Qi Leyun was forcibly restrained by her companions who pressed her down and covered her mouth.
"What are you shouting for?" "You're so embarrassing!"
Though held down, Qi Leyun still fumed, mumbling through the hand over her mouth, "Why her? She doesn't deserve it."
"No," the girl who spoke earlier hurriedly whispered, "Of course not with Young Master Xie the Third. If it were with him, the Liang family would have made sure everyone knew by now."
That was true. Why would the Liang family keep such an honorable matter secret?
Hearing it wasn't Young Master Xie the Third, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and Qi Leyun also calmed down.
"It's one of Young Master Xie the Third's younger brothers," the girl continued, then added, "I'm not entirely sure myself. My maid overheard it somewhere."
Though Qi Leyun had regained her composure, she still grumbled resentfully, "Even so, Liang Qin is incredibly lucky to become part of Young Master Xie the Third's family."
She'd get to see Young Master Xie the Third every day from now on.
Yes, once Liang Qin married, whenever she met them again, she'd surely never stop talking about "my family's Young Master Xie the Third."
How infuriating.
One of the girls giggled. "Don't worry, that won't happen." She looked around mysteriously, with a hint of pride. "Actually, I heard about this too, but what I heard was that the marriage arrangement fell through."
The girls immediately perked up, all eyes on her.
The girl lowered her voice. "They say the Xie family backed out."
Qi Leyun burst into laughter. "Really?"
The other girls joined in the laughter, and more chimed in. "I heard that too." "Didn't A-Qin say a while ago that Chu Zhao beat her up?" "They said she was beaten so badly she couldn't show her face." "Actually, that's not true. She was too ashamed to be seen." "It's because the Xie family looked down on the Liang family." "Of course, it's about Young Master Xie the Third's brother, after all."
Their chattering and laughter grew even more lively than when Young Master Xie the Third had been present—when he was there, who had the leisure to joke and laugh like this?
Though the girls' laughter usually sounded delightful, at this moment, Chu Ke felt as if each laugh cut him like a knife. Everyone must be mocking him.
"I'm going back," he announced, rising to leave. He couldn't stay a moment longer and covered his face with his sleeve. "From now on, let's never see each other again."
The young men suppressed their laughter and tried to dissuade him. "Why never see each other again?" "A-Ke, don't say such things." "Whose family doesn't have a mischievous sister?"
No matter what they said, Chu Ke couldn't stay any longer. Surrounded by his companions, he went downstairs.
Liang Qiang also stood up. A young servant slipped over and called out, "Young Master."
Liang Qiang lingered behind the others and asked quietly, "What were they talking about? Did they mention our Liang family?"
The tavern was unusually crowded today, especially with Young Master Xie the Third present. Given the recent unpleasantness between their families, he had instructed his servants to stay alert, keeping their eyes and ears open.
The servant looked uneasy. "Yes, somehow word got out about Miss A-Qin's rejected marriage proposal."
Liang Qiang frowned and glanced toward the third floor where the girls were gathered. "Were they only talking about A-Qin?"
The servant bowed his head. "They were mocking her."
Such was the way among girls—they envied those who had what they lacked and gloated over others' misfortunes. Since the young lady's marriage proposal had fallen through, the other girls were naturally taking pleasure in it.
Mocking Miss A-Qin was, of course, mocking the Liang family as well.
The servant complained, "I don't know how it leaked out. The Xie family clearly said they wouldn't mention it, as if it never happened."A flicker of resentment crossed Liang Qiang's eyes. "Such matters can hardly be concealed. With so many eyes watching each other in the capital, the slightest stir spreads everywhere. As for the Xie family, they may talk, but they don't necessarily act accordingly—they only speak sweet words. Otherwise, why would they go back on their word and mock our Liang family?"
Lately, nothing had been going smoothly. First, his cousin was humiliated by that girl from the Chu family, then his uncle was reprimanded by His Majesty, and now the Xie family had reneged on their promise. It felt like everyone was kicking them while they were down, and his uncle's official career was likely in jeopardy.
"Who would have thought we'd run into Young Master Xie the Third?" the servant whispered. "Young Master, you should confront him. What kind of gentleman goes back on his word like this?"
Since arriving in the capital, Young Master Xie the Third had neither gone out nor accepted visits. He hadn't even called on the Crown Princess, yet no one could blame him for it.
"Fool," Liang Qiang scolded. "Marriage arrangements are decided by parents and elders. What's the point of confronting Young Master Xie? If he apologizes to me, it would only make our Liang family appear desperate and humiliated."
The servant lowered his head, not daring to say more. "Poor Miss A Qin—how can she show her face now?"
"Why shouldn't she?" Liang Qiang retorted. "Wasn't Miss Chu also ridiculed? How did she handle it?"
She still appeared in public, unafraid of anyone, even more radiant and spirited than the couple of times he'd seen her before.
His gaze drifted toward the second floor, where the girl leaned against the railing, her face serene and strikingly beautiful. He hadn't noticed before how lovely she was.
What a pity, Liang Qiang thought with regret. Miss Chu admired him, but he would never marry her.
It wasn't because of her conflicts with his uncle and cousin, but because the Chu family's standing was declining.
Chu Ling was like the setting sun, Chu Lan amounted to nothing, and Chu Ke was merely average in talent—the Chu family would end with this generation.
He wondered what kind of family Miss Chu would marry into in the future.
After her family's decline, her marriage would likely be wretched.
If he ever encountered her in fallen circumstances after her marriage, he would set aside their families' grievances and extend a helping hand, if only for the admiration and praise she held for him at this moment.
Making this silent vow, Liang Qiang withdrew his gaze and quickened his pace to catch up with his companions.
Though the servant didn't understand why his young master suddenly looked so smug and satisfied, he was relieved that Liang Qiang wasn't angry about the family being mocked. A happy master meant a happier servant, so he hurried after him.
As if following Young Master Xie the Third's departure, the once-bustling tavern suddenly emptied.
Several young men finished their last pot of wine and called to each other, "Let's go, let's go."
They still had official duties to attend to. Although their superiors wouldn't treat them harshly, if they happened upon two higher-ups feuding, they might suffer collateral damage.
"Especially you," they said. "You, with the Xie surname—neither the Yangs nor the Zhaos like you."
The young man hidden under the tablecloth remained motionless, his voice muffled from within. "Since they already dislike me, nothing I do will please them. Why bother? I'm not leaving today. I'll wait until everyone in the tavern is gone before I go."
What madness is this now?
He refused to come earlier, and now that he's here, he won't leave.
……
……
Chu Zhao also prepared to leave.
She and A Le finished the remaining half of their meal, shared another pot of wine, and happily settled the bill.
The waiter, who had been hovering nearby, was equally pleased and personally saw them out. "Miss Chu, feel free to visit often."Chu Zhao thought for a moment, glanced around, and sighed, "We can still come here frequently for a while, but then we won't be able to for a long time."
After the Third Prince and the Crown Prince caused chaos, the capital not only imposed a curfew for an extended period, but many restaurants and teahouses were also closed during the day. With the border unstable and the Xie family rebelling, the capital was nearly overrun. The people were anxious and on edge, and the bustling leisure of this moment would soon vanish.
The shop assistant seemed to understand vaguely but didn't probe further, assuming the girl simply had difficulty going out. After all, she had publicly beaten her cousin so severely—she was bound to be reprimanded, confined, or even sent back to her father afterward.
After the commotion, the shop assistants all knew who this Miss Chu was. Chu Ling, who had been obscure in the capital for years, was suddenly remembered again.
Chu Zhao stood up and went downstairs, and the girls on the third floor noticed immediately, calling out to each other, "She's leaving."
"Let her go," Qi Leyun snorted. "We're leaving too."
Young Master Xie the Third had already left. Having witnessed Chu Zhao's fight and heard about Liang Qin's embarrassing incident, the girls were thoroughly satisfied and eager to return home to share the excitement with their siblings and parents. They all rose to leave.
For a moment, the Elegant Fun House was like a colorful cloud descending, a delightful sight that drew countless gazes from throughout the tavern.
"Some of them are quite pretty."
"Whose young ladies are they?"
The young men sitting inside also joked and teased among themselves, but Xie Yanlai remained motionless, still covered by the tablecloth.
"Yan Lai!" one young man reached out to tug at the cloth. "Your third brother is gone. You don't need to feel ashamed anymore. Why are you still hiding under that?"
Xie Yanlai held onto the tablecloth and said calmly, "My third brother may be gone, but I'm afraid if I reveal my face, everyone else will feel ashamed."
The young men erupted into laughter, some cursing, others kicking him a few times, and the area quickly grew noisy.
The girls were drawn by the commotion and glanced over, but seeing only a few young men joking around, they disdainfully averted their eyes.
With Young Master Xie the Third as the standard, everyone else seemed like coarse gravel and tiles.
They deliberately pushed past Chu Zhao as they made their way out.
"There's plenty of space. Why the shoving?" A Le said angrily, reaching for the wooden club in her basket.
Chu Zhao signaled her to let it be. She neither yielded nor lost her temper, but whenever someone bumped into her, they found themselves unable to move her and were instead pushed aside. Qi Leyun even stumbled, nearly falling if not for her maid's quick support.
Chu Zhao laughed heartily.
"Chu Zhao!" Qi Leyun shouted angrily. "What are you doing?"
Chu Zhao looked at her and smiled. "Watching you make a fool of yourself."
"Me? Make a fool of myself?" Qi Leyun pointed at herself. "Aren't you the one who's embarrassing?"
Chu Zhao replied cheerfully, "I'm not afraid of embarrassment. What about you?"
Looking at her like some country shrew! Qi Leyun was about to retort when Chu Zhao's expression turned cold.
"I'm not afraid of embarrassment, and I'm willing to beat you right here," she said. "If you're not afraid of embarrassment, go ahead and try."
The girl who had been smiling moments ago now looked sharp and stern. Qi Leyun was no stranger to quarrels with her sisters and had heard all sorts of harsh words, but at that moment, she actually took a frightened step back.
It wasn't that she was afraid of fighting or embarrassment—she didn't even know what she was afraid of.
"Miss," her maid, also terrified, grabbed her. "Let's go quickly."The other girls, seeing the situation escalating into a potential fight, feared they would be embarrassed by association and hurried forward to pull Qi Leyun away.
"Let's go, let's go." "Hurry back now." "If you’re late, your parents will scold you. Didn’t you say your father forbade you from opposing Chu Zhao?" "Be careful, or they might not let you leave the house again."
They pulled Qi Leyun away, but this time, their words only targeted Qi Leyun. No one criticized Chu Zhao, nor was there the usual undisguised contempt.
In an instant, all the girls had left, leaving only Chu Zhao and her servant in the entrance hall.
When the girls began shoving earlier, the young men inside who loved excitement cheered excitedly: "They’re fighting!" "That girl is fierce!" "Hey, was she the one they said was fighting upstairs earlier?"
Fights between men and women were nothing special, but a fight among girls—now that was something rare!
"Yan Lai, Yan Lai, get up and look!" someone shook the young man with phoenix eyes.
But as soon as he called out, Xie Yanlai pinned him to the ground with one hand.
With his other hand still holding the tablecloth over his head, Xie Yanlai’s voice came out muffled from behind it: "What are you shouting for? Stop yelling! If you annoy her, she’ll come fight you—won’t you be ashamed?"
The young man on the ground was puzzled: "It’s not like she’d fight anyone who calls out to her."
As the two struggled, the other young men said, "Don’t worry, they’re gone."
The young man on the ground was released, and Xie Yanlai finally lifted the tablecloth to glance toward the door. Sure enough, the girls were no longer there.
He let out a sigh of relief, tossed the tablecloth aside, grabbed a wine jug, shook it, and tilted his head back to drink.
How could he run into her in a city as big as the capital? What a fright!
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