A pretty young woman and two decently looking men had entered the Wen family's gathering hall. They weren't exceedingly good looking but they weren't plain either. If one squinted you could almost think they look about four points similar to Tang Muxin, Ye Cheng and Cao Huizhong.
Seeing the proud but slightly nervous Wen Xia leading them, Jia Hyson immediately more or less understood.
Fuck, Wen Xia you dumb whore!
…He likes it a lot ah!
Bebe: '…you would.' After all, all the men that successfully caught your heart were dumb whores.
Dumb whores Drake and Sefu: '.....'
Wen Xia was already under pressure and scrutiny from the family.
While she brought glory by taking the dragon home, she did so using quite a few lies in order to get her father to let her use extreme measures and steal the dragon using the guards. The Wen family didn't investigate clearly whether the dragon had been not living well like Wen Xia had said but naturally had assumed with the arrogance of nobles that even if it had lived well it would live better in the Wen house so who cares? So they praised Wen Xia for her quick witted-ness and good eye.
Now that Wen Xia was responsible for the leak in information and the fact the dragon was getting ill, the Wen family's attitude had turned around and the things they ignored could not be ignored anymore.
Wen Xing and Wen Geming were not as petty, while they were disappointed and unhappy, they were still grateful to meet a dragon in this lifetime and that will not immediately be forgotten. However they couldn't stop the other members of the family from blaming all the faults on Wen Xia making her vary aggrieved and alarmed.
She had always been a treasure but now she was being treated like trash. Even her doting father and grandfather have become sterner with her.
For those raised like soft tofu, even a small insult will be considered a large blow to their sensitive feelings. Wen Xia was also not a complete idiot and knew that if they called the real Tang Muxin in then they would reveal their grievances with her and how she offended them and unjustly stole their dragon.
If it was before the Wen family would still protect her but now their interests lie in the people who were able to take care of the dragon for so long. What's one Wen Xia worth in comparison?
Ancient people valued lives less than in modern day. This was a place where, as long as you had status and money, killing someone was not only easy to cover up but easy to forget. The emperor can wipe out a whole family because one member offended him if he wished.
Wen Xia as a young unmarried girl with no fiancée only had her family's love to allow her to keep her head so high. Without it she's just a pretty woman. And those are the most vulnerable and most wronged people in this era.
Before she looked down on those simple women, so weak and pathetic and pitiful. To be unable to do anything, to be so worthless and easily discarded. But now more than anything she realized she was the same.
She had heard that all her previous marriage offers had practically disappeared and the few that were left were planning to be snatched by her good sisters and cousins. Wen Xia didn't have much in the way of skills nor did she have a good temper or outstanding looks. Without getting a good husband who will flatter her like a princess, she knew her life wouldn't be good in the future.
But if the family found out how she lied about Tang Muxin... saying that she was a bitch who didn't treat the dragon well and did this and that to the poor thing, that she didn't ask for the dragon first and tried to negotiate calmly like she said but instead just chose to steal the dragon as her first action.... then she might not even have a future!
So instead of waiting for a sure death she might as well fight it and struggle for a bit longer!
It can be said the attitude was somewhat admirable but clearly short-sighted, selfish and naive. After all, the main issue was the sickly dragon. If that wasn't solved, then don't talk about Wen Xia, the whole Wen family's future would be in danger.
Substituting Tang Muxin and the others with fakes is really self-sabotaging in the long run in this case. The only way she could actually pull off such a scheme is if she managed to find a way to cure Jia Hyson before it's too late. And somehow Jia Hyson doubts it.
Tang Muxin and Ye Cheng should have heard the gossip about the Wen situation already, and Yan Huizhong who is the most vicious would make sure to teach the group how to reap the most rewards and dole out the most punishment to Wen Xia given their current high horses they were sitting on.
They would've been ready for a moment like this, Jia Hyson felt like it was impossible for them not to realize what's happening and rush in to destroy this farce unless 1. They had no idea about being summoned to the Wen family yet. This was unlikely as the family asked to make a small event out of asking for help in order to give them face. Plus it would make it difficult to turn down such overly public sincerity and the show of wealth would also help move their hearts. So half the city already knew the original owners of the dragon would come to the main Wen household.
Or 2. Something happened to them.
Jia Hyson was more inclined to the latter. Wen Xia most likely detained them using her own contacts and her own personal servants and guards. As a favored young lady she still had some servants who were blindly loyal to her or felt like she was a ship they couldn't so easily jump off. There was also her mother who of course would not let her go down like this either.
At this point in her life, the people who haven't left her are the people who were willing to do nearly anything to help her, even if it is for their own selfish reasons.
Jia Hyson sighs and silently lights a candle for Wen Xia. If it was him he would have tried to bribe Tang Muxin's group and apologize for his previous decorum while selling sympathy. Sure it would be demeaning as a rich noble and a sure hit to his pride but the short term embarrassment would be nothing compared to the benefits of easing up your personal relationship with people who can raise dragons.
"Father, grandfather," Wen Xia, oblivious to the dragon's small thoughts about her, smiles widely, "I've brought the commoners who raised the dragon."
....
Jia Hyson had pretty much predicted everything correctly.
Tang Muxin glares angrily at the two male servants leering at her as she lays in a basement bound tightly with rope with Ye Cheng and Meng Meng in a similar situation. When she was a spy slash assassin she held a lot of little hidden gadgets to help in such a situation but she had let her guard down since transmigration. The few small knives and daggers she had hidden on her body were hard to hide well in female commoner garb and they were quickly taken away.
The only thing left was a sharp hairpin in her hair, however with the way the men were watching her, every movement she makes will be seen so it was impossible to try use it now.
You can say a lot about these guards with no conscience but at the very least they were good at their job or they wouldn't have been working in the Wen house in the first place.
Meng Meng was worse off as the most powerful of the group, and had been very violently taken down. He was still unconscious even now, adding worries on top of worries.
They didn't even spare Yan Huizhong who was a cripple, however they only tied up his arms, laughing derivatively at his legs and commenting about how they didn't want to waste good rope on a disabled person, humiliating the prince.
It could be said, like master, like servant. These male servants were skilled at certain things but were overall quite brainless and good at pulling aggro.
In order to this, Wen Xia stole more sleeping gas and got her biggest male servants and mother's most loyal guards to bind them and drag them to an unknown location. She did have some heart and only asked them to make sure the group is kept there until the moon rises, nothing else. Unfortunately the guards and servants were all scum men and after a while became bored of simply guarding their hostages.
As they circled around Tang Muxin like they were appraising a piece of meat they began to chat idly. One had even come bringing drinks, and over time not only were their tongues loosened but so were their inhibitions. Not only were they leering at Tang Muxin, but Yan Huizhong was also getting some stares with that pretty appearance of his that could beat most women.
Maybe because Yan Huizhong was a cripple, or the men felt that since their master didn't mention specifically to be kind to the men, the guards felt he was easier game.
One of the brawniest ones finally reached up and tugged the long black hair of the prince, painfully pulling him upwards to admire that face full of androgynous beauty and arrogant charm. "Keke," he laughs vulgarly, "Better than a woman."
"Tsk never thought you were a cut sleeve," another guard hollers while the others hoot and howl like animals.
"Shaddup, I ain't bent like that! Who told him to look like such a lady?" The burly guard slurs out, "And don't think I didn't see you guys all looking at him either!"
"Hey, hey, do you think a cripple would still feel good though?" Someone asks loudly. "Ya know, maybe he's all loose down there."
Yan Huizhong flushed in humiliated rage at the vulgar words. In the original story his years on the streets as a crippled beggar slowly numbed him to the cruelties of human nature.
However in this timeline, while he still had a lot of problems with his nature, he hadn't blackened as much as he was surrounded by caring people, cute animals and the kindhearted, chatty Ye Cheng who had slowly been thawing his defenses in his heart. While he was stronger than before he was also weaker.
"Don't worry," the brawny man coos, his sour liquor scented breath suffocating the prince with each word. "I hear men are too tight anyway. It's good to be a bit loose hehe. Better than all that bleeding and yelling from the women ba."
The other men laugh as if they heard the funniest joke this year.
Yan Huizhong was furious and a touch fearful. He wanted to struggle but his hands were tied up tightly and his legs were useless. All he could do was stay silent and try not to provoke the drunkard any further. It had been a long time since he had felt so aware of how vulnerable and pathetically helpless he was.
Sensing things are getting worse by the minute, Ye Cheng's eyes flash and makes an obvious and loud struggle to undo his bindings, managing to loose his gag in order to curse at the group wildly and vulgarly with all the swears he had learnt over the years. He wasn't inexperienced in being schemed against but schemes from fellow merchants and commoners were barely anything to brag about in front of the plotting of nobility. Still, noble or commoner, they were all humans and Ye Cheng knew that at the very least he could serve to distract them from harming Tang Muxin and Cao Huizhong.
As expected, the increasingly rowdy men who were constantly looking at Tang Muxin moved their attention to Ye Cheng. As a big man with tanned skin and freckles, he of course wasn't considered as good looking so many of the guards were too lazy to deal with him. However the words spilt from his mouth were so provoking the men couldn't help but stand up and gnash their teeth with anger.
"Laozi dares you to repeat that again!" One of the men smashes his empty wine bottle onto the floor and raises a fist at Ye Cheng.
While Ye Cheng's back was drenched with sweat his face was cheeky and irritating to look at. "Hehe, this granddaddy is too good to waste words on you. Why should I repeat just because you said repeat? Am I a dog? No, no, even a dog wouldn't want to follow such ugly masters. It's surprising that you can even work at an esteemed place like the Wen family's main house ah given all that sperm in your brain. I wonder if your young lady Wen promised you all that you could lose your virginity if you took this job ah? I feel sorry for young lady Wen then, after all, finding prostitutes willing to-ugh!"
Ye Check coughs and wheezes at the sudden punch thrown by the nearest enraged servant. Soon the others followed through, now unhesitatingly after someone took the lead. Because they were drunk some men missed and some men hit weakly while others hit too hard. No matter what, Ye Cheng cleverly made noises of pain and pleas to satisfy their egos and prolong his distraction as much as possible.
"Tsk, weak." A guard mockingly clicks his tongue.
"Heh a dog that's all bark." Another sneers, "How boring, why don't I get some drinks first?"
"I'll come too hehe, the young miss was very generous. I need to make sure you don't cheap out on us ah."
Soon the group was split between going upstairs to drink and gamble, while the rest continued to beat Ye Cheng to a pulp. For now they decided to leave the beauties till the end.
Tang Muxin and Yan Huizhong's eyes redden as they watch Ye Cheng sacrifice himself to avoid their own humiliation.
Unable to bear it Yan Huizhong uses his whole body to throw at the unconscious Meng Meng. Head butting him repeatedly in order to get him to wake up faster. Even as an amnesiac, the muscle memory was still there. Though he loathes to admit it, right now he, Yan Huizhong, could only rely on this bastard to help Ye Cheng.
Tang Muxin wasn't a salted fish either. Taking advantage of this she pushes the back of head to the wall and tries to loosen her hairstyle and drop the hairpin. No matter what she was the lucky protagonist so despite their currently desperate situation how could they not turn it around? The world's conscious would make sure of it!
Almost the same time, the hairpin fell into her hand and Meng Meng's eyes fluttered open.
Or should they say, Duan Mengyao's eyes fluttered open.
Yes, in this period of emergency, Duan Mengyao's memory arrived at least a month earlier than the original plot.
Originally he would meet his old friends that were looking for him near the capital. He and the original protagonist Pan Shuchun didn't have a cart full of animal tagalongs and a disabled grumpy villain in tow, just some more handsome and loving supporting male leads and good sisters, so their journey was still faster than Tang Muxin's current one despite having encountered more problems due to the original protagonist's white lotus antics.
After disappearing for a few hours and letting Pan Shuchun worry and fret when she finally realizes he's disappeared, Duan Mengyao would have come back with a less relaxed expression as he informs her that he had regained his memory and had to leave her. It was the typical, 'the current situation is dangerous and I can't let my beloved be implicated due to me so I must be firm and break up first' trope.
Then of course twenty chapters later they'll reunite at some banquet or something where Pan Shuchun finally realises he's not the simple man she once thought he was.... and then he gets relegated to being in the background with the other hot supporting male leads, ready to jump in whenever most convenient for plot.
But now.... Duan Mengyao blearily opens his eyes only to be shocked by the frazzled and sweating face of the eighth prince. Even when they had fought before the arrogant prince didn't look as terrible as right now, stressed and exhausted and fearful.
Wait.. the fight...
Memories poured into his mind, making his already throbbing head ache even more.
However the situation didn't allow him to have time to go over it carefully. His recent memories as Meng Meng still were fresh in his mind and he understood his priorities.
Circulating his inner qi, Duan Mengyao strengthens his arms and, with sheer brute force and willpower, snaps off the rope bindings.
If Jia Hyson was there he would have only said four words: 'Damn, that's fucking hot.'
After all, Duan Mengyao was not the handsomest or smartest or most eloquent of the supporting male leads but he was definitely one of the strongest physically. Once his memories returned, unless someone came back in time with an assault rifle, it was hard to say if he would ever lose in a fight.
Tang Muxin was also ready to fight, cutting enough into the rope with the hairpin to easily snap the rest off. Her eyes which had gotten warmer each day were now deadly cold.
Yan Huizhong bitterly smiles, even if he wanted to he couldn't do much. However… a flash of determination and calculation flickers in his eyes. He could still do something.
As they readied themselves to fight back and save Ye Cheng they all glanced at each other. Despite their conflicts and contradictions… it seems those months on the road together really meant something. Even if some people can only reluctantly admit it, they were a team. Maybe even the closest thing to a true famil-
*BANG!*
The door to the basement they were in burst open. One of the guards who chose to go upstairs practically fell out of the door, lying pitifully all bruised and battered. "Help m-ugh."
Before he can even finish his plea, the large paw of Da Shen the dog pushes the beaten up guard's head back down. Riding on the massive dog's back with a regal and imposing air of a warrior on horseback, was Da Gong. If this wasn't a basement scene, there would probably be a glorious rising sun behind the domineering bird. Instead there was just three small field mice in odd golden clothing.
Amidst the silent disbelief, Da Gong stares coldly at the slackjawed guards who were surrounding the bruised Ye Cheng and raises a wing toward them imperiously.
Da Gong: "Cluck."
[Charge.]
All the animals they brought along their journey, such as Xiao Shua the cat, Little Paddy the paddy snake, Little Fatty the field mouse and Little Rabbit, all rushed out to besiege the guards in a torrent of vicious little claws and fangs and fluff. Distantly upstairs you can hear the sound of hooves and neighing and the begging of mercy. It was chaos.
And the leader of the chaos, Da Gong merely stood there on top of Da Shen, surveying it all coolly. Occasionally he would see a weakness and cluck out an order, allowing his subordinates to grow even further through this battle. After being successfully put down easily by the sleeping gas, Da Gong realised that he couldn't just rely on himself to protect everyone.
First his worm, then his humans went missing. It was a devastating blow to his ego.
After being supported by his subordinates he finally had an epiphany.
Give a cat a fish and you feed them for a day. Teach a cat to fish and you can get them to become so loyal that they'll fight for you!
Didn't he already have such loyal subjects? Was he raising a bunch of rice bugs*?! No! He must train them to fight so this will never happen again!
*Rice bugs/ rice weevils - essentially means freeloaders who just hang around and eat the owner's rice.
Watching his subordinates take down human after drunk human, Da Gong, 'tch'-ed. Still too slow but passable ah.
Seeing the tied up humans, he bobbed his head and jumped off of Da Shen's back. Flapping his wings so he flutters down in front of them and clucked assuringly. You could practically see the 'Don't worry lackeys, I'm here now,' written with striking calligraphy in this fierce and awe-inspiring image.
Lackeys Tang Muxin, Duan Mengyao and Prince Yan Huizhong: '...….'
So in the end, they really didn't do anything huh?