Chapter 51 [VIP]

Mi Yao's expression didn't change because of the noise from just a wall away. Hearing Yin Qingxin's words, she raised her eyes and replied, "Who's being so arrogant and unruly right now? Your haughty and petty face has no trace of the demeanor of a noble lady."

"you!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, that was presumptuous of me."

Mi Yao put her fingers to her lips as if she were thinking of something. Rather than covering her mouth, it was more like she was showing off her slender, green fingers. With her fingertips being scarlet, it made people feel uneasy and anxious.

Mi Yao, who was being watched by all sorts of people, smiled after apologizing: "I just thought that the Observer Chang's family background was outstanding and that he should marry a noble lady, so I made a conclusion about Madam Chang. That was too arbitrary. Maybe Madam Chang comes from the common people and is good at being arrogant and domineering."

As soon as Mi Yao finished speaking, the little bit of comfort Yin Qingxin had just felt vanished instantly. She was so angry that her eyes bulged, her chest heaved rapidly, and she raised her hand to slap Mi Yao.

How could the Chang family allow their carefully cultivated son to marry a daughter from an ordinary family? Yin Qingxin's background was not low; in fact, the Yin family was a level above the Yu family.

Yin Qingxin had never been pointed at and cursed like this before. If this were the capital, Mi Yao would have dragged her away, sewn her mouth shut, and beaten her to death.

Yin Qingxin's slap was stopped by the maid beside Mi Yao. Mi Yao remained seated, leaning back in her rosewood chair, enjoying Yin Qingxin's furious outburst: "Only uncivilized savages resort to violence when they can't win an argument."

“Yu Shi, shut up. The military governor summoned you here. What do you think it’s for? The more smug you are now, the more we’ll think you deserve it when you cry later. We won’t plead for you.”

Seeing that Mi Yao was going too far and that Yin Qingxin was swaying as if she was about to faint from anger, Fang quickly spoke up to help Yin Qingxin and rebuke Mi Yao.

For today's banquet, it would be enough for the ladies of the Zhao family to accompany our lovely guest, Yin Qingxin.

But Zhao Tianhe specifically instructed Xiao Chuan to bring Mi Yao along, which makes one think deeply.

Those in the know understand that the conflict between Xiao Chuan and Chang Xuanke stemmed from Chang Xuanke's tactless attempt to curry favor with Mi Yao in front of Xiao Chuan.

If Mi Yao wanted Xiao Chuan and Chang Xuanke to resolve their feud, she didn't need to be present at all; her presence would only remind them of the reasons for their enmity.

Therefore, when Fang and Pan learned that Mi Yao was coming, they both thought that Zhao Tianhe wanted to win over Chang Xuanke and make Mi Yao the scapegoat between the two men. They wouldn't actually give Mi Yao to Chang Xuanke, but they definitely intended to make Mi Yao admit her mistake and take responsibility.

It's unclear how Xiao Chuan explained things to Mi Yao, but instead of adopting a humble attitude, she infuriated Yin Qingxin to the point of near-death.

"Apologize to Madam Chang!"

Fang adopted the demeanor of an elder, but unfortunately Mi Yao didn't take it to heart.

"How did Aunt Fang also pick up this bad habit of not being able to distinguish right from wrong? I'm so wronged, who should apologize to whom?"

"You're pointing at me and yelling at me, what are you complaining about!"

Seeing the feigned gentleness on Mi Yao's face, Yin Qingxin became even more furious. How dare Mi Yao say that she was wronged? Her mouth was like poison, spewing one nasty word after another. She could make a dead person come back to life.

"Madam Yu, Commander Xiao requests your presence."

Just as Yin Qingxin and Madam Fang were pondering what could be done to subdue Mi Yao, a servant came to summon her.

This sudden turn of events made their eyes light up. Mi Yao glanced around and noticed that Zeng Shi's eyes lit up before the servants even spoke. She guessed that this person was sent by Wu Liping to cause trouble at the men's table under Xiao Chuan's name.

Don't go.

Yan Yun frowned and took Mi Yao's arm. Firstly, she found the servant suspicious, and secondly, even if Xiao Chuan had indeed summoned Mi Yao, it wouldn't be a good thing.

"Don't worry, I'm tired of staying here."

It's fun to banter with someone, but it gets boring if you keep going at it.

Knowing that it wasn't Xiao Chuan who called her, Mi Yao still stood up, wanting to end it all as soon as possible.

After passing the artificial hill, the noise from the men's section quieted down.

Xiao Chuan and Chang Xuanke sat at the same table, next to Wu Liping, who was stunned and barely managed to stay upright with his legs weak by the support of the guards.

Because of the decorations blocking the way, Mi Yao could only see a few people when she first entered the venue. After taking a few steps forward, she understood why the venue was so quiet.

Xiao Chuan pressed Chang Xuanke's head down with one hand, forcing him into the wine pot. This action must have been maintained for a while, otherwise Chang Xuanke would not have been completely without struggle, as if he had already stopped breathing.

Unexpectedly, this banquet was indeed a trap, except that the one at the trap wasn't her, but Chang Xuanke.

Xiao Chuan and Zhao Tianhe must have coordinated beforehand. The room was filled with menacing guards. All the officials brought by Chang Xuanke were gagged and tied up, and the others remained silent, waiting for the end of this brutal massacre.

Mi Yao considered herself relatively calm. Noticing the silence around her, she tiptoed and walked without making any attention-grabbing noise.

He looked straight at her.

A flash of ferocity crossed his face, but the next moment the crimson in his eyes intensified, like a predatory beast spotting something more interesting, using its gaze to hunt its prey since it couldn't free its hands.

Reading the emotion in the phoenix eyes, Mi Yao subconsciously took half a step back, just now because of the half...

Xiao Chua withdrew his gaze and looked at Chang Xuanke, who was holding a wine jar.

"Reporting to Father, the Inspector Chang was not a heavy drinker. He drank several cups without knowing the limits and died from alcohol poisoning."

"Such a hero, what a pity." Zhao Tianhe sighed. "Wen Sima, quickly write a death report and report this terrible news to His Majesty."

"Your subordinate obeys."

"The welcoming banquet has turned into a funeral banquet. Tell the kitchen to prepare pomelo water for everyone to ward off bad luck. Chua'er, go and wash your hands so that the bad luck doesn't touch you."

Xiao Chuan thanked Zhao Tianhe and walked up to Mi Yao. After observing her expression and finding no sign of fear, he asked, "Why did you come here?"

“Your third brother sent someone to summon me, wanting me to see how you apologize to Chang Xuanke.”

Mi Yao looked at the servant who had led her there. Before she could even see what was going on, she was covered by a guard and pulled away. It seemed that Xiao Chuan valued her highly in the eyes of these guards, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to get through so easily without anyone daring to stop her.

Xiao Chuan glanced at Wu Liping, who was already completely out of it, and realized that Mi Yao had come here because Wu Liping had set her up. But since she knew this, she must have been tired of staying in the women's section, so she decided to play along and put pressure on him to force him to finish the job quickly.

Thinking of Mi Yao's surprise when she saw Chang Xuanke remain silent, Xiao Chuan's lips curled up slightly: "Satisfied?"

"My lord is so mighty! When have I ever been dissatisfied with him?"

Mi Yao responded with a faint smile. Although she wasn't as enthusiastic as usual, she was much more pleasing to the eye compared to the icy indifference of the military governor.

Xiao Chuan escorted Mi Yao to her residence before returning to his post as military governor.

The two traveled in silence, one on horseback and the other in a carriage. Upon arriving at the Xiao residence, Xiao Chuan simply mentioned that he would be busy with matters and would be returning late in the next few days before turning and leaving.

Although he didn't say much, Mi Yao could still sense the relaxed and joyful aura emanating from Xiao Chuan.

Looking at his back, it's as if you can see a screen of brightly colored peacock feathers unfolding.

Unfortunately, she didn't have anything in her belly that could spoil his mood, so it can only be said that he really succeeded in pretending this time.

*

Upon meeting Yu Shaoyang, Mi Yao told him about Xiao Chuan killing Chang Xuanke.

Yu Shaoyang never expected that Xiao Chuan would use such a simple and brutal method to deal with Chang Xuanke. While he was worried, he also felt relieved, and finally understood what Zhen Jing meant when she often said that Xiao Chuan and Mi Yao were a match made in heaven.

Even if he, as her own brother, wanted to protect Mi Yao, he couldn't be as decisive as Xiao Chuan.

"My brother-in-law is a true hero!"

Just two hours ago he was called Xiao Xu, and now he's the brother-in-law with whom I share this honor.

Mi Yao couldn't help but smile: "Brother, you don't need to worry now. Xiao Chuan dared to kill someone at the banquet and was able to use the military governor's guards, which means he got the military governor's approval. Now it's up to the military governor to negotiate with the emperor."

Although it's unclear why reality deviates so much from the plot, Chang Xuanke not only died young but also at Xiao Chuan's hands. However, even though Xiao Chuan was infatuated with her, Zhao Tianhe was there to protect him.

As long as Zhao Tianhe agrees, Xiao Chuan's actions cannot be irrational.

In the days that followed, undercurrents surged in Yizhou City. Zhao Tianhe sent people with news of the death and Chang Xuanke's family back to the capital.

As for the officials who were with Chang Xuanke that day, they either drowned in Jiuquan or remained in Yizhou.

Just a moment ago, Yin Qingxin was pitying Mi Yao for losing face and having to apologize to Chang Xuanke in front of everyone.

They all tilted their ears, a smug look on their faces, eager to hear what was happening behind the artificial hill.

Who knew that they would hear the news that Chang Xuanke had died from excessive drinking.

Yin Qingxin's first reaction was disbelief. She exclaimed that Mi Yao and her husband had killed her husband and demanded that Zhao Tianhe stand up for him.

Zhao Tianhe didn't even see her. He had Wen Sima show her the news of her death and then sent her onto a ship back to the capital.

The people most afraid of Yin Qingxin's departure were Wu Liping and his wife. Wu Liping was relegated to an even less important, sinecure, while Zeng Shi went directly to the Xiao residence with apology gifts.

"Why isn't my sister seeing her?"

Upon hearing that Madam Zeng was requesting an audience, Yu Xiu knew that Madam Zeng had come to beg for favors. She excitedly reported this to Mi Yao, but to her surprise, Mi Yao refused to see her.

"It's more interesting to deal with arrogant people who look down on me. Now that she's here, I can already imagine the pathetic look she'll give me without even seeing her, so what's the point of seeing her?"

She had never suffered a loss at the hands of the Zeng family; on the contrary, the Zeng family had been brought to tears by her several times. Under these circumstances, she had no intention of taking another step against the Wu family.

Hearing Mi Yao say this, Yu Xiu thought about it and agreed: "She has a lot of bad luck ahead of her. If we kick her while she's down, it will only make others think that they are the pitiful ones, and that we are being too aggressive."

Mi Yao patted Yu Xiu's head as a reward: "You're getting smarter and smarter."

Yu Xiu has been focusing all her attention on learning how to manage household affairs lately, and she even asked someone to find her an accountant to teach her arithmetic.

He is becoming more mature and methodical in his work, and his ideas are no longer as impulsive as before.

Mi Yao suddenly had the thought that her child had grown up while she herself had grown old. She touched the non-existent wrinkles at the corners of her eyes, immediately put aside the troubles in Yizhou City, went to various bookstores and bought dozens of new books. On the way, she also went to the jewelry and gold and silver shops and paid several hundred taels of silver to select a bunch of items that she didn't care whether she wore them or not, but that made her feel comfortable.

Lying back on the soft couch, listening to the newly purchased entertainers singing in the mansion, Mi Yao felt as if she had come back to life.

But her happiness lasted only a few days. Xiao Chuan, who had disappeared for some time, suddenly appeared before her while it was still light.

Mi Yao glanced at the water clock, which indicated it was only the beginning of the 5-7 PM hour, and after a moment's thought, she realized—

Today is the first day of the lunar month.