Chapter 8: Eating the Guts of a Leopard
As they watched, Mu Lingzhu scratched her face and scalp until bits of blood began to emerge. Mu Xiang, who was sitting below, immediately charged forward, yelling at one of his servants, "Quickly bring your Miss back!"
"It's so itchy, so itchy……" Mu Lingzhu's mouth continued to repeat this, as she struggled, preparing to take off her outer clothing. However, it was fortunate that she was curbed by her servant in time, as she took her away.
Everyone from the Mu family also followed behind and rushed out of the Cultural Building.
On the second floor, Mu Yunjin watched the scene below her, immediately laughing and swaying to and fro. She was concealed by a veil, but her two starry pupils laughed until she cried. She could not conceal her great mood.
"Is this the reason you were confident that Mu Lingzhu could not win today?" At the other end of the table, the purple clothed man watched Mu Yunjin, his mouth seemingly unsmiling, his words light.
"Thank you for offering this great space to me today. I must return now." Mu Yunjin did not reply to the purple man's words directly, as she stood up, wanting to leave.
Ding Xian saw that his Master's words were disregarded again. He darted forward to stand in front of Mu Yunjin and block her. His face was full of annoyance. He was just about to speak when he saw that his Master had a 'it's meaningless' appearance, so he could only close his mouth tightly and back up.
When Mu Yunjin passed by Ding Xian, she cast a glance at him, her eyes flashed with a glint of pride. Soon after, she walked slowly down the stairs.
After Mu Yunjin left, Ding Xian immediately sat where she had been sitting, and said to the purple clothed man, "Your Majesty, just now, that woman was too rude. Do you want me to go teach her a lesson?"
The purple man heard this and faintly shot Ding Xian a glance, "She is a little fox. You may not be her rival."
When his words fell, out of the corner of his eye, he saw something that made him slightly stumped for words.
He saw that there was now a white jade pendant left on the seat where Mu Yunjin had been sitting. The jade pendant used golden and silvery silken threads to tie it together. Particularly from the delicateness, one could tell it was something from a daughter of a noble family.
The purple man picked up the jade pendant and carefully obtained clues from it. He only saw faint white rays of light flashing through it, and two words……
Yunjin.
The purple man's complexion suddenly sank. The hand holding the jade pendant could not help but tighten a bit. He grabbed ahold of his mood again, "Ding Xian, in this Butterfly Flower City, how many people are named Yunjin?"
Ding Xian also blanked. He touched his head and thought for a long time, but soon after he embarrassedly spoke, "In reply to Your Majesty, according to what this subordinate knows, there is only the Third Young Miss of Mu Xiang's residence……"
……
Mu Yunjin had just secretly entered Ascending Blossoms Pavilion again, when she saw Zi Xiang standing inside the garden, her two hands clasped tightly. She was so anxious that she was running around, to and fro.
"I've come back." Upon seeing this, Mu Yunjin lazily spoke, reaching out her hand to pull off the veil on her face.
The moment Zi Xiang heard Mu Yunjin's voice she immediately sighed deeply, and went up to her, "Miss, you have finally returned. You really worried this servant to death. I was really afraid that people would suddenly come into Ascending Blossoms Pavilion."
When she heard this, Mu Yunjin's brows slightly rose, but she did not speak, and entered her room.
……
Zi Xiang also followed after Mu Yunjin inside, "Miss, just now, when this servant went to the kitchen to grab some dishes, I saw Third Young Lady being carried in. She was a sorry figure. The Master and Madam were also by her side, and they didn't look very good……" While Zi Xiang spoke, she looked at Mu Yunjin, wanting to continue, but she was a little afraid to speak.
Mu Yunjin naturally knew what Zi Xiang had to say, but seeing that this girl's guts were really too little, thus she said, "Really? I did not know of this."
After she finished speaking, Mu Yunjin took out a package wrapped in wax paper and threw it to Zi Xiang, "These are some cakes that I just bought from the streets. Try them."
Zi Xiang took the package and saw that Mu Lingzhu's affairs were unrelated to her own Miss. Immediately, she relaxed, and took the pastries to the side to eat it.
Mu Yunjin sat in the bedroom, pondering what had happened in the Cultural Building. A slight smile appeared.
She truly hadn't expected it. It was merely a bit of itching powder, but for the soft skinned Mu Lingzhu, it unexpectedly had such a big effect on her.
Mu Yunjin's mood was too great, so she reached out her hand and stretched her body, as she put her hand over her mouth and yawned. She lay down on the couch, determined to make up for her sleep.
When she had just closed her eyes, she heard steps coming into Ascending Blossoms Pavilion, in the direction of her bedroom.
Not too long after, Zi Xiang's frenetic voice was heard……
"Second Young Master, Miss is currently resting inside. It is inconvenient for her to meet you. Please come back another day."
"Get lost! In this residence, there's no one that I can't meet. You, a little lowly servant dare block my path? You don't want to live anymore?" A sudden drunken tone came from outside the door.
"Second Young Master, this is Miss' bedroom. If you want to meet Miss, you should still let this servant go in to report your arrival." The sound of Zi Xiang's voice mixed with her sobbing sounds that was heard from the outside.
"Hurry up and get out of my sight! Otherwise do you believe this Young Master won't beat you to death?"
As the two people shoved each other the closed door was immediately opened. Mu Yunjin leaned on the door frame, crossing her arms as she looked at the man wearing embroidered clothes in front of her, with hair bound in a jade crest. His entire body even brought with it an aura of liquor.
Zi Xiang had just called him Second Young Master, so presumably this person was Second Madam's son, Mu Yiyang.
She did not think that Mu Xiang, who regarded keeping face as all important, would actually let this domineering scum run loose. Could it be that it was just because he was a son?
As Mu Yunjin thought about this, she laughed coldly. She glanced at Zi Xiang, whose eyes were red, "Zi Xiang, you may go in first."
Zi Xiang immediately shook her head and stood between Mu Yunjin and Mu Yiyang, unwilling to leave.
Mu Yunjin saw this, and was between laughter and tears. She grabbed onto Zi Xiang's shoulders and placed her behind her back.
"Oh look at who's showing how deep feelings are between a master and a servant… Mu Yunjin you impudent girl, have you become bipolar? A few days ago, wasn't it you hiding behind this little lowly servant,? Today, have you eaten the guts of a leopard [1] that you dare stand in front of her?"
Mu Yiyang's words made Mu Yunjin's mouth curve up in an instant. Moving closer to Mu Yiyang, she carelessly began to speak, "That's right. I've eaten the guts of a leopard. It tastes good. Do you want me to give you some, Second Brother?"
"You impudent brat. You dare talk back to me?"
"Mu Yunjin, let me tell you, don't think that just because you have the support of Imperial Concubine Qin, I am afraid of you! She, such an old woman can't live for many more years! Also, do you really think 6th Prince will marry you? Stop daydreaming. Such a notorious idiot like you without any titles can only be sold to a brothel or to a home to prostitute yourself for money. Will the 6th Prince even like you?
"In more tactful words, today is the same as in the past. Give over the jewelry that Imperial Concubine Qin bestowed upon you, and I'll go settle my gambling debts. I'll spare you if you do so. If not, I'll go report to Father and tell him you offended me, your older brother. When the time comes you'll have to be whipped ten times again.
"Last time's scars haven't healed completely, right?"
Mu Yiyang finished his speech and even belched from the wine. Soon after, he extended his palm and hinted that Mu Yunjin should take out the jewelry.
"Second Brother, is your memory no good? I just said that today, I ate the guts of a leopard. Thus, you won't be able to get this jewelry you want today. However, as a little sister, I can't let my older brother go on an errand for nothing…"
When her words fell, he only saw Mu Yunjin move quickly and lift up her leg, before directly striking his family jewels. One kick directly made Mu Yiyang fly several meters away. Mu Yiyang immediately spat out foam from his mouth, and fainted where he was.
"Ah……." Upon seeing this, Zi Xiang was so afraid she began to shriek.
Mu Yunjin yawned and looked at Zi Xiang, "Don't worry, he's not dead."
"But these goods are indeed very weak. He became like this with only one kick. It seems like these types of natural endowments can only bully the me from the past." Mu Yunjin helplessly shook her head and walked forward a few steps.
After she walked to the Mu Yiyang, who lay fainted on the ground, Mu Yunjin lifted her leg again and kicked Mu Yiyang out the doors of the Ascending Blossoms Pavilion.
Seeing Mu Yiyang's body flying in a wide arc to land on the grass outside , Mu Yunjin could not help but laugh, "I didn't know that my legs were so strong."
"Miss, with Second Yong Master fainted outside our door, what will we do if people discover him later?" Zi Xiang said as she glanced at him before Mu Yunjin shut the door, creasing her eyebrows.
Mu Yunjin did not care much about it and shrugged, "Second Young Master has fainted? I didn't know…"
"Miss, you…" Zi Xiang was finally amused by Mu Yunjin and suddenly felt that the Miss' character right now was really not bad. At the very least, she would not get bullied easily.
"I'm going to catch up on my sleep." Mu Yunjin stretched forth her hand to pinch Zi Xiang's cheeks as she walked towards the bedroom.
Zi Xiang laughed and continued to eat the cakes that Mu Yunjin had given to her just now.
……
Right now in the Pearl Pavilion, it was absolute chaos.
Mu Lingzhu had tightly shut both eyes as she lay down on the couch. Her face, neck and arms were all covered with faint traces of blood. A few physicians stood at the side, as their eyebrows scrunched together, diagnosing and treating her.
"Physician, have you managed to diagnose the problem?" Su Biqing looked at the physician who was currently checking Mu Lingzhu's pulse.
A long while passed before the physician shook his head, "There's nothing abnormal with her pulse, but the Fourth Young Miss has suddenly scratched herself to this extent so it is possible that someone has done something to her body."
"Is it possible to see what has been done?" Su Biqing continued to ask.
The physician sighed, "Let me check."
Mu Xiang was standing gloomily to the side. As he looked at Mu Lingzhu, he creased his brows as he said to Su Biqing, "Zhu'er has suffered an unexpected mishap during the Literary Competition, it must have been done by some jealous party!"
"Husband, this situation has not only brought shame to Zhu’er but has also brought shame to the genius of the Literary Competition. It has also caused our Xiang residence to be the subject of shame and ridicule for no good reason. We definitely cannot be excessively tolerant towards this situation. We definitely have to expose the one who has done this." Su Biqing said.
"You're right, my Elder Sister has spoken correctly. We don't know who the culprit is, but he's really asking for death! Husband, you definitely have to examine this case thoroughly." The Second Madam, Wei Hanqiao was also on scene and she agreed.
Just as Mu Xiang was going to say something in reply, a family servant rushed in through the door and reported to Mu Xiang in a loud voice, "Master, there's trouble! Something has happened to Second Young Master!"
"What?" Mu Xiang and Wei Hanqiao exclaimed at the same time.
"Second Young Master has been discovered to be foaming from his mouth, and fainted outside the Ascending Blossoms Pavilion door. He is still unconscious…"
The family servant rambled as Wei Hanqiao staggered, falling into the embrace of Mu Xiang. "Sob…sob…sob…, Husband, something has happened to Yiyang, this means that there's someone who wants to harm our Xiang residence!"
Su Biqing glared at the Wei Hanqiao who hid in Mu Xiang's embrace, and coldly opened her mouth, "Hanqiao, what are you crying about? Shouldn't you quickly go to see how Yiyang is?"
"Right, I will go straightaway. Husband, come with me and let's go visit Yiyang."
—
[1] As the saying goes, "You are what you eat." "Eat leopard"=become braver~ Just something that Chinese say when they suddenly become bolder than they were before
==
Translated by tranzgeek and socksrocker
Edited by: Ely
Chapter 8: Eating the Guts of a Leopard
As they watched, Mu Lingzhu scratched her face and scalp until bits of blood began to emerge. Mu Xiang, who was sitting below, immediately charged forward, yelling at one of his servants, "Quickly bring your Miss back!"
"It's so itchy, so itchy……" Mu Lingzhu's mouth continued to repeat this, as she struggled, preparing to take off her outer clothing. However, it was fortunate that she was curbed by her servant in time, as she took her away.
Everyone from the Mu family also followed behind and rushed out of the Cultural Building.
On the second floor, Mu Yunjin watched the scene below her, immediately laughing and swaying to and fro. She was concealed by a veil, but her two starry pupils laughed until she cried. She could not conceal her great mood.
"Is this the reason you were confident that Mu Lingzhu could not win today?" At the other end of the table, the purple clothed man watched Mu Yunjin, his mouth seemingly unsmiling, his words light.
"Thank you for offering this great space to me today. I must return now." Mu Yunjin did not reply to the purple man's words directly, as she stood up, wanting to leave.
Ding Xian saw that his Master's words were disregarded again. He darted forward to stand in front of Mu Yunjin and block her. His face was full of annoyance. He was just about to speak when he saw that his Master had a 'it's meaningless' appearance, so he could only close his mouth tightly and back up.
When Mu Yunjin passed by Ding Xian, she cast a glance at him, her eyes flashed with a glint of pride. Soon after, she walked slowly down the stairs.
After Mu Yunjin left, Ding Xian immediately sat where she had been sitting, and said to the purple clothed man, "Your Majesty, just now, that woman was too rude. Do you want me to go teach her a lesson?"
The purple man heard this and faintly shot Ding Xian a glance, "She is a little fox. You may not be her rival."
When his words fell, out of the corner of his eye, he saw something that made him slightly stumped for words.
He saw that there was now a white jade pendant left on the seat where Mu Yunjin had been sitting. The jade pendant used golden and silvery silken threads to tie it together. Particularly from the delicateness, one could tell it was something from a daughter of a noble family.
The purple man picked up the jade pendant and carefully obtained clues from it. He only saw faint white rays of light flashing through it, and two words……
Yunjin.
The purple man's complexion suddenly sank. The hand holding the jade pendant could not help but tighten a bit. He grabbed ahold of his mood again, "Ding Xian, in this Butterfly Flower City, how many people are named Yunjin?"
Ding Xian also blanked. He touched his head and thought for a long time, but soon after he embarrassedly spoke, "In reply to Your Majesty, according to what this subordinate knows, there is only the Third Young Miss of Mu Xiang's residence……"
……
Mu Yunjin had just secretly entered Ascending Blossoms Pavilion again, when she saw Zi Xiang standing inside the garden, her two hands clasped tightly. She was so anxious that she was running around, to and fro.
"I've come back." Upon seeing this, Mu Yunjin lazily spoke, reaching out her hand to pull off the veil on her face.
The moment Zi Xiang heard Mu Yunjin's voice she immediately sighed deeply, and went up to her, "Miss, you have finally returned. You really worried this servant to death. I was really afraid that people would suddenly come into Ascending Blossoms Pavilion."
When she heard this, Mu Yunjin's brows slightly rose, but she did not speak, and entered her room.
……
Zi Xiang also followed after Mu Yunjin inside, "Miss, just now, when this servant went to the kitchen to grab some dishes, I saw Third Young Lady being carried in. She was a sorry figure. The Master and Madam were also by her side, and they didn't look very good……" While Zi Xiang spoke, she looked at Mu Yunjin, wanting to continue, but she was a little afraid to speak.
Mu Yunjin naturally knew what Zi Xiang had to say, but seeing that this girl's guts were really too little, thus she said, "Really? I did not know of this."
After she finished speaking, Mu Yunjin took out a package wrapped in wax paper and threw it to Zi Xiang, "These are some cakes that I just bought from the streets. Try them."
Zi Xiang took the package and saw that Mu Lingzhu's affairs were unrelated to her own Miss. Immediately, she relaxed, and took the pastries to the side to eat it.
Mu Yunjin sat in the bedroom, pondering what had happened in the Cultural Building. A slight smile appeared.
She truly hadn't expected it. It was merely a bit of itching powder, but for the soft skinned Mu Lingzhu, it unexpectedly had such a big effect on her.
Mu Yunjin's mood was too great, so she reached out her hand and stretched her body, as she put her hand over her mouth and yawned. She lay down on the couch, determined to make up for her sleep.
When she had just closed her eyes, she heard steps coming into Ascending Blossoms Pavilion, in the direction of her bedroom.
Not too long after, Zi Xiang's frenetic voice was heard……
"Second Young Master, Miss is currently resting inside. It is inconvenient for her to meet you. Please come back another day."
"Get lost! In this residence, there's no one that I can't meet. You, a little lowly servant dare block my path? You don't want to live anymore?" A sudden drunken tone came from outside the door.
"Second Young Master, this is Miss' bedroom. If you want to meet Miss, you should still let this servant go in to report your arrival." The sound of Zi Xiang's voice mixed with her sobbing sounds that was heard from the outside.
"Hurry up and get out of my sight! Otherwise do you believe this Young Master won't beat you to death?"
As the two people shoved each other the closed door was immediately opened. Mu Yunjin leaned on the door frame, crossing her arms as she looked at the man wearing embroidered clothes in front of her, with hair bound in a jade crest. His entire body even brought with it an aura of liquor.
Zi Xiang had just called him Second Young Master, so presumably this person was Second Madam's son, Mu Yiyang.
She did not think that Mu Xiang, who regarded keeping face as all important, would actually let this domineering scum run loose. Could it be that it was just because he was a son?
As Mu Yunjin thought about this, she laughed coldly. She glanced at Zi Xiang, whose eyes were red, "Zi Xiang, you may go in first."
Zi Xiang immediately shook her head and stood between Mu Yunjin and Mu Yiyang, unwilling to leave.
Mu Yunjin saw this, and was between laughter and tears. She grabbed onto Zi Xiang's shoulders and placed her behind her back.
"Oh look at who's showing how deep feelings are between a master and a servant… Mu Yunjin you impudent girl, have you become bipolar? A few days ago, wasn't it you hiding behind this little lowly servant,? Today, have you eaten the guts of a leopard [1] that you dare stand in front of her?"
Mu Yiyang's words made Mu Yunjin's mouth curve up in an instant. Moving closer to Mu Yiyang, she carelessly began to speak, "That's right. I've eaten the guts of a leopard. It tastes good. Do you want me to give you some, Second Brother?"
"You impudent brat. You dare talk back to me?"
"Mu Yunjin, let me tell you, don't think that just because you have the support of Imperial Concubine Qin, I am afraid of you! She, such an old woman can't live for many more years! Also, do you really think 6th Prince will marry you? Stop daydreaming. Such a notorious idiot like you without any titles can only be sold to a brothel or to a home to prostitute yourself for money. Will the 6th Prince even like you?
"In more tactful words, today is the same as in the past. Give over the jewelry that Imperial Concubine Qin bestowed upon you, and I'll go settle my gambling debts. I'll spare you if you do so. If not, I'll go report to Father and tell him you offended me, your older brother. When the time comes you'll have to be whipped ten times again.
"Last time's scars haven't healed completely, right?"
Mu Yiyang finished his speech and even belched from the wine. Soon after, he extended his palm and hinted that Mu Yunjin should take out the jewelry.
"Second Brother, is your memory no good? I just said that today, I ate the guts of a leopard. Thus, you won't be able to get this jewelry you want today. However, as a little sister, I can't let my older brother go on an errand for nothing…"
When her words fell, he only saw Mu Yunjin move quickly and lift up her leg, before directly striking his family jewels. One kick directly made Mu Yiyang fly several meters away. Mu Yiyang immediately spat out foam from his mouth, and fainted where he was.
"Ah……." Upon seeing this, Zi Xiang was so afraid she began to shriek.
Mu Yunjin yawned and looked at Zi Xiang, "Don't worry, he's not dead."
"But these goods are indeed very weak. He became like this with only one kick. It seems like these types of natural endowments can only bully the me from the past." Mu Yunjin helplessly shook her head and walked forward a few steps.
After she walked to the Mu Yiyang, who lay fainted on the ground, Mu Yunjin lifted her leg again and kicked Mu Yiyang out the doors of the Ascending Blossoms Pavilion.
Seeing Mu Yiyang's body flying in a wide arc to land on the grass outside , Mu Yunjin could not help but laugh, "I didn't know that my legs were so strong."
"Miss, with Second Yong Master fainted outside our door, what will we do if people discover him later?" Zi Xiang said as she glanced at him before Mu Yunjin shut the door, creasing her eyebrows.
Mu Yunjin did not care much about it and shrugged, "Second Young Master has fainted? I didn't know…"
"Miss, you…" Zi Xiang was finally amused by Mu Yunjin and suddenly felt that the Miss' character right now was really not bad. At the very least, she would not get bullied easily.
"I'm going to catch up on my sleep." Mu Yunjin stretched forth her hand to pinch Zi Xiang's cheeks as she walked towards the bedroom.
Zi Xiang laughed and continued to eat the cakes that Mu Yunjin had given to her just now.
……
Right now in the Pearl Pavilion, it was absolute chaos.
Mu Lingzhu had tightly shut both eyes as she lay down on the couch. Her face, neck and arms were all covered with faint traces of blood. A few physicians stood at the side, as their eyebrows scrunched together, diagnosing and treating her.
"Physician, have you managed to diagnose the problem?" Su Biqing looked at the physician who was currently checking Mu Lingzhu's pulse.
A long while passed before the physician shook his head, "There's nothing abnormal with her pulse, but the Fourth Young Miss has suddenly scratched herself to this extent so it is possible that someone has done something to her body."
"Is it possible to see what has been done?" Su Biqing continued to ask.
The physician sighed, "Let me check."
Mu Xiang was standing gloomily to the side. As he looked at Mu Lingzhu, he creased his brows as he said to Su Biqing, "Zhu'er has suffered an unexpected mishap during the Literary Competition, it must have been done by some jealous party!"
"Husband, this situation has not only brought shame to Zhu’er but has also brought shame to the genius of the Literary Competition. It has also caused our Xiang residence to be the subject of shame and ridicule for no good reason. We definitely cannot be excessively tolerant towards this situation. We definitely have to expose the one who has done this." Su Biqing said.
"You're right, my Elder Sister has spoken correctly. We don't know who the culprit is, but he's really asking for death! Husband, you definitely have to examine this case thoroughly." The Second Madam, Wei Hanqiao was also on scene and she agreed.
Just as Mu Xiang was going to say something in reply, a family servant rushed in through the door and reported to Mu Xiang in a loud voice, "Master, there's trouble! Something has happened to Second Young Master!"
"What?" Mu Xiang and Wei Hanqiao exclaimed at the same time.
"Second Young Master has been discovered to be foaming from his mouth, and fainted outside the Ascending Blossoms Pavilion door. He is still unconscious…"
The family servant rambled as Wei Hanqiao staggered, falling into the embrace of Mu Xiang. "Sob…sob…sob…, Husband, something has happened to Yiyang, this means that there's someone who wants to harm our Xiang residence!"
Su Biqing glared at the Wei Hanqiao who hid in Mu Xiang's embrace, and coldly opened her mouth, "Hanqiao, what are you crying about? Shouldn't you quickly go to see how Yiyang is?"
"Right, I will go straightaway. Husband, come with me and let's go visit Yiyang."
—
[1] As the saying goes, "You are what you eat." "Eat leopard"=become braver~ Just something that Chinese say when they suddenly become bolder than they were before
==
Translated by tranzgeek and socksrocker
Edited by: Ely
