Reborn as a Hatrack in the Mystical Land-Chapter 726 - 183: The Conditions for Betrothal
"The two of you, step back. The marriage between the Moon Dragon and our families involves the honor of both families. As the younger generation, it is inappropriate for you to be disrespectful in front of your elders, lest others accuse you of picking faults and disparaging our Duke Mansion," without waiting for Yue Jinghua and Yue Minzhi, the siblings, to speak, Lie Rou sternly stopped them.
"Mother," Yue Minzhi, fearing his mother might be humiliated in front of Long Ao, attempted to interject. Since the issue arose from him and he is the sole heir of the Duke Mansion, he held no fear, not even for Long Ao.
"Big brother, listen to mother," Yue Jinghua shook her head. After Long Ao subtly pointed it out, she noticed some changes in her beautiful mother during the months of her absence.
Yue Jinghua still remembered when she first came to the Canglong Continent and met Lie Rou for the first time.
Upon seeing her daughter polished from the trials, Lie Rou grabbed her and poured out her heart in tears.
But in recent days, whether it was the siblings returning from Fandi Port or her sneaking off to Shang Kingdom without informing the mansion, Lie Rou, upon finding out afterward, only scolded verbally and no longer acted as before.
Since their mother had brought up the matter, the siblings should give her the respect due from juniors to an elder.
Seeing this, Yue Minzhi had no choice but to leave with Yue Jinghua to tend to their injuries.
In the courtyard, only Lie Rou and Long Ao with a gloomy face remained.
Seeing her children leave, Lie Rou also breathed a sigh of relief.
In this period, Lie Rou had witnessed the rapid growth of her children. She was heartened, and her own temperament had grown significantly.
She was born into the Lie Family Mansion, both her parents being paragons among men, and she herself married into the Lie Family as the wife of Duke Blood Sakura Yue Nian, originally a delicate lady from a prestigious family.
If not for the troubles along the way, Lie Rou’s life should have been like that of the other ladies from the Marquis Mansions and General Mansions of Wo Hua Imperial City—living in luxury and oblivious to worldly suffering.
But fate was unkind to her, a beauty doomed to hardship. She lost her parents in the prime of life, her husband’s whereabouts unknown. She wandered through hardships in Shang Kingdom and was stranded in Fengdan Bailu County, which sharpened her wits and matured her mind far beyond her past.
She was aware that Long Ao’s visit was meant as a provocation, but because it concerned her eldest son’s marriage, Lie Rou had to handle it with caution.
"General Long, please quell your anger," Lie Rou gave a graceful bow, "My spouse has been missing for many years, leaving me alone to improperly discipline our children; this is my fault."
A pair of children, not disciplined properly?
Hmph, Long Ao’s Primordial Spirit shook slightly. He glanced at his injured right hand and recalled Yue Jinghua’s recent strategic maneuver, as well as Yue Minzhi’s gallant and imposing appearance. He couldn’t help but think to himself, a pair of children not disciplined properly?
You must be joking -- it is you who have raised a pair of outstanding children.
"You know it well, young Yue Minzhi is licentious, taking advantage of my naive Ruru, exploiting her youth. This is not the behavior of a gentleman. Your daughter is even worse, neither male nor female, showing no respect for elders, and scheming -- not at all like a decent lady should be." When Long Ao thought of the Yue siblings’ recent defense of their mother and their unity, and then compared them to the upright and legitimate sons and grandsons of the Duke Mansion, it was like a mouthful of old vinegar was stuck in his throat, and the words that came out were both sour and sharp.
Lie Rou’s eyebrows slightly raised; her hands, hidden beneath her sleeves, involuntarily clenched into fists. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺
"General Long," she changed her expression, like a protective mother bear, her face flushing with anger. This audacious elder was really stepping over the line. Her children were being disparaged as worthless, as if his General Mansion upheld all moral standards, "My son Minzhi licentious? The distinguished Young Duke Xue Ying, ever since engaging with the General Mansion, has kept himself clean and behaved impeccably for years. It’s only natural for men and women to marry – moreover, he and Miss Long Rui are mutually in love. Regarding the incident at Fandi Port, he reported it to Princess Long Xue and me, his mother, as soon as he returned to the Imperial City. His unseemly behavior was only out of necessity to save the drowning Miss Long Rui. If you doubt it, you can go and inquire from the young masters of the Ji and Qing families."
Upon hearing this, Long Ao finally understood and coughed a few times.
"As for my daughter Huahua, her cross-dressing was born out of helplessness. We were destitute and without the protection of a father or brothers in the early years. She persisted in her strength, guarding the feudal territory of the Duke Mansion and, with her clever strategies, has earned the title of the premier Duke of the Empire. Bearing such children, I, Lie Rou, shall face the Yue Family Ancestors without any shame after death. On the other hand, General Long, after traveling across the continent for many years, have you ever inquired about your descendants from the General Mansion? In times of peril for the Empire, where were they? Shrinking away in the Imperial Court, their cowardice is disgraceful. The Young General hasn’t been cold in his grave yet, and the General Mansion fights over power and profits, not defending the honor of their female relatives, instead, kicking them while they’re down. I would like to ask, who truly is the one failing at their duties," Lie Rou spoke with sharp, pressing intensity, her words relentless, forcefully berating Long Ao until he nearly couldn’t hold his head high with her weak woman’s frame.
If the Yue siblings were to hear this, they would indeed be wide-eyed and tongue-tied.
"You! The sage has said that only women and children are hard to raise, and this saying truly does not deceive me," Long Ao was driven both to anger and shame by her questioning.
If Lie Rou were a master martial artist, it would be another story -- the two could have fought it out. But Lie Rou, being a defenseless woman, was like hitting cotton with a fist for Long Ao. He found no outlet for his frustration and was left with a red face, looking as peculiar as Guan Gong.
"I don’t take issue with you youngsters. You speak fine words, but don’t think I’m unaware -- it was your tricky daughter who caused the dishonor to Ruru," Long Ao had already clarified the reason. He knew that Long Rui would marry no one but Yue Minzhi, and inside the Imperial City, he indeed couldn’t find anyone more suitable than Yue Minzhi. After all, the two families were going to become in-laws, and it really wouldn’t be good to fall out completely.
Long Ao thought as such, but his old face still couldn’t give in easily. Before he came, he had already interrogated Ji Yun and Qing Zizhu; the truth of the matter was more or less consistent with what Lie Rou had said, but Yue Jinghua, who manipulated the situation behind the scenes, was also exposed by them.
Seeing Long Ao soften, Lie Rou knew it was time to pull back, and she promptly bowed deeply again, "General Long, please forgive us. Huahua and Minzhi, the siblings, care deeply for each other, which led to their thoughtless actions. I ask that you do not take it to heart. I, Lie Rou, am willing to offer tea and an apology on behalf of the child."
"No need, I’m a plain man and not used to drinking tea -- especially not from the Duke Mansion," Long Ao waved his hand decisively, refusing to accept Lie Rou’s apology, "I have come today for the marriage of the two young ones. With things having come to this, Ruru cannot find a more suitable husband than your Duke Mansion. However, if she is to marry so easily, it would not appease my anger. I only have one condition, if Yue Minzhi wishes to marry Ruru, he must secure a place among the ’Top Three in the Xuyang Examination’."
