There was no snow on the bluestone slabs outside Mingquan Garden. Wang Gui pressed his forehead against the cold stone, feeling as if its icy touch were a knife, about to cleave his head open.

Wang Gui remained prostrate, waiting for Chen Ji to appear.

But Chen Ji was slow to emerge.

Not far from Mingquan Garden was Qunfang Garden, where the maidservants lived. Some maids in their sleeping quarters heard Wang Gui’s shouts, quickly donned their clothes, and stepped out to watch the spectacle. Soon, several heads peeked out from the dormitory entrance.

In the freezing late night, the young maidservants’ hands turned purple and their noses red from the cold, yet they were unwilling to miss the unfolding drama.

A slender maidservant squinted, carefully discerning Wang Gui’s back. “Isn’t that the steward?” she asked.

A slightly older maidservant scoffed, “He’s no steward anymore. Just call him Wang Gui.”

The slender maidservant let out an “Oh.” “So Wang Gui was flogged and is now submitting to the Third Young Master? Look at his back; it’s still bleeding. He might freeze to death if he kneels much longer.”

The older maidservant spat to the side. “Serves him right! Besides the first-class maids attending the Young Master, Master, and Madame, who hasn’t he taken advantage of over the years?”

Chen Manor’s maidservants were divided into three ranks.

The first rank served directly under the master, receiving the highest monthly allowance and holding the highest status.

The second rank consisted of maids and sturdy servants responsible for miscellaneous household affairs. Each second-rank maid and sturdy servant oversaw seven or eight third-rank maids, living relatively comfortably.

The worst off were the third-rank maidservants currently present. They received very low monthly wages, lived with twenty or thirty others, and could only marry tenant farmers from the Chen Manor’s estates or shop assistants.

At this point, the maids, seeing no sign of Chen Ji, began to whisper amongst themselves. “Strange,” one chirped, “the Third Young Master used to be so soft-hearted and timid. Wang Gui is begging him like this, so why isn’t he coming out?”

The slender maidservant lowered her voice. “Perhaps studying medicine for two years has changed his personality?”

The older maidservant scoffed. “Impossible. A leopard doesn’t change its spots. A person’s character doesn’t just change easily.”

Saying this, she turned to look at a young maidservant behind her, who had simple twin buns, a round, youthful face, and lively eyes.

The older maidservant said to her, “Xiaoman, you used to serve the Third Young Master. Now that he’s back, why don’t you ask Madame to reassign you to him?”

Xiaoman, the maid with twin buns, muttered softly, “Sister Liqiu, I won’t go. I’d just be swallowing my pride every day by his side.”

Liqiu, exasperated, poked Xiaoman’s forehead with her fingertip. “You good-for-nothing! If you go back to him, you’ll become a first-rank maid again, and your monthly allowance will increase by 300 coins! If you dislike him, just wait until you’re old enough to marry out of the manor. You’ll even get a dowry. It’s much better than us marrying tenant farmers or coachmen.”

Xiaoman lowered her head. “It’s not that I dislike him; it’s just painful to see him so spineless. Anyway, whoever wants to go can go. An extra 300 copper coins a month isn’t worth the humiliation… Sister Liqiu, I want to stay in Luocheng. That way, I won’t have to serve anyone, and I can just grow old and die here.”

“Not marry?”

“No.”

Liqiu whispered, “Didn’t you know? The Third Young Master just received 2,500 taels of silver from the newly established Preparation Bureau. His life is looking up.”

Xiaoman’s eyes widened. “That much?”

Liqiu blew on her cold hands and rubbed them together as she casually remarked, “Even though you might face some frustration by the Third Young Master’s side now, he’s soft-hearted. When you marry, if you ask him nicely, you might get a generous dowry.”

At that moment, a maid gasped softly. “Has the Third Young Master really changed and become hard-hearted? Is he actually planning to let Wang Gui freeze to death here?”

Xiaoman pursed her lips. “How could that be?”

Just as she spoke, the courtyard gate of Mingquan Garden creaked open.

Xiaoman quickly said, “See? I told you so.”

In the dark, Chen Ji opened the courtyard gate, stood within the threshold draped in a large cloak, and calmly asked, “Steward, why are you kneeling at my door in the middle of the night?”

Wang Gui hastily replied, “I’m no longer the steward, Third Young Master. Just call me Wang Gui. I came tonight only to beg for your generosity and forgiveness.”

Chen Ji said indifferently, “Your flogging was Master Chen’s decision. Begging me is useless.”

Wang Gui repeatedly kowtowed, hitting his forehead against the bluestone slab until it bled. “Third Young Master, you are a magnanimous person. All past wrongs were mine. If you are angry, please beat me. However, my aged mother, sixty-seven years old, is waiting for me to return to the capital. If you don’t forgive me, I fear I’ll lose the chance to care for her in her old age and see her off.”

Chen Ji remained expressionless.

The Ning Dynasty governed by filial piety, a family instruction from the Grand Ancestor. Even figures like Grand Secretary Liu and Wang Daosheng had to resign from their official posts and observe three years of mourning upon their fathers’ deaths.

Wang Gui, stripping off his upper garment in the depths of winter to ask for forgiveness by bearing thorns, and expressing a desire to return to the capital to serve his birth mother, demonstrated sincere repentance and a willingness to sacrifice himself for righteousness.

If Chen Ji accepted Wang Gui’s act of apology, it would become a virtuous tale in scholarly circles, highlighting Chen Ji’s benevolence and righteousness. However, if Chen Ji allowed Wang Gui to freeze to death there, it would be deemed unkind and damage the Chen family’s reputation if it spread.

Wang Gui wasn’t truly seeking Chen Ji’s forgiveness; he was staging a ‘bitter flesh’ ploy.

This ploy wasn’t for Chen Ji’s benefit, but for Chen Liqin. Wang Gui was gambling that Chen Liqin would consider the Chen family’s reputation and his affection for his wet nurse.

Chen Ji pondered for a moment. “You wish to serve your birth mother with utmost filial piety, and I am naturally willing to facilitate that.”

Wang Gui looked up, hope in his eyes. “Has the Third Young Master forgiven me? Can I return to the capital with you?”

Chen Ji smiled and said, “What I mean is, I can simply send someone to bring your mother to Luocheng.”

“Huh?” Wang Gui was momentarily stunned.

Chen Ji gestured towards the Chen Manor. “After we move to the capital, this place will be empty. I’ll cover the travel expenses to bring your mother here, and then you can settle her in my Mingquan Garden. Wouldn’t that be wonderful? Luocheng, with its beautiful mountains, clear waters, and talented people, is precisely a good place for retirement.”

“This…” Wang Gui hesitated, his eyes subtly shifting before he quickly reacted. “Third Young Master, my mother is very old and weak. I fear she won’t be able to endure the fatigue of several hundred li of travel.”

Chen Ji calculated the time. “If she takes a fast boat along the Grand Canal, traveling from south to north, she’ll arrive in ten days.”

Wang Gui, gritting his teeth, replied, “My mother gets seasick.”

Chen Ji sighed. “Then there’s nothing to be done. I truly wish to help you fulfill your filial duty, but no method seems suitable. Go back quickly; if you keep kneeling like this, you’ll soon die of hypothermia.”

Wang Gui prostrated himself again, remaining on his knees. “If you do not forgive me, I shall kneel here until I die.”

Chen Ji fell silent.

The young maidservants in Qunfang Garden held their breath, their heads stacked one on top of another outside the doorframe, secretly observing.

Liqiu remarked, “This Wang Gui is truly ruthless. Is he betting on the Third Young Master’s soft heart, daring him not to let someone die?”

Xiaoman pursed her lips. “If it were me, I’d make him kneel here until he died. Just watch, the Third Young Master will surely swallow this humiliation. If he didn’t have this personality, he wouldn’t have been manipulated by others in previous years.”

At the gate of Mingquan Garden, Chen Ji quietly asked, “Steward, are you truly not going to get up?”

Wang Gui replied, “If the Third Young Master doesn’t forgive me, I won’t get up.”

Chen Ji nodded. “Very well, if you won’t get up, then don’t. I’ll take you to Master Chen to settle this.”

Wang Gui remained prostrate on the ground. “I won’t go… What are you doing?!”

The next moment, Chen Ji stepped out, grabbed Wang Gui’s wrist, and dragged him deeper into the Chen Manor.

Wang Gui struggled, emitting a pig-like squeal. “Let go of me!”

However, no matter how much he struggled, he couldn’t break free from the iron-like grip.

Wang Gui could only lie on his back, allowing Chen Ji to drag him further and further along the bluestone path.

The maids outside the door exchanged glances. Liqiu asked, perplexed, “Did I see that right? The Third Young Master just dragged Wang Gui away like that?”

Xiaoman leaned against the doorframe, murmuring, “He… he actually dragged him away like that?”

“The Third Young Master is so strong!”

They had imagined countless possible outcomes: Chen Ji’s soft heart leading to forgiveness, Wang Gui giving up and leaving, or Chen Liqin arriving.

But they never imagined Chen Ji would simply drag Wang Gui away by hand.

The maidservants were momentarily at a loss. Xiaoman, looking at the back of her former master, suddenly felt a pang of bewilderment.

Outside Wenhua Garden, Chen Ji dragged the wailing Wang Gui and knocked forcefully on the door. Chen Liqin, not even fully dressed, hurriedly pushed the door open. “What is all this commotion?” he demanded.

Chen Ji bowed respectfully outside the door. “Master Chen, Wang Gui came to Mingquan Garden in the middle of the night to kneel and ask for forgiveness. He said that if I don’t forgive him, he’ll kneel outside my door until he freezes to death. I couldn’t decide this matter, so I brought him here for your judgment.”

Chen Liqin looked at Wang Gui and angrily exclaimed, “What are you doing, acting so crazy?”

Wang Gui shuffled on his knees towards Chen Liqin, ceaselessly kowtowing and admitting his mistake. “Master, I know I was wrong, I know! Please don’t leave me in Luocheng. You know my mother is old and needs someone to look after her.”

Chen Liqin frowned.

Wang Gui continued, “Whenever my mother mentions you, she says you are the most benevolent and cultured, that even at three years old, you knew to offer the largest pear to your elder brother and mother. She also recounted taking you to the Lantern Festival, saying you could solve all the lantern riddles by the age of four…”

Wang Gui wept. “Master, she accompanied you until you were fourteen, caring for your daily needs day and night. How could you bear to see her live out her final years in solitude?”

Chen Liqin said, annoyed, “Enough!”

Wang Gui fell silent.

A wet nurse, or nursemaid, was not merely responsible for feeding; she continuously cared for a young child’s daily needs, imparted elementary knowledge, and accompanied them until adulthood.

Within deep palaces and grand mansions, nursemaids compensated for the absence of a mother. Many officials and nobles, even after reaching adulthood, would treat and support their nursemaids as if they were half-mothers.

Chen Liqin was precisely one such person.

At this moment, Chen Liqin, recalling past memories, subconsciously looked at Chen Ji. “You… he seems genuinely remorseful this time.”

Chen Ji calmly asked, “What is Master Chen’s intention?”

Chen Liqin remained silent for a long time. “His mother is indeed very old… He made a mistake out of momentary foolishness before, but he was punished by flogging, and now he’s come to apologize with thorns. He must truly understand his wrongdoing. Of course, I won’t let him continue as steward; he’ll simply return to the capital with us. What do you think?”

Chen Ji thought for a moment. “Master Chen, perhaps it would be better to return Wang Gui’s bond to him, let him go home, and no longer work for the Chen Manor.”

Chen Liqin looked somewhat troubled. “I once promised his mother I’d give him a position… How about this: we’ll observe him for a while. If he shows any signs of misconduct again, I’ll expel him from the manor. If he truly reforms, we’ll give him a chance to start anew.”

Chen Ji observed Chen Liqin for a long time in the darkness, then stepped back, bowed with a smile, and said, “No matter. It’s entirely up to Master Chen.”

Chen Liqin let out a sigh of relief, then glared down at Wang Gui at his feet. “Get out of here, quickly! You’re making a spectacle of yourself! Go back to your home, and don’t appear before Chen Ji again before we return to the capital and bother him.”

Wang Gui hastily stood up. “I understand, I understand!”

Wang Gui returned to his sleeping quarters, put on his clothes, and limped out through the side gate of the Chen Manor. He turned down a few small alleys and knocked on the door of a house.

The courtyard door opened to reveal a beautiful woman, who exclaimed in surprise, “Master, it’s not even a day off today. Why are you back in the middle of the night?”

Wang Gui said, trembling, “Help me inside first.”

The woman helped him, asking worriedly, “Master, what happened? Why are you limping?”

Wang Gui’s face was ashen. He offered no explanation, simply whispering, “Start packing. We’ll be preparing to return to the capital in a few days.”

The woman helped Wang Gui lie prone on the bed, rubbing his cold arms and legs with her hands to warm him.

When she saw the injuries on Wang Gui’s back and buttocks, tears welled up in her eyes out of distress. “Master, what happened to you? Who beat you like this? Let’s report it to the authorities!”

Wang Gui remained silent, allowing the woman to rub him for a while before he finally caught his breath.

“Don’t report it to the authorities; the officials can’t handle this matter,” he commanded with closed eyes. “Gather all the gold, silver, and valuables in the house. Tomorrow, call a carter from the transport service and find a security escort to take them to the capital. Don’t travel with the Chen family; transport the valuables to the capital separately and deliver them to my mother.”

The woman assented with a soft “Yes.”

Wang Gui opened his eyes and said, “Where’s the box I brought back on the day of the military chaos? I want to see it.”

The woman bent down and, with effort, pulled a wooden box from under the bed and opened it. Inside, it was full of gold and silver jewelry, including Madame Liang’s most cherished phoenix coronet with blue floral ornaments.

On the day of the Liu family’s rebellion, Chen Liqin and Zhang Zhuo were confined to the government office, while Madame Liang hid in a farmstead outside the city.

Wang Gui took advantage of this opportunity to amass considerable wealth. Later, he blamed all the looting on the Liu family’s soldiers, secretly pocketing a box of gold, silver, and valuables for himself.

Now, seeing that the box of gold and silver jewelry was still there, he let out a long sigh of relief.

Wang Gui’s gaze settled on the phoenix coronet with blue floral ornaments, which Madame Liang had worn on her wedding day.

A moment later, Wang Gui’s expression became unreadable. “Put on this headdress,” he commanded.

The woman gasped, her face filled with delight, but she demurred, “Master, why do you want me to wear this phoenix coronet headdress? I’m not worthy of such a fine item.”

Wang Gui snapped, “Just put it on if I tell you to! Where’s all this nonsense coming from?”

The woman sat down dejectedly at the dressing table and, facing the brass mirror, placed the headdress on her head.

Wang Gui squinted. In the dimly lit room, the woman’s face was no longer clearly visible; only the phoenix coronet headdress gleamed faintly in the weak candlelight.

As soon as the woman had put on the headdress, Wang Gui climbed off the bed. Ignoring his own pain, he pressed her firmly against the dressing table and lifted her skirt from behind.

“Master, please don’t do this. You’re still injured…”

“Silence.”

“Master, it looks like a tabby cat is watching us from the window lattice.”

“Silence!”