Chapter 47: So Ignorant Of The Rules?
This was the northernmost part of Guangming Temple, where tall trees blocked the sun year-round. Even though the weather outside was scorching enough to peel off a layer of skin, it was chillingly gloomy here.
Jiang Ruanxi unconsciously tightened her clothes.
“Mother, are we there yet?”
As soon as her words fell, she heard voices speaking from behind a dilapidated wall.
“Marquis of Dingning, Dingning Marquis Manor has no old grudges or recent enmities with our Yongning Marquis Manor. Are you meddling too much in my affairs?”
“Is this how the Heir Apparent raised by Marquis Yongning lacks rules?”
Madam Zhou exchanged a glance with Jiang Ruanxi, then Madam Zhou quickened her pace, but Jiang Ruanxi slowed hers.
“What rules? This Heir Apparent merely ran into the Heir Apparent’s Wife of Zhenguo Marquis Manor here by chance and greeted her. You charged over out of nowhere and beat this Heir Apparent with fists and feet. This Heir Apparent hasn’t settled the score with you yet, and you’re already playing the victim first.”
Jiang Ruanxi looked over and saw a bruise at the corner of the eye of the Heir Apparent of Yongning Marquis Manor. It seemed what he had just said was true; Lin Ningkun had indeed struck him.
“You’re lying. I clearly saw you groping the Heir Apparent’s Wife of Zhenguo Marquis Manor, so I stopped you. Do you think denying it means it didn’t happen?”
Li Ningkun pointed at him angrily.
At this time, Jiang Xuerou was squatting in the snow, crying pitifully like a pear blossom in rain.
Qing’er squatted beside her, tightly wrapping a cloak around her body. But from Jiang Ruanxi’s angle, Jiang Xuerou’s collar seemed slightly open.
Jiang Ruanxi frowned. Given Jiang Xuerou’s personality, she truly wouldn’t provoke the Heir Apparent of Yongning Marquis Manor, because Jiang Xuerou looked down on him.
But precisely…
“Hmph, this Heir Apparent already said it: I mistook her for someone else. Believe it or not.”
The Heir Apparent of Yongning Marquis Manor, Sun Chengye, was extremely disdainful. He lowered his head to glance at Jiang Xuerou. Though she had a delicate appearance, she wasn’t his type.
Though he liked beauties, he wasn’t one to take anyone who came.
“Even if the Heir Apparent’s Wife of Zhenguo Marquis Manor is devastatingly beautiful, she’s still a widow at the end of the day. This Heir Apparent’s taste isn’t that low. Who is slandering this Heir Apparent?” Sun Chengye said disdainfully.
Hearing this, Jiang Xuerou cried even louder, nearly fainting.
Hearing his beloved woman cry, Lin Ningkun’s heart ached even more. The veins on his forehead bulged, and as if he had lost reason, he charged over in anger and grabbed his collar.
“Sun Chengye, what did you say? Say it again if you dare.” He said through gritted teeth.
Sun Chengye was no pushover to begin with, and he had never been threatened like this. Enraged, he threw a punch at Lin Ningkun’s face.
“Lin Ningkun, who do you think you are to hit me? I didn’t even mention you, so why are you so excited? It’s as if the Heir Apparent’s Wife of Zhenguo Marquis Manor is your woman.”
Lin Ningkun seemed to have been exposed, becoming furious with shame and counterattacking directly, while Jiang Xuerou cried even harder.
Jiang Ruanxi watched the drama with great interest, feeling immensely satisfied in her heart.
She hadn’t expected Sun Chengye’s casual remark to strike at the essence of the matter.
Fight, fight.
The more fiercely they fought, the better.
It had been a long time since she felt this satisfied.
“Nonsense, utter nonsense.”
Madam Zhou came to her senses and hurried forward to pull Lin Ningkun, but the irrational Lin Ningkun accidentally pushed her, causing her to fall to the ground.
“Ouch.”
Madam Zhou’s pained cry rang out, and only then did Lin Ningkun regain his reason.
“Mother.”
“Stop fighting and help me up quickly.”
Lin Ningkun quickly stepped forward to pull Madam Zhou up, but as soon as she moved, she cried out in pain, her body falling backward and nearly pulling Lin Ningkun down too.
Impatience flashed in Lin Ningkun’s eyes as he shouted toward Jiang Ruanxi not far away, “Why aren’t you coming over to help Mother up?”
Jiang Ruanxi hadn’t wanted to go over at first, but now was not the time to break ties with them. She walked over unhurriedly and helped pull Madam Zhou up together.
But she wasn’t willing to do so wholeheartedly.
She applied slight force, and as Madam Zhou got up a bit, she pretended to loosen her grip, causing her whole body to pounce onto Madam Zhou.
And Madam Zhou’s back heavily slammed into the ground.
“Ah, you wretched bitch, do you want to kill me? Ah… Get off me now…”
Madam Zhou cried out while cursing Jiang Ruanxi without regard for her image.
A chill settled over Jiang Ruanxi’s eyes as she secretly pressed down harder with her weight, making Madam Zhou cry out even louder in pain.
Sun Chengye hadn’t expected the Old Madam of Dingning Marquis Manor to act like a shrew.
He suddenly found it amusing, watching the drama with mockery in his eyes.
Seeing this, Li Ningkun felt deeply embarrassed.
“Get off her. I’ll do it.”
Lin Ningkun frowned tightly, came over to pull Jiang Ruanxi away, and lifted Madam Zhou up.
After resting for a while, once Madam Zhou felt a bit better, she looked at Sun Chengye with an ugly expression.
“Heir Apparent, you struck my son for no reason, pushed me down, and damaged others’ reputation. This old woman won’t hold it against you. Our Dingning Marquis Manor and Zhenguo Marquis Manor aren’t afraid of your Yongning Marquis Manor either. But if you keep talking nonsense, when our two families bring it before His Majesty, we will seek justice for both houses.”
Sun Chengye was furious hearing Madam Zhou slander him by saying he pushed her down, but seeing her invoke His Majesty, and with all their people here now, if they kept making false accusations, he wouldn’t gain any advantage.
He hadn’t intended to escalate the matter, but he didn’t want to back down either.
He blustered, “Believe it or not, I didn’t do anything to her.”
Lin Ningkun clearly didn’t believe it.
Madam Zhou knew this was a pure Buddhist ground and didn’t want to make a big fuss, so she planned to let it rest.
But Lin Ningkun was unwilling to let his beloved woman be bullied.
“For a matter of purity, even if it blows up, we must seek justice for her.”
Truly devoted, Jiang Ruanxi sneered inwardly.
But she was determined not to let him have his way.
Looking at Jiang Xuerou who had already stood up, Jiang Ruanxi stepped forward and said, “Heir Apparent’s Wife, this place is chillingly secluded year-round. It’s not somewhere ordinary people come. Even if you came to the temple to pray for blessings, why would you come to such a secluded place?”
Jiang Xuerou was stunned and stopped to look at Jiang Ruanxi.
Her face paled, panic flashing in her eyes, but it vanished in an instant.
Her mind was in turmoil, wondering how to answer her question.
She couldn’t very well say she had heard the Crown Prince would pass by here and wanted to “accidentally” run into him, could she?
Jiang Xuerou’s face grew even paler, nearly fainting again. Fortunately, Qing’er was quick-witted and interjected, “My Heir Apparent’s Wife merely wanted to go to the Buddhist Hall to worship Buddha this morning, but she got lost while walking. How can you falsely accuse our Heir Apparent’s Wife?”
These words gave Jiang Xuerou a backbone, her eyes brimming with tears as she lowered her head and silently wept, as if someone had bullied her.
