Chapter 151: Hello Chang’an
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Chapter 151: The Castration Room's In-charge's Reincarnation (Monthly Votes Needed)
Chang Suining followed Cui Lang's gaze and looked outside.
Among the officials who accompanied them, many above the second rank had their own separate courtyards, though their residences were close to each other. The courtyard in front of them was where the Ming family was staying.
"Not looking good…" Chang Suining also showed a trace of concern.
If it's not looking good, then it's really quite wonderful.
Yao Yi, still not fully understanding the horse race incident, raised an eyebrow and nervously asked Chang Suining, "…Did they have another fight?"
Weren’t they just talking about how the injury was caused by handling the horse?
"This time, it’s not my sister’s doing." Chang Sui'an explained for her sister, "The Ming heir fell off his horse, and then the horse that stomped on him was Chang Miao’s!"
Yao Yi looked at the girl with doubt—could it really be that simple?
Chang Suining looked at him with a "It’s really that simple" expression.
Yao Yi decided to suppress his unease.
Whether it was that simple or not, even if it was somehow related to her, being able to hurt someone and not get caught was a skill in itself.
One can only achieve as much as their capabilities allow, and this was something he acknowledged.
But still… how capable could she be?
Deep inside, Yao Yi harbored a sense of quiet observation, his eyes mixed with hesitation and an indescribable sense of expectation.
"Exactly, this time it’s family fighting family." Cui Lang, ever the one to enjoy drama, leaned out and peered outside, "There’ll be more fun to watch later."
Inside the courtyard where the Ming family resided, Marquis Ying sat in the hall, his expression as still as water. The young servant kneeling in the hall had just recounted the events of the horse race.
Marquis Ying’s wife, Madam Ming, frowned deeply, glancing towards the inner room from time to time.
Several doctors had been called, but their prognosis was grim. As soon as Ming Jin heard this, he flew into a rage, throwing anything within reach and kicking everyone out. Now, only a senior imperial doctor was left inside.
The other two young men from the Marquis's household, one around fifteen or sixteen, and the other about seventeen or eighteen, both stood quietly, their heads lowered. As they were born of concubines, they usually held little standing before Ming Jin. Today, however, they seemed to have some inkling of what was going on inside and dared not speak, their faces filled with worry and uncertainty. What they were really thinking, however, was anyone’s guess.
"…Where is Chang Miao!"
A roar of fury came from within the inner room: "Get him in here!"
"I’ll kill him!"
Hearing this, Chang Miao, who had been waiting with his mother, turned pale. He immediately dropped to his knees before Marquis Ying and his wife.
"Uncle, Aunt… I really didn’t mean it!"
Madam Chang followed suit, kneeling and crying as she hit her son. "How could you be so blind? It was just a horse ride, how could you harm your cousin like this!"
"If Ah Shen’s leg ends up with any lasting damage, I’ll make your father break your own leg as punishment!"
Chang Miao’s pupils contracted—did his mother even know which leg his cousin had injured? How could she make such promises? Any form of compensation would only make things worse!
Madam Chang continued to cry and beat her son.
Her position as a second wife was already weak, and she knew full well that the reason her family had risen to their current status was due to their alliance with the Ming family.
During the national Polo match, her son, Chang Miao, was stripped of his student status, and both mother and son had already caused her husband, Chang Tongchun, to grow distant. If the Ming family blamed them for injuring their heir, their lives would be even harder.
The more Madam Chang thought about it, the more emotional she became, "…How did I give birth to such a disaster!"
She had wanted her son to get closer to his cousin to strengthen their relationship, but instead, he had escalated things to the point of enmity!
Chang Miao, feeling increasingly rebellious, muttered, "…I didn’t do it on purpose. If anyone should be blamed, it’s Chang Sui’an. If it weren’t for him racing with my cousin, my cousin wouldn’t have fallen off the horse! I couldn’t pull the reins in time and accidentally hurt my cousin!"
He added with grievance, "I was also injured while trying to save him!"
The blood on his face was proof of that, though it was mostly just nosebleed—the young servant had tried several times to wipe it off, but he had refused, not wanting to lose the chance to garner sympathy.
Chang shi’s eyes grew cold.
Chang Sui’an…
It was the Chang family again!
Madam Chang knew full well her son’s character—he was indeed domineering, but in the end, he was still a Ming by name.
To put it bluntly, even if her son slapped someone in the street, even if he was at fault, the other party should bear it quietly!
Yes, it was unfair, but that was the reality of the world and the nature of imperial power. Where was the justice in that?
Living in this world, one had to accept the harsh reality of its injustices.
But these people from the Chang family didn’t seem to understand their place. They were utterly oblivious, daring to show such disrespect to the Marquis Ying’s household!
The last time at the Dengtai Tower, Chang Suining had managed to escape disaster… but these Chang siblings were completely unrepentant!
Now, Ming Shen had been injured. While they claimed it had nothing to do with the Chang siblings, how could someone simply fall off a horse like that during a race? It was highly likely that the Chang family had meddled with things in secret, but had gone undetected.
Just like in this world where there’s little justice, there couldn’t possibly be so many coincidences!
"Enough, stop crying." Chang Shi interrupted the increasingly annoying sobs of her sister-in-law, "Take Miao’er and go back."
There was no point in punishing a relative from her family now—it would only make them a laughing stock!
"Yes…" Madam Chang with her maternal name Zhan Shi, wiped her tears and glanced towards the inner room. Ming Jin had not spoken a word for a while, and Zhan Shi wasn’t sure if he had lost consciousness from the pain. The silence made her feel even more uneasy. "We’ll come back later to check on the heir."
As mother and son from the Chang family left, the hall fell silent.
This silence was only broken when the imperial physician came out from the inner room.
"How is my son’s condition?" Marquis Ying asked urgently.
"The young lord’s external kidney sacs have been irreparably damaged…" The physician’s answer, though tactful, caused the people in the hall to change color.
The two illegitimate sons exchanged glances—did this mean both of them were… completely destroyed?!
It was rumored that eunuchs had their kidneys removed in the palace, so could it be that the horse that had stomped on their eldest brother was somehow linked to a castration specialist from the eunuch quarters?!
Chang Shi felt a rush of blackness before her eyes.
Marquis Ying, still unwilling to give up, asked, "Will this affect his ability to have children?"
The physician’s expression grew even more complicated.
The question… was difficult.
"As for descendants… it will be quite difficult." The physician could only respond. "For now, he must rest and recuperate for a period. After a month of medication, we will know the effects."
Marquis Ying took a deep breath, trying to steady his voice, "Thank you for your efforts."
The physician bowed and left.
Chang Shi nearly stumbled from the shock, but a servant hurriedly caught her.
Her eyes turned cold as she scanned the room, "This matter concerns the Ming family’s reputation… no one is allowed to speak a word outside!"
The servants all lowered their heads, their faces filled with fear as they nodded in acknowledgment, and the two illegitimate sons quickly responded, "Yes."
"Marquis…" Chang Shi stepped forward, her voice trembling as she spoke to her husband, "We must find the best doctor for Ah Shen. The world is vast; surely we can find someone who can heal him!"
Marquis Ying, sitting in his chair, raised his eyes to look at her. His gaze, tinged with anger, boiled with suppressed fury. "This is the son you raised, arrogant and overbearing, always seeking to show off and bully others… He’s brought this disaster upon himself, and you’re to blame for nurturing such a son!"
"He’s caused trouble time and time again, and I’ve received countless reprimands for it. Now, today, he tricks people into racing horses—whether or not he intended to humiliate others, you and I both know the truth!"
Marquis Ying stood from his seat and pointed toward the inner room. "You’d better teach him to control his behavior in the future. If he doesn’t learn to restrain himself—"
The rest of his words turned into a deep, frustrated grunt as he angrily stormed out, his sleeves flaring.
The two illegitimate sons bowed and followed him out.
Chang Shi stood in place, her eyes reddened as she let out a low, sarcastic laugh. "Ridiculous… Is my son only mine? Now it’s all my fault?"
After a moment, she suddenly smiled knowingly. "Well, that’s true…"
Her husband was different from her.
Although she had been cautious all these years, managing everything in the inner court, out of respect for the family and to maintain at least a semblance of dignity, she couldn’t act too extreme in all matters. Therefore, her husband had two sons who were already grown.
So her husband could remain calm and composed, even finding the time to rebuke her!
But she was different; she only had Ah Shen as her son.
Though he was no outstanding figure, and she often lamented his lack of ambition, as long as he remained the heir of the Marquis Ying's household, no one could shake her position.
Therefore, she had to ensure that Ah Shen recovered!
Chang Shi, supported by a servant, sank weakly back into her chair.
The servant offered some quiet words of comfort.
Chang Shi worked to calm herself.
At this moment, a servant from the inner room stepped out.
Chang Shi asked in a steady voice, "How is my son now?"
The servant bowed deeply. "When the imperial physician was cleaning his wounds, the young lord fainted... The physician said he should wake up in no more than two hours."
Chang Shi didn’t respond.
The servant remained where he was, too afraid to move, until a voice from outside the hall interrupted.
An eunuch who worked in the stables came in, reporting that he had found a jade pendant near where the Ming Jin had fallen from his horse and wanted to know if it belonged to the Ming Jin.
Upon hearing the words "stables" and "fell from the horse," the servant couldn’t help but shiver. Wasn’t this just asking for trouble?
Why make such a big deal over a jade pendant? The young lord had lost far more important things at the stables; who would care about such a small trinket?
But the maidservant couldn’t afford to neglect her duty at this moment. She carefully accepted the pendant and presented it to Chang Shi.
Chang Shi frowned and examined the pendant.
The servant also looked at it and quickly whispered to the maidservant, "Take it away, this isn't..."
However, he didn’t finish his sentence before hearing Chang Shi impatiently say, "Alright, leave it there."
The maidservant complied, placing the pendant on a small table nearby. The servant froze for a moment.
Though it was clearly a man’s item, it wasn’t the young lord’s.
Chang Shi seemed to be so distraught that she didn’t even examine it closely and assumed it had been brought in for her son.
But the servant wasn’t foolish enough to point out the error in front of her, especially not at such a tense moment.
After all, it was just a pendant. The less said, the better. It was easy to say something that would anger the lady or, worse, get them punished.
The eunuch, seeing that the pendant had been left behind, quickly departed.
A while later, Chang Shi looked up at the pendant.
This was indeed not her son’s.
She had seen the pendant on someone else’s person at the flower gathering yesterday because she had been paying special attention.
Now that it was in her hands, it wouldn't hurt to keep it.
Perhaps it would come in handy someday...
As she thought about her son lying unconscious in the inner room, a cold glint flashed in Chang Shi’s eyes.
"Madam..."
A maidservant entered, bowing as she greeted her. "The young lady, Miss Feng from the Feng family, has arrived. She heard that the young lord was injured and has come to visit."
"Feng Min?" Chang Shi sneered inwardly.
The Feng family hadn’t appeared at the flower gathering, but the granddaughter of the Feng family didn’t seem to mind public opinion and still dared to show herself in public.
Not only that, she kept drawing closer to Chang Shi, and now she had gone straight to visit Ah Shen. It was clear what her intentions were.
There were always some people who couldn’t see their place and, in their desperation to climb up, would throw all dignity aside just to associate with the Ming family.
"Madam has said that the young lord needs rest and quiet now. Furthermore, it is inappropriate for Miss Feng to visit alone at this time. If word gets out, it could harm her reputation. Please send her back."
The maidservant spoke softly and then bowed before returning to the courtyard.
The young lady, Feng Min, stood in place, her face paling as she processed the message.
What did the Marquis’s wife mean by this?
Was she... being accused of being frivolous and reckless with her reputation?
But hadn’t the Marquis’s wife herself suggested a marriage alliance with her family in the past?
Was she truly going back on her word?
Feng Min wasn’t blind to the cold attitude of the Marquis’s wife these past few days. She had been holding onto a glimmer of hope, but now it seemed...
She tightened the handkerchief in her hand, stunned, as she turned and left.
As she walked down the path, she encountered a girl walking toward her, accompanied by a maidservant.
Feng Min immediately recognized her.
The girl was known as the most beautiful woman in the Da Sheng Dynasty, and yesterday at the banquet, she had received a luminous pearl as a reward from the Emperor. Such a radiant person couldn’t be mistaken.
But the girl didn’t recognize her.
As the two passed each other, the girl merely nodded slightly, not even stopping her gaze on Feng Min.
As she heard the footsteps fade away, Feng Min felt a painful knot in her chest.
Her grandmother had lost all respect and prestige because of this person, and she had become a joke in the capital. What was once a promising marriage now seemed likely to slip away. Yet the person who caused all of this didn’t even know who she was. How ironic!
Thinking about how this girl, raised as an adopted daughter in the General's house, now had the chance to become the future Crown Princess, Feng Min felt even more aggrieved. Her eyes reddened, and she barely held back her tears.
She wiped her eyes, turned, and quickly left.
"Miss!"
The maid hurried to follow.
...
"Miss, that eldest granddaughter of the Changsun family suddenly wants to see you... She might be plotting something bad, don’t you think?"
"Why choose to meet in that garden’s central pavilion? What if she tries to push you into the water?"
On their way to the meeting place, Xi’er couldn’t stop worrying.
"First of all, I can swim," Chang Suining replied. "Secondly, she won’t be able to push me."
Xi’er thought about it and agreed.
Even if Miss stood still, the Changsun girl would likely end up exhausted, sitting on the ground, gasping for air, her attempts to push Miss into the water thwarted.
But she couldn't help but add, "But what if she jumps into the water herself and accuses you of pushing her? What should we do then?"
Chang Suining smirked. "You read too many domestic conflict novels."
She had no doubt that if the Changsun family raised a daughter who resorted to such shallow tactics, it would be incredibly disappointing.
....
This novel is translated by the Eternal Novel Hits translators. Please read it at https://eternalnovelhits.blogspot.com
....
As they arrived at the meeting place, they found Changsun Xuan already waiting.
To Xi’er’s surprise, there was no pushing into the water, nor did anyone fall into the pond.
(The chapter ends here.)
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