She pulled her thoughts back.
Luo Sheng saw Xie Xinglang covered in dirt and sweat, and kicked him, scolding, "Where have you been messing around again?"
"I got into a fight with Prince Qin and won. He lost his newly acquired Yao Huang peony to me." Xie Xinglang stood beside her with his impossibly long legs, smiling cheerfully, taking his old mother's kick without a care.
"Mother, let me carry sister…"
Suddenly noticing the wounds on her head and hands, Xie Xinglang's expression turned furious. "Who did this? Qi Hui? Or Xiao?"
Xie Suisui's tears welled up again.
These past few days at the Prime Minister's estate, her biological father and brother had been mocking her all day long, calling her Coffin-child, Plague-bringer, Broom Star. No one asked if she was cold or hungry.
Even today, when she was so badly injured, no one in the Prime Minister's estate batted an eye. Only her adoptive mother and adoptive brother showed her the utmost concern the moment they saw her.
She shared no blood with the General's estate, yet all those so-called blood relatives in the Prime Minister's estate combined couldn't compare to even a single strand of Third Brother's hair.
Luo Sheng briefly explained what had happened. Xie Xinglang laughed in fury: "Ha, do they think I, Third Master Xie, am dead?"
Ha, Coffin-child? Then he'd put them all in coffins.
"What are you muttering about? Third, you're cooking up trouble again, trying to lead your sister astray?" Luo Sheng kicked Xie Xinglang swiftly.
She too wanted to beat Qi Hui to a pulp, but acting rashly could bring disaster upon the General's estate.
"Give me sister, I'll carry her."
"It's just three steps away. I can still carry her myself."
Xie Suisui said, "Mother, put me down. My legs aren't injured."
Xie Xinglang took Xie Suisui and set her on the horse, then led the horse at a slow pace, glancing at her with disdain. "Even sitting on the horse, you're not as tall as me!"
"…Mother, Third Brother says I'm short!"
"Ah, you little brat begging for a beating! Everyone in the world can say your sister is short, but not you!" Luo Sheng grew annoyed, her hand instinctively making a "dragging" motion.
That was her habitual gesture of reaching for the rolling pin.
Xie Suisui's eyes reddened again. In her past life, everyone in the General's estate was gone. Scenes of Mother hitting Third Brother had become her most unforgettable memories.
She quickly changed the subject: "Mother, how has Father been lately?"
In her past life, she had been bedridden with a serious illness for a month. When she woke up, she learned that her adoptive father had already died at the frontier, and the court claimed he had "acted rashly out of greed for merit, causing the Crown Prince's death."
After that, her adoptive mother's entire family was exiled.
Her adoptive father's family—wiped out…
Thinking of this, she pressed further: "Has Father had any dealings with the Crown Prince?"
Luo Sheng shook her head. "The General's estate is loyal only to His Majesty."
Back at the estate, the steward Pei Yuanmao saw the three of them return and said happily, "The young lady isn't leaving again, is she?"
Luo Sheng said boldly, "She's not leaving."
Xie Xinglang helped Xie Suisui dismount, then went to his own courtyard, grabbed a plump pigeon from the cage, and headed to the kitchen.
The cook was surprised. "Third Young Master, isn't this one of the carrier pigeons you've been training?"
"Sister is injured. I'm making her some pigeon soup."
"Is it Miss Zhu?"
"Suisui."
As he came out of the kitchen, he heard a sweet voice: "Mother, why is Suisui back again? Did she get kicked out of the Prime Minister's estate for making a mistake?"
The speaker was Zhu Yan, another adopted daughter of the General's estate.
She was the orphan of Xie Fei's former subordinate. After that subordinate died, his wife remarried, and none of their relatives or friends wanted to take in Zhu Yan, so Xie Fei brought her back to the General's estate and raised her as his own daughter.
Luo Sheng frowned. "What kind of talk is that? Can't Suisui simply look down on the Prime Minister's estate?"
"But wasn't she supposed to go back to the Prime Minister's estate for an engagement?"
Xie Xinglang asked warily, "Suisui went back to the Prime Minister's estate for an engagement? Engaged to whom?"
"Second Young Master Yu of Shengyang Earl's estate. Didn't you know?"
"Yu Tang? Who does he think he is, wanting to be engaged to my sister?" Xie Xinglang was furious. "Mother, didn't we say Suisui went back to the Prime Minister's estate to be recognized by her family?"
"Qi Hui owes a favor to the Shengyang Earl's estate, so he called me back to settle it through an engagement as repayment." Xie Suisui said, "I've already refused… Oh, right, Yu Tang agreed to compensate me with a hundred thousand taels of silver. Send Uncle Pei to collect it!"
"What did he do to owe you a hundred thousand taels of compensation?"
For Yu Tang to pay Xie Suisui a hundred thousand taels, he must have done something utterly unforgivable.
"Third Brother, don't worry about it. He owes me a hundred thousand taels, and it must be collected. If he won't pay, beat him to death!"
Luo Sheng said, "From now on, Suisui is my daughter. Anyone who bullies Suisui is picking a fight with my General's estate."
"But she is the Prime Minister's biological daughter after all." Zhu Yan reminded Luo Sheng, "Mother, no matter how reluctant you are to part with her, you can't hold back sister's future."
Xie Xinglang shot her a sidelong glance and said sarcastically, "You're so envious of the Prime Minister's estate? Go be Qi Hui's daughter then!"
"Miss, you're back…" A choked voice came through, and Xie Suisui's eyes grew moist.
It was her personal maid, Haitang.
When Qi Hui had taken her back to the Prime Minister's estate, she hadn't brought a single maid, because Qi Ziheng had said that the Prime Minister was a close minister to the Emperor, and the servants of the Prime Minister's estate had to be strictly vetted to avoid causing trouble.
For Haitang, they had only been apart a few days. For Xie Suisui, seeing Haitang again was like crossing into another life.
The mistress and maid embraced, overwhelmed with emotion.
“Suisui is back!”
Upon hearing that Xie Suisui had returned, the eldest and second sisters-in-law both came out to greet her.
The eldest sister-in-law, Yu Qingqiu, was the daughter of Grand Tutor Yu and a renowned lady of the capital. The second sister-in-law, Lu Xiangyi, was the only daughter of General Lu, the frontier garrison commander. She had a fiery temper and was fiercely protective of her family.
In her previous life, both sisters-in-law had died on the road to exile.
Suisui rushed over and threw her arms around them, choking back tears. “Sisters-in-law… I missed you so much…”
Yu Qingqiu patted her back, her own eyes reddening. “Suisui, it’s good that you’re back… Oh, how did you get hurt?”
“How did you get hurt this badly? Mother, who did this?” Lu Xiangyi was furious.
Luo Sheng explained what had happened, and the mother-in-law and daughters-in-law cursed Qi Yurou for her shamelessness.
Zhu Yan frowned and said, “Mother, Miss Qi is the Lucky Star personally proclaimed by His Majesty. Even the Empress praises her highly and has betrothed her to her own younger brother…”
Luo Sheng looked at Suisui’s round little face, still smudged with dirt from when Qi Yurou had dragged her along, and wiped it clean with a handkerchief.
She said impatiently to Zhu Yan, “Zhu Yan, whether Qi Yurou is a Lucky Star or the Jade Emperor himself, the fact is she bullied Suisui. And she truly is shameless—Prince Gu has already broken off their engagement.”
“Mother, maybe Suisui misunderstood. You can’t believe everything she says. Miss Qi isn’t that kind of person…”
“What kind of person is she then? You know her very well?” Xie Xinglang sat in a reclining chair, his long legs crossed, his face cold and impatient. “I just won’t let my sister go to the Qi family! What? You have a problem with that?”
“No…” Zhu Yan was instantly aggrieved. “That’s not what I meant. Third Brother, you’re wronging me.”
Out in the world, Xie Xinglang had a wild and unruly temper, loved fighting and brawling, and even at home he’d occasionally throw out sharp remarks. But Xie Suisui was his one soft spot—he protected her fiercely. Touch her, and you’d die!
Zhu Yan feared him the most, and hated Xie Suisui the most.
“Zhu Yan, don’t think I don’t know what you’re thinking. Let me tell you, Suisui is someone I picked up myself. Whoever does her harm, I’ll be their mortal enemy!”
“Mother, look at him.” Zhu Yan’s eyes reddened.
They were both adopted daughters—why the favoritism?
“Enough, stop talking.” Yu Qingqiu said. “Quick, take the token and go to the palace to summon an imperial physician to treat Suisui. If the wound is left too long, it won’t be good.”
Luo Sheng took the token and sent someone to the palace immediately.
Xie Xinglang said nothing, uncrossed his long legs, and went out as well.
Within half an hour, there was a commotion at the front gate, voices rising louder and louder.
The steward ran in and said to Luo Sheng, “Madam, the Third Young Master has beaten the second son of the Shengyang Earl’s household. He trampled him with his horse and lashed him with his whip—no one could stop him…”
“Who’s making a fuss at the gate?”
“The Lady of Shengyang Earl.”
“Ha, shameless wench. She raised such a filthy son, and she still dares to come make trouble at my general’s mansion?”
Luo Sheng knew immediately what was going on. Cursing as she went, she followed the steward to the front gate.
Lu Xiangyi wrapped a soft sword around her waist and cracked her knuckles. “Mother, I’ll go with you.”
Luo Sheng walked as she spoke. “Don’t do anything rash!”
“Don’t worry, Mother. I’m very reasonable.”
Luo Sheng thought to herself, Don’t I know you? You’re going to reason with them? You’re just looking for an excuse to kick them a few times because they bullied Suisui, aren’t you?
The Lady of Shengyang Earl saw Luo Sheng at the gate and wailed, “The general’s mansion is too bullying! Even the prime minister’s household said nothing about the broken engagement—why did you people beat my son?”
Lu Xiangyi flew into a rage at those words and cursed, “The prime minister’s household not pursuing it just means they’re cowards! Your son and Miss Qi were carrying on in broad daylight, and when my sister stumbled upon them, they tried to crush her to death to silence her. I haven’t come after you yet, and you dare to show up at the general’s mansion? I’ll smash you bastards to pieces with my fists!”
With that, she charged forward, and no one could stop her.
Luo Sheng: See? I told you you weren’t here to reason—your fists were just itching, weren’t they?
The Lady of Shengyang Earl was so frightened she stopped crying and hastily said, “We’re under the emperor’s nose—you can’t hit people! If you do, we’ll go plead our case before His Majesty!”
“Let’s go, let’s go—let’s have His Majesty settle this. If you don’t come, you’re the spawn of a beggar and a dog!”
The Lady of Shengyang Earl was so angry she couldn’t speak.
Watching Lu Xiangyi approach, she involuntarily backed away, deeply regretting her decision.
How could she have forgotten that these women of the general’s mansion had all been on the battlefield?
Had she been kicked in the head by a donkey, coming here to reason with them?
Luo Sheng: See? I told you I wouldn’t even need to open my mouth—my daughter-in-law could crush you all on her own!
The Lady of Shengyang Earl looked at the gossiping onlookers talking about her son, and feared being beaten, so she could only say timidly, “Madam General, please go stop your third son—he’s about to beat my son to death.”
Luo Sheng hadn’t said a word the whole time. Surrounded by the crowd, she walked to the grand avenue outside the most bustling pavilion in Shengjing City.
Xie Xinglang sat astride a tall horse, reining it up so its hooves kicked high. A man lay beneath, trampled into a bloody mess, hands shielding his head, wailing and begging for mercy.
“Get up!”
Xie Xinglang’s whip cracked through the air, echoing down the street.
“What’s going on?” Luo Sheng, though she usually chased after her son with a stick at home, was fiercely protective of him in public.
Her third son—she knew. He was getting even for Suisui!
“Aaaaah! Don’t step on my son, don’t hit my son!” Lady Shengyang cried out as she rushed over. “Xie Xinglang, even if you do this because of your sister…”
“Crack!” Before she could finish, Xie Xinglang lashed out violently, whipping her hair bun apart. Lady Yu swallowed the rest of her words, glaring hatefully at Xie Xinglang.
Xie Xinglang jumped off his horse, planted his foot on Yu Tang’s face, and looked at Lady Shengyang. “Lady Yu, your son wasn’t watching where he was going and spooked my horse. It trampled and injured five common folk. How do you plan to compensate?”
Only then did Lady Shengyang notice the five “injured” beggars lying ahead on the ground, groaning and wailing.
She was both furious and bewildered. Wait—you’re picking a fight, and you’re blaming my son for not watching his step?
“Isn’t your horse perfectly fine?”
“I just switched to a new one. The old one ran off.”
“……”
“Pay up! Pay the medical fees!” someone in the crowd led the chant.
Xie Xinglang clasped his hands and said, “Thank you, fellow villagers, for your support. Rest assured, anyone injured or frightened today must be compensated by the Shengyang Marquis Estate. If they refuse—”
“Then we dump manure on the Shengyang Marquis Estate!”
“That’s right, dump manure!”
The crowd was fired up!
Luo Sheng glanced at Lady Shengyang and said, “Lady Yu, it’s not that our third young master is picking on your second son—it’s that your second son simply can’t measure up!”
Lu Xiangyi immediately cracked her knuckles eagerly. “Our General’s Estate protects the nation and never backs down for the people. If you don’t pay, I’ll—”
Her fists were itching!
Xie Xinglang pressed down on Yu Tang and asked, “Will you pay or not?”
“I… I’ll pay! I’ll pay everything!”
He had to survive—he couldn’t die at the hands of these brutes from the General’s Estate. Besides, the General’s Estate wouldn’t be strutting around for much longer.
The Shengyang Marquis Estate handed over five hundred taels of silver, compensating the beggars and the cheering commoners. Those beggars kowtowed desperately to Xie Xinglang.
Only then did Xie Xinglang follow Luo Sheng and Lu Xiangyi back to the estate, striding with triumphant swagger.
The moment the gate closed, Luo Sheng grabbed a rolling pin and chased Xie Xinglang all over the courtyard. “You little wretch…”
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