The coachman’s face stiffened, seemingly not expecting Lin Fei to speak so directly and “tear off the mask,” and he froze on the spot.

After reacting, the coachman’s gaze darkened slightly as he looked at Lin Fei, who had “directly torn off the mask,” and his eyes revealed obvious displeasure.

However, no matter how displeased he was, the master of the Liyang Wang’s mansion was not one to easily offend people, let alone servants. Especially before knowing Lin Fei’s identity, the coachman thought for a moment, raised his hand to Lin Fei, and said, “This young master is overthinking it. I am in a hurry to get on the road…” Then he turned to Wen Mingtang beside him and said, “This young lady, it was my fault; please forgive me. If you feel unwell because of my rashness, you can come to Liyang Wang’s Mansion to find me.” He pointed to the wall next to Wen Mingtang and said, “That is my Liyang Wang’s Mansion.”

Lin Fei looked at Wen Mingtang, who pursed her lips and did not speak.

The coachman’s attitude was far better than many of the arrogant servants; it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he was “flexible and adaptable.”

Glancing at the coachman’s muscular physique, Wen Mingtang shook her head at Lin Fei. Lin Fei turned to the coachman and said, “You can go now!”

And that was the end of it. The coachman and Zhao You helped the injured horse to its feet and drove away with the carriage, which was still able to “walk.”

After the coachman had left, Lin Fei turned to Wen Mingtang and said, “Even if you had managed to dodge the carriage just now and ended up in the hands of the Liyang Wangfu, it would still have been troublesome.”

Wen Mingtang nodded, pointed to the wall beside her, and said, “I heard some noise on the other side of the wall; it seemed someone was guarding it.”

The girl wasn’t stupid; she saved herself a lot of trouble explaining.

Lin Fei glanced at Liyang Wang’s residence and said, “This Liyang Junzhu, all the young ladies in the capital, good and bad, have a good relationship with her. Even my mother couldn’t help but admire her social skills.”

This was interesting! To befriend someone regardless of their character, good or bad, didn’t make one a good person. Confucius once said that only those liked by all good people were truly good people; those who like everyone, regardless of good or bad, were more likely to be two-faced.¹

“Five years ago, someone tried to escape debt collectors by climbing over the wall of Liyang Wang’s mansion, only to be carried out the next day, reportedly having had their leg bitten off by the mansion’s guard dog,” Lin Fei said. “Afterwards, Liyang Wang, as a prince, personally went to apologize and paid a considerable sum of money, earning him praise from many who said he had no airs of superiority and was incredibly magnanimous towards the trespasser, truly a benevolent person.”

Wen Mingtang frowned: Magnanimous enough to have a leg bitten off?

“Two years ago, a young lady from the capital, a close friend of Liyang Jùnzhǔ, sought refuge in the Wang’s mansion to escape the advances of a dissolute and powerful nobleman. The very next day, Liyang Jùnzhǔ hastily dismissed a servant. It’s said that not long after, the beautiful young lady, sought after by many, went to a nunnery to practice Buddhism, keeping her hair as a nun.”

Lin Fei paused, glancing at Wen Mingtang, who looked thoughtful, before continuing, “The Wang’s mansion hasn’t revealed anything, but they haven’t hidden the matter of the servant’s dismissal. It’s said this person is a womanizer, often reported by the Jùnzhǔ’s maids for taking advantage of women.”

Some things, even if unspoken, can be roughly guessed from the mansion’s actions.

No matter how audacious the servant, anyone with eyes could see from the young lady’s attire that she wasn’t a maid but a guest of the Jùnzhǔ. Besides, this wasn’t the young lady’s first visit to the mansion; would the servant really not know she was a noblewoman?

She had originally hoped to avoid the wánkù² and the powerful, yet it was a pity that she ended up like this anyway.

Wen Mingtang: “…”

After a moment of silence, she glanced at the mansion separated by a wall and said, “So, beneath this magnificent mansion lies a den of wolves.”

“That’s just what I’ve heard; there’s much more I haven’t,” Lin Fei said, glancing at her. “If you jump over the wall today, I’m afraid…”

He was afraid someone would be waiting for her on the other side!

He didn’t finish his sentence. Wen Mingtang naturally knew what Lin Fei hadn’t said. After thinking for a moment, she asked Lin Fei, “Where did I offend this Jùnzhǔ? Does she also have a grudge against Wen Xuance?”

Almost all her enemies came from Wen Xuance, so she naturally had to ask.

What grudge could a Jùnzhǔ of her age have against Wen Xuance?

Lin Fei said, “Recently, Du Lingmou frequently visited Liyang Wang’s residence.”

However, Liyang Wange’s daughter, Liyang Jùnzhǔ, was not the kind of person who would willingly act as a tool for others. He didn’t yet know what reason Du Lingmou had given to persuade her.

Seeing that Lin Fei didn’t speak, Wen Mingtang didn’t ask further. After thinking for a moment, she held the storybook in her hand and said to Lin Fei, “In that case… I’ll go back to the Dali Temple?”

Lin Fei nodded.

Wen Mingtang looked at Zhao You, who had come to “escort” her back, and breathed a sigh of relief: Well, going back to the Dali Temple is the safest option.

Fortunately, she was quite adept at being a stay-at-home girl; it was second nature to her.

After the girl left, Lin Fei didn’t leave immediately. Instead, he went around to the front and walked to the front of the Liyang Prince’s Mansion. Looking at the vermilion gate, he couldn’t help but frown. Because he hadn’t yet figured out the situation, he hadn’t told the girl earlier.

The girl was in the Dali Temple, and her daily interactions were limited to cooking, eating, and the cases they were handling. Naturally, she wouldn’t know many things. However, because he had a mother who frequently attended banquets held by various women, he naturally had his own news within these circles.

For instance, the news that the Liyang Wangfu had begun arranging the Liyang Junzhu’s marriage had only recently spread.

It was said that, in recent days, the Liyang Wangfu had been on very close terms with Lord Ye, the maternal uncle of the Pingxi Junwang, who had only recently been transferred to the capital. Lord Ye’s son was said to be an exceptionally handsome and refined young man, and the Liyang Junzhu had taken quite a liking to him.

When Lin Fei heard the news, he did not even raise an eyebrow.

That was a good thing. Master Wen’s former fiancé—that hot potato—had been noticed by the Liyang Junzhu, who excelled at putting on appearances but, beneath the surface, loved controlling others. They were rather well matched.

As for that Young Master Ye, who had written an entire stack of letters beginning with “To Younger Sister Mingtang,” he was a flirt by nature. Had he married another woman, she would likely have spent her days at home weeping and suffering his mistreatment. But having crossed paths with someone like Liyang Junzhu, even if he did not wish to change his womanizing ways, he would have no choice but to do so.

On the other hand, thinking of Liyang Junzhu, who outwardly smiled but secretly used underhanded methods, and how any woman more outstanding than her had suffered at her hands, she was undoubtedly a ruthless and vicious person. If such a person took a fancy to any talented man, she could use her methods to get him and then ruin him.

Lin Fei felt that the two of them were a perfect match, and with Chef Wen’s troubles resolved, she could continue to focus on her culinary research.

However, he hadn’t expected that Du Lingmou’s several visits to Liyang Wang’s residence would lead this troublemaker to set his sights on Chef Wen. Lin Fei was puzzled: even though she learned from Du Lingmou that the talented Ye had a former fiancée, given Liyang Junzhu’s personality, knowing that Chef Wen was a chef in the Dali Temple’s public kitchen, she probably wouldn’t even care about Chef Wen. She’d probably be busy chasing after the ladies-in-waiting around the talented Ye. How did Du Lingmou manage to persuade the Liyang Junzhu to prioritize dealing with Chef Wen?

(End of Chapter)

---

Footnote

1. This alludes to a saying from the Analects (13.24). When asked whether someone praised by everyone in the village could be considered good, Confucius replied that this was not enough. He said that the truly worthy are those whom good people approve of and bad people dislike, while those liked by everyone indiscriminately may simply be adept at pleasing others rather than possessing genuine virtue. The passage emphasizes moral integrity over universal popularity.
2. Spoiled rich kid