Chapter 94: Hello Chang’an
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Chapter 94: Does the Eldest Brother Really Need to Settle Down?
Listening to this voice, Qiao Yumian hesitantly asked in a low voice, “Ning Ning… who is he talking to?”
Cui Lang was taken aback: “Naturally, he’s talking to you!”
At that moment, he couldn't help but sense something was off. Curiously, he reached out and waved his hand in front of Qiao Yumian. Just as he was about to wave again, his hand was suddenly struck by someone wielding a round fan.
The bamboo frame of the plain round fan was wielded with skill and speed, causing him to wince in pain. He quickly withdrew his hand and turned to look at the person who had struck him, only to see a young girl holding the fan, looking at him with a calm voice that carried a note of warning: “Cui Liulang, be mindful.”
Cui Lang pouted: “Miss Chang is so fierce…”
Last time, she had asked him how old he was, implying that he was acting immature. Today, she had even struck his hand.
Chang Suining glanced at his curled-up right hand: “If it weren't for the fact that Cui Liulang still has to compete this afternoon, I could be even fiercer.”
Cui Lang was left wide-eyed.
What did she mean by “even fiercer”? Did she actually want to break his hand?
He had been rampaging through the capital for years, and apart from his father, no one had dared to speak to him like this; her words came out so naturally, as if it were just breathing!
“Cui Family’s Sixth Young Master…” At this moment, Qiao Yumian asked in confusion, “Have we met?”
She had heard of this person since he had been at the Imperial Academy for some time, but they had never actually met.
Before Cui Lang could respond, her maid suddenly realized: “My lady, I remember now… this is the one who bumped into you during the Spring Prayer Ceremony at Dayun Temple!”
The voices from this side had drawn the attention of Qiao Yang and the others, causing them to pause and look over. With this identification, Qiao Yang, Cui Jing, and the others all turned to Cui Lang.
Under the intense gazes, Cui Lang suddenly felt a bad premonition arise.
Qiao Yumian thought for a moment and then asked the maid, “Xiao Qiu, which one is it?”
Being visually impaired had its inconveniences; no matter how careful she was, occasional bumps were unavoidable. She couldn’t possibly remember every encounter.
Seeing Xiao Qiu looking a bit angrily at her, Cui Lang instinctively said, “Wait a moment…”
But it was already too late—
“It’s the one who not only bumped into you without apologizing but also spoke disrespectfully, turning it around to say that you were probably trying to swindle him out of money!”
Cui Lang immediately felt the oppressive gaze of those around him intensify.
As Qiao Yumian lightly uttered “Oh” and nodded in realization, saying “So it’s that person…” the pressure mounted even further, nearly overwhelming him.
“Cui Liulang, is this really true?” Qiao Yumian’s elder brother, Qiao Yubai, walked over and asked Cui Lang.
Upon hearing this, Qiao Yumian called out, “Elder Brother.”
Elder Brother?!
Cui Lang’s eyes widened as he glanced back and forth between the brother and sister—
Oh… they look alike!
Moreover, he had vaguely heard that Qiao Yang had a daughter who was visually impaired!
Under the intense, almost accusatory stares, Cui Lang slowly realized that his earlier comment had been reckless.
“It’s a misunderstanding… really just a misunderstanding!”
He quickly explained to Qiao Yubai, then turned to Qiao Yumian and bowed: “I sincerely apologize to Miss Qiao!”
He swore on his conscience that he hadn’t known she was visually impaired at that time, which was why he had said those outrageous things!
Looking back at that day, he genuinely felt remorse and bowed again, his movements so vigorous that a cool breeze wafted past: “In any case, it was all my fault. If Miss Qiao ever needs anything, just send for me!”
His sincerity was sufficient and even appeared quite earnest.
There was no way around it, with his elder brother watching!
He had just won the first half of the battle, thinking he could change his elder brother's view of him, but who knew he had inadvertently stirred up this issue… Was the heavens truly against him trying to win any favor from his elder brother?!
Also watching him was Qiao Yang. If he didn’t show proper respect now, how could he expect to have a good life in the Imperial Academy?
After a long wait without hearing Qiao Yumian's response, Cui Lang gritted his teeth and bowed again.
This time, he bowed even more deeply, the wind he stirred brushing against Qiao Yumian's slightly sweaty face.
She nodded lightly: “It’s nothing… Young Master Cui, you’re being too serious.”
Cui Lang instantly felt a weight lift off his shoulders.
Fortunately, this Miss Qiao wasn’t as fierce as Miss Chang.
Cui Lang, out of caution, bowed once more toward Qiao Yang, but just as he was about to speak, Qiao Yang smiled and shook his head, unconcerned: “Misunderstandings can happen among the young; it’s good to clear things up.”
He had always been easygoing, and since his daughter said it was a small matter, he didn’t intend to delve deeper. He then turned to Chang Suining and several juniors, smiling and waving: “Come, come, let’s all greet these esteemed adults.”
At this point, Chang Sui'an also brought along Jian Tong and approached, and the group moved forward together.
“This is Grand General Cui from the Xuanzhe, this is Assistant Minister Yao from the Ministry of justice, and this is Minister Wei from the Ministry of Rites…” Qiao Yang smiled at the juniors: “You all should have met them.”
Even if they had met, they still needed to pay their respects, so the four siblings from the Chang and Qiao families bowed.
Cui Lang, mixed among them, also bowed but didn’t dare to lift his head to look directly at his elder brother.
He didn’t dare to look, but others did—
When Chang Suining raised her eyes, she instinctively looked at the corner of Cui Jing’s mouth.
This was the first time they had met since she had struck him while drunk.
But clearly, this wasn’t the right time to express her apologies.
However, life is unpredictable and often does not go as one wishes—
Just as Cui Jing became aware of the gaze fixed on the corner of his mouth, and as his eyes met that gaze, Chang Sui'an ’s concerned voice rang out: “Grand General Cui, I assume your injury from being struck by Ning Ning has healed by now?”
—?!
What had been a relatively casual atmosphere suddenly turned quiet due to this statement.
The silence came from the sheer bewilderment, a common state of mind where people felt stuck.
Qiao Yubai was sharp-minded, and being young helped, but even so, he couldn’t hide his astonishment: “... Sui'an , are you saying that Ning Ning injured Grand General Cui?”
Just the fact that she had struck him was bizarre enough…
How could it lead to an injury?!
Seeing Cui Jing struggling to maintain his calm expression, Chang Suining was about to deny it when Wei Shuyi’s voice suddenly cut in—
“Yes, I witnessed this myself that day.” Wei Shuyi looked at Cui Jing with a concerned expression: “It’s said that Miss Chang was quite heavy-handed that day. Grand General Cui has been recuperating since then; do you feel any discomfort or lingering effects? When it comes to your health, Grand General Cui mustn't be careless.”
As he spoke, he turned to Chang Suining : “Isn’t that right, Miss Chang?”
Chang Suining clenched her fists in her sleeves.
Chang Sui'an looked apologetic: “Father has repeatedly instructed me that if I see Grand General Cui again, I must personally apologize.”
Cui Jing: “…”
General Chang instructed to apologize face-to-face, but did he really mean in front of so many people? With the conversation reaching this point, Chang Suining couldn’t pretend to be oblivious anymore. She steeled herself and said, “I was foolish that day; I hope General Cui will forgive me.”
Since the instigator had also apologized, Cui Jing could no longer remain silent: “... I had already forgotten.”
He had been injured that day, but it was far less severe than what he faced today.
Though he didn’t particularly care about reputation, being looked at by so many people was indeed uncomfortable.
Chang Suining remained silent, clearly not wanting to dwell on the matter.
With both parties unwilling to say much, Qiao Yang, Minister Yao, and others, though curious and shocked, dared not ask further questions.
However, without mentioning this topic, they were at a loss for words.
Thus, everyone stood there in silence for a moment. This strange atmosphere made Chang Sui’an suddenly realize something was wrong... Had he made a mistake again?
In the end, it was still Qiao Yang who had to steer the situation. He managed to laugh lightly and called out to everyone, “Let’s go; we shouldn’t miss the time for fish.”
Considering the overall situation was one thing; not wanting to miss out on his own fish was also true.
Yao Yi nodded in agreement, turning to Cui Jing and gesturing for him to go ahead: “General Cui—”
Cui Jing nodded.
As they followed Cui Jing and turned to walk forward, Minister Yao cast a worried glance at Chang Suining.
Even though this wasn’t her first time hitting someone, hitting General Cui and hitting the heir of Minister Ying were completely different matters—
Despite handling countless cases, he was unable to fathom how General Cui was injured by her!
He was utterly clueless.
With a complicated mood, Minister Yao walked forward silently.
Qiao Yumian tugged at Chang Suining's sleeve, saying nothing but unable to help glancing back at her from time to time.
Qiao Yubai deliberately slowed down, pulling Chang Sui’an along.
“... How could Ning Ning have injured General Cui?” Qiao Yubai whispered, barely audible.
Realizing he had made a mistake, Chang Sui’an felt regretful: “Don’t ask!”
Seeing him wishing for a block of tofu to knock his head against, the ever-understanding Qiao Yubai didn’t press him further but changed the topic: “How did we perform today?”
Chang Sui’an replied, “It was okay.”
“Just okay?” Qiao Yubai turned to look at him. “Then why did you stand in the scorching sun for so long?”
“Was I watching you play?” Chang Sui’an huffed. “I came to accompany Ning Ning.”
The bickering between them was routine. As Chang Sui’an spoke, he suddenly felt something and turned back to look: “Why isn’t Cui Lang leaving?”
Cui Lang stood still, looking dazed.
“He needs to calm down,” Qiao Yubai sighed. “Otherwise, he probably won’t be able to play in the final this afternoon.”
He then scolded Chang Sui’an: “Why did you mention that Ning Ning hurt General Cui? If we lose this afternoon, it’ll be your fault.”
Cui Lang’s admiration and fear for his elder brother were evident. Hearing this, he must have felt worse than death.
As the group walked away, only Cui Lang remained under the blazing sun, questioning his life.
Finally breaking free from the ladies, Lu Shi approached with her daughter, looking at her petrified son: “What happened now? Did you mess up after failing to take credit?”
Cui Lang slowly moved his eyes to Lu Shi, his lips moving as he managed to say, “Mother, just now, Eldest Brother was injured by someone!”
Lu Shi frowned: “... Is that so?”
Even the usually calm Cui Tang rarely changed her expression: “Who could be so bold?”
It wasn’t just boldness; someone who could injure the eldest brother must not be an ordinary person—
“It was that daughter of the Chang family!” Cui Lang suddenly pointed at Chang Suining, who had walked far away: “She just admitted it!”
Lu Shi was taken aback and murmured, “... This is a good thing.”
Cui Lang was confused: “?”
Does Mother even know what she’s saying?
“Although Eldest Brother was injured, it was by a young lady,” Lu Shi said, a hint of satisfaction in her expression. “This shows Eldest Brother at least has a young lady by his side.”
Cui Tang remained silent.
She understood her mother’s thoughts.
Eldest Brother was injured—what a shocking event!
Eldest Brother was injured by a young lady—what a good thing!
How could such a fine eldest brother end up being in a situation where being injured by a young lady became a cause for celebration...
Lu Shi was now filled with great curiosity: “What kind of person is this daughter of the Chang family?”
Cui Lang had a mournful expression: “Do you even need to ask...”
He had thought about finding a bold young lady for his eldest brother—
Chang’s daughter stepping on bugs—somewhat rare.
Chang’s daughter wrestling elephants—extremely rare.
Chang’s daughter beating Ming Jin—number one in the Da Sheng.
Chang’s daughter injuring Eldest Brother—who could withstand this!
Cui Lang’s fear and despair came suddenly, making him question—did Eldest Brother really need to start a family? Maybe not?
While he was worried about protecting his brother, his thoughts of “Eldest Brother might be fine on his own” burned away completely.
However, while he cleared that thought away, the same idea began to sprout in his mother’s mind—
Lu Shi whispered to a maid by her side, wanting to find out more about this daughter of the Chang family before proceeding.
...
“Bang—!”
The afternoon gong sounded, signaling the start of the second half of the ball game.
After a break following lunch, the three teams of students, wearing narrow-sleeved robes of blue and white and tied with red, yellow, and blue sashes, regained their spirits, looking much more determined.
The first match was between the victorious red team from the morning and the yellow team led by Chang Miao.
“Chang Miao’s team is fighting like they’re desperate...”
“Fortunately, the red team has Wen Zheng; otherwise, they would be in chaos.”
“Look, Wen Zheng scored again!”
On the field, a boy in a yellow sash named Chang Miao cursed and angrily glared at Wen Zheng, who was positioned at the front.
Wen Zheng avoided his gaze for a moment, and behind him, his teammates cheered enthusiastically: “A Zheng, well done!”
With hooves pounding, the game was tense.
After four quarters, both sides had won two quarters each.
The fifth quarter became the key to determining the winner.
By now, the boys were already sweating profusely, both teams having secured two flags. The hourglass used to keep time was about to reach the quarter-hour mark—
“Ah Zheng, behind you!”
Wen Zheng didn’t disappoint; with a beautiful turn, he swung his rod at the colorful ball in the air—
As long as he scored, victory would belong to their red team.
He had made this kind of shot countless times, scoring every time. To the other three teammates, victory seemed almost certain. They were even beginning to imagine their final match against Qiao Yubai’s blue team—
However, an accident occurred.
Liang Ge’er: It’s better if this sister-in-law doesn’t exist! (Fearful face)
(The end of this chapter)
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