The Young Marquis is Ruining the Court! - Chapter 7

Three days had passed since that night, and Chi Zhou had stayed inside the Ningping Marquis Mansion without stepping a foot outside.

In the end, he didn’t return to that painted pleasure boat, and naturally, he didn’t seek an answer from Xie Jiu to satisfy his curiosity. He was a soul from another world drifting here, with no anchor for his sense of belonging. All his emotions were born of the moment, once they passed, they were gone.

If there was truly any trouble or annoyance to speak of, it was simply that his insomnia had returned.

That sleep he’d had on the Glass Moon was like a single melody someone had managed to strike correctly amidst a mess of chaotic notes. Once the tune ended, everything returned to an unordered, noisy jumble that left him feeling restless and agitated.

Chi Zhou had considered going back to the Xuanxing River to prove a point. He wanted to know if the swaying environment of the boat was simply perfect for sleeping, or if, like those nonsensical novels, it was only by Xie Jiu’s side that he could temporarily relax and drift into a dream.

The thought popped up often, but Chi Zhou instinctively suppressed it every time. He didn’t particularly want to see Xie Jiu again.

His desire to redeem the man’s freedom was real, and his desire to keep him was real, but his resistance to meeting the man was also very real.

Conveniently, because he had returned late that day, the Old Madam had sent someone to give him a lecture. Chi Zhou took the opportunity to act obedient. Over these past few days, he had been settled and quiet, never once entertaining the thought of going to a brothel or a tavern to fish for information.

He was a little scared now.

He was afraid of running into another “friend” like Xie Mingjiang whom he couldn’t afford to offend, and equally afraid of encountering another “confidant” like Xie Jiu.

It was quite a coincidence, actually, that both of them were named Xie. Chi Zhou found himself thinking this for no reason.

In the afternoon, the sky was a hazy grey and a light rain began to fall. The seeds of some unknown tree in the courtyard had tumbled into the soil and sprouted, their tiny leaves trembling in the breeze.

Chi Zhou lay on a small couch by the window, feigning sleep, when he heard a flurry of footsteps hurrying along the corridor.

Immediately after, Ming Xi pushed open the door, shaking the rainwater off his clothes before entering. “Young Master, the Madam wants to see you.”

Chi Zhou was startled and sat up, the book covering his face falling to the floor. “Mother is back?” he asked.

Ming Xi walked over to pick up the book for him. “She was supposed to arrive this morning, but the rain made the roads difficult, so there was a delay. She just finished a meal with the Third Miss and sent for you.”

Chi Zhou’s heart sank, and for a moment, he didn’t know how to react.

The original body’s mother was He Lingzhen, a First-Rank Lady of the State. She had once been on the battlefield and killed enemies, serving as a general guarding the borders. She had taken heads from the midst of ten thousand troops, and countless souls had fallen under her red-tasselled spear.

Even the most courageous and battle-hardened soldiers in the army considered it worth bragging about for days if they could fight to a draw with He Lingzhen. After all, when the current Ningping Marquis was first thrown into the military by the Old Marquis to gain experience, he was under He Lingzhen’s command. He had been beaten by her eighty if not a hundred times, and his victories could be counted on one hand.

Toward such a bold and heroic woman, Chi Zhou felt an instinctive admiration, but now that he had become the useless son of such a mother, his heart was filled with nothing but fear and guilt.

As Chi Zhou walked toward the small courtyard where He Lingzhen stayed, he silently carried out the daily task he’d assigned himself since the transmigration:

Cursing the original owner.

What a total loser.

A complete waste of space!

He really wanted to pack up everything in the Ningping Marquis Mansion, from the things buried in the ground to the people running on top of it, and take them back to the modern world just to give the original owner a DNA test.

A whole family of brave soldiers, so where exactly did the genetic mutation start that produced a loser who only knew how to spend his time in wine and debauchery?

Chi Zhou sighed, keeping his head low, his mood heavy. He hadn’t slept well to begin with, and now he was even more annoyed.

He wanted to pet a cat.

His fingers twitched at his side, and Chi Zhou realized he might be becoming a bit of a weirdo. It must have been contagious, caught from the original owner.

Beside him, Ming Xi was rambling on. “The Madam heard you stayed out all night a few days ago. She was so angry she ate one less bowl of rice. She only ate two bowls today, and the Third Miss didn’t even dare to speak much.”

Chi Zhou’s footsteps faltered. His thoughts snapped back from a certain river, and for a moment, he didn’t know whether to be shocked by He Lingzhen’s appetite or worried for his own life.

He opened his mouth. “Ming Xi.”

“Eh?” Ming Xi looked back, his almond-shaped eyes blinking in confusion.

For a split second, Chi Zhou really wanted to ask him what the daily interactions between the original owner and He Lingzhen were like, but the words died in his throat. He knew he couldn’t ask that.

Putting aside the fact that the question itself was highly suspicious, with Ming Xi’s mouth, which could gossip from the East 18th Street all the way to the West 30th Lane, Chi Zhou feared that the moment he asked, the entire capital would know the young Marquis of Ningping had likely fried his brain by drinking at a brothel.

That would be incredibly embarrassing. Chi Zhou found the thought terrifying.

So, he remained silent for a moment before asking another question. “The thing I asked you to do two days ago, going to the Glass Moon to redeem someone, how did that go?”

Ming Xi stumbled, nearly twisting his ankle.

He widened his eyes, his face a mask of disbelief and absurdity as he stared at his master as if he were looking at some bizarre specimen.

It was hard to rate this situation. The Young Master was becoming more and more unhinged.

He just told the Young Master that the Madam might beat him in a moment, and the Young Master replied by saying he was lacking a little lover to warm his bed.

Ming Xi was rarely at a loss for words. The Madam’s residence, Yingshuang Residence, was just ahead, but he suddenly didn’t want to lead Chi Zhou there anymore. He was afraid Chi Zhou would be beaten to death, and then he wouldn’t have a Young Master anymore.

Although the Young Master’s actions were quite out there, he paid very well. If he worked for another two years, the number of shops he owned personally might even double.

Ming Xi frowned and stood in place, doing the math. A pastry shop, a bookstore, a tailor shop…

Compared to the Young Master’s wealth, it was as tiny as a hair on an ant’s head, but it was already much richer than most people in the capital. For example, his friend who was a servant at the Prince of Jing’an’s mansion had to borrow money from him for cold medicine last month. Too pathetic.

Ming Xi’s mind was wandering all over the place, and he didn’t say a word for a long time.

Seeing his silence, Chi Zhou thought the matter hadn’t been handled well. He didn’t know if the owner of the Glass Moon refused to let the person go, or if Xie Jiu was truly unwilling to leave with him.

He also felt a bit annoyed, regretting that he had chosen such a topic to distract himself, only to make his already terrible mood even worse.

“Forget it,” Chi Zhou muttered, about to walk forward.

But Ming Xi suddenly grabbed him, appearing as though he had gone through a long psychological struggle. “Young Master, how about we go hide outside for a couple of days?”

After all, she was his biological mother, the Madam couldn’t possibly chase him down and actually take the Young Master’s life.

Chi Zhou: “?”

He looked at Ming Xi in confusion, but before he could speak, someone emerged from the courtyard ahead.

A middle-aged woman dressed in sharp, fitted riding attire came out with long, swinging strides. It was unclear if she was going for a post-meal walk or if she had grown impatient and come out to catch him herself. The moment she saw Chi Zhou hesitating in front of the courtyard, her eyes lit up like a cat spotting a mouse, and she charged forward.

Chi Zhou was stunned and instinctively backed away. A certain fear carved into his genes forced him to start circling around a pillar the moment he was in this environment.

Yingshuang Residence was planted with many plum trees. The winter plums had already faded and were now sprouting leaves, which unfurled after the rain into patches of tender green. Chi Zhou had no mood for playing house with Peach One, Peach Two, Peach Three, or Peach Four. He frantically ducked around tree trunks to avoid He Lingzhen, the leaves fluttering with the air currents as if they were cheering him on.

“I think you’re trying to annoy your old mother to death!” He Lingzhen shouted with full vigor.

One second Ming Xi was hesitating about taking his master and running, and the next second he had already vanished without a trace.

Chi Zhou caught a glimpse of his fleeing figure out of the corner of his eye and cursed the brat in his heart for having no loyalty. After cursing, he immediately started pleading, “Mother, Mother, I was wrong!”

He Lingzhen yelled back, “Go to your dead father’s Mother Mother! You even dare to curse at me now?!”

Chi Zhou: “!”

Chi Zhou: “?”

Wait! When did he curse at her?!

Chi Zhou felt wronged and aggrieved. He Lingzhen hadn’t even grabbed a weapon, she just rolled up her sleeves and cursed while chasing him, occasionally swinging a hand around the tree trunk to slap his arm, which really stung.

“When you were little, your father spoiled you and I said it wouldn’t do! Later, when we threw you into the army, your brother protected you in the tents like a little princess inspecting the commoners! You stayed at the border for half a month and actually came back even paler!”

“From the Chi family to the He family, from your great-grandmother to your little nephew, there isn’t a single person as pampered as you! I said it would cause trouble, but nobody listened to me, and now look!”

“I don’t care if you like men or women, and I don’t care if you kneel in the ancestral hall for three days and nights just to marry the Sixth Highness! But what is the situation now? Huh? The person hasn’t even entered the door and you’re living in a brothel and not coming home! Are you an animal?!”

Chi Zhou’s arm was stinging with pain. He originally wanted to cry out about how misunderstood he was, but He Lingzhen’s angry roars crashed down on him, making his head spin. By the time he regained his senses, he couldn’t help but agree with her in his heart.

She was right. He really was an animal.

“Mother, don’t scold Brother like that.” Just then, a woman’s voice drifted over, soft and gentle. It was carried by the wind, accompanied by a couple of delicate coughs, sounding incredibly frail.

To Chi Zhou, this voice sounded like music from heaven. He quickly turned his head and saw a woman in plain clothes standing at the courtyard gate. Her hair was simply pulled up with a wooden hairpin, and she looked as fresh as a water lily.

Calling her a woman wasn’t quite accurate, Chi Zhou estimated she was only fifteen or sixteen years old, looking even younger than Ming Xi. But he recognized her instantly. This was the Third Miss of the Ningping Marquis Mansion, Chi Tong.

The original novel mentioned that the Ningping Marquis Mansion had very few descendants, and every one of them seemed to be bound to some sort of “Protect the Country” system. Except for the original owner, who was a waste, everyone else started clamoring to go to the battlefield to train and kill enemies as soon as they turned ten. Therefore, few were born, and even fewer survived to adulthood.

He Lingzhen had three children. The eldest son died young, the second son was the rebellious one, and the third was a girl. When she was born, the Marquis Mansion was at its peak. Her father and eldest brother were still alive, and she was cherished like a precious jewel.

But unfortunately, she had been physically weak since childhood. Emperor Chengping had specifically called in all sorts of imperial physicians to see her, but there was no improvement. When she was five, her eldest brother died in battle, and both Chi Tong and her grandmother fell seriously ill.

A wandering fortune teller appeared out of nowhere in the capital, claiming the Marquis Mansion had committed too much slaughter, which had cursed their children’s fate. This was why the eldest son died young and the youngest daughter was weak. If it continued, they wouldn’t even be able to keep the last bit of their bloodline, and the second son would also die an early death.

Emperor Chengping was visiting the Old Madam at the mansion at the time and was furious upon hearing this. He immediately ordered the fortune teller to be dragged out and beaten. But the fortune teller was a stubborn one, shouting in the courtyard even as he was being dragged away, “The Ningping Marquis Mansion is drenched in blood, the slaughter is like an ocean, retribution will come sooner or later!”

The Old Madam was nearly driven to her grave by the shouting. He Lingzhen, having lost both her husband and her son within five short years, had not been on the battlefield for a long time and her temperament had changed, making her prone to suspicion.

She thought about it for a long time, and after Chi Tong fell so ill she almost didn’t make it, she finally made a decision. She sent her to a nunnery on the outskirts of the capital to take Guanyin as her godmother. She would serve as a servant girl at the Bodhisattva’s feet to offset the bloodshed the Marquis Mansion had brought upon her.

Miraculously, Chi Tong’s health did indeed improve day by day after that. Although she was still weaker than the average person, she never again suffered the kind of life-threatening illnesses she had as a child.

She had very little screen time in the original novel, returning to the Marquis Mansion only two or three times a year and never staying for long. The first time Chi Zhou “saw” this character was at the wedding of the male lead and the original owner. The author spent a bit of ink describing Chi Tong.

She was said to have a face as pure as a lily, with long, narrow phoenix eyes that slanted downwards. She always had a smile on her lips and a peaceful, indifferent expression, possessing a naturally compassionate face. When she appeared, she solved a small problem for Xie Mingjing, and the comment section had hailed her as a descending goddess.

Chi Zhou was now looking at his biological sister with the eyes of someone looking at a savior, praying this goddess would save him and help him escape his mother’s iron grip.

The spring sun was warm, and it was the beautiful time of the third month. Birds landed on the plum branches, tilting their heads to watch the chase below.

Chi Tong walked over with a smile, her steps steady and graceful as if she were walking on lotus flowers. The light in Chi Zhou’s eyes grew brighter and brighter, as if he had seen the hope of survival.

Then, Chi Tong stopped, leaned over, and picked up a broken plum branch from the ground. She smiled gently and said, “Mother, use this to hit him. Be careful not to hurt your hand.”

Smack!

The light in Chi Zhou’s eyes went out.

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