Chapter 32: Complex

Su Wenxing had been waiting for evening to arrive ever since Song Mao left that afternoon.

His eagerness wasn't solely for himself; it stemmed from having boasted to several brothers and close friends earlier. He had claimed that once his uncle arrived, he would surely expose Ning Yi's pretentious facade as a scholar. This was also why Su Wenxing had rushed to inquire after Song Mao had praised Ning Yi so highly in the library.

"I don't think your uncle wants to get involved in these matters. Look at what he said in the library... he clearly didn't know Ning Yi was the teacher at first. Now that he's spoken, saying others have great talent and such, he can't take it back. Fifth Brother, stop bluffing... Humph, I really don't know what Ning Yi did to fool everyone so easily. You're saying he wasn't a professional con artist before, right...?"

Dusk had fallen, and several young men sat chatting in the courtyard pavilion. These were mostly members of the Su family's Second Branch. In truth, if not for Song Mao's arrival, Su Wenxing would not have been the center of attention. Although these individuals claimed to be allies bound by shared interests, in reality, they were just friends who enjoyed eating, drinking, and merrymaking together. Their familial ties naturally brought them closer.

Since they all benefited from being part of the Second Branch, they naturally worried about its future fate amidst their feasting, drinking, and impersonating scholars while visiting courtesans. Proportionally speaking, although Su Tan'er always appeared confident and her "silver bullet" tactics had kept many younger Su family members neutral, when it came to actual supporters and who people favored, most still sided with the Second or Third Branch because Su Tan'er was a woman. Of course, such allegiances weren't entirely reliable; the current third generation of the Su family largely lacked status. If a genuine power struggle were to erupt, their numbers would merely serve to create an impression of support.

Of course, while waiting to become influential members of the family, they could still do things to undermine their opponents' advantages and arrogance. In the eyes of these young men, who usually enjoyed posing as scholars and visiting brothels, Ning Yi—who was unconventional, yet had achieved a reputation they couldn't even dream of, and was moreover Su Tan'er's husband—was naturally a source of endless irritation.

*If I had that kind of fame, I could get into the top courtesan's room on the Qinhuai River, but this guy doesn't even go to brothels—what a waste! Besides, his reputation is completely fake... It's unbearable...*

Yet, despite their resentment, merely rolling their eyes when they met him wasn't enough; striking a real blow was difficult. When Ning Yi told Su Tai Gong and others that the poem wasn't his, Su Zhongkan and Su Yunfang were present and heard it. However, Grand Elder Su had issued strict orders against spreading the news. Who would dare openly go out and confirm this as a member of the Su family? Secretly spreading rumors was possible, but too many rumors wouldn't be believed. At home, they couldn't just go and "expose" anything, as he had already admitted it! His stance was truly unyielding; he feared nothing, and yet many still believed he was deliberately modest and hid his talents.

As members of the Su family, it was impossible for them to betray their own outside, and they couldn't do it themselves within the family either, making the situation difficult to set up. Song Mao's arrival was naturally the perfect opportunity. As a dignified Prefect, he was completely unaware of the internal affairs. As long as he righteously and sternly pointed out Ning Yi's pretense in a certain setting, the Grand Elder wouldn't be able to do anything to him, as he was oblivious. Once the news spread, they would simply have to "sever ties" with Ning Yi decisively. Perhaps in the future, when visiting a brothel, they could even confide in a beauty: "My second sister's live-in son-in-law, ah, I once thought he was a truly talented person, but who knew he..." and so on.

Thus, as soon as Song Mao arrived, the group, having already discussed their plan, immediately flocked around Su Wenxing to present their case. Song Mao had always been very fond of Su Wenxing, a fact everyone observed. After their conversation, Su Wenxing emerged confidently, declaring, "It's settled." Not long after, they witnessed Song Mao praising Ning Yi highly in the library, causing everyone to scoff at Su Wenxing. After all, Song Mao was known for his honesty and integrity, and his praise for Ning Yi in the library seemed heartfelt. Their original idea was likely shattered.

"What do you know? Ning Yi wasn't there at the time. Even if my uncle were to criticize him, what could he say? Only that he's not good at teaching. My uncle is merely giving him a courtesy, offering him some initial praise. Once he returns, his guard will be down, and during the evening banquet, my uncle can naturally test him. Even if he tries to decline, he won't be able to."

Later, emerging from his uncle's room, Su Wenxing reflected on Song Mao's words, finding them profound, and immediately understood their meaning. He explained this to the others, but by evening, some grew suspicious again. Nevertheless, the group still largely believed Su Wenxing.

"That's Wenxing's uncle; it's a simple favor. Who else would he help if not Wenxing? Wentian, you worry too much."

"To expose him, we naturally need to approach him first, praise him, and then, at the evening banquet, casually ask him a few questions; his true nature will then be revealed. In the past, when scholars invited or consulted Ning Yi, he could always dismiss them with a few casual remarks, simply because they weren't familiar with each other. But now that the Prefect has praised him, he'll have to appear somewhat amiable, and that's when we strike with our trump card. Wentian, how could the Prefect's considerations be as simple as yours?" The speaker was Su Wengui, the second oldest male in the Su family. Though somewhat thin, he was quite capable. Having read many storybooks, he fancied himself like Zhuge Liang, always having ideas for any situation, and his words were far more convincing than Su Wenxing's. As he spoke calmly, Su Wentian, who had been somewhat annoyed, chuckled awkwardly.

"Heh heh, wasn't it because I couldn't stand seeing the rumors spreading throughout the manor about Ning Yi's incredible talent?"

"What talent could he possibly have? We've all investigated him; he's nothing but a bookworm." Su Wengui frowned slightly. "In my opinion, many of Ning Yi's actions are manipulated by Second Sister behind the scenes. At tonight's banquet, everyone needs to be clever. If the Prefect asks him something directly, Second Sister might try to smooth things over, perhaps saying Ning Yi is slightly unwell, or create some minor accident to prevent the Prefect from being too aggressive. You and I must then help fuel the situation with a few words, ensuring Ning Yi is embarrassed. In short, by exposing him this time and clearly distancing ourselves from him in front of others later, we can then legitimately dismantle Second Sister's scheme..."

The others quickly nodded and murmured for a few moments before Su Wentian asked, "Wenxing, do you know where the Prefect went this afternoon? If he was held over for a meal, we might miss our chance today."

Su Wenxing shook his head. "I don't know either. Probably some respected mentor of my uncle's, or someone similar."

"Then they must be important figures..." Wentian chuckled. "Wenxing, imagine if one day you could take us along? How wonderful would that be? If we could get a few pointers..."

"Hmph, Wentian, you don't study hard normally. Do you think a few pointers from someone would suddenly enlighten you?"

"Teachers at academies like Yushan are all mediocre; what's the point of my diligent study there? Important figures are different, of course. Imagine, that one poem I wrote was highly praised by Shaohua from Yingchun House! If I could get just a little guidance from those great figures, I could naturally make significant progress..."

Su Wentian was usually a bit slow-witted, yet he fancied himself a talented scholar. The women at the brothels he frequented would likely ignore him if he didn't throw money around. Everyone inwardly cursed his foolishness, but couldn't be bothered to argue with him. A moment later, an attendant came to report that Song Mao had returned.

"...The Prefect, it seems, returned with Ning Yi. The two appear to know each other and were conversing very happily."

"So that's how it is." Su Wengui stood up, his expression calm as water, tapping his folding fan against his hand. "The Prefect is already setting the stage. Otherwise, with Ning Yi's status as a live-in son-in-law and a junior, even if he did possess some talent, why would the Prefect adopt such an attitude? What's planned for tonight must be correct. Everyone... prepare yourselves."

In the pavilion, that figure stood aloof and calm, exuding an air of having everything calculated and under control. Everyone was captivated, nodding in agreement, their morale soaring.

Returning from outside, Ning Yi naturally had no idea that a group of people at home were secretly plotting against him. He had been somewhat surprised upon realizing the family connection with Song Mao at the Qin residence, but he quickly adjusted. "Brother Song" simply became "Uncle Song."

Song Mao appeared simple but was actually shrewd. For Ning Yi, dealing with shrewd people was less stressful, especially when certain situations were clear. However, after returning to the Su residence, some other developments still caught him slightly by surprise.

Probably not many people at the Su mansion saw him and Song Mao return together, and it wasn't a big deal anyway. The two parted ways at the mansion gate. Ning Yi carried the jar of preserved eggs and made his way towards the back courtyard. Before long, he saw Xiao Chan waiting for him halfway. The little girl had probably been wandering in the nearby courtyards for a while; her small face was flushed. Seeing him, she called out "Guye" and ran over with a smile, looking quite excited.

"Oh, are you free today? Right, I have something for you..."

Xiao Chan was one of the closest people to him in the Su household. Upon seeing her, he naturally had to give her a preserved egg. He lifted the jar and shook it in the air, but before he could even reach to open it, Xiao Chan, whose attention was clearly elsewhere, embraced it in her arms. She probably thought Ning Yi wanted her to help carry it.

"Guye, Guye, listen to me, you made quite an impression today!"

"Oh," Ning Yi replied, already aware and not very surprised. "I know, the library exam, right? How are Heizi and the others? If Grand Elder rewarded them with some good things, Xiao Chan, do you think I, as their teacher, should take half, or the other half...?"

"Mm-hmm," Xiao Chan nodded vigorously, delighted that Ning Yi had garnered attention. "Besides the library, there was something else too! Guye is amazing; with just one sentence, you settled the business with the He family for Young Mistress... It's a pity Xiao Chan was with Young Mistress watching the snow at the time and didn't see Elder He's expression when Guye spoke; it must have been so interesting... Today, Young Mistress, Cousin Mistress, and Shopkeeper Xi were all incredibly surprised when they heard about it, but Xiao Chan wasn't surprised at all... Guye really does know everything, it's incredible. You know, if we see Young Mistress later..."

Amidst the still-falling snowflakes, Chan'er hugged the jar like a little hen, probably not even noticing it herself, and chattered excitedly non-stop as they walked. Ning Yi listened in silence for a long while before finally letting out a sigh.

"Xiao Chan, about this He family business, could you please tell me again, from the beginning...?"