Сhарter 2: Utterlу Unrеаsоnаble
Chen Shujin’s bоdу stiffened аbruptly, fееling uttеrlу аshаmed…
Rаising his hеаd tо look аt Ji Ruyue, he sensеd аn icу сhill frоm hеr bеautiful еуеs, and his heаrt grеw evеn more uneаsy.
Нe hastily рerfоrmed а sсholar’s bоw to Murong Jing. “Yоung lаdу, lеt’s just forget this. I hаvе аn еlderly mоther аt home wаiting for me tо return and сare for hеr. I аm trulу unworthу оf Miss Ji. I must take mу leаvе now…”
“Stoр!” Murong Jing’s еxрrеssiоn alsо turned cоld.
She found thе wоmаn before her extremelу rudе and spoiled. Еvеn with her beautу, it wаs difficult to conceal her vulgarity.
Truly despicable!
“This scholar is dignified, courteous, and filial. How could he be unworthy of you, a mere merchant’s daughter? It is said that merchants value their promises. Is your Ji family planning to go back on its word?”
Ji Ruyue let out a light laugh, ignoring her question. Instead, she bowed slightly to the surrounding crowd. “My Ji family has been in business for generations. The name Ji Shang is known throughout Anzhao, and we have always upheld integrity. Fellow townspeople can all bear witness!”
“Today coincides with the Lantern Festival. My Ji family dared to set up this Marriage Proclamation Stage with the intention of finding a good match. If this scholar had won the Embroidered Ball through his own abilities and triumphed in the literary and martial contests, how could I, Ji Ruyue, refuse?”
She then turned her gaze to Murong Jing. “But you, young lady, have mocked my Marriage Proclamation Stage and even tried to force this ill-fated match. What are your intentions? Though I am untalented, I would like to reason this out with you! I ask everyone here to bear witness, lest it be said in the future that my Ji family has insulted scholars.”
As she finished speaking, the crowd below the stage began to murmur.
Many commoners who had received favors from the Ji family also started pointing fingers at Murong Jing and Chen Shujin.
Moreover, Ji Ruyue’s words were both reasonable and highly persuasive.
This left Murong Jing thoroughly embarrassed.
Murong Jing flicked her sleeve and shouted angrily, “How dare you! What do you think you are, to speak so arrogantly!”
“And your Ji family’s actions are an insult to scholars. Knowing you are in the wrong, you persist. Do you admit your guilt?”
Murong Jing was the daughter of the Imperial Noble Consort. Her status elevated by her mother, she was deeply favored by Emperor Anzhao. Since childhood, she had been accustomed to boldness and arrogance, and her thoughts naturally differed from ordinary people’s.
If she had merely found it amusing earlier, she now harbored murderous intent.
Ji Ruyue was the first woman to dare oppose her like this!
Just as Old Master Ji was about to lose his temper, a tall, slender young man dressed in white robes spoke first. “Young lady, you are mistaken. All matters should follow rules and regulations. This gentleman indeed did not participate in this Marriage Proclamation Stage, nor did he successfully win the Embroidered Ball. Clearly, you interfered and forced the issue. This… I’m afraid is not in accordance with the rules, is it?”
His voice was gentle, his tone unhurried. His posture was upright, like a tall bamboo, and his scholarly aura made him appear exceptionally distinguished.
The protective intent in his words was also evident.
Old Master Ji sized him up for a moment, and the anger in his heart unexpectedly subsided somewhat.
Seeing the young man in white speak, several other gentlemen accompanying him also stepped forward one after another.
“Brother Wei speaks rightly. This is the Ji family’s grand Marriage Proclamation event, concerning Miss Ji’s lifelong matter. How can it be treated so frivolously?”
“What business does a woman like you have meddling here? You’ve thrown a perfectly good marriage into chaos. Could it be that you envy Miss Ji’s natural beauty and harbor jealousy, deliberately trying to ruin it?””Exactly, putting on airs and arbitrarily accusing others of wrongdoing—if we’re really talking about guilt, then you’re the one who should be punished!”
“Hurry up and leave, save yourself some dignity. A young lady like you…”
With someone taking the lead, the other contestants also began to show displeasure, chattering and criticizing Murong Jing one after another.
Although Chen Shujin came from a poor family, he was well-read and educated. Now, being humiliated like this in front of everyone, he felt utterly disgraced and deeply ashamed.
He lightly flicked his sleeve and sighed, “Forget it.”
With that, he turned to leave.
Murong Jing, quick as lightning, grabbed him and pulled him back, shouting sharply, “Stop!”
Then, she turned to Old Master Ji and asked in a confrontational tone, “Well, you want to argue with me? Then let me ask you, has it ever been explicitly stated that women are not allowed to compete?”
Old Master Ji frowned, his eyes showing impatience. “Why would that need to be explicitly stated? The Ji family is seeking a son-in-law, so naturally, we are looking for a man.”
Murong Jing sneered and pressed further, “So, there is no such rule, then?”
Old Master Ji was left speechless by her question, his face turning livid with anger. “You! You’re clearly twisting words!”
Murong Jing took two steps forward, flicked her sleeve, and swept her gaze around the room. The commanding presence of someone in authority instantly silenced everyone present.
She raised her hand and pointed directly at Ji Ruyue, her tone icy. “Since your Ji family has no such rule, and this gentleman is unmarried and of a similar age to Miss Ji, why can’t he become Miss Ji’s ideal husband?”
The young man in white shifted slightly to the left, skillfully positioning himself in front of Ji Ruyue. “Miss, I do not know what grudge you hold against the Ji family that you must persist so stubbornly. Matters of marriage depend on mutual affection and agreement. Since the Ji family has no such intention, I ask you to be gracious and leave quickly.”
Murong Jing was angered by his attitude. Initially, she had not wanted to make too much of a fuss because of his handsome appearance, but now it was different. Her raised finger, not yet lowered, suddenly shifted to point directly at the young man in white’s face. “Who exactly are you? State your name. How dare you offend me again and again?”
The young man in white remained calm and composed, completely unfazed by her intimidation. “I come from the Wei family, one of the Four Confucian Scholars of Qinzhou. I am the second son of the eldest branch, Wei Zizhang.”
Murong Jing frowned slightly, thought for a moment, and suddenly burst into laughter. “I wondered who it was—so it’s a descendant of the former Grand Tutor. The Wei family is also a scholarly lineage, yet they have fallen so low? Eagerly rushing to become the son-in-law of a mere merchant—what a disgrace to the reputation of a noble family!”
“You are truly unreasonable!” Wei Zizhang’s friend, hearing this, angrily slapped Murong Jing’s hand away. Disregarding that she was a woman, he wanted to argue with her for daring to insult someone so openly in front of everyone.
But Wei Zizhang raised his hand to stop his friend. His eyes narrowed slightly as he said in a deep voice, “A fair lady is what a gentleman seeks. This is simply following one’s heart—where is the disgrace?”
Seeing this man stubbornly standing in the way, Murong Jing had completely lost her patience.
She pressed forward aggressively, but Wei Zizhang still refused to yield an inch.
Ji Ruyue’s gaze lingered on that tall, straight figure, and a ripple of emotion stirred within her.
Wei Zizhang?
A man with friends all over the world and three thousand followers.
He… was actually Guiyun Jun?
Ji Ruyue’s heart trembled violently. In her previous life, she had come out too late and had no idea that Guiyun Jun had ever been here…Before Ji Ruyue could speak to dissuade her, Murong Jing’s eyes blazed with fury as she glared hatefully at Wei Zizhang and the others, then waved her hand. “These men have disturbed me—arrest them all!”
Immediately, a squad of guards rushed out from the crowd, swiftly ascended the stage, subdued Wei Zizhang and the other three, and took them away.
The crowd exchanged uneasy glances, the atmosphere suddenly tense. Even Old Master Ji looked terrified.
Murong Jing’s attendants, who had been below the stage, now leaped onto it. One of them held up a palace guard token high overhead and announced, “Princess Changle is present—show no disrespect!”
Instantly, silence fell, and everyone knelt.
Murong Jing swept her sharp gaze over the sea of bowed heads, finally settling on the father and daughter of the Ji family.
Old Master Ji took a deep breath. Fiercely protective of his daughter and aware he had encountered a formidable opponent, he still refused to yield. “I absolutely cannot agree to this. This marriage contest has been set with multiple trials—not only must one catch the Embroidered Ball, but they must also pass both literary and martial tests. Only the most outstanding candidate is worthy to become my son-in-law.”