Chapter 90 - 89: His Face Hurts, This Trip Was Not in Vain
Chapter 90: Chapter 89: His Face Hurts, This Trip Was Not in Vain
"..."
A sudden hush fell over the room. Meng Miaoyan’s voice cut off abruptly, as if she had seen a ghost.
Shi Changying stared at Meng Qi’an for three seconds before she remembered. "You’re that—"
"The world is such a beautiful place! How could you make me witness such an outrageous scene?" Meng Qi’an immediately scolded Meng Miaoyan. "They have an invitation, which makes them guests. Why are you blocking their way? Move aside, now!"
With so many outsiders around, Meng Miaoyan felt her face burning with humiliation. "Qi’an, how are you speaking to me?"
Although she was a few years older than Meng Qi’an, according to their generation’s hierarchy, he was her younger cousin. However, aside from Old Madam Meng, the person Meng Miaoyan feared the most was Meng Qi’an’s mother, Meng Jingzhu.
In the previous generation, Meng Jingzhu was the eldest daughter. She had an eccentric and unpredictable personality, and Meng Miaoyan had always made a point of avoiding her.
Meng Qi’an really wanted to say that he was afraid she would get beaten until her teeth fell out, but he had to maintain his own dignity. "Look at yourself! What do you look like, blocking the way like this? Anyone who didn’t know better would think you were a bandit holding up the road. Make way, make way!"
"Aren’t those supposed to be my lines? Why did he steal them?" Xu Shuangqiao wondered.
Meng Qi’an shoved Meng Miaoyan aside and personally ushered Shi Changying and Ming Chengli inside. "Please come in, you two."
Shi Changying patted her pockets, only to realize she was completely broke. She wanted to bestow a royal reward upon him, but it seemed she had nothing to give.
Ming Chengli was still a bit bewildered. "Changying, you... know a Meng Family Member?"
"He’s the school bully you told me about, Dad," Shi Changying said.
"Oh, right. Then he..."
"But he couldn’t even take a single punch from me, so I’m the school bully now."
Ming Chengli fell silent.
With Meng Qi’an stepping in, Meng Miaoyan could only swallow her grievances and resentment. Stomping away in her high heels, she threw out a parting sneer, "My grandmother said it best. People from small towns are infected with bad habits. Nothing but troublemakers come from the boondocks. A pheasant can never become a true phoenix. The higher they try to climb, the harder they’ll fall!"
Xu Shuangqiao’s temper instantly flared. "Meng Miaoyan, say that one more time?"
Meng Miaoyan gave a cold scoff and turned to leave.
Guided by Meng Qi’an, Shi Changying and Ming Chengli took their seats.
Meng Qi’an wiped the sweat from his forehead. Luckily, his dignity remained intact. He cleared his throat. "If you didn’t bring a gift, I can prepare one for you."
Shi Changying glanced at him. "Why should I give a gift?"
Historically, it was always others offering gifts to her—and only the very best at that. She wouldn’t accept anything ugly, nor would she accept anything unpalatable.
"Sigh, my grandmother is old-fashioned and values etiquette above all else," Meng Qi’an said, shaking his head. "Her birthday banquet has to meet certain standards. Even my mom had to prepare a gift."
Shi Changying crossed her arms. "That’s called valuing etiquette? Does she even know what true etiquette is?"
"Then what is etiquette?" Meng Qi’an asked, dizzy with confusion.
Shi Changying said, "Our nation is renowned for its striking etiquette."
Meng Qi’an nodded. "I know that. Teachers and parents have taught me that since I was little."
Shi Changying unhurriedly raised her fist. "Striking etiquette. Which is why we strike them. BAM, BAM, BAM."
Meng Qi’an was speechless.
He wondered if there wasn’t something very wrong with that logic.
Shi Changying raised an eyebrow. "Did you not know that during the Xuan Dynasty, civil servants and military officers were allowed to fight each other in court?"
Meng Qi’an wasn’t great at history—though, to be fair, he was even worse at science. He gaped at her. "R-really?"
"It’s true." This was Ming Chengli’s area of expertise, so he naturally chimed in. "Usually, while the military officers were still trying to reason things out, the civil servants had already thrown the first punch."
"C-could civil servants really beat military officers?" Meng Qi’an asked blankly.
"Don’t underestimate civil servants. Who told you civil servants don’t know martial arts?" Ming Chengli immediately slipped into teacher mode. "The Six Arts of Gentlemen include rites, music, archery, charioteering, calligraphy, and mathematics. The civil servants naturally mastered these as well. Their archery skills were nothing to scoff at."
Shi Changying unhurriedly added, "If they didn’t vent enough of their anger during the morning court session, they would ambush the people they wanted to beat up on their way home."
Meng Qi’an couldn’t help but wrap his clothes tighter around himself. "Y-you... don’t hit me," he stammered in fear.
Shi Changying finally fished an autographed photo out of her pocket. "I won’t hit you. Here is your reward."
Meng Qi’an initially wanted to decline, but the moment he realized it was a photo of Lu Qingyuan, he immediately tucked it away. "Thank you, Senior Sister!"
In high spirits, he hummed a tune as he headed over to sit at the main table.
At six o’clock, the birthday banquet officially began.
Ming Chengli didn’t mind sitting at a table with the younger generation. As this was his first formal public appearance, many people were discreetly sizing him up, already calculating the future political landscape of Jianghuai in their minds.
Housekeeper Meng whispered into Old Madam Meng’s ear, "Old Madam, everything is ready."
Old Madam Meng was very satisfied. "Then let us begin."
The guests had all taken their seats, waiting for the grand event to commence. But right at that moment, Shi Changying stood up.
It was a brief lull in the proceedings, and the hall was incredibly quiet. With everyone else seated, her standing figure stuck out like a sore thumb.
Housekeeper Meng frowned and immediately stepped forward. "Miss, please take your seat. The banquet is about to begin."
"Before the banquet officially starts, I have a matter I would like to seek Old Madam Meng’s guidance on," Shi Changying said unhurriedly.
Her enunciation was clear. Although her voice wasn’t loud, it carried a strong, piercing resonance that echoed across the room.
Old Madam Meng looked displeased, but for the sake of her public image, she refrained from reprimanding her outright. "What is it?" she asked in a deep voice.
"Your granddaughter said that poor people are malicious and only care about clinging to the rich and powerful. She also claimed that those were your words, yet you are clearly someone who values proper etiquette and morality." Shi Changying offered a faint, unreadable smile. "So, I want to ask—is this true? Or is your granddaughter deliberately ruining your reputation out in public?"
"..."
A dead silence fell over the entire banquet hall.
Old Sir Xu and Old Madam Xu were both shocked and furious, though mostly, they felt an overwhelming sense of embarrassment and humiliation. Even though they hadn’t formally introduced Ming Chengli and Shi Changying to the other families yet, who didn’t know they were Xu Family Members?
However, separated by a table, they couldn’t immediately shut Shi Changying up.
Meng Miaoyan leaped to her feet and furiously rebuked her. "What nonsense are you spouting? Did you come here today just to deliberately ruin my grandmother’s birthday banquet?"
Shi Changying didn’t even look at her. She kept her gaze locked straight onto Old Madam Meng, waiting for an answer.
"Utter nonsense!" Old Madam Meng slammed her cane heavily against the floor and shouted, "Throw her out! I never want to see her again!"
That single sentence was essentially a death sentence, sealing off any path Shi Changying might have had in the Jianghuai Circle.
The expressions of Old Sir Xu and Old Madam Xu changed drastically. They were becoming too agitated to sit still, their faces burning with shame. Xu Zhao Yu didn’t say a word, but the amusement in her eyes was overflowing, nearly impossible to conceal.
As soon as Old Madam Meng gave the order, bodyguards stepped forward. However, a shrill voice suddenly rang out, echoing across the entire venue.
"My grandmother said it best. People from small towns are infected with bad habits. Nothing but troublemakers come from the boondocks. A pheasant can never become a true phoenix. The higher they try to climb, the harder they’ll fall!"
Meng Miaoyan’s voice reverberated clearly through the banquet hall, instantly plunging the venue back into a dead silence.
SWISH.
Every single gaze in the room zeroed in on Meng Miaoyan. At that exact moment, applause rang out from outside the doors.
CLAP, CLAP, CLAP.
His voice preceded his arrival. The laughter that accompanied it was laced with a touch of wildness and an overwhelming sense of arrogance.
"The Meng Family has truly treated me to quite the show."
This trip hadn’t been a waste of time for Pei Xuan after all.