きつね: I was originally thinking of splitting this chapter into two parts. But when I realised I hadn't finished translating the first part past the due time, I decided I might as well just translate the whole chapter. And here we are...the final outcome from more than 5000 Chinese characters. Ah~ my shoulder is sore. I need a massage.
Continued from the previous chapter
At these words, the whole room fell silent.
The four people, South, East, North and West, were ecstatic. The scapegoat came just in time!
Li Wunai looked horrified. Many people ran around without taking any medicine these days......
Chu Changge had a fierce look on his face. It just happened that he hadn't used his killing quota for this month......
Only Murong Yunshu, with a smile on her face, was calm and unhurried. "It's good to have someone propose a marriage. Why do you need to be so alarmed?"
Lu-er started to sweat profusely and grumble in her heart. I'm not worried about the marriage proposal but about Guye's mood and the reputation of Murong Mansion. In the beginning, I didn't panic when Guye sent someone to propose marriage to you. After all, you were still staying in the boudoir waiting to be betrothed, and it was good for you to have someone to marry, not to mention that Guye was still the formidable Great Leader. But now, you are a married woman. What kind of man proposes to a married woman?
Lu-er wished she could cry, but she couldn't. She stared at her Master, hoping she would realise the seriousness of this situation.
What was to be done when Murong Yunshu was born with an 'if you can't live, might as well die' nature? Even matter as huge as heaven didn't seem a big deal to her. "Let's go. Let's go and see who's here to entertain us again."
Entertain? Could you be a little less obnoxious, Miss? Lu-er followed behind Murong Yunshu while rolling her eyes endlessly.
As soon as Murong Yunshu left, South, East, North and West also followed in heading for the front hall. They unanimously muttered in their hearts: Ever since we arrived at the Jiugua House, we've been enjoying ourselves every day, and we all feel that we've become much younger.
Li Wunai followed silently from the rear. It was better to be low-key when one wished to watch this kind of excitement, especially when the main characters of this farce were in the mood to be mere onlookers. Otherwise, he would suddenly become the main character if he were not careful. Countless bloody precedents had told him that this kind of leading role didn't seem to be a good one......
As for Chu Changge, he left as early as Murong Yunshu departed, following closely behind her, with the attitude as if he was her personal bodyguard. Actually, he wanted to stop her at that time, but considering that she didn't seem too willing to settle his account――to be precise, she wouldn't even want to settle the King of Heaven's account, so he finally chose to wait and see what would happen next. The worst he could do was to go on a killing spree. He would teach the visitor that no one could take his woman, not even take a glance at her.
When Murong Yunshu arrived at the front hall, she could see not only the matchmaker and the betrothal gifts, as Lu-er had said, but also a crowd of onlookers. These people were no strangers to her and could even be considered familiar. They had lived in and out of the Jiugua House ever since Chu Changge reappeared in the jianghu. Despite knowing full well that these people were up to no good, Murong Yunshu had very generously allowed them to stay in for free. Not that she suddenly wanted to do a good deed, but she believed that Yun Si Niang would not let them leave before she could peel off every layer of their skin. Because for Yun Si Niang, watching something like free food and accommodation happen under her nose was worse than being prostituted for nothing.
"You're undoubtedly a beautiful person! No wonder Li Gongzi had been so enchanted by you that he said he would remarry you." The green-clad Matchmaker Wang smiled even brighter than the big red flower on her head.
When Murong Yunshu heard what was being said, the corners of her mouth slightly curled up, but she didn't speak a word.
However, Matchmaker Wang was slightly embarrassed by Murong Yunshu's smile to continue speaking. Although Murong Yunshu didn't say anything, the meaning of that smile was clear――this joke was hilarious. You can go on.
Matchmaker Wang had seen countless girls in her 30 years as a matchmaker. Once the girls knew that she had come to talk about matchmaking them to someone, they would either act coy or irritated. Some resisted and would just throw her out. But it was the first time she had seen a girl like Murong Yunshu, who took the leading role but with a supporting character mentality.
"Which Li Gongzi? Is he a fool? Doesn't he know that our young lady already has a husband?" Seeing that the matchmaker did not say anything, Lu-er asked sullenly.
When Matchmaker Wang heard Lu-er's words, she smilingly spoke to Murong Yunshu, "I've heard about Miss Murong, and naturally, Li Gongzi is also clear about it, and he's not a fool at all. Although you have been married before, Li Gongzi is deeply in love with you and does not mind your past. You can't find such a good man even with a lantern. If you miss out, you will regret it for the rest of your life. After all, it's not so easy for a woman like you who has married before to remarry......"
"What nonsense are you talking about? Who said our young lady is going to remarry?" Lu-er wailed.
"If she is not going to remarry, will she want to be an abandoned woman for the rest of her life?" The woman just thought Lu-er was a child who didn't know any better and was still smiling.
"Who are you calling an abandoned woman? You are the abandoned woman!" Lu-er was so angry that her face turned red.
The matchmaker continued to put a flattering smile on her face and asked Murong Yunshu, "Miss Murong, Li Gongzi is Minister of Revenue's eldest di son. He is a good match for you......"
"Minister of Revenue's eldest di son?" Murong Yunshu asked while raising her eyebrows. After listening for so long, she had finally heard a useful sentence.
Seeing that Murong Yunshu had finally become interested, Matchmaker Wang hurriedly continued, "Yes. Li Gongzi's father is Li Zhongtian, the capital's Minister of Revenue. Li Daren is heavily favoured by the child Emperor. A word from him is more effective than the child Emperor's Imperial Decree." The more Matchmaker Wang spoke, the more complacent she became. She knew that whether Murong Yunshu was acting reserved or contemptuous, Matchmaker Wang was merely trying to raise her status. As a matter of fact, once Murong Yunshu heard that the other party was the Minister of Revenue's first di son, her attitude immediately changed. Matchmaker Wang had seen a lot of people like that! [E]
The smug Matchmaker Wang did not notice that Murong Yunshu's face was already clouded after hearing her words.
Lu-er was so angry that her face turned red. As righteous indignation filled her chest, how she wished she could go straight up at Matchmaker Wang and fight her. This blind old fool, how dare you say that the little Young Master was inferior to that pest of a Minister! Hump, one of these days, I'll tell the Young Master to issue an Imperial Decree to punish that Minister by sending him to the frontier!
The faces of East, South, North and West looked murderous. Although the Lil Leader usually treated them poorly, he was still the Lil Leader of the Mojiao Sect. As the Lil Leader of the Mojiao Sect, Eldest Young Master of the Murong Mansion, and the child Emperor of the Daye Dynasty, how could a mere Minister of Revenue override his head? Not to mention an insignificant Minister of Revenue, even if the Jade Emperor came into the human world, he would still have to worship him, the Leader, before he could walk around freely.
Li Wunai, a bystander, was a bit more thoughtful. Apart from protecting his shortcomings, he also saw another hidden problem. This hidden problem was also the real reason for Murong Yunshu's expression suddenly turning hostile——in the hearts of the ordinary people, a powerful Minister was much greater than the emperor⸺a sign of upcoming great chaos in the world. Of course, he did not believe that the little devil, with a combination of Chu Changge and Murong Yunshu's 'good qualities', would allow others to override his head.
As everyone was thinking about teaching that matchmaker woman a lesson, they suddenly saw her hands covering her throat and tugging at it desperately as if she wanted to pull her neck off. Her eyes almost bulged out until they turned so white that they looked frightening. Her mouth made the 'mmmm' sounds, and her face turned hideous.
The onlookers were shocked by this scene and secretly clenched their weapons, thinking: Has an evil spirit possessed this woman?
Li Wunai was also frightened by this scene. However, he didn't think that the matchmaker had been possessed, but rather, Chu Changge's power had reached the point where he could kill people without moving a muscle. Even he didn't know when he struck her. What was more, he didn't know from where Chu Changge got the strength to strangle the matchmaker's throat. Because at this moment, Chu Changge was looking like how he usually was, with not even a frown could be seen on his face. One would think that he had nothing to do with all this. Please read this chapter at xinshou blogspot com.
While Li Wunai was becoming breathless because of fear, the woman suddenly shrieked and fell backwards to the ground. "Ghost......ghost......" the woman mumbled as she got up and ran out of the House with her face full of terror.
When Li Wunai looked closely at Chu Changge, who was still as motionless as a mountain, he noticed that his pair of seemingly unperturbed black eyes had a bit more murderous aura in them. Li Wunai knew this murderous aura was directed at 'Li Gongzi', who had come to propose the marriage.
Once the matchmaker left, the crowd of onlookers also returned to their senses and looked at Murong Yunshu with a bit more timidity. As for Chu Changge, they did not dare to look at him. Although no one had seen him making his move just then, everyone knew that it must have been him who had struck that woman. Even though they didn't have any proof to support their belief, they just knew.
Murong Yunshu knew it too. Her heart was full of joy. However, she knew very well that Chu Changge had struck out not because the matchmaker had insulted Little Murong, who was the Emperor. But simply because he had tipped over his vinegar jar. Murong Yunshu slightly drew back the smile from the corners of her mouth to curb the joy in her heart as she faced the people who had come with the matchmaker to propose marriage and asked indifferently, "Still not leaving? Are you planning to sacrifice yourselves for the Minister's eldest di son's marriage?"
Initially, the group were already frightened by what happened to the matchmaker, and they were currently looking at each other, not knowing what else to do. Therefore, when they heard these words from Murong Yunshu, they knew that if they didn't leave right away, they wouldn't be able to do so later. So they hastily picked up the betrothal gifts and went back home. When they left the Jiugua House, they all breathed a long sigh of relief, and one of them, a young man with a clear face, muttered with a sigh of relief, "The number one mansion in the world does live up to its name. Not only is it rich and powerful, but it is also full of martial arts experts. That matchmaker must have been taught a lesson by the martial arts experts around Miss Murong."
"Yes. Luckily we ran away quickly. Otherwise, we would have been struck by someone else's sword and become spirits by now." The people around him were also filled with emotion.
The lad added, "Speaking of which, the Murong Mansion is just a small merchant. Why are they acting so arrogant when they don't hold any position in the Imperial Court? Not only do the various sects in the jianghu not dare to offend her easily, but even our Master has to give her some respect and warn the Young Master not to annoy her." The boy laughed heartily as he said, "What Master doesn't know is that our Young Master has come here, especially for that Miss Murong."
"You still dare to laugh. This time, Miss Murong has neither taken a liking to our Gongzi nor is she willing to do it for our Master's sake. I'm afraid this matter is going to be a big deal."
The boy's face turned white as he said with fear, "No way! I've heard that Miss Murong is a person who doesn't like to stir up trouble, and as long as things aren't done excessively, she won't take it personally, let alone make a big deal out of it. This time our Gongzi liked her and asked her to marry him. If she doesn't like him, she can just refuse. So there's no need to make a big issue out of it."
"You have a point. But I always feel that it's not that simple."
"It is that simple. You are overthinking. Let's hurry back and report to Gongzi. He will decide the rest."
"Alright."
*
After Matchmaker Wang left the Jiugua House, she went mad. All the matchmakers in the city rushed to tell each other about this news and unanimously decided not to take up any marriage offer to Murong Mansion.
This piece of news was not very good for the crowds of onlookers. After all, they had come all the way here, knowing full well that the Jiugua House was a black shop. They still stayed in the inn just to see all the fuss and find out the truth about Chu Changge. Finally, when a Gongzi from a Minister household came to propose marriage, they expected this would make Chu Changge, who has been low-key since his reappearance in the world, show off his skills. But when a good play was just about to begin, it immediately became a disappointment when it ended prematurely.
However, to Murong Yunshu, the news was too good to be true. Without a matchmaker to harass her, her quality of life had improved tremendously. While Murong Yunshu enjoyed the sun and the beautiful man's sword dance, Lu-er rushed into the backyard again.
"Miss, this is bad!"
Chu Changge, dancing with his sword, immediately stopped and entered a state of readiness. His stern and guarded appearance directly caused Lu-er's hot sweat to turn cold as she shivered.
This man! Murong Yunshu glanced at Chu Changge helplessly and jokingly said to Lu-er, "Did someone else come to propose marriage again?"
Lu-er peeked at Chu Changge with concern, then walked closer to Murong Yunshu to report, "It's not that someone else has come to propose marriage again. It's that person who has come to propose marriage again."
"Which one?" Murong Yunshu asked carelessly.
Lu-er said sharply, "That one! That Minister of Revenue's eldest di son?"
Murong Yunshu: "Oh."
Oh? That's it? Lu-er was so anxious that she wished she could stamp her foot. "Miss, not only is the Minister of Revenue creating rumours to cause trouble by saying that he is bigger than our young Master, the Emperor, but he also indulges his son by letting him propose marriage to you again and again. Aren't you angry?"
"Angry."
"Then why don't you go and teach him a lesson!"
"How can I teach him a lesson?" Murong Yunshu asked with interest.
"This......Miss should give him a lecture." As for how to teach a lesson, it had always been Miss and Guye's matter! The only thing she needed to do as a maid was to clap her hands behind them with the feeling of righteous indignation beforehand.
Murong Yunshu was silent for a while before saying, "How about we let King Yan have him."
Scary! Lu-er was dumbfounded, and it took her a long time before she could come up with an argument, "Miss, I told you to teach him a lesson, not to kill him!"
"I didn't say I was going to do it myself."
Lu-er was speechless and said weakly, "Miss, paying for an assassin is also a crime."
"Who said anything about paying for an assassin? Isn't there a ready-made one here for free?" Murong Yunshu gave Chu Changge a meaningful look.
Chu Changge's spirit immediately became excited as he tightened his grip on Qinglong in his hand, indicating that he would be happy to do it for her.
"......" Lu-er looked up at the sky. This couple has already become parents with a child. How come their bellies are still so black?
Murong Yunshu added, "Besides, I only said castrate him. I didn't say to take his life. How can that be considered murder?"
"......" Lu-er felt that black belly was no longer enough to describe Miss Murong's mind. "Miss, you'd better go to the front to meet this Li Gongzi." Lu-er said listlessly. After saying that, she added nervously, "Just meet him, don't do anything else."
Murong Yunshu raised her dark eyebrows upon hearing her reminder. "When have you ever seen me make a move?"
"......" You naturally won't do anything yourself since someone else will surely help you out as long as you open your mouth.
*
When Murong Yunshu arrived in the front hall, the room was full of people hanging around. The reason why the word 'hanging' was used instead of 'standing' or 'crowding' was that the latter two words were not enough to graphically express the situation of the crowd of onlookers at this moment——those with high martial arts skills were lying the top of the wall. While those with high qinggong skills were crouching on the beam. And those who were excellent in both were hanging in the air.
Did they think that the angle of the scene from the ground was not good enough? Murong Yunshu frowned slightly. It didn't matter if she was being watched, but it didn't feel good to be monitored from above.
"Si Niang, is there enough money in the store accounts these days?" Murong Yunshu asked indifferently.
"Not enough. We're in short supply." Jokingly, how could money ever be enough? Even if there were more, it was still not enough. Yun Si Niang sighed deeply and said sadly, "Everyone here is fed for free, and they are served big fish and meat daily. The House has been losing money for months. It would have closed down if it weren't for the private banks."
Losing money? How dare she say that! The crowd of onlookers were outraged. Had she forgotten that they, the 'freeloaders', had to pay for everything they did every day, apart from food and accommodation? Going to the toilets, basking in the sun, chilling under a tree......what's even more ridiculous was that even going out for fresh air had to be charged on time. So what if she opened a store here? Did it mean that the sun and the air belonged to her too? They had been walking in the jianghu for so many years. Had they ever been cheated this badly? They hadn't even complained about their suffering yet, but she was evil enough to sling accusations at them first by crying out loud about the losses. How outrageous, absolutely outrageous!
Murong Yunshu didn't need to look to know the crowd's expressions and faintly curled the corners of her mouth as she said, "Since you are short of money, then collect some more."
"You promised that food and accommodation in Jiugua House would be free!" A big black-bearded man squatting on the beam of the room said.
The crowd nodded heavily in unison. One must not go back on one's word.
Murong Yunshu ignored the accusing eyes of the crowd and slowly walked toward the people who were stopped outside the door by Soul Catcher and Sou Ming. She calmly said as she walked, "I did say that food and accommodation would be free, but I didn't say it was okay to go up on the beam."
Before the words left her mouth, the people crouched on the beam jumped down. Those who stuck themselves on top of the wall also landed one after another. They were afraid that Murong Yunshu's following words would be 'I didn't say you could lie on top of the wall either'.
Yun Si Niang, however, did not care whether they had mended their way or not, as she still spread her hand open. "One hundred each."
"......"
Changshan or also known as changpao
Image Credit | The image's rightful owner via Taobao
Image Credit | The image's rightful owner via Taobao
"Miss Murong, it's a pleasure to meet you." The noble gentleman in green greeted her with a smile. As expected, this modest gentleman was as gentle as jade.
Murong Yunshu then glanced at the person beside her from the corners of her eyes. Tut tut, his whole body was full of demonic aura. Only that she loved this demonic one. People would have thought they were like a cracked pot with a worn-out lid or an evil person who had their own villain. Though, she was thinking of something like a pair of the Golden Boy and the Jade Maiden, a talented scholar and fair lady and so on. However, when her sight touched a particular person's body, filled with a demonic aura and glistened like a Buddha's light illuminating the earth, she could not think of any good words.
Seeing that Murong Yunshu did not say anything, the noble gentleman in green spoke again, "I am Li Shaoqing. I have admired Miss Murong for a long time, so I have come here today to propose a marriage."
Murong Yunshu did not respond immediately but stared at him with raised eyebrows for a long while. When she realised Chu Changge beside her almost rushed to kill his rival in love, the man with the golden crown, in anger, she instantly asked in confusion, "Does your Excellency have any unmentionable disease?"
At these words, Yun Si Niang, happily drinking tea after receiving the silver, directly spat out a mouthful of them. Look, did this sound like the words of a refined lady?
The crowd of onlookers, who were grieving for the loss of a hundred taels, instantly came back to life, feeling bright and refreshed, while exclaiming in their hearts that their hundred taels had been well spent.
The four people, East, South, North and West, were not surprised. When they came to propose for the Leader before, Madam asked, "Is your Sect Leader have disabled hands or feet?" This question was a direct confirmation that their Leader was disabled somehow. Compared to this, Madam was now much more tolerant of this unaware Li Gongzi. At least her words were much more subtle. If it were them, they would have directly said, 'You're an idiot,' and then gave him a free-flying kick to help him return home.
Compared to South, East, North and West's messy manners, Li Shaoqing at this moment was much calmer. He still had a graceful face and a warm voice as he replied in a carefree attitude, "No."
At that moment, Murong Yunshu seemed to see another Nie Qing. That serious tone, firm expression, the stubbornness where his honour permitted no turning back......no, this was different. Nie Qing was trapped by feelings. And the person in front of her was trapped by something, but they were not feeling. His seriousness, firmness and stubbornness were not aimed at her. What he was clinging to was not her either. Since it was not, why did he have this kind of expression at this moment? [+]
Suddenly, Murong Yunshu remembered with a jolt that he was the Minister of Revenue's eldest di son, who was said to have much more prestige than the current dynasty Emperor......
So that's how it is.
Murong Yunshu's eyebrows sank a little, and the corners of her mouth slightly curled up as she calmly asked, "Since Your Excellency does not have any hidden disease, could it be that Your Excellency has any physical disability?"
Without waiting for Li Shaoqing to answer, Lu-er weakly interjected from the side, "Miss, why do you always think that the people who propose marriage to you are either physically or mentally challenged? Can't you just assume that they are genuinely admiring you?"
"Or, they're admiring your money." Yun Si Niang added with a smile. She genuinely felt that this was very likely. If she were a man, she would have hugged a particular someone's thigh a long time ago.
Murong Yunshu simply ignored Yun Si Niang and asked Lu-er, "Do you think a man who proposes marriage to a woman who has a husband can be normal?"
"Perhaps he truly likes you?" Although Lu-er didn't look forward to the person who came to propose marriage, she just couldn't figure it out. Why did Miss always think that all the people who proposed to her were crooked?
"If he liked me, he wouldn't have done such a ridiculous thing to destroy my family and my reputation."
Lu-er nodded perceptively at her words, "That seems to make some sense. But......what if they really, really like you? For example, like Guye......"
"I won't let her marry someone else." Chu Changge directly interrupted Lu-er's words. His eyes could freeze someone just like ice.
Lu-er scowled in fear and bravely said, "We're talking about the premise that Miss is already married."
Chu Changge gave her a cold glare with extreme displeasure, "Then I can just directly snatch her."
Directly snatch......snatch......he seriously thinks he is a bandit! Lu-er rolled her eyes. "Just in case her husband......"
Not waiting for Lu-er to finish her sentence, Chu Changge coldly spat out a word, "Kill."
Lu-er immediately felt a cold light sweep across her neck and had the illusion of her head moving. "Mi, Miss, Guye is becoming even more violent."
"Is that so?" The corner of Murong Yunshu curled up even more. "I remember him being like this all the time."
Chu Changge frowned slightly at her words. He didn't know why he always felt that her words had no good meaning.
When the crowd of onlookers heard Chu Changge's remarks, their dissatisfaction with him grew a few more points, even though they were scared in their hearts. Did he think he owned the world when he snatched and killed people whenever he liked?
The four members of the Leader's party, the South, East, North and West, looked at each other with a tacit understanding and smiled. The Leader is indeed a real man! But then again, ever since Leader had split personality, he had been blunt during the day and always talked about fighting and killing, which was really out of character for the Mojiao Sect Leader. After all, he used to be very subtle about it, just as subtle as Madam was. If he wanted to kill someone, he never straightforwardly said to kill him. He would just say, 'I don't want to see this person again', or 'I don't feel comfortable seeing him alive'.
What South, East, North and West were thinking was the same as Murong Yunshu. If Chu Changge continued like this, she was afraid that the silver she had spent on rebuilding the Shaolin Temple would go down the drain. Murong Yunshu finally understood why Chu Changge had never cared about his reputation before. She honestly did. No matter how good his reputation had become, he always had a way to make it terrible again.
He was indeed skilful. Murong Yunshu glared at Chu Changge, but when she saw his puzzled face, she couldn't help but sigh. She might as well just forget about it. Anyway, even if he was being subtle, she was afraid that it would only make his enemies grit their teeth more than when he was being direct.
While Murong Yunshu's thoughts ran wild, Li Shaoqing's heart also felt the same. What a powerful woman. In just a few words, she had dismissed him. Obviously, she had said nothing that could be considered a refusal, yet he was still left with no way to speak again. If he liked her, he should not have been the one who came to propose marriage. The fact that he had personally come meant that he was not in his right mind or had an ulterior motive. It was a good thing that his intention on this trip was not to marry her. Otherwise, he had nowhere to hide his shame.
"Miss Murong's words have made this Li feel ashamed. I hope Miss Murong will be generous and not take it personally." Li Shaoqing was acting courteously.
Murong Yunshu smiled faintly. "Then, take care."
Li Shaoqing's face stiffened at her words. Although he had intended to say goodbye, this 'take care' filled with the meaning of sending him off made him very embarrassed. Li Shaoqing wondered whether he should just ask for permission to take leave or render her speechless with a few words before he left. If he asked for permission to take an exit, he would be the one who would be embarrassed. If he wanted to render her speechless, he couldn't do so. The more he thought about it, the more frustrated he became. No wonder Brother Huo failed to find the news that day and got extorted by her. [T/C]
Li Shaoqing was lamenting when he suddenly noticed from the corner of his eye that she had already left.
Yes, she was gone. As if she were air. She was gone without even leaving a word. How could the host leave before the guests? Rude, so rude! With that, he wouldn't also want her even if she were a heavenly fairy. He didn't understand why His Highness had taken a fancy to her. [T/C]
*
After the incident of Li Shaoqing's marriage proposal, the Jiugua House was peaceful for a while. A bit eerily peaceful. Everyone in the Jiugua House thought this was just the calm before the storm. Meanwhile, a gale was blowing thousands of miles away in the capital.
In the Imperial Study, young Chu Murong looked expressionlessly at the Minister in front of him from the top of the Dragon Throne. His face radiated an old maturity that did not match his age. "Zhen heard my dear courtier's son wants to marry Zhen's mother?"
Minister Li was at once terrified by these words that his legs went limp, and he fell to his knees. "Your Majesty is the observant one!"
Noob Translator's Musing
Do we genuinely have another rival for Chu Changge, or do we have a new villain? That is the question of the day.
And to those who celebrate Christmas today,
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Black Belly Wife