Chapter 920, Part 2: Big Manman’s Crisis

“Their clan always wanted Pei Mianman to marry King Qi’s heir, so they might have used her mother as a pretense to trick her and get her to come back. This is something only a few people in our clan know about, so please don’t go telling everyone.”

“What?!” Zu An was alarmed. Like hell he could let that happen!

“I don’t think Pei Mianman is willing, and that’s why she went all the way to Brightmoon City for a clan mission. But it looks like the clan’s patience has hit its limit over the past few days, so they summoned her back. But they knew she would evade it, so they tricked her by using her mother,” Pei You continued.

Zu An’s expression changed several times. It would be weirder if Big Manman agreed! The two of us already truly became husband and wife a long time ago!

Gao Ying asked in confusion, “But Pei Mianman’s status shouldn’t be enough for her to become the wife of King Qi’s heir, right?”

Zu An was annoyed. “What’s wrong with her? With her beauty and talent, it’s enough for Zhao Zhi and more to spare…” Pah pah pah, what do you mean ‘enough for him’? Like hell Zhao Zhi is good enough for her!

Gao Ying said with a bitter smile, “Brother Zu has misunderstood. Who in the capital isn’t aware of Miss Pei’s beauty? She’s even a cultivation genius. But marriages within the royal clan aren't so simple. Many times, there’s a requirement for the woman’s clan background.

“Miss Pei comes from the Pei clan. She isn’t from the main branch of the clan, but the fifth branch is close enough. However, her mother…”

“What about her mother?” Zu An frowned.

Gao Ying explained, “Her mother isn’t an official wife of the fifth branch, so Pei Mianman was born under a concubine.”

Pei You added, “Her mother used to be the main wife, but later on, some things I’m unclear about happened. All I know is that her father took in another young lady from a prestigious house, so Pei Mianman’s mother was then abandoned.”

Zu An felt pity for her. Big Manman was always smiling in front of him, but he hadn’t expected her to have such a tragic background. This was a world different from his past one. The difference between the first wife and other wives was worlds apart. He could imagine just how much hardship Big Manman had gone through.

Pei You then said, “It’s because her background isn’t good enough that the Pei clan only wishes for her to become a concubine for King Qi’s heir.”

There were things that weren’t talked about, but all of them knew that Pei Zheng wanted to see King Qi become the emperor. This was a political investment. King Qi’s son would become the crown prince, so once he rose to become the emperor, Pei Mianman would then become an imperial concubine. The Pei clan’s status would then rise another level.

But Zu An couldn't be bothered with so much. When he heard that Big Manman was going to be forced to become someone’s concubine, flames raged within him. He even felt the urge to cripple Zhao Zhi.

“Brother Zu, what’s wrong?” Pei You and Gao Ying both sensed that there was something wrong with Zu An’s emotional state.

“It’s nothing.” Zu An forced a smile. After taking a deep breath to calm himself down, he continued, “Then do you know how far this process has reached? Or perhaps when the wedding day will be?”

He had already decided that no matter what, he wouldn’t let Big Manman’s marriage go through. He wouldn’t even allow a marriage that was only in name.

Pei You said with a smile, “Both sides only have that intention right now; they haven’t reached an agreement. But actually, this has something to do with you too.”

“It has something to do with me?” Zu An was alarmed. Doesn’t that mean other people know about my relationship with Big Manman?

Pei You explained, “You broke Zhao Zhi’s legs a while ago, so how can King Qi Manor be bothered about wedding matters? The Pei clan is waiting for Zhao Zhi to make a full recovery as well.”

Zu An couldn't help but smile. Who could have thought it? If he had known that things would turn out like this, he would have broken Zhao Zhi’s third leg back then too. Big Manman, we’re destined to be together after all! His mood suddenly improved greatly. He asked Pei You about a few more things. When he heard that Pei Mianman should be fine in the short term, he felt relieved.

The group walked up a stairway decorated with lanterns and banners. They arrived at the main building with splendid lights all the way at the top.

There was a scent of cosmetics and fragrances that wafted through the air. Their conversation returned to that of romance.

In the second floor’s private room, a beautiful man listened to the flattery of people around him with a smile. Suddenly, he heard unruly laughter coming from below. He frowned and turned to glance in that direction, and his complexion immediately fell.

“Young master Yu, is something wrong?” a young master with triangular eyes asked.

The handsome man was naturally the Secretariat Assistant Director Yu Nan. The reason why he had come to Scarlet Invitation before wasn’t because he wanted to hear his official title. He liked being called young master by others, and those around him obviously knew about that preference too.

“It’s just that an annoying person has shown up,” Yu Nan sipped on his tea and said indifferently. For some reason, even the best wine would become vile and bitter whenever he saw Zu An.

“That seems to be the new upstart, Green Hat Viscount Zu An.” Someone recognized Zu An’s party. They knew about Gao Ying and Pei You, and they had never heard of them having any grudge with Yu Nan. That meant the one he was talking about could only be Zu An. They also felt that Zu An’s frivolous and unruly style was quite annoying to look at.

The man with the triangular eyes realized something and asked, “Does young master Yu have any conflict with that Zu fellow?”

Those who could share a table with Yu Nan wouldn’t be of low status. He was the son of the capital’s Magistrate Yi Chun, Yi Zhibing. The reason why there were so many bailiffs outside was because he had brought them over through his father’s connections. He had wanted to take the chance to curry favor with Yu Nan. He knew that Yu Nan was interested in the courtesan Nan Xun, but couldn't really dirty his hands with such things because of his reputation.

That was why he had used his father’s subordinates to sweep the competitors clean. Of course, what everyone else had heard was that they were trying to create a safe environment for the courtesan’s performance. Even though Yu Nan didn’t say anything, he would remember the favor.

“A grudge?” Yu Nan sneered. “Why would I go that far for someone like him?”

Yi Zhibing sneered. This guy really knows how to show off. He clearly doesn’t like Zu An, and yet he still makes himself sound so high and mighty.

But he had to admit that this man was just way too handsome. He had the qualifications to speak such words. If Yi Zhibing had been the one to say those words, it would only make him look like an idiot.

He said with a smile, “Since young master Yu doesn’t like him, please just wait for me to send him out.”

Yu Nan was tempted, but he still had to be courteous on the surface. He replied, “There’s no need. It is just a trifling little clown.”

Yi Zhibing naturally didn’t treat his courtesy as the real deal. He said with a smile, “Please warm up my drink for me. I’m going to deal with it quickly.” He walked out of the private room after speaking, and summoned some subordinates to follow him.

The others in the private room laughed and said, “Brother Yi carries the style of ancient heroes; perhaps the wine will still be warm when he returns. The tale of chasing out Zu An before his wine even cools off might serve as a great tale on its own.”

Yu Nan smiled. Even though he had never cared much about wealth, he cared a lot about his reputation. If news of Zu An being chased out so quickly spread, his reputation would only soar even higher. After all, Yi Zhibing was so formidable, and yet he was only doing all of this to curry a bit of favor with him.

…

Meanwhile, Zu An, Gao Ying, and Pei You were chatting happily. They were about to find a place to take a seat when a vulgar looking young master… No, calling him young master would be discrediting the term. He looked just like a rat.

“Who let you all in?” The one who had arrived was naturally Yi Zhibing. He was all smiles around Yu Nan, but his father was the capital’s magistrate, making him a first-rate second generation heir. He had the qualifications to remain prideful in front of others.

“Yi Zhibing, do we need your approval to come in?” Pei You was extremely dissatisfied with the other party’s tone. They were all in the same circles in the capital, so he wasn’t scared at all.

Gao Ying quietly introduced the person to Zu An. Zu An’s eyes widened when he heard what he said. Just the man’s name alone was quite something.[1]

Yi Zhibing naturally carried some reservations toward the Liu clan and Pei clan, but one was just a relative of the Liu clan, while the other wasn’t even a young master from the Pei clan’s main branches. That was why he didn’t take them too seriously. “I was wondering who it was. So it was just young master Pei and young master Gao.”

He then changed the topic. He said to the bailiffs next to him, “Double-check their invitations.” He then looked at the three of them with a big smile and said, “Everyone, please forgive me. Lady Nan Xun has attracted too much attention tonight, so some crooks might be mixed in with honest folk. That’s why we have to ensure order. Those who don’t have invitation cards must leave.”

“You! What is the meaning of this?” Gao Ying and Pei You were furious. His words were courteous, but the meaning was entirely different!

“There’s no special meaning; we’re treating everyone the same way. Please don’t take offense,” Yi Zhibing said with a smile. “Hm? Why are you all acting this way? Don’t tell me you don’t have an invitation card? That can’t be. There’s no way, right?”

The disturbance quickly drew the attention of everyone in the place. Many guests had already been seated. They looked over with curiosity.

In a private room on the second floor, a young master with pretty features said to his companion with thick brows and big eyes, “Big bro, that Zu An came as well. It seems like Yi Zhibing is deliberately causing trouble for him. Should we step forward to help him out?”

These two were the Qin clan’s young masters. The one with delicate features was Qin Se’s grandson, Qin Yongde, while the one with stronger features was Qin Zheng’s grandson, Qin Guangyuan.

Qin Guangyuan frowned and replied, “Hmph! He already has Chuyan, and yet he still comes to this kind of place? Why should we help him? This is perfect for teaching him a lesson.”

1. The name sounds like ‘sickness’ ☜