As the night deepened, the candlelight in the inner room flickered in the dimness. Amidst the interweaving of light and shadow, a hazy figure seemed to appear in front of the dressing table by the window.

He seemed to see his wife, Chen Yunniang, drawing her eyebrows in front of the mirror. The scene was like a dream, but it made him uneasy and irritable.

This emotion drove him to escape from this place full of memories.

Although he now works in the Ministry of Industry and his career is going well, there is always an indescribable worry lingering in his heart about his family, which makes him feel inexplicably irritated.

"Saddle the horses!" he suddenly shouted.

The servant waiting in the room immediately stepped forward and responded, "Second Master, it's getting dark. Where are you going?"

"Let's go to Jiang's house," Xue Zhongfu replied briefly. "Jiang Lun's place is lively, let's go drink with him."

"Okay, I'll prepare it for you right away!" The servant responded and turned away in a hurry.

Before the curfew bell in the capital rang, Xue Zhongfu rode his horse alone to Jiang's residence without letting any servants follow him.

As he galloped along the flower street of Chang'anfang, the high-hanging lanterns were brightly lit. The prostitutes standing on the attic caught a glimpse of this elegant young man, with their silk handkerchiefs fluttering gently, and they all came to him to solicit business.

Xue Zhongfu smiled carefreely, without stopping, his horse's hooves flying, leaving behind only a string of wanton laughter and the sighs of regret from the girls behind him.

Turning into the street where the residence of Jiang, the chief academic officer of the Imperial College, was located, he slowed down his horse, and the horse's hooves tapped steadily on the bluestone slabs, making a thumping sound.

The sudden sound seemed to alarm a figure in front of the Jiang Mansion. The figure swayed slightly and then quickly hid behind the stone lions at the door.

However, none of this escaped Xue Zhongfu's sight.

He rode to the door and suddenly shouted in a cold voice: "Sneaky, come out!"