Chapter 88: Which Unit Are You From, Horse? [Thank You All for Your Support!]

A boy in the prime of his youth, who could withstand such a test?

Xu Zaijing felt nothing but a faint warmth on his face; though a fleeting thought crossed his mind, he still remembered too many natural or artificial super-beauties from his past life.

His aesthetic standards had long been absurdly high; otherwise, the energy built up through daily strength training would have blown Qiyun Tower apart.

Fortunately, few of these girls were born with extraordinary beauty.

Even the top courtesan wasn’t downstairs.

Fu Yanjiong, needless to say, was truly a boy.

Gu Tingye glanced around the women of Qiyun Tower and whispered, “Jingge, shall we stay tonight?”

Gu Tingye and Fu Yanjiong were like Tang Sanzang in the Daughters’ Kingdom of Journey to the West—dangerously vulnerable, just like heroes failing the test of beauty.

Xu Zaijing said, “Shut up. If you don’t want your father making you kneel, come back with me.”

At that moment,

Han Cheng’s companion Wei Faqi spotted the three of them.

Judging by their faces, they’d been drinking; Wei Faqi exchanged a glance with Rong Xian beside him—alcohol often leads to trouble.

He rolled his eyes and walked over with Rong Xian, each holding two girls from Qiyun Tower.

“Xu Wulang, Shiyilang, Erlang!”

“Ohhh~”

The two men shoved the four girls forward, near the three, and pushed them at the waist.

Instantly, the four girls screamed and flung themselves toward the three.

Gu Tingye’s eyes still held the glaze of drunken delight as he leaned forward.

Then he felt himself flying backward.

Qingyun, Zhi Que, and Fu Yanjiong’s servant Fuding stepped forward, blocking the dangerous assault.

The four girls were stopped by the three servants; one grabbed Qingyun’s chest.

Had their masters not been behind them, the servants couldn’t have held their ground.

Gu Tingye was dragged back by Xu Zaijing by his collar.

Yet the scent of perfume and the sight of fluttering hair left Gu Tingye and the others restless, their self-control barely holding.

They dared not look at the girls any longer.

Seeing their awkward expressions, Wei Faqi and Rong Xian laughed.

“Come on, you three aren’t still virgins, are you?”

Wei Faqi shouted loudly.

His loud words drew low chuckles from the crowd inside the tower.

More guests who loved spectacle gathered at the railings, trying to recognize them.

The girls pushed over by the tower noticed the three’s luxurious attire—they were wealthy.

And they dared not offend the Hou Family of Fu’an; they could only feign pain with soft moans, full of seduction,

hoping one of them would lose control and stay the night.

The onlookers dared not laugh loudly, only watching the spectacle.

For judging by Xu Zaijing and his servants’ attire, they weren’t ordinary folk—laughing too loud might make one the target, inviting disaster.

Gu Tingye’s wine had gone to his head; surrounded by girls who watched him, hiding their mouths as they whispered,

then giggling at him, with four girls right before him.

His face flushed red as he hurried to speak, but Xu Zaijing slapped his shoulder—he turned and saw Xu Zaijing holding back Fu Yanjiong, who was about to throw a punch.

With a man provoking, the women were set aside.

Xu Zaijing waved his hand; Qingyun shoved the four courtesans aside.

Seizing this moment of clarity, he laughed loudly with full voice:

“In this world of romance and rouge, we certainly can’t match Brother Wei—but I see your steps are light, your eyes dark-ringed, your gaze dull! Your clothes suggest you’re cold and shivering.

Oh?

Now I see you’re irritable and quick to anger—could it be?”

Hearing this, Wei Faqi’s face darkened, his eyes blazing with anger at the three.

It wasn’t that Xu Zaijing’s words were cruel—they were true.

After speaking, the three walked forward; Gu Tingye kept glancing up and down at Wei Faqi, his gaze unreadable.

“Can’t beat someone on the polo field, so you show off in the brothel—I’m truly impressed,” Fu Yanjiong bowed in support.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk—this won’t last long.”

With that, Xu Zaijing shook his head and walked out.

As Gu Tingye passed Wei Faqi, he sneered outright, making Wei Faqi’s face even darker.

Han Cheng stopped what he was doing and said, “Jingge, sharp tongue you’ve got.”

Xu Zaijing smiled at him. “What advice does Fifth Brother Han have? Shall I examine you?”

Han Wulang blinked his bluish eyes, said nothing, then turned to Gu Tingye:

“No need. Still, Marquis Gu remains vigorous—we young ones yield.”

Gu Tingye’s face darkened. “Han Wulang, what do you mean?”

Lü Sanlang of the Ling State Duke’s house stepped forward. “Yehge, we’re all friends! Yunge, calm down!”

Han Cheng shot him a glance; Lü Sanlang fell silent with a sheepish grin.

Xu Zaijing patted Gu Tingye. “Let’s go. Fifth Brother Han should first consult his elders.”

Upstairs, noblemen who disliked Han Wulang watched the scene; hearing Xu Zaijing’s words, one shouted:

“That’s right, Han Wulang—you’re young, yet you have fewer concubines than your uncle! Are you weaker than him?”

The young nobles upstairs laughed.

“Hahaha!!!”

Hearing the laughter, Han Cheng’s face darkened, but he knew Xu Zaijing’s reputation—he’d faced him on the polo field.

So he walked toward the nobleman who’d laughed the loudest.

“You bastard—you can’t beat Xu Zaijing, but you think you can beat me?”

Around them,

whether at Qiyun Tower just passed or at Pan Lou now,

the guests weren’t all here for pleasure—many were officials and nobles hosting or thanking others for family or official matters.

Seeing Xu Zaijing and the others, though drunk, walked with chests out, heads high, firm steps, eyes bright, and no courtesans clinging to them,

as for Han Cheng and his lot—well, they knew what kind of scum they were.

The contrast between the two groups of youths below sparked murmurs.

Most were asking which household Xu Zaijing and the others belonged to.

Though they themselves were licentious, they still hoped their daughters might find a good match.

The female steward who’d earlier gone to Fu Yanjiong’s room whispered the three’s identities.

Seeing the scene end with one side silenced and the conflict redirected,

the managers and stewards of Pan Lou rushed out to smooth things over, summoning several top courtesans to lead Han Cheng away.

Xu Zaijing and the others laughed as they exited Pan Lou’s main gate.

Fu Yanjiong slapped Xu Zaijing’s shoulder. “Still, Jingge, your tongue’s sharper than my fists—if I’d been you, I’d have punched him!”

Xu Zaijing glanced at him with a smile.

“Yehge, won’t your mother return to the Marquis House? The gossip’s already spread,” Xu Zaijing said.

“I don’t know. The villa’s fine—no need for early training.”

Fu Yanjiong said, “Who told you skipping training is good?”

“Don’t the Ling State Duke and Han State Duke’s sons do the same? We noble heirs just wait for our inheritances!”

Xu Zaijing looked at Gu Tingye, his own age, saying nothing—he felt like he was watching a child from his past life claiming education was useless.

Each boarded their carriages and departed in three directions.

Back home, he greeted his mother, recounted what happened at Pan Lou; Sun Shi nodded.

Then she sighed, saying nothing more.

She was worried for her friend Bai Shi.

After changing clothes in his own courtyard, Xu Zaijing went to the riding ground, dragged out a cargo cart, removed its wheels, then stacked Qingyun’s stone weights atop it.

He tied the weights with rope.

Why remove the wheels?

Hmm.

Then, before the horse’s astonished gaze, Xu Zaijing dragged the heavy load in circles around the riding ground.

Dust flew everywhere.

His horseman master watched Xu Zaijing, laboring like an animal, and shook his head: “Youth—what a blessing.”

He brushed off the dust, turned, and walked back to his small house.

Bai Family

Villa

Bai Wanshu looked at his daughter and said:

“My child, I don’t want you to back down, but if things continue like this, your reputation for jealousy will spread throughout Dongjing—I’ve already heard gossip about the Gu family.”

“She’s merely a concubine with some background. Even if you refuse, isn’t she already living in the Gu household? You have Dalang Tingyu, Erlang Tingye, and Tingyi—what are you afraid of?”

Bai Shi wept and said:

“Father, that woman resembles the late Lady Da Qin by six or seven tenths—how can I possibly allow her to enter our home!”

“Before, whenever anything happened, Master would go to the ancestral hall and hold Lady Da Qin’s spirit tablet. Now that there’s someone right before his eyes, who knows what might happen?”

Bai Wanshu, hearing his daughter’s words, fell into thought.

He had heard how deeply Gu Yan Kai cherished the deceased Lady Da Qin.

“But you shouldn’t have stormed off to this villa in a fit of anger—you’re giving your own home away to others!”

“Father, once I leave the Gu household, just see how long they can last—by tomorrow or the day after, they won’t even have money for provisions.”

Bai Wanshu: “Enough!”

Bai Shi jumped in fright—she had never heard her father speak with such severity.

“Father?”

Bai Wanshu said softly: “Daughter, Master Gu is a military man by origin. You’re cutting off his supplies—this violates his greatest taboo! Doesn’t that suit that vile woman’s intentions perfectly? If the Gu household can’t afford provisions, how will your reputation sound to others?”

“Father, I—”

“If she whispers poison in his ear, do you think he won’t strike back hard? You can’t divorce him, you can’t have him dismiss you—what if he just reports your death? Can you escape it? Will anyone speak up for a merchant’s daughter like you?” Bai Wanshu’s voice dropped even lower.

Bai Shi turned pale.

“Who ever heard of someone so loud and reckless as to tear everything apart at once? Plan carefully before acting—didn’t I teach you that?”

After speaking, Bai Wanshu glanced at his daughter, whose face bore a hint of shame, took a deep breath, and continued:

“You needn’t be so frightened. I’ve inquired through contacts—Dalang Gu’s scholarly ability is nine out of ten for passing the imperial examination. Once he becomes a jinshi and marries the eldest Miss Xu, you’ll naturally gain a powerful ally.”

“But Father, that woman resembles Lady Da Qin so closely—I fear Dalang will—”

“If I found a woman who resembled your mother, what would you think?”

“Father, I would… I understand.”

Finally, Bai Wanshu spoke in a voice only father and daughter could hear:

“I’ve investigated—Gu Yan Kai took that woman in barely four or five days after her father’s death!”

“Hmph! Lust has clouded his judgment! If that woman keeps her hands off other schemes, fine—but if she dares, I have plenty of leverage!”

“Yes, Father.”

“I was truly blind back then. Also, the eldest Miss Xu must marry into this household—we have more silver than we know what to do with. Treat her well. You must be close to Xu Sun Shi—when the moment comes, she’ll stand by you.”

Meanwhile,

Gu Tingye walked into the Bai family’s villa with a cheerful smile.

【Deleted 200 characters, done.】

I polished it to my own satisfaction, but it got flagged by the reviewer.

Next time, I’ll remember not to over-edit.

Sorry to keep everyone waiting.

Thank you all for your support!

Again, thank you!

The author, excited about the first release, didn’t even eat—now I’m going to have dinner.

I’ve written roughly 12,000 characters.

Thank you to all readers who tipped 2,000 coins—once we hit 20,000, I’ll add an extra chapter!

There might be another chapter tonight.

Grateful.





(End of Chapter)