TRWSB – Chapter 258 Banquet

“Shaoru, what’s going on with you!” Qi Shaokang walked over, looking displeased as he pulled Qi Shaoru away.

“This little sister of yours sure is a handful,” Zhuang Hao said.

Qi Shaorong looked at Zhuang Hao and asked, “Do you know something?”

“From what I know, three years ago, the Qi family arranged for Qi Shaoru to marry a newly rising young expert named Zhou Lin. Zhou Lin had both talent and strength, and he was on a fast track upward, but his background wasn’t impressive. Qi Shaoru looked down on him for that and was very dissatisfied with the marriage. She ran away before the wedding.”

“Since the wedding date had already been set, the Qi family had no choice but to find a young lady from a branch family, Qi Xin, to marry Zhou Lin instead.”

“After Zhou Lin and Qi Xin got married, they had a good relationship and even had a daughter.”

“Qi Shaoru disappeared for a year after running away, and when she came back, she actually demanded that Zhou Lin marry her.”

“Of course Zhou Lin refused. Qi Shaoru made a big scene, to the point where the entire Qi family was losing face over it.”

Qi Shaorong glanced at Zhuang Hao and said, “I remember she used to like you.”

Zhuang Hao smiled and replied, “But I didn’t like her.”

Qi Shaokang returned after sending Qi Shaoru away. He walked up to Qi Shaorong and said apologetically, “Sorry, Shaorong, that put you in a tough spot.”

Qi Shaorong shook his head and said, “I’m not in a tough spot. I’m not the one who has to deal with her. Second Brother, with Shaoru being such a handful, I’m afraid you’ll have to work harder.”

Qi Shaokang gave a strained smile and said, “There’s no helping it.”

Qi Shaokang felt a wave of frustration inside. Qi Shaoru had always been arrogant, looking down on Zhou Lin whom the family had chosen for her. He had thought she was just being picky, but he didn’t expect her to run away at the last minute. Whatever happened to her outside, she came back and suddenly decided she liked Zhou Lin again.

…

Inside the hall, the place bustled with guests.

“That’s your son, right? He’s very cute,” Mu Xuelan said as she walked up to Yi Fan.

Yi Fan paused, looking a bit surprised to see her. “Thank you. After all these years, you’re still as beautiful as ever.”

Mu Xuelan lowered her head, listening to the compliment with a tinge of bitterness. No matter how beautiful she was, she still couldn’t catch Yi Fan’s eye.

Mu Xuelan’s life over the past few years had been neither good nor bad. After moving out from Yi Fan’s place, she used her savings to open a shop. Business was decent. She had several suitors over the years, but none felt quite right, and things always fizzled out.

“Daddy!” Yi Ming ran over and hugged Yi Fan’s leg.

“What is it?” Yi Fan asked.

“Zhuang Yun is going to be in our class.”

Yi Fan smiled. “That’s great! You’ll have a companion.”

Yi Ming pouted and said, “Not great at all. He’s coming to our class to steal my position as the boss.”

Yi Fan looked at Yi Ming and said, “Aren’t you the boss now? Just gather your little followers and beat Zhuang Yun up.”

Yi Ming thought about it and said, “Ah! Why didn’t I think of that?”

Yi Fan ruffled Yi Ming’s hair. “Because you’re still little. Not enough experience!”

Mu Tingxuan walked over with a helpless expression. “What are you teaching Ah Ming?”

“I was just telling him that if you can’t beat someone head-on, you have to be smart about it,” Yi Fan said.

Mu Tingxuan: “…”

Mu Tingxuan shook his head and looked at Yi Ming. “What did your dad say to you?”

“Dad said if one-on-one doesn’t work, try ganging up on him!” Yi Ming said, raising his fist.

Yi Fan: “…” My kid really has a talent for understanding things!

Mu Tingxuan looked at Yi Ming, full of exasperation. “What nonsense! Is that any way to teach a kid?”

Yi Fan shrugged. “You know, my dad didn’t really teach me much growing up, so I’m just figuring it out as I go.”

Mu Tingxuan: “…”

“Look at how smart Ah Ming is! I think I’m doing a good job teaching him, don’t you think?” Yi Fan asked.

Mu Tingxuan: “…” This guy really has a high opinion of himself.

Mu Xuelan looked at Yi Fan and Mu Tingxuan laughing and talking, then turned and walked off toward another part of the hall.

Yi Fan walked over to Shen Yuan. “Young Master Shen, you’ve invited quite a few people.”

Shen Yuan smiled awkwardly and said, “I handed out a lot of invitations. I’m not even sure who ended up with them. I hope it didn’t cause you any trouble, Young Master Yi.” He’d noticed that Mu Xuelan was also here—she was Yi Fan’s ex-wife, after all.

Yi Fan smiled. “Not at all…”

“The imperial capital seems to have quite a few new faces these days. Looks like I’ve been away too long.”

Shen Yuan smiled. “Those new young talents really can’t compare to Young Masters Zhuang and Yi.”

Zhuang Hao was astonishingly talented—already at the Saint level while still young. The current crop of experts couldn’t compare to Zhuang Hao and Yi Fan’s generation.

Zhuang Hao was expected. But Yi Fan had also reached the domain level, which was downright unbelievable. Back when he first rose to fame, people in the capital thought Yi Fan was weak and just a cautionary tale.

…

Qi Shaorong placed a hand on Yun Hu’s shoulder. “What are you looking at?”

Yun Hu’s face suddenly flushed. “Young Master Qi, you’re finally back. Honestly, I was really worried about you and Young Master Zhuang.”

Yun Hu scratched his head. He had originally intended to say hello to Qi Shaorong and Zhuang Hao, but with both of them surrounded by people, he didn’t want to intrude.

“I heard you’re doing pretty well in the capital, and you even married the regiment leader you used to pine for,” Qi Shaorong said.

Yun Hu replied awkwardly, “You knew about that?”

“Such good fortune!” Qi Shaorong said.

Yun Hu gave an awkward smile and replied, “It’s all thanks to you and Young Master Zhuang.”

Yun Hu thought to himself: if it weren’t for Zhuang Hao and Qi Shaorong, he’d probably still be stuck in some obscure corner of the world—how could he have ever won the beauty’s heart? Thinking back to when Zhuang Hao was stranded at their home, Yun Hu still found it all quite surreal.

“Young Master Qi, your and Young Master Zhuang’s son is really handsome,” Yun Hu added.

Qi Shaorong nodded with a small smile. “Everyone says that.”

---

At the banquet, guests came and went—it was a lively scene. Zhuang Yun sat sulking in his chair, his little face tight with displeasure.

Qi Shaorong walked over and asked, “What’s wrong? Why the long face?”

Zhuang Yun grumbled, “All those people keep trying to pinch my cheeks. I hate when people do that! Why don’t they go pinch Yi Ming’s cheeks instead? His face looks much softer! I look fierce—clearly not someone to mess with.”

Qi Shaorong: “…”

Zhuang Yun glanced over at Yi Ming. Yi Ming sat next to Sindore, gnawing on a chicken claw with his left hand and a crab pincer with his right, mouth covered in grease.

“That idiot only knows how to eat and eat and eat,” Zhuang Yun muttered.

Qi Shaorong: “…”

Watching the utterly focused Sindore eat, Qi Shaorong rubbed his nose and thought: If this guy had lived in the previous world and gone to an all-you-can-eat buffet, the restaurant owner would’ve gone out of business by now.

---

Imperial Palace

Shen Manwu looked at Tang Tianfeng. “Your Majesty, are you still not going to rest?”

Tang Tianfeng turned his head toward her. “Soon.”

“What are you thinking about?”

Tang Tianfeng took a deep breath. “I’m just thinking… being emperor really isn’t all that great.”

Shen Manwu looked at him. “Don’t say that.”

Tang Tianfeng narrowed his eyes. Zhuang Hao, Qi Shaorong, Yi Fan—each of them were prestigious names. Every time he tried to implement something, he had to consider their opinions first.

He sighed again. “Tang Tianying seems to be helping Zhuang Hao manage his businesses.”

Zhuang Hao’s wealth had already far surpassed the royal family’s. Even the crumbs that fell from his fingers could enrich others immensely.

His expanding business empire had created many job openings. Since Tang Tianying had been stationed away with nothing to do—and his abilities weren’t bad—Zhuang Hao recruited him. With Zhuang Hao backing him, Tang Tianying’s business ventures were thriving. His life now seemed far more comfortable than Tang Tianfeng’s, even as emperor.

Shen Manwu said helplessly, “Given the circumstances, it’s better to maintain a good relationship with Zhuang Hao and the others.”

Tang Tianfeng gritted his teeth. “Yes.” Right now, the people practically worshipped Zhuang Hao. If he wanted to become emperor, the Yuan Kingdom could be overthrown overnight. But then again, Zhuang Hao probably wouldn’t even care for such a small kingdom anymore.

“Zhuang Hao hosted a banquet today,” Tang Tianfeng said.

Shen Manwu nodded. “Yes, it was a grand affair—anyone of note in the capital went.”

Tang Tianfeng closed his eyes. “Forget it. In life, there are some people you just can’t beat—no matter what.”

---

Yi Chuxue stood outside a restaurant, her expression complicated.

“Go on, go sell flowers somewhere else. Tonight’s banquet is for Young Master Zhuang Hao, Young Master Qi Shaorong, and Young Master Yi Fan. You don’t want to offend any important guests,” the guard outside said to the plainly dressed village girl—Yi Chuxue.

In just a few years, Yi Chuxue’s looks had aged significantly. Paired with her tacky clothes, even people who had once known her in the capital might not recognize her face-to-face.

She looked once more at the lavish, brightly lit restaurant, then turned away and left, full of sorrow.

In those few years, Yi Huo and Yi Bing had died one after the other. Before Yi Bing passed, he had racked up enormous gambling debts. When the casino couldn’t collect from him, they turned to Yi Xun.

Yi Xun, a seasoned scoundrel who relied on the Yi family name, flatly refused to pay. The casino bosses weren’t the kind to take that lying down, so they targeted Yang Man and Yi Chuxue instead.

They sealed Yang Man’s strength and sold her to a brothel. Though she was originally a noblewoman, after dressing up a bit, she still attracted plenty of customers. Many were curious to “sample” a former noble lady who had once been Yi Xun’s wife.

Yi Chuxue narrowly escaped, but lived in constant fear. She didn’t even dare visit her mother in the brothel.

She had once thought that when things got this bad, her father—out of consideration for their past—would ransom her mother out. But to her shock, he acted like nothing had happened and completely ignored it all.