Starting as pearl divers, they have endless jobs.

Chapter 11 Late-Night Letter
Chen Ye didn't take the main roads, but instead deliberately chose to travel through the narrow and secluded back streets and alleys.

His talent for scaling walls and rooftops made him a darling of the night, moving silently and swiftly between rooftops and walls, as fast as a passing breeze.

After entering the northern part of the city, there were noticeably more night patrols, but this posed no threat to Chen Ye at the moment.

Often, Chen Ye would detect the patrol team when they were still a hundred meters away and then avoid them.

Soon, the tall back wall of Minister Lu's residence came into view.

With a light touch of his toes, Chen Ye leaped up like a cat and silently scaled the wall.

He listened intently for a moment, making sure there were no barking dogs or footsteps of night watchmen inside the wall, before climbing over the wall.

This is the back garden of the Lu family mansion, with rugged rockeries and lush flowers and trees.

Chen Ye didn't stop for a moment, quickly moving through the shadows of the trees and flowers.

Upon arriving at the mansion ahead, Chen Ye leaped onto the roof and then cautiously made his way through the shadows of the roof ridge.

The architectural regulations of this era were very strict. People of different social statuses lived in houses of a certain size and style, and there was no room for error.

Lu Shilang was a high-ranking official in the court, and even if his second son had not yet entered officialdom, he would certainly be allocated a quiet and secluded courtyard.

Following this line of thought, Chen Ye quickly identified a target.

It was an elegant, secluded courtyard with several stalks of green bamboo planted in it, and the study in the main room was brightly lit.

This should be it.

Chen Ye quietly arrived at the back roof of the study, hung his legs on the eaves, and dangled upside down. He then steadied himself and peered inside through the crack in the window.

Behind the desk, a man dressed in a plain-colored long robe was intently reading a book.

Although his face is not clearly visible, the silhouette from behind suggests that he is a young man.

Just then, a young page boy came in carrying a tea tray and said softly, "Second Young Master, it's late. Have a cup of hot tea to warm yourself up."

"Just leave it there," the man said without looking up, but his voice was very gentle. "You should go and rest early; you don't need to stay here anymore."

"Yes, Second Young Master." The young page respectfully replied, put down his teacup, and left.

Upon hearing the title "Second Young Master," Chen Ye felt reassured, knowing he had found the right person.

Judging from his gentle attitude towards his servants, this Second Young Master Lu should be of good character. It would indeed be a bit unreasonable for such a person to marry that woman Lin Yan.

Thinking of this, Chen Ye took out the letter he had written during the day from his pocket, crumpled it into a ball, and threw it through the window.

With a thud, the crumpled paper landed right on the desk of the Second Young Master Lu.

"Who?"

Lu Jingcheng was startled and immediately got up to look out the window.

But outside, there was only the deep darkness of night, and no one was around.

Just then, the young page heard the noise and hurriedly ran in.

"Sir, what's wrong?"

"It's alright!" Lu Jingcheng waved his hand, indicating that the young page should not panic. He then picked up the crumpled paper on the table, unfolded it, and found that it was actually a letter. After opening it, Lu Jingcheng's expression immediately became quite interesting.

The letter detailed how Lin Yan, the third young lady of the Lin family, had a secret rendezvous with her lover in the back hall of Fayuan Temple years before the New Year.

Every detail was written clearly, as if witnessed firsthand. At the end of the letter, a special note was added—if you don't believe it, you can secretly go to Fayuan Temple to investigate, and the Lin family's hasty marriage of their daughter is very likely because Lin Yan is already pregnant.

The more Lu Jingcheng looked, the uglier his expression became.

From initial surprise and doubt, to later skepticism, and finally, his face turned ashen, and his hand holding the letter trembled violently from excessive force.

He is not a fool.

Although the letter appeared abruptly, its contents instantly enlightened him.

The Lin family's marriage proposal was shrouded in mystery. Although the two families were well-matched in social standing, they had little prior relationship. When the Lin family came to propose, they adopted an extremely humble attitude, and the wedding date was set so hastily, as if they were afraid that things might go wrong if they delayed.

At the time, my father thought the Lin family valued my talent and was eager to arrange the marriage. But now it seems that this wasn't valuing me at all; they were clearly looking for me to be a cuckold!

The thought that he, who diligently studied the classics in his study every day, maintained his purity and never even set foot in a brothel, was now about to marry a woman who had already lost her virginity and might even be pregnant with another man's child...

Lu Jingcheng felt dizzy and almost vomited blood from anger.

What a shame!
What a shame!
If it weren't for this letter that came out of nowhere, wouldn't he have ended up wearing a bright green hat without even realizing it, raising someone else's son, and becoming the laughingstock of the entire capital?

For a scholar who held himself in high esteem, this was worse than death!
"The Lin family! What a fine Lin family!"

Lu Jingcheng was so angry that he trembled all over. He didn't care that it was late at night and turned around to walk towards his father's study.

At this moment, Chen Ye hid in the shadows of the rooftop, watching Lu Jingcheng's angry back, and couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

He knew that his plan was already more than half successful.

After all, few men can tolerate such an insult.

Even if the letter I sent out had no real evidence, so what? Once the seed of doubt was planted, no force could stop it.

The Lin family wanted to take advantage of the Lu family, but they didn't realize that the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel was not someone to be trifled with.

The newly risen elites in the court are at the height of their power; how could they allow a century-old family to humiliate them?
Thinking of this, Chen Ye felt a surge of joy.

He didn't linger any longer; if he were discovered by the guards of the Lu residence, it would only cause more trouble.

Therefore, Chen Ye's figure flickered, like a wisp of smoke, and disappeared silently into the vast night.

Meanwhile, in the study of Vice Minister Lu's residence.

The lights were bright, and the air was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood.

Lu Ying, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, was nearly fifty years old. He had a lean face and deep eyes. His long-term high position had instilled in him an air of authority that commanded respect without anger.

At that moment, he was holding the letter, which his son had crumpled, and reading it word by word. Unlike Lu Jingcheng's fury, his face was calm and expressionless, showing no emotion whatsoever.

“Father! This…this is an utter disgrace!” Lu Jingcheng stood to the side, his chest heaving violently, his voice trembling.

“Our Lu family has maintained a clean reputation for generations, and I, your son, have always been upright and would never dare to do anything wrong. How dare the Lin family bully me like this! How dare they humiliate me like this!”

Lu Ying placed the letter on the table, glanced at her son, and then slowly said, "So what do you mean?"

"Father, I cannot swallow this!" Lu Jingcheng gritted his teeth, his eyes almost spitting fire.

"This marriage must be called off! Not only must it be called off, but I will also let the entire capital know what the Lin family has done!"

Lu Ying nodded. "I understand."

(End of this chapter)