The pouch that Qiao Yujing made was indeed meant to be given to Xie Wenyin.

Of course, this doesn’t mean he has fallen in love with Xie Wenyin; they had only met twice. And during those two meetings, there were quite a few conflicts. How could he possibly fall for a rumored treacherous minister so quickly, especially one who almost killed his own man? The reason he wanted to please Xie Wenyin was simply to ensure a more comfortable life after marriage.

Qiao Yujing was a very pragmatic and clear-headed young man. From a young age, he understood the principle of knowing when to back down if he couldn’t win, and to enjoy life as much as possible if he couldn’t resist. Since he had already agreed to marry Xie Wenyin, he wouldn’t dwell on regrets; he would only think of ways to plan for their future life together.

In this era, it was quite difficult for young men and women to survive independently. To live a stable life, one had to rely on their family or their husband. His biological father’s identity could not be revealed. Therefore, once he got married, he could only depend on his husband, which meant that his relationship with his husband couldn’t be too poor. This way, after marriage, he could quickly conceive a child and establish a foothold.

Otherwise, if their marriage was born out of a threatening transaction, with Xie Wenyin’s cold-hearted and cautious temperament, it was very likely that he would avoid him after marriage, no matter how handsome he was. Wouldn’t that be a disaster for him?

You see, Xie Wenyin was not someone easily swayed by beauty. In his previous life, he had pursued power for a lifetime, and not only did he not have a wife and children, but he didn’t even have a maid to serve him. He was a man of strong will!

Qiao Yujing didn’t want to live the rest of his life as a widow, so it was essential for Xie Wenyin to develop feelings for him. He wasn’t greedy; as long as Xie Wenyin could like him a little, give him the respect he deserved as a legitimate husband, and have a child with him, that would be enough.

Of course, Qiao Yujing also didn’t forget to send a message to his biological father in the palace, asking him to create some trouble for the Yongchang Marquis’s residence, using his influence to intimidate them. This was to prevent the marquis’s residence from thinking he was just bluffing and doing something reckless.

…

Xie Wenyin was still unaware of the little schemes in his future husband’s heart. The school holiday soon came to an end, and the day after the poetry meeting, he packed his things and returned to the private school for classes.

Although he understood the knowledge the teacher was imparting, revisiting old lessons was important. Attending the private school wasn’t just for learning; it also had the benefit of networking. In his previous life, he had been eager to cling to the powerful, making friends with classmates from wealthy families.

However, he had overlooked many humble classmates who, in the future, would hold important positions in the officialdom, even if they weren’t high-ranking. In this life, Xie Wenyin certainly wouldn’t miss out on that.

He had lived to over seventy in his previous life, and his silver-tongued skills had deceived countless old foxes. Now, wanting to befriend a group of students who hadn’t yet emerged from their shells was incredibly easy. Moreover, when he had initially sought to associate with the wealthy classmates, he hadn’t intended to offend the humble ones. Most people in the private school had a good impression of him, and his social standing was quite decent.

Thus, on the first day back at the private school, after deliberately mingling and making connections, his relationship with the humble classmates quickly deepened, and they began to call each other brothers.

As for Qian Botu? He had lost all face after plagiarizing poetry at the poetry meeting and had no face to return to the private school. He was probably at home fuming, thinking of ways to take revenge on Xie Wenyin.

Meanwhile, Xie Wenyin was waiting for someone to come to him. He had prepared a good show for Qian Botu, just waiting for the right moment. He hadn’t forgotten to think about his engagement with Qiao Yujing either. However, this matter was not easy; the gap in their current statuses was too great. One was a poor scholar from a farming background, and the other was a legitimate son of a marquis. If he wanted the marquis’s residence to willingly marry off their son, he had to plan carefully.

All these matters, though numerous and chaotic, were not particularly troublesome for Xie Wenyin, who had once managed the affairs of several countries. On the contrary, he enjoyed the feeling of being able to control everything with a wave of his hand, treating the world as a chessboard and the people as pieces. This was the lifelong pursuit of someone who loved power!

So, when he received the message from Qiao Yujing asking to meet again, Xie Wenyin was only slightly surprised and didn’t feel any panic or urgency. He quickly guessed that something unexpected must have happened at the Yongchang Marquis’s residence.

“This little guy is truly troublesome…” Xie Wenyin complained, but his body quickly moved to pack his things, asking the teacher for leave before heading out to meet him.

On the way, he saw a shop selling jewelry and jade. He thought about it but didn’t dare to go in because he was really short on money. Even the cheapest jewelry inside would cost several taels, which he couldn’t afford.

After searching for a while in the shops on the street, Xie Wenyin finally walked into a carpenter’s shop.

“Shopkeeper, do you have any good quality fragrant wood? I want to make a comb for my future husband.” He approached and asked quietly.

Wearing a half-new scholar’s robe, he stood tall and handsome, his face slightly flushed, looking both awkward and earnest. It was clear he was a simple-minded, impoverished scholar.

It wasn’t uncommon to see a poor scholar like him, who couldn’t afford the expensive jewelry in the treasure shop and chose to buy a cheap but heartfelt gift instead. The owner of this carpenter’s shop was someone who cherished his husband. Seeing Xie Wenyin’s clear and sincere eyes, he felt that he truly cared for his future husband, rather than being a hypocritical scholar who only wanted to save money. He felt a good impression of him.

The shopkeeper didn’t look down on him and greeted him warmly. “Yes, yes, yes! I have plenty of fragrant wood here. However, if you want to make a comb, I suggest using peach wood and jujube wood. These two types of wood, while not precious, are the most suitable for making combs.”

“Peach wood wards off evil and brings good luck; it’s a good omen. Jujube wood is hard and dense, with beautiful grain, making the comb both good-looking and comfortable. Finally, you can add a small piece of sandalwood for a pendant. It won’t cost much but will be very exquisite.”

This was the most suitable choice for a scholar who was short on money to give as a token of affection.

After hearing this, Xie Wenyin chose the jujube wood. The shopkeeper smiled and nodded, kindly asking, “What design would you like to carve on it?”

Since the scholar had come for the wood, he naturally wouldn’t just buy a piece of wood to take home. They were a carpenter’s shop, and it was normal to charge a few dozen copper coins for processing.

But Xie Wenyin shook his head, “No need, shopkeeper. I’ll do it myself.”

“You’ll do it yourself?” The shopkeeper was quite skeptical that a scholar would know any carpentry skills. Was he trying to save even a few dozen copper coins?

Perhaps seeing what the shopkeeper was thinking, Xie Wenyin’s face turned red, and he awkwardly explained, “I learned woodworking from my grandfather. I want to give him something I made myself.”

And then he fell silent.

It was clear he was a young man who wasn’t good with words, simple-minded, and shy. The shopkeeper couldn’t help but feel a fatherly affection for this child, recalling his own shy and awkward moments when he pursued his husband in his youth, and he smiled warmly.

“Alright, I’ll get you the materials.”

Because he had such a good impression of Xie Wenyin and thought it wasn’t easy for a young man, he specifically chose the best wood for him, without any tricks. After all, it would be too unethical to deceive such a simple and sincere young man and ruin his marriage prospects!

When Xie Wenyin received the wood from the shopkeeper, he noticed that its value clearly exceeded the silver he had given, and he smiled quietly. He then sat quietly in the carpenter’s shop, starting to carve and polish the comb.

In his previous life, he had experienced many ups and downs, struggling for years to climb higher, learning various skills that could be useful. Carpentry was one of them.

He had learned this skill when he was exiled to the frontier, seeking to avoid heavy labor by begging and pleading, even taking on a master and recognizing a foster father.

To be honest, among the criminals exiled to the frontier, there were indeed many talented individuals. His later rise to a high position was also greatly related to the various masters and foster fathers he had recognized during that time.

Of course, even though Xie Wenyin didn’t care about taking advantage of others’ skills, he was indeed very filial to those masters and foster fathers, even sending them off in their old age.

He had a clear conscience; he was a good son!

Those who said he had no shame were just jealous of him!

Xie Wenyin was not only intelligent but also skilled with his hands. Although his young body didn’t have the muscle memory of hard work, he was still very careful.

He quickly finished the comb, which was beautifully shaped, with a cute little fox pendant.

“Who would have thought your skills were so exquisite? I underestimated you. Please wait a moment; I’ll help you oil it.” The shopkeeper looked at him in surprise and admiration, happily running to the back to help with the oiling.

Xie Wenyin smiled slightly, tidied up his clothes, and then asked the assistant nearby, “Little brother, may I borrow some ink and paper from the shop?”

“Of course, of course.”

Scholars were highly respected, and the assistant could make that decision, so he readily provided it.

Xie Wenyin waved his sleeve and picked up the brush, without any hesitation, dipping it in ink and writing the four grand characters “Zhai Xin Ren Hou” with flowing strokes.

When the shopkeeper came out, he handed over the dried rice paper with a smile. “The shopkeeper is kind and generous, but I am just a poor scholar, and I know how hard it is to make a living. I’m embarrassed to accept this. Please hang this calligraphy in your shop; I hope you won’t dislike it.”

After saying that, Xie Wenyin cupped his hands in salute and took his things to leave.

Maintaining his persona and establishing his image had to start from the little things; he couldn’t afford to be careless like in his previous life and let everything fall apart due to a moment of negligence.

“Snow weighs down the green pines, yet the pines stand tall and straight;
To know the pines are noble and pure, wait until the snow melts.”

In this life, no matter how dark Xie Wenyin was inside or how many power struggles he engaged in privately, on the surface, he would always be a gentleman of grace and integrity.

The author has something to say:
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In public: A gentleman of grace and integrity, Xie.
In private: A ruthless and cunning man, Xie.