Chapter 147: Weng Ang

Early the next morning, Jiang Xuening heard that there was a fight at the Duke’s Mansion last night.

There were servants everywhere in the aristocratic families, and news spread throughout the entire capital city with even a casual trip for purchases. Eventually, it reached the ears of the masters.

It even reached the palace early in the morning!

Xiao Dingfei had truly offended Xiao Shu with just a few words.

Which young lady from a noble family could tolerate such arrogant words?

In a fit of anger, someone called for help, and they ended up exchanging blows. They hadn’t intended to harm Xiao Dingfei, but this rascal refused to take any losses. After his arrogant remarks, he didn’t even feel like he did anything wrong. 

When the servants tried to hold him down, he kicked them one by one. In the struggle, there were inevitably some minor injuries.

Now, Xiao Dingfei was not having it.

Late at night, he sat on the wall of the courtyard and howled, accusing the Xiao family of not being able to tolerate him and conspiring against him. After his rant, he slipped away and spent the night in the most luxurious brothel in the capital, the Hidden Charm Pavilion. 

Not only did he spend the night cuddling with the fragrant beauties, but he also left a bill, saying that the Duke’s Mansion would settle it later.

He even made the Xiao family pay for a brothel!

Before dawn, Xiao Yuan, who had just managed to sleep off his anger, was awakened by the steward, who had a frightened face. He reported that a brothel owner had come to the mansion demanding payment.

Xiao Yuan hadn’t caught his breath yet. Enraged, he collapsed to the ground!

There was chaos in the mansion.

On one side, they hurriedly sent for a doctor, while on the other side, the palace sent a summons directly, requesting the presence of Xiao Shu and the others —

It turned out that Xiao Dingfei, this troublemaker, had gone straight to the palace from the brothel early in the morning.

He was the one who complained first! He submitted a note to the emperor accusing them of conspiring against him, claiming that Xiao Shu, a mere young lady, dared to incite the servants of the mansion to beat him.

In front of the emperor, he had his clothes removed.

Well, sure enough, there were some bruises and marks, obviously fresh from last night!

Although Shen Lang vaguely understood that the current Xiao Dingfei was no longer the same as before, he was probably a scoundrel by now. But to have caused such trouble just one day after returning, it really made it difficult for him, the emperor, to save face.

Regardless of what he thought privately, Xiao Dingfei was still his lifesaver in public.

Jiang Xuening only shielded him; there was no need to expose him.

Watching this troublemaker start to stir up trouble for the Xiao family, she was delighted. She wished she could bring a plate of melon seeds to the Duke’s Mansion and enjoy the show. 

From the Lunar New Year to the Lantern Festival, she forgot all her troubles and felt very content.

*

On the day of the Lantern Festival, a letter from You Fangyin also arrived from Shu, saying that everything was fine since he arrived in Shu. Except for some local dialects she didn’t quite understand, the villagers were very friendly.

The Zhuotong Well was bustling with activity, and the Ren family’s salt field reopened, employing many laborers. 

Ren Weizhi, being a scholar, was quite attentive to her, although a bit single-mindedly focused on Zhuotong Well, neglecting other matters. Therefore, she helped take care of some social matters.

Everything seemed to be progressing smoothly.

However, after reading the letter, Jiang Xuening furrowed her brow and looked out at the cold, windy weather. In the dry winter weather, one must be careful with fire. All new things and ventures often encounter setbacks in their infancy; rarely do things go smoothly and easily. She hoped Fangyin remembered her advice and watched over Ren Weizhi, advising him not to be too hasty.

Since the incident at the Yongyi Marquis’s Mansion, Jiang Xuenning had sold off most of her shares in the Ren family’s salt field, leaving her with only two thousand shares. Most of the shares in the salt field were probably in Lu Xian’s hands, with a small portion held by You Yue, and the rest scattered among casual investors.

After the Lantern Festival, she would have to return to the palace to continue her studies.

She thought for a moment and instructed Tang’er and Lian’er to prepare a carriage. It was rare to visit the Shuxiang Inn and check on the situation.

Along the way, she inevitably heard about the various achievements Xiao Dingfei had made in recent days—

His methods were always domineering and overbearing. Since everyone in the mansion knew the weight of his words, who would dare not listen to him? So he indulged in luxury, bringing in beautiful women and whatever else he desired.

The Duke’s Mansion, which was originally quite elegant due to its longstanding aristocratic heritage, had become vulgar because of Xiao Dingfei.

He covered everything, from the shabby wooden pillars to the carpet, with a layer of gold. The carpets had to be in bright red, and the screens adorned with peonies. Even the footstools in the sleeping chambers were made of pure gold.

“From now on, I don’t have to mention that I am the heir when I go out.”

He smiled at everyone he met and said, “Don’t doubt it. In fact, everyone in the Xiao family, young and old, are all grandchildren washing the feet in front of the young master!”

Since the silver shares of Ren’s salt field were listed in the inn, Shuxiang Inn has become a frequent place for merchants. And because there is a glass factory nearby, there are often scholars and students rushing to the capital passing by. The inn became lively with many people, and passing scholars naturally liked to stay there.

Scholars prefer discussing politics over merchants.

There have been too many incidents happening in the capital recently. When Jiang Xuening was led into the elegant room upstairs by the shop assistant, she heard several tables downstairs discussing.

“I think this crown prince must be involved in all sorts of indulgences like eating, drinking, gambling, and whoring. It doesn’t seem like something good. It’s pitiful that the Xiao family has been so troubled. It’s clear that Heaven has eyes. Their past arrogance and domineering behavior finally invited worse consequences.”

“This statement is misleading.”

“Yeah, how could it be so simple on the surface? Have you ever thought about how favored the Xiao family used to be? The Marquis of Yongyi’s mansion has fallen, and they are also the maternal family of the former duchess. Logically speaking, the Emperor should protect them. But this time, not only did he not protect them, he even slapped their faces. I think, the Emperor’s mind is unpredictable. It’s just that the Xiao family might be in trouble. The Emperor is just using this crown prince to give them a lesson.”

This statement surprised everyone present.

Even Jiang Xuening, who was about to step onto the stairs, couldn’t help but pause and look in the direction of the speaker with suspicion.

He was a scholar in a long robe.

Judging by his appearance, he was undoubtedly a scholar. He had a decent appearance, but the two raised eyebrows showed a somewhat unrestrained and free-spirited demeanor. While others were drinking tea, he was drinking wine. It was unclear if he had drunk too much, but he seemed a bit reckless, with a sense of arrogance and disregard for others.

The people nearby were startled and couldn’t help but look around, lowering their voices to advise him, “Brother Qi, you can drink as much as you want, but you can’t speak recklessly. You’re drunk!”

The scholar pushed him away. “I’m very sober!”

He smiled and took another sip of wine, raising his hand as if to give some advice and preach, saying, “Look at all of you, look at the court! What a bunch of useless people! The Xiao family meticulously orchestrated the downfall of the Marquis of Yongyi’s mansion, causing the border to be unguarded and unable to resist the invasion of the Tatars. Now that the Tatar envoy has come to the capital, they even want to marry off a daughter to secure peace for the court! It’s truly admirable and well done! The Emperor is really willing to sacrifice his sister. According to me, whoever causes trouble should fix it, so why not just send out the daughter of the Xiao family for marriage? Her status is noble enough, and her appearance is good enough. I’m sure the Tatars would be satisfied!”

The more he spoke, the more frightening it became.

The people nearby couldn’t bear to stay any longer, fearing that disaster would come from his words. They hurriedly covered his mouth and apologized, pulling him out in a hurry.

The inn suddenly buzzed with discussions.

Jiang Xuening’s eyes flashed with a hint of light, her brows furrowing slightly. Upon careful consideration, she suddenly felt that the name “Weng Qifan” seemed vaguely familiar, as if she had heard it somewhere before. She smiled and gently asked the shop assistant beside her, “Who was the one speaking downstairs just now?”

The shop assistant responded with an “oh,” obviously knowing who he was talking about.

As he led Jiang Xuening courteously, he smiled and said, “Although he often appears drunk, he’s actually a scholar from Hubei, named Weng Ang. Everyone calls him ‘Weng Qifan.’ He’s very talented.”

Weng Ang?

Jiang Xuening’s expression suddenly became somewhat strange. She finally remembered where she had heard this name before—

Wasn’t he the unlucky second place official from the previous life?

He was clearly ranked high in the imperial examination, but he got into a dispute with someone after drinking too much the day before the announcement of the results and was accidentally beaten to death by several ruffians. The news shocked the entire capital city, and while lamenting, everyone regarded it as a strange tale.

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