Tian Zhongqing had not touched a drop of water for three whole days. He sat silently at the desk, his thoughts crawling through his mind like ants. His lips had long turned pale, and his sweat was unceasing.2

Now over thirty years old, he had never made such a grave mistake before. The more he thought about it, the more terrified he became, and he murmured to himself, "Should I go and confess my fault? But such baseless rumors... would that not just show my guilt and make others laugh at me? Yet if I continue to ignore this, who knows what the main family might think? I am afraid this could sow the seeds of disaster..."0

Full of anxiety, Tian Zhongqing was fortunate enough to not be the sole pillar of his household like Xu Gongming, and there were elders above him. He quickly took out his writing brush, paper, and inkstone, and wrote, "My dear...0