CH 7

With Old Madam Xu holding onto Wei Ziting, Jiang Yu seized the opportunity to punch his foe, Wei. The people from Weixiang Fu wanted to run up to them. However, the people from Anyuan Houfu arrived at this moment and stopped the people of Weixiang Fu from advancing. What was seen now was yet again a messy fight that needed to be broken up. Everyone standing around and watching this lively scene did not dislike such a big event. With such an exciting atmosphere, there was too much for the eye to take in—so much that the bystanders regretted that their parents didn’t give birth to them with another pair of eyes.

At this moment, Old Venerable Su was being forcefully fed several pills of medicine. Then, just as he managed to get some of his breath back, he heard his servants say that Old Madam Xu from Anyuan Houfu had arrived and was currently grabbing hold of the Wei’s Third Young Master and scolding him. Old Venerable Su almost fainted from a loss of breath again.

While the two groups of people fought with their hands, their mouths weren’t idle either. So after listening to the two sides scold each other, Old Venerable Su already understood what today’s fight was about. The cause of this fight was Anyuan Houfu’s Second Miss.

Regarding whether Anyuan’s Second Miss was overestimating her capabilities and bringing disgrace to herself by marrying the Crown Prince of Tushan, Zhao Lingxiao… This was not something that Old Venerable Su was going to evaluate. However, now that Old Madam Xu had made such a big fuss here, Old Venerable Su wanted to scold someone.

‘What animosity and what complaints do you and your granddaughter have?‘

‘You’re creating such a big scene and letting everyone under the heavens know that your family’s second miss wants to climb up in status by using the high branch of Tushan’s Crown Prince? In this world, marriages always work this way—the bridegroom’s family will invite a matchmaker to make a marriage proposal with a potential wife. Just what are you people of Anyuan Houfu trying to do? Does your second miss want to offer herself up to serve as a pillow mat1a woman offering herself up to be a pillow mat refers to a woman of low status essentially selling herself to be a servant/slave to a husband of higher status? Even commoner households of low status don’t have daughters who offer themselves up to be pillow mats! What if Tushan Wangfu comes out and says there is no such marriage later on? Is your second miss intending to die?

Just from the way Old Venerable Su thinks, we can see that from his perspective, the Jiangs’ second miss would definitely want to marry Zhao Lingxiao. It wasn’t just Old Venerable Su; many of the people present also thought the same way.

“How ridiculous!” Old Venerable Su said hatefully.

Someone from the Imperial College squeezed out from the crowd at this moment and ran over to Old Venerable Su to report, “Lord, the Jiangs’ second miss has come over as well.”

Old Venerable Su’s asthma was almost triggered again: “H-How ridiculous!”

“Grandma!” Jiang Mingyue was crying as she ran over to the old madam.

“You’re even hitting my sister?” Jiang Yu yelled again. Then, his fists descended upon Wei Ziting’s body like rain2“like rain” – the raw actually says “raindrops”, which doesn’t sound at all as intimidating as it should be in context. So we adapted from the English idiom of ‘the punches and kicks came down like rain”, and just used ‘rain’..

“I—!” Third Young Master Wei wanted to shout.

“Third Young Master Wei,” Jiang Mingyue said, covering her face and weeping silently as she charged over to Wei Ziting: “You and I are total strangers. So why must you insult me so? Your family–the Weis, a family of government ministers–has been an influential aristocratic family for a hundred years. However, thinking about it, I’ve come to the conclusion that my family, the Jiangs, has a clean reputation. How could my family’s principles be implicated because of me? That they have to be insulted by you?”

When Jiang Mingyue cried out like this, the scene of the fight suddenly became quiet. A young lady who had yet to get married was crying so bitterly in the middle of the street…? Although the people of the capital were somewhat more experienced and knowledgeable than those elsewhere, this was still something they had not seen before.

“My pitiful father is out leading troops, eating meals in the wind and sleeping outdoors, vowing loyalty and devotion to His Majesty the Emperor alone, protecting our great country under the Yin Dynasty for many generations,” Jiang Mingyue said in a tearful voice as she wept. The Jiangs’ second miss was pretty, and she had a pleasant voice. So her laments caused those who heard them to take pity on her: “You, Wei’s third young master, should just be studying peacefully at the Imperial College. Why do you have to treat my younger brother unfairly? And treat me unfairly? That you even have to tire out my family’s old madam by having her make an appearance before you?”

Old Madam Xu and Jiang Yu at this moment both had blank looks. This member of their family who was venting her feelings here–where did she emerge from?

This ancestor3it means how she is treated like an ancestor in the sense she is held up/spoiled in her family. of theirs had never been one to cry. Was this person, who was crying tearfully and letting others look upon her so pitifully, truly their family’s Jiang Mingyue?

In a teahouse on the side of the street, a middle-aged person with the appearance of a retainer spoke in a low voice to a young person sitting by a window: “Crown Prince, that is Anyuan Houfu’s second daughter, Jiang Mingyue.”

Zhao Lingxiao, who was dressed in a jade crested headband and white spring garments, leaned against the window frame. He appeared somewhat languid, but the ends of his eyes and brows revealed his nobility. “This young lady wants to ruin Wei’s third young master.” The crown prince sighed lightly. The Jiangs’ second miss cried like raindrops on a pear blossom4fig. tear-stained face of a beauty, but she was actually holding malicious intentions.

He understood what the Jiangs’ second miss’s words implied. The head of Anyuan Houfu was out working hard for the country. Wei Ziting, this young master of a government minister’s family, seized the opportunity to wield his family’s power and wear out and frighten Jiang Ruqiu’s mother, beat up his son, and even sully his daughter’s reputation. If her bad reputation were to take hold, it wouldn’t be necessary to wait for Jiang Ruqiu to return and demand for justice. Wei Xiangfu might not even have a place for Wei Ziting to stay anymore. ‘Was the good reputation of a family of numerous generations, accumulated over a hundred years, something for you to ruin?‘

“Crown Prince, speaking of marriage, will you ask the King5the Crown Prince’s father is the King of Tushan when we return?” the retainer asked, speaking again in a low voice at this moment.

“My marriage will naturally be decided upon by the elders of my family,” Jiang Mingyue cried out on the street below while covering her face, “Currently, my grandfather and grandmother have yet to speak of this, and my father is far away in distant foreign lands. Where did this talk about my marriage emerge from? Regardless of how good that crown prince that you—Third Young Master Wei—mentioned is, I still have to ask you. In this world, is this the only man in the world? Is there no one else the women of this world can marry?”

“That is,” Old Madam Xu chimed in, having finally regained her senses at this time, “Have all the good men in this world died, leaving Tushan’s Crown Prince as the only one remaining? Naturally, I, as her grandmother, will worry about my granddaughter’s marriage for her. What has it got to do with you, the third young master of the Wei family? Have you stopped studying at the Imperial College and instead changed professions to a matchmaker?”

“I…” Third Young Master Wei’s face turned purple.

“Is there a marriage contract?” Jiang Mingyue asked: “Or have you, Third Young Master Wei, seen a matchmaker pass through the gate of my Anyuan Houfu with your own eyes?”

Wei Ziting was speechless. It was something that he had heard from someone else. How was he to get ahold of evidence to prove it?

In the teahouse, Zhao Lingxiao put down the teacup he was holding and indifferently said a sentence: “She does not wish to marry me.”

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