The General Seized Her by Force - Chapter 20

Li Chu spoke up, and no one dared to block the way again.

Wen Shu did not hesitate; she lifted her skirt and hurried down the steps to stand behind Li Chu. Only after she had hidden behind her did she realize that doing so was a bit cowardly, so she shifted her feet inconspicuously to stand at Li Chu’s side, straightening her posture.

Li Chu stared at her with great interest; since walking through the circular gate, her gaze had not left Wen Shu for a moment.

Wen Shu felt her ears turn red silently. She pursed her lips and frowned, putting on a serious expression as she looked at the Yang family’s butler, acting bold by relying on Li Chu’s power: “Release my attendant.”

Li Chu followed her gaze, raised her eyebrows slightly, and asked, “What kind of hospitality is this from the Yang family? Binding a servant before even inviting a guest inside?”

She then asked, “Do you need to hold my subordinate, Guan Lu, in the same manner?”

Guan Lu blinked.

The butler quickly released the person, bowed, and offered an apology, “That is, of course, unnecessary. This is all—this is all just a misunderstanding.”

Although Guan Lu was Li Chu’s personal guard, she held an official rank herself. A real-power military officer of the sixth rank held more authority than a fifth-rank official from the Ministry of War, a person the Yang family could not afford to offend.

Especially with Li Chu standing in front of her.

The butler stepped aside, his gaze flickering toward his mistress.

Madam Yang’s expression was unsightly, but she still paid respects to Li Chu first, before proceeding to lecture her with the authority of an elder:

“General Li does not understand the Yang family’s way of hospitality, and our Yang family does not understand General Li’s way of being a guest. This is the capital. When visiting, one should present an invitation card and wait for the host’s nod before entering. Such etiquette—I suppose the General has been away at the border for so long that she has forgotten it.”

Li Chu stood with her hands behind her back, without the slightest intention of returning the salute. “If the capital is a place that values etiquette, why did the Madam let the butler surround my Wen Shu just now? In all the capital, whose custom is it to trap a guest?”

Wen Shu watched Li Chu quietly for a moment, suspecting that she was intentionally bringing her own personal emotions into it, but since they were on the same side, Wen Shu did not correct her on these minor linguistic issues.

Li Chu continued to press the matter relentlessly, “The Yang family comes from a military background, so it is understandable that you might be as ignorant of the rules as I am. But Madam, you come from the family of the Earl of Sinan; how can your conduct be so crude?”

Madam Yang valued her family background above all else. Being ridiculed by Li Chu in such a manner made her feel as if someone had stepped on her tail; she could no longer maintain her calm and dignified facade. “You—”

Li Chu bowed with a beaming smile, “Me? I have been away from the capital for a long time and am ignorant of the rules. If I have offended you in any way, I ask you, as an elder, to be understanding.”

She continued, “It is truly not my fault for breaking in. I had an appointment with Wen Shu to stroll the streets later, but she entered your residence and hadn’t come out after a long time. I was afraid she would break our promise and stand me up, which is why I came in to look for her. I assume the Madam can understand that, right?”

Madam Yang looked at her expressionlessly. Having had all the good and bad things said by her, what else was there for her to say?

Li Chu turned to ask Wen Shu, “What were you chatting about with the Madam? It took so long that I was left waiting.”

Her tone was one of slight, pampering reprimand, but Wen Shu understood she was standing up for her. Her heart warmed, and even the tip of her nose began to sting.

If this had been left to Wen Shu alone, she would have endured the grievance silently today.

Meanwhile, Madam Yang’s fingers, held in front of her, tightened involuntarily. Her eyes looked straight at Wen Shu, full of warning.

Wen Shu did not look at her, but instead muttered, “The Madam was asking if my father’s health is robust, if my mother’s mahjong skills have improved recently, and was concerned about how my grandmother has been feeling.”

This was the art of scholarly conversation.

Wen Shu looked up at Li Chu, her eye corners slightly red, “She also asked if I will be going to the Hanlin Academy for duty tomorrow.”

Li Chu slowly turned to look at Madam Yang.

Madam Yang forced a smile, though she did not meet their eyes, “I was just admiring Wen Shu, the child, and offered a few words of concern. Steward Zhou, bring the two century-old ginseng roots I keep in my collection and have Wen Shu take them back to help her grandmother recover and to strengthen her father’s bones.”

With those last few words, Madam Yang was practically biting her teeth while smiling.

The steward went down, and before long, he returned carrying a long brocade box.

Upon receiving a nod from Li Chu, Doubai reached out and took it into her arms without hesitation, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Wen Shu.

Wen Shu felt a bit embarrassed. She had a thin skin and couldn’t look openly, so she just peeked with a side glance.

Century-old ginseng—it was worth several hundred taels of silver.

Her grandmother had indeed not been well since being frightened during the assassination attempt, compounded by the change of seasons. It was certainly time to nourish her. Usually, they could only afford to stew chicken soup, but tomorrow, they could have chicken and ginseng soup.

Wen Shu no longer blamed Madam Yang; instead, she was filled with joy and bowed to express her gratitude.

She was someone who always forgot the pain once the food was in her stomach.

Madam Yang took a deep breath to calm her mood and issued the dismissal, “General Li, Scholar Wen, do you have any other matters? It is almost noon. If it is convenient, I shall not keep you for lunch.”

She was truly afraid of Li Chu, fearing that if she finished her polite pleasantries, Li Chu might really be thick-skinned enough to stay for a meal.

Only then did Li Chu take Wen Shu out. Remembering something, she turned back to ask Madam Yang, “Madam, has anyone in your residence injured their shoulder recently?”

Madam Yang’s heart skipped a beat; she nearly failed to hold her expression, “No, why does the General ask that?”

Li Chu smiled, “Just asking out of casual concern. Oh, right, if there are any accidents in the Wen household recently, I hope your husband, Assistant Minister Yang, will be careful when walking at night.”

Madam Yang’s face darkened, and she said nothing more.

Li Chu was merely giving a warning; she did not need her to indicate a response.

Leaving the Yang residence, Wen Shu saw Li Chu preparing to board the carriage. She frowned, pursed her lips, and stood by the carriage without moving.

Li Chu looked at her in confusion, tentatively reaching out her arm, blinking, “Shall I help you up first?”

Wen Shu glared at her, “That’s not what I meant.”

Li Chu intentionally opened her arms, teasing, “Then shall I carry you up?”

Wen Shu: “…”

Li Chu put away the jest and looked at her earnestly, “Still haven’t vented your anger? If so, I’ll go intercept Assistant Minister Yang later and break his legs for you.”

Wen Shu: “…”

Wen Shu was amused by Li Chu’s simple and violent plan. Fearing that Li Chu might overthink things, she suppressed her laughter and turned away.

Li Chu narrowed her eyes at Wen Shu, watching her shoulders tremble, and crossed her arms, saying, “Go ahead and laugh. We military officials have always been this reckless and straightforward.”

Wen Shu stopped laughing. She turned to look at Li Chu, her eye corners flushed like peach blossoms, and said softly, “Let’s go.”

Li Chu: “?”

Wen Shu coughed twice, trying hard to ignore the heat on her face, her eyes drifting away, “You said we had an appointment to stroll the streets. I’ll accompany you for a few laps to repay you for helping me out of that predicament today.”

This was an unexpected surprise.

But—

As the two walked side by side toward the street, Li Chu’s peripheral vision fell on Wen Shu’s fair, soft profile. Seeing through everything, she exposed her, “Little Sheep Wen, you lost our bet; don’t think you can use a stroll to shut my mouth.”

Li Chu walked around in front of Wen Shu triumphantly, walking backward with her hands behind her back, tilting her head to look at her, deliberately reminding her, “We promised with a pinky swear; the one who lies is a little puppy.”

Wen Shu: “…”

“Woof.”