When a married daughter returns to visit her maiden home, it is customary for her father and brothers to entertain the son-in-law in the front hall, while the mother, sisters-in-law and sisters chat with the daughter in the inner quarters.

But in the Bai household, with Bairen as the only male relative, he had to first settle Roujia in the back to be well attended by the servants, before conversing with He Zichen in the front hall himself.

He Zichen was extremely respectful. He brought a large array of gifts, immediately bowing to Bairen in greeting and addressing him as "Younger Brother-in-Law". Bairen quickly helped him up, smiling, "Brother-in-Law, please have a seat."

The servants served tea. Remembering the matchmaker's earlier instructions, Bairen asked as per custom, "Is Elder Sister doing well in your esteemed household? Is she attentive and diligent in serving your parents? Is she wholeheartedly managing the household affairs?"

He Zichen promptly set down his teacup. "Rou'er... my wife is doing very well. From the first day she entered our household, she went to pay respects to my mother, attending to her day and night, observing all the rules, personally serving food and tea. However..."

He Zichen smiled at Bairen. "In front of Younger Brother-in-Law, I won't say those polite, empty words. You know that even before our family split, when we were still living with my elder uncle, we didn't have so many rules, let alone now. My mother is not one to order her daughter-in-law around to show off her authority. In fact, she was quite flustered by my wife's full set of formalities.

"I told my wife that as a family, we should live harmoniously and not fuss over these empty courtesies. Our family is small and humble, there's no need for such pretenses, so we can dispense with all that. But my wife is very particular about observing the rules, insisting on going to pay respects to my mother early each morning. My mother has no choice but to keep her there for a chat.

"I think it's just as well - I'm at the yamen all day, leaving only my mother and my wife at home. It's good for them to spend time together."

As He Zichen spoke, his eyes shone with tenderness each time he mentioned Roujia, clearly very satisfied with her. Hearing that Madam He was so understanding, Bairen felt relieved and nodded with a smile, "Serving one's mother-in-law is only proper."

He Zichen smiled and added, "Madam is also very capable in managing the household. Everyone, high and low, respects her. With such a wife, I have nothing more to ask for."

At this point, the old steward came to ask if the banquet could commence. With only three people in the entire household, separating them according to formality would only highlight the bleakness. Bairen decided against separate seating. Pushing open the screen, he had Roujia invited to the front to dine together.

Though few in number, it felt less constrained. He Zichen was so elated that he forgot his reserve as an Imperial Scholar. He repeatedly toasted Bairen and by the end, was quite tipsy. Pulling Bairen close, he laughed, "Younger Brother-in-Law... don't mind that there are so few of us. Give it three to five years, and we'll be surrounded by children and grandchildren, a thriving, populous clan..."

Roujia, already shy, turned crimson at these words. She hurriedly tugged at He Zichen's sleeve, whispering in embarrassment, "Husband, you must be drunk."

Bairen suppressed a laugh and sent someone to brew a sobering soup for He Zichen. But He Zichen remained gleeful, patting his forehead and saying, "My wife is right to chide me..." With a full belly, He Zichen knew Roujia must have private words to share with Bairen. Smiling, he said, "These past few days I've been thinking of going to the Brush and Ink Alley to find some good ink sticks. Since we're in the area today, I might as well go take a look. My wife can sit here for a while, I'll go buy the things and come back to get you."

Roujia felt a warmth in her heart and nodded.

In the inner courtyard, Roujia happily showed Bairen the return visit gifts one by one. "These are all the wedding gifts. Mother-in-law picked out the good ones for me to bring back... This safety lock has an excellent flow, just right for you to wear. This is a full set of gilded fans, it will be hot soon, perfect for using. This is..."

Bairen smiled and pulled Roujia to sit down. "I'll look at those things later, let's talk first... Is Madam He treating you well? I can see that Brother-in-Law is good to you, so that should be fine."

Roujia blushed slightly and said softly, "Mother-in-law is a kind person and treats me very well. On the second day after the wedding, it was Mother-in-Law who took me back to visit the He ancestral home and introduced me to everyone. The family there respects Mother-in-Law for staying chaste in her youth and raising her son into adulthood alone. By extension, they are very cordial to me, not putting on airs. It's clear I've married into a good family.

"Mother-in-Law is extremely good to me, never making me stand on ceremony. Each day when I go pay my respects, she just chats and laughs with me, not acting like a domineering mother-in-law. She truly cares for me. Just yesterday... Mother-in-Law already handed over to me the keys to the household stores and all the account books, letting me learn to manage the household. For her to trust me so, I really have nothing more to say."

Bairen had met Madam He before and knew she was a kind and charitable person. He smiled, "What about Brother-in-Law then?"

Roujia's face reddened even more. She nodded without a word. Bairen let out a sigh of relief, "Then I'm at ease."

Roujia lowered her eyes and smiled, saying softly, "To be honest, when we were in the south and heard the Emperor decreed the marriage, Little Aunt wanted to take issue with it on my behalf. She said Husband's family had fallen on hard times and I would suffer hardship marrying into it. I was worried too. I don't fear hardship, I just feared marrying far away for nothing, unable to help you at all.

"In the end, it was Mother Consort who told Little Aunt that the match personally arranged by my own younger brother couldn't possibly be bad. With my temperament, I would truly suffer if I married into a princely or noble household. Mother Consort urged me, as long as I wholeheartedly serve my mother-in-law and treat my husband well, my days ahead will not be hard..."

Roujia's eyes reddened as she choked back sobs, "Looking at it now, Mother Consort was indeed most perceptive. She herself endured a lifetime of misery from marrying above her station with no support. She feared the same for me. That's why she was willing to let me marry far away, with you to watch over me, with our princely household backing me, others wouldn't dare slight me..."

Bairen also felt distressed at the mention of the Lingnan Prince Consort. Taking a deep breath, he said, "Sister, don't worry, I won't let Mother Consort remain in such a state her whole life."

Roujia let her tears fall, nodding non-stop, "I know... Though born of the same mother, you've always been different from me since young. You will achieve great things in the future... It's just that you care too much. I'm not deliberately trying to set your mind at ease, but this past year, Mother Consort's days have gotten much better. Although Father King doesn't visit her palace even once every ten days or half a month, he has never stinted on her food, clothing and daily necessities.

"Especially after learning that you are much favored by the Emperor here and have formed a bond with the Crown Prince, he has become even more courteous to Mother. Although Concubine Xia still tries to stir up trouble, she has restrained herself a lot. After all, she can't overstep Mother in status."

"Besides..." Roujia was too kind-hearted to say mean things. After some hesitation, she said, "With the way Father Prince summoned Wenyu and Kangtai back this time, there will surely be a huge storm. Concubine Xia will probably be too busy to bother with others for a while."

Bairen smiled faintly: "They brought it upon themselves, who else is there to blame? It's just a pity that Empress Feng had to release that rumor right before your wedding. Madam He and Brother-in-law didn't mention this matter, right?"

Roujia wiped her tears and shook her head with a smile: "No... When speaking of my family, Mother-in-law only mentioned you and Mother Consort, never anyone else. Husband also never spoke of others, so just rest assured."

Bairen nodded, smiling again: "Let's just see how Father will educate our good younger brother and sister when we return this time."

An hour later, He Zichen came to pick up Roujia. Bairen had people bring the gifts he prepared, along with the wedding presents sent by Qi Xiao, for the two to take. With this, the wedding was finally over.

After sending them off, Bairen originally wanted to read for a while, but unexpectedly, the old steward came to report that Shunzi had arrived.

Bairen felt both amused and sweet in his heart. He had only returned for a day and Qi Xiao had already sent someone to pick him up.

Bairen had extremely good manners and never ordered Qi Xiao's servants around just because Qi Xiao doted on him. Every time Shunzi came to pick him up, Bairen would have the old steward bring the person to the flower hall to have a cup of tea and rest his feet before leaving.

It was the same this time, but who knew the old steward would shake his head and say, "No, he came on horseback, saying he has a matter to discuss with the young master."

Bairen was puzzled: "Tell him to come in."

Before long, Shunzi arrived. After paying his respects to Bairen, he glanced at the people in the room and said in a deep voice, "This subordinate has something to say to Your Highness."

The maids serving in the room took the hint and withdrew one by one with a bow.

Bairen frowned slightly: "Could it be His Highness..."

"No." Shunzi shook his head. "It's a matter from the gambling house... Young Prince, something happened to your family's Second Young Prince."

"Second Young Prince and Second Young Princess returned to Lingnan last month without incident along the way. After passing the Southern Frontier, the team sent by the Imperial City to escort the two masters returned... But who would have thought that something would happen right after."

"After passing the Southern Frontier, their group traveled another hundred miles. Because it was late, they stopped for the night. In the evening... perhaps out of boredom, Second Young Prince called for the songstresses from the tavern to entertain him. No one knows how he spent that night, only that the next day, when the servants went to knock on the door and received no response after a long time, they plucked up the courage to break down the door.

"Inside, several songstresses were sleeping soundly, while Second Young Prince lay on the couch, his body exposed, his face ashen, and he could not be awakened no matter how they called. The crowd hurriedly went to invite physicians. Afterwards, several physicians took turns checking his pulse and all said..."

A hint of contempt flashed in Shunzi's eyes as he continued, "They all said that Second Young Prince had overindulged in pleasures, causing his body to become extremely deficient. Coupled with catching a wind-cold, that's why he fell into a coma. Afterwards, the servants searched the room and actually found a packet of Five Minerals Powder.

"According to those few songstresses, Second Young Prince himself said it was 'Carefree Pills' he bought on the road and would not harm the body. Last night, he even forced them to take it. With a room full of people, they all took that medicine. One can imagine..."

Bairen was extremely shocked: "Then what? Was he saved?"

Shunzi nodded: "He was saved, but... the damage was too great. That part seems to be not very functional now. According to the old physician treating Second Young Prince... in the future, even if he can manage to use it, he won't be able to have offspring."

Bairen couldn't react for a moment and said in a low voice, "This... who did this? Was it the Crown Prince's doing? Was it covered up cleanly?"

Shunzi shook his head: "No, we also just received the news today. We left one of those songstresses behind. We still need to question her closely about what happened before. As for that packet of Five Minerals Powder, whether it's really Five Minerals Powder or some other insidious poison, we also need to investigate further. But from what we can see now, there isn't the slightest loophole. Perhaps... it really is Second Young Prince's own misfortune."

Bairen felt slightly relieved: "Instruct the people at the gambling house not to investigate further. Immediately withdraw all our people from the south, don't leave even one behind. From today onwards, everyone should keep a low profile and do nothing. Wait for my further instructions."

Shunzi was stunned: "Why is that? Young Prince doesn't want to find out who did it?"

Bairen shook his head: "Of course I want to investigate, but this matter is no small issue. Once my father finds out, he will definitely launch a massive investigation. Although it wasn't done by the Crown Prince, if my father happens to find our people there, he will definitely become suspicious. At that time, if he investigates further, won't that implicate the Crown Prince?"

Bairen murmured softly: "This den is said to be given to me, but if one day someone uncovers the truth, it will still be blamed on the Crown Prince. At that time, the Crown Prince will have no way to defend himself and will become a scapegoat for no reason... Listen to me, self-preservation is paramount now. We don't seek merit, but we must avoid making mistakes. As long as they keep their heads down and don't stand out, that's good enough. Let's talk again after riding out this storm."

Shunzi sighed in his heart. His master truly did not dote on the wrong person.