Chapter 7

As Ding Yi asked this, Uncle Zhong stroked his beard and smiled, saying, "Young Master, there's finally something you don't know." Indeed, the old butler had been too shocked by Ding Yi's earlier actions. If not for the intense pressure, Ding Yi would have tried to restrain himself, but he had no time to play a role; he had to quickly investigate the situation he was about to face.

Uncle Zhong took a sip of tea before explaining the reason to Ding Yi. It turned out that the Ding family was not originally from Rongcheng but had only settled here a few decades ago. Therefore, the fact that one of Ding Father's fellow townspeople had become a powerful eunuch was unknown to the people of Rongcheng: "It's all my fault, Young Master. If I hadn't been so hasty and rushed to the poetry gathering to deliver the letter, the clerk from the county office wouldn't have seen the blue-green envelope..."

Ding Yi smiled bitterly. From Uncle Zhong's words, it seemed he was still protecting him. Given Uncle Zhong's character and his recognition of the value of the blue-green paper, he likely wouldn't have handed the letter to Mr. Ding in public. It must have been Mr. Ding, who, without any guile, showed the letter when the clerk asked, and might even have opened and read it on the spot, leading to this disaster.

Therefore, Ding Yi waved his hand to stop the old butler and said, "Uncle Zhong, this is all my fault. Don't blame yourself. Tell me about the messenger who delivered the letter. What was unusual about him?"

"The messenger, his blue robe was blown by the wind, and I clearly saw the flying fish robe inside. He must have come on a fast horse, and many people must have seen him along the way," Uncle Zhong recalled, "The Spring Embroidery Knife and the flying fish robe, it's likely that your father's old friend is indeed a powerful eunuch."

"Uncle Zhong, will my sister-in-law be implicated in this?" Ding Yi probed, asking the old butler about Mrs. Ding Yang. Since Peng Zhang had used this to threaten him, and he himself was not very clear, he had to ask the old butler about the relationship between Mrs. Ding Yang and himself. If they were sister-in-law and brother-in-law, why didn't they live in the same house? In ancient times, people often lived in four generations under one roof, and only in cases of disobedience or discord would they separate.

"It's hard to say," the old butler frowned, as if this was a very difficult question. "Your sister-in-law is extremely strong-willed. It would be very hard to persuade her to leave Rongcheng." As for why they didn't live together, the old butler explained without waiting for Ding Yi to ask, "When you started your education, the eldest branch proposed a separation to avoid future estrangement among the brothers. Alas, she thought the eldest son was an adopted child and didn't want to take too much of the family property. She only accepted a few shops when your father was angry. But after your father passed away, she treated you like a blood brother and took care of the family..."

From this, it seemed that Mrs. Ding Yang was a person of high moral character. Because her husband was an adopted child, she proposed a separation and didn't want the family property. After Ding Father's death, she helped manage the family and took care of the young scholar, without considering that he was an adopted child.

However, the old butler's words made Ding Yi even more convinced that Uncle Zhong must have a significant past. Because Uncle Zhong was already considering how to persuade Mrs. Ding Yang to leave Rongcheng, his insight and decisiveness were something many wealthy landowners couldn't achieve. The saying "it's hard to leave one's homeland" was true; the Ding family had been rooted in Rongcheng for over a decade, and leaving would mean giving up many things. Even without hearing the phrase "traversing the rivers and lakes," just the fact that Uncle Zhong had such foresight and decisiveness made Ding Yi doubt that he was just an ordinary old butler.

But since Uncle Zhong didn't say anything, Ding Yi didn't ask. He didn't know if the previous Mr. Ding Scholar knew about Uncle Zhong's past, and asking might expose him.

Now, with old friends cutting ties, his fiancée breaking off the engagement, a confidant forcing him, and a business partner unilaterally tearing up the contract, Ding Yi didn't want to take the risk of Uncle Zhong turning against him.

"I'll go and talk to my sister-in-law. Whether I go to the capital or not, if she stays in Rongcheng, her life won't be easy."

"Jianmu, everyone else has left, are you not going to leave too?" Ding Yi walked down the long street with his hands in his sleeves, smiling and asking the young servant behind him. The servant, carrying a colorful gift, had a clear and bright face, and a radiant smile, making him seem very approachable. However, his eyes were always darting around, looking at the women passing by.

Hearing Ding Yi's question, he couldn't help but laugh and said, "Young Master, I won't flatter you. When Lord saved me from the roadside, I was just a few months old. I don't even know where my ancestors' graves are. If those scoundrels dig up my ancestors' graves, I'll go and watch for fun. I'm not afraid of them at all!"

Apart from Uncle Zhong, only Jianmu, who had no parents and didn't even know where his ancestors' graves were, stayed with the Ding family. The others were paid and sent away. Hearing Jianmu's words, Ding Yi couldn't help but laugh. At that moment, a teenager of about fourteen or fifteen ran out from a side alley and called out urgently, "Uncle! Are you going to my house? You mustn't go. Mother heard something this morning, cut a bamboo pole, split it into finger-width sticks, and polished them smooth. If you go, you might..."

Hearing this, Jianmu handed the colorful gift to the teenager and urgently said to Ding Yi, "Young Master, run! Mother is very harsh. The last time you and Young Master Peng went out drinking, she broke seven or eight bamboo sticks, and your left hand was swollen like a pig's trotter. She also made you copy a long passage about 'knowing the faults of old friends' twenty times, and your right hand swelled up too. You mustn't go..."

Ding Yi tapped the teenager and Jianmu on the head and scolded, "Nonsense! Lead the way." From the words of the young servant Jianmu, Ding Yi gathered more information: his elder brother had died of a terminal illness ten years ago, and his widow managed the family business. Three years ago, she sent her mother-in-law to her final resting place and raised this nephew alone. Ding Yi's mother had died a few years after giving birth to the scholar, and after his father's death, he had a period of reckless behavior. It was this widow who, ignoring public opinion, took on the role of a mother and persuaded Ding Yi back to the right path, leading to his success in the scholar exams.

Ding Yi, after taking over the body, felt a deep respect for this sister-in-law, especially since Peng Zhang had used her to threaten him. He wanted to meet her, curious about how a woman who sounded so admirable could be described as "fox-like" by Peng Zhang.

The county town was not very large, with only a few main streets. They soon arrived. Since Ding Yi had taken over the body, the lively and clever servant Jianmu refused to enter. Finally, his nephew said, "Grandfather saving you was no better than saving a dog. If he had saved a dog, at least it could have blocked a few bamboo sticks when Mother went after Uncle." Only then did Jianmu, with a grim expression, follow them in.

Mrs. Ding Yang sat in the hall, her face cold. Seeing her, Ding Yi understood why Peng Zhang had called her "fox-like." Her pale, sharp face, with large eyes and a small, thin mouth, would be considered a top beauty in modern times, but in this era, she was considered too alluring, much like Peng Zhang's description of the young lady Liu as an "ugly monster."

At that moment, Ding Yi's body began to tremble uncontrollably. At first, he thought it was the scholar's fear of his sister-in-law, but after half a second, his ears turned red and his face flushed. Ding Yi then realized that this must be one of the three things the scholar could never forget. The so-called beauty must be the woman before him.

Indeed, even to the current Ding Yi, Mrs. Ding Yang was undoubtedly a beauty. She had a scholarly air that made her not too艳俗, but rather elegant like a plum blossom. Ding Yi silently thought to himself, "Scholar, rest in peace. Whether it's the estate or the scholar title, I, Ding Yi, am not one to give up easily. I will take good care of this beauty."

"Little brother greets his sister-in-law," Ding Yi bowed to his sister-in-law. She looked to be only in her early twenties, and it was hard to believe she was thirty, especially with a fourteen or fifteen-year-old nephew.

Mrs. Ding Yang returned the bow, her words icy, "May I ask, what books do you read in your free time?"

"Just reading casually, um, Li Bai, Du Fu, Su Dongpo, Xin Qiji..." Ding Yi replied, inwardly cursing. Others who traveled through time could become famous scholars by reciting a few poems, but why was he so unlucky? Peng Zhang talked to him about the "Fate and Destiny" essay, and now he had to report his reading progress to his sister-in-law.

Mrs. Ding Yang nodded, her large eyes staring at Ding Yi, and coldly asked, "Have you read the 'Gao Dongxi Collection' in the Song Dynasty's 'Pen Talks'?"

Here we go again! Ding Yi felt like he was about to vomit. He suddenly regretted visiting his sister-in-law, but as a person who had undergone strict special training, he managed to keep his composure: "No, I haven't read it." So what if he hadn't? Who knew what she was going to say?

"Ding Zhi, go to the study and fetch the 'Gao Dongxi Collection'," Mrs. Ding Yang instructed her son, the teenager who had warned Ding Yi earlier.

At that moment, Ding Yi's body was still trembling uncontrollably, a subconscious reaction of the body, or perhaps the last lingering thought of the scholar's broken soul. This made Ding Yi feel very uncomfortable. He hated this lack of control and silently thought, "What do you want? You can't let go of this beauty, and I've promised to take care of her as best I can! Do you have to drive me to a mental breakdown? If you have the ability, don't commit suicide; face everything yourself! What do you want from me? Get lost, damn it! I swear I'll get your sister-in-law, okay?"

Almost instantly, Ding Yi felt his face and ears stop flushing, and his body stopped trembling. He felt a sense of relief, as if a heavy burden had been lifted. Ding Yi was truly stunned. Oh my God, was the scholar so morally corrupt that he was so reluctant to get his widow sister-in-law? No wonder he became such close friends with Peng Zhang! Ding Yi couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time. What should he do? He didn't know if failing to fulfill his promise to the deceased soul would have any bad consequences. If time travel could happen, who knew what else could...