and furthermore, won the title of "Xiao Sanyuan" in Nanxuan Prefecture, making her the object of envy for countless disciples from humble backgrounds? Yet, here she stood before them.
After regaining his senses, Qi Changlin also quickly paid his respects. As fellow scholars, and all possessing the title of Xiucai, Zhan Feiyu was the "Xiao Sanyuan." The wise were to be respected as teachers, and in reality, Zhan Feiyu could be considered their elder.
The only one who could rival Zhan Feiyu was Qiu Jinyu, but she was a barbarian bastard, and now she was nothing but a pile of bones.
"Second Young Master Jiao, Young Master Qi." Zhan Feiyu smiled and returned their greetings.
When Qi Changlin learned that Zhan Feiyu and Jiao Lianping were close, he had initially thought that Zhan Feiyu was all talk and that her "Xiao Sanyuan" title might have been obtained through deception. However, after meeting her, Qi Changlin realized that this young lady before him was truly filled with literary talent, and the demeanor of a scholar could not be faked.
Jiao Lianyu's gaze deepened. Zhan Feiyu must have investigated him, otherwise, she wouldn't have known Changlin. They were indeed kindred spirits. How wonderful it would have been if he had been the one to encounter Scholar Gu's people.
Jiao Lianping, having just failed to embarrass himself and instead lost face, now saw Zhan Feiyu as an ally. He paid no mind to the fact that Zhan Feiyu was only two years older than his son and eagerly approached her. "Did you see what happened just now?"
"I saw how foolish you were." Zhan Feiyu's words had a double meaning. If he had been more thoughtful, he would have realized that Jiao Lianping, with his usual caution and thoroughness, would not have been so easily caught.
"Who could have imagined he was so cunning!" Jiao Lianping said resentfully, looking sinisterly at Jiao Lianyu. "A petty man seeks to preserve himself, a gentleman seeks to govern the state, and a great man seeks to conquer the world. Therefore, a gentleman is necessarily inferior to a petty man in his shrewd calculations."
"You actually dare to flatter yourself!" Qiu Huaixin, who had walked over, was almost amused to tears by Jiao Lianping's shamelessness. He was implying that Gui Zhang was a petty man, hence his "impenetrable and meticulously planned" strategies, while he himself was a gentleman, and thus was framed and schemed against by a shameless petty man.
"Miss Zhan, you tell us!" After speaking in unison, Jiao Lianping and Qiu Huaixin lowered their heads simultaneously, both looking at Zhan Feiyu, who was half their height, clearly expecting her to make a choice.
Zhan Feiyu smiled and said, "My teacher once posed a question: 'Conspire in the unseen, and triumph without contention or effort.'"
The meaning of this sentence is straightforward: To achieve success in something, one must focus on strategy and tactics in daily life, but these strategies must be carried out secretly, not openly. It is best to conspire in the unseen, and only then will success be achieved. Only by doing so will one frequently achieve victory, and that victory will be without dispute and without effort.
Upon hearing this, Jiao Lianping became smug and looked provocatively at Qiu Huaixin. It was normal that he didn't succeed in embarrassing him. His good second brother was so calculating, and all his calculations were done in secret, stepping on his mother and gaining fame in Qianzhong.
"Miss Zhan is calling you stupid!" Qiu Huaixin sneered, looking at the self-satisfied Jiao Lianping as if he were an idiot. This clearly meant that Jiao Lianping, the dandy, was brainless, foolish, and unaware of it. He had plotted to frame Gui Zhang but was not thorough, leaving loopholes everywhere.
The sound of firecrackers, accompanied by the mournful music of gongs and suona, interrupted Jiao Lianping and Qiu Huaixin's argument.
Jiao Lianyu and Qi Changlin, standing on the other side, did not come over. After all, they were not familiar with Zhan Feiyu, and at this distance, they could not hear what Zhan Feiyu and the other two were saying.
Jiao Lianyu glanced sideways at the female members of the Qiu family, who were being led by the housekeeper into the courtyard. His gaze then turned back to Zhan Feiyu. She was clearly a country girl who had only started her studies a few years ago, yet she got along so harmoniously with Qiu Huaixin.
This harmony made it seem as if they both came from official families, were inherently superior, and their conversations and manners created a harmony that others could not penetrate.
Jiao Lianyu thought of his own interactions with Qiu Huaixin. Outsiders said they were close friends, but they didn't know that he had always yielded and been humble, always deferring to Qiu Huaixin, accommodating and pleasing him, and most importantly, doing so without leaving any trace, so that Qiu Huaixin would not notice.
...
When Madam Dou and Madam Xu, accompanied by their maids and servants, entered the courtyard, they were both taken aback. They rarely saw any men outside the inner chambers. Especially now, with their sensitive identities, if it were just the servants of the Xiang family, it would be fine. However, these were all young and handsome men. If any rumors were to spread, they would likely have to die to prove their innocence.
Qiu Huaixin, at this moment, had no time to bicker with Jiao Lianping. He stepped forward to greet them. "Aunt."
Madam Dou and Madam Xu secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, Huaixin was here. This could be considered their nephew from their own family, so he was not an outsider. The third branch was now in turmoil and could not withstand any further waves.
"Huaixin, you've come too." Madam Xu chimed in, a loving smile appearing on her face. "We heard that Young Master Xiang has passed away, and it is only proper that we come to pay our respects."
Qiu Huaixin nodded and said no more. He was able to offer assistance only because they were female members of the Qiu family. If the male members of the third branch had come today, Qiu Huaixin would not have even bothered to spare them a glance.
Master Xiang also hurried over to greet them. Although there was a distinction between men and women, this was Xiang Changshou's mourning hall, and with Qiu Huaixin present, it was unlikely that anyone would dare to spread gossip.