CH 70

Noble or Lowly (4)

On the second long dining table in the banquet hall, a pair of brown-haired noble father and son sat.

The patriarch and the young master of the Brandon family stared at Jiang Jianming as if they had seen a ghost, their faces turned red and blue for a moment, it was extremely colorful.

From yesterday to today, these past two days had been like a nightmare for the Brandon family.

The second child of the Brandon family was used to being arrogant, and the place he went in and out of was also a high-end place like the West Galaxy Street. People recognized his face and the name of the Brandon family. Even without guards, no one would dare to offend him.

Unexpectedly, when he came back yesterday with a bruised nose and a swollen face, he actually said that he was beaten by a disabled human civilian?

And his two useless attendants were frozen on the spot in shock, allowing the culprit to leave gracefully.

—At first, the patriarch of the Brandon family actually didn’t believe it at all, he just thought that this incompetent kid was doing mischief outside again, messed up some big shots who shouldn’t be messed with, was taught a lesson, fled back in desperation and told a low-level lie to avoid being scolded.

Until the video spread.

The Brandon family’s second young master was overly frightened, and when he finally recuperated, he was helped out from the treatment cabin groaning and moaning.

As a result, when he opened the Empire Intelligence Network, at a mere first glance, he saw a crazily circulated…………short video of himself being thrown to the ground and being stomped on the face by a disabled human being.

In the video, even if the face of the disabled human civilian was coded, his body that exuded elegance and calmness could be seen, causing the view of new human nobles to go from being lofty to ugliness.

The scream when falling to the ground, the raised buttocks, the frightened and fearful look, the flesh on the face that was trampled into a ball…..This edited video, which lasted more than one minute, showed this ugly scene blatantly before the citizens of the empire.

Poor second young master of the Brandon family, who was accustomed to being domineering, his face and neck flushed purple on the spot and he pointed at the video while his whole body trembled. He held on for a few seconds without uttering a word, however, his eyes rolled up and he fainted.

A great shame, a great shame!

This kind of shame was enough for him to be unable to lift his head in Aslan for his entire life.

The second young master of the Brandon family did not dare to attend this banquet. Moreover, the patriarch and the eldest son always had a stiff smile on their faces, wanting to die in shame and indignation——It was unknown how many people secretly cast weird glances at them, letting them be on tenterhooks.

They haven’t figured out how to torture this extremely daring jinmian to death carefully, but Jiang Jianming actually appeared at the banquet like an evil ghost!

The patriarch of the Brandon family and his son were puzzled. How did he, a commoner, get in?

“My goodness, classmate Jiang, you……”

Bei Man’er hurried over with her skirt, she was also dressed up today, but she walked quickly to Jiang Jianming without hesitation, who was being looked at by various contemptuous eyes, and said, “Really deserving of you.” (TL: means “you’re really Jiang Jianming, you’re deserving of your name”)

Jiang Jianming was eating a salad with a fork. He accurately forked a cherry tomato in a small plate of green salad, with lettuce, purple cabbage and other vegetables. Hearing the sound, he looked up and smiled, “Man’er? Don’t be here with me now, the occasion is special, for you, it’s very……”

Bei Man’er turned around and said happily, “Dad! This is the one I talked about, my friend!”

Jiang Jianming: “………”

—Oh, it looks like Bei Man’er brought him in.

The young master of the Brandon family understood immediately. When he turned his head, he then saw the patriarch of the Bei family’s stiff and embarrassed face, and secretly mocked in his heart.

What a foolish woman, she has offended the patriarch of the Lance family this time, no…she doesn’t need to offend him, as long as the patriarch of the Lance family frowned because of the impoliteness of this civilian, even if the Bei family was a Merit noble, the days to come shouldn’t be easy.

“Oh my! It’s Xiao Jiang.”

Over there, instead, it was the patriarch of the Tang family who came over with a wine glass first. This middle-aged man smiled at Jiang Jianming and said, “My family is indebted to you for taking care of my good-for-nothing youngest son.”

“Major General Tang.” Jiang Jianming stood up, raised his glass and made a toast, “Nothing of the sort, it was Tang Zhen who has been taking care of me all these years.”

Bei Man’er’s father had no choice but to come forward, politely greeted Jiang Jianming, and then pulled Bei Man’er away. He went to the corner and whispered to his daughter, “This is too inappropriate, Man’er, if you want to bring a friend in, at least you need to buy him clothes.”

“Ah?” Bei Man’er asked in confusion, “I didn’t bring him in…..Strange, I thought it was Major General Tang who brought him in.”

Unfortunately, the young master of the Brandon family didn’t hear Miss Bei’s puzzled murmur.

He only saw the patriarchs of the Bei family and the Tang family, each walked up and said a word or two before leaving, and was even more convinced that the two families had “overturned their cars” —look, bringing in a jinmian who doesn’t understand etiquette, it’s embarrassing and shameless.

(t/n overturned cars-refers to speaking or doing things that are different or contrary to what was said or done before)

The young master of the Brandon family stepped forward with confidence.

At the corner of the dining table, Jiang Jianming was extending his knife and fork to a plate with a red sauce color, a red wine fragrance, braised and diced beef, when suddenly a shadow fell in front of him.

He raised his head again helplessly, and first saw a dark gold badge pinned to the dress.

——The military emblem of the Golden Sun Wheel.

More than 60 years had passed since the founding war, and the atmosphere of respecting military merits in the empire was still very strong, yet the truly hard-working and able to bear hardwares, the military spirit of advocating diligence and frugality had begun to fade. Thus people often wore military badges and medals on their dresses to show their reputation and status.

Holding a wine glass, the young master of the Brandon family stood in front of Jiang Jianming with a mocking smile on his face.

He bowed slightly, and the military emblem of the Golden Sun Wheel Imperial Guard flashed on his chest with the movement.

“Good wine, to this maverick friend.”

The young master of the Brandon family pressed one hand on the dining table beside Jiang Jianming, grinned leisurely, and raised his glass sarcastically.

“It’s my fault for being ignorant. It’s the first time I saw such outstanding formal attire, thus I couldn’t help but come forward and ask……Which home style is this, and from which master’s hand?” 

Jiang Jianming indifferently ate his dinner, “…….a small workshop’s craftsmanship, presumably won’t catch His Excellency’s eyes.”

The military emblem of the Golden Sun Wheel was offensive to the eyes, it even made him feel a bit tempted to twist it off from this guy.

More eyes gathered in the hall, all of them were people watching the excitement.

Bei Man’er was about to step forward, but her father held her hand, “Dad!”

The patriarch of the Bei family shook his head and said disapprovingly, “Man’er, don’t be self-willed, this time your friend is too impolite. Don’t be afraid, the Brandon family and the others don’t dare to make a big fuss at the Lance family’s banquet.”

“Small workshop? Friend, don’t joke, a jinmian and a small workshop’s craftsmanship, is it deserving to appear at the honorable Lance family’s dinner party?”

At the dining table, the young master of the Brandon family lowered his head and looked down at the sitting black-haired young man, using this action to cover up the sternness in the bottom of the eyes and the sneer at the corner of his mouth. He said in a volume that only the two of them could hear. “It’s you, the jinmian in West Galaxy Street.”

“Don’t rush to be arrogant, we’ve already checked you…Jiang Jianming, hm? A mere graduate of Kaios, you’re a bit bold.”

“Thank you, it’s okay,” Jiang Jianming said plainly, “But if it’s based on your younger brother’s standard, my courage may just have been too great. Did my rudeness scare him that day?”

As he spoke, he picked up a small piece of beef drizzled with sauce with a silver fork, and suddenly chuckled lightly.

“I really want to apologize to him again, but it seems that I didn’t see your younger brother here at the banquet.”

Jiang Jianming: “May I take the liberty to ask, did he go to the bathroom?”

Before his voice died away, the face of the young master of the Brandon family turned livid.

“You jianmin, who does not know how to praise and does not know what is good or bad!” He cursed in a low voice, raised his hand and tilted his glass, and poured down the red wine on Jiang Jianming’s head!

There were already noble ladies around who exclaimed softly.

But before anyone realized it, Jiang Jianming had kicked his boots on the ground, stood up holding the plate in front of him, and took two steps back at the same time.

Splash……The red wine almost brushed his hair and then fell.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Jiang Jianming’s expression did not change.

He stood upright, holding the plate in one hand and the silver fork in the other, calmly put the beef cubes into his mouth, and chewed slowly. It was indeed a collision of high-end ingredients, high-end sauces and high-end chefs, and was extremely delicious.

The Brandon family’s young master: “…….”

Onlookers: “……..”

The young master still held up his wine glass in disbelief, as the red wine continued to drip down.

Immediately, an embarrassing atmosphere diffused together with the aroma of red wine.

The spilled wine was dodged so thoroughly, it was also very tricky enough.

Unexpectedly, after the other party dodged, he didn’t look at him, and even his expression didn’t change for a moment as well……

Uh, and only standing there and continuing eating!?

Among the onlookers, a young man rubbed his eyebrows with a wooden expression, “Is my brain broken, why do I think……” 

A girl covered her shy face, “He is so cute.”

Jiang Jianming heard it, but he couldn’t understand it.

He was obviously just eating seriously, yet this group of nobles who had eaten too much, saw everything as cute.

Jiang Jianming took two steps to the side with the plate in his hand, and sat down again on a seat that was not splashed by the red wine, to continue eating.

The young onlookers got excited, and one couldn’t help but say to the girl beside them, “Have you watched that video? It’s him. Being provoked by the Brandon family’s young master without realizing it, yet is still serious in communicating.”

The girl blushed even more. “That’s him, he’s really cute and handsome.”

Jiang Jianming swallowed the food in his mouth, and then extended the knife and fork to a plate of baked mashed potatoes with cheese that was baked golden brown and slightly burnt.

-Eden Star City fed them too much, he was obviously saving Aslan at that time.

“You…”

The young master of the Brandon family stood there glaring, his face turning livid and purple, just like his younger brother before he passed out.

At this moment, he also felt the humiliation firsthand his younger brother felt on West Galaxy Street——

When he realized that his own existence and threats were not even as important as a bite of dinner in the eyes of this civilian.

Endless anger rushed into his mind instantly.

His background, his talent, his military position, and all the privileges and honors he was born to have made him never, never imagined that one day, he would be hit on the face with such a big shame.

By a mere civilian.

He squeezed the glass in his hand tightly, and the veins on the back of his hand popped.

A jinmian, a creature that should look up to himself all the time, a thing that should live in the mud, in the stinking ditch……..

The Brandon family ‘s young master’s eyes turned bloodshot, and his breathing was getting thicker…

How dare he, how dare..….

Under the rage, all etiquette had been left behind. He even forgot that he was at the banquet of the honorable Lance family. He rushed forward two steps and raised the wine glass in his hand–

This guy is finished, he thought as he smashed it down.

A disabled human being, even if he can escape the splash of wine, can he still be intact under the swing of this mighty Golden Sun Wheel soldier?

Jiang Jianming’s brows were lowered.

He didn’t even look at the glass that was whistling down.

When screams of surprise were accompanied by the sound of the wind in the ear, the first and only remnant crystal officer in Silver Big Dipper’s history raised his wrist. All he had was a silver fork in his hand.

The silver fork stabbed out, drawing a sharp trajectory.

Ding——————!

With a crisp sound, the wine glass was smashed into scattered pieces.

Time seemed to be stretched countless times at this moment.

The three sharp points of the silver fork were bathed in the extravagant light of the chandelier, piercing the air, passing through the flying glass shards, and magnifying in the young master of the Brandon family’s terrified eyes!

“Jin, jinmian!”

The glass of wine was released from his hand, he held his head and exclaimed in surprise, “You dare–ah!!!”

It was the sound of cloth being torn.

The music stopped, and even the conversation at the most exclusive table was interrupted, almost all the eyes of the audience were gathered here.

People nearby saw that a Golden Sun Wheel military emblem flew up, clatter, landed on the floor, and made a one last high jerk.

Under the extravagant light, this badge symbolizing glory and loyalty drew an arc of golden afterimages, jumped several times, and finally rolled to the puddle of red wine that was just spilled on the ground.

It stopped at the expensive red wine.

In a trance, it was like slumbering in a pool of blood of a true martyr.

The young master of the Brandon family wobbled for a moment, then sat down on the ground with a pale face, with his teeth chattering, and his whole body was shaking.

At that moment just now, he suddenly saw a killing intent attacking like a devil’s giant claw, piercing his heart.

He raised his hand dripping with cold sweat and touched it. His chest was still intact.

It’s just that the exquisite and expensive dress was torn a hole by a fork, and the original Golden Sun Wheel badge disappeared.

His lips trembled, and he raised his ashen face.

Just now…..what happened?

“The Golden Sun Wheel military badge.”

On the dining table, Jiang Jianming was still sitting there upright, and the momentum just now was short-lived like a dream.

The young man lowered his pale wrist indifferently, the silver fork held by his fingers rested on the corner of the table, and a drop of bright red wine, as bright as blood, fell from the tip of the fork.

“You deserve it too?”