Yang Mei was like, "Bet? What's the deal with that, Lord Hou?!"
And then Lord Hou gives him the side-eye and goes, "Well, well, look who's playing dumb here? The bet was placed by your buddy. If you don't get it, why don't you trot on back and ask him about it?
"You Yang family folks, all high and mighty with your fancy reputation spanning two dynasties, must have quite the deep pockets. But seriously, a half-grown lad still in school throwing down a couple hundred taels to bet on some other family's girl's fate? Mr. Yang here's got some serious business acumen. Maybe you can give me some pointers sometime?"
"..."
Lord Hou didn't bother with him anymore, just sauntered into the yamen.
Yang Mei was left dumbstruck, his face turning red, then white like a traffic light, unable to even form words. He even forgot to grab him and ask what the heck was going on!
By the time he snapped out of it, Lord Hou had vanished into thin air!
He gritted his teeth and stomped his foot: "Back to the mansion! Where's Jin Ge? Get him to my study right away!"
...
Yun Xiangyi spent the whole night forcing herself to adapt to Grace's brainwashed changes, dug out the previous study plans, dusted off the cobwebs with three handkerchiefs, and punctually arrived at Grace's study session.
Based on Grace's cultural background, they could only start with teaching her to write like you would with a toddler, and then plan for further development.
After Grace wrote a few characters, Yun Xiangyi felt oddly relieved because these dog-like scribbles were definitely something only this young miss from the Hou Mansion could produce.
Just then, Hua Xiangrong came back, looking quite different from when she left: "Miss, trouble's brewing!"
Grace looked up.
"While I was sitting at the teahouse near the Ministry of Works, I overheard the officials gossiping about Mr. Shi En's case being fiercely debated in court today. Still no conclusion, but word has it the Emperor has allowed Lord Hou to retrieve that dirty money."
The debate being heated without a conclusion probably meant Empress Dowager Lu's given month's time had some significance. But that's not really trouble.
She asked, "What else? What's the fuss about?"
"Just now, while I was at the teahouse getting intel, a brawl broke out over you!"
"..."
Grace had never been the center of attention like this in her life!
Even if she's become a Mary Sue after transmigration, wouldn't she need to make a formal appearance to stir up some jealousy?
"What happened exactly? Who started the fight?" Yun Xiangyi was more anxious about gossip than the main character.
Hua Xiangrong blurted out, "While I was sitting at the teahouse, guess who showed up at the next table? It was actually your almost fiancé, Master Xu from the Xu Family!"
Xu Chong?
Grace was genuinely surprised. She was just about to look into this Xu Chong's background, and he pops up before she can even make a move!
"Master Xu came with some friends. One of them was Master He Xiu from the He family, the other was Master Fang Qu from the Fang family. When they sat down, Master He asked Master Xu why he looked so gloomy. Master Xu just sighed and didn't say anything. Master Fang, on the side, said, 'What else could it be? It must be about the marriage with the Zhao family.'
"When I heard this, I perked up my ears! But unexpectedly, they didn't talk about the marriage, but about your recent experiences.
"It goes without saying about the incident when you entered the palace. Everyone in the city knows about it. But even when you went to the palace yesterday, everyone knew about it too! Everyone's speculating that you're favored by the Empress Dowager and have become a darling in front of her!
"Of course, that's nothing much, but Master Fang started sarcastically congratulating Master Xu, saying that if he marries you in the future, he'll rise to the top and enjoy endless blessings.
"I thought that was a pretty apt thing to say, isn't that the kind of luck you all are hoping for? But who knew, after Master Xu heard that, he flipped out, slammed the table, stood up, and publicly declared that he's not some sycophantic social climber!
"At this point, Master Fang probably got hit by a plate or something, and he flipped out too, pointing at Master Xu, saying he's setting up a false image even though he's a scoundrel. Anyway, they started fighting!"
The palace entry incident was likely intentionally leaked by Empress Dowager Lu to stir up public opinion, other than pushing her plans through with public opinion. But what's more concerning now is Grace's almost fiancé!
"Is he dead from being beaten?"
"... No, but it's a total mess right now, and it's anyone's game!"
Grace slammed the table: "What are we waiting for then? Let's go check it out!"
...
As mentioned before, the Hou Mansion's location was close to the Imperial Palace and the major yamens, so Hua Xiangrong naturally had to inquire near the yamen. So, fifteen minutes later, Grace left the mansion, didn't even need to take a carriage, and walked to the teahouse on the main street.
Grace was worried Xu Chong might get beaten to a pulp and she wouldn't get to see his sorry state, so she rushed into the shop, where the scene was a complete mess. Business was definitely not booming, but the tea drinkers hadn't left yet, gathered in a circle, discussing animatedly.
Hua Xiangrong squeezed through to make space for Grace. Grace tiptoed to peer through the gap between shoulders and saw two young men, disheveled and red-eyed, glaring at each other. The one in the middle looked a bit better, but his clothes were also stained, as he tried to mediate between the two. But their exact words were drowned out by the chattering of the shopkeepers nearby.
She asked, "Which one is Xu Chong?"
Hua Xiangrong pointed to the white-skinned youth with disheveled hair and a rumpled blue robe: "That's him!"
Grace took a closer look. Xu Chong was probably seventeen or eighteen, dressed nicely, and originally quite handsome. Even now, despite the messy situation, there was still a hint of stubborn pride in his eyes that made him look rather unsightly.
In the blink of an eye, without knowing what Fang Qu said, Xu Chong suddenly got red-eyed, lunged forward, grabbed the other guy, and slammed him to the ground, then punched him twice!
Both were from prestigious families, so even if they weren't skilled, their physical strength was there. As soon as the fight broke out, the onlookers scattered like birds.
Grace squeezed out of the crowd and retreated to the door, watching Xu Chong, who was now seeing red. She couldn't understand. Fang Qu had just teased him a bit, why did he react like Fang Qu had killed
his father?
Could it be that Aunt Ning said he was very resistant to the marriage, and because he had someone in his heart?
But why didn't he just refuse the marriage?
Is he nuts to pick a fight in public like this? And what about her dignity? Is he intentionally picking a fight with her and the Hou Mansion?
Did she invite him or provoke him?!
With this dimwit, she's not even interested!
Grace was angry, gave a quick glance at the defeated Fang Qu, and signaled to Hua Xiangrong, "Why hasn't anyone from the Xu family come yet? Go check!"
"Alright!"
Hua Xiangrong turned around.
Grace grabbed her and instructed, "Remember to mention our identity! Say you're delivering a message on my behalf, afraid that Master Xu might be in danger!"
If the child isn't taught, the father is to blame. She wouldn't let the Xu family couple know about her grievances?
This could be the perfect excuse since there wasn't an opportunity to call off the engagement. Finally, there was some leverage.
"I'm sincerely proposing to marry Grace. Why should you be allowed to defame me as a greedy opportunist? This is not just an insult to me, but also to the Zhao family!"
Just as Hua Xiangrong turned around, there was suddenly a thunderous roar from Xu Chong behind her!
Hua Xiangrong stopped in her tracks, and Grace froze in place, as if struck by lightning, unable to move…