Lin Xie and Su Mei had just sat down with Qin Chengzu for a chat when Chen Qingqing, the owner of Jingzhai Garden, returned. Before she even appeared, her soft and shrill voice came from the moon gate: "Sister Su, I'm back! Guess who I met on the street and brought along? Thinking it's more lively here, I don't want to go back to the quiet Jingzhai Garden..."

  Lin Xie put the teacup in his hand on the stone table, turned his head to look over, and saw that Fan Zhi Mei, Yuan Jin Sheng, Wang Chao, and Gu Siyuan were walking towards him with Chen Qingqing from the direction of the Moon Gate. Chen Qingqing's face, which was as beautiful as a bone, was filled with a smile of schadenfreude and watching a good show. Looking at Fan Zhi Mei's gloomy face, he thought that he was probably being forced to come into the Bai Garden by Chen Qingqing, who was afraid that the world would not be chaotic enough. Looking at Gu Siyuan again, Lin Xie did not expect that after the Fan Lou incident, Gu Siyuan's relationship with Fan Zhi Mei and Yuan Jin Sheng had not only not become estranged, but had instead become even more intimate. He remembered that on the previous day's Xiaonian night, he saw Gu Siyuan return to his residence drunk in the afternoon, and thought that they must have been together yesterday as well.

  Baiyuan and Fanlou are actually private properties of the Fan family. Su Mei watched as Chen Qingqing, Fan Zhimei and others walked in, but didn't bother to drive them away. She walked out to the pavilion and asked the fourth daughter-in-law who was guarding the garden gate: "Where is Song's wife? The young master and the young prince are here, and she doesn't even entertain them?"

  "Don't blame Song auntie, I led them in directly. On a cold snowy day like today, the garden doesn't have a warm pavilion, and with more people it's warmer - actually, I also didn't want to return to the quiet and deserted Jingzhai Garden. If you're blaming me, Su sister, then I'll know to leave..."

  "Su Mei wouldn't blame Chen sister, I just thought Song aunt was slow in treating the noble guest," Su Mei found Chen Qingqing's temperament quite helpless, so she ordered Si Nangzi to summon someone to prepare another set of tea utensils and move out chairs, leading Chen Qingqing, Fan Zhi Mei, Yuan Jinsheng, Gu Suyuan, Wang Chao and others into the pavilion to appreciate the snow.

  Xiao Man originally sat innocently beside Lin Xie, watching Lin Xie, Qin Chengzu and Su Mei discuss the arrangements of Ji Yun Society and life on Changshan Island. Seeing Chen Qingqing lead Ban Zhi Mei and others to interrupt their conversation, she stood up beside Lin Xie without speaking, her heart somewhat displeased.

  Fan Zhi Mei and Yuan Jin Sheng, Wang Chao, and Gu Siyuan came to find Su Mei. They learned that Lin Xie was with someone else in Bai Garden and didn't want to seek trouble for themselves, so they planned to go elsewhere to have some fun. Unexpectedly, they bumped into Chen Qingqing, who started teasing them, forcing Fan Zhi Mei to lead Yuan Jin Sheng, Wang Chao, and Gu Siyuan inside. According to his plan, since he couldn't secretly get rid of this thorn, why would he want to confront Lin Xie face-to-face? Now that they had entered the garden, he was still worried that Lin Xie, a reckless person, might start a fight. He wanted his guards to follow them in but was afraid of being ridiculed by Chen Qingqing, a cunning and flirtatious woman. It was a dilemma, and in the end, he endured the risk of being ridiculed by Chen Qingqing and ordered two guards to wait at the gate, just in case they had an argument later and Lin Xie took advantage of them.

  Gu Siyuan recalled that yesterday at home, Lin Mou was scolded by his father for no reason, and saw that Lin Mou's heart wasn't happy either. However, half of the people in Jiangning City knew that Lin Mou was his father's trusted confidant, so even if he was unhappy, he couldn't show it on his face. Seeing Lin Mou still stiffly nodding his head.

  Yuan Jins saw Lin Xie and came over with a smile, bowing and greeting: "I didn't expect Mr. Lin to have the elegant interest of accompanying Su Mei in admiring the snow, I'm afraid I've disturbed you..."

  "Master Hou is being polite," Lin Xie also couldn't bear to hit someone who was smiling at him, so he stood up and returned the courtesy with Yuan Jinsong. As a matter of etiquette, he introduced Qin Chengzu beside him, "This Mr. Qin is a friend from my hometown..."

  Jinsheng has met Mr. Qin before. Yuan Jinsheng bowed and paid his respects to Qin Chengzu again.

  "I don't dare, I don't dare. Qin Mouren is just a peddler, how could he be worthy of being treated as a guest by the young master?" Qin Chengzu hastily stood up and bowed to Yuan Jingsheng, then bowed again to Wang Chao, Fan Zhi Mei, Gu Siyuan and others. "Qin Mouren has seen all the young masters..." Looking at him now with his chest caved in and shoulders slumped, with a flattering smile on his face, who could imagine his former heroic demeanor as a bandit riding across the Huai River? Even just now when he was sitting and chatting with Lin Xie and Su Mei, his elegant demeanor was not inferior to that of famous scholars.

  Xiao Man looked at Qin Chengzu, who had changed in the blink of an eye, and found it very interesting. She pursed her lips and smiled, like a red plum blossoming in the snowy ground, charming and captivating.

  Wang Chao, as the son of Wang Xueshan, the prefect of Jiangning, had always looked down on Lin Xian, who was from a humble background and had risen to prominence by marrying into the Gu Wu family. He had been watching with cold eyes as Yuan Jinsheng made small talk with Lin Xian, but when he saw Xiao Man smile, his eyes lit up, and he took a closer look at this little beauty. To his surprise, she was not one bit inferior to Su Mei or Chen Qingqing in terms of looks, only younger and still with a childish air about her.

  Xiao Man gave Wang Chao a disgusted look, and after Lin Xie hid behind her, she avoided Wang Chao's line of sight. Xiao Man also subconsciously poked Lin Xie's lower back with her finger, wanting to make Lin Xie look at Wang Chao's disgusting pig-like face. However, this intimate gesture fell into Fan Zhi Mei's eyes.

  The county governor's wife slightly frowned, thinking to herself: Could it be that going through the ordeal together in Baisha County really made them have a good impression of Lin Xie, this rough but talented scholar?

  "Others only know that Lin Juzi's literary skills are one level higher than others, but it wasn't until he helped the wealthy lady outside Donghua Gate that people truly realized Lin Juzi was a man of both literary and military talents..." Yuan Jinsheng sat down, still not forgetting to flatter Lin Juzi.

  "You overpraise me," Lin Xie said with a smile, "although I've read some books, I'm a rough and impulsive person, not worthy of such praise from you, young master."

  "Lin Juzi was modest and humble, Lin Juzi didn't notice that Jin Sheng had suddenly appeared, so Jin Sheng plucked up the courage to call out to him as 'Mr.'..." Yuan Jinsheng said in a surprising tone.

  When Lin Xuan heard Yuan Jinsong say this, he was also slightly stunned. After the New Year, Yuan Jinsong would be at a weak and tender age, only one year younger than himself. Subconsciously, he glanced at Gu Siyuan, thinking that it must have been him who told Yuan Jinsong about his collaboration with Zhao Shuhan on "The Book of Prison".

  Gu Suiyuan, Wang Chao and Fan Zhi saw Yuan Jingshen treating Lin Xie so severely, they all thought: Is it necessary? This kid just co-authored a prison book with Zhao Shuhan, the insignificant head of the Jiangning Penal Department.

  Gu Suiyuan scolded his father last night and forced him to read dozens of pages of prison books. Today, when he met with Yuan Jingsheng and others, he complained about this matter, but never expected that Yuan Jingsheng would respectfully address Lin Xian as "Mr." because of this.

  Chen Qingqing knew about the conflict that night at the Fan Lou, and thought Lin Xie was just a arrogant and domineering character who had gotten lucky; she also knew that Lin Xie had coincidentally saved the wife and sister-in-law of Jin An Hou Zhi's family, and that after she had been taken in as a concubine by General He Yuejing, the former Jiangning garrison commander, He Yuejing had submitted a memorial to the imperial court criticizing him for not providing sufficient support to the war effort in Dongming, which led to his transfer from Jiangning, and later died in battle at Jibei Chentangyi, resulting in her being kicked out of the He family by He's wife. She didn't have any good feelings towards the Zhi family, who had been rebelling for ten years in the southeast, and was eager to see their downfall, so she naturally didn't care about Lin Xie saving the Zhi family's women; of course, she also didn't have any good feelings towards Fan Zhiming, that dandy young master, and with a playful attitude, had invited him to come to the Baiyuan, just wanting to watch a dog-eat-dog show, but who would have thought that Yuan Jingsheng would come in and be so respectful to Lin Xie?

  The owner of the Qingqing Garden, Chen Qingqing, was naturally aware that the Fanglou was actually a property controlled by the Yongchang Houfu. Yuan Jinsheng treated Lin Xie with great respect, and even if Fang Zhi had a lot of grievances, she didn't dare to offend Yuan Jinsheng at this time. However, in her heart, she found it strange - what made Lin Xie so special that Yuan Jinsheng was being so polite to him?

  The true heir to the title of Yongchang Hou, Yuan Jinqiu, is Yuan Jinseng's older twin brother and has a close relationship with Chen Qingqing. Due to Yuan Jinqiu's succession being a legal one, there was no cruel struggle for the title between the brothers, so although Yuan Jinqiu is spoiled, he doesn't hesitate to show off his younger brother, who has been intelligent since childhood and has high hopes from their father, the current Yongchang Hou Yuan Guizhong. Chen Qingqing has heard a lot about this and has some understanding of Yuan Jinseng, even knowing that after Yuan Jinseng returned from Yanjing, he was let to assist Fan Ding in managing the affairs of the Fan Lou. Thinking it's interesting: The young master of Fan Lou, Fan Zhiming, hates Lin Xie deeply, while the master of the Fan family secretly appreciates and wants to win over Lin Xie. Almost half of Jiangning City knows that Lin Xie is a trusted disciple of Gu Wudang, but Gu Wudang's son is close friends with Lin Xie's arch-nemesis Fan Zhiming in Jiangning City. What is going on here?

  Just then, amidst the complex emotions and entanglements of the crowd, Yuan Jinseng began to discuss prison books with Lin Xie.

  Lin Xian had long known that Zhao Shuhan, the head of the Jiangning Penal Department, letting him sign his name on the prison book was a shortcut to fame, but he didn't expect things would first come from Gu Suiyuan's mouth into Yuan Jinshe's ears. He also increasingly felt that Yuan Jinshe's purpose in getting to know people was very strong, and rather than saying he appreciated his own talent, it was more like he wanted to win him over.

  Lin Xie secretly became vigilant towards Yuan Jinsen and the Yongchang Marquis Manor behind him. Had the Yongchang Marquis Manor also seen that the imperial court was in a state of decline, with no way to turn back, and had other thoughts?

  Lin Tie and Qin Chengzu exchanged a glance, then said to Su Mei: "The time is not early today, thank you for Su Mei's hospitality, I will visit again another day..." He stood up and bowed his hands to Yuan Jinsheng, Chen Qingqing and others, saying: "Lin Tie will no longer disturb the young master, Miss Qingqing and Su Mei's gathering."

  Chen Qingqing said, "Young Master Hou said that Lin Gongzi is a man of both literary and military talents. Just now, I heard you discussing the prison book, and I only knew that Lin Gongzi has some literary talent; however, forgive me for being reckless and nearsighted, how can Lin Gongzi be called a man of both literary and military talents? Can't just talk about the affair of the feudal tower?"

  Lin tied her eyebrows and raised them, coldly glancing at Chen Qingqing, thinking: This woman is so beautiful, but how can she have such a vicious heart? Does she want to stir up trouble between Fang Zhiming and me until we fight to the death? Lin didn't understand what kind of vicious thoughts Chen Qingqing was hiding, but looking at Fang Zhiming's expression, he knew that Chen had already provoked him into anger.

  Lin Xie took the knife from his waist and held it in his hand, calmly asking Chen Qingqing, "What can make Miss Qingqing believe that Lin has some real skills?" He didn't modestly say that Yuan Jingsheng's earlier praise was misplaced, standing there like a sharp blade unsheathed.

  Lin Tie took off the knife at his waist, and Fan Zhi knew that the two guards standing at the garden gate didn't hear what was being said over here. Afraid of a repeat of the Fan Lou incident, he took the knife in hand and ran in without waiting for orders.

  Chen Qingqing originally wanted to instigate Lin Xie to fight a duel with the beautiful guard, but under Lin Xie's cold stare, her heart suddenly felt empty and she feared that this reckless scholar would overstep his bounds in words and actions, so for the time being, she didn't know how to proceed.

  Lin Fu looked at Su Mei with a glance and asked: "Miss Su Mei, is there anything in this garden that offends your eyes? Lin Fu will help you get rid of it..." With a click of the mechanism on the scabbard, a three-inch cold light appeared.

  Lin Gu's words were menacing, and Fan Zhi unconsciously took two steps back. Yuan Jinsheng, Wang Chao, and Gu Siyuan were all shocked in their hearts, thinking: This was going well, how did it suddenly turn into a fight? Is Su Mei saying they're getting in the way, so Lin Gu is going to kill someone with his knife?

  Lin Tie looked at Fan Zhi Mei, and the two knife-wielding attendants rushed a step forward to stand on the steps of the pavilion, blocking him from Fan Zhi Mei. He smiled and pointed at an old plum branch as thick as a baby's arm lying across the stone path in the garden, saying to Su Mei: "I think this plum branch is quite an eyesore. I'll get rid of it for Miss Su today..."

  Lin tied out the knife, took a step forward and chopped down with a slash. In other people's eyes, it was just a flash of cold light passing by. By the time they saw clearly, the plum branch as thick as an infant's arm had been cut off by Lin Tie and fell on the stone path. The plum tree seemed to have been blown by a gust of wind, swaying gently twice, and several flower petals floated down onto the snowy ground...

  Lin Tie put away his sword and glanced at Chen Qingqing: "That's all the tricks Lin has," he said to Su Mei with a bow, "I'll take my leave today." Then he walked out with Qin Chengzu.

  Fang Zhi Mei saw Lin Xie not dare to try with his own guard, watching him leave with Qin Cheng Zu, then looked at the broken plum branch on the stone path, and coldly said: "It's just this little trick, even if all the plum trees in the garden are cut down, it's still just this little trick..."

  Yuan Jinshe bent down to pick up the plum branch, looking at the smooth cut end of the branch. He glanced back at Fan Zhimei with a hint of disdain for his lack of vigilance. Although Chen Qingqing was the one who stirred up trouble, she was the woman his elder brother had been pursuing closely, so he couldn't say anything about it. With a cold tone, he reprimanded Fan Zhimei, saying: "Even if there were two more people protecting you, Lin Xuan could have killed you just as easily!" He tossed the plum branch in front of Fan Zhimei's two guards, "You two, take a look..."

  Two guards had to consider the face of the beautiful woman, but they didn't dare lie to the young master, shaking their heads and saying: "We are incompetent." They were all experts in the field, of course, they knew that Lin Xie's knife force, speed, and power were all top-notch, even if he was holding a good knife, it was absolutely a first-class knife technique. If they had made such a powerful slash, most likely the branch would have broken and the knife would have been broken too; The key is that none of them had ever seen this kind of knife technique before, and yet Lin Xie's narrow-bladed waist knife actually slashed out a fierce and fiery momentum. Just now, Lin Xie's one knife made them break out in cold sweat, their faces turned pale, fortunately, they didn't take the initiative to provoke him, or they would have been killed on the spot.

  Bān Zhī Měi's face turned pale and she didn't make a sound.

  Chen Qingqing had never practiced martial arts, but He Yueting, the former Jiangning garrison general, boasted about his exceptional martial skills and often chopped tree stumps with a large axe to show off in front of her. He also bragged about how difficult it was to achieve such skill. Chen Qingqing didn't know how exquisite Lin Xie's knife work was, but she could feel that the momentum of his knife was much stronger than He Yueting's. Especially before Lin Xie chopped the plum branch, his words were a clear warning to everyone in the garden: if anyone made Su Mei feel uncomfortable, he would chop them down without hesitation.

  Chen Qingqing thought of Lin Xie's icy gaze before he left, and her heart also felt a slight chill. She thought to herself that she really needed to stir up his temper, but she had no idea what he would do next. She sneaked a glance at Su Mei, seeing that her expression was calm, too calm, and thought: shouldn't she be feeling surprised as well? She thought that the relationship between Su Mei and Lin Xie was probably not as simple as it seemed on the surface.

  Lin Ye walked away, but the matter was so stirred up that Chen Qingqing and others also found it boring to stay in Baiyuan, and each bid farewell and left.

  Chen Qingqing returned home by carriage to Jingyuan, and the housekeeper came over to report to her: "The Duke is here today, he has been waiting in your room for a while..."

  "This old thing, waiting for me to catch the opportunity to tease people, almost got me in trouble with a big star," Chen Qingqing's face was full of anger, ordering the servants and maids in the garden, "Get that old thing out..."

  "How dare we drive Master Guo away?" The women said awkwardly.

  "You don't dare, I'll go and drive them away. The Zhen family doesn't have a single good seed, they only know how to use others as their pawns." Chen Qingqing's anger hadn't dissipated, she picked up her skirt and strode towards the backyard garden.