Chapter 9 A Friend's Husband Should Not Be Snatched
"No, no, no!" Seeing that the situation was about to escalate again, Lu Jinlan quickly hugged Yan Shao Niang. "You two, stop talking. Neither of you needs to pay compensation. I will, okay?"
She thought about how this hunter came from a poor family and it wasn't easy for him to earn money. Yan Shao Niang had indeed suffered a great loss, but fortunately, she didn't care and was willing to pay for it.
Lu Jinlan took out her money pouch. "I'll give you four hundred coins and pay for your clothes. Is that alright?"
She thought she had come up with a brilliant solution, but to her surprise, neither of them agreed.
"What do you mean? Do you think I'm short of money?" Young Madam Yan snorted and turned to leave.
"It wasn't you who dropped it, I don't want your money." The hunter picked up the half-eaten pork and left.
Lu Jinlan stood there blankly for a while, clutching the money pouch, muttering to herself, "They don't even appreciate it. Do they think I'm willing? Am I some kind of unfortunate victim?"
In the evening, Ximo and Qing'er returned home, excitedly reporting the tasks she had been given.
"We found Ruiyun Silk Shop with just a few inquiries. It has more than a dozen branches. When the shopkeeper heard that we were relatives, he personally sent someone to take us to my aunt's house. However, my aunt was not home today, so we were unable to see her. When my aunt's husband saw us and heard that you had come, he was very happy and has already instructed people to prepare the courtyard so that you can move in tomorrow."
Lu Jinlan responded listlessly, "We'll see. I still prefer staying at inns; I feel too constrained at my relatives' houses."
Qing'er said, "Then you should think of a proper reason to refuse. My aunt isn't my biological aunt, and I don't think it's right to bother her too much."
"Hmm, have we gone to say hello to our shop yet?"
Xi Mo said, "I've already told them. The manager who went to Yunzhou for the birthday banquet rushed to the capital before us. These past two days, people have been searching all over the capital for you. They almost cried when they saw us, they were so happy. They said they wanted to come and pay their respects to the young master, but I declined on your behalf, saying that you were studying and didn't have time. You can see them after you pass the exam."
Lu Jinlan nodded in satisfaction, "You did a good job. Finally, something went smoothly for me today."
Qing'er asked curiously, "What happened to you today?"
Lu Jinlan sighed deeply, feeling that words could not express her feelings. Just thinking about it made her feel aggrieved. She had encountered a young man in white, kindly helping him borrow books, only to be tricked by him. She had tried to mediate a fight, but both parties had retorted, her good intentions taken for granted.
Lu Jinlan didn't want to tell anyone a word about these embarrassing things, and simply summarized it in one sentence: "Shenjing is full of lunatics."
With the selection period approaching, Lu Jinlan visited her aunt's house twice, spending the rest of her time practicing martial arts in preparation for the martial arts exam.
She learned a lot in the system, but she had never actually fought in a real battle and wasn't sure what her skill level was. So she went to a martial arts school and hired a master to spar with her every day, putting the moves in her mind into practice. They trained intensively for about ten days.
If you do the math, it's been less than two months since she started automatically practicing martial arts every night. Compared to those who have diligently practiced martial arts since childhood, she's far behind. It's all Lu Jinzhao's fault for spoiling the child too much. He's made Lu Jinlan useless in both academics and martial arts, and she has to cram for everything.
On the day of registration, Lu Jinlan was still feeling very uneasy.
The Royal Academy's martial arts selection is a major event in the capital. Although the first day was just for registration and letting everyone go on stage to try out their weapons, it had already attracted a lot of onlookers.
Lu Jinlan was queuing to register with her admission notice when she unexpectedly spotted two familiar faces—those two ungrateful lunatics.
Yan Shao Niang should be a local candidate from Shenjing who has already been admitted. Tomorrow, these admitted freshmen will draw lots to compete against students from other places.
That day, the strong young lady who carried the pigs lined up in front of Lu Jinlan to register. Lu Jinlan glanced at her name, Xiang Ruzhen.
After Lu Jinlan finished registering, Xiang Ruzhen had already leaped onto the arena.
She had no weapons of her own, so she took an iron spear from the public weapons rack and tried it out in her hand.
"Hey, where did this hunter come from?" a local student on stage asked sarcastically.
Xiang Ruzhen answered earnestly, "I come from Mianzhou."
A burst of laughter erupted from all around. The man raised his silver spear and said, "Dare to spar with me?"
Xiang Ruzhen's expression was cold, without a trace of anger at being mocked, and she simply replied in a normal tone, "Okay."
The bystanders quickly dispersed, and the two spears collided on the arena with a loud bang.
The local student took two steps back in a panic, a hint of confusion flashing in his eyes.
Lu Jinlan silently curled the corners of her lips, watching the show with a smile.
It must have hurt a lot, right? She had seen Xiang Ruzhen lift half a wild boar with one hand, and she couldn't even imagine how strong she was.
The local student realized he had provoked the wrong person the moment he exchanged blows with Xiang Ruzhen. He immediately used all his skills to fight her head-on.
The two fought fiercely, drawing cheers from the audience.
The layman sees the spectacle, the expert sees the details; Lu Jinlan is now considered a semi-expert.
She could clearly see the strengths and weaknesses of the two people on stage. Xiang Ruzhen possessed superhuman strength and a robust physique, making her a martial arts prodigy. However, she likely lacked proper instruction, as her moves were either commonplace or improvised, seemingly improvising without any discernible pattern.
The local student was different; he was clearly well-trained, and his moves were more refined. In their fight, Xiang Ruzhen relied purely on strength to suppress the opponent, while the local student was initially able to launch a few attacks with dazzling techniques.
However, Xiang Ruzhen quickly adapted to her fighting style. In less than twenty moves, the man was reduced to merely parrying and had no chance to retaliate.
Lu Jinlan noticed that Yan Shaoniang was also watching from the other side. Fearing that she might still hold a grudge and make things difficult for Xiang Ruzhen, she quietly moved closer.
Sure enough, Yan Shao Niang's servant whispered, "Isn't that hunter on the stage the one you clashed with on the street? Should we use some tricks to make sure she can't be admitted tomorrow?"
Yan Shao Niang was focused on the fight on the stage. Hearing the sound, she glanced coldly at the servant and said, "Does such despicable means deserve my noble birth?"
The servant lowered his head in shame, and Yan Shao Niang lowered her voice: "Go home and never go out with me again."
"yes."
Lu Jinlan smiled slightly, stepped forward and hooked his arm around her shoulder, "I didn't realize that Young Madam Yan, besides being fond of men, is also so upright. Shall we officially become friends?"
She extended her hand in a friendly manner, and Yan Shaoniang glanced at her, "You're here to participate in the selection? I didn't realize that besides being fond of men, you're also quite talented."
She grasped the outstretched hand. "Yan Wuxin."
"Lu Jinlan".
"Finally made friends in this world," Lu Jinlan said happily. "Let's make a bet. Guess how many moves are left on the stage. The loser treats us to dinner."
"I guess within ten moves."
"I guess within three moves."
Before the words were finished, a loud bang rang out, and the local student's silver spear was deflected by the iron spear, officially ending the contest.
"Bravo!" A deafening roar of applause erupted from the audience.
Xiang Ruzhen put the iron spear back on the weapon rack, and Lu Jinlan immediately pulled Yan Wuxin over to surround her.
"What a coincidence, we meet again."
"If you had told me you were so skilled, I would have paid you four hundred coins that day. We're all heroes, so let's just consider it making friends."
Xiang Ruzhen sized up the two of them, then held out her hand to Yan Wuxin, "Then you'll pay me four hundred coins now."
"Huh? Oh." Yan Wuxin was stunned for a moment, then reached for his money pouch in a daze.
Lu Jinlan grabbed one of them with each hand, saying, "Why should we pay compensation? Just make her treat us to a meal."
"Yes, yes, that's right, I lost the bet."
The two men dragged Xiang Ruzhen into the carriage, not allowing her to refuse, and soon arrived at a large mansion.
"Come down, this is my private residence."
In a place like the capital where land is incredibly valuable, Yan Wuxin's magnificent residence suggests he comes from an extraordinary family. Lu Jinlan had heard of the four great noble families of Hua Kingdom: Ling, Yan, Zhao, and Chu. Lu Jinlan guessed that Yan Wuxin was probably a relative of Prime Minister Yan Weijin's family.
As soon as the three sat down in the hall, servants brought in refreshments and tea. Immediately afterwards, six or seven handsome men rushed in and bowed respectfully to Yan Wuxin, saying, "Greetings, Mistress."
Lu Jinlan was taken aback. "You're married?"
Yan Wuxin said embarrassedly, "We're not married yet, these are just tokens."
"Not married" means not having married a proper husband yet. Daughters of wealthy families could also take a husband before marrying a proper husband, but usually he wouldn't be given a high status.
The hierarchy is: principal husband, secondary husband, constant companion, elegant attendant, and servant. The servant's status is the lowest.
Lu Jinlan knew that Yan Wuxin was fond of men, but she hadn't expected so many things to happen. She quickly completed the system tasks.
Yan Wuxin said to the men, "I have friends here, you can all go. You don't need to serve me here."
After the servants left, Yan Wuxin noticed Lu Jinlan's gaze. "How was it? I have good taste, don't I?"
She took Lu Jinlan's arm and said generously, "Is there anything you like? Or should I have them come back?"
Before Lu Jinlan could react, Xiang Ruzhen, who had just sat down, suddenly stood up. "If you keep doing this, I'm leaving."
Lu Jinlan waved her hands repeatedly, "No, no, no, Wu Xin was just joking. I didn't mean it that way. I just glanced at it a few times."
"Really?" Xiang Ruzhen was skeptical and earnestly advised, "As the sage said, one should not snatch a friend's lover; we scholars should remember this."
Lu Jinlan and Yan Wuxin exchanged a glance. Yan Wuxin said, "Oh no, it seems we've invited the school supervisor to our home."
Lu Jinlan laughed heartily, "Ruzhen, don't be so old-fashioned, okay? How old are you this year?"
The three women were compared in age: Xiang Ruzhen was seventeen, while Yan Wuxin and Lu Jinlan were the same age, both sixteen. When asked about their birthdays, they discovered they were only one day apart: Lu Jinlan's birthday was September 6th, and Yan Wuxin's was September 7th.
Yan Wuxin was very happy. "What a coincidence! I'm so happy today, I must have a good drink."
Lu Jinlan hurriedly said, "I have an exam tomorrow, so let's skip the wine and have tea instead."
The meal was quickly set out, but there was no wine or music, making it rather bland.
Yan Wuxin: "I just heard the other day that the top scholar from Yunzhou was a talented poet, and I've been wanting to meet him. I never imagined it would be you, Lu Jinlan. Could you show us your skills and broaden our horizons?"
Here we go again. Lu Jinlan put down the chicken leg in her hand and sighed softly, "Fine."
Damn vanity! To win the favor of my new friends, I have no choice but to trouble Li Bai.
"Bring in the Wine" - A poem composed on a whim after meeting Li Bai in a dream.
To fit the occasion, she slightly altered the characters in the poem. "Master Cen Danqiu" became "Yan Wuxin Xiang Ruzhen," and after finishing the poem, Yan Wuxin shouted outside, "Dig out my treasured wine!"
She held Lu Jinlan's hand tightly. "You're right. We should enjoy life to the fullest. We should at least have a drink together. It's worth it for you to have written such a beautiful poem."
Lu Jinlan hesitated and looked at Xiang Ruzhen, "What do you say?"
A note from the author:
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The three heroes of the academy have successfully assembled!
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