Chapter Seventy-Nine: The Backer

She was leaving, and yet she still dared to hurl insults as she went.

And not just insults, but shameless ones at that, flatly declaring that the Xue household was a den of debauchery. If this went on, then with Second Madame Xie’s status and circle of acquaintances, the Xue family’s reputation in Jiankang City would soon be ruined.

How could Xue Fanzhi let them leave like this? Had they not promised an apology?

Just as she was about to stop them, she heard a cold laugh from beyond the inner gate. “Second Madame Xie’s words are utterly disgusting. Your own husband has foul intentions, yet you are the one slandering others. So this is the Xie family’s upbringing? I will have to find time to ask Chancellor Xie about it. Is it because he has such a fine record in governing the realm that his household has inherited the art of arguing blindly and refusing to reason?”

The voice was young and clear. One did not even need to see his face to know he must be an extraordinary handsome man.

Xue Fanzhi narrowed her eyes, and there, behind the crowd, Xiao Yi came striding in through the sunlight, his hands clasped behind his back.

He wore a sapphire-blue spring robe, a jade belt cinched at the waist, and upon his head a red-gold crown set with many jewels upon a lotus base. His hair was gathered neatly beneath the crown; he looked tall, elegant, crisp, and noble in every way.

Yet even with such a restrained outfit, he still could not hide his distinctive bearing.

Who else could it be but Xiao Yi?

Xue Fanzhi had asked Xiao Yi to help her find a few people, but she had never expected him to appear in person.

If one were to think of the person who had stayed longest in the Xue household, it was Xiao Yi. If the Xue family was truly a den of debauchery, then what exactly did that make him?

Second Madame Xie had been cursing the Xue family, but in doing so she had dragged everyone into it. For Xue Fanzhi or the people of the Xue household to say it themselves would have carried only limited force, but when the man concerned said it with his own mouth, the weight of it was entirely different.

Besides, Xiao Yi was a prince. With that single line alone, Second Madame Xie would have enough to suffer for, far more effectively than if the Xue family said ten sentences.

Sure enough, once Second Madame Xie recognized Xiao Yi, her expression changed. “Your Highness the Ninth Prince!”

Only then did she remember what she had heard before coming here: not only was her own son staying at the Xue household, but the Ninth Prince was lodging there as well.

Second Madame Xie was domineering and arrogant, but she was not foolish. If the Xue family were weaker than the Xie family, she could bully them with power. But the Ninth Prince, however unremarkable he might seem, was still a prince. The Xie family might be vast and powerful, but that was the Xie family. Their second branch, cut off from Xie Feng, was nothing at all. How could they afford to offend a prince?

Second Madame Xie was a woman who knew how to bend and straighten as needed. She hurriedly said, “Your Highness, I am terrified. I did not know that you were here.” If she had known, she would never have spoken the words den of debauchery.

But her words clearly dodged the main point. Did it mean that if Xiao Yi were not in the Xue household, he could be insulted at will?

Xue Fanzhi stepped forward and spat directly in Second Madame Xie’s face, just as she had spat at Xie Sixth Lang earlier. Only this time, it was different. When she had spat at Xie Sixth Lang, it had only landed on his front collar. Second Madame Xie, however, got it on her face.

Second Madame Xie was stunned by the sudden act. When she came to herself, she shouted, “How dare you? You little slut—”

She had just raised her hand when Xue Fanzhi, younger, stronger, and quicker on her feet, seized her wrist.

Xue Fanzhi shoved Second Madame Xie backward and sneered, “So Second Madame wants to hit me? You have insulted my Xue family as you please. I already told you all in the room just now: you are trying to force a daughter of my family to her death! Once is enough, twice is enough, but there is no third or fourth time. I ought to be fighting you to the death!”

“You—” Seeing her eyes turn red, Second Madame Xie was somewhat frightened. She wiped her face with a handkerchief and, of course, with a resentful snort, said, “No upbringing!”

Xiao Yi saw that Xue Fanzhi had not suffered a loss before the stone in his heart finally settled. He had been too far away. If Second Madame Xie had lifted her hand, he would not have had time to protect her. This girl was far too impulsive.

He had come to support her, after all. If he failed to do that and let her be struck instead, how humiliating would that be?

Xue Fanzhi was not afraid in the least. Her attitude toward Second Madame Xie now was not even a tenth of the hatred she had held in her previous life, when Second Madame Xie had persecuted her Sixth Sister. In that earlier life, their Xue family had suffered no small amount of bullying at this woman’s hands.

Xue Fanzhi had no intention of letting it end here. She asked Second Madame Xie, “Who exactly is the one with no upbringing? I may have no upbringing, but I did not run to your house and make a scene just because your son was misbehaving in mine. I may have no upbringing, but I have not casually slandered your household as bandits. Compared with your manners, mine are better by who knows how much. Precisely because I am well brought up, today I am only giving you a lesson so you will remember not to falsely accuse good people. If I truly had no upbringing, I would pin you to the ground right now and beat you with the soles of my shoes, both hands working together!”

She spoke with righteous indignation and great emphasis, as if she truly meant to drag out her shoe soles and strike someone with them.

When had Second Madame Xie ever seen such a fierce young lady? Even in her own youth, she had not compared to this one.

She was so angry that smoke seemed to pour from her seven orifices, but when she saw Xiao Yi’s warning gaze from not far away, she feared that if she angered him further he would tell Xie Feng, and so she forcibly swallowed her rage.

Xie Sixth Lang could not produce the witnesses to support his claim. Seeing the tide had turned against him, and fearing that Xue Fanzhi might beat him, he grabbed Second Madame Xie’s sleeve and urged her to leave.

Second Madame Xie knew that with a prince present today she could gain no advantage, and she did not linger. She followed Xie Sixth Lang toward the inner gate.

Xue Fanzhi called after them, “Wait. You think you can just leave like this?”

Xue the Old Madam frowned slightly. She did not want her granddaughter to be seen as the sort of person who used reason to bully others.

Xue Fifth Madam and the Third Old Madam were also afraid she would provoke Second Madame Xie even further, and worry brought a sheen of sweat to their palms.

Second Madame Xie, however, was the most impatient of all. She turned back, eyes glaring, and said, “What more do you want?”

Xue Fanzhi stepped forward and said, “Nothing more. For people like you, this should be perfectly natural. But I do not trust your character, so I must warn you. Once you leave this door, if I hear anyone spreading lies that slander the people of my Xue family, I will not let it rest. I will come after you to the death!”

Second Madame Xie was nearly sick with annoyance. Why did this wretched girl keep talking about fighting to the death? If she had the ability, let her come then.

But in truth, of course she did not want Xue Fanzhi fighting her to the death. It was nowhere near that serious.

What mattered was that Xiao Yi had been watching her with a dark and hostile expression the entire time, as though if she did not agree, he might spring up at once and beat her nephew to death.

Second Madame Xie was all the more wary. She gave Xue Fanzhi a cold look, then called to Sixth Lang, “Let’s go!”

Her expression of having “suffered a loss” could not have been clearer. She dared not say another word.

Only then did Xue Fanzhi exhale the half-breath she had been holding in her chest. In this life, she had at last avenged her Sixth Sister. But compared with Second Madame Xie’s filthy way of insulting people, there were still many indecent words that she could not bring herself to say. So in the end, she could only let out half that breath.

After Second Madame Xie left, Xue the Old Madam thanked Xiao Yi. But this was not the time for formal pleasantries. After a few courteous words, she had the servants escort Xiao Yi elsewhere for hospitality. Xiao Yi understood perfectly and did not linger, leaving quickly.

Once he was gone, only the Xue family remained.

Whether the third branch was of one mind with the main branch or not, in the face of this kind of matter they had to stand together.

So Xue the Old Madam gave Third Old Madam and Xue Fifth Madam a stern warning. After all, the old madam was a shrewd woman, and she did not believe that Xue Fifth Madam was truly innocent. Her words were not especially kind, and she told Third Old Madam to discipline Fifth Madam properly and to conduct herself with due care.