Perhaps Liang Jue’s kiss had a soothing effect. He no longer dwelled on Shen Meng’s “unforgettable old love” and instead considered her advice rationally.

Upon careful consideration, he found her point valid. After all, the key lay with the player, not the chess piece.

But valid as it was, the chess piece had still harmed him for its own gain. Shen Meng’s words sounded good, but some things couldn’t just be brushed aside.

After pondering inwardly, he spoke up, somewhat reluctantly, “You’re right. I should indeed have someone keep an eye on him.”

Pausing for a moment, he added with a hint of reluctance, “As the sage said, ‘Repay kindness with kindness, how to repay enmity with kindness?’ I’ve never believed in forgiving nonsense. If someone slaps you, even if you don’t slap back twice as hard, you must slap back harder to prevent others from taking advantage of you. Wife, do you agree with this reasoning?”

Shen Meng nodded, “That’s true.”

She too detested those Confucius scholars who used high-sounding principles to persuade others. Tolerance and forgiveness were only for minor offenses.

When it came to real bullying, talking about benevolence and kindness was just a sign of weakness and cowardice.

Seeing her agreement, Liang Jue continued, “Thanks to you, I didn’t suffer severe consequences. So, I can go easy for your sake, but there’s one thing I want you to understand. If someone wrongs me, I’ll retaliate. He schemed against me first, so expecting me to let him off completely is impossible.”

Liang Jue may seem gentle, but he adheres firmly to the standards of a virtuous husband in handling this matter. However, beneath his surface lies not gentle water but burning fire. He is extremely decisive and stubborn, once he sets his mind on something, he never wavers.

Shen Meng looked at him and felt that he bore some resemblance to the image in her memory. Although his attitude had changed a lot because of it, the things ingrained in his character had never changed.

In their past life, Liang Jue was almost entirely submissive to her, except for one thing he couldn’t tolerate: the presence of other men in her heart or by her side. In their past life, Shen Li’s aura clashed with Liang Jue’s, surpassing even Shen Li’s disdain for her. Shen Li even tried to disgust Liang Jue by arranging for her to take a concubine.

Of course, while elders have the right to arrange concubinage for their juniors, without Shen Meng’s personal consent, the concubine would not have any formal status. Moreover, since Liang Jue came from a respectable family, Shen Li couldn’t openly arrange it and instead sent some handsome young men, claiming they were to serve as bookboys for Shen Meng.

Shen Meng had never shown affection for anyone before, and Shen Li didn’t want to send her nephew over as a concubine without her knowledge. So, she went to some lengths to find various attractive men, some shy and charming, others warm and outgoing, each with their own charm.

Shen Li even found a handsome man who had lost his wife early, all suitable candidates to potentially capture Shen Meng’s heart. And they all had one thing in common: they were literate and well-educated, perfect candidates to serve as bookboys and add fragrance to the red sleeves.

Shen Li schemed meticulously, instructing these men from the beginning: “Serve the mistress well, showcase your beauty and charm as much as possible, and you will have a good life ahead.”

They say “three men make a drama”, but Shen Meng wasn’t paying much attention to all this at the time, nor did she have any interest in the people serving her tea and water.

At that time, Liang Jue’s expression was indeed very unpleasant when he first saw those young men. But to Shen Meng’s surprise, he didn’t do anything and let those handsome but hot-tempered young men turn the courtyard upside down.

While beauty may be pleasing to the eye, their noisy antics were truly irritating. Despite Shen Meng’s repeated refusals, a few of them persistently tried to seduce her.

In the end, Shen Meng couldn’t take it anymore and took action to expel several of them. Liang Jue then changed his previous attitude, from seeming like he could walk all over anyone to becoming a formidable figure with ruthless methods.

He made quite a scene with his actions, and seeing the fate of those who had ulterior motives, others quieted down and began to perform their duties honestly.

At that time, Liang Jue hadn’t been married for long, and Shen Meng didn’t understand why he didn’t just resolve the situation from the beginning if he had the means to do so.

Later, she learned that Liang Jue had secretly been observing her for a while from the beginning. At that time, he kept a low profile because of Shen Meng’s cold treatment towards him, not daring to do anything too out of line.

Although he was originally from a wealthy family, he didn’t seem to be favored in front of Shen Meng and kept a humble attitude, which made many servants in the mansion look down on him.

Liang Jue had been waiting for two reasons: firstly, to observe the significance of these individuals in her heart, and secondly, to gather enough evidence before openly removing those annoying people.

When it came to handling mistakes of a similar nature, Liang Jue employed the same methods without hesitation. However, his tactics became particularly ruthless when dealing with those with ill intentions trying to get close to her.

Initially, he showed some restraint, but as time passed, the more desperate he became, the more extreme his opponents’ methods seemed to become.

As Shen Meng seemed lost in thought, reminiscing about the past, Liang Jue interpreted her expression as nostalgia for the good times with her cousin, Du Zhi, which made him even more intolerant of Du Zhi’s presence.

Seeing Shen Meng still lost in thought, he couldn’t help but ask, “What were you just thinking? Were you thinking about Du Zhi?”

Despite his considerable restraint, the words carried a hint of jealousy.

“No, I was thinking about you,” Shen Meng replied directly, perhaps due to her absent-mindedness.

This level of candidness was unexpected. Shen Meng rarely expressed such sweet words to herself. Liang Jue made a mental note of the date, time, and location, feeling a mix of excitement and joy, his face flushing with embarrassment, his tone tinged with shyness.

Shen Meng finally realized the situation and shook her head. “It’s nothing, just thinking how wise my husband is. I trust you won’t make any mistakes, as long as you act prudently. But I do hope you’ll promise me one thing.”

Liang Jue was clearly irritated by the mention of Du Zhi. “Promise you what? Just don’t tell me you’re still thinking of pleading for Du Zhi.”

Shen Meng couldn’t help but smile wryly. “Since you don’t like him, let’s not mention him, okay? I just want you to inform me whenever you investigate something, and tell me everything you find out.”

Seeing Liang Jue’s confusion, she added, “We’re husband and wife, aren’t we? A husband and wife are one. If your reputation suffers, mine won’t be spared either. Enemies lurk in the dark, I stand in the light. I know you’re smart and capable, but it’s always better to have someone share the burden, isn’t it?”

With each sentence, Liang Jue nodded. When she finished, his attitude softened even more. Shamelessly, they praised each other, then prepared the local specialties that Father Liang insisted they take.

Taking everything was inconvenient, but Father Liang insisted on things Liang Jue grew up with, and it was hard to defy the elders’ intentions. Loading the car with bags and bundles took the entire morning, leaving the servants who accompanied them exhausted.

Although Mother Liang and Liang Rong held official positions, they took half a day off on this important occasion to see them off. After all, once a son is married, he belongs to another family.

Parents hope for their children’s happiness. Even though they might be reluctant to see Liang Jue leave, they don’t want him to live a life where he constantly needs to return home to complain.

This was the parting visit, and apart from the holidays, he couldn’t come back often. Father Liang naturally felt reluctant to part, his eyes were half red when saying goodbye.

Liang Jue seemed quite relaxed: “It’s almost New Year’s, I’ll definitely come back to see you and mother.”

Father Liang glared at him angrily, “You heartless child. Children are our debt. When you have your own troublemakers, you’ll know how much worry it brings. Then you’ll understand how reluctant I am.”

Liang Jue subconsciously touched his belly, still flat. He smiled and said, “That day is still far away.”

Shen Meng exchanged some words with father and son, then went to check the things loaded on the carriage. After making sure nothing essential was missing, she reminded Liang Jue that it was time to go.

After all, their residence was still half an hour away. Her vacation time would end tomorrow.

Reluctantly, Liang Jue boarded the carriage. Originally, Wang Shuyue was supposed to see him off, but from the moment they left the house until his departure, she never showed up.

In retrospect, it was understandable. Being drunk couldn’t be an excuse, and although she was almost a victim of the scheme, she nearly became an assailant. This alone made her afraid to come and face Liang Jue, whom she had secretly admired for many years.

If Wang Shuyue had really come, Liang Jue wouldn’t know how to face her. As for Shen Meng, she always harbored a subtle aversion towards Wang Shuyue. It was best if she didn’t come, saving them both from awkwardness.

Despite their mutual aversion, they were both working for the same person. They were both court officials who needed to attend morning court sessions, where they inevitably crossed paths.

However, Wang Shuyue was indeed a principled person and felt extremely guilty when facing her. She tried to avoid her as much as possible, even when they had to cooperate due to tasks assigned from above. After finishing their work, she always distanced herself, to the point that Liang Rong, who was her elder brother’s wife, had to step in and mediate.

After all, one was a long-time friend, and the other was her own brother’s wife. She couldn’t favor one over the other and didn’t want them to have conflicts.

When Liang Rong advised Wang Shuyue, she wasn’t fully aware of the situation because Liang Jue had only disclosed a little bit of the truth when asking for help. She knew her friend had feelings for her younger brother and even imagined them becoming relatives, but since Liang Jue didn’t like Wang Shuyue, he married someone else.

Pausing for a moment, she said comfortingly, “We are all family, and there’s nothing we can’t talk about.”

After saying this to Shen Meng, she turned to Wang Shuyue and said, “You should let go of this matter too.”

Shen Meng’s lips curled slightly, but she had no intention of developing any feelings for a woman who harbored inappropriate thoughts about her husband.

She forcefully pulled her hand away from Liang Rong’s grasp and briefly recounted the events of the past few days.

Upon hearing it, Liang Rong’s face turned immediately dark, and she didn’t try to reconcile with Shen Meng and her husband.

She roughly dragged her to a corner and, taking advantage of the lack of onlookers, delivered a resounding slap across her face.

Liang Rong was naturally strong, and even Shen Meng, who was some distance away, could vaguely hear the sound of the slap and the rush of wind it created.

With a loud smack, a bright red palm print appeared on Wang Shuyue’s somewhat tender face. Shen Meng couldn’t help but think, it would have been much better if Liang Jue were here.

—

¹”How can one repay kindness for enmity?” is attributed to Confucius, also known as Kongzi (孔子) or Kong Fuzi, was a Chinese philosopher, teacher, and political figure. He is traditionally credited with having authored or edited many of the Chinese classic texts, including the Five Classics, which have had a significant influence on Chinese society and culture. Confucius’s teachings emphasized morality, justice, social harmony, and the importance of family and education. His philosophy, known as Confucianism, became one of the most influential philosophical systems in Chinese history and profoundly impacted East Asian societies.

²”Three men make a drama” – essentially means that involving three people in a situation often leads to complexity, tension, or conflict.