Chapter 831 - 833: The Man Who Provoked the Second Brother_1
Tu Ying looked like a defeated soldier as she sheepishly climbed into Bai Ruozhu’s horse carriage, her face flushed with embarrassment, she said, "Your husband is really scary, is your hand okay?"
Bai Ruozhu chuckled dryly and replied, "It’s fine, he interrogated me about it yesterday, saying the mark didn’t look like it was made by a woman."
Tu Ying examined her own hands and said somewhat gloomily, "Perhaps because I practice martial arts, my hands have gotten a bit larger."
"Just ignore him, he’s just a big jar of vinegar," Bai Ruozhu said dispiritedly, feeling that Jiang Yichun was not giving her any face. In fact, he had actually gone to ask Tu Ying and really didn’t trust her.
Thus, her good mood from the early morning vanished, and the anger that had just subsided began to rise again.
Jiang Yichun at the front of the group felt his ears getting warm and wondered if Ruozhu was talking about him. However, if he knew what Bai Ruozhu was thinking, he would certainly be so angry that he could vomit three liters of blood.
He actually didn’t plan to confront Tu Ying for proof. He had just been angry for a moment last night, and later on, he felt it was wrong not to trust her. He went to speak with Tu Ying because he was afraid her roughness might hurt his wife along the way. As a husband, he believed it was necessary to remind Tu Ying of this.
Upon hearing Bai Ruozhu’s words, Tu Ying covered her mouth and began to laugh. If it were not for her restraint, she would undoubtedly be laughing loudly enough to disturb those outside the carriage.
Seeing her shoulders shaking with laughter, Bai Ruozhu nudged her and said, "Alright, stop laughing. You’ll see how it is when you marry a big jar of vinegar yourself and can’t laugh about it anymore."
"If a man were that concerned about me, I’d be too happy to care," Tu Ying continued, still laughing.
Dengdeng, seeing a pretty auntie laughing, also started giggling along. Not long after, as the team set out, he became interested in the window and insisted that Bai Ruozhu lift the curtain of the small window to let him see outside. Tu Ying wasn’t annoyed by this at all and even remarked, "Your son is much more fun than my little cousin. She cries over every little thing, and I have to resort to all kinds of cajoling. I’ve nearly exhausted all eighteen types of martial arts just to keep her from crying."
Bai Ruozhu was amused by her comment. "Maybe the little girl is scared of your fighting and killing. The more you practice your punches, the more frightened she gets. Probably she ends up too tired to cry."
"Ah? Is that so?" Tu Ying, having listened, was stunned. Could it be that she had been using the wrong approach all this time?
"Haha, it’s very possible," Bai Ruozhu said, already laughing heartily.
Bai Ruozhu looked out of the carriage window to get a general view of the team on this trip.
About twenty students from Beiyu Academy were joining the trip, some of whom seemed to be alternates, and including the principal, vice-principal, and several other teachers, there were about six or seven.
Then there was the escort team led by Jiang Yichun, which apart from him, the deputy officer, and Wen Shu, approximated two hundred horsemen. Following them were the cooks, as well as the chef assigned to prepare meals for the Academy staff.
With such a grand and sprawling procession, they certainly couldn’t travel too quickly, but Bai Ruozhu actually found it comfortable, casually chatting with Tu Ying, teasing her son from time to time, and feeding the child some fruit, not finding it dull at all.
Not long after the group had left the city, it was time for lunch, but Jiang Yichun didn’t call for the team to rest. They hadn’t been on the road for long, and time was already tight; he didn’t want to waste time right after setting off.
Before long, someone from a horse carriage at the back started shouting—it was a young master’s voice, "I say, officer, lunchtime is almost over, won’t you stop to let us rest and have a meal?"
His voice carried quite loudly, as if afraid the people in front were unable to hear him.
Bai Ruozhu frowned, thinking that this student was really delicate. Hadn’t he eaten breakfast before leaving? Didn’t he have any dried food on him? Couldn’t he eat a meal in the carriage? When the time was right, they would naturally stop to let everyone rest; what was he fussing about?
Jiang Yichun in front, of course, could hear him. He didn’t order the team to stop but instead spoke a few words to the messenger soldier. The messenger soldier stepped out of line and shouted loudly towards the carriages at the back: "The officer has ordered that since we have just set off, we won’t stop at noon. We will make a brief stop at the next town for rest, and those in need of a meal should have it in their carriages!" After saying that, the messenger soldier returned to the ranks and continued onwards, no longer paying attention to the people behind.
From inside the horse carriage, the young master, unsatisfied, called out, "As soon as we set out, we aren’t allowed a rest. If we eat poorly and become exhausted, and if someone falls ill, how will they participate in the competition? Humph, it’s not as though someone delayed everyone’s time, making everyone suffer, right?"
Bai Ruozhu felt something was off about these words, as if there was a hidden message.
Tu Ying spoke in a lowered voice, "The one who’s speaking is definitely that Dang Youshen. I’ve seen him a few times and remember his voice, the one with the snooty nose."
Upon hearing this, Bai Ruozhu felt disdainful, "Didn’t he fail to pass the Imperial Examination three years ago? What’s there to be so snooty about?"
"He claims illness affected his performance, and relying on the fact that his family is erudite and his father is a great scholar, he’s been acting all high and mighty. And somehow, he learned that the Academy had postponed the departure time to allow your second brother to recover. During yesterday’s meeting, the dean mentioned we’re on a tight schedule and the journey may be tough, hoping everyone could endure the hard work. He spoke out publicly, blaming your second brother for everyone else’s hardship," Tu Ying relayed everything to Bai Ruozhu in one breath.
Bai Ruozhu had not expected the situation yesterday to be like this, and feeling somewhat frustrated, she said, "Yesterday when I asked my second brother, he absolutely refused to tell me. Turns out others were turning him into a scapegoat." Her teeth clenched, "This Dang Youshen really needs to be taught a lesson. There’s still a long way to go. If he stirs up trouble again, I’ll really have to teach him a lesson."
Tu Ying waved her fist, saying, "Tonight, when there’s no one around, I’ll sneak up and turn him into a pig-headed fellow."
Bai Ruozhu couldn’t help but laugh, grabbing her fist, she said, "Don’t act rashly. If he gets beaten up, as the leader, Achun would have to investigate, otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to explain it to the dean. What would you do then? Find someone else to take the blame for you?"
Tu Ying stuck out her tongue, "Back in Beiyu City, whoever messed with me would get a burlap sack over their head and a good beating before I ran off. They couldn’t do anything to me without evidence. But I forgot, with so few of us traveling, they certainly can investigate. Don’t worry, I won’t act recklessly."
"Do you know that the reason Dang Youshen is giving my second brother trouble is just because he’s close to Prince Duan?" Bai Ruozhu asked in a lower voice.
"There’s also jealousy. He’s represented the Beiyu Study Palace in the competition three times already, being a central figure on the team, and it’s said that winning the Imperial Examination this year is not a problem for him. Your second brother is also among the most special of the new faces, since he managed to join the team only half a year after entering the Study Palace. Furthermore..." Tu Ying paused, seemingly reluctant to continue.