The four of them sat around the same table for dinner.
Having already resigned himself to being scammed, Wei Yang embraced a “might as well eat more to get my money’s worth” mentality.
After a few opening remarks, he buried his head in his bowl and started devouring food like a man on a mission.
Chu Xiangtian, clearly disgusted, scooted a bit farther away from him—and smoothly dropped the last chicken leg into Wen Tian’s bowl.
Wei Yang reached out with his chopsticks, only to come up empty-handed.
Chu Xiangtian didn’t show a hint of guilt.
He shot Wei Yang a sideways glance full of smug provocation, then turned to Wen Tian and said softly, “Eat more meat, Little Master. You’re far too skinny. All I feel when I hold you is bone. Gotta fatten you up a bit.”
Wen Tian obediently took a bite of the chicken leg. But as he chewed, his gaze wandered to Zhou Chuanqing, sitting across from him, and he still couldn’t quite wrap his head around it.
A top-ranked scholar, hiding among a bandit gang in West Mountain Fortress? It was absurd.
No wonder everyone in the stronghold called him “Military Advisor.” Of course someone who placed third in the imperial exams had to be brilliant.
Wen Tian couldn’t help sneaking glances as he chewed—one bite, two looks.
Finally, unable to hold back, he leaned closer to Chu Xiangtian and whispered, “Um… why did Zhou Chuanqing become a bandit? Someone that smart should be working in the court, not hiding out with bandits.”
He kept his voice low, but Zhou Chuanqing had sharp ears and sat nearby. He heard every word clearly.
Lifting his eyes, he shot Wen Tian a silent glance—then pretended he hadn’t heard a thing.
Faced with the pure curiosity in Wen Tian’s eyes, Chu Xiangtian reached out and gently poked his cheek. Leaning in close, he whispered back, “Wanna know?”
Wen Tian nodded furiously. Of course he did.
Chu Xiangtian’s eyes narrowed with mischief. He glanced meaningfully at Zhou Chuanqing and, without blinking, began spinning a tale.
“Before Zhou Chuanqing came up the mountain, he was a poor scholar. During the Huachao Festival, he fell in love at first sight with a young lady.”
“They agreed that once he returned from the capital after his exams, he’d visit her home and formally propose…”
“But—” Chu Xiangtian deliberately stretched out the word, watching Wen Tian’s eager eyes fixate on him before continuing, lips curling into a half-smile.
“But when he returned home after the results were posted, he found out the girl had been forcibly taken as a concubine by a local official.”
“She snuck out to see him one last time… and soon after, she fell ill and passed away.”
“Zhou Chuanqing tried to report the official for abducting a civilian woman, but no one would hear him out.”
“He was framed instead and lost his scholarly title. In despair, he had no choice but to take up life as a bandit.”
Wen Tian stole another glance at Zhou Chuanqing. To think such a dignified, composed man had such a tragic past—it was almost too much to take in.
He instantly regretted asking the question. If Zhou Chuanqing had heard everything, wasn’t this just ripping the scab off an old wound?
His heart filled with sympathy, but he forced himself to mask it. He didn’t want Zhou Chuanqing to see it. The look on his face was a tangle of emotions.
Meanwhile, Zhou Chuanqing—forced to hear every word, to endure Wen Tian’s furtive, pitying glances—found himself completely unable to finish his meal.
He silently added a tally mark to his mental list of grievances against Chu Xiangtian.
Setting down his chopsticks, Zhou Chuanqing quickly changed the subject, looking at Wen Tian.
“Young Master Wen, when would you like to start lessons?”
Wen Tian instinctively straightened up. A bit shy, he rubbed his fingers together.
“Anytime is fine. I’m just self-studying at the moment.”
“Three days from now, then,” Zhou Chuanqing said after a pause.
“I’ve got a few things to take care of first. After that, I’ll visit your estate and see where your foundation’s at—then we’ll decide how to proceed.”
Wen Tian’s face lit up. He nodded so enthusiastically his eyes curved into little crescent moons.
After the meal, Wen Tian called over the waiter to settle the bill.
Watching him pull out silver from his coin pouch, Wei Yang stared at Chu Xiangtian in disbelief. His glare practically shot lasers across the table.
This bandit leader wasn’t just ruthless to his own brothers—but to his little sweetheart too? Seriously?
And what infuriated Wei Yang most was that this stingy, shameless, freeloading bandit had somehow tricked a stunning beauty into not only loving him, but paying for him.
Why couldn’t he get that kind of luck?
Crushed and indignant, Wei Yang let out a dramatic sigh of defeat. “You win.”
With no explanation whatsoever, he clasped his hands behind his back and strode away with the air of a tragic hero. Wen Tian blinked after him, confused.
“What’s wrong with Lord Wei?”
Chu Xiangtian responded blandly, “Probably just ate too much.”
Zhou Chuanqing: …
Wen Tian: “???”
After settling the bill, the three of them headed downstairs together.
Zhou Chuanqing took his leave halfway, and once Chu Xiangtian dropped Wen Tian off at home, he said he still had errands to run and left again.
Wen Tian wandered into the estate alone. In the courtyard, the steward was directing servants who were carefully moving a large plaque.
Curious, Wen Tian walked over to take a look—and saw a square wooden signboard being handled with utmost care. The words “Fu Residence” were carved into the redwood in elegant golden script.
Though timeworn and faded, the characters still gleamed with dignity.
Wen Ji, the steward, instructed the servants to lay it flat so the carpenter could reapply lacquer.
“Uncle Wen, what’s this for?” Wen Tian asked.
Wen Ji wiped sweat from his brow and answered, “It’s the Fu family’s old signboard. Madam asked for it to be cleaned and repainted.”
A vague suspicion rose in Wen Tian’s heart, but he didn’t dare believe it yet. He held back the swirl of emotions in his chest and asked quietly, “Is Mother in the back garden?”
Wen Ji nodded.
“She is. “I’m going to find her!”
Not bothering with etiquette, Wen Tian took off running.
In the study, Fu Youqin was poring over account books. The ledgers from the estate and storehouses had finally been gathered, and she was reviewing them one by one.
Before marriage, she had helped manage the household business, so the numbers didn’t intimidate her. She read them quickly and efficiently.
“Mother!”
Wen Tian burst in breathless, eyes shining with anticipation.
“Why are you restoring the Fu family signboard?”
Fu Youqin set the ledger aside and smiled as she saw the eager light in her son’s eyes.
“Didn’t you already guess? I’m planning to put the plaque back over the gate.”
The old sign had gathered dust in storage for over a decade. Now, it was time for it to return to its rightful place.
Wen Tian’s eyes widened, joy spilling from every corner of his face. “Really?”
Fu Youqin reached out and gently tousled his hair. “Really.”
Then she paused, a little hesitant.
“Technically, if we’re putting the sign back up, our family name should change too. But if you’ve gotten used to—”
“I want to change it too!” Wen Tian cut in, nervous she might take it back.
“Big Sister would want that too.”
Fu Youqin laughed, amused by his urgency.
“Alright then. We’ll pick an auspicious day and make the change together.”
Wen Tian nodded so hard even his hair seemed to be smiling.
“I’m planning to visit the prison tomorrow,” Fu Youqin said.
“Have your father sign the divorce papers.”
“I’m coming with you,” Wen Tian replied at once.
No way was he letting Mother go alone to face Wen Boli. What if she softened?
What if he tried to bully her again?
At least if he were there, he could step in.
Fu Youqin had already planned to bring him. She’d noticed lately—Wen Tian was growing up. She couldn’t keep treating him like a helpless baby bird she refused to let fly.
Right now, Fu Youqin was the only lifeline he had left. If he signed the divorce papers, he would lose everything.
His title, his family business, his wife and children—those were all things that should have rightfully belonged to him. He wasn’t about to let them go.
Struggling, he dragged himself back to the corner of the cell. Just like before, he lowered his head and fell silent.
“If you don’t sign now, we’ll still find a way to make you sign,” Wen Tian said, a fire of fury rising in his chest. This man was always so selfish.
“Worst case, you’re just a live-in son-in-law. Mother can still annul the marriage.”
Only the sound of heavy breathing filled the prison cell.
Fu Youqin patted Wen Tian’s hand gently and said, “I didn’t come today to ask for your opinion. This divorce document—you’ll sign it whether you want to or not.”
“Let’s go.”
She bent down and placed the document inside the bars, then turned and left with Wen Tian.
Wen Tian was still fuming. It wasn’t until they were outside that he finally asked, “What’s your plan, Mother?”
They couldn’t just let it drag on like this. It would only make things worse.
Fu Youqin paused, cupped his cheek with a warm smile, and said gently, “As long as he signs the papers, that’s all that matters. How he signs them… doesn’t really matter.”
Wen Tian’s eyes widened slightly. He had a vague idea what she meant, but wasn’t entirely sure.
“You still have a lot to learn,” Fu Youqin said with a soft laugh, then headed to the main hall of the county office to thank Wei Yang.
“All taken care of?” Wei Yang asked with a broad smile. His round face betrayed none of the usual sternness associated with an official.
“All taken care of,” Fu Youqin responded politely.
“Thank you, Lord Wei, for your understanding.”
Wei Yang waved it off.
He’d been about to say that since Wen Tian was friends with Chu Xiangtian, that made them friends too—but he caught himself just in time, remembering that they still didn’t know Chu Xiangtian’s true identity.
So he just chuckled instead.
Fu Youqin had no interest in chatting further either. After expressing her thanks, she left with Wen Tian.
Back in the carriage, they didn’t leave right away. Instead, Fu Youqin called Wen Ji, the coachman, inside.
Right in front of Wen Tian, she instructed him, “Go find that jailer from earlier. Tell him to make sure Wen Boli signs the divorce papers.”
Wen Ji bowed, nodded silently, and slipped his hands into his sleeves before heading toward the side entrance of the county office.
Wen Tian more or less understood what his mother meant. This was essentially asking the jailer to take action. And in that prison, the one who held the power of life and death… was the jailer.
Still, one thing bothered him.
“What about Lord Wei…?”
The imperial investigator sent to handle the corruption case was undoubtedly a man of strict integrity. If he found out about this…
Fu Youqin shook her head with a laugh, as if amused by his naivety. She’d protected him too well before, to the point that he couldn’t see people for who they truly were.
“Lord Wei is a reasonable man. Since he let us visit the prison, he won’t mind if we take other measures to get that signature.”
Wen Tian thought it over and realized her words made sense. Based on their brief interaction over dinner, Wei Yang did seem like someone who wasn’t overly bound by red tape.
They waited inside the carriage for about fifteen minutes before Wen Ji returned, his hands still tucked in his sleeves.
He came up to the carriage, lifted the curtain, and handed in a sheet of paper.
“Madam, it’s signed.”
Wen Tian took it. The paper was a little wrinkled, and in the lower right corner was a bright red fingerprint.
He looked over at Fu Youqin, his face brimming with joy.
She tucked the divorce paper away and said to Wen Ji, “Let’s go.”
The carriage slowly rolled away.
Back at the county office, Wei Yang received the report and simply waved it off.
“As long as it’s done, that kind of minor detail doesn’t concern me.”
Just as the clerk was about to take his leave, Wei Yang added, “Keep that mother and son locked up a couple more days before releasing them.”
With the divorce papers in hand, Fu Youqin wasted no time once they returned home. She picked a good date on the calendar, planning to hold a family ritual and change the family name plaque.
The date chosen was the fifteenth of March, giving them about ten days to prepare.
Wen Tian was full of enthusiasm, helping organize everything for the ancestral ceremony.
During this time, something major happened in Sifang Town.
At the western edge of Qitian Ridge, near the border between Sifang Town and Lehe Town, a gold mine was discovered.
It had actually been under secret excavation for more than a year, and all the mined gold had been quietly transported away—no one knew where.
Every major official in Sifang Town was involved. The imperial investigator was furious. From the magistrate to the village elders, everyone was arrested.
The ringleaders were sent to the capital for trial. The accomplices were sentenced to immediate execution.
The executions took place at the town’s vegetable market square. It was said that on the third day of March, the dirt at the market ran red with blood.
Wen Tian listened to the report Daifu had gathered and felt his mind reel.
He remembered that none of this had happened in his previous life.
Sifang Town was a quiet little place, far from the capital and not particularly wealthy. Big events were rare.
If a man got caught cheating at the brothel by his wife, that was already enough gossip to keep the town buzzing for days.
In the third year of Pingchu, the only notable event had been a sudden landslide in the western mountains of Qitian Ridge.
Luckily, the area was uninhabited, so no one was hurt. People were briefly shocked, then quickly moved on and forgot about it.
A gold mine… west of Qitian Ridge…
Wen Tian’s thoughts spun as the two timelines overlapped in his mind. Suddenly, a chill shot through him, his skin erupting in goosebumps.
In his past life, the mountain had collapsed out of nowhere. That region had always been considered barren and forgotten—no one had ever looked twice.
But if a gold mine had existed even back then, just never discovered…
It all made sense now.
Wen Tian had no idea what had really caused the collapse in his past life. Maybe it was an accident. Maybe it was deliberate.
But one thing was certain—in that life, there had been no imperial investigator. The town’s officials had lived freely, untouched by justice. A completely different ending.
A deep sense of dread crept up his spine.
He hugged himself tightly and realized something terrifying: the only thing different between these two timelines… was his rebirth.
He had lived again. Changed many things. And maybe, just maybe, Sifang Town itself had been swept into his wake, nudged off its original path.
He had thought he was only changing his own fate. But without meaning to, his every action had shifted something greater.
Sifang Town. And perhaps even all of Great Chu—
All of it may have started changing…
Because of one small, unintentional choice he made.