I Am This Type of Woman

87.2

Seeing the excited faces of the scholars downstairs, Ban Hua gave out a light humph and averted her eyes.

When he saw the wolf-like eyes of those people staring at his sister, Ban Heng squeezed up the stairs to block their vision.

"Duke Jingting!" Shi Chonghai saw Ban Huai. His eyes reddened, and even before saying anything more, he had bowed deeply to Ban Huai, "Zaixia was lax in teaching the daughter. Truly, truly ashamed, zaixia has no face meeting you."

Ban Huai's eyes swept over the expecting eyes of the guests surrounding them. He avoided Shi Chonghai's bow and lightly said, "It doesn't matter. Aren't we meeting now? Still, even if your daughter isn't taught well, my luck is good enough to keep me alive."

After speaking, he panted and sat down on a chair next to him, somewhat embarrasedly said, "I have made a joke for everyone to see. I am a coward, this incident has scared me so much that I fell sick. Actually I didn't feel like going out today, but if I didn't, I am afraid Minister Shi would think too much, so I forced myself to come. It's just that my spirit is a bit low, if I am impolite in any way, please everyone forgives."

The crowd busily expressed concerns for his health, it was so noisy when a bunch of people talked at the same time.

Shi Chonghai stayed on his side with a smile plastered on the face, then he also said some more words of apologies. Many people busily tried to ingratiate to Ban Huai that for a moment noone paid attention to Shi Chonghai.

Ban Hua had no interest at this absurd scene. She turned around and found Shi Jin's pair of eyes were on her. Their eyes met, but Ban Hua kept her silence. Shi Jin hesitated for a while, then he walked up to stand about two steps away from Ban Hua. "Junzhu, have you been well lately?"

"My father is unwell. As his daughter, how can I be well." Ban Hua's tone was flat, "Shi-daren has any matter?"

Shi Jin gave her a salute, he was silent too.

Ban Hua turned at his father who was sitting in the honoured seat, "Shi-daren, is Miss Shi doing well?"

"My sister has committed a serious crime, she has been sentenced to serve for 15 years." Shi Jin fell silent, there was nothing more he and Ban Hua could talk about.

"Where is she serving?"

After a moment passed, Shi Jin heard Ban Hua asking this. He raised his head in surprise, there was not much anger on her face, he replied, "The Western."

T/N – Xizhou = Western area. I wondered whether Shi Jin was referring to 'the general area in the western', or Xizhou as the name of a specific place, like Xuezhou. We'll change it later if needed.
Shi Feixian's punishment was doing corvee labour for 15 years.

"Western Area is far away, and it's bitterly cold with strong winds and sands, how will your sister stand the climate?" Ban Hua lowered her eyelids, her tone softened a little, "Can't it be changed to a place with better weather?"

"A crime has to be punished, our Shi family dared not object." Shi Jin's head was hung, he avoided Ban Hua's eyes.

"Naturally you have nothing to object to." Ban Hua was a bit disgusted of Shi family. She and Shi Feixian had their grudges, but if Shi Feixian really was innocent in the attack on her father, Ban Hua had no intention to see the enemy dead.

Apparently Shi family was more 'open-minded' that herself, this outsider, thus she should not waste her time talking nonsense, lest people found her annoying.

T/N – I think this 'open-minded' is used sarcastically, Ban Hua was annoyed that Shi family throw away their daughter like that.

On that banquet, Shi Chonghai offered Ban Huai a cup of tea as an apology, Ban Huai calmly took it and drank without expression. But just as the banquet was about to formally start, Ban Huai suddenly turned pale and fell down fainting. Everyone was shocked and a doctor was called, it turned out that his body was still weak and he should not get tired.