Chapter 26 The Duan Family Comes to Break Off the Engagement
Duan Qingyun said, "Your Highness, I have no romantic feelings for the Fourth Miss. Marrying her would ruin her life. Please grant my request. Here is one thousand taels as compensation for Ning'er."
Xiao Xuanwu walked to the door and, upon hearing this, his little face puffed up in anger.
He clenched his fists, ready to rush in and beat someone up.
Xiao Xiuning quickly grabbed him, "Xiao Wu, where are you going?"
"I'm going to beat that guy surnamed Duan to death."
The siblings are two years apart in age and grew up together. They are very close, and Xiao Xuanwu will not allow anyone to bully his sister.
Yun Zhaoxue also came over, "Fifth brother, I support you in beating that heartless ingrate, specifically targeting his face, hitting him where it hurts the most."
Xiao Xuanwu nodded in agreement and brushed away Xiao Xiuning's hand. "Sister, don't worry about it. I'm going to avenge you. Not all the men of our Xiao family are dead yet. There's still my third brother and me."
"Fifth brother..."
Xiao Xiuning couldn't stop her, so she turned and glared at Yun Zhaoxue, "It's all your fault! Who told you to meddle in other people's business? My affairs are none of your concern!"
"Who cares! Can't I just watch the show and enjoy the drama? You're actually feeling sorry for an ungrateful wretch, how pathetic!"
Xiao Xuanwu rushed into the room and punched Duan Qingyun in the jaw. "Bang!"
Duan Qingyun was also a military officer, and as a grown man, it would be easy for him to fight back.
But knowing he was in the wrong, he didn't fight back and let the fists hit him.
"Duan Qingyun, you are a scoundrel. I treated you like my own brother. Without our Zhenbei Prince's Mansion, there would be no Duan family today."
"You ungrateful wretches! Our Zhenbei Prince's Mansion hasn't even been convicted yet, and you're already rushing to sever ties! I'll beat you to death, you heartless wretch! What right do you have to break off the engagement? I'll beat you until you dare not break it off!"
"Xiao Wu, you are still young and don't understand matters between men and women. I have always regarded Xiu Ning as my own sister..."
Xiao Xuanwu threw another punch at his abdomen, "Bang!"
"Screw you, would you get engaged to your own sister? That's all a hypocritical excuse."
"Ugh!" Duan Qingyun groaned, bending over in pain.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Xiao Xuanwu grabbed his collar and punched him in the other cheek. "Bang!"
Then, he kicked the person to the ground, slamming them into the chair behind them with a loud "bang!"
The chair was smashed to pieces.
After realizing what was happening, Madam Duan tried to stop them, crying out, "Stop! Stop! Don't hit my son, Qingyun! Qingyun..."
Yun Zhaoxue entered the room, grabbed her by the back of her collar, and easily tossed her back onto the chair.
"Bang!"
The wooden chair was hard as a rock. Madam Duan clutched her aching lower back and buttocks, groaning, "Ah! Ouch, ouch, it hurts! Someone help me, my back is going to break..."
Xiao Xuanwu's eyes turned red with rage. He clenched his fists, ready to pounce on Duan Qingyun and pin him down for a brutal beating.
Madam Yang scolded, "Xiao Wu, stop! How can you be so rude to a guest?"
Fearing a scolding, Yun Zhaoxue quickly said, "Mother, I was trying to stop my fifth brother just now, and I was almost knocked down by Madam Duan. I'm pregnant, so I pushed her down in my haste."
"Xue'er, you were just trying to protect yourself. Your mother doesn't blame you. It's dangerous over there, come here quickly."
Yang noticed that Madam Duan's eyes, which seemed to want to devour Yun Zhaoxue, were fixed on her. Fearing that Yun Zhaoxue would suffer, she pulled her behind her.
Xiao Xiuning helped Duan Qingyun, who was lying on the ground with blood at the corner of his mouth, up with a pained expression. "Brother Qingyun..."
Madam Duan pointed at them, "You are all too barbaric, your whole family are barbarians."
"Ning'er, this isn't your fault, nor is it Xiao Wu's. If anyone's to blame, it's me... I'm the one who's wronged you. Even if I get beaten to death today, I deserve it, cough cough cough..."
Duan Qingyun suddenly coughed violently, staggered backward, and pulled at the wound on his chest. Blood seeping from the corner of his lips dripped onto the front of his clothes.
Xiao Xiuning completely forgot the pain of being jilted, and only felt heartache.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I couldn't stop my fifth brother. You can't blame him. He was also instigated by that bastard. I will definitely give you an explanation for this."
Madam Duan supported her son and coldly surveyed the crowd. "This marriage is off today. The Prince of Zhenbei's mansion is too high a status for our Duan family to be worthy of!"
"Yun'er, let's go!"
The Duan family left in a rage.
Xiao Xiuning turned her anger towards Yun Zhaoxue, the one who instigated the incident, saying, "Yun Zhaoxue, it's all your fault. If you hadn't encouraged Xiao Wu to hit someone, Brother Qingyun wouldn't have been injured. The Prince's Mansion is already in such a state. Do you want to make enemies for the Prince's Mansion? Didn't you elope with your lover? Why did you come back? You should never come back. Every time you come back, you bring bad luck to our Prince's Mansion. What are you really up to?"
"Shut up! Your third sister-in-law just stood up for you, and instead of being grateful, you're hurling insults at her. It's not Xue'er's fault that the Duan family wants to break off the engagement."
"Mother, can't you see? She's deliberately making enemies everywhere for our manor, leaving us isolated and helpless. You can't side with her just because she's pregnant. It might not even be Third Brother's child; it could be some adulterer's..."
*Smack!*
Before he could finish speaking, he was slapped across the face.
Xiao Xiuning's face was turned to the side by the blow. She covered her swollen cheek, and tears of grievance streamed down her face.
Yang was so angry that she trembled all over, and her hand pointing at her shook.
"Where did you hear those words? Xue'er is pregnant with your third brother's child."
"Mother, you hit me? You actually hit me for the sake of outsiders! You've never even scolded me once in my life..."
Xiao Xiuning's face was instantly covered in tears. She turned around and rushed out the door. Her eyes were blurred with tears, and she could not see the road under her feet. She almost tripped on the threshold, staggered forward two steps, steadied herself, and ran forward quickly.
He ran to the backyard corridor and bumped into Ye Hongying, who had rushed over after hearing the news.
Xiao Xiuning hugged her tightly, feeling wronged. "Sister Hongying, you're finally here! I was so sad, sob sob..."
"Xiuning, don't cry. What happened? Who hit you?"
"It was my mother who hit me for an outsider, and for that bitch Yun Zhaoxue! All I did was suspect that she wasn't carrying my third brother's child, and my mother slapped me! Waaaaah..."
"Sister Hongying, I feel so bad. My mother has never hit me in all my life."
Ye Hongying took out a handkerchief to wipe away her tears. "Don't cry, don't cry. I know you've been wronged. Let's go back to the room first. I'll put some medicine on you when we get back, and then we can talk about it in detail."
"Uh-huh."
Back in Xiao Xiuning's boudoir.
Ye Hongying heard about what happened when the Duan family came to break off the engagement.
"Sister Hongying, do you really think Brother Qingyun only sees me as a younger sister? But why does he always give me gifts during festivals, and take such good care of me, remembering my preferences, my favorite dishes and pastries, and even giving me dresses? He must like me, right?"
Xiao Xiuning knew from a young age that she was engaged to Duan Qingyun and was to marry him and become his wife. Being jilted felt like being divorced.
She did nothing wrong, didn't she?
Ye Hongying analyzed for her, "He was beaten to the point of vomiting blood by Xiao Wu but didn't fight back. It must be because of you. He also likes you, but he only came to break off the engagement due to pressure from his elders."
Xiao Xiuning got the answer she wanted, her eyes lit up, and she burst into tears of joy, "I knew he liked me."
"The young master is skilled in both literature and martial arts, and possesses exceptional wisdom. He will surely turn misfortune into good fortune this time. Once the Prince's Mansion overcomes this crisis, Madam Duan will no longer object to the marriage. Go and talk to General Duan to postpone the annulment of the engagement."
Xiao Xiuning was moved to tears, wiping her tears with her handkerchief and leaning on her shoulder. "Waaah, Sister Hongying, only you truly care about me, unlike that Yun Zhaoxue, who tries every means to ruin my happiness. She must be afraid that I'll be better off than her, and she'll be jealous. I wish you were my third sister-in-law."
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