Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Not That Terrifying Either

Someone sneered, “Shang Xing Yu? Wasn’t he that useless dandy who drank flower wine with five women a few days ago-”

“Pa!” A Talent Cup Token slammed straight into the speaker’s mouth.

“Xing Yu!!” Shang Xiu Yuan’s handsome brows knitted.

Before Shang Xiu Yuan could say anything else, another Talent Cup Token shot right at Brother Zhang’s head.

“Enough!” Shang Xiu Yuan yanked Brother Zhang aside. Only after the Talent Cup Token hit the floor did Shang Xiu Yuan turn around and order, “Go bring the Second Young Master down!”

“Yes!” Two servants from the General’s residence charged upstairs.

Shang Xing Yu curled his lips and said, “Alright, alright. Do you really need to make such a fuss? I’ll come down myself. Oh, right, Elder Brother, remember to pay what I owe the Gathering Sages Teahouse. And those two cups I just smashed were their most expensive ones, so remember to compensate them too.”

Shang Xing Yu continued, “I was going to pawn the jade pendant Maternal Grandfather gave me, but you and Father both want that, don’t you? If I pawn it, you’ll have even less chance to swindle it out of me.”

“Shang Xing Yu!” Shang Xiu Yuan’s temple twitched.

Even with servants pressing him, Shang Xing Yu still wore a bright, grinning face. Shang Xiu Yuan held his breath until his chest felt tight and snapped, “Apologize!”

“Apologize for what?” Shang Xing Yu raised his voice in surprise. “Did I say anything wrong? You so-called learned men guessed at the Emperor’s intent, but you didn’t dare say a word out loud. You only dared to skulk around and talk bad about a woman behind her back.”

Shang Xing Yu went on, “What, then? Did you see it with your own eyes, or do you have some other proof? Calling you ‘gossipy women’ would insult real gossipy women! At least real gossipy women speak with reasons and evidence.”

Shang Xing Yu kept talking, “You learned men are the ones who convicted someone here based on your own fantasies, and now you won’t even let anyone say a word about it?”

Shang Xing Yu threw out “learned men” again and again, shameless to the core.

Yet somehow, he choked every person there so badly that none of them could squeeze out a single rebuttal.

But he still was not done.

Shang Xing Yu suddenly leaned close to one man and said, “I remember you! The Left Assistant Chief Censor’s eldest son. What was your name again? Fang… Fang Shao Hui! Right!”

Shang Xing Yu smiled and asked, “Since you’re unhappy His Majesty only gave Qi Shu Xian a Junior Fifth Rank, why don’t you have your father submit a memorial and ask for more?”

Shang Xing Yu shifted again, right up to the man he had hit with a cup, and said, “And you. Being with five women means drinking flower wine? When your eyes are dirty, everything looks dirty. Then when you’re with your mother and your sister, are you drinking flower wine too? Tch!”

“You-you!” The man shook so hard his finger trembled. He wanted to curse, but his pride held him back.

Shang Xing Yu did not even look at him. He turned to Brother Zhang, who was still being held by Shang Xiu Yuan, and said, “Zhang Yuan Zhuo, right? Before you look down on me, why don’t you look at what kind of trash you are first? I heard your family’s been talking about a marriage match lately.”

Shang Xing Yu clicked his tongue and circled Zhang Yuan Zhuo once. Then he said something that made everyone freeze. “I wonder if the families negotiating with you know that you actually… preferred men?”

Zhang Yuan Zhuo said, “…”

Shang Xiu Yuan said, “…”

Shang Xiu Yuan let go of Zhang Yuan Zhuo without thinking and edged a step away.

Zhang Yuan Zhuo clutched his chest, shaking with rage, and glared at Shang Xing Yu.

Shang Xing Yu snapped, “What are you staring at? This Young Master is charming and debonair. Even if you stare all day, I still won’t like a dead cut-sleeve like you!”

“Pfft…” Ting Lan finally snapped out of her shock and could not hold back her laugh.

Sheng Zhi Wan’s expression turned complicated.

In her previous life, Sheng Zhi Wan had not interacted much with the famous Qin Yu Wang. Sheng Zhi Wan had only heard that, back in the Capital, Qin Yu Wang had been reckless and willful, doing every kind of evil and offending countless people.

In the end, no one knew what disaster Qin Yu Wang caused. General Shang, furious, drove him out of the family, and Qin Yu Wang disappeared without a trace.

When Qin Yu Wang appeared again, the Western Frontier was in chaos. Barbarian cavalry charged deep into Sheng Kingdom, and the commoner wailed in misery.

A nameless Yu Family Army rose from nowhere. At first, everyone looked down on that “ragtag” force.

Then one victory came, and then another. When the Yu Family Army finally drove the barbarians out of Sheng Kingdom, Imperial Father began to take them seriously and ordered Qi Shu Xian to lead people to negotiate.

Only after that negotiation did the truth explode. The commander of the Yu Family Army was actually the capital city’s once most notorious dandy, General Shang’s “useless” second son-Shang Xing Yu.

Even now, Sheng Zhi Wan could still remember the look on Qi Shu Xian’s face back then.

Sheng Zhi Wan let out a soft laugh.

“Princess!” Ting Lan said urgently. “They’re fighting. That Shang Da Young Master is actually forcing Young Master Shang Er to kowtow and admit fault!”

Before, Ting Lan had also felt Young Master Shang Er was absurd and unruly, but… he had spoken up for Princess.

Ting Lan suddenly felt Young Master Shang Er did not seem as terrifying as the rumors said.

Sheng Zhi Wan’s eyes flickered. Sheng Zhi Wan said, “Open the window.”

“Yes!” Ting Lan’s face lit up with excitement. Those sour, spiteful pedants who talked behind people’s backs should be scared to death-no, those long-tongued Scholars!

A calm female voice drifted down from upstairs: “I was indeed born of the Imperial House, and I was indeed arrogant and lavish. But ignorant and shallow, a mere woman who played tricks-hm. I didn’t even realize I had earned such a reputation.”

The servants who were forcing Shang Xing Yu to kneel froze.

Shang Xiu Yuan also looked up in shock.

Sheng Zhi Wan still sat by the window. Sheng Zhi Wan’s gaze swept over the man who had spoken earlier, cool and flat.

For a moment, no one reacted. They only stared blankly at the gorgeous, dazzling woman by the window.

Then they caught those two words-this Princess.

One face changed, then another, and then another, until everyone’s expression turned pale.