Chapter 357: Chapter 358: Come to Nothing

Ning Yuchen looked to Huang Tong for help once more, but all he got in response was a shake of the head.

"But I already have a wife and children. I’m afraid I would be doing this madam an injustice." He made sure to enunciate the words "this madam" with extra force.

Since he was working with Huang Tong, he knew full well that the plan had been to push this young widow onto Ancient Wen Heng.

Motivated by a desire to watch the drama unfold, as well as an unspoken thirst for revenge, he had played along with the charade.

What he couldn’t figure out was how, after he entered that room, he had become the one caught in the trap.

"My sister may be a widow, and she is still in her mourning period, but if word of this gets out, she’ll have no way to go on." Xiao Shi Yu clutched her handkerchief tightly. It was the first time she had to speak up before so many elders, but she braced herself, determined to settle the matter.

"We accept that this lord has a wife and children. My sister wouldn’t dare dream of becoming the primary wife. However, she is from an official family, so asking for the position of a wife of equal standing shouldn’t be beneath you, my lord."

Ning Yuchen glanced at Xiao Wanyu, unable to stop himself from savoring the memory of their earlier encounter.

Seeing him lick his lips, the several men from the Xiao Family who were present all lowered their heads in contempt.

Xiao Zhengyong shot his son a glare. ’Where did you find such an unreliable person? Don’t tell me he’s had ulterior motives all along, just using this as a chance to latch onto the Huang family.’

Huang Tong knew that matters had come to this. Dragging it out any further would be detrimental to his branch of the family.

"Lord Ning, this may have been an accident, but it’s not necessarily a bad thing." Huang Tong walked over and patted his shoulder. "From now on, we’ll be brothers-in-law."

"But..." ’Though the woman was a delight, Ning Yuchen had no intention of marrying her. Aside from being wary of her status as a widow, this whole affair was originally aimed at Ancient Wen Heng, yet it had become his own mess to clean up.’

"Since this concerns your Yue Family, Tong’er, I’ll leave it for you to handle." Gold had no interest in standing here listening to them squabble. Besides, there were still several officials in the side hall who needed to be seen off.

To prevent any more such incidents from occurring, he would keep the mansion’s carriages and servants busy for a while. First, he had to ensure these men were sent home safely.

The eldest master of the Huang family, leading a retinue of servants, followed Gold out. "Father, it looks like we need to put our household in order. Someone from the rear courtyards was able to just run into the front courtyard. I have no idea what those old women guarding the inner gates are even paid for."

Gold stopped in his tracks. "Your wife isn’t the one managing this household. You should..."

Gold thought of the old matriarch in the rear courtyards and sighed. "I’ll speak with your mother."

「The next day.」

The moment Ancient Wen Heng arrived at the Hanlin Academy, he saw Ning Yuchen standing at the entrance, glaring at him furiously.

Ancient Wen Heng pretended not to notice and walked right past him.

"Mr. Gu, how can you not have a guilty conscience after setting me up like that?" Ning Yuchen’s expression darkened even more as he recalled the slew of conditions he’d been forced to agree to the day before.

’A mere widow, and she dared to dream that I would marry her with all the formal rites and ceremonies.’

’If he hadn’t held firm in the end, she really would have secured the position of a wife of equal standing.’

"Lord Ning, what are you talking about? When have I ever set you up? Why should I have a guilty conscience?" Ancient Wen Heng glanced at him, not forgetting to nod and greet the other officials who were trickling in.

"Yesterday, in the side courtyard of the Huang Mansion. I passed out in the room. You’re telling me you didn’t see?"

"Weren’t you just drunk?" Ancient Wen Heng finally gave him a serious look. "You passed out right on the floor. I was even kind enough to help you onto the bed."

"I even specifically told a maid from the Huang Mansion to find someone to come and take care of you. What’s wrong? Was the service not to your liking?"

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Hearing that last sentence, Ning Yuchen felt certain the man was mocking him, but he had no proof.

"You don’t know what happened after that?"

"What was supposed to have happened? You drunkenly spilled wine all over my clothes. I rushed back to change as soon as the banquet was over." Ancient Wen Heng’s expression was one of eager curiosity, which made Ning Yuchen grit his teeth in frustration.

"If I recall correctly, I was the one accompanying you to change your clothes. How did I end up in that room?"

"It looks like you’re still not sober from yesterday. Why are we circling back to this again?" Ancient Wen Heng said in a tone one might use with an unreasonable child. "Sigh, let me explain it to you one more time."

"We both entered the room, and before I could even find the clothes, you passed out on the floor. I called your name for a long time but couldn’t wake you. It took all my strength to finally get you onto the bed."

"Afterward, I was still worried, so I asked one of the maids from the banquet to go and inform the steward."

"And you don’t even thank me for all my hard work yesterday. Instead, you’re here spouting all this nonsense. It’s truly disheartening."

Ning Yuchen gritted his teeth. "So I’m supposed to thank you for this?"

Ancient Wen Heng replied, "Ah, we’re colleagues who joined in the same year, both working here at the Hanlin Academy. Let’s not keep score. All this talk of thanks makes us sound like strangers."

"If something like this happens again, of course I’ll help. You don’t need to give it a second thought."

Ning Yuchen: "..."

"What are you two chatting about so early in the morning?" He Nan, having just stepped out of his carriage, ambled over curiously. ’These two were only gone for a short while together yesterday, but today they seem to have a lot to talk about.’

Ancient Wen Heng said, "Oh, nothing much. Lord Ning was just expressing his gratitude for my help yesterday."

Ning Yuchen: "..." ’Bah! Who’s thanking you? I want to kill you!’

"I was wondering what the big deal was. Don’t worry, if something like that happens again, I’ll help you out too. But your tolerance for alcohol is really terrible. You should practice more when you have the time." He Nan was completely oblivious to the fact that he was twisting the knife.

Seeing the other man’s expression change at his words, He Nan felt his kindness had been completely wasted. He grabbed Ancient Wen Heng and started pulling him inside. "The other officials will be here any minute. We shouldn’t stand here blocking the entrance."

Ning Yuchen, left standing alone: "..."

＆

「In the rear courtyard of the Huang Mansion.」

"Sister, are you really making me marry that man, Ning?" Xiao Wanyu sat across from Xiao Shi Yu, seething with rage.

If he had agreed to make her a wife of equal standing, she would have accepted it. But he’d stubbornly insisted on only taking her in with the rites befitting a noble concubine.

’How could a mere seventh-rank official compare to a Standard Fifth Rank?’

"Besides, didn’t you say everything was already arranged? How did it suddenly get switched to... this thing?"

Hearing her younger sister’s accusation, Xiao Shi Yu slammed her hand on the table in a rage. "Because of this wretched affair of yours, I had to kneel in the Buddhist Hall all night! And now you have the nerve to blame me? Why didn’t you look carefully before you went into the room?"

"You should be grateful that man yesterday was at least somewhat wary of the Huang Mansion. Otherwise, did you really think anyone would be willing to take in a widow?"

Xiao Shi Yu had no desire to investigate what exactly went wrong yesterday. Her half-sister was now a ruined pawn, and she certainly wasn’t going to suffer any further for her sake.

"Your sister is right," said Tian Lanfen, who had also been summoned early that morning. "A person must know their own place. For now, you should be thinking about how you’re going to explain this to the Niu Family."

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