Jiapingguan Chronicle

Chapter 2779 What a rotten peach blossom! 3.0
"Xiao Bai is so irritable?" Chu Han was taken aback. "He just started hitting people right away? This temper is nothing like his father and grandfather. His father and grandfather were both reasonable people and wouldn't start hitting people right away."

“If the Commander-in-Chief weren’t a bit tougher, he would have been bullied when he was young. Uncle Bai passed away early, leaving only Grandpa Bai and the Commander-in-Chief in the family. The two of them depended on each other for survival, and those who didn’t know any better would think they could bully them. In fact, after Uncle Bai passed away, quite a few people went to the Bai family to cause trouble, both openly and secretly. If it weren’t for the help of relatives and friends, and if the Commander-in-Chief hadn’t been so quick to take action, these two would have…” Shen Cha looked at Xue Mu, who was pouring tea for them, “Brother Mu was one of those who was ordered to guard the Bai residence back then, right?”

"Hmm!" Xue Mu nodded, refilling everyone's tea as he spoke, "The Bai family has made quite a few enemies. Many come to cause trouble and laugh at us. I told the old man that the nobles' intention was to make as much of a scene as possible, to let the whole of Xijing see their ugly faces. Anyway, the Bai family has the Duke's Mansion, the Marquis's Mansion, and the Imperial Palace backing them up, so they're not afraid of trouble. The old man was a little hesitant at the time, but I said, 'The young master is now the Grand Commander. He's so young, what can he do even if he takes action? At most, he'll hurt them for a day or two, and they won't even have a mark left.' Eunuch Liao, who was sent by the late emperor to take care of the old man, shared our thoughts, telling the old man not to worry, that he wouldn't suffer any losses. So, the Grand Commander has maintained this style since then, especially towards those descendants of nobles who flirt with young girls and boys anytime, anywhere. He takes action without hesitation, without wasting any words. Moreover, he is measured in his actions and doesn't act recklessly."

"So that's how it is." Chu Han chuckled. "Good. Now the Bai family only has him left. He's so powerful, those who want to cause trouble should really think about whether they have the strength to beat him."

"I heard from the Commander-in-Chief that Gongsun Yu had some dealings with him." Jin Miaomiao looked at Shen Cha. "You knew about that, didn't you?"

"Yes!" Shen Cha nodded. "It's related to Sister Jinyu. When they learned that the Empress Dowager wanted to find a husband for Sister Jinyu, many people in the capital got their hands on him, including Gongsun Yu. While others kept a close eye on things, he brazenly led his men to block the entrance of the Princess's residence. He was caught red-handed by the Grand Commander, who had come to visit Sister Jinyu. The Grand Commander gave him a severe beating, and he was confined to bed for over a month to recover. The Marquis of Xibo even went to the Bai residence to demand justice, saying that the Grand Commander had beaten him without cause and that they, the aggrieved party, deserved an explanation. The Grand Commander then said that if Gongsun Yu hadn't blocked the Princess's residence, he wouldn't have been beaten. I heard that the Marquis of Xibo left the Bai residence cursing all the way there. What he did after returning to his residence is not for us to speculate on, but news has spread that Gongsun Yu's recovery period has lengthened considerably."

"Pfft!" Qi Zhifeng couldn't help but exclaim, "It seems this Marquis of Xibo is quite fair."

"Unfortunately, Gongsun Yu is a stubborn mule, a typical example of someone who never learns from a bad experience. Once he recovers from his injuries, he's back to his old self, jumping around and causing trouble again."

"As it turned out, this time, it was Sister Xiaocha who got stuck."

“That’s right, he always runs into a brick wall, and he never learns his lesson. But, the Marquis said, maybe that’s just his personality. He just likes good-looking people. Even if he knows he might get beaten up, he’ll still run over to someone he likes.” Jin Miaomiao sighed helplessly. “You didn’t see it, but the Grand Commander’s slap completely stunned Gongsun Yu. He was focused on Xiao Cha and was also on guard against the Duke and the Marquis making a move. But he never expected that someone would rush out from behind and slap him. The slap was quite powerful; Gongsun Yu was spun around by the force of the blow.”

"Didn't his cronies stop him?" Xiao Fengqi stroked his chin. "Or are they happy to see him get beaten up?"

"They wanted to stop him, but they didn't have the courage. Later, a few people secretly told us that they actually recognized the Duke, the Marquis, and Xiao Cha, and wanted to warn Gongsun Yu, but Gongsun Yu wouldn't listen, thinking they were talking nonsense. They felt that saying too much would annoy people, so they simply shut up. These people were indeed looking for a show, wanting to see how Gongsun Yu would end up." Jin Miaomiao shook her head, "But unexpectedly, it wasn't us who made the move, but the Grand Commander and the Heir Apparent."

"Young Master?" Xia Jiu was taken aback. "Brother Yao Jia made a move?"

"He didn't actually fight; it was just that one of his guards rushed over and kicked Gongsun Yu." "Where is Gongsun Yu?"

"First he was stunned by the beating, then he was kicked and fell to the ground. It took him a long time to come to his senses. When he finally came to his senses, he didn't even see who hit him, and he started cursing, completely abandoning his previous pretentious and coy demeanor." Jin Miaomiao chuckled twice as she recalled the scene. "But just as he was getting into the swing of cursing, he looked up and saw the Crown Prince and the Grand Commander standing in front of him. I still remember how he looked then; it was as if someone had acupunctured him, like he was frozen in place, his face filled with terror."

"There weren't many people eating at Taibaiju that day. There were only seven or eight tables of people scattered around in the main hall. From the time he started bothering us until the Grand Commander and Brother Yaojia appeared, all seven or eight tables of people had already gathered around."

"They must have recognized you?"

“Some recognized us as soon as we entered. When we returned to the capital that time, although there wasn’t a grand welcome, quite a few people still saw us and recognized us, so it’s not surprising at all. Those people bowed to us subtly and then just waited to see Gongsun Yu make a fool of himself.” Shen Cha smiled helplessly. “It was at that moment that I realized how curious the people of the capital really are. They’ll flock to any exciting place and don’t seem to care at all if they’re caught in the crossfire.”

"It's precisely because they know that such a thing won't happen that they wait and see. If members of the royal family or noble families fight and injure ordinary people, without waiting for anyone to punish them severely, the elders in their families will throw the troublemaking child to the Jingzhao Prefecture in public, give him ten strokes of the cane, and then lock him up for half a month." Chu Han smiled. "So, if you encounter these young noblemen fighting, you don't need to stay too far away; they won't be affected."

“That’s right.” Jin Miaomiao nodded. “After waiting for a long time, Gongsun Yu, who had been beaten, finally reacted and quickly got up to bow to the young master. No matter how arrogant he was, he dared not be disrespectful in front of the young master.”

"And then what? You didn't apologize to your sister?"

"Don't worry." Jin Miaomiao patted Xia Jiu and said, "Gongsun Yu asked why the Crown Prince and the Grand Commander were alarmed. He just saw a pretty girl and wanted to get to know her. He definitely didn't have any bad intentions."

“It seems he really doesn’t recognize you.” Chu Han looked at Shen Cha. “It also shows that this kid really only knows how to eat, drink, and have fun.”

"That's right!" Jin Miaomiao sighed. "When the Grand Commander heard him say that, he kicked him again and said that if he couldn't use his two eyes, he could give them to someone who could. What pretty young lady? That's the General Who Protects the Nation!"