Le monde des arts martiaux est un véritable cloaque

Chapitre 50

Hearing him bring up the marriage proposal again, Xu Shirong composed herself, her emotions still somewhat turbulent from mentioning Yang Huan, and sneered, "Xu Jinrong, someone like you, who habitually uses underhanded methods, makes me feel nauseous just thinking about you. Even if I sever all ties with Yang Huan, I will never agree to marry you!"

Xu Jinrong seemed to have anticipated her response, and was not annoyed. He simply smiled and said, "A true man who achieves great things does not concern himself with trivial matters. What's wrong with using a few tricks? Most so-called gentlemen in this world are nothing more than hypocrites. If I were to marry you, I would be devoted to you wholeheartedly, and there would be no concubines or maids. I, Xu, keep my word. I know you are still somewhat reluctant, but that's alright. Your parents have already agreed. Once you marry me, you will naturally come to know what kind of person I am." As he spoke, he reached for a box that had been placed on the table, opened the lid, and pushed it in front of her.

Inside the box was a kingfisher feather butterfly ornament.

Xu Shirong felt the object looked somewhat familiar. Looking at it again, she suddenly realized it resembled the one she had lost before. But upon closer inspection, she became uncertain. This flower ornament was even more magnificent than her lost one, its petals adorned with jewels that shimmered with light.

"This is something you left behind when you rested in the bamboo pavilion in the Lu family garden. I found it by chance and have kept it with me ever since. Now that we are about to propose marriage, I had a skilled craftsman remake it. Returning it to you today is simply returning it to its rightful owner."

Xu Shirong stared at the dazzling flower ornament, and genuinely felt a stinging pain in her eyes. She picked it up, twirled it in her hand, and said with a faint smile, "Lord Xu, thank you for keeping it safe until now. But since this thing has been tainted with the scent of another man, how could I possibly wear it back in my hair?" With that, she threw it forcefully. With a thud, the flower ornament landed on the floor by the door, rolled around for a long time, and then stopped.

“Xu Jinrong, if you disregard my wishes and force your way into my home to propose marriage, in the end you will not only fail to marry a wife who can help you rise to prominence, but on the contrary, the Xu family will turn against you.”

After saying this, Xu Shirong turned and walked towards the door. Just as her hand touched the doorknob, she heard hurried, heavy footsteps coming from the wooden stairs outside, as if someone was rushing up the stairs in quick succession. Not paying much attention, she was about to open the door when she heard a series of chaotic sounds, as if several people had followed her and were entangled in a fight.

"Oh, young master, young master, you really can't barge into this upstairs! It's all been booked by a distinguished guest! You'll be in trouble if you come down here!" It sounded like the tone of the upstairs manager.

"Screw your esteemed guest! I'm here to find my wife! If you delay me, I'll twist your head off and use it as a football!"

Xu Shirong heard someone cursing like that.

She recognized the voice all too well. But now, that slightly hoarse voice held a hint of anxiety, impatience, and... a hidden anger.

Why is he here now?

Xu Shirong stood there, stunned.

She'd only been back in the capital for half a month, and she hadn't even had a chance to send a message. Even if the Grand Commandant's office had known she was back and sent a letter informing them of their retirement, it would have been at least a few days ago. How could he have received the news and returned to the capital now?

Chapter Sixty-Three

With a loud bang, the lattice-patterned wooden door in front of Xu Shirong was kicked open, and Yang Huan appeared in the doorway.

It had only been a month and a half since they parted ways outside Qingmen County. In Xu Shirong's mind, he was still the same person she remembered from their last meeting: a pleated shirt and a woolen cloak, his face full of longing for her. Therefore, when she suddenly saw the person before her—clothes dusty, stubble-covered, his face contorted with tension—she didn't immediately recognize him. Only when the man saw her, cried out "Jiaoniang!" and rushed over to embrace her tightly did she realize that it really was Yang Huan who had returned.

She had been both eagerly anticipating his arrival and worried that his unauthorized return to the capital would be punished; her heart had been in turmoil for the past few days, like being fried in oil. Now, being held tightly in his arms, she felt a surge of joy, a joy far greater and more intense than she had imagined. She could smell the dust on his body, but that scent brought her peace.

"Jiao Niang, what exactly is going on?"

Yang Huan suddenly released her again, gripping her shoulders with both hands, his eyes wide open.

Xu Shirong's heart sank. Just as she was about to ask him if he knew about what was happening here and rushed back, Yang Huan grabbed her hand and hurriedly said, "Never mind all that, you're coming back to Qingmen County with me now. Let those two families here make a mess of things!" With that, he turned and headed outside.

His hands were a bit rough, and he gripped her hand too tightly, causing her a slight pain.

As Xu Shirong was being pulled along, her foot involuntarily shifted slightly, when a voice sounded behind her: "Lord Yang, she is no longer your wife. Where do you intend to take her?"

Yang Huan seemed to be pricked by a needle, and turned around abruptly, only then noticing that there was still someone standing in the room. It turned out that in his earlier rage, he had only seen Xu Shirong and his mind was solely focused on taking her away. Seeing Xu Jinrong now, he remembered the news he had heard from the family at the Xu residence gate, and his anger flared instantly. He released Xu Shirong's hand, strode over to him, and raised his fist to punch him squarely in the face.

Xu Jinrong was quite surprised to see Yang Huan arrive so quickly. He had initially expected that even if Yang Huan received the news and came, it would be at least two months later. By then, Xu Jiaoniang would likely be his wife, and even if he arrived, it would be too late. His arrival so soon was truly unbelievable. Just as he was pondering where things had gone wrong, he heard Yang Huan's words, which seemed to imply he was taking her back to Qingmen County, and naturally tried to stop him. Unexpectedly, Yang Huan, like a hot potato, rushed forward and delivered a powerful punch. Xu Jinrong was caught off guard and managed to dodge by turning his head, but his lip was still scraped, and he tasted a metallic, salty flavor.

Seeing that his punch had missed and didn't land at the sauce shop, Yang Huan's anger flared even more. He cursed, "You bastard! You used to be all smiles and gossips about me, but behind my back you've been scheming against my beloved! My beloved is as beautiful as a fairy, how could you, a bastard, even dream of her! I'll beat you to death, you son of a bitch!" He raised his fist to strike again, but then heard screams behind him. Turning around, he saw that it was his beloved's sisters-in-law who had rushed over after hearing the commotion; the screams were from them. The shopkeeper, the waiters, and the steward from the Xu family also rushed in and quickly disarmed him.

Liu and He were usually honest people, and had never seen such a fight before. They stood there dumbfounded, terrified. Zhenniang, though still pale, snapped out of her daze and yelled, "Yang Huan, you have no sense of propriety! You severed ties with my family a few days ago, so why are you barging in again to cause trouble and beat people? I've never seen such a scoundrel!"

"Lord Yang, how dare you defy your superiors in the capital? Do you really think my Lord Xu is someone to be trifled with?"

Seeing his master being beaten and blood seeping from the corner of his mouth, the steward of the Xu family was both shocked and furious, and his voice trembled slightly.

Yang Huan ignored them completely, breaking free from the men who were holding him. His eyes reddened, and he was about to pounce on them again like a tiger when a clear, loud voice rang out behind him, shouting angrily, "Stop!"

The voice pierced his ears, and he seemed to freeze. Slowly turning his head, he saw that it was indeed Jiao Niang standing in the same spot, frowning at him. A surge of resentment and anger welled up inside him. Ignoring everyone else, he rushed to her side, his voice trembling with rage, "He had ill intentions towards you, and I stood up for you. And you blame me for that?"

Xu Shirong acted as if she hadn't seen him, and said to Xu Jinrong in a low voice, "Lord Xu, my husband is young and can't change his temper in time. He accidentally injured you just now. I hope you can forgive him."

Xu Jinrong frowned slightly, touched the corner of his mouth, stopped the steward who was still calling out, and looked at Xu Shirong, saying, "Even without your words, I am still a few years older than him, why would I lower myself to his level? Madam Xu, please rest assured, as long as he restrains his temper in the future, I will not hold it against him. However, what I said just now was truly from the bottom of my heart. I hope Madam Xu will reconsider." After speaking, he turned to Xu Shirong's three sisters-in-law beside him and said, "I should have escorted you ladies back, but it seems a bit inconvenient, so I must take my leave first. I hope you ladies will understand."

The Liu family members were speechless, only nodding. Zhenniang, however, hurriedly responded with a forced smile. Xu Jinrong nodded, smiled slightly, glanced at Xu Shirong, and saw that she was indifferent and not looking at him. He then looked at the butterfly flower ornament that she had thrown to the floor earlier, knowing that she would definitely not pick it up now, hoping for a chance later. However, he couldn't help feeling a little disappointed. He bent down to pick it up and then strode out of the private room. The manager glared at Yang Huan resentfully and hurriedly followed him out. The innkeeper was secretly alarmed and hurriedly saw him out with a smile and constant apologies.

Just now, Xu Jinrong picked up Hua Sheng and left, which naturally caught Yang Huan's eye. He had initially been furious when the gatekeeper of the Xu residence said that Jiao Niang and Xu Jinrong had arranged to meet here, though he was still somewhat skeptical, hoping the gatekeeper was just spouting nonsense. Now, although the Hua Sheng had been re-set with jewels, he recognized it at a glance. Remembering the one Jiao Niang had said she lost, now in Xu Jinrong's hands, though he didn't understand why, a surge of jealousy rose within him. Seeing her dressed differently than usual, like a celestial being, dazzling his eyes, and his anger dissipated, he could no longer hold back. Looking at Xu Shirong, he huffed, "When did you become so protective of that Xu fellow? He just told you to consider it, consider what? If I hadn't happened to be here, risking my life to stop you from meeting him, you probably would have actually agreed to his proposal?"

Xu Shirong had stopped him earlier only because he had already committed a crime by entering the capital without permission, and if he were to assault an official like this, he might be impeached, and the punishment would likely be even more severe. She had only intervened in a moment of urgency. Now, seeing him not only ignoring her good intentions but also blaming himself with bloodshot eyes and spewing nonsense, she was reminded of his affair with Qingyu, and a thorn seemed to grow in her heart. Being proud and arrogant herself, she was unwilling to say anything more to his unreasonable behavior, and angrily said, "You really are getting worse with age! If you continue to be so unreasonable, I won't bother arguing with you anymore. Go back and think it over before you come back to me!" With that, she turned and left.

Liu and Zhenniang were initially worried that the two would be inseparable once they met, but the situation took a sudden turn for the better. They saw that the two were arguing and that Jiaoniang turned and left. They all breathed a sigh of relief and, forgetting about Yang Huan, hurriedly followed them down to the carriage. They then told the coachman to return to the Hanlin Mansion.

Yang Huan, having been scolded, saw her angry face, and his anger subsided somewhat. But when she finished scolding and turned to leave, his anger vanished completely, leaving him only stunned. Only when he heard the footsteps fading into the distance did he come to his senses and rush out to chase after her. He hurried down the stairs, and saw the beautiful woman being escorted into a carriage by her sisters-in-law and maids at the restaurant's main entrance. He was filled with anxiety, but as soon as he reached the gate, the carriages rumbled away. Furious, he beat his chest and stamped his feet. Only then did Erbao peek out, timidly asking, "What should we do?"

Erbao was worried that Grand Commandant Yang would punish him for returning to the capital without permission, and that he himself might suffer as well. Yang Huan glared at him and angrily said, "Is that even a question? My wife is about to die, what do you suggest we do?" He then urged Erbao to bring the horse over. Helpless, Erbao could only lead the horse over dejectedly. Yang Huan, annoyed by his slowness, snatched the reins, mounted the horse, and was about to chase after him. However, the horse, exhausted from the long journey day and night, hadn't recovered yet. With two thuds, its front legs gave way, and it knelt on the ground, unable to get up. This infuriated Yang Huan, who threw down the reins and went to find a carriage.

Sitting in the carriage, Xu Shirong watched as her sisters-in-law discussed the scene that had just unfolded, especially Zhenniang, who was particularly startled. Annoyed, she simply closed her eyes and ignored them. Upon arriving at the Xu residence, she left Liu and the others behind and hurriedly entered the inner hall. There, she saw her mother and Madam Lu smilingly greet her. Knowing they had come to inquire, she was even less inclined to say more, simply calling out their names before returning to her room and bolting the door. After a while, the noise outside finally subsided; presumably, Madam Xu and Madam Lu, not finding her open the door, had gone to find her sisters-in-law instead.

When Madam Xu heard what had just happened, she was greatly shocked. She hurriedly summoned the gatekeeper, Xu Da. Xu Da, with a pained expression, repeatedly begged for mercy, "Madam, please forgive me! It's just that when Young Master Yang arrived at the gate, I tried to stop him from entering, but he raised his fist as if to strike me. He looked like a ferocious demon, and I was afraid I wouldn't be able to bear the pain, so I had no choice but to tell him where the young master was..."

"Foolish thing! My family severed ties with that Yang family a few days ago, and there's no such thing as a son-in-law Yang anymore!"

Xu Da was spat on by Madam Xu. Realizing he had spoken out of turn, he was so frightened that he kept kowtowing and begging for forgiveness.

Madam Xu frowned and shouted sternly, "Let's remember this beating for now. Go back and have more people guard the door properly. If Yang Huan comes again, just shut the door and ignore him. If he dares to cause trouble again, he'll be in big trouble!"

Xu Da shuddered and hurriedly kowtowed, saying, "Don't worry, Madam, I'll go and guard the door so that not even a fly can get in! If I make another mistake, you don't need to say anything more, I'll just go and bang my head against the wall!" He kowtowed again and hurriedly got up and left.

Madam Xu scolded the gatekeeper away, then remembered that her husband was off duty today and should be in his study. She hurried over and recounted what had just happened. Xu Hanlin shook his head and sighed, "The Yang family actually has such a brat, so ignorant of his place, returning to the capital without imperial orders! Very well, for the sake of our past relationship, I won't say anything more. Just tell them to close the door and ignore him."

Madam Xu sneered, "With such a scoundrel in the Yang family, who knows what trouble he'll cause in the future. Fortunately, we severed ties with them early on, so we're truly no longer connected!"

Leaving aside their discussion of Yang Huan, Xu Dagang returned to the gate and noticed his usual comrade-in-arms peering anxiously in his direction. His heart skipped a beat, and he rushed over, hearing the man say, "Oh no! Young Master Yang is here again, knocking on the door!"