Wang Youliang hadn't expected Wang Qingchen to refuse so outright. In his estimation, Wang Qingchen was completely unaware of the situation between him and the Huang family, and thus wouldn't suspect his true purpose for going to the county seat. Moreover, in a way, Wang Qingchen should have been pleased to have him accompany him to the county; having an elder around would surely offer some peace of mind, wouldn't it?

Wang Youliang painstakingly listed all the benefits of his accompanying him, but Wang Qingchen remained unmoved. Wang Youliang was taken aback by this reaction, growing somewhat impatient. The words that followed were naturally less than polite, and the two parted ways unhappily.

Since Wang Youliang failed to go with Wang Qingchen, he mused that his plan to use accompanying Wang Qingchen to the Academy Examination as a guise to visit the county seat was now defunct. However, if this path was blocked, couldn't he just go on his own? It would merely be more troublesome to deceive the family and to inquire about directions once in the county.

With a new plan formulating in his mind, Wang Youliang didn't know that the departing Wang Qingchen had already shared the matter with the Old Master and Old Madam.

In truth, this was Wang Qingchen's first return to Wangjia Village since the Wang Youfu family had moved to town. Upon reaching the old house, it was apparent that the elders there were also puzzled as to why Wang Qingchen had returned at this particular time.

"Qingchen, is something urgent bringing you back now?" the Old Master asked with concern. Truthfully, although he suspected a reason, he couldn't quite fathom what it was.

Wang Qingchen replied with a smile, "Grandpa, Grandma, I'll soon be heading to the county seat for the Academy Examination, so I wanted to come see you before I left."

Saying this, Wang Qingchen presented them with some items he had purchased.

The Old Master and Old Madam were deeply gratified by their grandson's filial piety in making a special trip to see them. "You're about to attend the Academy Examination; you shouldn't waste time coming to see us—it will delay your studies! And if you came, you shouldn't have spent money bringing so many things."

"Grandpa, Grandma, this is what your grandson offers out of respect; how can it be considered extravagance!" Wang Qingchen dismissed it lightly.

"Good child, Grandpa knows you are dutiful, but your most important task now is studying. As long as you can successfully pass as a Xiucai, Grandpa will be happier than anything. As for bringing gifts, those things are trivial!" the Old Master stated.

Wang Qingchen knew the Old Master spoke truthfully. For him, having one Xiucai emerge from the Wang family would be a momentous occasion, something worthy of bringing honor to their ancestors.

Wang Qingchen merely smiled at their words and then started chatting idly with the Old Master and Old Madam. After a short while, he casually brought up, "Grandpa, Grandma, why haven't I seen Eldest Uncle?"

The Old Master sighed, "Alas, your Eldest Uncle is busy in town these days and hasn't returned much."

"Oh, I see. Speaking of which, Eldest Uncle approached me a few days ago, suggesting he take me to the county seat. However, I thought I would surely be going with a few friends, so I declined. Afterwards, I reconsidered, perhaps Eldest Uncle had something important to attend to in the county? So, I came today to ask—if Eldest Uncle really has urgent business in the county, it would be fine for him to travel with us then." Wang Qingchen said sincerely.

The Old Master and Old Madam exchanged a look after hearing Wang Qingchen’s words, both registering confusion in the other's eyes. What was the Eldest Son planning in the county? The Old Madam couldn't help but ask, "Qingchen, when did your Eldest Uncle mention this to you? Did he say what he planned to do in the county?"

Wang Qingchen shook his head, "He told me this just yesterday, but he didn't mention what he was going to do. However, Eldest Uncle did ask quite a bit about where we scholars would stay in the county, and where the examination would be held."

This only deepened the Old Master and Old Madam's suspicion. When had their eldest son become so concerned with such details? This was completely out of character for Wang Youliang. Why would he inquire about these things, and what did it have to do with their family?

The Old Master and Old Madam pondered for a long time but found no leads.

Seeing the perplexed old couple, Wang Qingchen added, "By the way, all of us students who passed the Prefecture Examination must go to the county seat for the Academy Examination; regardless of where our homes are, we must eventually go there."

Hearing this, the Old Master suddenly recalled that when he and the Old Madam went to see that widow the other day, wasn't her son studying at the local school? Could it be that the widow's son was heading to the county seat for the Academy Examination, which was why Wang Youliang wanted to accompany him?

With this thought, the Old Master grew concerned and quickly asked Wang Qingchen, "Qingchen, how many students from your academy are going for the Academy Examination this time? Are you all going together?"

Seeing that the Old Master was close to grasping the connection, though still uncertain, Wang Qingchen continued to offer carefully placed information. "There aren't that many. After all, not everyone passes the Prefecture Examination. Although we will travel in a group, it's usually only four or five of us together. Alas, it's a pity; when we went to the county seat last time, five of us went, but for some reason, one person was in a hurry to get to the county seat a few days earlier, so now there are only four of us going."

The Old Master's eyelid twitched upon hearing this. "Why would that person need to go to the county seat so early?"

"Alas, we were wondering too. Logically, he lives with his mother, and their family isn't very well-off. Why would he rush to the county seat so many days ahead of time? Wouldn't that just be wasting good silver?" Wang Qingchen feigned confusion.

"Lives with his mother? Is his mother a widow?" the Old Master asked.

Wang Qingchen pretended to be greatly surprised, "Grandpa, you guessed correctly!"

The Old Master thought with resignation, wishing he had guessed wrong! Unfortunately, the situation seemed to be heading toward the outcome he dreaded most.

"When did the person you mentioned leave for the county seat?" the Old Master inquired casually.

Then, Wang Qingchen stated the day Zhao Cheng had left the school. The Old Master calculated that it coincided exactly with the days the Huang family said they would be leaving. Although the Old Master felt it was almost certainly the case, he sought one final confirmation. "How old is that person?"

"He's the same age as me. But his studies are excellent; his ranking in the last Prefecture Examination was even ahead of mine!" Wang Qingchen stated.

The Old Master recalled the widow's son he had seen that day—wasn't he the same age as Qingchen? Now that even the age matched, the Old Master could no longer refuse to believe it. At this point, Wang Youliang’s motive for wanting to go to the county seat was laid bare.

Having connected the dots, the Old Master was filled with indignation. His eldest son was not a child anymore; why did he indulge in such reckless behavior? Had he considered the reputation of the Wang family? Now that the Old Master knew the widow’s son was a candidate poised to become a Xiucai, he felt his son’s actions were even more foolish. That young man clearly had a bright future ahead of him; would he ever agree to marry into a farming family as a secondary wife? Obviously not! And the widow was also acting absurdly; with her son having such prospects, how could she not think of him and engage in such a scandalous affair! It was fortunate that the widow had seen the error of her ways and already left Qingshan Town, otherwise, who knew how much trouble this might have escalated into!

At this moment, the Old Master resolved that he absolutely could not let his son go to the county; he must stop him at all costs. Afterward, the Old Master chatted with Wang Qingchen a little longer before sending him back to his studies.

After Wang Qingchen left, the Old Madam asked, "Old Master, isn't it too coincidental? Could the person Qingchen mentioned really be that widow's son?"

The Old Master glared. "What do you think? If it weren't him, how could there be so many coincidences? Besides, you heard—our son not only wanted to go to the county seat but also inquired about the Academy Examination details from Qingchen, clearly intending to find that widow's son."

"Then... then what should we do? If he finds her, and they get back together, what then?" the Old Madam fretted.

"Hmph, I suspect it's all just his wishful thinking. With that young man's accomplishments, do you really think he would agree to take her as a secondary wife? Don't dream about it. It's best for him to settle down properly at home," the Old Master huffed angrily.

Although the Old Madam thought the same way, she couldn't bear hearing the Old Master speak so disparagingly of his own son. She retorted, "Perhaps the widow also wants to marry in. After all, if she didn't want to marry in, why would she keep pestering our son?"

"Pestering our son? You were there that day too. Look at the widow's demeanor—does she look like she was pestering our son? Stop flattering your son so much. She was probably just sticking around him for the money," the Old Master said dismissively.

Hearing this, the Old Madam grew angry, "That’s intolerable! So we just let her off the hook like that?"

"What else do you want? Are you willing to ruin our family's reputation entirely?" the Old Master countered.

The Old Madam obviously knew that such matters were not to be publicized, and besides, the widow had already left Qingshan Town. She could only reply with reluctance, "Of course, I don't want our family's reputation tarnished."

Only then did the Old Master say, "It’s best you think that way. But now is not the time to discuss that. We need to figure out how to stop our son and prevent him from having any further contact with that widow."

The Old Madam responded irritably, "The legs are attached to him; what can we do? We can't exactly lock him up like last time, can we?"

The Old Master couldn't think of a solution either. Locking his son up this time, he realized, probably wouldn't serve much purpose. Last time it worked because his son was determined to fight the family to the end; that defiance was absent now.