Chapter 500: You Must Host a Banquet and Apologize to Me
Chapter 500: Chapter 500: You Must Host a Banquet and Apologize to Me
Shen Ningning patted the back of her hand reassuringly.
"Sister Jiang, don’t you worry. Once she gets back, Mrs. Zhang will realize it was all a misunderstanding, and Lady Shu will be sure to teach Su Zhirou a lesson."
Even so, Jiang Zhi was still worried.
She was afraid of causing trouble for Chen Shaobei.
Mo Lingwei leaned against the doorframe. Although his attitude toward Jiang Zhi was still somewhat cold, it was no longer as confrontational as before.
"You can rest assured. From what I know of Chen Shaobei, he wouldn’t have let you stay in the barracks if he wasn’t confident he could handle it."
Hearing even Mo Lingwei say this, Jiang Zhi could only nod lightly.
Jiang Zhi hurried back to the military camp, while Shen Ningning and Mo Lingwei also left early.
On the way home, Mo Lingwei glanced at the young woman beside him, the corners of his lips hinting at a faint smile.
"Why didn’t you tell me sooner that Jiang Zhi was a woman?"
"I promised Sister Jiang I would help her hide her identity."
After Shen Ningning spoke, she noticed Mo Lingwei’s smile and tilted her head, a little puzzled.
"Big Brother, what are you so happy about?"
"Nothing," Mo Lingwei denied flatly. He then raised an eyebrow and asked, "Will you one day tell me that Lu Shaoyuan is also a woman?"
Shen Ningning didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "That definitely won’t happen. He’s the genuine article, a real man."
Hearing the phrase "the genuine article," Mo Lingwei’s smiling face instantly darkened.
She saw him press his thin lips together, a chill churning in his sharp eyes.
Shen Ningning blinked her innocent eyes. "What’s wrong? Did I say something wrong? He really is a man!"
Mo Lingwei gritted his teeth. "You— Never mind."
He crossed his arms and looked out the carriage window, clearly annoyed with Shen Ningning.
When they had dropped the young woman back at the Xie Mansion, Mo Lingwei couldn’t help but add, "Shen Ningning, you’re a young lady, after all. You shouldn’t be throwing around phrases like ’the genuine article.’ You’re not that close with him. I don’t like hearing it."
With that, he dropped the carriage curtain. "We’re leaving."
The carriage rumbled away.
Shen Ningning was left standing there, blinking her long lashes in confusion.
"’The genuine article...’" she muttered to herself. ’How is that intimate or suggestive? Big Brother is so strange!’
「Su Mansion.」
In the main hall, Lady Shu sat in a chair, her expression stern and imposing.
Su Zhirou knelt on a cushion before her, a pitiful look on her face.
"Mother, please don’t be angry. I know I was wrong."
"Zhirou, oh, Zhirou. I hired the best tutors to teach you about propriety and decorum. How could you go around gossiping about another family’s private affairs?"
Lady Shu said, shaking her head, "You truly disappoint me."
Su Zhirou grew anxious. "Mother! Why don’t you believe me? I really did see... Vice General Zhang in close contact with a woman."
She didn’t expose Chen Shaobei because his official rank was even higher than Vice General Zhang’s.
If today’s fiasco had involved mistakenly accusing Chen Shaobei, the scandal would have been even greater.
Su Zhirou was afraid that if she mentioned it, Lady Shu would become completely furious.
However, Lady Shu’s expression was already dark.
"Whether it’s true or not, that is a matter between a husband and wife. What does it have to do with you?"
"You are no relation to Mrs. Zhang, yet you eagerly ran to someone else’s home to stir up trouble. If it had been true, that would be one thing. But since it was false, like now, how do you expect Mrs. Zhang and Vice General Zhang to face the city-wide gossip?"
Su Zhirou trembled and stammered, "City-wide gossip? How could it be that serious? Besides, it’s not like they were caught, right?"
"You!" Lady Shu pointed at her, then abruptly flicked her sleeve and pressed her fingers to her brow in utter exasperation.
She heaved a long sigh. "In a few days, I will send you back to Shu State. There are better etiquette nannies there to properly instruct you."
Su Zhirou shuddered. "Mother! You’re sending me away from the Capital City?"
"What else? Should I let you stay in the Capital City and continue to make a fool of yourself? Shu State is also very good. There are more connections there to help you cultivate your prospects, and there are prominent families who could provide an excellent marriage match for you."
The moment Lady Shu finished speaking, Su Zhirou shot to her feet.
With tears in her eyes, she said furiously, "I won’t go! Mother, I see it now. You’ve never treated me as your own daughter, only as a burden."
"Now that I’ve made one mistake, you’re in a hurry to send me away. But I won’t go! I won’t leave the Capital City!"
With that, Su Zhirou gathered her skirts, wiped her tears, and ran out.
Lady Shu hadn’t expected the girl to have such a temper.
She was even more disappointed.
All these years, she had treated Su Zhirou well, raising her as if she were her own flesh and blood.
Why hadn’t it earned her even a shred of understanding?
「That night.」
The hot-tempered Vice General Zhang caused a scene right at the entrance of the Su Mansion.
No matter how Mrs. Zhang tried to pull him away, he refused to leave.
He stood outside shouting, demanding an explanation.
"Young Lady of the Su Family, if you have any guts, come out and face me! We’ve never even met, so why on earth are you spreading rumors about me? What are you trying to achieve!"
Mrs. Zhang tugged at him a couple of times. "Alright, let’s go. We can talk at home. I already told you it was a misunderstanding."
Vice General Zhang was a tall, sturdy man with a full black beard.
When he glared, he had the imposing aura of a military general.
"A misunderstanding? A misunderstanding she described in such vivid detail? When have I ever offended her Su Family! I don’t care. If I don’t get an explanation today, I’ll take this all the way to the Emperor and let him be the judge!"
"We were living our lives peacefully! I’m out there defending our country, and someone has the gall to try and turn my wife against me! This is outrageous! Young Lady of the Su Family, get out here! Explain yourself!"
His voice was so loud that several prominent figures in the alley poked their heads out to see what was going on.
Mrs. Zhang, at a complete loss, could only get back into the carriage to wait for him.
Su Zhirou hid in her room. When her maid told her Vice General Zhang had come looking for trouble, she was so scared she pulled the blanket over her head.
"I’m not seeing him. It’s so late, I’m about to go to sleep. Let him shout. He’s the one making a fool of himself anyway."
The maid had no choice but to go and disturb Lady Shu.
Finally, the main gates of the Su Mansion opened, and Lady Shu emerged, dressed in simple clothes, followed by two servants carrying lanterns.
Vice General Zhang glanced angrily behind her. "Where is that nonsense-spouting young lady of yours? Tell her to come out and see me! I’ll only discuss this matter with her, I don’t care what anyone else says."
Lady Shu sighed. "Vice General Zhang, this is my failure. I did not raise my daughter well, allowing her to spread nonsense outside without confirming the facts. She already knows she was wrong. How about I have her visit your home to apologize on another day?"
Vice General Zhang’s face was red with anger.
"Lady Shu, I know you are a kind person, but this young lady of yours is infuriating! Why would she try to sow discord between my wife and me for no reason? I’ve never done anything to offend her!"
Lady Shu was such a noble person, born into wealth and privilege since birth.
Never before had she been lectured to her face like this, all for the sake of an adopted daughter.
Her pride wounded, she could only nod glumly. "You are right."
Vice General Zhang didn’t want to make the scene too ugly either.
After all, although Lady Shu was no longer a Princess Consort, she was still well looked after by the Crown Prince.
He could also see that Su Zhirou didn’t dare to come out.
So, he raised his voice and declared, "Her apology to me alone is not enough to clear my name! How about this: you will host a banquet, and in front of all the guests, she will clarify that she made a mistake and that this matter has nothing to do with me. Lady Shu, that is my only demand!"
Lady Shu’s brows furrowed slightly.
She glanced at Vice General Zhang and finally nodded. "Very well."
Seeing her agree, Mrs. Zhang, who was sitting in the carriage, lifted the curtain and called out, "That’s enough. Quit while you’re ahead. Why make things difficult for Lady Shu?"
Vice General Zhang naturally understood this as well.
Before leaving, he directed one last curse at the mansion: "These days, you even have to be careful when adopting children, lest you raise an ungrateful wretch who only knows how to hide in her shell like a turtle after causing trouble, leaving her elders to clean up the mess. What kind of upbringing is that! Hmph."
The Zhang family’s carriage departed.
Lady Shu stood at the entrance, the two lanterns under the plaque swaying back and forth. She let out a soft sigh.
The housekeeper asked with concern, "My Lady, should we inform the Crown Prince?"
After all, for the Su Family, with their reputation, to have to host a banquet to apologize was a complete slap in the face.
If the Crown Prince were to intervene, it certainly wouldn’t be this troublesome.
But Lady Shu shook her head. "It is only right to host a banquet to clarify this matter. Vice General Zhang is correct. Zhirou needs to learn a lesson."
Su Zhirou later heard from her maid about everything that had happened outside.
She gritted her teeth in fury under the blankets.
’Lady Shu actually didn’t take my side? And she’s going to make me apologize in front of all the princes and nobles of the Capital City?!’
’I will find proof that Chen Shaobei is keeping a beautiful concubine. I’ll make them all see that I did nothing wrong!’