The Overachieving Little Husband of the Top Scholar’s Household - Chapter 52: Preservation

Qiu Huanian responded with a neutral hum, as if he had merely asked in passing, allowing the Bai family servant to breathe a sigh of relief.

This servant had not been brought from the capital by Bai Yanwen but was newly purchased after arriving in Zhang County due to a shortage of manpower. Because of this, he lacked the confidence to put on airs and was afraid of accidentally losing his relatively easy job.

Comparing the servant’s accent, Qiu Huanian realized he was a local of Zhang County.

This was strange. In ancient times, the servants of wealthy and prestigious families were often passed down through generations. Although Bai Yanwen was merely a merchant, he had the backing of the Second Prince. It was unlikely that he could not find a group of trained servants to accompany him to Liaozhou.

The fact that Bai Yanwen had to purchase a new batch of servants upon arriving in Zhang County and immediately place them in key positions, such as receiving guests at the entrance, suggested that he had brought very few people when leaving the capital. At the time, he had not anticipated needing to purchase an estate in Zhang County and urgently requiring staff.

What exactly had caused Bai Yanwen to change his original plans?

Qiu Huanian, Du Yunse, and Yun Cheng entered the garden, and as expected, most of the servants inside spoke with local Zhang County accents. Due to the mixed backgrounds of the staff, the garden was somewhat disorganized. As more guests arrived, the chaos became even more apparent.

Xiefang Garden was designed with shifting scenery at every step, featuring winding paths and hidden spots. Taihu stones and other natural elements were strategically placed to obstruct direct sightlines, preventing anyone from taking in the entire layout at a glance.

At the center of Xiefang Garden, a waterside pavilion was the most spacious area. Six or seven round tables had already been set up, with fruits and pastries arranged on them for guests to enjoy before the main meal.

The seating for xiucai and tongsheng was separate, so Yun Cheng and Qiu Huanian were seated apart. Since the county-level exam, Du Yunse’s previously forgotten reputation as a child prodigy had been revived, making him a well-known figure in Zhang County’s academic circles.

As he had not studied at the county academy before and had only appeared during examinations, those wishing to befriend him had found no opportunity. Now that they were finally attending the same banquet, everyone who had even the slightest connection to him came over to chat.

Qiu Huanian had no interest in exchanging superficial pleasantries with so many people who harbored ulterior motives. Du Yunse, understanding his temperament, quietly stood up and led those people aside to talk, leaving Qiu Huanian in peace.

Having traveled from the village to the county without a break, Qiu Huanian drank half a cup of tea before standing up and asking a maid in the waterside pavilion where the restroom was.

He briefly informed Du Yunse, who was too occupied to leave, and after making several turns, he finally found the place. After relieving himself, he washed his hands with zaodou and prepared to return to the pavilion.

Qiu Huanian had a good sense of direction. Though the garden’s paths were winding and his view was occasionally obstructed by a rock screen, a wisteria tree, or a cluster of Taihu stones, he followed the route he had memorized and did not take any wrong turns.

Lifting the hem of his robe slightly, he walked briskly. Just as he was about to round a half-withered Chinese rose trellis, he suddenly heard footsteps from the other side, where his line of sight could not reach.

Uncertain about who might be in the garden, Qiu Huanian instinctively stopped and hid behind a moon gate.

A man emerged from behind the Chinese roses. Qiu Huanian glanced at him briefly before averting his gaze. The man was in his thirties, dressed in purple brocade with gold embroidery. His features were proper enough, but his entire demeanor exuded an air of weakness, and the scent of alcohol clung to him—altogether unpleasant.

Qiu Huanian found him somewhat familiar. A moment’s recollection made him realize that his eyes bore some resemblance to Yu Chuan and her brother, meaning this was likely Bai Yanwen.

Without a change in expression, Qiu Huanian placed his right hand over his left sleeve, where a hidden blade lay—the Fushu Sword gifted by Shiliu.

Before leaving, Qiu Huanian had been struck by a whim and retrieved the sword from his cabinet. He had merely thought it would be amusing to carry a concealed weapon on a rare formal outing.

Unexpectedly, it might actually come in handy.

Bai Yanwen glanced toward the moon gate but failed to notice Qiu Huanian, who had already hidden.

“I’m heading to the banquet now. Make sure to keep an eye on the one inside. Don’t let anything go wrong.”

“This one is reserved for Lord Zhao. He’ll be arriving tonight. If anything happens, I’ll hold you accountable!”

The steward beside Bai Yanwen was also familiar to Qiu Huanian—it was Fan Qi, the man who had delivered the invitation the other day.

“Rest assured, Master,” Fan Qi replied. “That Wei Dexing said his little brother is the kind who wouldn’t make a sound even if stabbed with a needle. There won’t be any problems.”

Bai Yanwen hummed in acknowledgment. “Leave it at that for now. If Lord Zhao wants to take him away, prepare him properly. If not, send him to me.”

The two turned and left. Only when their footsteps faded did Qiu Huanian finally exhale.

Looking behind him, he saw that the moon gate concealed a small room.

Inside was Wei Li.

Because many of the servants in the garden were newly bought and preoccupied with the banquet, security here was lax—there wasn’t a single guard in sight.

Qiu Huanian thought of the pitiable ge’er he had met once before and sighed. Carefully, he poked a hole in the window paper to confirm that only Wei Li was inside, bound hand and foot, before swiftly stepping in.

“You—” Wei Li’s face was streaked with tears, his voice trembling.

“Don’t talk,” Qiu Huanian said as he drew his hidden sword. The razor-sharp blade sliced through the thick rope and iron lock effortlessly.

He took out a silver qian and a handful of copper coins from his pocket and stuffed them into Wei Li’s hands.

“I won’t interfere with your choices or try to persuade you. I’m just giving you an option. Head straight out of here until you reach the wisteria tree. Then go west, circle around the inscribed rock screen, and walk east for a dozen steps—you’ll find the latrine. Directly south of the latrine is a small gate with almost no guards. If you want to leave, now is the time.”

“I—” Wei Li’s voice was barely louder than a mosquito’s.

“You can also stay. Tonight, you’ll serve the imperial envoy. If you’re lucky, you might become his concubine. If not, Bai Yanwen wants you too. It’s up to you.”

Qiu Huanian sheathed his sword without hesitation and left. After all, this was someone else’s estate, and every extra moment he lingered increased the risk.

Just as he stepped out the door, a weak yet determined voice sounded behind him.

“I—I am not that kind of person…”

Qiu Huanian turned back. Wei Li, draped in sheer silk, had a delicate figure and an exquisite face that made him appear utterly enticing. Yet at this moment, the light radiating from his tear-streaked face was more beautiful than his body.

Summoning all his courage, he defended himself, “I am not that kind of person!”

“Then go and become the person you want to be,” Qiu Huanian said before walking away.

Wei Li took a deep breath, stumbled to his feet, grabbed a set of servant’s clothes from a cabinet, and hurriedly put them on.

He secured the money Qiu Huanian had given him, scooped up some dirt from a flowerpot to rub on his face, and ran out of the room, his heart pounding.

Leaving behind the humiliating silk robes, the severed ropes, and everything else far behind him.

…

Qiu Huanian returned to the waterside pavilion as if nothing had happened. Just as he was about to find Du Yunse, someone suddenly called out to him.

Turning, he saw the drunken Bai Yanwen.

“Fan Qi, what kind of job are you doing? How did you let someone wander in here?!” Bai Yanwen, half-drunk, suddenly spotted such a beauty in his own garden and instinctively assumed this was the ge’er sent by Wei Dexing.

Fan Qi, being reprimanded, hurried over, took one look at Qiu Huanian, and quickly tugged at his master’s sleeve. “Master, this is not the ge’er sent by the Wei family!”

“Not?” Bai Yanwen was instantly delighted. He had originally planned to hand Wei Li over to the Imperial Commissioner, Zhao Tianyu, so he had been restraining himself. But now, he no longer had any such concerns.

“Where did you buy such a beauty? How come I hadn’t noticed? With such looks, why wasn’t he sent to my chambers earlier?”

Fan Qi broke out in a cold sweat. Once his master had been drinking, he lost all self-control, blurting out all sorts of nonsense. When he sobered up later and regretted his words, it was always the servants who ended up suffering for it.

Fan Qi leaned in close to Bai Yanwen’s ear and urgently reminded him, “Master, he is not one of the new servants we bought. He is Scholar Du’s husband and should have accompanied him to the banquet today.”

“He is the one who achieved the Xiao Sanyuan, whose teacher is Wen Huiyang. Before we left, ‘that person’ even specially mentioned Du Yunse by name!”

Fan Qi thought he had spoken discreetly, assuming a rural-born ge’er like Qiu Huanian wouldn’t understand anything. But Qiu Huanian had already memorized all the information in their conversation.

It seemed Du Yunse was indeed one of their targets, though he had not yet become their primary objective.

He hadn’t expected to gain such unexpected information from this outing.

“……” Bai Yanwen, after Fan Qi’s reminder, finally managed to restrain himself a little. His regretful gaze slowly swept over Qiu Huanian.

Qiu Huainan felt as if he were being soaked in rancid lard, his stomach churning with disgust. Just as he was about to retort, a hand suddenly wrapped around his shoulder from behind.

“Boss Bai, you invited us here with formal invitations, yet you appear drunk and speak frivolous words, offending my family. Are you deliberately trying to give the scholars of Zhang County a show of force?” Du Yunse’s calm voice carried a chilling anger.

The scholars who had been conversing with Du Yunse all gathered around, their gazes unfriendly.

There had always been a hierarchy between scholars and merchants in society. The scholars who attended the banquet at Xiefang Garden, all of whom had at least passed the preliminary scholar exam, had done so largely out of respect for the county magistrate and the imperial inspector mentioned in rumors. Now, seeing Bai Yanwen use this occasion to humiliate them, who could endure such an insult?

Realizing that the matter entrusted to him by Lord Zhao was on the verge of collapse, Bai Yanwen was jolted awake, his drunkenness instantly dissipating.

Last time, he had suffered the cold shoulder from the Second Prince due to a mistake made while drinking. This time, he had finally regained the prince’s attention through his legitimate wife’s maneuvering and his own business experience in Liaozhou. He absolutely could not afford another major blunder!

Bai Yanwen hastily straightened his collar, squared his shoulders, and did his best to appear composed and dignified.

“Young Master Du, what are you saying? I had a bit too much to drink and mistook him for someone else. How could I have intended to intimidate you all? I will personally apologize to you and your Ge’er. You are a future pillar of the imperial court; please do not hold a petty man like me to account.”

Bai Yanwen’s quick shift in demeanor and willingness to back down left Qiu Huainan momentarily speechless. No wonder he was able to work for the Second Prince—with a face as thick as his, he surpassed most people.

Scholars, after all, could not compete with seasoned merchants in shamelessness. With Bai Yanwen lowering himself so much, there was little left to be said.

Meeting Du Yunse’s unyielding gaze, Bai Yanwen cursed inwardly but only piled on a more ingratiating smile.

“This entire situation is entirely my fault for having a few drinks too many. Young Master Du has every right to be angry. I will prepare a gift of apology for your Ge’er right away—you must accept it.”

Bai Yanwen painfully issued instructions to Fan Qi. Moments later, Fan Qi returned carrying a box.

With so many people watching and the matter nearly turning into a disaster, Bai Yanwen had no choice but to pay dearly. Due to the urgency, there had been no time to select carefully, so the box held at least a dozen pieces of high-quality jewelry, though it was unclear whom they had originally belonged to.

As Bai Yanwen anxiously awaited Du Yunse’s response, Du Yunse turned to Qiu Huainan instead.

Qiu Huainan smiled at him, indicating that he was fine.

If Du Yunse’s status were not so unique, and if they were not already aware that the imperial inspector would be visiting that evening, Qiu Huainan would not have minded completely exposing the hypocrisy Bai Yanwen had worked so hard to maintain.

But to play it safe, Qiu Huainan decided to accept some compensation for now and settle the rest later.

Qiu Huainan took the box, and before Bai Yanwen could sigh in relief, he gave a dazzling smile. “Boss Bai, you are so generous when making amends—why, then, would you commit the heartless act of abandoning your wife and children?”

Abandoning his wife and children? The gathered crowd, still reeling from Bai Yanwen’s barely resolved offense, was stunned to hear of another disgraceful deed.

“There is a woman from our Du family village named Du Zirong. She recently returned home with her two children, saying that her husband had cast her out. Based on their appearances, names, and the story she told, it seems that husband of hers is none other than Boss Bai.”

“How pitiful—they scrape by on meager scraps in the countryside while Boss Bai hosts lavish banquets in town. If this is how Boss Bai treats women from Zhang County after marrying them, how can the people of Zhang County ever trust you again?”

Bai Yanwen was caught completely off guard by Du Zirong’s name and was momentarily at a loss for words.

She was just a concubine! And those were merely two illegitimate children who had been led astray—how was that abandonment? This Ge’er was twisting the truth beyond recognition!

He came to his senses and tried to refute it, but Qiu Huainan gave him no chance. He had already accepted the compensation, exposed the truth, and now had no intention of lingering.

“With such an incident today, this is no longer a respectable banquet, and we can no longer consider ourselves welcome guests. We shall take our leave now. Boss Bai, I hope you will conduct yourself with more integrity in the future.”

Du Yunse immediately followed with, “We are not people of the same path—why should we share the same table?”

The two departed hand in hand. With Du Yunse, the most prominent scholar in Zhang County and a “Xiao Sanyuan” titleholder, taking the lead, the other scholars’ pride surged. They, too, had no desire to continue attending the banquet of such a dishonorable merchant and began rising to leave.

If only a few people had spoken out, there might have been hesitation. But with Du Yunse setting the example, many followed suit, emboldening those who had been uncertain. Scholars valued their reputations—staying at this banquet any longer would be too shameful.

Bai Yanwen futilely attempted to retain them, but seeing the situation was beyond salvage, he forced a smile and hurriedly ordered Fan Qi and the others to arrange for guests to be escorted out—at least preserving some final semblance of dignity.

With so many guests leaving at once, every available servant was called to the front gate. Near an unguarded side door, a figure hesitated briefly behind a tree before swiftly slipping out.

…

After returning from the banquet, Qiu Huainan kept waiting for news from the county, but all he heard was that Bai Yanwen had left Zhang County for the capital. The events at the Xiefang Garden banquet seemed to have been deliberately covered up.

“Zhao Tianyu dealt with Bai Yanwen and then left Zhang County. Magistrate Wang said he couldn’t figure out that man’s true intentions.”

Qiu Huainan stroked his chin. “That imperial inspector certainly acts with thunderous speed. Since Bai Yanwen failed his task, he simply removed him altogether. I wonder what Bai Yanwen was originally sent to Zhang County to do.”

Du Yunse, pouring a cup of sweet pear water, paused for a moment before continuing. The household’s pear harvest had been abundant, and Qiu Huainan had devised many ways to use them—sweet pear water being one of them. Each day, they made a large pot, which was both soothing to the lungs and a remedy for dryness.

“Perhaps… this actually played right into his hands.”

Qiu Huainan took a sip of the warm drink. “You think Zhao Tianyu intended to get rid of Bai Yanwen from the start?”

The idea seemed counterintuitive at first, but upon closer examination, all the details aligned.

If Qiu Huainan hadn’t helped Wei Li escape and then been verbally harassed by Bai Yanwen, leading to a public humiliation for the merchant, the outcome could have been different. The likely scenario would have been Zhao Tianyu arriving at the banquet, feigning outrage upon seeing the prepared Wei Li, using the moment as an excuse to expel Bai Yanwen from Liaozhou, all while crafting an image of himself as an upright official unswayed by beauty.

But if that had been the plan, then Wei Li’s fate would have been utterly tragic.

Du Yunse shook his head. “It’s just a hypothesis. We can’t rule out other possibilities. The only confirmed fact is that Zhao Tianyu decisively removed Bai Yanwen.”

“No matter what, Bai Yanwen is gone, and Zhao Tianyu is far away in Xiangping Prefecture. Our days will be peaceful for now,” Qiu Huainan sighed in relief.

“The cotton we’ve gathered is enough. In a few days, we’ll start fluffing it, keeping some for ourselves and sending a message to Zhu Jingcheng to have his people come collect the rest.”

“And since autumn has arrived, we should also take advantage of the harvest to stock up for winter.”