Chapter 41 Scrambling Around Outside for Connections

Chapter 41: Hustling Around Outside

"I can see you're a real sharp cookie, girl. This deal, I'm in."

Once Xi Qianyue had the silver in hand, she didn't stick around.

"Well, Master Yan, this clever girl will be on her way now. I won't interrupt your lesson with this student."

Yan Can waved his hand, letting her go, then turned his gaze to Qi Jing and held out his hand.

Qi Jing quickly handed over his essay. Yan Can praised it: "Nice handwriting."

Amao sat quietly on the porch, waiting. He could faintly hear the old master critiquing the young master's essay, with occasional back-and-forth.

Gazing at the picturesque scenery of the garden, his heart was just as thrilled as his young master's.

The young master was about to turn his luck around, wasn't he?

"System, the cannon-fodder male supporting character's plot has been successfully rewritten, right?"

Xi Qianyue reached out to the system quietly.

"The protagonist's plot armor is strong; it's not certain yet."

Xi Qianyue was left speechless at this answer.

After all that running around, it still wasn't certain?

But what was the original fate of this cannon-fodder male supporting character? She had no idea.

Based on her understanding of novels, generally speaking, cannon-fodder male supporting characters would be head over heels for the female lead, but unfortunately, the female lead was blind to his feelings and simply didn't love him.

Was Qi Jing originally one of those?

What a shame.

Yang Xingxian had spent the entire afternoon fooling around with two maidservants in the residence. Though nothing too outrageous had happened, the servants all knew the eldest young master was in a bad mood.

"Do you think I should divorce the mistress?"

Yang Xingxian chatted casually with Liu Mei and Lotus Leaf, but the two maids looked panicked.

"Eldest young master, a wife like the mistress is hard to come by. If you divorce her, I'm afraid you'll never find another as good."

"I think you're just afraid the mistress will make trouble for you, so you're saying that to cover your backs."

Yang Xingxian found it dull.

He genuinely wanted to divorce her.

Though he would rather cast her aside entirely, he knew that even for the sake of his reputation, he couldn't do that.

Divorce, huh!

That woman—who knows what she's thinking all day? She wouldn't get close to him, showed no interest in him, and was completely indifferent to his studies and career.

So what exactly was she after?!

She's just stubbornly refusing to leave this house!

Of course, she had said she could leave—if he returned her dowry money in full.

How could he possibly afford that?

If he could afford it, then he'd divorce her for real, and after that, marry again—marry someone wealthy...

Suddenly, his eyes lit up. Weren't there plenty of wealthy women around?

He couldn't marry one, but he could take a concubine!

His mind wandered, and he lost interest in the two maids before him. He waved them away.

"Achang, where do you think that Xi woman got the chess manual? Could it have come with her dowry?"

Achang naturally agreed: "It must be so. Otherwise, where would the mistress get such connections? Even Old Master Meng and the Abbot working together couldn't solve the stalemates. The mistress's mother must have scoured far and wide to find it for her."

"The Xi family really does have good things."

Achang had no idea that his master had already set his sights on his wife's younger sister, Xi Jiaojiao.

Being a daughter of the Xi family as well, Xi Jiaojiao surely had plenty of good things too.

The gold-flecked inkstone was proof enough.

Thinking of the charming Xi Jiaojiao, Yang Xingxian felt a surge of desire.

"I'll write a letter. Find a way to deliver it to the second miss of the Xi family."

Achang was terrified upon hearing this—this was the husband trying to seduce his wife's sister!

"Eldest young master, if the mistress finds out, she'll skin you alive."

"What do I even keep you for? Can't you handle such a small matter?"

The next day, Lv Zhi quietly said to Xi Jiaojiao: "Miss, a woman at the gate had a relative pass her a letter, and she secretly gave it to me... saying it's for you."

Xi Jiaojiao was a bit puzzled. She opened it, was quite surprised, but then smiled to herself.

"Indeed, what man doesn't like a bit of forbidden fruit?"

Lv Zhi noticed her smile carried a hint of sarcasm and grew curious: "Miss, whose letter is it?"

"You'll never guess. It was sent by my dear eldest sister's dear husband."

Lv Zhi was startled: "It's actually Young Master Yang?"

She knew this letter was definitely out of the ordinary.

"He didn't say much—just asked if I also had that rare chess manual." Xi Jiaojiao laughed. "My dear eldest sister has plenty of good things. Hasn't she been making a big splash lately with those two chess puzzles? But my brother-in-law came to ask me about the chess manual instead. Do you know what that means?"

Lv Zhi shook her head blankly—she truly couldn't figure it out.

"You fool. It means my eldest sister won't share her good things with her husband. First that inkstone, and now this chess manual! Alas, even though it's her dowry, once married, shouldn't she prioritize her husband's family? My eldest sister values these material possessions too much, which is why her husband has to go looking elsewhere."

At the last sentence, Xi Jiaojiao burst out laughing.

Lv Zhi was bewildered, not understanding what was so funny...

Xi Jiaojiao tossed her handkerchief at her face: "You really are a fool. Isn't my eldest sister, by acting this way, just pushing her husband into another woman's arms?"

Lv Zhi finally understood and said urgently, "This won't do, miss! If the mistress and the eldest young lady find out, Young Master Yang will be fine, but the blame will all fall on us."

Xi Jiaojiao bit her lower lip, and after a long moment, looked up and let out a long sigh.

"Don't I know it? But fortune favors the bold! Do you think, girl, that I could marry into a truly good family?"

Lv Zhi fell silent as well.

The second young lady would most likely marry a concubine-born young master of a wealthy merchant family, or perhaps become a second wife or a fill-in wife to a wealthy merchant. Even the legitimate son of a wealthy merchant seemed unlikely.

As for official families, they might as well be out of reach...

"Would my mother really plan things out for me? Don't be naive. That mother of mine, a concubine, has nothing but a pretty face. What else can she do to secure me a good marriage?"

As she talked, her mood dropped, and she raised her voice, "Why stress over it? My brother-in-law wants me to find him a chess manual—well, I've got one. Why not just give it to him? It's nothing, just a chess manual."

Achang hid not far from the Xi family's front gate and finally saw the old woman he had bribed come out, and she actually handed him the chess manual.

As for the manual's quality, he had no clue.

In any case, all that mattered was finishing the task his young master had given him.

Yang Xingxian received the chess manual and was greatly pleased.

"Any news from that side?"

Achang, recalling the old woman's words, stammered, "The old woman said that as long as it's your business, she will handle it with all her heart."

Yang Xingxian found it exciting and felt a thrill: "So, does the old woman know who she's working for?"

"The old woman doesn't know. Although the second young lady of the Xi family had her relay a message, the original words were 'as long as it's your business, I will handle it with all my heart'—how would she know who 'you' refers to?"

Though somewhat convoluted, Yang Xingxian understood and was quite satisfied.