Do you know: I am Qi Heng

Left with no other choice, Gu Tingye could only tell her that he was going to study at Bailudong Academy and would be leaving the capital soon, so she didn't need to repay him. Only then did Manniang have no choice but to leave.

He hadn't taken the matter to heart at first, and the next day, with Qi Heng and the others seeing him off, he boarded a boat and left the capital.

Unexpectedly, after he had been studying at Bailudong Academy for about a month, Manniang found the academy.

She said her brother owed gambling debts and ran off with all her money. The people at the gambling den couldn't find her brother and wanted to arrest her to pay off the debts.

Fortunately, she realized the situation was not good and escaped, but she had nowhere to go, so she thought of Gu Tingye.

Seeing her pitiful state, having been abandoned by her own blood relatives, Gu Tingye felt a sense of shared suffering.

He found her a place to stay, and after a while, they ended up having a relationship.

Qi Heng was speechless after listening. There were many loopholes in the whole process, yet Gu Tingye didn't suspect anything.

First of all, it's very unusual that Man Niang's brother was able to run away with her money after accumulating gambling debts.

Whether it's a gambling den lending money to gamblers or landlords and gentry lending money to ordinary people, they can't help but assess whether they can get the money back.

Imagine someone who has absolutely no ability to repay, someone who is worthless. If you lend them money, even if you beat them to death, you will never get the money back.

Therefore, when lending money, people will assess the other party's ability to repay.

This repayment ability is not the other party's normal income.

Instead, it's about how much the other party's land and house are worth, and how much the entire family would be worth if sold.

After estimating the amount, discount it by 30% or 40% to get the loan limit.

From beginning to end, the person who borrowed the money probably never thought the other party would be able to pay it back.

Take gamblers for example. Would a gambling den allow them to win money to pay off their debts?

Therefore, from the very beginning of lending money, the gambling dens were eyeing all the gamblers' other assets, including their wives and children.

Once the borrowed money is lost, the gambling den will monitor them to prevent them from selling their assets and running away.

But Man Niang's brother was able to easily abscond with the money. If the person monitoring him was careless, he would definitely be more cautious after the man ran away. How could he possibly give Man Niang the chance to escape?

Secondly, there's the matter of Man Niang going to Bai Lu Dong Academy. The two places are more than a thousand miles apart. It's simply absurd that a weak woman like her, who is not bad-looking, could arrive safely.

Gu Tingye was a notorious playboy in Bianjing; it was impossible that he couldn't have thought of this problem.

The only explanation is that when Gu Tingye heard that the other person had been betrayed and abandoned by his brother, he thought of himself and didn't think of anything else.

After feelings developed, there was even less room for doubt.

The reason Man Niang set her sights on Gu Tingye, besides his identity, is probably primarily because Gu Tingye helps her.

There are some differences between singers and courtesans, but their customers are all men.

It's normal to take advantage of someone after drinking; the children of the powerful and wealthy wouldn't care at all if they saw it.

But Gu Tingye intervened, which made Man Niang see him as a soft-hearted and upright person.

And these kinds of people are very easy to fool. For women from lower social classes, encountering such a gullible young master and having a relationship with him is a tremendous opportunity.

Qi Heng asked this because he wanted to find some clues to remind Gu Tingye.

But seeing the happy look on Gu Tingye's face as he recounted their experiences, she gave up the idea.

The carriage arrived at the Sheng family's residence, and Qi Heng, familiar with the area, led him to the school.

"Second Brother Gu!"

Upon learning that Gu Tingye was coming to study here today, Sheng Changfeng arrived much earlier than usual.

Seeing the two enter, he stepped forward with a beaming smile to greet Gu Tingye: "Long time no see! Second Brother Gu, you're still as dashing as ever!"

"Haha, you've changed quite a bit!" Gu Tingye replied casually.

"Zhonghuai, please sit here."

Sheng Changbai pointed to the front left and said.

Since Sanlan wasn't coming, Qi Heng and the others sat in a row in the middle.

Now that Gu Tingye has joined, the rows have been changed to two, with two people per row.

"What's that over there?"

Gu Tingye pointed to another row and asked.

"This is where Yuan Ruo and I are!" Sheng Changbai said.

"Then let Sanlang sit in the front. I'm taller than him, so I won't block his way!"

"It's alright, the main thing is to listen, whether you can block or not doesn't matter."

After some initial refusals, Gu Tingye ultimately sat in the back.

Sheng Changfeng turned back to reminisce with Gu Tingye, asking him about his situation over the years.

Gu Tingye couldn't ignore it, so he could only respond politely.

Only when the clapper sounded did Sheng Changfeng turn around and sit up straight.

A moment later, Zhuang Xuejiu walked in. After the four of them bowed, he gestured for them to sit down and his gaze lingered on Gu Tingye.

"Young Master Gu has come to study under me, so he should abide by my rules."

Zhuang Xuejiu said, "I will continue teaching in the same way as before. If you have any questions, you can come to me after class!"

"I understand!" Gu Tingye stood up and bowed in response.

He's a transfer student, and Professor Zhuang can't accommodate him for an hour; he'll have to adapt.

"Please sit down!"

Zhuang Xuejiu asked Gu Tingye to sit down and began his lecture.

.........

While classes were in session at the school, Lin Xiaoniang came to Molan's room.

Seeing that Mo Lan was making tea, she dismissed the maid and frowned, saying, "It's fine to do this in front of outsiders, why waste time in private?"

Upon hearing this, Mo Lan continued her work without pause, and said calmly, "Now that I have nothing to do, Mother, tell me what I should do?"

"Are you just going to accept your fate?"

Lin Xiaoniang said with exasperation, "If I were like you, I don't know where I'd be suffering right now!"

"I don't want to accept my fate!"

Mo Lan looked up, a hint of resentment in her eyes, and said, "But Mother won't help me. What can I do if I refuse to accept my fate?"

It's been so long, and she has repeatedly asked Lin Xiaoniang if there's any way to get rid of Minglan, but the answer she gets is that there's no chance for the time being, and she has to wait patiently.

Wait, wait, wait until Minglan comes of age, then the two of them should get married.

"You think I don't want to?"

Lin Xiaoniang said irritably, "There's really no chance. To get rid of her, we'd all be dragged down with us. Do you think that's worthwhile?"

"Then why did Mother bother to tell me all this?" Mo Lan lowered her head and continued stirring the tea.

"Why are you so stubborn, insisting on hanging yourself on one tree?"

Lin Xiaoniang stamped her foot and said, "Didn't Gu Erlang come to our house to study? I will find a way to persuade your father to let you go back to school."

"Try to get close to Gu Erlang. If you can marry into the Gu family, it might not be much worse than marrying into the Qi family."

"Mother, can you really persuade Father to agree?" Mo Lan asked excitedly.

"I'm confident, but you have to promise me you'll stay away from the young master when you get to school!" Lin Xiaoniang instructed.

"My daughter knows!"

Mo Lan nodded quickly.

She was only thinking about getting back to school, because that was the only way she would have a chance. She didn't listen to anything else.

…………

"Second Brother Gu, have you heard about the assassination attempt on the Liao Emperor?"

After class, Sheng Changfeng asked.

"I've heard about it. This is nothing more than the Liao emperor trying to lure the snake out of its hole," Gu Tingye said, shaking his head.

"You also believe it was done by the Grand Uncle of the Liao Dynasty?"

Sheng Changfeng said with some regret, "The Grand Uncle of Liao is still too timid. If he had used all his strength to kill the Liao Emperor, Liao would have been plunged into chaos, which would have been a good thing for Great Zhou."