Chapter 230: First Meeting
Su Rende rode through the long street with his personal guard when suddenly a figure rushed out from the side.
That person spread out their hands, blocking Su Rende’s path.
Su Rende quickly pulled tight on the horse rope and looked sharply at the young girl in front of him: “Little girl, do you know how dangerous it is to rush out like that?”
“May I ask if you are the Great General Who Protects the Nation?” Su Yaoguang looked at the man in front of her with eyes full of admiration.
The man in front of her was tall and mighty, with regular features, and exuded an air of righteousness. He was wearing armor, with a sabre at his waist, looking majestic.
“That’s me.” Su Rende saw that the little girl was obedient and delicate-looking, with very pretty eyes, and her gaze at him was extremely innocent and pure, so he softened his tone.
Su Yaoguang knelt down and said to Su Rende: “Please, General, punish this common woman!”
Su Rende was baffled: “What crime have you committed? Even if you have committed a crime, you should go to the capital prefecture office. Why come to me, the General?”
“This common woman’s crime is offending the General’s mansion.” Su Yaoguang said, then beckoned to Cui Hongxiu on the side.
Cui Hongxiu walked out.
Su Yaoguang removed the veil from Cui Hongxiu’s face, revealing a red and swollen little face.
“Hiss… how did this little girl’s face become like this?”
“This must have been beaten, right? Who hit so viciously, turning a little girl’s face into this? If her looks are ruined, how will she ever get married?”
The common people nearby were discussing animatedly.
Su Rende was even more puzzled.
“Little girl, just directly say what relation this woman’s face has to the General’s mansion.” The attendant behind him couldn’t stand it anymore and directly asked the reason.
Su Yaoguang looked around and hesitated: “General, how about we change to another place to talk?”
“No need, just say it here, make it clear in front of everyone.” Su Rende said.
“This common woman is the owner of Peach Blossom Workshop. Yesterday…” Su Yaoguang started from yesterday, recounting everything in detail: every sentence was about how they had no eye for people, failed to recognize benefactors, offended the house slaves of the General’s mansion, then provided door-to-door service but didn’t serve the female relatives of the General’s mansion well, and so on. Every sentence was about how she was wrong, how Peach Blossom Workshop was wrong, but everyone could tell this was the General’s mansion bullying people with their power.
“Little girl, do you dare to go with me to the General’s mansion to confront them?” Su Rende said coldly.
“General, it’s no problem. General, you kill the enemy at the border, bringing us a peaceful and prosperous era. It’s normal for the female relatives of the General’s mansion to have a bit of temper. We are just ordinary common people; getting slapped a few times or even having our looks ruined is no big deal.” Su Yaoguang’s eyes reddened.
“This General kills the enemy to serve the country; that is this General’s duty. This General absolutely will not allow people in the mansion to bully the common people. If what you say about today’s matter is true, this General will give you justice. Come, go with this General to the General’s mansion.” Su Rende said.
“General is wise.” Su Yaoguang pulled Cui Hongxiu and walked forward.
Su Rende looked at Su Yaoguang in front of him: “Do you know how to ride a horse?”
Su Yaoguang nodded: “A little.”
“Li Dali, give your horse to this little girl to ride; you walk back yourself.”
“Yes.”
Su Yaoguang rode the horse behind Su Rende.
Su Rende didn’t know why, but he felt this little girl was pleasing to the eye and very familiar.
This little girl publicly said the General’s mansion was bullying the common people; he should be angry, but he wasn’t angry at all.
As the Great General, he had been campaigning at the border for these years and only returned to the capital half a year ago. Over these years, he had seen all kinds of conspiracies and schemes. If he couldn’t even see through a little girl’s small scheming, he would have died at the hands of the enemy long ago.
However, knowing full well that this little girl was deliberately scheming, and though he disliked those with deep schemes and full of calculations, he didn’t dislike her at all.
He even thought she was quite cute.
“You little girl publicly say the General’s mansion abuses power; aren’t you afraid this General will chop you down in a fit of anger?” Su Rende asked.
“General is not someone who kills innocents indiscriminately. I am just an ordinary commoner; killing me would be as easy for General as pinching an ant to death, but you won’t.”
“What makes you think I will uphold justice for you?”
“General is a just man. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be so admired by all the soldiers.”
Su Rende felt comforted in his heart at the praise.
While talking, they arrived at the General’s mansion.
Su Rende directly took Su Yaoguang and Cui Hongxiu into the inner chambers.
“Is Madam here?” Su Rende asked.
That servant nervously said: “Madam is entertaining several madams in the backyard.”
“Tell her this General has business with her and have her come over.” Su Rende said, “Right, call that Tang Pozi over too.”
“Yes.”
Su Yaoguang and Cui Hongxiu stood in the middle of the hall.
Su Rende turned back and saw her still standing, pointed to the opposite side: “Sit and talk! Once we get to the bottom of it, if it’s true, this General will stand up for you.”
“Actually, this common woman had no choice but to come to the General. This common woman is just an ordinary commoner who offended the General’s mansion and is extremely fearful. This common woman thought to come apologize, gain the General’s mansion’s forgiveness, and then be able to live peaceful days.”
“You publicly sought this General to let everyone know Peach Blossom Workshop was bullied by the General’s mansion. If there’s trouble again, the General’s mansion will be the first suspect. You inquired about this General’s temperament beforehand and knew this General isn’t one to shield people. You borrow this General’s hand to discipline the inner chambers, and they will naturally behave.”
Su Yaoguang: “…”
This General’s brain was very sharp; he didn’t seem at all like the brute in the storybooks.
She had indeed thought that.
She had inquired beforehand about this General Who Protects the Nation’s temperament and knew he was someone who wouldn’t tolerate sand in his eyes.
Since those female relatives wanted to cause trouble for Peach Blossom Workshop, she could only start with the person most in charge.
A beautiful woman entered with an old woman servant. That old woman servant was none other than the one who had caused the most trouble initially.
That old woman servant saw Su Yaoguang and Cui Hongxiu, and unease flashed in her eyes.
“General, you’re back.” The beautiful woman said softly, “I’ve had the servants prepare a meal; it’ll be served right away. General, do you have guests?”
“You don’t recognize them?” Su Rende said indifferently.
“This wife doesn’t recognize them.” The beautiful woman’s gaze lingered on Cui Hongxiu. “This young lady looks a bit familiar.”
“Yesterday this young lady came to your door for skincare service. You said she left a wound on you and had her beaten twenty times; this face was beaten like this by the people you sent. Now you say you don’t recognize her?”
“So it’s her. This woman offended the General’s mansion outside; I was angry and found a pretext to have her beaten twenty times, also to teach her a lesson so she wouldn’t talk nonsense outside. She actually came to the General.” Pang Shi said angrily.
“This common woman did not offend the General’s mansion.” Cui Hongxiu said, “Please, General, uphold justice for this common woman.”
“Didn’t your Peach Blossom Workshop badmouth the General’s mansion outside?” Pang Shi said righteously.
“General, please investigate clearly. This common woman and Peach Blossom Workshop both admire and revere the General; how would we dare offend the General’s mansion? We never mentioned the General’s mansion before. Yesterday this old woman deliberately caused trouble at Peach Blossom Workshop, and we never said a single bad word about the General’s mansion.”
“Madam, who told you we offended the General’s mansion?” Su Yaoguang asked.
Pang Shi looked toward Tang Pozi on the side.
Tang Pozi knelt on the ground with a thud, admitting her wrong to Su Rende: “It’s this old servant’s fault. This old servant suffered a loss at Peach Blossom Workshop yesterday and knew Madam is always soft-hearted, so I lied to Madam to borrow her hand to vent my anger. If General wants to blame someone, blame this old servant; Madam is completely innocent.”
“You actually dared to deceive me.” Pang Shi’s face was full of disbelief. “General, this wife really didn’t know.”
“The General’s mansion is under your management, yet you were deceived by an old servant to this extent. This old servant can no longer stay.” Su Rende said, “Since you brought her from your maternal family, it’s not good to sell her off; just send her directly to the manor.”
“General, can you spare her this once? With this lesson, I believe she won’t dare again.” After Pang Shi finished, she said to Su Yaoguang, “You two young ladies, I didn’t expect this old servant to be so bold as to slander you. To make up for you, I am willing to pay one hundred taels of silver to compensate your bodies; what do you think?”
Su Yaoguang looked at Cui Hongxiu: “Do you accept this compensation?”
Cui Hongxiu nodded: “Willing.”
Refusing silver would be idiotic.
Under their owner’s cultivation, everyone at Peach Blossom Workshop knew silver was a good thing.
Anyway, the beating happened; refusing silver wouldn’t change things. Besides, with Doctor Jiang there, her face wouldn’t scar, so this was silver gained for nothing.
“Thank you, General; thank you, Madam.” Su Yaoguang said, “Then we won’t disturb you anymore.”
Su Rende looked at this little girl’s sweet smile, and his heart softened immensely.
If only she were his daughter.
But he had injured his head and lost his memory; he couldn’t remember his past at all.
He had inquired everywhere, even asked in the military camp, but those years had constant warfare; the people who knew him had all died on the battlefield, and the other brothers didn’t know his background.
Those years had constant warfare, and because spies had appeared, they burned many of their important booklets; there was no way to investigate even if they wanted to.
Pang Shi had someone pay the silver.
Su Yaoguang took Cui Hongxiu and left.
Pang Shi saw Su Rende staring at Su Yaoguang’s back the whole time and felt something was wrong.
Could the General have taken a liking to that woman?
These years the General had refused to marry; she had tried every way to please him but couldn’t get close. Some said he was injured at the root on the battlefield, and she believed it. But today the way he looked at that little girl was so intense; it didn’t seem like he had no interest in women.
Could she have brought trouble upon herself?
“General, Tang Momo is old; can we not send her to the manor? I will discipline her well. She won’t do such stupid things again. Tang Mamo has lived hard days and is a bit greedy for cheap things. But no matter what, she is still from my maternal family.”
“As General, once I speak, it’s a military order that must be carried out. If even words just spoken can be ignored, does this General still have any prestige in this General’s mansion?”
“But…”
“If you can’t bear to part with her, go to the manor with her. That way, since you’re worried about her, you can personally look after her.”
Pang Shi’s face darkened, and she said unwillingly: “This wife understands; this wife will do as General says.”
“Be more careful in your affairs from now on; don’t lightly believe the words of those crafty servants.”
“Yes.”
Su Rende strode away.
Pang Shi said angrily: “After so many years, he still doesn’t give me any face. Even a stone would be warmed through; does he have a heart at all? Back then my husband gave his life to save him. He clearly promised to take good care of our wife and daughter. But to this day, he refuses to marry me.”
“Madam, if this continues, if he gets hooked by some other vixen, your position as mistress of the General’s mansion will become nominal, and then there will be no place for you here.”
“But he refuses to marry me, even refuses to touch me; what can I do?” Pang Shi said angrily, “Haven’t I been diligent enough to him these years?”
“General is a responsible man. Once you cook the rice with him, he won’t want to take responsibility but will have to. Madam, just use strong medicine directly.”
“You’re right. I can’t sit and wait any longer. He can afford to wait, but can I? I’m not young anymore; if I don’t think of a way soon, there will be no way to have a child to inherit the General’s mansion.”
Peach Blossom Workshop. Zhang Zhaodi paced back and forth at the doorway until she saw Su Yaoguang and Cui Hongxiu return in a horse-drawn carriage, then she strode up to meet them.
“My precious daughter, you really worried me to death. Just now everyone was discussing how you blocked the Great General Who Protects the Nation on the street and went with him to the General’s mansion to confront them. Although it’s said that Great General Who Protects the Nation is an upright man, you’re accusing his family; who knows if he would protect his own? Luckily you’re back safe; thank heavens.”
“I think that Great General Who Protects the Nation lives up to his reputation; he really is an upright man.” Su Yaoguang said, “Now the matter is resolved; Mom doesn’t need to worry.”
“Big owner, I even got one hundred taels of silver in compensation!” Cui Hongxiu waved the sachet in her hand. “Owner said to keep it as compensation for me.”
“That’s what you deserve. Such a pretty face beaten like this; you must have been so despairing and afraid at the time! It was that old woman we provoked, but you went to suffer.” Zhang Zhaodi touched Cui Hongxiu’s cheek. “Don’t go to work these few days; rest well, wages will still be paid. Apply the ointment Jing’er gave you every day; it won’t leave a scar.”
Cui Hongxiu’s eyes reddened: “Big owner and owner are so good to Hongxiu; Hongxiu would rather not marry for life than leave Peach Blossom Workshop.”
“What is this little girl thinking?” Zhang Zhaodi said, “Stop crying quickly, or the tears will get in the wound and hurt more.”
After Su Yaoguang returned, everyone gathered around her to describe what had just happened.
All sorts of rumors were already circulating in the marketplace. But those rumors had too much exaggeration; better to ask the person herself for accuracy.
“That General’s wife is actually quite good-looking.” Su Yaoguang said.
“That one isn’t the General’s wife.” The Auntie nearby said, “General Su has no wife; that madam is the wife of General Su’s benefactor. It’s said General Su was chased by enemy troops, fell off a cliff, and was saved by a hunter. That hunter drew away the pursuers and died at their hands; his dying words were to ask the General to take care of his wife and daughter.”
