Li Xun had never been scolded with someone pointing at his nose in this lifetime, so it felt quite “novel” to him. At this moment, he downed the slightly cooled medicine in one gulp, placed the empty bowl aside, and couldn’t help but chuckle at the words “harming brothers”: Who’s harming whom, really?

He didn’t bother to argue against Shen Yi’an’s accusations, just sneered coldly, “Boye, when you entered my room, did you notice the smell of medicine everywhere?”

Shen Yi’an was taken aback, not expecting him to respond with a question instead of an answer.

“I’m here drinking medicine, Boye, with your eyes wide open, did you see that? You open your mouth to accuse, but did you even ask how my health is? Is it that only Shen Chun is your son, and a slight chill makes you worry so much, while I was pushed into the lake and nearly drowned, yet my life or death doesn’t matter—perhaps you’d be happier if I died, wouldn’t you?”

Shen Yi’an was caught off guard by his barrage of questions, his eyes widened: Although he didn’t care much for this eldest son, he remembered him as someone who bullied the weak and feared the strong, always well-behaved in front of him. In the past, when scolded, he would always lower his head and stay silent, or cry annoyingly. How come today he seemed like a different person, so sharp-tongued!

However, being questioned like this by his eldest son, Shen Yi’an strangely felt a bit guilty, and his initial aggressive demeanor weakened a bit. Thinking about what Li Xun said, he hesitated, “You…” He pondered over it, wondering who would push him into the lake? It must be an exaggeration, so he just said, “You fell into the water?”

Liu Yufu had already come in, not expecting the eldest gongzi to immediately complain to Shen Yi’an. She glanced at Shen Yi’an’s expression and softened her voice to change the subject, “Why would the eldest gongzi say such things? Boye was just anxious and overlooked it. You are Boye’s legitimate eldest son, no one in this residence can surpass you. How could Boye not care about your life? If you have any grievances, direct them at us, mother and son, that’s only right, but don’t speak to Boye like this. If it harms the father-son relationship and chills Boye’s heart as a father, what good would that do?”

Hearing her words, Shen Yi’an indeed began to suspect that the so-called someone pushing him into the water was an attempt to falsely accuse and frame, and his expression hardened again.

Li Xun didn’t even spare her a glance, “Shut up, is it your place to speak here? Stirring up trouble so clumsily, only Boye, blinded by lust, would fall for your tricks.”

Liu Yufu’s expression stiffened.

Shen Yi’an’s anger indeed rose again, but whether intentionally or unintentionally, he glanced at Liu Yufu before scolding, “Presumptuous! How dare you say your father is blinded by lust, do you have no sense of propriety!”

“Isn’t it true?” Li Xun once again responded with a question, staring steadily at Shen Yi’an, “I’m quite curious, if you dislike your eldest son, why not quickly marry him off, out of sight, out of mind—I’m seventeen this year, right? In the capital, girls and boys from noble families start looking for matches at twelve or thirteen, get engaged at thirteen or fourteen, and marry at fifteen or sixteen. I’m seventeen, yet not even engaged. If you detest me, why keep me at home to be an eyesore, making yourself unhappy?”

On the side, Shen Qian had been listening to this wild ghost scold Shen Yi’an with great interest, feeling quite satisfied—he couldn’t have done better himself, and it would have taken effort, unlike the pleasure of listening to someone else do it.

But now, his eyes widened as if struck by lightning: !!! Big brother! What are you saying? Why suddenly talk about marriage! Reminding this old man might lead to him randomly marrying off my body!!!

Tonic!

He still didn’t know when he could get his body back, afraid that by then, he might already have children… where would he go to reason!

Li Xun, unaware of his thoughts, continued, “It was only after being pushed into the lake and nearly drowning these past few days that I understood.” Li Xun sneered, “If I were married off, the dowry from the Boye’s wife would naturally go with me to my husband’s family. Better to let me die inexplicably in this residence, who knows who would benefit from the Boye’s wife’s dowry?”

Shen Yi’an was furious, “Who cares about your mother’s dowry? Our Shen family has been noble for generations, with immense wealth, why would we care about her dowry!”

When the Boye’s wife Guan Yunying passed away, she also mentioned that dowry, forcing Shen Yi’an to write a document. Shen Yi’an always felt a nameless anger, feeling humiliated, did his Fuchang Boye’s Residence lack money? Why think he was such a shallow person?

Now being brought up by his eldest son again, he was even more furious.

Li Xun feigned a surprised expression, “Is that the point? Isn’t the point that I was pushed into the lake and nearly drowned?” He smirked, “Seems you really don’t care about your eldest son’s life.”

Shen Yi’an: “………………”

Facing Li Xun’s mocking expression, Shen Yi’an suddenly lost his fire.

He hesitated for a moment before asking, “You said someone pushed you, did you see it with your own eyes?” He was unwilling to admit such a thing could happen in his family, but Li Xun clung to this point, so he had to ask.

Li Xun really did see it.

At that time, he was floating above the Boye’s Residence, his consciousness somewhat muddled. He didn’t know why he floated there, as if something was pulling him.

From above, he saw two maids, one keeping watch, the other pushing, and the eldest gongzi of the Fuchang Boye’s Residence fell into the water. Then he felt the pull grow stronger, dragging him towards the lake. When he opened his eyes again, he had become the eldest gongzi of the Fuchang Boye’s Residence.

What bad luck.

Li Xun described the two maids, “Both had this hairstyle,” he gestured to Zhan’er’s hair, “one with a long face, thin eyebrows and eyes, a red mole on her chin. The other with a square and round face, short, walked with a bit of an outward gait, and wore two pink silk flowers in her hair.”

He didn’t recognize them, and hadn’t seen them in the past four days, but he described them so clearly that Zhan’er, an old hand in the residence, recognized them: the one with thin eyebrows and a red mole on her chin was Yang Mei, a steward maid in Shen Song’s courtyard. The one with a square and round face was very much like Pan’er from Ganlin Courtyard!

Liu Yufu’s face changed. She had indeed arranged for Yang Mei and Pan’er to do this, but didn’t expect them to be so careless, actually seen by the eldest gongzi. But she didn’t speak, didn’t defend, just quietly sobbed behind Shen Yi’an.

Shen Yi’an had seen the big maid beside Shen Song, and hearing his eldest son say this, he was more convinced it was a deliberate attempt to frame his brother—yet Li Xun spoke before he could, “You surely don’t believe it, after all, you don’t care about my life. You must think I’m deliberately framing your good son, very malicious, deserving of death.”

Shen Yi’an was caught saying what he was thinking: “………”

Li Xun sneered, “Because you actually know in your heart who in the Boye’s Residence would benefit from my death, but you don’t want to believe it, so it must be me lying.”

Shen Yi’an said irritably, “In the end, you still think we covet your mother’s dowry money!”

“That’s right,” Li Xun nodded, “who covets it, they know in their heart. Anyway, those who covet the Boye’s wife’s dowry will surely be childless, die a violent death on the street, and after death, go to the eighteenth level of hell, climbing the mountain of knives by day and descending the oil cauldron by night…”

Liu Yufu’s hand in her sleeve pinched her arm hard, her nails digging into the flesh, almost drawing blood.

Shen Yi’an himself indeed had no intention of coveting the original wife’s dowry, but was still infuriated by his eldest son’s string of curses, unable to vent, feeling very aggrieved—didn’t you say you didn’t covet it? Then why are you angry?

But these curses were extremely unpleasant, even hearing them made him uncomfortable. Shen Yi’an couldn’t help but re-evaluate his eldest son, struggling to remember the last time he saw him.

Three months ago? Or five months ago? Was he this lifeless back then too?

Shen Yi’an felt that if he saw him a few more times, his life would be shortened by several years from anger.

He couldn’t help but think of what his eldest son said earlier, if he was such an eyesore, why keep him at home, why not marry him off early? Why make himself suffer?

…Actually, the Fuchang Boye’s Residence had considered marriage for this eldest gongzi.

The Boye’s wife Guan Yunying died five years ago, when the eldest gongzi was twelve, just the right age for matchmaking.

Madam Guan, while gravely ill, was still planning for her son’s future, but the marriage prospects were always too high or too low. Although the Fuchang Boye had a title, he had no real power in the court, and he kept an outside mistress who sang southern opera, often taking her back to the flower house, becoming a laughingstock as a son-in-law of a brothel, widely known in the capital, so respectable families looked down on him.

Moreover, the maternal family of Madam Guan, the Duke Sheng’s Residence, had long been out of favor with the current emperor, providing no help in marriage matters, instead becoming a burden.

Finally, they managed to arrange a match with the fourth son of the Zhen Nan Boye. However, before the betrothal ceremony, Madam Guan passed away. Less than seven days after her death, the Fuchang Boye brought Liu Yufu and her two sons back from the separate residence in Liu Zhi Lane, allowing Liu Yufu to manage the household, even handling part of Madam Guan’s funeral, almost as if she were the mistress of the Boye’s Residence in all but name.

After this, the Zhen Nan Boye’s Residence used the excuse that the eldest gongzi needed to observe mourning, delaying the marriage, and never visited the Fuchang Boye’s Residence again.

In truth, having an outside mistress for a noble son wasn’t unusual, nor was having several children with them.

In the capital, there were many who played more extravagantly than Shen Yi’an, keeping courtesans, raising actors, spending nights with multiple men and women, or setting up separate residences for debauchery. But even the most extravagant playboys knew that playing was playing, and marriage was marriage. No matter how uninteresting the legitimate wife was, she had to be married, could be ignored, but the social order couldn’t be disrupted.

Shen Yi’an’s actions made even the playboys unwilling to associate with him.

Shen Yi’an didn’t remarry, just let a concubine from a brothel manage the household, effectively cutting himself off from the noble circle. Even speaking a word more with Liu Yufu made the legitimate wives from high noble families feel tainted. And because the actual “mistress” of the Fuchang Boye’s Residence came from a brothel, who knew what kind of children she would raise? Who would dare to gamble on marrying such a thing into their family!

So the eldest son’s marriage was delayed until now. Shen Yi’an surely knew why the Zhen Nan Boye’s Residence broke off the engagement back then, but he didn’t want to admit it was his own reckless behavior that delayed his eldest son, so he kept avoiding and deliberately ignoring the matter.

Shen Yi’an felt a headache coming on, and amidst Li Xun’s continuous curses, he sighed, “I see you can’t stay in this house any longer, I’ll have your aunt keep an eye out for a marriage for you, but…” His tone weakened, knowing it was a difficult matter, likely taking a long time to find.

In fact, over the years, Shen Yi’an had regretted it, not for his eldest son, but because Shen Chun and Shen Song were also growing up, and they were his heart’s treasures. What would happen to their marriages? Shen Song was fine, with a title, he could surely find a match. But Shen Chun would be difficult, he couldn’t bear to marry her off too low.

If only he had remarried someone from a lower family, with a gentle nature… But every time he faced Liu Yufu’s tearful eyes, he couldn’t say it.

On the side, Shen Qian’s heart was in his throat, afraid Shen Yi’an would turn around and arrange a marriage.

Fortunately.

Li Xun sneered, he also knew the current situation of the eldest gongzi’s marriage, and sarcastically said, “What can she keep an eye out for, a pimp or an actor? Great, Boye marries a prostitute, I marry an actor, and Shen Chun marries a pimp, our family will be a winning team in the world of romance.”

Hearing the word prostitute, Shen Yi’an’s little bit of guilt was immediately dispersed by anger, “You!”

Liu Yufu’s sobbing behind him grew louder.

He tried several times to suppress it, but couldn’t hold back his anger any longer, raising his hand high to strike. Zhan’er and the others, who had been tense, rushed forward to block. Li Xun remained unflustered, just glanced out the window at the sky, showing a hint of impatience.

Suddenly, a commotion of footsteps sounded outside the courtyard. This was the room of an unmarried eldest gongzi, the steward dared not enter—unless it was an emergency, he shouldn’t even have entered the second gate, but let the women pass the message inside. Passing it layer by layer would delay who knows how long. At this moment, the steward stood at the door, turned his back, and shouted loudly, “Boye, someone from the palace is here! You should go to the front to receive the decree!”