Einfacher Congee-Roman

Kapitel 7

This was the first time he had spoken to her so harshly.

Fan Qingbo was stunned by the questioning, staring at his angular face with a somewhat bewildered expression.

Having died once and spent four years as a slave in the lowest of the palaces—the Ochre Palace—he was reborn and met this man. He was a precocious talent, promoted to captain before reaching adulthood, and personally bestowed a silver belt by the emperor. Dressed in fine clothes and riding a spirited horse, he rode through the streets with unparalleled arrogance and pride.

Don't you like it? Don't you like it? I like it.

He rescued her from the whip of his arrogant servants, assuming her paleness was due to fright, and even scolded several of them. Little did he know, it was the complexion she had developed from long periods of darkness. She was irresistibly drawn to him, like a thirsty person praying for rain, a starving person praying for food, or a person in darkness praying for sunlight.

To put it bluntly, it's like someone who has just been resurrected desperately needs a strong surge of yang energy to prove that they are indeed alive.

Unfortunately, the person before her had a distinguished background. She quickly realized just how awkward the situation was for a transmigrated woman from a poor background in this new world. Changing her identity and appearance wasn't difficult; over the years, her appearance had become increasingly like her past self, with only a few angles revealing traces of the original body's gentle nature. The real challenge was surviving.

In novels, time-traveling women often do whatever they want, committing all sorts of shocking and unconventional acts, which inevitably attracts kings and generals who flock to them.

She was merely earning a living through her own labor, yet she earned a reputation for being frivolous. Let alone kings and generals, even ordinary people from humble backgrounds wouldn't dare to take "the Joyful Goddess Shopkeeper" as their wife.

Two years ago, some wealthy merchants had their eyes on her, wanting her as a concubine. When Zhou Zice found out, he went berserk and taught those people a lesson. Then, a well-established rumor spread throughout the capital that she was his mistress, officially called a mistress, affectionately called a lover, colloquially called a mistress, and later known as keeping a concubine.

Tsk, what else can the people of Beijing think about besides sex scandals? What mistresses and concubines? That kid doesn't even have a legal wife.

However, from then on, no one dared to provoke her openly anymore; her nickname "Little Tyrant" wasn't given lightly. As for what people said about her behind her back, she didn't care much. Occasionally, she could even go to the Leisurely Tea House to freeload tea—why not?

It was this laissez-faire attitude that fueled the rumors, and as her fame grew, her reputation deteriorated.

The good thing is that Huanxitian's business is booming, and she lives a very authentic and carefree life; the bad thing... the bad thing is right in front of her, she has to cut ties with Zhou Zice, and they can't even be friends anymore.

Just as I was thinking this, I suddenly felt a sudden increase in the force gripping my hand, and I was pulled into a burning chest!

"I knew it! You really do like me!"

Hey! What's going on here?! She was clearly going to break up with him, when did it turn into her actually liking him?!

Fan Qingbo was completely unaware that the emotions she inadvertently revealed when recalling the past were completely interpreted by Zhou Zice as a kind of torturous love affair: "I love you and I know you love me, but our statuses are worlds apart and I don't want to ruin your future, so I have rejected you again and again."

Zhou Zice, overjoyed at thinking he had discovered her feelings, failed to notice her unusual behavior and held her tighter and tighter.

She was being strangled so badly she couldn't breathe, unable to speak, and struggled desperately. Suddenly, a thunderclap rang in her ears.

"You unfilial son! What are you doing! Let go of me at once!"

Zhou Zice took a blow to the back, and his grip loosened. Fan Qingbo, now free of his restraints, collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath. Looking up, the man with the stick across his chest, his anger blazing and his aura thunderous, was none other than Zhou Zice's father—the Grand General of the State.

It turns out that Zhou Zice really did cause a scene at home yesterday, insisting on marrying Qingbo. General Zhou, known for his stubborn temper, was furious and threatened to kill her, but fortunately, his wife persuaded him to stop. Madam Zhou had already chosen several good marriage partners for her son, all from respectable families. Today was the day the two families had arranged to dine at Yingfeng Tower, but after waiting for a long time, the groom didn't appear. Finally, a servant reported that the young master was seen embracing a frivolous woman at the street corner. Upon hearing this, General Zhou flew into a rage and stormed downstairs, leading to the current scene.

Fan Qingbo glanced thoughtfully at the Yingfeng Tower not far away, then looked up at Zhou Zice and saw him staring at her with a guilty expression. She immediately understood. These two, father and son, were bickering, and she had been used as a prop. A chill ran through her, but she smiled and respectfully bowed to the general.

"This humble woman greets General Zhou and thanks him for saving my life."

General Zhou was taken aback, his anger subsided somewhat, and he frowned, asking, "What are you talking about?"

She laughed even more heartily, "General, I have always been law-abiding and do not know when or where I offended your son. Just now, he suddenly grabbed me without saying a word, and I was really frightened. Fortunately, you appeared in time and saved my life."

General Zhou's eyes widened in fury. "You mean my son is clinging to a lowly woman like you? What are you?!"

Zhou Zice looked anxious. "Xiao Fan, don't be angry. I really want to marry you. It's not to upset my father!"

The two spoke at the same time, and then glared at each other simultaneously.

"What are you saying, you unfilial son!"

"Dad, you can't talk about Xiao Fan like that!"

Fan Qingbo's eyelids began to twitch incessantly. Were there any problems with this father and son? She was trying to save face for the three of them and preserve the dignity of the General's Mansion, and they weren't even appreciating it? Did they really enjoy putting on a farce in the street for everyone to see?

"I'm saying..." You can argue all you want behind closed doors in the General's Mansion, but don't drag me into it!

"This is none of your business!"

After shouting something to the person next to them in unison, the two continued shouting at each other.

"Lowly status, infamous reputation! What's so good about her!"

"Strong, independent, and exceptionally intelligent, what's wrong with her!"

They got happier and happier as they argued.

"Shut up! Don't even mention marrying her as your wife, even taking her as a concubine or slave would be a disgrace to my family!"

"What have I ever done in my life that you've ever liked? I've disgraced your family, haven't I? Fine, we'll just move out!"

...

The onlookers went from being excited at the beginning to being exhausted, and now they are completely disinterested. They only stay in place to continue watching because of the principle that "there should be an end to watching a play."

"You beast! Come back with me!"

"Xiao Fan, let's go!"

It's finally over. The audience yawned and stretched, waiting for the two main characters in the play to discover the last thing—"Hey, where's Xiao Fan?"

Yes, the female lead had already rolled her eyes and left.

Oh, right, before leaving, I also told the crowd about the release of Master Fengyan's new work in Huanxitianli.

The Zhou father and son exchanged bewildered glances, both looking utterly embarrassed. Finally, the older one came to his senses and seized the initiative, grabbing the younger one and shouting at the servants beside him, "What are you all standing there for! Take the young master back!" The younger one had no way to resist and failed to escape, so he was restrained and taken back to the general's mansion.

The play ended, and the audience dispersed. The vendors returned to their posts, and passersby went their separate ways. The streets were once again orderly, as if nothing had happened just moments before.

This is the custom and tradition of the dynasty, and this is the people of the dynasty.

If you think this is composure, you're sorely mistaken; they're just secretly passionate.

It's not hard to imagine that the teahouses and taverns in the capital will be bustling for quite some time—so many people have witnessed this big gossip, and just one version from each person would be enough to keep it going for ten days or half a month. Moreover, judging from the average ability of the people of the dynasty to make up stories, each person can come up with at least four versions.