The young master was none other than Min Zheyuan—a man who filled Lin Yuhe with absolute revulsion.
Taking a few light steps forward, he stopped right in front of Yuhe. With an elegant flick of his wrist, he snapped his folding fan open, offering a gentle, pleasant smile. “Yuhe, if you wish to break off our engagement, you must at least give me a reason.”
Pulling Little Yun tightly to her side, Yuhe covered the child’s ears, presenting only her profile to Min Zheyuan. “Please conduct yourself with self-respect, Master Min. My given name is not for you to call.”
Min Zheyuan burst into a loud, mocking laugh. “Self-respect?” He sneered. “What passes for self-respect? Getting engaged to me while carrying your ex-husband’s child—is that what you call self-respect, Miss Lin?”
Unwilling to waste another word on him, Yuhe cut him off sharply. “None of this concerns Master Min. The betrothal gifts have been returned, and you have suffered no loss whatsoever.”
With that, she took Little Yun’s hand and turned to leave.
Min Zheyuan, however, spread his arms wide, blocking their path completely.
Flaring with sudden rage, Yuhe snapped at him fiercely, “Get out of the way!”
“Why lose your temper, Miss Lin? I only wish to have a proper chat with you.”
At first, Min Zheyuan had simply wanted a principal wife who possessed a bit of social standing. He held reservations about daughters of merchant families, fearing they might mistreat his concubine in the future. On the other hand, he looked down on the daughters of ordinary farmers.
Later, upon hearing that Yuhe’s father was the village magistrate and her mother came from a family of merchants, he had agreed to the match. After all, Yuhe’s beauty surpassed even that of his beloved concubine, and what man didn’t favor a beautiful face?
Even now, dressed in coarse cloth, her radiant beauty remained impossible to hide. Her soft, fair cheeks bore a delicate flush, and her figure was exquisite—save for the slight curve of her lower abdomen, which spoiled the view just a bit.
Having met Yuhe only a few times, Min Zheyuan had never so much as touched her small hand. He felt deeply unwilling to let this marriage slip away so easily.
Faced with Min Zheyuan’s burning, predatory gaze, Yuhe felt a wave of nausea wash over her. Taking hold of Little Yun, she tried to walk around him.
Min Zheyuan cut her off once more. “Mistress Lin, why not listen to my proposal?” He coaxed smoothly. “If you are willing to abort the child in your belly, I will—”
“Bah! As if anyone cares for your offers!” Yuhe spat. “If you block me again, I’ll scream for help!”
Min Zheyuan was caught off guard. After merely half a month apart, Yuhe’s attitude toward him had grown so harsh and unyielding.
Losing his remaining patience, he threatened coldly, “Since ancient times, marriage has been decided by parents. Since Mistress Lin refuses to cooperate, I have no choice but to take you straight to Magistrate Lin’s house and let him decide.”
Two manservants immediately closed in. Leaving Yuhe no chance to resist, they grabbed her by the wrists and began dragging her toward his carriage.
Terror seized Yuhe. She shouted toward the junction at the top of her lungs, “Help! Help!”
Terrified, Little Yun burst into loud, panicked sobs. “Auntie! Auntie!”
Fearing she might traumatize the child, Yuhe tried to soothe her through her own panic. “Don’t be afraid, Yun’er! Auntie is fine!”
If Min Zheyuan dragged her to Lin Youtang’s house, the child in her belly would be lost beyond saving.
As the servants yanked Yuhe toward the carriage, a sudden, fierce gust of wind sliced through the air.
With a pair of sharp wails, both servants instantly released their grip on Yuhe. Clutching the backs of their hands in searing agony, they doubled over in pain.
Min Zheyuan’s face turned thoroughly grim.
From another carriage nearby, a man stepped down. He was clad in a crisp, dark suit of martial attire, possessing a sharp, resolute face. His cold, piercing eyes scanned the scene, and a long sword hung at his waist.
With a single glance, Min Zheyuan realized this was the man who had struck his servants. Unable to gauge the stranger’s background, he dared not fly into a rage openly, settling instead for a polite inquiry. “May I ask who you might be, sir?”
“Who I am is none of your concern,” the stranger replied coldly, his voice dripping with authority. “Release the lady at once!”
“Bullying defenseless women and children is truly despicable behavior.”
Judging by his posture, the man possessed formidable martial skills. Min Zheyuan dared not risk a direct confrontation, leaving him no choice but to retreat with his men.
The moment he departed, Yuhe let out a quiet sigh of relief. Curtsying deeply, she offered her gratitude.
“My sincere thanks to Master Chen!”
Where others might not have recognized the man, Yuhe knew him instantly. In her past life, when her lingering soul followed Xie Shuhuai day after day, the man who had just saved her was Master Chen’s guard, Fu’an.
Fu’an glanced at Yuhe, his expression caught in a brief moment of stunned daze.
Inside the carriage, Chen Jinzhan was equally startled. Finally, a voice drifted from within: “This lady has mistaken me for someone else.”
Before Yuhe could press further, the carriage rolled away from the junction.
Yuhe took Little Yun and turned toward home. As she turned, her eyes caught sight of a servant from the Li household lingering at the corner of the path—a man she recognized from the time he delivered a message to Shuhuai.
On the walk back, Little Yun had yet to recover from the fright. Yuhe gently soothed the child, coaxing her to keep the day’s events a secret. Children scare easily, but their fear fades just as fast.
Back at the academy, after Xie Shuhuai finished his midday meal, Chen Jinzhan summoned him to his study.
Fu’an had already investigated Shuhuai’s background and past trials. Knowing the full story behind his background, Chen Jinzhan lowered his guard. Hearing that Shuhuai had remained unmoved by the Li family’s offers of aid, Chen Jinzhan grew to admire his unyielding pride.
Only two days prior, after exchanging letters with his father-in-law, Chen Jinzhan realized that his father-in-law had no knowledge of Shuhuai’s existence. That Shuhuai could seek him out directly and know of his ties to the Grand Tutor showed a clear grasp of court affairs.
Shuhuai knew Lord Meng was currently in need of capable talent, while Shuhuai himself required a powerful backer; without one, his path through the imperial examinations would end before it began. His enemies in the shadows were determined to prevent him from taking the exams and entering the court—enemies who happened to be the very adversaries of Lord Meng’s faction.
Recalling a delicate matter his father-in-law had recently encountered, Chen Jinzhan devised a plan. He wanted to hear Shuhuai’s perspective and test his capabilities.
“Shuhuai, I overheard a perplexing matter at the market today and would like to hear your thoughts on it,” Chen Jinzhan began, his tone gentle as he stepped out from behind his writing desk to pace slowly around the room.
Shuhuai offered a respectful bow, raising his hands. “Please speak, Master.”
“An old patriarch possessed considerable family property,” Chen Jinzhan said, weaving his parable. “According to ancestral tradition, the headship should naturally belong to his eldest son. Later, after his principal wife passed away, the old man took a concubine and grew excessively doting toward the younger son born to her. He even developed the desire to replace his heir, though he lacked a proper pretext to do so. Yet if things continue according to his whim, the headship will inevitably fall to the younger son. Walking on thin ice in his own household, how should this eldest son save himself?”
Shuhuai immediately recognized that Chen Jinzhan was using a tale of domestic conflict to test his views on the power struggle between the Crown Prince and the Sixth Prince at court.
After a moment of quiet reflection, Shuhuai replied, “In answer to Master’s question: since this gentleman was able to become the family heir, his vision and insight must surely surpass ordinary men. What I know, he has undoubtedly already considered.”
He paused slightly before continuing, “As a neutral outsider with no stake in the matter, I would suggest that the eldest son find every possible way to distance his younger brother from their father and the family estates. If he cannot alter his father’s mind, he must alter his father’s reach. So long as the younger brother is kept beyond arm’s length, he will never be able to shake the eldest son’s rightful authority over the household.”
A smile touched Chen Jinzhan’s lips as he nodded in clear approval. Eager to hear Shuhuai expand further, he presented the core dilemma directly: “What if this younger brother relies on his father’s favor and refuses to leave?”