Chapter 533: The Wu Family Causes Trouble
Chapter 533: Chapter 533: The Wu Family Causes Trouble
Wu Ke, smug and triumphant, spoke with even more relish.
"I just had to sweet-talk her a bit, use a few tricks, and she naively thought I was the perfect husband for her. Let me tell you, brothers, you don’t have to be careful at all when dealing with a stupid, rich young lady like that."
"I bought a gemstone bracelet from a street stall, spun her a story, and she actually believed it was a family heirloom from my mother. She treasures it, wearing it on her wrist every single day. The truth is, it’s not even as expensive as a single one of the pearls I bought for Hong Ying!"
A cloying voice immediately chimed in. "Oh, stop it. Mr. Wu treats me the best."
A curvaceous woman from the brothel rubbed against Wu Ke, fawning over him completely.
Wu Ke laughed lewdly and immediately tossed her a piece of gold from inside his robes.
"I heard you all talking about how arrogant Ye Shangyi is, so I thought she’d be a tough nut to crack. But after getting to know her, I found out she’s just stupid and dense. An easy mark."
"So what if she has a bad temper? I’ll just humor her for now. Once I marry her, everything will be on my terms. I’ll make her pop out a few kids for me, and even if I lay a hand on her, she won’t dare tattle to Grand Tutor Ye. You believe that, don’t you?"
His words were vile, but the young masters fawning over him only laughed louder.
"Leave it to Brother Wu, a master with the ladies, to have such skills!"
"But once you’ve boarded the great ship that is the Ye Family, you’ll have to give us a leg up in the future, Brother Wu."
Wu Ke waved his hand expansively as he drank the fine wine Hong Ying held to his lips.
He chuckled. "Relax. I’ll take care of everything for you. Let’s be real, you’ve all been my brothers for years. Would I ever treat you poorly?"
"Forget giving you a leg up—I’ll even let you touch Ye Shangyi’s hand on our wedding night, no problem. She’s the legitimate granddaughter raised by the Imperial Tutor, after all. A world apart from a brothel girl like Hong Ying."
Hong Ying didn’t dare to show any anger, only pouting coquettishly. "You’re terrible!"
The room erupted in laughter.
Just then, with a loud BANG, someone kicked the door in.
Everyone looked over to see a man standing in the doorway. He was tall and strikingly handsome, but his features were set like stone, and his entire being radiated a cold, grim aura.
"Who the hell are you?" someone hollered.
Wu Ke had drunk too much to see clearly, but the figure looked vaguely familiar.
He squinted, trying to get a better look.
Xu Jingxi stepped inside and saw a total of seven young masters, including Wu Ke.
Each one held a disheveled woman from the brothel in his arms.
The scene was one of utter debauchery.
And in a place like this, Wu Ke was shamelessly making a joke of Ye Shangyi’s reputation.
Xu Jingxi’s lips thinned into a hard line, his jaw clenched.
He said nothing. His hand closed around a nearby slender-necked porcelain vase as he strode toward Wu Ke.
Only when he drew near did Wu Ke finally recognize him. "Third Young Master Xie?"
Everyone froze. "Xie Mingyuan?" That was the name Xu Jingxi had been given in the Xie Clan Genealogy.
Before they could react, the porcelain vase in Xu Jingxi’s hand came crashing down on Wu Ke’s head with a sickening THUD.
With a loud CRASH, the vase shattered, and blood began to pour from Wu Ke’s head.
The room instantly filled with the terrified screams of the women, who fled as if their lives depended on it.
The searing pain shocked Wu Ke back to his senses.
He clutched his head and looked down to see his palm covered in blood.
"Xu Jingxi, you dare hit me? Are you fucking crazy!"
The words had barely left his mouth when Xu Jingxi’s fist sent him sprawling to the floor.
The onlookers were dumbfounded.
They could only watch as Xu Jingxi grabbed him by the collar and punched him again.
"Scum," he snarled.
Wu Ke howled in pain, growing frantic. "What are you all gawking at? Kill him for me!"
Who would dare lay a hand on someone from the Xie family?
The group of young masters hesitated, but then Wu Ke roared, "If you don’t kill him, I’ll go home and have my parents ruin you!"
Anyone familiar with Mrs. Wu knew that while she appeared gentle, she was in fact a venomous woman. Mr. Wu was even more vindictive, known for seeking revenge over the smallest slight.
It was no wonder they had a son like Wu Ke.
They immediately rushed forward to grab Xu Jingxi, but they hadn’t expected him to know how to fight.
The brawl began.
Xie Ming’an waited for what felt like an eternity, but Xu Jingxi still hadn’t returned.
Then, he saw a woman from the brothel rush past the doorway, shouting, "Quick, get the Madam! A fight’s broken out in a private room at the Nine-story Building!"
Xie Ming’an smiled at the three officials. "I’m going to go have a look. It’s my third brother’s first time at a brothel; he’s probably gotten lost."
Once outside, he followed the clamor of voices.
A crowd of onlookers had already gathered outside the Nine-story Building.
"My goodness, are all those men ganging up on one person?"
"I heard he’s the one who threw the first punch."
The crowd buzzed with discussion.
Xie Ming’an frowned. Through a gap in the crowd, he thought he saw a glimpse of Xu Jingxi’s robes.
Xie Ming’an quickly pushed his way through the crowd.
He found Wu Ke straddling Xu Jingxi, with others pinning Xu Jingxi’s arms down. Wu Ke held a sharp shard of porcelain, poised to smash it into his face.
Xie Ming’an’s face changed in an instant. He charged in and sent Wu Ke flying with a kick from behind.
Wu Ke crashed into a man-sized vase, which toppled over and shattered all over him with a deafening CRASH.
Xie Ming’an paid him no mind, instead pulling Xu Jingxi to his feet.
He saw at once that Xu Jingxi had a bruised lip and his hair crown was askew.
Xie Ming’an was furious. "You tired of living? How dare you hit my third brother!"
"Second Brother, stay out of this."
"They hit you, which makes it my business!"
He grabbed a stool from a table, and Xu Jingxi pulled out a nearby candlestick. The two brothers, side by side, jumped back into the fray.
The Madam jumped about anxiously. "Stop fighting! Goodness me! You’re all prominent figures! What is the meaning of this?"
「One hour later.」
Most of the people in the brothel had been sent away.
Wu Ke and his cronies had been beaten and chased off. As he left, Wu Ke clutched his head and spat a threat, "I’ll get you for this, Xie Mingyuan!"
In the main hall, Xu Jingxi was applying some of the brothel’s medicinal salve to the back of Xie Ming’an’s hand.
"HISS!" Xie Ming’an winced in pain. "Third Brother, you should be looking at your own injuries. I just got a scrape, but you’ve got a cut on your eyebrow and a bruised lip."
Xie Ming’an felt a headache coming on. He was the one who had brought his third brother here, and now he was injured. ’How am I going to explain this to Second Uncle when we get home?’
The three officials stood nearby, sighing.
"Third Young Master Xie, why did you have to fight with those dandies? Their futures are nothing compared to yours. But now that you’ve been in a brawl, I’m afraid someone will use it to impeach you before the autumn examinations. Fighting in a brothel... it’s just too reckless."
Xu Jingxi’s expression was calm. "I take full responsibility for my actions."
Shaking their heads, the three officials took their leave.
Xie Ming’an patted Xu Jingxi’s arm.
"Don’t worry. Whatever trouble comes, my father can handle it. What’s the point of him being the Prime Minister otherwise?"
Xu Jingxi managed a slight smile. "Second Brother, is that how Uncle’s power is supposed to be used? I was impulsive, I admit. But Wu Ke deserved it. If I had to do it all over again, I still would."
Xie Ming’an asked, "You still haven’t told me what he did to set you off."
Xu Jingxi’s eyes darkened. He had no intention of revealing how Wu Ke had insulted Ye Shangyi, lest he anger the rest of his family.
Just then, the Madam ran in, frantic. "This is terrible! Mr. Xie, you have to leave, quickly! Mrs. Wu is here with a group of thugs looking for you!"
Her words had barely faded when a woman dripping with pearls and jewels swept through the doorway.
The woman’s expression was sharp and cruel. "Who was it that split my son’s head open? Show yourself!"
Xie Ming’an frowned and was about to step forward to reason with her, but Xu Jingxi held him back.
Mrs. Wu saw Xu Jingxi but didn’t recognize him as any major figure in the Capital City.
"So it was you? My son is bleeding from a cracked skull because of you. You can tell me yourself: will you offer up one of your hands as an apology, or shall I have the government parade you through the streets in shame!"
Such arrogance.