His pride, where would his face go?
Ling Mohan lowered his head and remained silent, still pondering the riddle in his mind. He was determined to figure out what was going on today.
Was he too stupid, or was Feng Jin's riddle inherently flawed?
"Stop studying it. I'll personally teach you how to solve it once we're back at the mansion."
Feng Jin said helplessly. The main reason was that eating alone was too monotonous. Without anyone to accompany her, the rice in her bowl instantly became less fragrant and tasted different.
"Really!" Ling Mohan was overjoyed.
"Really, let's eat!" Feng Jin solemnly guaranteed.
"It's really a coincidence, meeting you here." Gu Beichen saw that the figure from the doorway somewhat resembled Ling Mohan, and indeed it was him. Why was this ugly woman Feng Jin still here?
Having already witnessed Feng Jin's formidable nature, and Ling Mohan being the type to forget his friends for a pretty face and siding with Feng Jin, Gu Beichen did not dare to provoke Feng Jin easily this time, and stood obediently beside Ling Mohan.
"By the way, I got a riddle today, and I can't figure out the answer for the life of me. Could you help me take a look?"
Gu Beichen was stumped by the riddle. He couldn't figure out the answer, and after much thought, only Ling Mohan could solve it.
Why another riddle? Was he destined to deal with riddles today? Ling Mohan shook his head and sighed, lamenting his miserable fate. "You say it first, what is the riddle?"
As long as it wasn't Feng Jin's riddle, he was quite confident he could solve it.
But when Gu Beichen stated the riddle, Ling Mohan instantly turned to stone. Wasn't this the very riddle Feng Jin had posed? Where did he see it?
"Where did you get this riddle from?"
Gu Beichen replied truthfully, "Zhangjia Restaurant is holding a riddle-guessing event. I saw the riddle there, and they said it was left by a master."
Master, indeed. One had to admit that the shopkeeper's ability to deceive people was considerable. Gu Beichen had fallen for it, and he still looked convinced.
"Don't just stand there in silence. Tell me, can you solve the riddle or not?"
Seeing Ling Mohan's prolonged silence, Gu Beichen asked anxiously.
"I truly cannot solve it, but I do know the answer."
Gu Beichen was confused by his words. What did he mean he couldn't solve it but knew the answer? What was the meaning of that?
"Just tell me directly, don't beat around the bush." Gu Beichen, unable to decipher the riddle, quickly urged Ling Mohan to explain.
"The answer is seven-eighths of a wine. Feng Jin told me this answer, and like you, I don't know how to solve this riddle."
Ling Mohan's words astonished Gu Beichen for a long time. He looked at Feng Jin in shock, finding it hard to believe that Feng Jin could solve this riddle.
"You're not just guessing randomly, are you? You got lucky and happened to get it right."
Gu Beichen refused to accept this reality, desperately trying to find excuses for someone else's excellence.
Feng Jin paid no mind to Gu Beichen's words, as she had long grown accustomed to the jealousy of others. In her eyes, those filled with envy were merely clowns, not worth her attention.
Bothering with such people would only be a waste of time and an unnecessary burden.
"This question was posed by me, so naturally, I know the answer. A riddle that you rack your brains over and still cannot solve is merely a childhood problem for me. This is the difference between you and me."
Feng Jin's words were like pearls, seemingly spoken tactfully but carrying a sharp edge of sarcasm.
"You... you dare to disrespect this prince! Believe it or not, I..."
"Prince Gu, don't forget the saying 'trouble comes from the mouth'." Ling Mohan, with a somber expression, stepped in front of Feng Jin, exuding a deadly aura.
Gu Beichen shivered involuntarily, understanding Ling Mohan's disposition all too well. He was genuinely serious. "You really do value love over friendship."
It was his fault for associating with such a person; becoming friends with him was the biggest regret of his life.
"You're cowardly and timid, unable to even utter a bold word. It's truly despicable. Prince Gu, you should hurry home and seek your father's protection, lest you get beaten and have nowhere to cry."
Feng Jin's sharp tongue was second to none. In a few words, she belittled Gu Beichen to worthlessness.
"You... you..." Gu Beichen trembled with anger, pointing his shaking finger at Feng Jin, stammering incoherently.
"Don't make yourself a stutterer, or you'll never find a wife. It would bring utter shame to the Gu family if that happened."
Feng Jin, not fearing escalation, deliberately added fuel to the fire, further enraging Gu Beichen.
Ling Mohan, witnessing all this, struggled to suppress his laughter.
"You're just going to stand there and watch her bully me."
Gu Beichen was no match for Feng Jin, so he turned his attention to the spectating Ling Mohan.
"She's your wife, can't you control her? Aren't you afraid of being laughed at if you can't even manage your wife?"
Ling Mohan, completely unfazed, said shamelessly, "You only just realized I'm henpecked."
It was like a bolt of lightning striking Gu Beichen's head. His worldview was completely shattered; he could never have imagined such words coming from Ling Mohan's mouth.
In just a few days, Ling Mohan had been trained into this state.
"You can say such things? Aren't you afraid of being ridiculed?" Gu Beichen said helplessly. The God of War of Southern Chu had become a henpecked man.
If this got out, Ling Mohan's reputation would be completely ruined.
But the person involved didn't see anything wrong with it. Ling Mohan said sternly, "What I said is the truth, what's so funny about it?"
Feng Jin chimed in, "What do you, a single person, understand? This is what we call marital affection. I suppose you can't comprehend it."
Gu Beichen almost spat out a mouthful of old blood. Could a woman say such things?
He had never met such a thick-skinned person before. Didn't Feng Jin have any shame? Even more outrageous was Ling Mohan looking at Feng Jin with a smile, showing no sign of disapproval of her words.
After being force-fed a generous dose of public display of affection, Gu Beichen turned his head away, exclaiming about not being able to bear to watch and that it was indecent.
"Considering your youth and ignorance, I won't argue with you, a single person. Consider it a free lesson from me."
Feng Jin wished she could infuriate Gu Beichen to death; her words were piercing.
Gu Beichen took two deep breaths to calm himself. "A wise man doesn't fight with a woman. I... I won't argue with you."
To argue with a woman would cause him to lose face, and he couldn't afford to lose face.