Chapter 40 – Schemes: Not a Bad Trick After All…
Hearing this clean-cut little schoolmate say something like that, Mu Qing felt like she was about to mentally collapse.
So the one helping her husband deliver letters… turned out to be this young lad? That thought alone gave her a creeping sense of dread. Especially considering his physical condition…
And when did he even enter their room? Thinking that the courtyard she had believed so private and secure could be infiltrated this easily, Mu Qing felt her mind begin to crumble.
Originally, she had assumed the letter courier would be someone highly trained, the kind who could scale walls and rooftops with ease—after all, her husband was clearly trained in martial arts and often had subordinates in black clothing, clearly fighters, come to him for confidential matters.
So Mu Qing had always assumed that one of those black-clad retainers would be tasked with delivering letters.
Who would have thought it was this little brother?
The more she thought about it, the more anxious she became. Still, she quickly adjusted her expression and composed herself. She feigned calm and said, “So the one delivering letters was you, Fifth Brother…”
At this, the young man in question looked shocked. “Fourth Sister-in-law, how did you know I’m fifth in the family?”
Mu Qing thought, You’ve got a completely different surname from your Fourth Brother, clearly a pseudonym. If nothing else, you changed it to ‘Fifth.’ And I’m not supposed to notice? Are you looking down on your sister-in-law’s intelligence?
But looking at his youthful, innocent face, she softened a bit. She swallowed her sarcasm and instead gave him a sweet, spring-like smile.
“Oh, didn’t you say so yourself? Young Master Wu?”
She teased him with a smile and was very pleased to see his face turn a little red. Then she smoothly brought the conversation back on track:
“So, did Fifth Brother come to Baihe Academy specifically because of your Fourth Brother?”
Wu Jing smiled and replied, “Not entirely. My mo—Mother went home last month and said Fourth Brother had taken a very interesting wife, and even said he willingly enrolled in Baihe Academy just to stay by her side. So, I got curious and wanted to come see for myself.”
As they chatted, the two of them had already been standing in the courtyard for quite a while. That wouldn’t have been an issue normally, but considering this young man’s physical condition, Mu Qing felt a bit bad.
Thinking there might be more to talk about, she offered to invite him inside to sit. But the youth smiled and said:
“No need, Fourth Sister-in-law. It’s getting late, and this is where you and Fourth Brother sleep—I don’t want to get chased down and killed by him when he comes back…”
Mu Qing was nearly amused to death by his overly serious tone. She sighed and said, “You’re still just a kid, yet you’ve got so many rules…”
Wu Jing grinned. “Rules are necessary. Fourth Brother said he wouldn’t be able to return to the academy this month and asked me to look after you properly. But if I act improperly, he said he’d break my legs… well, the other one.”
When he said that, he didn’t shy away from referencing the condition of his right leg. Instead, he patted his good left leg in a self-deprecating way, his smile pure and unburdened. Mu Qing, seeing this, only felt even more guilty.
And yet, he even tried to comfort her with a cheerful smile:
“Fourth Sister-in-law, it’s really nothing. I was born this way—some say it happened in the womb. I’ve long since gotten used to it. You truly are as kind as you are beautiful—no wonder even Mother likes you so much… Even though our First, Second, and Third Sisters-in-law are all amazing, none of them caught her eye like you did.”
Mu Qing looked at this sincere, rainbow-praising boy and felt her face flush slightly, a bit embarrassed—and then, a pang of guilt. If he found out one day that this so-called Fourth Brother, Fourth Sister-in-law, and even the marriage itself were all fake… wouldn’t that hurt him deeply?
Wait a second… was she being played?
Mu Qing suddenly realized: This feels like a setup!
She felt a headache coming on from being outmaneuvered by her ridiculously smart, academic-level little brother-in-law, but oddly enough, she wasn’t annoyed.
This little guy had the looks and brains, and his character seemed decent enough. Though his right leg was impaired, it was a minor flaw on an otherwise perfect person. His lively personality aside, he was clearly clever. Honestly, he seemed like a good match for Qin Qin…
Mu Qing immediately halted her wandering thoughts and politely declined his offer to pass along a reply to her husband. Instead, she invited him to sit at the stone table in the courtyard, where they made small talk.
During their chat, she brewed him a pot of fruit tea herself. When he left, she even packed some for him to take and—somehow—he managed to walk off with a bag of her exclusive, custom-made spices that hadn’t even hit her store’s shelves yet.
She gave it willingly and found herself growing unexpectedly fond of this little brother.
Only after he had politely taken his leave did Mu Qing come to her senses—Damn. Wow. This little guy’s got game. That was smooth.
She never would’ve thought that someone who looked so innocent and harmless could be this calculating. And if even she could fall for it without noticing, then what about Qin Qin?
That pure-hearted Qin Qin definitely wouldn’t be able to handle him. Should she advise her to fall for someone else… if it wasn’t too late?
After sending off her sly little Fifth Brother, Mu Qing finally returned to her room. With no further interruptions, she could sit down and finish writing her letter to her husband.
Calling it a “letter” was generous—more like a diary. She just jotted down a few amusing things that happened, not caring if it read like a stream-of-consciousness ramble. Then she set down her brush, washed up, and went to bed.
After all, there was morning class the next day—and more importantly, she still had to deal with the aftermath of the Liu Feng and Yan Hong mess.
But what she didn’t expect was that the next morning, Qin Qin didn’t show up at her door like she usually did to wake her.
That surprised Mu Qing.
Normally, it was Qin Qin who always woke early. Yet today, she herself was up, and Qin Qin was still nowhere to be seen. Mu Qing found this suspicious, and then a bold guess came to mind.
She immediately rushed over to Qin Qin’s courtyard, knocking loudly on the door and calling out, “Open up! If you have the guts to think about a man, you’d better have the guts to open the door too—”
That was what she planned to say. After all, it was early and there was no one around—a little morning joke to get the brain going never hurt. But then she remembered: just yesterday, a physically disabled little brother had somehow wandered into their courtyard. So maybe this wasn’t quite the private sanctuary she thought it was.
In the end, she only called out the first part, “Open up!”
That alone was enough to startle Qin Qin.
Mu Qing heard something heavy crash inside, then saw Qin Qin emerge with dark circles under her eyes, hastily fixing her appearance as she opened the door.
Mu Qing jumped in shock. Did she not sleep at all last night?
Apparently, this girl was really lovestruck.
But what surprised her even more was that not only had Qin Qin fallen in love at first sight with her Fifth Brother-in-law, she was now hopelessly smitten—as if no one else would do.
As a good friend, Mu Qing felt she had to fulfill her duty and at least try to talk some sense into her. So she sighed and said, “Qin Qin, you do realize he’s only fifteen this year, right? By the time he finishes school, you’ll be almost twenty.”
Qin Qin didn’t seem to mind. Still dreamy-eyed, she said, “That’s alright. I’ll wait for him.”
Mu Qing tried again. “You saw him… he has a congenital condition in his right leg.”
Qin Qin lowered her gaze. “I know. Poor thing… But it’s alright. I can be his leg.”
…
Okay then. If you’re already saying things like that, there’s nothing more I can say.
All Mu Qing could do was cheer her on silently: You got this, girl. May fortune favor you.
The two of them chatted about this and that and soon made their way to class.
It was another large lecture today. But unlike previous days, this time it was a joint class between both sections.
Mu Qing greeted her younger brother, of course not forgetting to nod at the little Fifth Brother sitting beside him.
Qin Qin also greeted Mu Qing’s brother, but when facing the younger boy, she couldn’t help blushing with that telltale youthful shyness.
Mu Qing silently chuckled to herself but didn’t tease her—she let her enjoy her little heart-pounding moment.
Besides, she figured this might just be Qin Qin’s first crush. Maybe in a few days, she’d realize this sweet, gentle boy was actually a sticky rice ball—soft on the outside but full of clever schemes. Not quite the perfect angel she imagined.
As they talked, class time arrived.
The lecture was supposed to be given by Master Qin himself. But strangely, he never showed. Instead, a famous scholar—renowned for his vast knowledge and hard-to-secure presence—came in his place.
Unfortunately, this renowned scholar was also notoriously temperamental. As a result, all the students were on edge, terrified of saying or doing the wrong thing and getting kicked out on the spot.
The entire session was stifling, filled with complex and obscure material.
Mu Qing was already distracted, and the professor’s lofty theories only made her even more drowsy.
She fought sleep all through the class, and when it finally ended, she dragged Qin Qin out of the lecture hall and into a secluded spot.
“Qin Qin,” she said seriously, “tell me now—where exactly did your father go? He’s been gone way too long. Don’t tell me… something’s happened to him?”
