Wang Qingchen and his companions, upon reaching the county seat, settled into an inn as easily as they had on their previous visit. Having just endured the carriage ride, they were all quite fatigued. After eating, everyone retreated to their respective rooms without much fuss.

Only a few days after Wang Qingchen and the others arrived in town, Liu Hao came to find Wang Qingchen with an air of mystery. Wang Qingchen was somewhat surprised by Liu Hao's visit. Logically, after arriving in the county seat, he had immediately buried himself in his books, making his dedication to the upcoming regional examination evident to all. Thus, everyone had been considerate enough not to disturb him these past few days. He hadn't expected Liu Hao to show up.

Seeing the confusion in Wang Qingchen's eyes, Liu Hao seemed a bit sheepish for a moment, but then his expression turned mysterious again. "Hey, guess who I saw in the county today?"

Wang Qingchen first shook his head, somewhat surprised that Liu Hao had run into someone familiar there—someone he himself likely knew. Then it struck him: could it be Zhao Cheng?

"Let me tell you, I saw Zhao Cheng today," Liu Hao said, sounding rather pleased with himself.

Wang Qingchen almost rolled his eyes. What was so strange about seeing Zhao Cheng? Since he was participating in the regional examination, of course, he would be in the county seat!

"Heh heh, the matter isn't as simple as just seeing Zhao Cheng! Let me tell you, Zhao Cheng isn't staying at an inn at all. Instead, he rented two rooms on North Street with his mother. Isn't that strange? Why is his mother here too, and even renting a place to live?" Liu Hao remarked curiously.

Upon hearing this, Wang Qingchen didn't focus on Zhao Cheng himself, but was rather surprised that Liu Hao had managed to find this out only a few days after arriving in town. He asked, "How did you know?"

"Coincidentally, I went to that very bookshop where we last met Zhao Cheng, and I ran into him again," Liu Hao explained.

So, Zhao Cheng was copying books again? Wang Qingchen felt even more admiration for him.

"This is private business, you shouldn't mention it to others," Wang Qingchen cautioned.

"Don't worry, there's nothing worth talking about here. I'm only telling you; I haven't mentioned it to anyone else!" Liu Hao chuckled.

Only then did Wang Qingchen relax. If too many people knew, it might lead to the revelation of Wang Youliang's secret!

However, knowing Zhao Cheng's situation only motivated Wang Qingchen further. If others were studying diligently while copying texts, it would be terrible if he fell too far behind them.

Back at the old Wang family residence, Tian Shi was scheming how to make others miserable. She quietly leaked the story of the Old Madam spreading the rumor that Li Wu was jinxed to bring death to his wives. She truly hoped that upon hearing this, Li Wu would fly into a rage and annul the engagement between the two families.

Tian Shi waited eagerly after ensuring Li Wu had heard the news, but the expected call to break off the engagement never came. This left her deeply puzzled. Logically, the rumor spread by the Old Madam all those years ago had prevented Li Wu from marrying; how could he remain unangered now?

As for Li Wu, he was indeed furious when he first learned the truth. His unwillingness to marry her was one matter, but the person who actively damaged his reputation by claiming he was a wife-jinx was truly detestable. He remembered how much his own mother had wept over that reputation back then. Now, to finally know who spread the malicious rumor, and for it to be his future mother-in-law—what was he supposed to do? He couldn't possibly break off the engagement over this, could he? After all, he had desired to marry Wang Guifang for many years, and giving up now because of this felt like losing something precious. But if he didn't annul the engagement, wouldn't the villagers call him unfilial? His parents had worried themselves sick over that 'jinx' reputation; how could he do nothing now that he knew it was a deliberate setup?

At the old Wang family residence, reactions varied upon hearing the widespread rumor circulating in the village. Tian Shi was delighted that the news was out, seeing it as a significant blow to Wang Guifang’s marriage prospects. The Old Master, however, was furious at the Old Madam’s actions. He thought, fine, if you didn't want the match back then, you didn't want it, but did you really need to ruin the man's reputation? Now that it's out, how must Li Wu feel? Not being able to marry for so many years, he must harbor deep resentment toward the Wang family! His daughter's engagement was certainly going to suffer. Wang Guifang, upon learning the truth, felt that her fate was truly bitter. She was on the verge of a good life when this mess erupted. Knowing what her mother had done to Li Wu, Guifang felt too ashamed to marry into his family.

Only the Old Madam, amidst her anger, wondered who was orchestrating this attack on the Wang family? The timing—not earlier, not later, but at this critical juncture—indicated deliberate malice. Yet, after much thought, she could not pinpoint the culprit. Logically, her actions back then had been very discreet; few people knew the truth. After failing to find an answer, the Old Madam started to wonder if it could be someone within the Wang family itself. Her sons, she felt confident, would not do such a thing. As for the daughters-in-law, Yang Shi wasn't the type to stir up trouble. What about Zhang Shi? She shouldn't either; after all, Zhang Shi got along well with her own daughter. Could it be Tian Shi? That seemed unlikely too. Beyond being her daughter's sister-in-law, Tian Shi was also her daughter's older female cousin! With these two layers of relationship, the Old Madam couldn't believe Tian Shi would harm her own cousin.

Thus, the Old Madam searched fruitlessly for the source. However, realizing her daughter's marriage was now hanging by a thread, she put aside the mystery of the instigator and focused solely on devising a plan to save the engagement.

Since her daughter had finally found a suitable man for a second marriage, the Old Madam desperately didn't want her own actions to be the reason it failed. Therefore, the Old Madam resolved to swallow her pride and secure her daughter's match. Knowing Li Wu's character, she believed him to be decent and not someone who would relentlessly pursue a grievance. Consequently, the Old Madam decided to approach Li Wu directly, confess her mistake, and beg for his forgiveness.

Li Wu had been troubled by this very issue. When Wang Qingyun informed him that the Old Madam of the Wang family wished to see him, he felt puzzled. At this juncture, why would the Wangs seek him out? Could it be to clarify the rumor? Thinking this, Li Wu felt a sliver of happiness; at least that would resolve his dilemma. With a lighter heart, Li Wu followed Wang Qingyun.

What Li Wu hadn't expected was that the Old Madam had indeed summoned him to discuss the rumor, but not to deny it—rather, she was actively admitting fault, hoping for his forgiveness, and pleading that it not affect her daughter’s marriage.

When Li Wu heard the Old Madam voluntarily confirm that the rumor was true, he wasn't sure how to react. Could the accusation of being a 'wife-jinx' be spoken lightly? If he hadn't secretly been reluctant to marry in the first place, and had instead been someone desperate for a wife, wouldn't this have turned into a disaster, potentially preventing him from having heirs?

Fortunately, the Old Madam's attitude while apologizing for her daughter's sake was sincerely contrite, making Li Wu feel embarrassed to press the matter further. Moreover, no matter what, he was still marrying her daughter; she was his future mother-in-law. So, Li Wu let the issue pass without complaint.

Seeing that Li Wu agreed not to hold the matter against her, the Old Madam breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed her daughter's marriage would likely be safe.

After Li Wu left the old Wang residence, the Old Madam went to visit her daughter. She knew that with the rumor circulating in the village, Guifang must have heard it, and understanding her daughter's temperament, she assumed Guifang was feeling deeply distressed. The Old Madam intended to comfort her.

Indeed, after speaking a few words, the Old Madam realized her daughter was already considering refusing the marriage. This frantic state worried the Old Madam terribly. A good match for a second marriage was hard to find; how could she let it go? The Old Madam refused to accept this and insisted her daughter abandon the idea of not marrying.

"Fang'er, Mother knows this is my fault; I was wrong back then and committed an error. But this has nothing to do with you; you did nothing wrong. Even if the Li family wishes to blame someone, they cannot blame you. Furthermore, Mother has already apologized properly to Wu Zi about this, and Wu Zi is not a petty person; he has already forgiven me. Now, what reservations do you still have?" the Old Madam pleaded.

"Mother, even though Li Wu says he won't blame anyone, it was because of that rumor that he couldn't marry for so many years, wasn't it? The moment I think of that, I feel too ashamed to marry into their family," Wang Guifang confessed.

"Oh, Fang'er, listen to Mother. This deed was mine. If Li Wu is truly a man of honor, he won't make things difficult for you over this. Just marry him without worry; Mother has enough judgment to know that," the Old Madam asserted.

Although Wang Guifang felt her mother’s reasoning was sound, she still felt deeply indebted to Li Wu.

Finally, the Old Madam could only persuade her further: "Li Wu wanted to marry you back then, and then he remained unmarried for many years. Now that you've been divorced by the Liu family and he comes to seek your hand so quickly, it clearly shows that he has held you in his heart all these years. What more worries you now?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Guifang felt a blush rise. She thought, how could her mother speak like that? Yet, despite the shyness, she felt secretly happy, wondering if Li Wu truly did keep her in his heart all these years, just as her mother claimed.