You expect me to serve your mistress? The mistress is driving this scumbag and his entire family cra

Chapter 9 This city lord is a fake.

The man in red grinned and said, "Isn't she just the daughter of the Tong family? If you used the same methods you used to bully us weaklings back in Yuhua Mountain, you wouldn't be sitting here sulking."

Liang Jiang rolled her eyes: "I have to give my mother an explanation so that she won't have to force me to get married or stop me from doing what I want to do in the future."

The man in red thumped his chest loudly: "Then I'll take care of that bloodstained reputation. At the banquet later, I'll make sure Fang Chengxu is utterly disgraced."

"A grown man pretending to be a woman, isn't he ashamed?"

Gu Xizhi glanced at the man in red a couple of times. He had a feminine appearance, a fair complexion like a peach blossom, and a free and unrestrained manner. He seemed somewhat familiar.

This woman, with a complexion as fair as spring dawn and a delicate beauty like peach blossoms, must be Fang Chengxu's wife.

Unexpectedly, there's always someone better. Judging from her moves, her martial arts skills are no less than Fang Chengxu's. I wonder what her background is.

Just as he was about to listen again, footsteps sounded in the front yard, and someone knocked on the door. He quickly concealed himself and returned to the front yard.

The person who came was a servant from the Fang family. He reported through the door, "Madam, most of the guests have arrived. The old lady would like you to go to the front yard and greet the ladies."

Liang Jiang responded indifferently, lazily got up, and warned the man in red in a low voice: "Lu Xingzhan, if you have nothing to do, get the hell away from me. Don't let me see you at the banquet later."

Lu Xingzhan grinned and said, "You really don't know what's good for you. I only borrowed your city lord's name, didn't I? I won't beat him up. We gentlemen use words, not fists."

When Master Gu returned to the front yard, Deputy General He was still waiting in the pavilion, chatting casually with a man who looked like a local gentry. Upon seeing him, he immediately rose respectfully to greet him.

Third Master Gu said calmly, "I have important matters to attend to, so I will not linger any longer and will take my leave first."

"Didn't you want to meet that legendary city lord?"

"This city lord is a fake, just an imposter. It's better not to meet him."

"fake?"

“That’s right, the real lord of Fucheng should be a woman.”

Deputy General He dared not ask further where he had just gone or how he had found out: "Then I will go with you."

Master Gu shook his head: "Since you're already here, you might as well stay and watch a good show."

"What's the show?"

"Fang Chengxu wants to divorce his wife and marry another. Today's banquet is not what it seems."

Deputy General He was not surprised: "I heard that Fang Chengxu's wife has been restless all year and has been having an affair. She is even using her position as the head of the household to support a lover outside the home."

When Fang Chengxu returned from battle, their first time consummating their marriage resulted in no bleeding, causing a huge uproar throughout Fucheng. No man could swallow such an insult, and divorce was inevitable.

Master Gu was not interested in these dark affairs of the household. He had just witnessed the true face of the "adulterer" and said indifferently, "The two are just like the pot calling the kettle black. One is not content with his wife, and the other wants to divorce his wife and marry someone else to climb the social ladder."

"Climb the social ladder to climb the social ladder?"

"Yes, Fang Chengxu is going to marry Tong Shouliang's daughter."

"Ah?" Deputy General He suddenly realized, and muttered to himself, "No wonder General Tong looked at Fang Chengxu with such admiration for no apparent reason, so that's why."

Master Gu recalled the woman who was as beautiful as a plum blossom in the snow: "Do you know who Fang Chengxu's first wife is?"

"After returning to my hometown, my wife mentioned that they were a mother and daughter from another town who came to Fucheng. The mother had an eye disease and rarely went out. They were quite wealthy, but I didn't know their origins or have ever met them."

"It sounds like it's coming from Yuhua Mountain."

"Yuhua Mountain? Is it the Yuhua Mountain where the two sages of literature and martial arts lived in seclusion?"

Master Gu nodded.

Deputy General He was immediately excited: "Those who can enter Yuhua Mountain are the best in Chang'an in terms of talent, family background and character. This Madam Fang, whom we have never met before, is actually very talented!"
"If I happen to see them later, I'd like to inquire with this Madam Fang whether she knows the whereabouts of my young princess and madam." "Vice General He is very kind. I had almost forgotten; Madam Liang and the young princess both studied martial arts at Yuhua Mountain. But weren't they tragically killed by the Xiliang people two years ago?"

Lieutenant General He looked sorrowful: "I still find it hard to believe that those two disfigured corpses were really the Lady and the Princess. I still cling to this delusion."

Third Master Gu comforted him, saying, "For the sake of the Duke of Liang, you have endured hardship and confinement in Xiliang Pass for the past two years, which shows your loyalty and righteousness. Let's not dwell on this matter; I'll take my leave first."

"This humble general sees you off."

As the two were about to leave the mansion, they happened to run into Fang Chengxu and his group.

Surrounded by everyone like stars around the moon, the man in red from before, Lu Xingzhan, was the one in the center.

This man certainly has some nerve; he dares to impersonate the city lord and act so arrogantly at the Fang family's residence, all while remaining so composed.

Third Master Gu sneered inwardly, but did not expose him. He stepped forward to say goodbye to Fang Chengxu and was about to leave.

Before she could even turn around, the man in red suddenly called out to her.

"Please wait a moment, sir."

Third Master Gu paused in his tracks: "What is it?"

Lu Xingzhan looked him up and down, a look of suspicion on his face: "This brother looks very familiar, it seems like I've seen him somewhere before."

Third Master Gu said calmly, "Is that so? This is my first time in Fucheng. You must have mistaken me for someone else."

Lu Xingzhan's peach blossom eyes suddenly lit up, as if he had remembered something, and he stepped forward to put his arm around Third Master Gu's shoulder in a familiar manner.

"Meeting is fate, so let's make the best of it. Why not share a drink and become acquainted?"

Third Master Gu subtly shifted his feet, avoiding Lu Xingzhan's arm without making a sound: "I have other matters to attend to today, so please excuse me."

Lu Xingzhan's arm missed its mark, but he didn't seem to mind at all. He raised an eyebrow and said mockingly, "You must have a bad memory. Perhaps you don't recognize me. I've admired you for a long time. Why won't you do me the honor?"

Fang Chengxu, standing to the side, hurriedly introduced, "This distinguished guest is the famous city lord of Fucheng."

Don't be ungrateful.

Master Gu looked at Lu Xingzhan suspiciously, but found him increasingly familiar. With a thought, he said, "Then please."

Lu Xingzhan waved his hand to signal, took a step back, and entered the banquet hall one after the other with Third Master Gu.

Fang Chengxu lowered his voice and asked Deputy General He, "Your fellow townsman seems to be someone of great importance; the city lord treats him quite politely."

Deputy General He downplayed the issue, saying, "Third Master Gu has friends all over the world."

Seeing that he didn't want to say more, Fang Chengxu stopped asking and diligently arranged the banquet, fearing that he might neglect Lu Xingzhan.

After exchanging a few polite words with Master Gu, Lu Xingzhan unceremoniously took the seat of honor at the head of the table, while Vice General He and Master Gu sat in the guest of honor seats. The local gentry and the elders of the Fang and Liang families sat at the lower seats, showering them with flattery.

A separate banquet was held in the inner room, where Liang Jiang and Old Madam Fang accompanied several female relatives of the clan. On the surface, things were peaceful, but undercurrents were swirling.

After several rounds of drinks and several dishes, everyone was slightly tipsy.

Lu Xingzhan and Master Gu raised their glasses frequently, each harboring their own thoughts, yet both tacitly understanding each other, waiting for the show to unfold.

Sure enough, the Fang family soon lost their composure, and there was a noisy commotion in the courtyard.

"I've said it so many times, I didn't steal it. If anyone doesn't believe me, just go ask the young mistress!"

(End of this chapter)