Qin Shouye steadied his heart, already having ideas and plans in mind.

He first said to Niu Dan, “Shouxin, you should go take a nap now. Otherwise, when the private guards teach you martial arts later, you won’t have the energy. It would be a waste of your father and mother’s efforts and would disappoint your elder brother.”

Niu Dan was most afraid of disappointing Qin Fang, especially since he had witnessed the competition between Qin Fang and the private guards and soldiers.

This had only strengthened his desire to go to the military camp.

He admired Qin Fang greatly and did not want to let him down.

Niu Dan said, “Second Brother, don’t worry. I’ll go rest. I will definitely learn the skills well, so that I can follow Elder Brother to the military camp, go hunting, and suppress bandits. I want to become a general like Elder Brother.” He spoke with confidence, filled with hope and dreams.

Qin Shouye said, “Keep it up.”

Although they were cousins, their bond was very good, almost like that of brothers, and he certainly hoped for Niu Dan’s success.

Niu Dan skipped back to his room, leaving only Qin Shouye and Qin Shoucheng in the hall.

Qin Shoucheng felt a tightness in his chest and said, “Second Brother, I have something to tell you.”

Qin Shouye sat down and said, “You can speak. If you come clean, I can consider the reasons for your actions.”

Qin Shouye initially intended to lecture him, but seeing his younger brother so earnest lightened his mood.

Shoucheng had always been well-behaved since childhood; there must be a reason for his behavior, and as long as there was a reason, it wasn’t truancy.

Qin Shouye felt reassured.

Qin Shoucheng was taken aback. “Second Brother, you… you know I have something to say?”

Qin Shouye huffed, “Look at your guilty expression. I’ve watched you grow up; how could I not see it?”

Qin Shoucheng was surprised that his second brother was so perceptive, which eased his mind. “Second Brother, today at the academy gate, I saw Elder Brother being very intimate with someone. It looked… just like the intimacy between Elder Brother and Sister-in-law.”

Qin Shouye’s mouth dropped open in shock, surprised enough to fit an egg inside.

He must have misheard.

He swallowed hard and said, “Shoucheng, do you know what you’re saying? This is no joke.”

To Qin Shouye, it sounded like Qin Shoucheng was saying that their elder brother was having an affair.

In Qin Shouye’s mind, and in his view, there was no such thing as a man having multiple wives or concubines.

For farmers, just marrying a wife was already quite good.

How could one think of having multiple wives?

Therefore, he never imagined that his elder brother, who was a general, would have multiple wives or concubines.

But now… the thought that his elder brother might have multiple wives made him a bit uncomfortable.

It wasn’t that he sympathized with Yang Haiyan; after all, his sister-in-law treated him well, teaching him many things, even more clearly than his grandmother and mother.

However, this did not mean that he would lean toward his sister-in-law; after all, Qin Fang was his biological brother.

What made him uncomfortable was the feeling that his elder brother had changed.

A brother who would take multiple wives was not the same.

Seeing his second brother’s astonished expression, Qin Shoucheng sighed, “You’re surprised, right? I was shocked too when I saw it, so I hurriedly asked the teacher for leave and came back to tell you.

I… I didn’t even dare to tell Sister-in-law. She’s so nice; I’m afraid she would be angry. Second Brother, you don’t know; Elder Brother was pulling and tugging with a young man, even wiping his tears. They were so close that it almost looked like they were a couple!”

“Wait, wait…” Qin Shouye interrupted him. “Are you saying that Elder Brother was close with a young man? That… that intimate?”

Qin Shouye thought it would be better for him to faint from shock, just like a tadpole fainting from hunger, so he wouldn’t have to worry about this matter.

If Elder Brother was with a young man, it was even more serious than having a mistress.

At least having a mistress brought into the household would just be a concubine and wouldn’t affect Elder Brother’s reputation.

But if Elder Brother was with a young man, that would severely tarnish his reputation.

The “Longyang Affair” would be looked down upon by listeners. “Shoucheng, are you sure you didn’t see it wrong?”

Qin Shoucheng replied, “How could I be mistaken? My eyesight is good! Besides, with our elder brother’s physique, it would be hard to mistake him.”

Qin Shouye said, “I understand. For now, don’t mention this to anyone else, not even to Grandfather, Grandmother, Father, or Mother. Let me first test Elder Brother and see what he says. This matter is very serious; no one can know for now.”

Qin Shoucheng said, “I understand. I just didn’t know what to do, so I thought I should tell you first.”

Qin Shouye nodded.

He got up and moved beside Qin Shoucheng, patting his shoulder. “What you did is right; you handled it well. Shoucheng, you’re growing up and learning to think about things.”

However, he would rather his brother hadn’t told him about this, so he wouldn’t have to worry.

“Alright, since I already know about this, you don’t need to take special leave from the teacher. You can go back to the academy.”

However, Qin Shoucheng didn’t want to go. He said, “Elder Brother, I can’t feel at ease until this matter is resolved. If I go to the academy, I won’t be able to focus on what the teacher is saying. I don’t want to go; I want to wait at home for the results.”

Qin Shouye thought for a moment.

His younger brother was usually obedient, so this incident must have really frightened him.

To be honest, he himself was quite shaken as well, so he agreed, “Alright, you stay in the courtyard and take care of yourself. I’ll step out for a bit.”

Qin Shoucheng replied, “Okay.”

After leaving the courtyard, Qin Shouye wandered around the residence several times, hesitating for a long while without knowing what to do.

After all, Qin Shouye was only sixteen years old.

In a household of orphans and widows, a sixteen-year-old boy would be the pillar of the family.

But in the Qin family, with Grandpa Qin and Father Qin around, sixteen-year-old Qin Shouye was just a teenager.

Although he seemed very composed in front of Qin Shoucheng, he was merely hiding his anxiety inside.

Qin Shouye couldn’t think of a solution.

He hadn’t planned to tell Yang Haiyan about this matter; at the very least, he needed to clarify the situation first.

He believed that his elder brother shouldn’t be like this.

Even though Shoucheng had witnessed it firsthand, some things still needed to be explained clearly.

Therefore, he had to discuss it with his elder brother to understand the situation before thinking of how to resolve it or seeing what his sister-in-law thought.

Of course, if his elder brother really intended to take a concubine or have a relationship with a man, he would still side with his sister-in-law.

Even though he was related to his elder brother by blood, some matters are about principle and decency.

His sister-in-law was a good person, and he couldn’t let her suffer just because of his elder brother.

Qin Shouye sighed, thinking he needed to talk to his elder brother, and turned towards the door.

He saw Uncle Hong guarding the room at the entrance and walked over.

When Uncle Hong was idle, he would read books and teach Hong Datou.

Since he could read, it was easier for him to teach his son.

However, Hong Datou was only two years old, just at the age of being active and unwilling to learn.

Seeing Qin Shouye approach, Uncle Hong put down his book and said, “Second Master has arrived.”

Qin Shouye nodded, “Uncle Hong, are you busy?”

Uncle Hong replied, “Not busy, not busy. I’m just passing the time, trying to learn a few more characters. There are still a few characters I don’t know, so I’ve circled them to ask Third Master and Da Ying later. The last few times, Third Master taught me as he passed by.”

When his family fell into decline, he hadn’t learned all the characters yet, so there were many he still didn’t recognize.

Several times when Qin Shoucheng was going to and from school, Uncle Hong would ask him.

Qin Shouye remarked, “That’s good. It’ll help Shoucheng review his characters too. But Uncle Hong, you’re quite diligent. You’re over thirty years old yet still so industrious.” Qin Shouye was quite surprised.

Uncle Hong smiled, “As servants, if we find a good master, we get the chance to learn to read.

The township lord said that when Datou is ready for his lessons, he can join the class and have the teacher teach him together. If it had been before, I wouldn’t have dared to imagine this.

So, I want to learn more characters to teach Datou, so he doesn’t hold everyone back. Second Master, would you like to come in and sit for a while?”

Qin Shouye replied, “Sure.”

After sitting in the room for a while, he asked, “Uncle Hong, you’ve been following my elder brother since you were at the border, right?”

Uncle Hong smiled and said, “Not quite. I was bought by Madam in September of the year before last. At that time, Madam was kind enough to buy me.

Later, I was worried about my wife at home, so I went back once to settle my affairs.

This way, I could follow the township lord and do my work with peace of mind. But the conditions where my wife lived were truly terrible, and I was thinking…

Speaking of the time I secretly took people to the family housing, I was really ashamed back then.

But there was no other way; if I only cared about my own pride, my wife and son might have fared even worse.

In life, when one has been a servant, what is more important: pride or life?

Fortunately, the township lord took in our family, and that’s how we have today.”

So, he was very loyal to Madam Yang.

If the private guards and attendants of the General’s residence were loyal to Qin Fang, then Uncle Hong was loyal to Yang Haiyan.

Listening to Uncle Hong talk about the border, Qin Shouye grew more and more admiring of his sister-in-law, but also increasingly guilty.

He was most afraid that his elder brother would truly wrong his sister-in-law; if that were the case, the Qin family wouldn’t have the face to stand in front of her.

Unknowingly, the two talked from noon until afternoon, and just before dinner, a voice came from the entrance: “The General has returned to the residence.”

Upon hearing this, Uncle Hong immediately stood up, “The General went out with Madam. Now that the General has returned, Madam will probably return too.”

He said this while going out to welcome them.

Wait…

What does this mean?

His elder brother and sister-in-law left the residence together?

Qin Shouye felt something was off about this statement.

Before he could figure it out, he followed out because he still needed to talk to his elder brother.

However, he saw his elder brother leading a young man inside.

This young man looked very familiar, as if he had seen him somewhere before, until Uncle Hong’s voice rang out.

Uncle Hong said, “The General has returned, and Madam has returned.” Uncle Hong had been following Yang Haiyan for a longer time, nearly two years, so he immediately recognized her even when she was disguised as a man.

It was primarily because Yang Haiyan was holding hands with Qin Fang that he could recognize her right away.

If they had encountered each other on the street, he might have mistaken her for a young man who looked somewhat like Madam Yang.