When Ming Lingyi arrived at Wangxian Building, several circles of people had already formed outside.

Wu Zhao Yu had sharp eyes. Spotting someone leaving the second floor of a nearby teahouse, she immediately pulled Ming Lingyi and Shi Mingyue up there.

Although Xu Qian was blocking the entrance to Wangxian Building, he wasn’t actually stopping patrons from entering the restaurant.

It was just that his posturing was enough to make many people think twice and stay away.

Just as Du Xuan had predicted, Ma Ji had failed to find a new judge.

It wasn’t that he hadn’t tried buttering up Xu Qian—he’d pleaded and begged—but it was obvious that this young master of the Xu Family was a man who "pursued fairness and justice" and remained completely unmoved.

Ma Ji was out of options. In the end, he could only summon one of his waiters and have him rush a message to the boss’s mansion.

Of course, he didn’t want to blow the matter up and bring it to the attention of the Xie Family.

Doing so would only make his masters think he, Ma Ji, was incompetent.

But right now, if the boss didn’t step in, he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to clean up this mess on his own.

After giving his instructions to the waiter, Ma Ji looked up and saw Feng Baiqiang hiding off to the side. When their eyes met, Feng Baiqiang gave him a fawning smile.

It was that very smile that instantly ignited the rage Ma Ji had been suppressing.

"Get your ass over here!" Ma Ji growled.

He had just been bowing and scraping before Xu Qian—a young man a whole generation younger than him—yet he had to nod and bow, completely unable to afford to offend him.

How could he not be furious about that?

Now, seeing Feng Baiqiang and thinking of the main culprit behind Wangxian Building’s current predicament, Ma Ji felt a murderous urge.

Having been caught red-handed by Ma Ji, Feng Baiqiang could only shrink back as he shuffled over. "Brother-in-law..."

Ma Ji casually grabbed a nearby sash and whipped it at Feng Baiqiang’s head.

"You still remember I’m your brother-in-law? The one thing I asked you to do, and this is how you handle it? Huh?! Look at this stupid mess you’ve made! How are we going to fix this? You tell me, how do we fix this!"

Who knows what was inside the sash Ma Ji was holding, but it struck Feng Baiqiang’s head with enough force to knock it aside, leaving a large red welt on his face.

Feng Baiqiang was also filled with regret at this moment.

He had only wanted to do the young widow a favor and show off his own capabilities. Who knew he would run into a young master like Xu Qian, who didn’t play by the rules? Not only had he failed to hold his head high in front of the young widow, but he had even gotten a harsh scolding last night.

Feng Baiqiang couldn’t come up with a solution. If he had been able to find a replacement, he wouldn’t be standing here getting dressed down like a frightened quail.

Ma Ji wanted to teach him a much harsher lesson, but he didn’t have the time right now. He just gave Feng Baiqiang’s head a hard shove. "You just wait, you brat! I’ll deal with you later!"

Xie Ruijing was a son of a concubine from the main branch of the Xie Mansion. Because he had been skilled at currying his father’s favor since he was young, he had begun handling the mansion’s general affairs from an early age, despite not pursuing a career through the imperial examinations.

Now, past the age of thirty, almost all the general affairs of the vast Xie Mansion had fallen into his hands.

Today, he had heard from the gatekeeper that there was trouble at Wangxian Building.

Xie Ruijing hadn’t originally intended to come in person, but then he heard it was the son of the Chief Secretary who was causing a scene in front of Wangxian Building.

Xu Qian was "renowned" in his own right, so Xie Ruijing had no choice but to make the trip himself.

As he stepped down from his carriage, Xie Ruijing saw Xu Qian being waited on as he sat in front of Wangxian Building, with his guards standing behind him. The sight gave him a headache.

On the way over, Xie Ruijing had already thought about how to resolve today’s farce.

Obviously, the Xie family had the ability to invite someone else to preside over Wangxian Building, but owing a favor for it wasn’t worth it. Besides, dealing with a young master like Xu Qian, who possessed an extreme level of self-confidence, would be a painstaking effort and would likely end with them becoming a laughingstock.

Therefore, Xie Ruijing had already made his decision: Wangxian Building would cancel the event they had launched yesterday.

Otherwise, if the event were to continue, could Wangxian Building really refuse this young master? They ran Wangxian Building to make money and recruit talent, not like Xianyun Liushui Pavilion, an organization formed purely out of shared interests. Xianyun Liushui Pavilion could afford to have the backbone to turn Xu Qian away, but what gave Wangxian Building the nerve to refuse such a wealthy and troublesome young master?

With that, Xie Ruijing walked up to Xu Qian in a few strides. "Young Master Xu," he called out.

Although Xie Ruijing had not entered officialdom through the imperial examinations, he was by no means an unknown figure in Shangjing City.

Managing the vast affairs of the Xie family, he dealt with people from various manors year-round, becoming especially busy at the end of the year. Few masters of the great houses didn’t know him. Even a profligate like Xu Qian found Xie Ruijing to be a familiar face.

"Well, if it isn’t Second Uncle Xie." Upon hearing his voice, Xu Qian straightened up in his chair. Though he didn’t stand, his attitude became much more serious than his previous casual and lax demeanor. "What wind blew Second Uncle Xie over here?"

Not many people knew that Wangxian Building was a business of the Xie family.

A profligate like Xu Qian was, of course, also unaware.

Xie Ruijing smiled. "I heard Young Master Xu has been at Wangxian Building recently, so I just came by to see what the commotion was about." Before Xu Qian could say anything, Xie Ruijing continued, "But why bother getting angry with a small place like Wangxian Building? I hear their shopkeeper can’t invite any talented judges anyway. This tiresome event will probably be canceled after today. It’s useless for you to just sit here. Why don’t we find another restaurant later, and allow me to have a look at your great work?"

Xie Ruijing’s words were quite pointed.

Xu Qian, however, frowned. "Wangxian Building is canceling the poetry gathering?" This was not what he had expected.

Xie Ruijing nodded. "Just look at that shopkeeper, he reeks of money. How could he possibly befriend any scholars with ink in their bellies? That’s why I said you shouldn’t bother with someone like him. I’m afraid even if you sat outside Wangxian Building all day, he still wouldn’t be able to invite anyone of note."

Xu Qian’s expression soured even more.

"I, for one, am very interested in your masterpiece from yesterday. Why don’t we go somewhere else and chat?" Xie Ruijing said with a beaming smile, appearing quite sincere.

Wasn’t the whole reason Xu Qian was blocking Wangxian Building’s entrance today to find someone who "resonated" with him, someone who would acknowledge his talent?

Now that he heard the shopkeeper didn’t actually know any literary figures, there was no point in him wasting his time here. Besides, Xie Ruijing’s appearance had given him a graceful way out.

Xu Qian finally deigned to stand up, dusting off the non-existent lint from the hem of his robes. "Alright then. Since Second Uncle Xie himself wants to take a look, how could I be so rude as to refuse?"

Hearing this, Xie Ruijing felt that headache coming on again. Although he hadn’t taken the imperial exams, the Xie family was a scholarly line for generations. They had their own academy, and all the clan’s children were literate and well-read. His words to Xu Qian just now were both an expedient measure and a polite pleasantry; he had no real desire to discuss poetry with him.

But the person before him was completely oblivious to the fact that his words were mere courtesy...

Ming Lingyi sat by the window in the second-floor teahouse. The commotion she had expected to see had ended so anticlimactically, like watching a firecracker fizzle out.

"Who is that man?" Ming Lingyi asked, her gaze fixed on Xie Ruijing, who had just persuaded Xu Qian to leave.

But as soon as the words were out, Ming Lingyi remembered that it wasn’t Yu Yi and Yanxia with her, and Shi Mingyue was even less likely to know.

"The second master from the main branch of the Xie family, the one who manages their general affairs."

Suddenly, Wu Zhao Yu spoke up, answering Ming Lingyi’s question.

Ming Lingyi glanced at her, rather surprised.

She hadn’t expected Wu Zhao Yu to know.

Wu Zhao Yu knew Ming Lingyi was looking at her, but she didn’t raise her head, saying in a low voice, "I heard people talk about him when I was a chef at another restaurant. He’s got deep pockets and is a frequent patron of restaurants."

That explained why she knew of a person like Xie Ruijing.

Ming Lingyi had no reason to doubt her. "I see. It seems the shopkeeper of Wangxian Building knew he couldn’t handle it and had to call in someone from the Xie family."

Shi Mingyue asked, "So is that it? Is it over just like that?"

Clearly, she also found the whole spectacle a bit dull and anticlimactic.

Ming Lingyi wasn’t thinking about what would happen to Wangxian Building. She watched as Xie Ruijing and Xu Qian boarded the carriage below and pursed her lips. Although she didn’t know exactly how Xie Ruijing had convinced Xu Qian to leave, the fact that he had solved Wangxian Building’s immediate crisis in just a few words made Ming Lingyi think, ’This man is no simple character.’

"Let’s stop watching the show at Wangxian Building for now. We need to pay close attention to what’s happening outside. The judging for our restaurant’s poetry gathering is tomorrow. We can’t have any trouble at this crucial moment."

Right now, Wangxian Building was a joke. But if something went wrong at Ming’s Restaurant, Ming Lingyi had a feeling the joke about her restaurant would be even bigger than the one about Wangxian Building.

And that was a situation she had no desire to see happen.