Bai Jinglie swirled the teacup in his hand, gazing at the pedestrians below. "It will be difficult for Prefect Xiao to recover from this. Lu Ping was right to escape."

’Especially that illegitimate daughter, Xiao Wanyu. I think she even tried to seduce me once, but I just wasn’t interested.’

’A restless woman like that is a disaster for any man who gets involved with her.’

"Cousin, are you really planning to focus on your studies here?" Shan Ke’an asked hesitantly, seeing Bai Jinglie frown.

Bai Jinglie replied, "I’ve come all this way. Of course, I’m serious. What’s not to like? The weather is mild, and it’s as bustling as Shangjing. Don’t you want to stay?"

"It’s not a matter of whether I want to or not," Shan Ke’an said, growing anxious on his behalf. "You’ve only just been granted your title and haven’t even established your connections in Shangjing. If that wicked woman pulls some more tricks in the future, you won’t have a single person to speak up for you."

Bai Jinglie raised an eyebrow. "You think I’m afraid of her?"

"Then why?" Shan Ke’an blurted out.

"What do you think of my ranking on the scholar exam?"

"It was great, of course! Even though you weren’t ranked first, placing in the top ten in Shangjing is already very impressive."

"Besides, if you pass the provincial exam next year, you’ll leave that whole crowd speechless."

Bai Jinglie asked, "So, has me becoming a Scholar had any effect on you?"

Shan Ke’an was speechless. ’If it didn’t have an effect, would I have run all the way out here with you?’

’Ever since a prodigy appeared among their group of dandies, life has become truly difficult for those of them who usually just fool around together.’

Bai Jinglie smiled. "So, do you think my ’dear’ stepmother would allow me to become even more distinguished?"

Shan Ke’an leaped to his feet. "How dare she! We’ll go to our grandfather! I refuse to believe she’d actually dare to go up against the Huang family."

"Ke’an, Grandfather is old. He’s about to reach the age of retirement. Do you really think she’s still afraid of him?" ’If my Hidden Guard hadn’t discovered that my food was being tampered with, I truly wouldn’t have made this decision.’

’My own wings aren’t fully fledged yet, and the deterrent power of my maternal family is waning by the day. Even with the Hidden Guard my mother left me, I don’t want to waste my energy on harem squabbles.’

’What’s more, the young masters in Shangjing aren’t as friendly to me as they used to be. To avoid making more enemies, laying low for a while is the only way out.’

...

Listening to the two cousins discuss such matters so openly in front of him, Lu Ping wished he could clamp his hands over his ears. ’If I keep listening,’ he wondered, ’will they silence me for good?’

Noticing his furtive movements, the corner of Bai Jinglie’s mouth twitched. ’If I hadn’t seen a bit of kindness in the kid back then, I never would have kept him around.’

*** 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Taking advantage of the time differential in her space, Jin Qianqian and Gu Wenheng thoroughly recovered from the hardships of the past few days.

The next day, they emerged from their room looking refreshed and radiant, only to find that the others were already awake and gathered together.

"Mr. Wang just had someone deliver a few addresses, all in this neighborhood, for us to choose from," Zhou Ping said when he saw Gu Wenheng, briefly explaining why everyone was gathered.

Gu Wenheng then noticed a sturdy, middle-aged man standing in the center of the group, explaining something to them.

"Have you picked one out, Brother Zhou?" Gu Wenheng asked casually.

Zhou Ping’s expression stiffened for a moment before he quickly recovered. "I was up early, so I already picked out a single room. It’s in a house with the landlord, and the rent is affordable for us."

Gu Wenheng nodded. "That’s good. Living with a local means you can learn the ropes and avoid a lot of common pitfalls."

"That’s exactly what I was thinking," Zhou Ping said, feeling more certain of his choice. "It’s a shame there weren’t many places like it. If there had been two rooms available, it would have been nice for us to live together."

Gu Wenheng remained silent.

Only after all his fellow students had made their selections did Gu Wenheng walk over to look at the remaining listings in the man’s hand.

"Bai Xiucai, please see if there’s anything you require," one of the men said. "This is Zhang Chong, the broker responsible for this district. You can tell him whatever you need."

Gu Wenheng nodded at the broker and took the list from his hand. "Do you have anything that’s a standalone house with a private courtyard, somewhere a bit more secluded?"

Zhang Chong raised his eyebrows. ’I knew I was finding housing for the academy students from the south, so I’d been looking for good-value properties—completely different from what the traveling merchants want. I didn’t expect someone with different tastes.’

"I do have some standalone houses with private courtyards, I just didn’t write them down here. If you’re interested, Scholar, there happen to be two or three right in this neighborhood. Shall we go take a look?"

Gu Wenheng was also eager to settle on a place quickly. "Then I’ll have to trouble you."

"Not at all, it’s my job. Please wait just a moment while I finish the paperwork for these gentlemen, and then we can head out."

’There are still so many scholars waiting,’ he thought. ’I have to get all the leases and addresses settled.’

Gu Wenheng pointed to the wonton stall outside. "Perfect. We haven’t had breakfast yet. We can wait for you over there, is that all right?"

Zhang Chong replied, "Of course."

Gu Wenheng turned to Zhou Ping. "Brother Zhou, would you like to join us for a bowl of wontons?"

Zhou Ping shook his head, a somewhat forced smile on his face. "You two go ahead. I’m not hungry right now."

He was beginning to understand why his wife had tried to stop him yesterday. ’I was the one who failed to see the gap between us. A man who asks for a private courtyard house right off the bat isn’t going to be sharing a rental with someone else.’

***

After they finished a delicious bowl of fresh shrimp wontons and waited a short while longer, Zhang Chong hurried over.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Scholar. Let’s go now." Zhang Chong, already used to the fast pace, immediately began introducing the properties. "These three houses were just vacated by traveling merchants. You’re lucky it’s the end of the year; otherwise, places like these are very hard to come by."

"The courtyards vary in size, though. The largest has ten main and side rooms, while the smallest has four. They are all well-maintained and in good locations, but the price isn’t going to be cheap."

Although the scholar and his wife didn’t look like they were short on money, they didn’t have any servants with them, which made Zhang Chong a little apprehensive.

Jin Qianqian asked, "How many silver taels per month?"

"The largest one is ten taels a month, and the smaller ones are at least five or six."

"Please rest assured. Since you are disciples of Mr. Wang, we won’t overcharge you."

Gu Wenheng smiled. "As long as the house is suitable, we can pay the next few months’ rent upfront."

His words were just the reassurance Zhang Chong needed, and the smile on the broker’s face became much more genuine.

After viewing the three properties, Jin Qianqian found herself favoring a house with two main rooms and four side rooms—six rooms in total—that the broker hadn’t initially described in detail.

The broker hadn’t elaborated on it because even though it only had six rooms, its price was comparable to the largest courtyard home.

"This house is quite nice. It has a simple, straightforward layout, and most importantly, it’s practical," Jin Qianqian said, her eyes sparkling as she took a turn around the room.

Gu Wenheng could tell what she was thinking. Besides, he liked this kind of environment as well.