Yan Xiaoyu’s anger was rising rapidly.

The lease had already been signed, the shop was freshly renovated, and everything was ready to go—it was about to open for business. For Qian Hong and Yan Yonghe to come and cause trouble at this critical moment, how could he not be furious?

Qian Hong had played dirty time, and again, yet Yan Xiaoyu had been forced to swallow his anger time and again—it was truly infuriating! He Qiuhua and Yan Xiaoyue looked on anxiously, holding him back, afraid he’d come to blows with them.

Yan Xiaoyu’s face was tense as she took a deep breath: “The owner of this shop is Mr. Shan, the father-in-law of Magistrate Li of Shifeng County in Nanhui Prefecture. Mr. Shan trusts me and has drawn up a contract with me. If the shop were to fall into the hands of others, I’m afraid neither Mr. Shan nor Magistrate Li would be pleased.”

This was Master Shan’s son-in-law using his influence to pressure the magistrate’s aide.

Sure enough, the man surnamed Fu looked suspicious and turned to Yan Yonghe: “Does this shop belong to Magistrate Li Feng’s in-laws?”

Seeing that Fu seemed to be backing down, Qian Hong immediately grew anxious and quickly gave Yan Yonghe a meaningful look.

“I am truly ashamed. I was aware of this matter earlier, but I thought that since Secretary Fu is so busy, choosing this location for the shop would allow me to drop by often to look after it and lighten your load. I hope you will forgive me. However—”

Yan Yonghe bowed apologetically to Mr. Fu, then shot a cold glance at Yan Xiaoyu. “We’re all in the food business. Who else would Master Shan rent the shop to? My brother-in-law has been in business for years—only here has the shop truly lived up to its potential. If Master Shan were to return one day and wish to reclaim the shop, he would certainly hope to find it still a thriving business—not one ruined by some upstart.”

At this point, Yan Yonghe glanced at Yan Xiaoyu with a look of pride: “Whatever rent Master Shan charges, we’ll pay—whether it’s more or less. Let me write a letter to inform Master Shan of this matter. If he’s pleased, it’s not too late; why would he object?”

Fu, the legal clerk, rubbed his bald head—it was indeed true.

Shifeng County is even more remote than Shi County, so anyone sent there to serve as an official likely has no connections. If we pay a little extra to rent the shop, Magistrate Li and his father-in-law will not only collect more rent but also have the chance to build a relationship with us—they should be more than happy to agree.

Although they were both county magistrates, my master has connections to the Imperial Uncle’s household, which sets him apart from ordinary local officials.

Fu, the chief clerk, relaxed and looked at the young man with a stern expression: “We’re taking this shop. As for Magistrate Li, we’ll handle the arrangements. If you know what’s good for you, take your family and leave.”

As he spoke, he sized up Yan Xiaoyu with a few glances, and another thought crossed his mind.

—This young man has a certain charm; if presented to His Excellency, he would surely win his favor. His Excellency’s birthday is approaching, and I’ve been worrying about what gift to offer this time—could this be it?

Being driven out of the shop he himself had rented, Yan Xiaoyu clenched his fists, his eyes nearly shooting fire. He Qiuhua looked on the verge of tears and shook her head.

Yan Xiaoyue clung pitifully to her younger brother, while Aunt Sun, who had come to help clean the shop, cowered in the back, trembling uncontrollably.

Qian Hong’s gaze swept over the crowd, his face brimming with smug satisfaction. “Is that all? If you know what’s good for you, get out of here. You can’t afford to cross Secretary Fu!” His triumphant demeanor only served to enrage Yan Xiaoyu even more.

Yan Xiaoyu dug his fingernails into the palm of his hand and pinched himself hard to stay calm and suppress his anger. Yan Yonghe looked at Yan Xiaoyu and frowned.

Even though Yan Xiaoyu remained silent, the defiance in his eyes was plain to see. He was clearly just a crude country boy—one who hadn’t even been fit to share a table with his classmates before. Where on earth had this sudden sense of pride come from?

Yan Xiaoyu’s gaze made him particularly uncomfortable, and he spoke coldly, “Still not thinking of leaving? You’ve delayed Master Fu’s affairs—can you bear the responsibility for that?” As he spoke, Yan Yonghe gave a subtle signal to the soldiers behind him; the men understood and drew their long swords halfway from their sheaths.

The icy glint of the blades pierced her eyes. He Qiuhua fought back tears as she reached out with trembling hands to pull Yan Xiaoyu and her brother, trying to lead them away.

Since Yan Xiaoyu had traveled through time, he had charged headlong into his new life, leading his family away from the Yan clan and, through sheer determination, establishing a foothold in Xiling Village. Until now, he had never faced any major difficulties; this was his first taste of just how terrifying a world of imperial autocracy and rigid hierarchy could be.

A deep sense of helplessness welled up inside him, mingled with anger and a sense of injustice.

For now, he was still a princess-in-waiting, and her mother and elder sister were right here—he couldn’t act on impulse. But one day, one day! He would exact every last bit of revenge for today’s humiliation from Qian Hong and Yan Yonghe!

With these thoughts, Yan Xiaoyu pulled He Qiuhua and Yan Xiaoyue back behind him, then signaled Aunt Sun with a glance, preparing to escort them to safety.

Just as he took a step, he spotted a familiar figure outside, walking toward them with the light behind him.

Yan Xiaoyu unconsciously took a step forward; his body, which had been tense all along, suddenly relaxed. But the emotions that surged up inside him startled him, causing him to stop in his tracks.

The tall man, dressed in a blue robe, watched the entrance with intense concern. Only after confirming that everything was in order did he turn to face the person across from him.

“Whose shop is this, and who exactly are you telling to get out?!” Yan Shaoxuan’s gaze swept over Yan Yonghe and Qian Hong, his eyes icy cold. “Scholar Yan, you’re quite the bold one, coming to my elder brother’s shop to chase people away?”

He waited for Yan Yonghe’s reply, then turned to Fu Shigye: “May I ask, Secretary Fu, what brings you to my elder brother’s shop?”

“Is this shop owned by Scholar Yan’s family?” Secretary Fu’s expression flickered with surprise, then he immediately bowed his hands toward Yan Shaoxuan with a forced smile. “This truly is a case of ‘the flood washing away the Dragon King’s, and family recognizes family!”

“Scholar Yan, what a surprise! Scholar Yan’s brother-in-law said he wanted to come to the county seat to do business but ran into some difficulties, so he asked me to help. You scholars are all the finest talents of Weishi County and the pillars of the Great Chu. The Magistrate has instructed me to look out for you, so when Scholar Yan asked, I agreed at once. I did indeed know this shop was leased by your elder brother—I truly did think of everything.”

This man’s attitude has changed so drastically that even Yan Xiaoyu was taken aback. Qian Hong, for his part, looked utterly incredulous, his face twisted with seething resentment. “I vouched for him myself; he’s renting this shop on behalf of my elder brother. The shop’s owner, Mr. Shan, happens to be the father-in-law of one of my schoolmates.”

“The friend I mentioned—the young lady standing beside him is my future sister-in-law. This shop belongs to us…”

“Oh, I see!” Secretary Fu’s gaze swept over Yan Xiaoyue as he gave a dry laugh and said to Yan Shaoxuan, “I was rude just now. Knowledge is no crime; please do not take offense, Scholar Ya,n not to take offense.”

“Since it was merely a misunderstanding, I certainly won’t hold it against you.” Yan Shaoxuan glanced at Secretary Fu and said solemnly, “But Brother Yu has done me a great favor. If anyone wrongs him, I’ll risk my scholarly reputation to see that justice is served.”

“Scholar Yan, you are truly a man of honor and loyalty. No wonder you’ve earned the Magistrate’s favor. Rest assured, today’s incident was purely a misunderstanding; I had no intention of causing trouble for this young gentleman. There are plenty of shops out there; I’m sure Scholar Yan and his brother-in-law wouldn’t insist on competing with you.”

After speaking, Secretary Fu’s expression turned cold as he turned to Yan Yonghe and Qian Hong: “Scholar Yan, Young Master Qian, what do you say?”

This attitude was practically a slap in the face to Yan Yonghe and Qian Hong. The two men looked extremely displeased; they were seething inside, but out of respect for their status, they dared not show even a hint of their anger.

Yan Yonghe lowered his eyes to hide his emotions: “Yes, we can look for another shop.”

Qian Hong also gritted his teeth and nodded in agreement.

After exchanging a few more polite words with Yan Shaoxuan, Secretary Fu took his men and left.

After the group had left, Yan Xiaoyu took the time to comfort He Qiuhua and the others.

Before long, Yan Shaocheng returned as well. He took Yan Xiaoyue to the back courtyard to talk, while He Qiuhua and Aunt Sun went to the kitchen to tend to the cooking. That left only Yan Shaoxuan and Yan Xiaoyu in the front hall.

Yan Shaoxuan looked down at Yan Xiaoyu. “Are you upset?”

Yan Xiaoyu sat there fuming. “Do I even need to say that?”

He raised his fist and said indignantly, “They’ve really gone too far. I wish I could punch those two bastards, Qian Hong and Yan Yonghe, to death!!”

Yan Shaoxuan moved closer and sat down beside him. After watching him silently for a moment, he suddenly said, “Then go ahead and punch them.”

Yan Xiaoyu turned her head in surprise: “Yan Erlang, what do you mean by that?”

“Yan Yonghe is off-limits for now, but Qian Hong is fair game. The day after tomorrow, change your clothes, and I’ll take you to let off some steam.” Yan Shaoxuan’s tone was full of indulgence.

“Really?!” Yan Xiaoyu was stunned, still finding it hard to believe. “Yan Erge, you’re actually encouraging me to hit someone? I just had a run-in with them today. If Qian Hong gets beaten up the day after tomorrow, he’ll definitely suspect me. I can’t really beat him up now—do you get it?”

Yan Shaoxuan shot her a reproachful glance. “You’re usually so affectionate, calling me ‘Yan Erlang,’ but today you’ve really shown your true colors.”

Yan Xiaoyu was taken aback by this. Lately, he’d been feeling that the nickname “Yan Erlang” sounded a bit awkward, but he knew exactly how the phrase “Yan Erge” had slipped out.

But this is important.

“It matters!” He nudged Yan Shaoxuan’s arm anxiously. “Hurry up and tell me—how can I beat Qian Hong up and still avoid getting us into trouble?”

Yan Shaoxuan looked at the hand clutching his arm and felt a strong urge to cover it with his own, but he managed to hold back.

“Ahem.” He cleared his throat, doing his best to maintain a serious expression. “A few days ago, Qian Hong stole some tofu from a shop in the county and made an enemy of the owner. Tomorrow, I’ll have someone give him a nudge to stir up some trouble between them. Then, the day after tomorrow, when you beat him up, they’ll suspect the other.”

“Brilliant, you rascal Yan Erge! Who’d have thought of that!”

Yan Xiaoyu was overjoyed, his eyes crinkling with laughter. He jumped to his feet, beaming, and patted Yan Shaoxuan’s shoulder in a flattering gesture. “You’ve even had people keep an eye on Qian Hong? You’re so clever—thank you for all your hard work!”

Yan Shaoxuan’s earlobes were so red they looked as if they might bleed, and he couldn’t suppress the smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

“I promised you last time that I’d help you get it back.” Yan Shaoxuan said, chuckling softly. “I never thought you’d end up having to do it yourself after all.”

“I just love doing things myself!!” Yan Xiaoyu clapped his hands twice, then poured some tea, looking like a total sycophant. “You must be thirsty after coming all the way down from the mountain. By the way, how did you end up here from the county school?”

Yan Shaoxuan paused with the teacup in his hand and said nonchalantly, “Big Brother said you were coming into town today and told me to come over and have dinner with you.” In reality, what Yan Shaocheng had said was—“Your Fulang is coming tomorrow. If you’re thinking of him, come here for dinner.”

That was certainly not something he could say to Yan Xiaoyu, so Yan Shaoxuan quickly changed the subject: “What’s the deal with Qian Hong? Why has he set his sights on your shop as well?”

The person who had invited them had only seen Qian Hong associating with Yan Yonghe and Secretary Fu, but now realized that these three had also set their sights on Yan Xiaoyu’s shop.

Qian Hong intended to sell tofu ingredients—ready-to-eat foods—so it would be better for his shop to be located near the vegetable market; there was really no need to compete with Yan Xiaoyu.

Yan Xiaoyu recounted today’s events from start to finish to Yan Shaoxuan, concluding, “From what Yan Yonghe implied, Secretary Fu has a stake—and likely a significant one—in the new eatery the Qian family plans to open. That’s why he’s helping Qian Hong try to take my shop. As for Qian Hong himself, he’s always taken a dislike to me, so I suspect he’s deliberately trying to make things difficult for me.”

Yan Shaoxuan nodded, his expression growing somber. “If he merely wanted to compete with you for the shop, Qian Hong would have had to give up his own share. There might be other motives at play. We need to be on our guard.”

Yan Xiaoyu thought for a moment. “Could it be to curry favor with Secretary Fu?”

Yan Shaoxuan shook his head. “I’m afraid it’s to curry favor with the magistrate. On the surface, the shop belongs to Secretary Fu, but in reality, the one pocketing the bribes is likely the magistrate behind the scenes.”