Chapter 664: Waya

His sturdy body was quite hefty, and with such a jump, his round and thick belly trembled a few times.

This made the surrounding scholars laugh quietly.

What kind of person was Shen Changle? In his past life, he could be the Gatekeeper of the Prefectural Magistrate’s Office; dealing with someone like Lady Yu was a piece of cake.

If it weren’t for Lin Ziqi’s presence, he could scold her until she shed her skin and died from rage.

Unable to out-argue Shen Changle and with onlookers showing disdain, Lady Yu immediately grabbed Lin Ziqi’s sleeve and sobbed, "Wu wu wu, Ziqi, I always think of my husband, and yet he scolds me like this. How can I face anyone? Wu wu wu wu, he’s not just scolding me, he’s scolding our Lin Family..."

Before she finished, Qin Siyuan’s voice sounded, "Ziqi, why are you here alone? Didn’t the second sister come?"

The word "alone" was bitten with emphasis.

Evidently, in his eyes, Lady Yu wasn’t human at all.

"Yes, where is my second sister? Didn’t she say she must come to meet Young Master Nantang? Why didn’t she come," Qin Heng also added.

Lady Yu’s cries abruptly stopped.

Lin Ziqi turned red with embarrassment and stammered, "I,"

Lady Yu hurriedly cut in, "The madam is pregnant and shouldn’t be out in crowded places, so she instructed me to accompany my husband."

Qin Heng glanced at Lady Yu and then at Lin Ziqi, his face showing mockery.

Lin Ziqi tried to persist, "Yes, just as Aunt Yu said."

Qin Siyuan sighed and said, "People come to see the lanterns with joy, but here you are, crying and wailing. If there’s something up, perhaps it’s better to come back after resolving it."

"Brother Siyuan speaks wisely, I’ll come back later," Lin Ziqi pulled Lady Yu away in a hasty retreat.

Only then did Shen Changle approach Qin Heng and complain, "This woman came just to sow discord; she’s sharp-faced and mean-spirited, yet thinks she’s smart. I bet all her bones combined don’t weigh two taels.

I don’t know what the second son-in-law was thinking, doting on such a woman, and I wonder how the Second Miss’s days are."

Qin Heng asked, "Stop avoiding the issue, what’s the reason you’re causing a scene here? She’s just a concubine, making a fuss in front of my eldest sister’s shop, her antics driving all the luck away.

You’ve really got a temper, why didn’t you tell my eldest sister and Sister Baozhu? If you’re afraid to chase her away, let them send someone to slap her away."

Qin Siyuan glanced at Qin Heng.

Qin Heng hurriedly said, "Don’t tell my dad. Big brother, let me tell you, this is the principle that only an ill person can deal with another ill person."

Qin Siyuan snorted, "I get it, you think the Big Sister and Seventh Miss are ill people."

"I, I..."

Qin Heng hopped angrily.

Qin Siyuan ignored him, firmly looking at Shen Changle, waiting for his explanation.

Shen Changle beckoned for an attendant, letting the attendant speak.

"You only believe it if the attendant speaks, don’t you."

The attendant and several surrounding scholars explained the situation in a flurry.

Shen Changle said, "I really have no choice; just a word from the second son-in-law could change the rules the madam set. There are so many students at the Imperial College—agreeing to this one, what about the others? This leaves me with no way to explain. But I couldn’t confront the second son-in-law directly, so I had to use that concubine to point a few things out to him. Who told her to bite off more than she can chew?"

Qin Heng approved, "You did right."

Qin Siyuan considered before saying, "Ziqi just wanted to make things convenient for his classmates, not thinking too much. Now that he’s gone, let’s drop it."

Shen Changle said, "I won’t stir up more trouble."

Qin Siyuan then asked, "There are already some people waiting, should we invite them in for tea?"

Shen Changle nodded, "Manager Leng has already made space, but it can’t hold too many people, so these conditions were set to select visitors. Mr. Songshan hasn’t arrived yet, so I had to ask them to wait here."

The lack of space was a problem, and Qin Siyuan couldn’t think of a solution, so he didn’t pursue it further.

Qin Heng wanted to go inside to chat with Qin Yuan and Gu Baoshu but hadn’t taken a step before hearing someone call out from not far away, "Isn’t that Brother Qin? What a coincidence to run into you here!"

Qin Heng turned his head to look, and it was none other than Brother Ximen amidst the crowd watching the excitement.

Qin Heng had to squeeze over to greet them, "Brother Ximen, Yuan Da, Little Brother Hong... you’re here to see the lanterns too."

Little Brother Hong smiled awkwardly, "We just went to Book Sea Pavilion to see the Nine-Turn Lotus Lamp, then heard that there were gardens to tour around Ranxiang Inn with prizes and a chance to meet some esteemed gentlemen, so we came. Didn’t expect such a crowd, it’s lively indeed."

Qin Heng couldn’t say much.

Gu Baoshu instructed them to keep Brother Ximen and Yuan Da occupied, and it would be best to bring them to Book Sea Pavilion.

Little Brother Hong, having little connection with Ximen and the others, did his utmost to ensure this.

Qin Heng considered it and said, "To get prizes, you need to tour the gardens and guess the lantern riddles. The prizes are generous—incense pills hard to buy normally, gift them to sisters at home or use them yourself. Poetry collections, elegantly made, perfect for a scholar’s collection. My second sister loves the poems of Young Master Nantang included in them."

Brother Ximen was instantly piqued, "I’m good at guessing riddles."

He was determined to win the poetry collection and incense pills to please Li Xingshou.

Yuan Da gave him a displeased glance and another towards a different group not far away, muttering something incomprehensible.

Qin Heng also turned to look.

This group seemed more refined than Yuan Da and the others, yet couldn’t hide their rogue nature.

The middle-placed man of medium build, with a white face, slight mustache, and a large red mole on the left side of his face, wore a jade-colored gown, standing like a scholar. Noticing Qin Heng’s gaze, he looked back.

Qin Heng instantly got goosebumps.

It was an indescribable sense of danger.

He quickly averted his gaze, smiling at Yuan Da, "Brother Ximen is talented both in martial and literary arts; surely these lantern riddles won’t stump him. These little items are loved by ladies, even the lanterns are exquisitely charming. They say these are fine goods from the South."

Yuan Da sneered, "Let him guess if he wants; I have no interest in these things, nor anyone to gift them to."

Qin Heng laughed heartily.

Little Brother Hong asked an attendant, sighed, "We can’t write poetry, we might not even get into the garden, it’s fine to just look from outside."

Qin Heng exclaimed, "What about doggerel?"

The attendant glanced at Qin Heng, smiling, "If it were someone else, I’d say no way..."

Before he finished, Yuan Da got agitated, letting out a loud yell that startled everyone to step back a few paces, clearing an area.

Yuan Da, his eyes red, shouted with impatience, "I said what’s so fun about lanterns. Big brother insists we come, so we’re here.

But we can’t even have a proper look, it’s frustrating. It’s all about riddles and poems just to look at some lights, what a hassle.

I say just rush in and take whatever we fancy."