"That guy is really like a lingering ghost."

The charming Shujun gritted his teeth. He sat close to his wife, tightly holding her arm, as if afraid someone would snatch her away.

And mentioning Xiao Qinghe, even the elder brother made Shujun feel as if he was facing a formidable enemy.

He could never fully trust that man because he always knew the other was watching with covetous eyes.

Moreover, the Nun had foretold three great hardships predetermined in his wife’s fate, and there was still one human calamity left.

This so-called human calamity was a heavy burden on the hearts of the brothers.

Zhi Chen looked at Yixuan, remaining silent, without opening his mouth.

Finally, he turned to Dong Huiying: "It seems that Huiying still has to ask you personally."

Yixuan was startled for a moment, and then a trace of helplessness appeared in his eyes.

"No need, I’ll speak."

If his brothers asked him, he might still brush it off, but if his wife asked, it was hard to deflect. He didn’t want to lie to her; he wanted to be honest with her.

He sighed, "I’ve known for a long time I couldn’t hide it, and it’s good to confess now."

As soon as Yixuan spoke, he immediately became the focus of those present, and everyone turned their gaze toward him.

"After leaving home back then, I first met Grandma Qin in Dongdi. Later, Grandma Qin wanted to take me to Luolan City. She didn’t like returning to the Qin Family Ancestral Land, so she always lived there at the Qin family in Luolan City."

The Qin family in Luolan was similar to a branch of the Huizi Store, belonging to the Qin family but not the power core.

A gentleman doesn’t eat food handed to him. Yixuan, by nature, had a bit of pride; what he wanted, he aimed to earn himself. This was buried deep within him, a mindset formed from a young age.

This trait was also evident in his other brothers since from childhood they had no one to rely on.

When facing adversity, they wouldn’t curse heaven and earth, but blame their incompetence, attributing all misfortune to themselves.

"At that time, I didn’t know Fengsu’s identity."

His encounter with Fengsu was very plain. He had long suspected Mother Liang was from Dajin, perhaps because there was always a knot in his heart. When Chuixue Manor was initially established, the manor began brewing wine, selling not just within Dayuan but also starting to expand into Dajin.

It was during this time he stumbled upon Fengsu.

Fengsu needed to return to Dajin but couldn’t come openly and had to act covertly, seemingly needing to conceal his whereabouts for some reasons.

On that occasion, Yixuan personally led a team through the border, and Fengsu sneaked into Yixuan’s team.

"I realized long ago that something was wrong with this person."

But at the time, he didn’t reveal it, merely observing secretly without pointing it out.

"Later on, after experiencing a few things, we found our thoughts aligned, and thus we became friends."

"In Dajin, Fengsu’s situation wasn’t very good. Years ago, Her Majesty the Empress had an affair with a Jin person, which eventually ended unpleasantly."

"The person took Fengsu back to Dajin. Fengsu’s father had some significant background, being a Marquis over there."

Yixuan privately speculated that there might have indeed been an affair between the Empress and Marquis Feng.

But.

Dajin and Dayuan—they are like two worlds.

One is patriarchal, the other matriarchal.

Different ideologies collided—one is male dominance, the other female dominance. In the end, it’s normal to find they couldn’t get along.