Chapter 56: Madam, Forgive Me
That day at the Du Family, the public announcement of adopting him as a righteous son had failed, and afterward Xu He had even breathed a sigh of relief.
Unexpectedly, just two days had passed, and Du Yu had come directly to the door with the document.
Wasn’t this clearly forcing him to agree?
Xu He felt angry inside.
But thinking about it, he straightened his back a bit: “Since it’s about recognizing kin, it must be done properly, otherwise wouldn’t it let outsiders criticize the Marquis’s Mansion for not following rules?”
Du Yu showed displeasure: “Why are you so meddlesome?
“Isn’t it good to be the righteous son of our Marquis’s Mansion?
“As long as you sign it today, I will immediately go to Prince Jingyang on your behalf to promote you two levels. This is a real benefit for you!”
Xu He sneered inwardly.
Prince Jingyang indeed—Prince Jingyang’s favorite was right inside his Xu Family room!
If he really sought him out, would he still need the Du Family now?
Xu He put down the teacup: “The Heir Apparent is too hasty, which is truly lacking in consideration. I do not deserve such importance from the Heir Apparent.”
Du Yu, who had never seen him so tough, had his face visibly turning cold.
The teacup was also heavily placed on the table by him.
“What do you mean by this? Are you saying you don’t want to recognize this kin anymore?”
Yue Tang, watching from the shadows, frowned and then leaped down from the wall top, gave a signal to Wei Zhang who was keeping watch, and withdrew.
“The Du Family is still forcing Xu He to recognize the righteous kin, this is really abnormal—what exactly are they hurrying to use Xu He for?”
After entering the room, she pulled off her face cloth, frowned, and let out a breath.
Wei Zhang said: “Besides being the only jinshi appointed by the Emperor, Xu He is also serving in the Imperial Secretariat, so if there is a dispatch, it’s not impossible.”
Yue Tang paced two circles inside the room, then stopped: “Call him over.”
At the time of the standoff in the front hall, the maidservant delivered the message of Wei Zhang’s summons to Xu He.
Xu He, who had been quite tough just now, suddenly trembled and spilled a few drops of tea from the cup.
Du Yu only thought he had other plans, so he sneered: “The marriage discussions were going well, but you suddenly broke off the engagement. Considering your circumstances, we won’t blame you.
“Now wanting to form righteous kin with you can also be considered lifting you up.
“Yet you keep pushing back—Xu He, if you dare play any tricks in front of me, you’d better first weigh how much you weigh!”
Ever since that day when Yue Tang had given him a beating, Xu He no longer dared to underestimate her. What’s more, there was Prince Jingyang behind her.
At this moment, with the summons coming, how could he not take it seriously?
Weighing both sides, he didn’t even listen to Du Yu’s threats.
He simply cupped his hands: “Please wait a moment, Heir Apparent—that woman is overbearing, I will first go inside to see what the matter is.”
After saying that, without caring whether Du Yu agreed or not, he went straight out and entered Qingyun Pavilion.
Yue Tang asked him: “What did Du Yu come for?”
Xu He said: “He brought the document over and directly wanted me to sign the recognition of kin document.”
“Then will you agree?”
“Naturally not.”
Yue Tang’s corner of the mouth twitched slightly: “Can you alone stand against the Marquis of Guangling’s Mansion?”
Xu He slowly raised the corner of his mouth and slowly looked at her: “I cannot, but isn’t there Madam you?
“The Du Family is nothing in front of Prince Jingyang’s Mansion—dealing with the Du Family, I believe it’s just a word from Madam to the Prince.”
This woman was deceiving him!
Deceiving him into feeling like a fool!
But she was right—he now had no way to let her leave.
There was also no need for her to leave.
However, since she was taking over his territory to live, shouldn’t she at least get him some benefits?
Counting it, five or six days had already passed, and he hadn’t even had a proper conversation with Prince Jingyang.
Now that Du Yu had come bullying to the door, did he still have to let such a good strength go unused?
“Madam surely doesn’t want Du Yu to know about your relationship with the Prince either.” He walked in front of Yue Tang, his gaze containing some sinister look, “As long as Madam steps in to help me resolve this Du Family trouble, in the future no matter how Madam comes and goes with the Prince, I can provide complete cover.
Yue Tang looked at him close at hand, smiled slightly, and used her eyes to stop Wei Zhang who was watching coldly from not far away, saying: “Top Scholar, this is a threat to me.”
“Whatever,” Xu He handed over a brush: “Right now Xu is in crisis—as long as Madam sends a message to the Prince, I believe my crisis will be resolved effortlessly.”
Yue Tang took the brush, suddenly pressed it on his wrist, and then kept pressing it toward the table! Until he couldn’t move.
“Really?” She raised her eyebrow.
Xu He had been certain she would agree—after all, so many people had seen Yan Bei’s discomposed appearance toward her that day, and now with her bearing his Xu Madam’s name, wanting to meet under everyone’s eyes was easier said than done?
But if he, this nominal husband, provided cover, then everything would be no problem!
However, clearly just a light brush, held by him and pressed on his wrist, gradually felt like a thousand jin heavy, making his bones feel like they were cracking!
He instinctively tried to pull back, but couldn’t move it an inch!
Not only couldn’t pull back, he was very sure that if he persisted a bit longer, this hand would be ruined!
He looked at Yue Tang in astonishment.
But Yue Tang’s face was as usual, almost casually relaxed as if joking with him: “You are a scholar—without this right hand for holding the brush, what will you rely on to write articles?”
She lifted her head, her gaze warm and faint like moonlight, “If you can’t write articles, let alone promotion and ennoblement, dominating the Imperial Court.
“Xu He, you are not worthy to talk deals with me. Let alone threaten me.”
Her gaze was still fairly warm and faint, but the words she spat out were each more piercing than the last.
Xu He was sweating profusely, his face white as paper.
His body hunched down to accommodate the pressure on his wrist.
He looked at the woman in front of him in terror, his three souls and seven poises scrambling to flee.
He couldn’t believe that this woman, who looked like a pampered official’s family lady, actually had such high martial arts?!
He was a young man with a normal physique, yet the woman in front of him easily took him down with just a brush!
Thud!
His body went soft and he knelt on the ground, mouth open gasping, looking at Yue Tang in terror.
“Please… Madam forgive me!”
Yue Tang said coldly: “Dare to act rashly again?”
Xu He shook off sweat and shook his head: “Whatever you command, please make it clear!”
Yue Tang withdrew the brush, “Get out. Go agree to his conditions.”
Xu He was startled: “Agree?”
“Yes.” Yue Tang tossed the brush forward, watching it whoosh straight into the gap of the cupboard, “Agree to him, and then report back to me every word of everything that happens afterward, everything the Du Family says to you, not missing a single one.
“Then,”
She glanced under the door at Wei Zhang: “From today on, my subordinate surnamed Zhang is your personal attendant.
“Take him with you wherever you go.
“Including going to the yamen to report for duty.
“Understand?”
Xu He gripped his now numb wrist, trembling lips, and nodded.
