Jiapingguan Chronicle

Chapter 2780 What a rotten peach blossom! 4.0
"Shouldn't you back down now?" Xiao Fengqi looked at Jin Miaomiao. "You can't keep pestering her even after you know who the General is, can you? That would be going too far."

"Hey, Young Master Xiao, you're absolutely right!" Jin Miaomiao looked at Xiao Fengqi, who was in shock, and smiled helplessly. "We don't know how Gongsun Yu has been living all this time. He actually said that the Grand Commander lied to him, that the Grand Commander took a fancy to Xiao Cha, so he made up an identity to make him back down. Even when Xiao Cha showed him the token of the Shen Family Army, he covered his eyes and pretended not to see it."

"Isn't this a classic case of self-deception?" Shen Jiu poked her head out, glanced curiously at Jin Miaomiao, and then at Shen Cha. "He probably doesn't disbelieve, but he's afraid that if he does, he'll be held accountable. The price he pays is too high for him to bear, so he can only pretend not to see it and not believe it."

"However, everyone present, whether his cronies or the diners watching the spectacle, told him to face the harsh reality and not to run away." Jin Miaomiao shook her head helplessly. "This put Gongsun Yu in a dilemma, and in the end, he ran away with a flushed face."

"Is this the end?"

"Of course not. If it ended so easily, how could it be called a bad romance?" Jin Miaomiao sneered. "Of course, after seeing him run away, we thought this was the end of it, so we went to eat with the Grand Commander and the Crown Prince. But unexpectedly, the next morning, the guards at the Duke's mansion reported that Gongsun Yu had brought several people and several boxes to block the gate, claiming that he wanted to apologize to Xiao Cha."

"You went to see him?" Xiao Fengqi looked at Shen Cha. "Knowing you as I do, you probably wouldn't pay him any attention, would you?"

“My brother and I went to court before dawn, so we weren’t there when he arrived,” Shen Cha said with a smile. “He just didn’t believe we weren’t there, so he waited at the door. Later, our family notified us, and we sent someone to inform the Marquis of Xibo before we were able to get him back.”

“We thought the Marquis of Xibo would discipline Gongsun Yu strictly, but we didn’t expect this.” Jin Miaomiao spread her hands helplessly, “For the next few days, he came every day, rain or shine, making the whole capital know that the youngest son of the Marquis of Xibo had taken a fancy to the eldest daughter of the Duke’s mansion. Even the palace knew about it, and His Majesty and the Empress Dowager even asked Xiaocha to inquire about it.”

"What did he ask?" Chu Han looked at Shen Cha with a smile. "He asked if you had any thoughts about Gongsun Yu?"

"No, not at all. We're not in the capital most of the year, so we don't know much about Gongsun Yu. But don't His Majesty and the Empress Dowager know him? They just sent me to tell me that Gongsun Yu isn't a good person and that I shouldn't be fooled by him." Shen Cha chuckled. "But they also know in their hearts that these things won't affect me. I don't care about these things."

“But it’s not really right to just wait at the door every day!” Chu Han sighed and said, “The rumors and gossip are quite troublesome.”

“That’s true.” Jin Miaomiao nodded. “We originally hoped that the Marquis of Xibo could restrain his youngest son, but we didn’t expect him to be happy to see it happen. Not only did he not restrain him, but he also spread the word that the Marquis of Xibo’s family was going to form a marriage alliance with the Duke’s family.”

"WTF!"

"How shameless!"

Xia Jiu, Shen Jiu, Xiao Fengqi, and Qi Zhifeng all spoke up in unison, all of them extremely angry. Qi Zhifeng even slammed his fist on the table, making a loud bang. "This is too much!" Qi Zhifeng said angrily, "They just want to use this rumor to force Sister Xiaocha to give in."

“That’s true.” Jin Miaomiao nodded. “The Marquis of Xibo bullies us because he thinks the Duke’s mansion has no elder to lead it. But he forgot that although his uncle and aunt have passed away, he still has many relatives. After hearing this, the Empress Dowager was very angry. The Marquis of Xibo’s wife died early, and his two concubines were not qualified to enter the palace. Of course, the Marquis of Xibo himself was not qualified either. In addition, the Prince of Dai and the others were not in the capital, so they asked the elders of the Xia family to take the Duke to the Marquis of Xibo’s mansion to demand an explanation. The Marquis of Xibo thought they had come to propose marriage, but he did not expect that as soon as he went out to greet them, the head of the Xia family scolded him without showing any mercy.”

What were they doing at the time?

Chu Han asked a question out of the blue, which might have puzzled others, but Shen Cha understood immediately.

"After Uncle Xia and his brother went to see the Marquis of Xibo, Gongsun Yu was kidnapped from the mansion that very night. The next morning, a sack was left at the gate of the Marquis of Xibo's mansion, and Gongsun Yu inside was beaten to the point of near death. However, the person who did it was quite careful, only injuring his skin and flesh, without breaking any bones or tendons. So, he will be fine after a month or two of recuperation."

"Were they the ones who sent them?"

"Yes!" Shen Cha nodded to Chu Han. "Although they were beaten, the Marquis of Xibo's mansion dared not speak out. He was just an idle marquis, powerless and without influence, so he couldn't resist even if he wanted to. In addition, they were in the wrong in this matter. Everyone in the capital knew that they had done something wrong and wanted to get something for nothing. Everyone was condemning them. They had no choice but to reduce their presence and make people forget about them, hoping that as time went by, everyone would go to watch other excitements and forget about this matter."

"Later, when we were about to set off back to the border, Gongsun Yu secretly came to see us off, insisting on seeing Xiao Cha one last time."

"Wasn't he beaten up and recuperating at home?" Xiao Fengqi frowned slightly. "How could he still go to deliver it?"

"He brought a soft chair; he's certainly got the spirit of a disabled person," Jin Miaomiao sneered. "He said he just wanted to ask Xiaocha a question."

"What did you ask?" Qi Zhifeng looked at Shen Cha curiously. "You asked why, even with all the gossip going on, you still won't choose him?"

“Hmm!” Shen Cha nodded. “He thought his plan with his son would succeed, but it failed at the last minute. He wanted to ask me what was wrong with him.” She sighed softly. “To deliver the most fatal blow, I went to see him. Actually, before this meeting, I didn’t have a clear picture of what he looked like at all. So, when I saw the person lying on the soft chair, I was momentarily dazed.”

"It feels very unfamiliar, doesn't it?"

“Unfamiliar and incomprehensible.” Shen Cha spread her hands. “I really don’t understand why he is so persistent after only meeting me once. So, I asked him why he did this, and he said it was because I was the first person in his life who didn’t take him seriously.”