Chapter 759 - 761: Dare to Provoke the Sharp-Tongued Man?
Wang Zhenru was already about to leave, but upon seeing Jiang Yichun, she is now more anxious to get away. She briefly greets Bai Ruozhu and quickly walks away. It’s clear that she intends to catch up with Jiang Yichun and casually say hello, chat a little, and so forth.
Leng Wanhua snorts disdainfully and whispers, "Bai sister, don’t take it the wrong way but keep your eyes open."
Bai Ruozhu couldn’t help but chuckle, "As long as she doesn’t disgrace herself by crying on her way back, it’s all good. Otherwise, people might think I’m bullying her."
Leng Wanhua grows curious, "Crying back? Is your brother-in-law that intimidating? He’s not going to hit her, is he?"
Bai Ruozhu winks at her, "What do you think?"
Outside the door, Wang Zhenru does manage to catch up with Jiang Yichun. She blushes as she steps forward to greet him, "Master Jiang, my name is Wang Zhenru. I came here to join sister Bai for the Empress Dowager’s Birthday Banquet."
Wang Zhenru purposefully leaves out the fact that Bai Ruozhu hasn’t actually agreed to attend the banquet with her.
Jiang Yichun, who’s waiting for his subordinates to bring his horse, merely grunts in response, not even bothering to glance at Wang Zhenru.
"Are you on a mission? I wonder if we’re headed in the same direction?" Wang Zhenru plucks up the courage to keep the conversation going.
This time, Jiang Yichun finally looks at her face. Her heart leaps at his attention, and she quickly puts on an adoring expression. After all, don’t men love it when women look at them like this?
Unfortunately, Jiang Yichun’s gaze is as cold as a winter wind. Wang Zhenru can’t help but shiver. Before she could figure out a way to salvage the situation, Jiang Yichun cuts her off with an even colder voice, "What does my mission have to do with you? Whether it’s on your way or not, I won’t be traveling with you. Is this how the Wang Family teaches its children?"
Wang Zhenru’s face flushes as red as her neck. She looks at Jiang Yichun in disbelief. She just saw him smile so tenderly, how could he be such a bad-tempered person?
If Jiang Yichun knew what Miss Wang was thinking, he would sneer: Didn’t you see who I was smiling at? I should be gentle towards my wife, not you. Do you think you’re worthy?
Tears gleam in her eyes as she says in a wronged tone, "Master Jiang, is there a misunderstanding? I’m close with sister Bai, so I thought we could be friends..."
Before she could finish, Jiang Yichun interrupts her, "When did I ever know that my wife was close with you? If you’re so close, go find her. Why cling to me? Do you think your aunt would feel embarrassed if she knew?"
Upon seeing his subordinates finally bring his horse, he swiftly strides forward to take the reins, and loudly rebukes, "It took you this long to bring a horse, you made me put up with this mad woman. I’ll punish you when we get back!"
The subordinate who brought the horse jumps in fright, stammering, "My Lord, I deserve to die. I’ll be quicker next time. Who’s the mad woman? I’ll go teach her a lesson!"
Jiang Yichun is already mounted and ready to leave, flanked by a few golden guards. Without turning his head, he says, "She can roll away on her own."
The Golden Guards, who saw everything, knew exactly who the "mad woman" was. They all stifled their laughter, nearly breaking out into guffaws.
Wang Zhenru stands by the gate, her face turning red then white. Terrified of acknowledging she was the "mad woman" he referred to, she daren’t move. But how long can she keep standing there like a gatekeeper?
"Mad woman"? Was he mocking her for foolishly holding onto her fantasies about him? Wang Zhenru clenches her teeth so hard they squeak, and tears gather in her eyes. If it weren’t for fear of humiliating herself, she would have liked to have a good cry. This Jiang Yichun was too much!
Finally, she shook her sleeves coldly and said, "Just an outcast from his family, with a disgraceful father to boot, what is there to be proud of?"
She was probably saying this for the maids to hear, or perhaps in an attempt to regain some dignity, before heading off into the horse carriage.
In no time, Jianqi had reported the situation at the entrance to Bai Ruozhu. Naturally, Bai Ruozhu would have asked about it.
Jianqi, suppressing his laughter, imitated how Jiang Yichun spoke. His naturally cold demeanor made his imitation rather convincing, causing Bai Ruozhu to laugh so hard that her stomach hurt. Leng Wanhua, at her side, was also laughing tears.
"She’ll definitely cry when she gets in the carriage, I finally understand what you were saying earlier," Leng Wanhua laughed uncontrollably, no longer caring about maintaining her ladylike appearance, becoming more straightforward and amusing.
Bai Ruozhu raised her eyebrows with satisfaction, "My husband has a wickedly sharp tongue, Wang Zhenru dared to provoke him, crying is the least that will happen."
Of course, she didn’t mention how she herself had been on the receiving end of Jiang Yichun’s biting words many times in the past. But when she looks back now, his fiery temperament seems quite decent.
Leng Wanhua laughed and gave her a thumbs up, "I really admire your husband, Wang Zhenru will probably be too embarrassed to talk to you in the future."
In a pleasant mood, Bai Ruozhu chatted with Leng Wanhua, asking about the rules of entering the palace, such as dress code and precautions to not step on any noble lady’s toes, how her hair should be styled, what jewelry to wear, and so on. Leng Wanhua patiently answered all her questions, assuring Bai Ruozhu that her Imperial Court Attire would provide the most suitable attire.
Hearing this, Bai Ruozhu couldn’t wait for her Imperial Court Attire to arrive, hoping to avoid the hassle.
At lunch, Bai Ruozhu invited Leng Wanhua to eat together. Both enjoyed the meal and conversation before Leng Wanhua took her leave.
For safety reasons, Bai Ruozhu didn’t want others to know that Dengdeng’s rash hadn’t faded, so she had La Mei take Dengdeng to stay in the room, away from outsiders. Little Dengdeng, seeing his mother halfway through, had such a tragic look in his eyes, as if saying "Mom, you don’t spend time with me, and you won’t let me play outside either."
Bai Ruozhu felt bad for her son, but wasn’t until she had given Jianqi instructions to watch the main gate that she finally took Dengdeng for a walk in the yard.
Children have fleeting temperaments; Dengdeng quickly was no longer upset. Cozily nestled against Bai Ruozhu, he laughed wholeheartedly. The servants outside heard his laughter and were relieved, assuming that the young master was on the road to recovery.
In no time, the day of the Empress Dowager’s Birthday Banquet arrived. Luckily, Bai Ruozhu’s Imperial Court Attire was delivered two days prior, which alleviated her concerns about improper clothing or potential offense by clashing colours. No need to worry about displeasing any nobleman or noblewoman.
On the day, Bai Ruozhu had La Mei look after Dengdeng, with Jianqi personally providing protection. Once prepared, she brought the gift for the Empress Dowager and set off to the Imperial Palace in the horse carriage with Jiang Yichun.
Many carriages were parked outside the Palace Gate, indicative of the number of guests attending the banquet. After getting off the carriage, Bai Ruozhu and Jiang Yichun managed to find Leng Wanhua only after much effort. As Jiang Yichun couldn’t possibly follow her around inside the palace, it was much more convenient to have Leng Wanhua. Leng Bin, the Leng Residence’s eldest young master, was following Leng Wanhua.
When Bai Ruozhu walked over to Leng Wanhua, Jiang Yichun naturally started conversing with Leng Bin.
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Mouka had diarrhoea for two days, and even drinking water would trigger it. At the hospital, Mouka was diagnosed with gastroenteritis and is currently being medicated and under treatment, hoping for a quick recovery. Mouka didn’t manage to watch Bozai over the weekend, and plans to try the folk remedy suggested by the Book Friends. Thanks to everyone’s support and understanding at this time. Mouka’s health has been really poor recently and will endeavour to recover quickly.
Also, I wanted to say that I now have a backlog of 20 Chapters, this kind... I will certainly make up for it as quickly as possible...