Fighting in a wine house was also a common occurrence.

Hearing the commotion, many patrons even laughed.

“Now that’s what young people are like—still having the energy to fight. At our age, we can’t fight anymore.” “Full of vigor!” “Young people’s friendships are forged through fighting.” “You don’t know each other until you’ve fought.”

Someone nearby quickly added: “It’s not a young man fighting a young man—it’s a young woman fighting a young man.”

This made the laughter freeze for a moment. This—it must be some romantic affair.

That was nothing unusual. If a young master wasn’t romantic, his youth would be wasted. But for a woman, this was improper.

“Truly a decline in moral standards,” some elderly patrons shook their heads. “Nowadays women can run around everywhere, showing their faces in public, entering wine houses and teahouses.”

“Perhaps she’s a courtesan.” “A courtesan shouldn’t do this even more! Affairs of the heart should stay within the pleasure house. To cause trouble outside—it lacks professional integrity!”

But new information arrived: “It’s not a romantic affair—they’re family. A younger sister beating her older brother.”

“That’s an even greater decline in moral standards!” The elderly patrons became angry with shame, heavily slapping their tables. “Disrespectful to elders and juniors, lacking reverence and filial piety.”

Not everyone was surprised though. When the first commotion broke out about the fight, Deng Yi was talking with an old gentleman. He only paused briefly before continuing. Only when that old gentleman couldn’t help his curiosity and went to discuss with others did he quietly withdraw. Passing through the crowds discussing and watching, he found the wine house manager and settled the old gentleman’s bill at the counter.

“I really don’t know what happened,” the cashier couldn’t help craning his neck to look. “How could siblings start fighting in broad daylight in public?”

Deng Yi leaned against the counter, swinging his coin purse back and forth, and said: “There must be a good reason for the beating.”

The cashier looked at him and said with a smile: “Sir, you really aren’t curious at all.”

Deng Yi smiled: “I’ve seen it several times before. Not curious.”

……

……

“This isn’t rare at all!”

The girls on the third floor were also saying this with anger, annoyance, and resentment.

At first, hearing the commotion here, they were somewhat excited to see a fight. After the maids excitedly ran back saying “The one fighting is Chu Zhao—Chu Zhao is beating her brother,” the girls weren’t excited anymore—it wasn’t the first time they’d seen this.

“She’s addicted to hitting people! She hits whoever she sees!”

“She said she wouldn’t play with us, but we’re the ones who won’t play with her.”

The girls were both angry and indignant. Qi Leyun was especially angry, looking at the figure blocked by the corridor pillar across the way: “She’s fighting here and disturbing Third Young Master Xie’s refined mood. How annoying!”

……

……

The figure behind the corridor pillar didn’t move at all. The people around him inquired in low voices, then said with apology: “We originally chose a refined place. We didn’t expect Yaqu Pavilion to become like this. It’s disturbed your peace.”

“Not at all,” Third Young Master Xie’s voice carried a smile. “When the mind is distant, the place naturally becomes secluded. When the mind is calm, there is tranquility.”

The young men seated around him all laughed, clapping and saying that was right. They then focused intently on the poems and paintings on the table, completely ignoring the surrounding commotion.

……

……

If there were those unconcerned on the upper floors, there were also those unconcerned on the first floor.

Those sitting on the first floor actually preferred liveliness. After all, this was closest to the storytelling and opera performances. They chose this location precisely for the excitement.

When the fight first broke out, the first-floor patrons who had been worried about not seeing storytellers or performers all ran to the central hall to look up at the second floor, watching while making a ruckus.

Those several young men in brocade on the first floor were at the age when they most loved watching excitement, but they didn’t go look.

Because when they tried to go, they were mocked by their companions.

“A woman hitting a man—what’s there to see?” He leaned against the railing, holding up a wine pot. “The fight won’t be exciting. No matter who wins, it’s laughable. If you want to watch a fight, you need to watch exciting ones—like the Southern Army versus the Northern Army, or Captain Qi versus Captain Jia—”

That was true too. If a man could be beaten by a woman, he was clearly weak and frail. And if a man hit a woman, that wasn’t much of an accomplishment either.

The young men laughed heartily.

“You brat, you just got back and you’re already instigating the two leaders to fight?”

“Careful they don’t give you a beating first.”

“Yanlai, I heard you and your nephew often fight. Next time you do, call us to watch.”

The young men joked and laughed, abandoning the excitement on the second floor. Accompanied by the commotion and ruckus in the building, they continued their finger-guessing games and dice rolling.

……

……

Yaqu Pavilion couldn’t really let these siblings fight endlessly. Shop assistants brought several women to both persuade and pull them apart.

Chu Ke no longer had his earlier romantic, dashing, proud young man appearance. He sat sprawled on the ground, his clothes and hair disheveled, his nose and face swollen and bruised, blood flowing from his nose.

He raised his hand to wipe it. Seeing the blood on the back of his hand, he was angry, pained, and grieved, nearly fainting: “Chu Zhao, you’re insane!”

Chu Zhao’s hair bun was only slightly disheveled. She tucked the loose strands back in place and stood looking down at him coldly: “What did I tell you before? If you dare speak ill of my father again, show disrespect to my father, I’ll beat you to death!”

Chu Ke kicked at the table, making banging sounds, grief and indignation mixed: “Was what I said slander? I stated facts!” He pointed at everyone around. “Ask everyone here—what did I say that was wrong?”

Chu Zhao glanced around. Among the surrounding young men, some showed fear but more showed disdain, and some were sneering.

“Miss Chu,” a young man leaned against the railing. When the fight broke out earlier, he had sat steady, shouting and watching the excitement. Now with a half-smile he said, “You may not want to hear this, but some things that happened, happened. We outsiders can choose not to speak of them, but Young Master Ah Ke, as a family member, inevitably feels sad thinking about it and complains a bit. You can hit outsiders, like my younger sister, but you shouldn’t hit your own family, right? After all, back then when your father made family members sad, they didn’t hit your father.”

Younger sister—this must be the Young Master Liang that A’Le mentioned. Looking at his fanning-the-flames appearance, Chu Ke really had lost his mind to associate with the Liang family people. In the previous life, it was probably this Young Master Liang who instigated him to go to that outside posting to be a scapegoat and die.

Chu Zhao looked at him and asked: “Who are you in the Liang family?”

The young man smiled: “I’m Liang Qiang. Like Young Master Chu Ke and Miss Chu Zhao, I call Liang Qin my cousin.”

He announced his identity. Seeing this girl who originally didn’t know him, or was pretending not to know him, change expression slightly, her gaze focused.

“You’re Liang Qiang?” Chu Zhao asked. “Minister Liang is your uncle? Your father is Liang Ji?”

She actually knew his father’s name?

Liang Qiang was somewhat surprised and said: “That’s right, it’s me. It’s not strange that Miss Chu doesn’t recognize me. My father is just a scholar who achieved neither success nor fame. Our family has also dragged down the Liang clan and my uncle.”

Chu Zhao ignored the hidden sarcasm in his words. Her expression was somewhat complex. Speaking of it, she was actually quite envious of Minister Liang. In that previous life, when Minister Liang lost power and left the capital in a sorry state, after the world fell into chaos, Minister Liang’s brother Liang Ji took up the sword to join the military, and Liang Ji’s sons were also extremely brave.

One called Liang Qiang had lost an arm but still wielded his blade with one arm and wouldn’t leave the battlefield. Xiao Xun greatly praised him in court and bestowed official titles and honors on the Liang clan.

The second Liang household fought their way through blood, bringing the Liang clan back from the brink of death—

So this was the one-armed Liang Qiang. Chu Zhao looked at him carefully several times. When her gaze fell back on Chu Ke, she became even more furious.

“What do you have to say?” She shouted. “My father didn’t help you? Chu Ke, back when my father had you practice martial arts as a child, you were afraid of hardship and exhaustion, crying and refusing. Later he had you come to the border commandery to join the military camp. And you? In less than three months, you were crying and begging to return to the capital, saying you’d rather remain unknown your whole life than trade your life for achievements. You’re afraid of hardship, afraid of exhaustion, afraid of death—how can you blame my father for not helping you?”

Hearing her speak of the past, seeing the curious and surprised looks around him, Chu Ke was very embarrassed and angry: “I—I was in poor health as a child! Not everyone can practice martial arts! And when I went to the border commandery, I was still young. Uncle not only made me an ordinary soldier, he actually had me fight against Western Liang troops. Where was the help in that? He wanted me dead!”

When he went to the border commandery, he thought with Chu Ling as his backer, being a scholar himself, he should at least become an officer, right? Who would have thought he’d be made an ordinary soldier beaten every day? In all his years, even his parents had never been willing to hit him!

Chu Zhao sneered: “You were young? Young Master Liang Qiang is even younger than you. He’s not afraid of hardship. Off his horse he can pick up a brush to write, on his horse he can wield a blade and shoot arrows. Ask him—has he suffered any less?”

Never mind Chu Ke’s red face and furious anger. Liang Qiang on the side was stunned and couldn’t help sitting up straight, looking at this girl.

She actually praised him so highly!

So this girl was one of his admirers.