Chapter 40: Adopted Son (Requesting Monthly Tickets)

Yuetang remained unfazed. "To earn the money of a Top Scholar, I naturally must make sufficient preparations.

"These are not secrets. As long as one knows enough people in the capital, it isn't difficult to inquire."

She cast a glance toward him. "If this succeeds, charging you five hundred taels of silver wouldn't be considered excessive, would it?"

Five hundred taels was certainly not a small amount!

But hearing this, the tension in Xu He's face actually eased.

In the past, he had heard that the powerful and wealthy often had many shady dealings and frequently hired people to handle matters externally.

It sounded as if this was her line of work.

In short, since she was after money, things would be easy to handle.

Forget about whether five hundred taels was expensive to buy her indictment and resolve this marriage; even if he felt truly aggrieved, once the matter was settled, he could simply sue her later under the pretext of extortion or theft. It wasn't impossible.

Thinking this, he took two more sips of tea.

But while the tea was still in his mouth, he thought of another extremely urgent matter: "But my ex-wife is still in Luoyang; she cannot arrive in a short amount of time."

"Why must it be her?" Yuetang smiled. "If you are willing to add another five hundred taels, I can act as Lady He for you, allowing you, Top Scholar, to complete this matter with peace of mind. How does that sound?"

"You?"

"I am not capable?"

Xu He held his breath as he scrutinized her, then quickly turned his body away.

This woman was roughly the same age as the He woman, but her face was excessively beautiful. Covering it with the reputation of a "wife of hardship" might make it difficult to win public support.

However, no one in the capital knew the real Lady He, so that wasn't an issue either.

The key was that this woman was exceptionally intelligent and sharp-witted; she was likely accustomed to doing such things for powerful families. If she took the lead, there would likely be no problems.

But the difficulty lay in this: if she appeared under Lady He's identity, it would be hard to sue her for extortion or theft in the future.

Yuetang withdrew her gaze from his face. "If the Top Scholar finds it too expensive, then so be it. You are free to seek someone else.

"But for my indictment and this proposal of mine, I will certainly demand five hundred taels.

"Please have the silver sealed and sent over. Once we have written a document proving the legality of this sum, I shall depart immediately."

Xu He frowned, simply because he could not find anyone more suitable than her in the moment.

Fine. A thousand taels or so was not something he couldn't afford. If he truly felt it wasn't worth it later—

Since she had already appeared in public as his wife, even if he, as the "husband," decided to deal with his wife behind closed doors, no one would dare say anything, right?

There would be plenty of ways to deal with her, surely?

With this thought, his mind was made up. He sat back down. "Then it shall be as you say. From this moment on, you are my long-lost wife, Lady He, who was separated from me due to unforeseen circumstances. Until this matter is completely resolved, you must reside in my Xu residence."

"Naturally!" Yuetang smiled. "Not only will I move in, but several of my attendants will also stay with me. This is to prevent any misunderstanding that I have run off if I need to go out for something.

"However, you must pay me the five hundred taels today. Only after we have signed a written agreement will this matter be official."

The corners of Xu He's mouth twitched. "Rest assured regarding the silver." He beckoned to his servant. "Bring the accountant here!"

...

The Xu residence was occupied only by the mother and son, leaving several other courtyards vacant.

The place where Yuetang and her group were staying was called Qingyun Studio.

On the way there, Huo Yun couldn't help but ask, "We came for the birthday banquet. Since Xu He has broken off his engagement with the Duan family, will the Du family still invite him to the feast?"

Yuetang calmly scanned the scenery along the way. "The Du family is undoubtedly determined to have Xu He.

"Even if the engagement is broken, they will surely find another way to bind him.

"He won't escape.

"Put your heart at ease; we are definitely going to this banquet.

"Once Xu He leaves, go and bring Lanqin and the others here. While we stay here, we can follow the Du family's intentions to trace the person behind them.

"At the same time, with the identity of the Top Scholar's wife protecting us, we can also avoid the searches from the Prince of Jingyang's manor."

Huo Yun clapped his hands in delight. "Exactly! The Prince of Jingyang is looking for someone—could he really send people to search the Top Scholar's manor? This truly kills two birds with one stone!"

...

When Du Yu returned to the Marquis's manor and explained the situation to the Marquis of Guangling, the Marquis began cursing the Xu family once again.

After all, the Xu family had arranged the matter, and the Xu family had submitted the indictment. Yet, just as it was about to succeed, a disaster struck at the critical moment!

How did that indictment end up in Xu He's hands?

Was there someone in the Court of Judicial Review working against their Marquis manor?

They had to investigate!

They had to investigate!!

Du Yu was once again kicked out.

The Marquis of Guangling sat down, wondering why he had been so unlucky lately.

Not a single matter went smoothly. The massive issues with the He and Zhang families were one thing, but how could even a small matter like Xu He nearly slip through their fingers?!

What exactly was wrong?

Which deity of misfortune had he offended?

Before he could even catch his breath, two servants rushed in one after the other, reporting the same thing: "Marquis!

"There has been a change at the Xu residence! Just now, rumors have been spreading all over the streets that the Top Scholar's long-lost wife has arrived in the capital!"

The Marquis of Guangling nearly choked on his tea. He dropped the teacup. "What long-lost wife? Wasn't his original wife already sent off to Luoyang by our men?"

"She has come back! The Xu residence is now tightly closed, and it is said the neighbors all know! They even saw her with their own eyes!"

The Marquis of Guangling was stunned. The mess caused by the Xu family had only just been settled, and now this damn long-lost wife had come knocking?

If she had come back, what would happen to the marriage between Xu He and the Duan family?

No, this wasn't right!

Why was everything happening all at once?

He instinctively rushed toward the door.

But someone else arrived outside, lifting the hem of their robe as they approached. "Marquis! Master Xu has arrived!"

The Marquis of Guangling stopped at the door and glanced over, seeing indeed that Xu He had entered.

"Marquis." Upon reaching him, Xu He gave a deep bow and presented the marriage proposal document. "I am grateful for the Marquis manor's kindness in acting as a matchmaker between myself and the young lady of the Duan family. However, it is most unfortunate that I am beset by family matters and can no longer fulfill the engagement.

"For the sake of Miss Duan's reputation and to maintain the Marquis's honor, I beg for your forgiveness and ask that you represent me in explaining this to the Duan family."

A lump of indignation lodged in the Marquis's chest, making it hard to breathe!

"You are here to break the engagement?"

Xu He nodded silently. "The news has surely reached the Marquis manor. You must know, Marquis, that I am truly helpless."

"How did she suddenly reappear? Weren't we told we had already paid to settle her?" The Marquis of Guangling pounded the table loudly. "Didn't you say she only had a widowed mother and no political backing? How could she have the audacity to come to the capital to cause trouble? Who is instigating this from behind the scenes?"

"I do not know either. In any case, the matter has already occurred, and I cannot deny it. I beg for your forgiveness, Marquis!"

Xu He bowed again with both hands.

The Marquis of Guangling looked at the top of his head, truly at a loss for words.

Since things had reached this point and the streets were buzzing with rumors that the long-lost wife of the Top Scholar had arrived in the capital, no one could truly suppress it.

Even if he personally stepped forward—

Could he even do that?

The He family matter wasn't even over yet; how many eyes were watching? If he were to suppress the woman's "wife of hardship" status now, wouldn't he be inviting retaliation?

Feeling utterly despondent, he sat back in his chair.

"Since this is your own decision, what more can I say? Leave the document."

Xu He instantly breathed a sigh of relief and placed the document on the desk with both hands. He bowed and retreated toward the door, preparing to leave.

The Marquis of Guangling watched him, but then called out, "Wait."

Xu He stopped.

"It seems we lack a bit of the connection one would have with a relative." The Marquis of Guangling gripped his knees and rose slowly, his tone softening. "Since the marriage cannot happen, you wouldn't treat this old man as a stranger, would you?"

"The Marquis has been kind enough to mentor me; how would I dare?"

"That is good," the Marquis of Guangling stopped in front of him. "Since you speak of kindness, how about I take you as my foster son?"

Xu He was stunned.

The Marquis of Guangling smiled. "You wouldn't find my status insufficient, would you?"

Xu He replied with trepidation, "I would never dream of such a thing!"

"Since you have no such intention, then it is settled." The Marquis of Guangling stroked his beard. "I will handle the Fu family matters for you.

"At the birthday banquet the day after tomorrow, I will introduce you to the various officials in my capacity as your foster father.

"Consider it a way to maintain the dignity of my Marquis manor after the broken engagement. Surely you won't refuse?"

As a young man just entering the world, how could Xu He have the strength to resist an old fox?

With his head lowered, he bit his lip repeatedly, before finally nodding heavily.

(End of Chapter)