The General Seized Her by Force - Chapter 15

The fact that Li Chu beat up Feng Zhang in the middle of the night had reached almost everyone in the capital by the next morning.

“Father, how can we just let this matter rest!” Feng Zhang lay in bed, his legs bound with wooden planks and bandages. Even though he could not move the lower half of his body, he still stretched his neck, his temples bulging with veins.

The Count of Si Nan first respectfully sent off the imperial physician before turning around to glare at Feng Zhang. “Then what do you want to do?”

He gestured toward the thumb ring on the tray at the round table, his fingertips trembling—it was unclear if it was from anger or fear. “Does she not know your identity? She knew exactly who you were, and yet she still gave you a brutal beating.”

“Do you think this is compensation for you? This was left to intimidate and warn you.”

Li family’s exclusive items are always engraved with a unique character, “Li.” For instance, the tips of their silver arrows and the thumb rings used for drawing bows all bear this mark.

If Li Chu had truly wanted to provide medical expenses, she would have casually tossed a couple of silver taels; she certainly would not have thrown a thumb ring that could prove her identity at Feng Zhang.

This was clearly because she feared the Feng family might not know who had beaten him.

“Not only can you not accept this, but this morning you must personally go to her residence to apologize and return the item to her!” This was what made the Count of Si Nan feel the most humiliated and resentful.

Feng Zhang was so angry he nearly sat up. “Why should I!”

The Count of Si Nan replied, “Because she is Li Chu!”

“Just based on the fact that you were the one to provoke her first, even if she had crippled you yesterday, you would have had to grit your teeth and bear it!”

Feng Zhang was so stifled that his face turned red, yet he could not find a single word to refute this, so he had no choice but to lie back down heavily.

“She beat me on purpose.” Feng Zhang’s brain worked quickly. “When I wanted to announce my family name, she simply didn’t give me the chance.”

If only he had said, “I am the son of the Count of Si Nan,” Li Chu—out of social decorum—might not have been so ruthless, assuming she cared about face.

The Count of Si Nan had considered more. “I sent someone to inquire. I heard that she had just gone to the Wen residence to deliver many gifts yesterday, which is why she was pulling an empty cart and taking a detour.”

The Count sat by the bed, looking at his son with profound meaning. “Perhaps it was a coincidence, that she just happened to run into you.”

But that was too much of a coincidence!

Although their residence was not poorly located, it was not on the way to the General’s Mansion. Did Li Chu really go out of her way to take a detour just to “accidentally” beat him up?

What kind of feud or grudge was this?

Anyone with eyes could see that Li Chu did it on purpose, but the problem was that she held the moral high ground.

Because it was Feng Zhang who provoked her first yesterday, and when Li Chu left after the beating, she even told a passing night watchman about it. In just one night, the whole city knew that Young Master Feng had overestimated himself and hit General Li’s staff with his own legs.

Feng Zhang, “…”

Feng Zhang wished he could bite Li Chu to death!

The Count of Si Nan looked miserable and deeply burdened. “Now, not only do we have to apologize to Li Chu, but you must also send gifts to express your apologies for causing trouble and making things difficult for the top scholar, Wen, at the Qionglin Banquet.”

Feng Zhang suddenly turned his head to look at his father, his expression both embarrassed and ugly, not understanding why this matter was now involving Wen Shu.

It was bad enough that he hadn’t scored as well as Wen Shu; the little tricks he had played behind the scenes were now known to everyone, which was even more humiliating than losing the exam to Wen Shu!

The Count of Si Nan said coldly, “I just said that before Li Chu beat you, she had just come from the Wen residence.”

Feng Zhang darkened his face and remained silent.

The Feng family and the Li family had no grievances with each other. Although Li Chu was flamboyant, she was not overbearing. If he hadn’t offended her, she would not have beaten someone and left her ring behind.

The Count of Si Nan added, “We have to thank her for not hitting you harder; otherwise, you, a newly appointed chuanlu (scholar), would have had to spend the rest of your life in a wheelchair.”

As for why they had to apologize, it was naturally because the matter had blown up too large, and Feng Zhang was at a critical moment for being assigned a government post. If public opinion were too poor, those in power would consider sending him away from the capital to reduce the heat of the public’s criticism.

Feng Zhang had originally wanted to use public opinion to pull Wen Shu down, but this move had been used back against him by Li Chu.

For Li Chu to be appointed as a general at such a young age, besides her martial arts skills, she surely possessed political acumen as well.

The Count of Si Nan reached up to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead, looking at the thumb ring. “Now, we can only hope that this ring has no deeper meaning.”

Otherwise, this situation would be even more troublesome.

When Li Chu returned to her residence late that night, Li Yue was stubbornly fighting off sleep, waiting for her return. She jokingly asked, “So, how was it? Was the Wen family satisfied with your partial dowry?”

Li Chu replied, “I don’t know.”

She thought for a moment and added, “But Wen Shu should be very satisfied with me.”

Li Yue’s eyes widened. She was truly interested now. She wrapped her robe around herself with one hand and followed Li Chu closely. “What do you mean?”

Could it be that their family was finally going to flourish and add new members?

Setting aside the fact that her own branch had no possibility of having heirs, if her older sister could marry a husband into the family, there was still hope for growing the Li clan.

Li Chu asked in return, looking puzzled, “Given my conditions, who would be dissatisfied with me? Moreover, she blushes the moment she sees me; she must be terribly shy.”

Li Yue replied, “…It could also be that she was scared.”

She had already investigated the Wen family’s past eight generations today; they were all honest and law-abiding people. It stood to reason that the fair-skinned top scholar, Wen, was the same. For someone with such a personality to suddenly encounter someone as intense and aggressive as her sister, blushing was a minor reaction; she could have easily turned pale instead.

Li Chu smiled, turned around, pinched Li Yue’s cheeks, and shook them gently. She said softly, “Since you stayed up so late today, you had better be able to wake up at 7:00 AM tomorrow; I will not be soft-hearted.”

Li Yue pitifully pleaded for mercy in a soft voice, “I only stayed up because I was worried about you.”

Li Chu let go, looking surprised. “What is there to worry about? When I walk on the street, it is others who should be worried.”

Li Yue thought the same, but she dared not say it aloud, so she just rubbed her cheeks and smiled slightly.

Li Chu went to wash up. “By the way, if I am not at home tomorrow and someone comes to visit, remember to entertain them.”

Li Yue asked, “Who is coming to visit?”

Li Chu replied, “It should be the Feng family from the Count’s residence. On my way back just now, I conveniently beat up the eldest young master of the Feng family.”

She had occupied their private room during the day, and then beat up their son at night?!

Li Yue did not feel that Li Chu was wrong; she was merely curious. “How did he provoke you?”

Li Chu had already entered the washroom to undress and prepare for a bath. Li Yue did not go in, so she looked toward Guan Lu, who was standing outside the door, intending to hear the answer from her.

Guan Lu rubbed her chin, appearing to be in deep thought. “He didn’t exactly provoke the General, but unfortunately, he provoked the General’s ‘heart and meat’ (beloved).”

Li Yue, “…”

Li Yue straightened her back, raised her chin, and lowered her eyelids. The noble and arrogant bearing of a daughter of a prominent family was instantly on full display. She asked coolly, “Oh, then they should be coming to demand an explanation.”

Guan Lu shook her index finger slightly. “Not necessarily; they might also be coming to thank our General.”

Sure enough, the next day, the Count of Si Nan personally visited, bringing generous gifts, claiming he was there to thank Li Chu for disciplining his son on his behalf. Otherwise, with the impetuous nature of a hot-blooded youth like Feng Zhang, he might have caused some disaster in the future.

He attributed the incident to a minor misunderstanding. While lowering his posture, he also returned Li Chu’s thumb ring.

As for Feng Zhang, he said he was bedridden and unable to move, which was why he missed even the small examination that day and could not come personally to apologize.

Although Li Yue was young, she accepted the gifts neither haughtily nor humbly and chatted with the Count of Si Nan.

The Count of Si Nan looked around and asked casually, “Where is General Li?”

Li Yue replied, “She has gone out on urgent business.”

Li Chu had five days of vacation upon returning to the capital, and during this period, there was only one important thing to do—

To secure a status for herself.