Jiang Yanqing looked up and saw a group of four people—two men and two women.
Although the Great Xing Dynasty had strict social hierarchies, its social customs were open and relaxed. Women could not only walk about in public just like men, but they could also socialize and go on outings normally. Therefore, Jiang Yanqing didn’t find anything strange about it.
Instead, she scoffed mockingly, “You are merely a concubine-born daughter. Are you fit to sit at the same table as me?”
Shen Ruoyou lowered her head, her voice choking with emotion, “I… I overstepped my bounds…”
The man standing beside her stepped forward, planting his foot right onto the empty stool opposite Jiang Yanqing.
“You must be You’er’s younger sister who just came back from the countryside?”
Too lazy to dignify him with a response, Jiang Yanqing picked up a piece of beef and began to eat.
“Audacious! Young master is talking to you, are you deaf?”
Jiang Yanqing gave him a cold, indifferent glance. “Piss off.”
“Ha… do you even know who young master is? I am Zhang Haokun, the heir of Prince Cheng’s Estate! Why aren’t you getting down on your knees to kowtow to young master right now?!”
Jiang Yanqing’s temper flared. The one thing she despised most was someone disturbing her meals.
“I’ll say it one more time: piss off.”
Zhang Haokun twisted his mouth into a sneer. “You’re just as You’er described—arrogant, overbearing, and utterly devoid of manners. You beat and curse your parents, bully your siblings, and don’t even spare your grandmother. Your name is Jiang Yanqing, right? Today, I’m going to teach you a proper lesson on behalf of your dead mother.”
Clenching his fist, he threw a punch straight at Jiang Yanqing’s face. Jiang Yanqing reached out, grabbed his arm, and slapped him twice across the mouth with crisp smacks.
“Is your cheap mouth even qualified to mention my mother?”
“I’ll fucking—”
Bang!
Before he could finish cursing, Jiang Yanqing delivered a solid punch right to his face.
“Hiss… ouch…”
Jiang Yanqing stood up and kicked him sprawling to the ground with a single blow.
“Ah… Heir Kun…”
Shen Ruoyou and the other young woman shrank back in terror all the way against the wall.
Meanwhile, the other man who had accompanied them drew the dagger at his waist and pointed it straight at Jiang Yanqing.
“Vile wench! I am Liu Guangyi, the second young master of the Prime Minister’s Estate. Do you have any idea what kind of fate awaits you when you offend both Prince Cheng and the Prime Minister’s Estate here in the imperial city? I advise you—”
“Piss off!”
Jiang Yanqing was thoroughly exasperated, so she put a bit more force into her kick.
He was sent flying a full three zhang before crashing bang! into another table. The dishes laden with food shattered all over the floor in a chaotic clatter.
“Ah… Jiang—”
Liu Guangyi was about to unleash a torrent of abuse at Jiang Yanqing, but the moment he turned his head, he caught sight of two men.
One of them, draped in dark robes, was exceptionally handsome yet as cold as a frozen abyss. He remained seated on his stool, unmoving, yet Liu Guangyi was so terrified he dropped to his hands and knees, trembling violently.
“Your H—”
“Silence!” another man in silver-gray robes barked harshly, “Get lost!”
“Yes… yes…”
Liu Guangyi actually rolled across the floor a few times before scrambling frantically down the stairs.
Likewise, Zhang Haokun, Shen Ruoyou, and the others didn’t dare utter another single word; they tucked their tails between their legs and fled in utter disgrace.
Jiang Yanqing walked up to the two men and pulled out a silver ingot.
“I apologize for disturbing the two of you. This is compensation for your trouble.”
The silver-gray robed man didn’t move, turning instead to look at the dark-robed man.
The dark-robed man stood up, his tone cold and detached. “No need. The young lady was the victim here. Shaoqian, let’s go.”
“Understood.”
Only Meng Shaoqian found it a bit hard to agree. Granted, Zhang Haokun and his gang had started it, but this young miss was hardly a victim—she was a one-sided steamroller. He had spent all these years in the imperial city, yet he had never laid eyes on any noble family’s daughter with such terrifying, ferocious martial prowess.
By the time Jiang Yanqing finished her meal and returned to the Plain-Vast Marquis Residence, Shen Changfeng was already waiting for her right at the front gates.
“Jiang Yanqing, did you swallow a bear’s heart and a leopard’s gall while you were at Crane Cloud Tower? How dare you beat up the Prince Cheng’s Estate heir and the Prime Minister’s Estate’s second young master? Are you in that much of a hurry to die?”
Keeping her small folding fan behind her back, Jiang Yanqing walked past him without a care in the world. “Rest assured, it won’t affect my life in the slightest. Whether it affects yours… well, that’s anyone’s guess.”
Shen Changfeng pressed on, “And another thing! Those clothing boutiques and jewelry shops just now… they delivered carts and carts of goods, totaling five thousand taels of silver! Why didn’t you just buy the entire street?”
Jiang Yanqing smiled. “Next time. I’ll buy the street next time.”
“You—”
“Jiang Yanqing!”
A furious roar suddenly echoed from behind. Jiang Yanqing and Shen Changfeng turned around to see Zhang Haokun storming in with a couple of dozen thugs in tow.
Shen Changfeng hurriedly stepped forward with a ingratiating smile, “Heir Kun, what brings you here?”
Pointing at the bruises on his face, Zhang Haokun fumed, “Plain-Vast Marquis, you’ve really raised a fine daughter! Take a look at what she’s done to my face! You’re my future father-in-law, so I won’t make things difficult for you—just hand Jiang Yanqing over to me. My father specifically instructed me to bring her back to Prince Cheng’s Estate so she can be properly disciplined on your behalf.”
Shen Changfeng was thrilled. “Then I must thank His Highness for the trouble.”
He promptly stepped aside to clear the path. As long as it didn’t implicate his Marquis Residence, they could hang Jiang Yanqing up and skin her alive for all he cared.
Zhang Haokun took a few steps forward, lifting his chin to look down his nose at Jiang Yanqing with utter contempt.
“Vixen, aren’t you feeling all high and mighty just because you know some cheap parlor-trick martial arts? Today, I’m going to make you realize that here in the imperial city, you are nothing more than the lowest of the low. Are you coming with me of your own accord, or do you want me to have my men break your legs and drag you away?”
Jiang Yanqing seated herself leisurely on a nearby stone stool, a half-mocking smile playing on her lips. “I’m tired and don’t feel like walking. If your father wants me in Prince Cheng’s Estate, he can come and invite me in person. Of course… even if he comes, I still… won’t go… Hahaha…”