Chapter 134: No Harming Others
“——My hand——”
Chai Wan’er put force into this whip strike, but it was suddenly snatched away by someone, causing her palm to throb with intense pain.
She clutched her hand, angrily looking at who it was, then froze: “Zhu Yunxiao?! Why are you here?”
Zhu Yunxiao withdrew his sword, took the whip wrapped around it in his hand, and said gravely: “Miss Chai, do not hurt anyone.”
Do not hurt anyone? Chai Wan’er looked at the master and servant duo that Zhu Yunxiao had shielded behind him, growing even more furious.
“You’re protecting them?” she demanded. “What relationship do you have with them! Zhu Yunxiao, have you taken a liking to her? Fine, you rejected my family, yet you take a liking to this countryside maid——”
At these words, the young ladies in the hall showed varied expressions.
The matter of Marquis Yichun wanting to arrange a marriage with the Heir of Duke Yongwu had spread privately quite a bit, but the two families had not publicly acknowledged it.
At this moment, Chai Wan’er voicing this undoubtedly proved the matter was true.
The one in the marriage discussion wouldn’t be her, would it? The young ladies’ eyes flickered as they looked at Chai Wan’er.
“Yunxiao.”
Jiang Rui hurried over from among the young ladies and stood at Zhu Yunxiao’s side, her expression worried.
Zhu Yunxiao turned his head and softly reassured her, “Don’t be afraid,” then looked back at Chai Wan’er: “I’m here dining with my family.”
Family. Chai Wan’er glared fiercely at Jiang Rui.
“Zhu Yunxiao, I have no quarrel with your Miss Jiang.” She gritted her teeth and said, “Don’t meddle in others’ business!”
With that, she called out to the maidservants behind her.
“What are you standing around for! Slap her mouth!”
The two Chai Clan maidservants immediately moved toward “Yang Luo,” but were blocked by Zhu Yunxiao.
“Miss Chai, let’s talk things out properly. How can you resort to hitting someone?” he demanded.
“Talk things out properly?”
Chai Wan’er roared angrily, extending her finger to point at “Yang Luo,” who was shielded behind Zhu Yunxiao.
“She started by cursing me.”
“Yang Luo, you’re guilty because you cheated, I knew your first place ranking was fake, just like how you all impersonate others!”
“You dare question my identity? What identity do I have? My aunt is the Empress——”
Zhu Yunxiao was about to say something when a gentle female voice came from behind him.
“Then go invite the Empress to issue a decree.”
As she spoke, someone circled around him and stood to the side.
Zhu Yunxiao slightly turned his head and saw a young girl of sixteen or seventeen, dressed in a green dress, with clear and refined features.
So this is that Miss Yang.
……
…….
“Miss Chai.”
“I’ll say it once more.”
“You are neither sovereign, superior, nor teacher. You have no right to test me, and I will not answer your test.”
“If you want to test me, then go request an imperial decree.”
Miss Yang was neither hasty nor annoyed, her expression composed.
“Wan’er.” Li Rong, standing among the young ladies, spoke up again, her voice timid. “You don’t read books on a regular basis yourself. What does Yang Luo ranking first have to do with you? Why are you deliberately picking a fight? Is it——”
“Miss Li is right!” Miss Yang’s maidservant said loudly. “You’re not even a princess’s companion reader, and you haven’t studied at the National Academy. What right do you have to test my young lady!”
Li Rong was interrupted and froze for a moment. What she had actually meant wasn’t quite that……
Zhu Yunxiao looked at this maidservant. Though no longer impersonating a young lady and dressed in a maidservant’s dress, her features were still sharp, showing no concealment of her hostility, just like back when she quarreled with Jiang Rui and cursed him……
Zhu Yunxiao’s lips pressed together.
Chai Wan’er laughed in anger.
What things were these one and two!
They actually pointed at her nose and cursed her!
“It’s just reading books, what’s with the arrogance?” she demanded. “Is this the attitude you all have when reading? Rude and crude, timid as mice…”
“You’re the rude and impolite one.” Yang Luo stepped forward, shouting indignantly, “Did this banquet invite you? You came uninvited, and upon arriving, you question my young lady, disregarding His Majesty and the Libationer. Not only are you rude, you’re arrogant and treasonous!”
Oh my ancestor, Qin Ying’s ears buzzed. Though no longer a young lady, having recovered her maidservant identity, she was somehow even more ferocious than before.
Could this be dog relying on master’s power?
Cough, but what power did her young lady have?!
As the host of this banquet, Qin Ying couldn’t help but hurriedly speak up: “Everyone, stop quarreling. Please hear me out——”
But no one listened to her.
Being cursed like this by a maidservant drove Chai Wan’er mad with rage. She drew her hand to her waist and pulled out another soft whip.
The Chai Clan had followed the Emperor in conquering the world under heaven, with many nephews and nieces serving in the military, and the girls in the family also had masters teaching them kung fu and horsemanship from a young age——
Last time she had been casual about it, but this time she would show her true skill. If she couldn’t hit these two lowly maids, she wouldn’t bear the Chai name!
“You lowly maid, Duke Ding’an didn’t teach you manners, so I’ll teach you.” She demanded.
As she spoke, she twisted her waist, and the soft whip in her hand lashed toward Yang Luo, who stood at the forefront.
Sharp screams rang out in the hall.
The young ladies all retreated backward.
“Stop!”
Zhu Yunxiao shouted, his long sword blocking once more. Since he only intended to intercept the whip, his force was insufficient; the soft whip twisted and slid past the blade, failing to wrap around it.
He was about to swing his sword again when he saw Chai Wan’er seemingly trip on her skirt below, her steps staggering. With this stagger, the force left her hand, and the soft whip, which had been pouncing like a swimming snake toward that maidservant, was like being grabbed by the tail and yanked.
With a bang, the soft whip flew backward.
Chai Wan’er, who had just steadied herself, looked up to see the whip coming straight at her face and let out a scream as she fell backward.
“Young lady——”
The maidservants’ cries were chaotic.
Qin Ying, who had instinctively covered her eyes, couldn’t help but open them. She didn’t see Yang Clan’s that maidservant with blood streaming down her face, but instead saw Chai Wan’er leaning in a maidservant’s arms, hand pressed to her forehead.
Through the gaps in her palm, there was a whip mark on Chai Wan’er’s forehead.
How? Had she hit herself?
“Young Lord Zhu——thank you——”
“For stepping in when you saw injustice on the road!”
Shouts rang out indoors.
……
…….
Mo Zheng let her sleeve droop, covering her right hand.
The honeyed fruit pit she had just pinched in her palm had been flicked out.
“Young lady! This is the Heir of Duke Yongwu.”
“Thanks to the Heir!”
Hearing Yang Luo’s voice, Mo Zheng turned and curtsied to Zhu Yunxiao: “Thank you, Young Lord.”
“Zhu Yunxiao!” Chai Wan’er also pushed away the maidservant, gritting her teeth in furious shout, gripping the whip and pointing it at him. “You dare hit me!”
Seeing the maidservant’s joyful face, the young lady bowing her head in thanks, and Chai Wan’er’s angry questioning, Zhu Yunxiao was slightly stunned.
It wasn’t him; his sword hadn’t managed to block the whip……
Moreover, he had only meant to seize the whip, not to hit Chai Wan’er.
It should have been Chai Wan’er tripping herself……
However, firstly, everyone had seen him indeed step in to block it, and secondly, Chai Wan’er wouldn’t think she had tripped herself.
The matter had come to this……
Zhu Yunxiao looked at Chai Wan’er and said gravely: “I’ll go ask Third Master Chai right now. Did he teach his children kung fu to beat others?”
Chai Wan’er flew into a rage and picked up the whip from the ground: “Then today I’ll beat you first!”
“Young lady.” The maidservants hurriedly tried to dissuade her.
Quarreling with the young ladies was one thing, but fighting in public with a young man would look bad.
At the same time, several servant women entered from outside.
They seemed to have just found out Chai Wan’er was here.
“Miss Wan’er, why did you come here.” The leading servant woman said, “Madam has selected new jewelry for you. Hurry over.”
Then two servant women stepped forward to pull Chai Wan’er.
Chai Wan’er’s face was furious, but upon hearing mention of her mother, she gripped the whip without advancing further.
The servant woman then curtsied to Qin Ying: “Miss Qin, my young lady and Madam came to Yichun to buy jewelry. Hearing you were here, the young lady came to greet you. She came uninvited, please forgive us.”
Passing by, to greet—who passes by and specially brings prepared exam questions? Qin Ying thought, but since Marquis Yichun’s family gave this explanation, that was the explanation. Qin Ying hurriedly said: “It was my poor hospitality.”
The servant woman then looked at Zhu Yunxiao, her expression neither pleased nor angry, her gaze arrogant: “Young Lord Zhu, this is our young lady’s whip for horse riding, a woman’s item, not convenient for an outsider man to hold.”
She extended her hand.
The whip that had struck first was still in Zhu Yunxiao’s hand.
Zhu Yunxiao said indifferently: “Since it’s a woman’s item, you shouldn’t display it in public anymore.” With that, he placed the whip back in the servant woman’s hand.
The servant woman said nothing, took the whip, and turned to walk out.
Chai Wan’er was also surrounded by servant women and maidservants as they headed out. Before leaving the door, she turned back to look at “Yang Luo.”
She said fiercely: “Miss Yang, I remember what you just said. I’ll tell the Empress, and let you have your wish.”
Mo Zheng smiled faintly: “Good, I’ll be waiting.”
