"The vase, I’m asking you to look at the flowers inside the vase!"

Yu Tingwan was furious.

The man beside her looked serious, took a few steps forward, and his jade-like fingertips brushed over the long-necked, slope-shouldered vase made of porcelain, touching one of the delicate crabapple blossoms, giving it a casual flick.

Each flower would be beautiful on its own.

But the color combination wasn’t good, and there were too many.

There was no need to guess whose handiwork it was.

After all, he had seen the vase in his mother’s room.

Wei Zhao looked calm and lowered his eyes: "Flowers arranged in this style are quite novel, I’d like to order ten thousand of them."

???

Wei Zhao: "I find it intriguing."

???

Wei Zhao: "The price is negotiable."

Yu Tingwan straightened her back instantly.

"What for?"

Yu Tingwan’s lips curled up: "Husband, do you want to decorate the whole courtyard with them?"

Although she personally found them a bit repulsive, as they were hard to look at even for her.

"Yes."

Wei Zhao looked at her lightly: "Are you happy now?"

Yu Tingwan: ? 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Wei Zhao subtly and meaningfully: "Can that make me happy too?"

Your intentions are really too obvious.

Yu Tingwan met his unabashed black eyes, and her throat inexplicably went dry.

"Be honest! Do you think it’s good or not?"

"This isn’t good."

"Speak!"

Wei Zhao spoke the truth, without hesitation: "Ugly."

He added: "Hurts the eyes."

Wei Zhao: "But I still want to order ten thousand."

Yu Tingwan was initially disheartened, but upon hearing this, her eyes sparkled brightly.

Yet she was unsure: "Don’t say it’s because you have money to burn."

"No."

The next moment.

He said recklessly: "In future battles, we can just throw the vases at them, their destructive power is not less than any weapon."

Yu Tingwan: ??

Knowing she made them, even if they’re ugly, just saying ’ugly’ would suffice, no need for so many comments!

You are still you.

Still in need of a beating.

"Sister-in-law!"

At this moment, the wailing of Ning Yunling came from outside. He began knocking on the door.

Wei Zhao’s eyelid twitched.

Really.

Offensive to the eye.

"Get lost."

The noise outside quieted down.

Then his voice grew louder.

"Brother, you’re here too! Help me, stand up for me!"

"I heard sister-in-law was bullied by the Yang Family, so I was so angry I went to beat them up. But something unexpected happened!"

After who knows how long, the door creaked open.

Wei Zhao’s expression was indifferent, making Ning Yunling shiver inexplicably.

Just heard a cold snort.

"Those bullying your sister-in-law were the Yang family women, you didn’t hit them but went for Yang Family’s son?"

Ning Yunling’s eyes shifted: "I don’t hit women."

"Heh."

Wei Zhao: "You think I forgot the mess under your belt?"

Never hitting women. If Ning Yunling really wants to fight, if he’s in the right, he won’t spare anyone regardless of age or gender.

Yu Tingwan changed her clothes leisurely and walked over.

Her voice arrived before she did.

Her tone was gentle.

"Yang Family’s son is taking Lu Family’s daughter as a concubine, why do you use my name to stand up for others?"

She peeked out from behind. Upon seeing the bruises on Ning Yunling’s face and the large bump on his forehead, she fell silent.

Small... accident?

"What happened?"

Caught red-handed, Ning Yunling decided to spill the beans: "...Didn’t... couldn’t beat him."

Wei Zhao: ...

Yu Tingwan: ...

Even hearing it was embarrassing.

Yu Tingwan: "Oh, so Yang Family’s son fought back, didn’t he?"

Really, she truly is a good sister-in-law.

Yu Tingwan said with a perfectly straight face: "Although you stirred up trouble at his house first, why did he hit back? Couldn’t he just stand there and let you hit him?"

"Once you’ve had enough, you’d stop. Wouldn’t take his life. Couldn’t he cooperate a bit?"

Ning Yunling was so moved!!

He was almost in tears.

But...

"That’s not it, this injury has nothing to do with him."

"When I charged at him, I slipped and hit the table in his study, my forehead hit the ink block on top."

"I jumped up from the pain, and knocked over a bookshelf beside me."

The books on that shelf all fell on him!

Yu Tingwan: ???

"Huh?"

She sincerely didn’t understand: "Then how could you have the nerve to let your brother stand up for you?"

Ning Yunling: "Yang Shu laughed at me!"

Yu Tingwan was puzzled and blurted out: "But you... aren’t you just a joke?"

If she were Ning Yunling, this fool, she’d be too embarrassed to go out.

————

In the coming days, Daoist Bao Pu at the foot of Changdu Temple became even more renowned.

First, the Yuan Family of the Ministry of Communication invited him for a ritual.

Then, merchants in Shangjing who believed in these things also invited him for rituals.

Bao Pu became the focus of everyone’s attention.

"That Daoist has an immortal air, though he’s young, his skills are impressive!"

"He’s staying briefly in Shangjing these days, after all, traveling back and forth was troublesome. He rented a place in City Lane, where the rent isn’t cheap."

"He doesn’t need to pay rent; the old owner on City Lane had nightmares for years, tried many doctors, visited many Buddhist and Taoist temples, none worked. Recently received a peace charm from him and got better. Lately, he’s been glowing with health, and knowing the Daoist needed a place to stay, he hurriedly cleaned an empty house, saying the Daoist can stay as long as he likes, and arranges for meals to be sent three times a day."

"These days, City Lane is bustling with people, all going for fortune-telling. But he still only sees three clients a day."

The conversations on the street reached Lady Yang, the Minister of the Ministry, who was dining in a private room on the second floor of Drunken Pavilion.

Her expression was less than pleasant.

Since offending the Wei and Gu Families, she had been ostracized by many family ladies, nowhere near her previous radiance.

These days, everything seemed to go wrong. Her husband even blamed her for inefficiency, spending his days in the concubine’s quarters.

The handkerchief-wielding Lady Yuan across from her filled her plate to console her.

"I think you’re too strong-headed, those haughty family ladies only flatter Jiasan and Ning Suxuan, why care about them?"

"Your Mr. Yang has talent, let him climb further up. The Fourth Prince recently gained favor with the Holy Emperor, and if he succeeds, what are Gu and Wei families to you? What would you lack then?"

But Lady Yang didn’t touch her food, her mind was elsewhere.

She seemed enlightened, asking: "How effective was the Daoist your family invited recently?"

This question stirred Lady Yuan’s excitement.

"I was just about to mention it."

"My family’s old lady caught a cold a few days ago, couldn’t recover for a while. After he conducted a ritual, she recovered quickly, and now she scolds with full force."

She couldn’t stop once she started.

"The family’s fortune also improved. My husband is doing well in court, and recently, our eldest son’s wife found she’s expecting."