Chapter 45: Strange Changes

Mrs. Xu hurriedly made her way toward the main gate. Just now, she had been startled by Dantai Jing’s boldness. This time, the Third Miss was surely furious with Lady Ye to the point of recklessness—she intended to confront her head-on at the main entrance without any regard for consequences!

Earlier, Mrs. Xu had persuaded the Third Miss to hold back, promising to first investigate the matter and see if anyone in the marketplace had witnessed what had happened and could clarify the situation. But before she could even return, the Third Miss had already taken Nurse Li with her and headed straight for the main gate.

What was to be done now? If the Third Miss antagonized the master of the house and insisted on standing her ground to protect Nurse Li, her reputation would be utterly destroyed. Once branded a shrew, no respectable family would accept her in marriage, and the entire household would find itself in a precarious position.

The Third Miss usually seemed so wise and prudent—why, of all times, would she now be throwing such a tantrum?

What Mrs. Xu did not realize was that Dantai Jing’s anger was profound and deliberate. Had she truly wished to deal with Lady Ye and the twins, she could have done so long ago during her stewardship of the household affairs. But seeing them behave so meekly over the past month, she had reconsidered.

In her past life, she had taken her own life. Ultimately, Lady Ye was responsible for only two things: first, seducing her into falling for Wang Ziyu, and second, having Su Yue drug her on her wedding night.

Still, she could not place all the blame on Lady Ye. If she had not been so gullible and trusting of Su Yue, she would never have married into the Wang family, nor suffered the misery that followed. It was her own weak nature that led to such a tragic fate.

She did not want to carry all the misfortunes of her past life into this one. For over a month, she had refrained from any action, believing simply that the past was the past, and this life was a new beginning. If she clung to old grievances, how could she ever be reborn? She was not letting Lady Ye off—it was her own heart she was freeing, to start anew.

But Lady Ye had no intention of letting her go. Her recent humility was merely a façade, meant to win over Dantai Shanchang’s favor and deceive Dantai Jing.

This deception enraged Dantai Jing to the core. She was ready to explode. She did not fear being unmarriageable; what she feared was Lady Ye. If she could not marry out, she would rule over the household affairs of the Dantai estate forever, ensuring Lady Ye would never lift her head again.

Mrs. Xu sighed deeply, recalling the Third Miss’s reckless demeanor, then hurried toward the main gate. Just as Dantai Jing was about to curse the burly man blocking the entrance, Mrs. Xu called out from behind, “Third Miss!”

Dantai Jing paused, her cherry lips parting silently, then looked elsewhere—because alongside Mrs. Xu’s voice came another, deeper male voice.

Surprised, Dantai Jing turned to see none other than Ma Yuantong standing there, clad in a moon-white brocade robe with straight embroidery. His family was modest, unlikely to afford such finery, and the white jade bamboo leaf hairpin tucked into his hair was clearly a precious item.

Even more astonishing was Dantai Shanchang himself stepping forward to greet Ma Yuantong. As the prefect, it was unexpected for him to personally welcome a scholar.

Dantai Jing looked at the two men in confusion.

Mrs. Xu caught up to Dantai Jing and whispered in her ear. When she had gone to the marketplace earlier, she had run into Ma Yuantong, who had quickly returned with news!

The Dantai household’s turmoil had reached the ears of Ma Yuantong, who had rushed to the East Market to investigate the incident fully. He had questioned villagers who had witnessed the scene and brought them along.

As for Dantai Shanchang’s unusual behavior, it was because Ma Yuantong had passed the preliminary examination—not only passed, but had been noticed by the supervising examiner Zheng Tixue, who selected him as a tribute student recommended to the Imperial Academy. Tribute students there had the greatest advantage: they could be directly appointed as officials, central or local. Perhaps one day, the emperor might favor Ma Yuantong so highly that he would surpass even Dantai Shanchang in status.

Even if Ma Yuantong did not reach such heights, studying alongside noble scions at the Imperial Academy guaranteed him a promising future. His status had suddenly become extraordinary.

Dantai Jing was surprised to hear Mrs. Xu gossiping softly in her ear. She clearly remembered that in her past life, Ma Yuantong had failed the preliminary exam that year and only passed the following year as an ordinary scholar. How was he different now?

What Dantai Jing did not know was that Ma Yuantong’s ambition was fueled by her. Determined to outshine Wang Ziyu, he had pushed himself harder than ever. Ma Yuantong was never one for socializing; under normal circumstances, he would never dream of attending a banquet with other examinees and the examiners. Yet this time, something compelled him to move faster than others to keep pace with Dantai Jing. For the first time, he drank heavily and openly competed to answer every question posed by the supervising official.

Fortunately, this effort brought more than just a splitting headache the next day; it earned Ma Yuantong the special favor of Zheng Tixue, who accepted him as a disciple and recommended him to the Imperial Academy. Knowing he had no place to stay, the academy allocated a small courtyard in the capital for him.

It was a complete turnaround—like a fish turning over in the water.

Now, full of spirit, Ma Yuantong bowed respectfully to Dantai Shanchang and spoke loudly, “Honorable Prefect, you need not heed such unruly peasants. I have thoroughly investigated and learned that on that day in the East Market, this man brought his frail mother and deliberately collided with your carriage, trying to extort Nurse Li. When Nurse Li saw through his scheme and drove him away, he bore a grudge, starving his mother for days until her death. Then he came to your gate to extort you. Such unfilial behavior is truly shameful for a son!”

Ma Yuantong was now a legend in Ze City, a model for all scholars. His words carried the weight of an imperial decree; people accepted his account without question.

The townsfolk muttered angrily and cursed the burly man, who ground his teeth and retorted, “You lie! What proof do you have? You must have been hired by the prefect to back him up!”

Ma Yuantong sneered and shouted, “A man of seven feet, with strength in hand, should labor from dawn to dusk, not starve his own mother to death and then extort the prefect. Living as a glutton and scoundrel—such a man is no true son!”

He pointed at the witnesses behind him. “These are the people who saw you push your mother down in the East Market. Those are your neighbors. What else do you have to say?”

Dantai Shanchang then ordered, “Take this unruly man to prison. Such unfilial conduct cannot be tolerated. If this house does not punish him, it would be a disregard of human decency!”

The confrontation dissolved before Dantai Jing could utter a word.

Looking up, she saw Ma Yuantong smile shyly at her. The fine drizzle blurred her view, yet the hazy moment felt so warm, it seemed to melt her very heart...