As dusk approached, the air grew slightly cool.
Beneath an old willow tree outside Luoyi Lane, Chen Yi stamped his numb legs and said with a smile:
"Looks like our luck is good. No one went to Miss Yun Xiang's home to propose marriage. What she said earlier was just to save Li Huai'gu from a difficult position."
Xiaodie nodded. "Yes, Young Master-in-law. I also heard some things about her and the Third Place Scholar. They've known each other since they were children, but Miss Yun Xiang's parents passed away, and her family is poor."
Hearing this, Xiao Wuge looked up at Chen Yi. "Brother-in-law, what are you going to do?"
Chen Yi gazed at the not-so-distant Luoyi Lane. With its green tiles, white walls, and lush trees filled with fluttering birds, it was a rather peaceful place.
He pondered for a moment.
He stretched, loosened his limbs, and then broke into an arrogant, domineering smile.
"It's been a while since this son-in-law played the villain. Since it's so quiet today, why don't we stir things up a bit?"
"Hm?"
A question appeared on Xiao Wuge's young face. 'A villain?'
Xiaodie, Wang Lixing, and the others also looked bewildered, not understanding what new idea their Young Master-in-law had come up with.
But soon after, when they heard Chen Yi's plan, they all started shaking their heads and waving their hands in protest.
Wang Lixing looked troubled. "Young Master-in-law, we can't do this. We absolutely can't."
Chen Yi shot him a sideways glance. "You don't have to be the villain. Just take some men and protect Wuge. Brother Si, what do you say?"
Liu Si'er wasn't just troubled; he was already cursing inwardly.
'Has this Fledgling gone mad?'
'Running to a young lady's house in broad daylight to abduct her?'
'Isn't he afraid of someone reporting him to the authorities... oh, right. This is all fake.'
'But even if it's fake, this is still not okay!'
'If the Xiao Family found out he was ruining the Marquis's Mansion's reputation like this, would there still be a place for him in the Xiao Family?'
Seeing his silence, Chen Yi asked with a half-smile, "Brother Si, you're not getting cold feet, are you? You were so quick to agree just a moment ago."
Liu Si'er gritted his teeth. "I will naturally obey the Young Master-in-law's orders, but..."
Giving him no chance to refuse, Chen Yi said directly, "No buts. You and I will take the lead shortly, and Xiaodie will handle the physical part, since men and women should keep their distance."
"Also, Brother Ge the Third, you're in charge of causing a ruckus at Li Huai'gu's front door. The bigger the commotion, the better."
Ge the Third glanced at Wang Lixing. Seeing that he said nothing, he agreed.
At this, Xiao Wuge hesitated. "Brother-in-law, what if Li Huai'gu doesn't come out?"
Chen Yi said nonchalantly, "If he doesn't come out, that shows his resolve, and we'll just pack up and go home."
Xiaodie started to speak, then hesitated. "Young Master-in-law, are you sure this will work?"
"Even if it does, what about your reputation..."
"Reputation?"
Chen Yi straightened his robes and sauntered toward Luoyi Lane, saying with a laugh:
"How much is a reputation worth? Reputation is the last thing your Young Master-in-law cares about."
Seeing this, Liu Si'er rolled his eyes and followed him.
Xiaodie thought about how Yun Xiang and Li Huai'gu had parted ways earlier, and what she had since learned of their past. She trotted to keep up at Chen Yi's side, clenching her little fists to pump herself up.
Besides Chen Yi and Liu Si'er, who were playing the villains, her task was the most critical—she was in charge of the "abduction."
Watching the three of them leave, Ge the Third hesitated. "Brother Xing, should I head over now, too?"
Wang Lixing scratched his scalp. Seeing that Xiao Wuge didn't object, he waved his hand impatiently. "Go on, get it over with so we can get back to the mansion sooner."
He had already made up his mind. When he got back, he would have to go to the Second Master to confess and take all the blame.
Otherwise, if Chen Yi and Xiao Wuge got off scot-free, there was no telling what fate awaited maids and Personal Guards like them.
Ge the Third bowed, cleared his throat, and ran toward Li Huai'gu's house.
Watching him go, Xiao Wuge tilted his head to look at Wang Lixing and asked like a little adult, "Uncle Wang, what kind of person do you think my brother-in-law is?"
Wang Lixing paused, a bitter smile on his face. "The Young Master-in-law isn't a bad person..."
'But damn it, he's definitely an unruly man who flouts all the rules.'
'Any normal person would be bound by propriety and would never dream up such a rotten plan.'
Xiao Wuge pressed his lips together, looking thoughtfully at the entrance to the lane. He also believed his brother-in-law wasn't a bad person.
「Before long.」
The quiet Luoyi Lane was filled with Yun Xiang's cries for help, her panic and helplessness audible even from the entrance of the lane.
"Someone, help! Why... why are you doing this?"
Then came Chen Yi's smarmy voice, "Because I've taken a fancy to you, of course. Just come with me."
"You scoundrel! How could Mr. Li know someone like you?"
"Help! Someone..."
As the cries for help continued, Xiao Wuge saw Chen Yi's group of three walking toward them with Yun Xiang in tow.
Xiaodie's face was a mask of despair, looking as if she wanted to cry but had no tears left. She seemed even more helpless than Yun Xiang.
Only Chen Yi swaggered ahead of them all.
If he hadn't known how gentle, kind, and humble his brother-in-law had been at Qinghe Garden, Xiao Wuge would have thought he was a true villain.
He was acting more like a tyrant than some of the actual tyrants in Shu State City.
「Meanwhile.」
Upon hearing the shouting, Ge the Third started yelling at the top of his lungs outside Li Huai'gu's door:
"Help! A maiden is being abducted in broad daylight! Miss Yun Xiang! Lady Yun has been taken!"
The moment the words left his mouth, he heard a commotion from inside the house, like a porcelain vase or bowl shattering.
Then came Li Huai'gu's frantic voice, "Mother, it's Yun Xiang! Yun Xiang... Please, just let your son go."
"You are not to go!"
"Mother, I..."
Hearing this, Ge the Third understood the situation. He shouted a few more times and made some more noise for good measure.
This caused the surrounding neighbors to come out and see what was happening. When they heard that Yun Xiang had been taken, they were filled with righteous indignation, rushing back inside to grab whatever they could use as weapons before charging out.
Ge the Third instinctively ducked his head, but then he remembered the Young Master and the others at the lane's entrance and stepped forward to block the way.
He used his body to hold them back while yelling anxiously, "Yun Xiang has been taken!!"
Before his voice faded, Li Huai'gu's determined tone came from inside the courtyard. "Mother, please forgive your unfilial son!"
Immediately after, the door creaked open, and Li Huai'gu rushed out with a frantic look on his face. "Yun Xiang! Where is Yun Xiang?"
Ge the Third felt a wave of relief and quickly led him running toward the entrance of the lane.
The neighbors naturally followed behind, armed with rakes and brooms. A few old veterans had even donned their armor.
Seeing this, Ge the Third truly broke into a cold sweat for the Young Master-in-law.
But things had already come to this. He could only steel himself and pull Li Huai'gu along as he charged forward.
「In a few moments.」
A crowd of people swarmed to the scene, spotting Yun Xiang's figure in the distance, still crying for help.
Li Huai'gu cared for nothing else, leading the charge as he rushed forward. "Who is so bold as to abduct a maiden in broad daylight!"
Hearing his voice, Yun Xiang looked back. Her face was filled with panic and fear, but also a trace of pity, her eyes brimming with tears.
"Mr. Li, save me."
"Save you?"
Chen Yi glanced behind him. The arrogant smile he had put on instantly froze. He quickly waved at Xiaodie and Liu Si'er.
"What are you still holding her for? Run!"
Xiaodie froze for a second, then snapped to her senses and immediately let go of Yun Xiang, whispering, "My apologies, Miss."
With that, she stuffed a piece of paper into Yun Xiang's hand, then hitched up her skirt and ran after Chen Yi.
Liu Si'er looked utterly helpless, but seeing the incensed crowd behind them, he suppressed his own vexation and muttered a curse under his breath.
It was unclear whether he was cursing himself for being crazy or cursing Chen Yi for having a broken brain.
By the time Li Huai'gu and the others ran up, there was no sign of Chen Yi's group, only Yun Xiang standing alone.
"Lady Yun, are you... are you hurt?"
Before she could speak, Li Huai'gu pulled her into his embrace, apologizing over and over.
When he heard that Yun Xiang had been taken, he felt as if his world had collapsed, and his heart was filled with immense regret for his earlier hesitation.
Only now, holding Yun Xiang, did he feel a slight sense of peace.
Tears streamed down Yun Xiang's face. "Mr. Li, I... I'm all right."
Li Huai'gu released her and looked her up and down. "Lady Yun, who dared to abduct you? I, Li Huai'gu, will see him brought to justice!"
The surrounding neighbors were also fuming. "That's right! We'll see who dares to cause trouble in Luoyi Lane!"
Yun Xiang glanced at them, then hesitated before leaning close to Li Huai'gu and whispering a few words.
"You're saying it was Brother Qingzhou? Impossible! You must be mistaken!"
Li Huai'gu nearly bit his own tongue off. He couldn't believe Chen Yi would do such a thing.
"He... he forced his way in with his maid and attendants, grabbed me, and started dragging me out. He even said he was taking me back to his mansion to be his concubine."
'A concubine?'
A strange expression appeared on Li Huai'gu's face. "Are you sure?"
'Chen Yi taking a concubine?'
'He's a live-in son-in-law of the Marquis's Mansion, the husband of General Xiao Jinghong of the Dingyuan Army. He dares to take a concubine?'
'He must be insane.'
"Yes, it's true."
Seeing his disbelief, Yun Xiang looked anxious and handed him the note that Xiaodie had stuffed into her hand.
Li Huai'gu took it dubiously. When he opened it and read it, he didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Confused, Yun Xiang leaned in to look at the paper. Although she couldn't read many characters, she could still understand it.
On it was written: "Pluck the flower when it's fit for picking; wait not 'til you're left with a barren stem. Brother Huai'gu, some things you might regret doing, but if you don't do them, you'll regret it for the rest of your life."
Yun Xiang's face went blank. "He... he..."
Li Huai'gu shook his head, muttering with a wry smile, "Oh, Brother Qingzhou, Brother Qingzhou..."
For a moment, he was overcome with a flood of emotions.
There was gratitude, but also worry—worry that this incident would cause Chen Yi to be punished by the Xiao Family.
With that thought, he released Yun Xiang and bowed to the surrounding neighbors. "Everyone, now that she has been rescued, please return home for now. I, Huai'gu, will surely give you all an explanation later."
Before the neighbors could speak, Li Huai'gu glanced at Yun Xiang and said with a smile, "Also, Huai'gu and Yun Xiang will be married soon. I hope you will all grace us with your presence..."
「Meanwhile.」
Chen Yi had already regrouped with Xiao Wuge and the others. After Ge the Third arrived, they drove the carriage back to the Xiao Mansion.
Xiaodie kept her head down, her little heart thumping wildly. She was still immersed in the anxiety of being a "villain" for the first time.
Xiao Wuge looked from side to side and asked, "Brother-in-law, do you think they'll get together after this?"
Chen Yi shook his head. "I don't know."
"Then... won't the Third Place Scholar's mother still stand in their way?"
"That's not something we need to worry about."
After speaking, Chen Yi turned to look at the scenery outside the window.
'It's enough that I made Li Huai'gu realize his own feelings. I never planned to see this thing through to the very end.'