Five Years After My Death, the Mad Emperor Still Summons My Spirit

Chapter 209: Chapter 209: The Young Master’s Mouth

As expected, Xu Qian’s last words sent Qin Lingzhi into an uncontrollable rage.

"You’re asking to die!"

As she spoke, she instinctively swung the whip in her hand, intending to silence Xu Qian for good.

This time, however, before her whip could strike Xu Qian, someone caught it mid-air.

Jiang Yuchuan pushed Cai Jie behind him and stepped forward, catching Qin Lingzhi’s whip.

"Miss Qin, that’s enough." Jiang Yuchuan’s expression was grim. "If you continue, I will have no choice but to escort you to the Ministry of Justice. I doubt even General Huaihua, for all his power, can conceal the truth of you assaulting a merchant in public, nor can he silence every tongue in the land. You have injured someone, and today, you will pay the price for your actions."

Qin Lingzhi had only managed to injure people before by catching them by surprise, striking without a word of warning.

Now that Jiang Yuchuan had a firm grip on her whip, she was completely immobilized.

"Exactly. I think this Miss Qin is being completely unreasonable. You and Mr. Jiang were only here for a matchmaking meeting. Just because it didn’t work out, what gives you the right to assault a merchant?"

Hearing her brother’s brilliantly timed remark out of the blue, Ming Lingyi couldn’t help but turn and give him a meaningful glance.

’When it comes to being vicious,’ she thought, ’my brother is truly a master.’

The bystanders watching the commotion only knew that Miss Qin seemed to have a bad temper and would resort to violence at the slightest provocation. They didn’t know *why* she was attacking people.

Now, Ming Chengyu’s unexpected comment had brought the conflict between the three of them right to the surface, leaving no room for it to be hidden.

As soon as he spoke, a variety of expressions appeared on the faces of the onlookers.

The murmurs from the crowd grew noticeably louder.

"How completely unreasonable! She attacks someone just because a matchmaking meeting didn’t work out? Who would ever dare to meet with her in the future?"

"Savage, domineering, and vicious... and she’s supposed to be a noble lady? The daughter of General Huaihua? Who in their right mind would dare marry a woman like that?"

"Oh, you must not have heard! That Lord Jiang already has a fiancée. This girl is quite shameless, isn’t she? Pestering him even when he’s already engaged? Goodness me... I heard that General Huaihua was nothing more than a common soldier at the border under the former emperor. It just goes to show, they come from a minor family. Utterly unrefined."

Many in the crowd were the ladies and madams of Shangjing City, who were no strangers to the capital’s gossip.

Now that Qin Lingzhi’s identity had been revealed, she immediately became the subject of the ladies’ whispered criticisms.

But Qin Lingzhi had trained in martial arts since she was a child; her senses were far sharper than an ordinary person’s. Those whispers reached her ears almost completely unobstructed.

She was already furious with Xu Qian and Jiang Yuchuan. Now, hearing the crowd’s discussion, she nearly choked on her rage and, in a sudden fit, spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Is... is she going to be okay?" Ming Lingyi asked from the edge of the crowd, watching the scene unfold.

Ming Chengyu’s expression remained perfectly calm. Even seeing Qin Lingzhi spit blood from a fit of pure rage, his composure didn’t falter in the slightest.

"What could possibly be wrong? She isn’t crippled, and she isn’t dead. She just spat up a little blood from her own temper. What could possibly be wrong?"

Ming Chengyu repeated the question, his tone utterly indifferent.

Ming Lingyi said no more. Even Zhang Sifan, standing beside her, remained silent. It was clear he also knew about what had happened to Pu Yan’s family in the past. Watching Qin Lingzhi now with cold eyes, he felt she had brought all of this upon herself.

If Qin Lingzhi were an agreeable and reasonable person, then even though they had deliberately arranged for Xu Qian to be here, he never would have had the chance to perform his part.

Unfortunately for her, Qin Lingzhi’s own choices had made Xu Qian one of the stars of today’s show.

In the past, Qin Lingzhi wouldn’t hesitate to use lethal force on someone simply because their family background was inferior to hers. Now, both Xu Qian and Jiang Yuchuan should have been nothing more than "ants" she could crush at will. Yet, faced with Xu Qian’s relentless demand for an apology, she was forced to yield.

"I’m sorry," she said.

Her voice was barely a whisper.

"I can’t hear you. Louder." Xu Qian wasn’t one to back down; the young master had quite a temper himself.

Qin Lingzhi gritted her teeth. "Don’t push your luck."

Xu Qian scoffed. "How am I the one pushing my luck? Weren’t you the one bullying people from the very beginning? You’re simply apologizing for your earlier actions. How does that make me the bully?"

His words were like a tongue twister, almost making her head spin.

Qin Lingzhi was sick to death of Xu Qian. His constant lecturing reminded her of that wretched old tutor from the Imperial College, always spouting principles until she was furious.

"Fine!" Qin Lingzhi snarled through gritted teeth. "I’m sorry! Are you satisfied now?!"

As she spoke, she didn’t forget to glare at the onlookers, threatening them with her whip. "What are you all looking at? Is there something you find so amusing?!"

’If she couldn’t handle Xu Qian, surely she could handle these commoners?’

Xu Qian said, "You still haven’t apologized to Lord Jiang and the young lady with him."

Qin Lingzhi was speechless.

’This Xu Qian is a meddling busybody,’ she thought furiously.

"Lord Jiang, my apologies," Qin Lingzhi said unwillingly, her gaze fixed on Jiang Yuchuan. "However, as for the matter between our two families, we will have to settle this properly later."

’She had been thoroughly humiliated by Jiang Yuchuan today. But once she got home, she would definitely have her Grandpa avenge her. How dare the Xie family toy with the Qin Family? After this, the Xie family had better prepare for our retaliation. So what if they’re a centuries-old aristocratic family? With the Xie family currently embroiled in a farce of fraternal strife, she wouldn’t mind helping spread the news far and wide. We’ll see who becomes the laughingstock in the end.’

Jiang Yuchuan nodded. "Regarding this matter, my uncle does indeed owe Miss Qin an explanation."

’His uncle owed her an explanation. What did that have to do with him, Jiang Yuchuan?’

"However," Jiang Yuchuan continued, "you should now apologize to my fiancée. You genuinely frightened her just now."

Qin Lingzhi was speechless.

She bit down hard, forcing back the coppery taste of blood that was once again rising in her throat.

"Otherwise, regarding the case of your assault today, as the Junior Minister of the Ministry of Justice, I will be obliged to have you accompany me to the ministry."

Qin Lingzhi was speechless.

Never in her entire life had she been "threatened" so frequently in a single day.

’Bowing her head to a nobody like Cai Jie was worse than death.’

"...My apologies." Qin Lingzhi’s gaze fell upon Cai Jie as she finally forced the word out.

"Now, that’s more like it," Xu Qian said, clapping his hands together. "But I trust you won’t try to get revenge on Lord Jiang’s fiancée later because of all this, will you?" he added, as if it were just a casual afterthought.

Qin Lingzhi’s jaw tightened.

Xu Qian continued, "In any case, if Lord Jiang’s fiancée were to get hurt sometime in the future, a lot of people would surely suspect you. So, since you’re already here at Qinglong Temple today, why not offer some incense for her? You could pray to the Buddha to bless her with a safe and peaceful future! That way, no one could possibly suspect you."

Xu Qian felt he was being quite considerate by offering Qin Lingzhi such helpful advice. His intentions were truly good, of course.

But as his words reached Qin Lingzhi’s ears, it was hard to say whether she felt more mocked or more threatened.