Chapter 26
The Unlucky Playboys
Xin Tanhua was quite sincere, and seeing this, Yun Niang and the others couldn’t refuse either. They accepted his gifts, exchanged smiles, and for a moment, the atmosphere became even more pleasant.
To be honest, Xin Tanhua was truly a free-spirited person. Once he decided not to acknowledge Yu Lang, he didn’t see him again. He didn’t even bother to collect his body properly—he just had someone wrap him in a straw mat and bury him somewhere casually.
Naturally, many self-proclaimed moralists were deeply dissatisfied with his behavior. After all, people nowadays emphasized honor even in death. But no matter how much criticism or ridicule came his way, Xin Tanhua acted as if he couldn’t hear it. Even the elders merely turned a blind eye, and the rest treated it like a breeze passing by—heard it, and it was gone.
Anyway, after the Yu Lang incident, staying in the capital was uncomfortable for him. So he took the opportunity to arrange an external assignment and would soon leave this place of trouble. After a few years, when the matter faded, he might return. Therefore, today’s banquet was also a farewell gathering.
Life was strange indeed. Before this, they were complete strangers with no connection, yet they were brought together by a despicable individual—and oddly enough, they had a good impression of each other.
Xin Tanhua no longer carried that cynical, misanthropic air; he was warm and gentle, more like a scholarly gentleman. At this moment, he even congratulated Jiuque.
“I heard His Majesty appointed you, the county lord, as the Patrol Inspector? Do you need help? I have a list of unruly heirs from powerful families who are troublesome—want me to give you a copy?”
“That would be wonderful.”
In fact, Jiuque had only met Xin Tanhua a few times before, but perhaps there was genuine affinity. Meeting him again now, speaking with him felt particularly smooth.
As for the list, Jiuque indeed had a pressing need for it. Yet she was a little puzzled—she had been in the capital for several days, gone out often, and had never encountered such extreme playboys. How could there truly be idiots capable of knocking out a government official’s teeth? His Majesty was no pushover; if one went too far, wouldn’t it bring trouble to their family elders?
Xin Tanhua could explain this. After all, he came from an ordinary background, far from the heirs of influential families, but because he became famous at a young age and even earned the title of Tanhua, he was occasionally invited to gatherings.
Thinking of those extravagantly over-the-top scenes he had witnessed before, Xin Tanhua showed a complex smile.
“Actually, I’m not afraid you’ll laugh at me, County Lord. I used to truly dislike the offspring of noble families, because subconsciously, they always seemed a step ahead of me. What they were born with, I had to fight tooth and nail to achieve. But later I realized, it wasn’t dislike—I was envious and jealous.”
“The children of proper noble families are carefully cultivated from birth; they would never do something as reckless as publicly assaulting court officials. Even if they resented someone, they would quietly suppress it without others noticing. The ones who actually strike people…”
Xin Tanhua coughed lightly, somewhat embarrassed, but eventually whispered it to Jiuque:
“They are the suddenly empowered heirs. You know, even if their elders are brilliant, some children are naturally foolish, spoiled at home, and when they suddenly rise to a high position, a few inevitably become idiots others can manipulate.”
“Oh~”
Jiuque suddenly understood. No wonder the late emperor appointed her as Patrol Inspector—her old brothers and subordinates had caused trouble before, and she couldn’t deal with it personally, so it had to be entrusted to an outsider. As a ‘special outsider,’ she was at least partially considered part of the royal family.
Hearing Xin Tanhua, it seemed those playboys were arrogant; otherwise, they wouldn’t dare act so violently in public. Would they come after her?
The thought made her a little restless—no, eager to see what would happen.
Unbeknownst to Jiuque, those playboys were currently being sternly warned not to offend the newly appointed official. Even though she was just a minor county lord of a different surname, with the emperor’s favor granting her a sixth-rank position, the elders were extremely serious.
One playboy, who had just been punished with a stick, was very resentful.
“Father! She’s just a wild girl! If she hadn’t gotten lucky saving His Majesty, who knows where she’d still be! Why are you so scared of her? You and His Majesty are practically blood brothers—just a blonde girl, what’s there to fear?!”
“You unfilial son! Deserve a beating!”
So the playboy got another round of punishment, until his mother intervened to save him.
His father, seeing no other way, had to drop the stick and muttered, “A lenient mother spoils her son,” before carefully analyzing the emperor’s intent.
“Do you think His Majesty acted on a whim? Wrong! Totally wrong! His Majesty is reminding us old folks! The bitter words of those senior officials were nothing but wasted breath. But you little rascals went too far. That Patrol Inspector may seem minor, but it’s an official post earned through proper examination. One or two offenses may be overlooked, but if you keep exploiting past favors, even the most generous patience has limits!”
“When that favor is exhausted, it’ll be our whole family’s necks on the line!”
“Father, that’s terrifying! His Majesty isn’t that kind of person, is he?”
“In short, tighten your skin these days. If anything goes wrong, don’t blame your father for the punishment that follows!”
Besides physical punishment, there were other creative methods.
Another playboy’s grandfather had a particularly unusual idea.
“His Majesty values that Ying Jiuque so much; perhaps the girl’s background has some merit… By the way, our fourth grandson is seventeen now, maybe it’s time to propose.”
If they could marry Ying Jiuque, they’d gain a granddaughter-in-law from a county lord family—a great honor! Moreover, she saved the emperor once; having her bring the fourth grandson to court would open future prospects.
As for the official post—well, women eventually marry. After marriage, what use is a government position? Look at Chunyu Shuang in the Ministry of Justice. A fine young lady, yet stuck among men, wasting her youth. Which family’s young man would dare marry her now?
But the playboy who received this news felt struck by lightning!
He didn’t know much about Ying Jiuque, but everyone in the capital knew she once smashed an assassin’s head with a brick. He was marrying a wife, not a demon! If he really brought her home, how could he save face outside?
Impossible! He had to come up with a way to make his grandfather abandon this plan. But while thinking, he ended up coming up with an even more dangerous idea.
