SWDnovel Chapter 113: A Wicked Woman Eats Malatang. (8)
Chapter 113: A Wicked Woman Eats Malatang. (8)
Chapter 113: A Wicked Woman Eats Malatang. (8)There was Grand Prince Dexian’s prefecture in Sichuan.
This signified none other than a Grand Prince, the Emperor's own younger brother.
Although the Grand Prince has never officially shown his face, someone of the Tang Clan Lord's status, being the head of Sichuan's most powerful local clan, would have paid respects during major holidays.
And that very Grand Prince Dexian opened the door to the Clan Lord's hall and appeared.
What on earth had this crazy daughter been up to?
One had to note that while a daughter was a daughter, a Grand Prince was a Grand Prince; someone far too important to ignore.
Just as Tang Clan Lord Tang Touzhong was about to bow deeply, Ziyou smiled and put a finger to his lips.
At this, the Tang Clan Lord froze in a strange posture as if diving into water.
"Dad? What's wrong?"
Then the problematic daughter rudely asked in informal speech in front of the guests.
It was truly a lifelong regret that he hadn't properly disciplined his lovely youngest daughter.
In the end, it was all his fault.
"Ahem, ahem. It's nothing. Didn't someone say this posture is good for the body?"
Tang Touzhong awkwardly crossed his legs and sat down.
It was a very uncomfortable position.
In fact, the relationship between the royal prefecture and the Tang Clan was not good.
For generations, Sichuan had been the Tang Clan's territory.
This was true even before the royal prefecture suddenly appeared and became the owner of most of the land in Chengdu.
So it seemed like a complex behind-the-scenes struggle over interests would begin, but the royal prefecture withdrew first, and since then, they had been gradually siphoning off interests.
Even so, his mind was racing furiously.
What possible reason could the Grand Prince have for visiting in secret?
He had been living as if he didn't exist for the past ten years.
Had they discovered the hidden saltpeter mine that had recently been found?
And why with this ill-mannered daughter of all people?
Suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck Tang Touzhong's head.
Ah. I see. So even the Grand Prince is a man.
A Grand Prince would be a super-premium catch for a husband.
Not only was he of imperial blood, but he was fundamentally a person of upright character who could empathize with others and disliked conflict, truly worthy of being called a virtuous man.
Tang Touzhong's attitude became more relaxed.
He thought that perhaps he might benefit from his troublesome daughter after all.
The Tang Clan Lord pretended to be calm as he greeted each guest in turn.
"So, our esteemed guests. Oh. You are the Matriarch's named disciple? How does the Sword Queen fair? I see, I see."
The Matriarch's named disciple, Ximen Qing.
There was no reason someone at the level of the Tang Clan Lord's martial prowess couldn't see through the veil, so Tang Touzhong was quickly disappointed.
Well, of course. What did he even expect?
How could it make sense for his daughter, who had nothing going for her except her face, to become a queen?
Still, even the Grand Prince is a man after all, he thought.
"Ah, and this elder. Ah. Yes. I understand."
Just an old man taking care of Ximen Qing.
"It is you, Chaolei. How could I forget? Right. We met at Old Man Moyong’s 70th birthday banquet. Is that Peng brat doing well? What's that? His realm has risen? Good heavens, does that kid just eat and swing his sword all day?"
Peng Chaolei.
In fact, beyond the Five Noble Clans, even among the Ten Great Clans, no, since the Jin Prefecture Un Clan had disappeared, among the Nine Great Clans, there was no one who wouldn't recognize Peng Chaolei.
Not only because of her size, but once you heard the name "pretty crow-tit" for someone with such a build, it would be etched into your mind.
Wasn't it the case that even the Peng Clan Lord said he didn't know she would grow so much every time? He joked that if he had known, he would have named her Taesan (Great Mountain/Mount Tai) or Taebong (Great Phoenix).
And finally, it was the Grand Prince's turn.
"And that noble young master over there...?"
"Dad, forget about him. He's just a weakling who tagged along."
"A weakling who tagged along. Also known as Ziyou."
Physical discomfort could be overcome with familiarity, but mental comfort would settle in and become indispensable before one realized it.
However, if the reasons disappeared, there was no need to wear it.
The third reason:
Qing, who knew her own allocation, had entered a noble clan's house, so there was no need to be mindful of others.
There was no need to pursue mental peace.
The second reason:
The fact that it wasn't uncomfortable didn't mean it was comfortable.
And the first reason:
Even Choi Leeong's blood boiled a bit when he saw the Speaking Poison Flower.
In Choi Leeong's eyes, no matter how much they called her the Speaking Poison Flower or the Most Beautiful Woman in Sichuan, she couldn't even reach Qing's toes.
After all, even lowly cats, if pretty, were carried around and shown off to the neighborhood, weren’t they?
(Though a cat, a territorial as they were, might be troubled)
And so, when Qing took off her veil, Ziyou just blinked his eyes.
"...?"
"What? Saw something you shouldn't have?"
"Friend?"
"What, is it awkward to see my bare face?"
Ziyou suddenly remembered a conversation where he had thoughtlessly asked if she didn't feel jealous when seeing a woman prettier than herself.
At that time, he had misunderstood her answer of why she would feel jealous.
Of course there was no reason to be jealous when the Speaking Poison Flower wasn't a woman prettier than herself.
"Did you really need to hide such beauty?"
"Ugh. Beauty my ass."
Qing got goosebumps and hit Ziyou's arm repeatedly.
"Ow, ow, stop, stop. It hurts. Oh, it truly hurts."
Ziyou rubbed his arm vigorously and shrank back.
He could instinctively tell.
It was the kind of hit that would leave a dark bruise by the next morning.
"Why don't you manage your speech? You’re sounding more and more like you have a stick stuck up your ass."
"Ahem. It's become a habit, so I can't help it."
"Forget it, let's go eat duck. Ugh, I'm seriously starving to death. What time is it anyway?"
And so, Ximen Qing descended upon the Tang Clan's banquet hall.
Peng Chaolei, who had been carefully observing Qing's physique, immediately recognized her identity.
"Oh, Qing'er, you took off your veil? What's this, why were you hiding such a pretty face? That bastard. What did he say again? He doesn't look at faces? Doesn’t look at faces, my foot. Well, why am I even surprised."
The first to move was the Tang Clan's fourth son.
The youngest, the seventh son, was flustered by the fourth's smooth intrusion.
"Uh, Elder Brother? My seat..."
"Haha. How dare you covet the seat next to your sister-in-law?"
"Wait, no, why are you suddenly..."
"That's enough, move, ugh."
Suddenly, another hand struck the back of his head.
"You should move aside too. Even cold water has its hierarchy. So how can you try to get married before your older brother?"
In the end, the second son took the youngest's seat and grinned while squirming with a dignified expression.
At this, Tang Nanah smiled with a venomous glint.
So Second Orabeoni is going to take action himself!
Yes, I was a bit flustered because she's a tiny bit prettier than expected, but just you wait and see...
But of course, in what world would things go as planned? Especially when Qing was involved?
1. Semu is the name of a caste established by the Yuan dynasty. The 31 Semu categories referred to people who came from Central and West Asia. They had come to serve the Yuan dynasty by enfranchising under the dominant Mongol caste.