“You’re still laughing? I can’t even laugh right now!” The Little Demon King glared at her, thinking she was being too carefree.
Xu Wan nodded repeatedly, “Okay, okay, I’ll stop laughing. I respect your anger. But you get mad so often—how come you don’t get heaty?”
The Little Demon King lifted his chin proudly, “Hmph, that’s because I’m in great health! Fit as a fiddle!”
Xu Wan raised her thumb in admiration.
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When they arrived at the Marquis Manor’s gate, Buyan had already returned from completing his task. Xu Wan saw him as soon as she got out of the carriage, naturally unaware that he had left midway.
“Jin Cheng, I’m borrowing Buyan for a while. I’ll return him later.”
Seeing that Buyan had returned and nodded at him, the Little Demon King assumed the task was done. He felt much more at ease, “Oh, fine, whatever.”
Buyan: “?”
Why was the lady borrowing him from the young master? Didn’t she have Cui Liu by her side?
Little did he know, as soon as the Little Demon King left, Xu Wan’s smiling face instantly darkened. The speed of her mood change startled even Cui Zhi.
Earlier, she had been in a bad mood too, but she didn’t dare show her anger. Otherwise, the Little Demon King would’ve gotten even more worked up, and she was afraid she wouldn’t be able to calm him down.
But now… the more she thought about it, the angrier she got.
“Buyan, while there are many people at Duke Jin’s Manor, go and smash Chen Yunyu’s mouth. Do it quietly—don’t let anyone notice.”
Buyan: “…”
Madam, you might not know this, but I just did that job.
But since the young master had instructed him not to let anyone know, he thought… maybe he’d report back a bit later?
After giving Buyan her orders, Xu Wan headed straight to the Old Marchioness’s courtyard. Although the incident hadn’t escalated today, with Cui Zhi and the Little Demon King present, it was only a matter of time before it reached the Old Marchioness’s ears.
To be safe, it was better for her to explain it herself and take the initiative. Otherwise, if the Old Marchioness heard a distorted version, it might affect her impression in the Old Marchioness’s eyes.
The Old Marchioness had a fiery temper. As soon as she heard the story, she exploded, “That scoundrel! He has no regard for propriety or decency! How dare he try to steal our lady in broad daylight, right in front of our servants! I’m so angry, I’m so angry! I’ll skin him alive! Master, Master, come out here!”
Originally, Xu Wan had intended to tell her quietly, and the Old Marchioness had even sent the Old Marquis away. But now, she was so furious that she started calling for backup.
Xu Wan: “…” This is so awkward.
If they were her own parents, it might’ve been fine, but they were her in-laws. Having a daughter-in-law being courted by someone else would bring shame to their family. Some old-fashioned families might even suspect the daughter-in-law of wanting to stray.
The Old Marquis hurried over from inside, “What’s wrong? Why are you so angry?”
The Old Marchioness, her chest heaving with rage, pointed toward the gate, “That Chen Yunyu from Duke Jin’s Manor is too much! Beat him to death!”
The Old Marquis: “…”
Sometimes, he felt his wife was more warlike than he was.
“What’s the big deal? Why are you so worked up? He’s the future young master of Duke Jin’s Manor. I can’t just go and kill him—that would cause a scandal.”
The Old Marchioness pushed him furiously, “You treat him like a young master, but he doesn’t give a damn about our Yangyuan Marquis Manor! He insulted us to our faces, calling us a fallen family, and…”
She glanced at Xu Wan, who was visibly embarrassed, and swallowed the rest of her words, “Anyway, you don’t need to know the details. Just teach that scoundrel a lesson.”
The Old Marquis was still confused but knew better than to go out and beat someone up in front of so many people. He gave the Old Marchioness a meaningful look, and she quickly understood.
She turned to Xu Wan and said, “Good child, I know you’ve been wronged. From now on, if you don’t want to attend such gatherings, you don’t have to. Our Yangyuan Marquis Manor doesn’t have many connections in the capital anyway. We don’t care about offending people. Just live well with Jin Cheng and don’t bother with such filthy matters.”
“Thank you for your understanding, Mother-in-law,” Xu Wan said, relieved.
After she left, the Old Marchioness started exploding again, “Ahhh! I’ll beat him to death! I’ll beat him to death! I’ll beat him to death! Who does he think he is? He’s not even fit to compare to a single finger of my Zhao’er!”
The Old Marquis: “…”
He couldn’t remember the last time his wife had been this angry, but even without knowing the details, he could feel her rage.
So he said, “He’s still a young master, and I’m an old marquis. It wouldn’t be proper for me to attack a junior—people would laugh. Here’s what we’ll do: call Buyan over.”
Buyan had been wandering outside for a while before returning to the manor. Before he could report back to Xu Wan, he heard the Old Marquis calling for him.
He thought, since the Old Marquis was such a steady man, he must have an important task for him.
Buyan quickly straightened up, thinking his days of being a little kid’s enforcer were finally over…
But as soon as he entered the room, he heard the Old Marquis say:
“Buyan, go to Duke Jin’s Manor and smash Chen Yunyu’s mouth. Do it quietly—don’t let anyone notice.”
Buyan: “……”
You really are a family.
The dutiful Buyan decided to create a time gap. First, he reported to the Little Demon King about the progress of smashing Chen Yunyu’s mouth: he ensured Chen Yunyu could still move his limbs, but he wouldn’t be able to show his face in public for a month.
Once the Little Demon King was satisfied, Buyan repeated the same report to Xu Wan.
Xu Wan handed him some silver, “You’ve worked hard.”
Buyan silently wept inside.
It’s not hard work—it’s hard life.
On his third trip, he went to the Old Marquis’s courtyard. Seeing the satisfied smiles of the two elders, he walked out with another bag of silver.
Comparing the three, at least the adults were more considerate—they paid him for his services. Buyan swallowed all three secrets.
That night, Xu Wan had a dream.
In her dream, Chen Yunyu kept chasing her, asking, “If I had met you a month earlier, you would’ve chosen to marry me.”
Xu Wan, annoyed, retorted, “My family was destroyed because of a courtesan. I would never accept being called a sister to one.”
Chen Yunyu persisted, “I would’ve kept it hidden. You’d only find out after we married, and by then you’d accept it. Look, your sister accepted it.”
She said firmly, “I’m not her. Even if it meant divorce or separation, I would never agree.”
The scene shifted, and Chen Yunyu appeared with a swollen, mangled mouth, saying, “Xu Wan, my face was adored by so many noble ladies in the capital. They all wanted to marry me. How dare you send someone to smash my mouth! Ah… my mouth… why is it still rotting… ah… my face is rotting too… ah…”
Xu Wan couldn’t help but laugh in her sleep.