Changing their tactics to get the Yu family accountable, the Chang family really invited a Momo* to come and examine the body. If Chang Ya Fu is still a virgin, the Yu family will be held responsible for such a humiliation.
[T/N: Normally this Momo is the venerated elderly woman from the imperial palace and not the household Momo]
While Old Madam was hesitating, Yu Xiang snickered with overbearingness casted on her bright face, "So what if a Momo is invited over for examination? If she is not a virgin, our Yu family will not want her but if she is still a virgin then it will be even more appalling. Just imagine, an unmarried girl hovering and dallying between two men then simply cast them away once their boat capsized[1] and even taking the clothes off on her own free-will to beg for pleasure. Being so slutty and loose even before she is married, won't she turn my Yu family in turmoil after entering our door? My Yu family is not a house of ill-repute and will not accept whores nor sluts!"
"You, You are bullying intolerably!" Being stifled for half a day, Madam Chang could only choke this sentence out and massaged her severely painful chest desperately. As Chang Ya Fu and Chang Ya Ting were no match for Yu Xiang, their eyes reddened with humiliation and resentment at her poisoned words.
"If you have guts to do it then you must be gutsy enough to accept the consequences. Don't think of building yourself a pagoda of chastity after becoming a whore. We will not acknowledge this marriage agreement." Yu Xiang continued her words, "Shoving a piece of dung coated cake into our mouth and expecting us to swallow without the least bit of hesitation? Do you think our Yu family are all idiots? Chang Ya Ting, fancy being the Left Chief Officer of the Imperial Censor's wife yet don't even know the most basic etiquette of propriety, justice, integrity and sense of shame. Would you believe I can propagate about Chang Ya Fu's stripping naked to seduce a man and your reputation will be ruined too? If all of you are keen on saving your faces, then you should hastily withdraw from this marriage on your own accord
Old Madam opened her mouth slowly, "That's precisely right. If your Chang family still wants to keep that little prestige of yours, come to Yu manor seven days later to break the engagement off. Xiang'er, let's go."
Yu Xiang nodded in agreement. Yu Pin Yan immediately pushed her out but he did not expect her to acutely pinch the back of his hand. Not only was there no distress instead his face was full of joyfulness.
Only after everyone had left did Chang Ya Fu poked her head out of the quilt and cried loudly. Both Madam Chang and Chang Ya Ting were also shaken to the core by Yu Xiang's scolding.
If this ploy was used on other families, that family could only hold their breath and subjugate. The Yu family is both powerful and shameless while Chang Ya Fu too has had a bad record in the past hence no one can do anything once they refuse to concede. If a big uproar is created, even the reputation of their eldest Di daughter who is married will be discredited too. This is really shooting themselves in the foot.
Why did the detestable Yu Xiang have to come today? She is the most shameless and bullying person in the Yu family. If she had not spoken out of a sudden, Old Madam would have agreed already.
The mother and daughters of the Chang family immediately hated Yu Xiang to the marrow of their bones.
Old Madam rubbed the top of her granddaughter's hair once they were out of the Chang residence's door and commended proudly, "Xiang'er has done a good job. This family is really too shameless!"
Pursing her small lips, Yu Xiang nodded and still felt a little unhappy. When Yu Pin Yan carried her into the carriage, she took the horse whip and whacked him several times that he had to wrap around her arms and beg for mercy in a low voice.
The mother and daughter of Lin Shi rode in the carriage behind. Glancing at each other, she both exhaled a mouthful of stifled breath. That mouth of Yu Xiang is truly vicious ah, what slutty and loose, dung coated cake ... almost curses the whole family to death on the spot. One really requires nerve to be an enemy of hers.
Lin Shi sighed inwardly while Yu Miao Qi ridiculed, "The Chang family still somewhat can't sacrifice their prestige. If only they bring together other family's womenfolk to stand witness then Yu Xiang would not be able to completely renounce it no matter how savage her mouth is. Moreover, Chang Ya Fu has a marriage agreement with Yu Pin Yan so the extent of damage will not be bad even if her reputation is ruined. Once she becomes Madam Yu in the future, who can still talk about her wantonness? She has lost today because she is not shameless enough."
Reticent for a moment, Lin Shi nodded her head.
All of a sudden, Yu Miao Qi remembered Yu Xiang's evaluation about herself - shameless people are invincible and her expression immediately became exasperated.
Yu Pin Yan pushed his younger sister back to the west wing and spontaneously asked for a basin of hot water to let her wash her face. After testing the temperature of the water, Yu Xiang was in a daze for a moment before she raised her hands and splashed the water in the basin all over him.
Upon seeing this, Liu Lu hurriedly dragged the panic-stricken Tao Hong out.
Wiping off the water droplets on his face, Yu Pin Yan asked in a deep voice, "What's wrong again? After coaxing all the way and you are still this hot-tempered, it's evident Elder Brother has more than often dotes on you too much and spoils you to the point of lawlessness."
"Yes, I'm bad-tempered and lawless that can't be compared to you, the unrestrained gentleman, protector of the fairer sex who hugged and would not let go the person that rushed into your arms lest she fall." Yu Xiang probed with reddened eyes, "If I don't impede, are you going to marry her today?"
Forcibly holding back his urge to smile, Yu Pin Yan took her into his arms and reclined on the couch. He rubbed his jaw that was still dripping with water against her delicate fair neck and spoke softly, "Why would I marry her? Wasn't I waiting for Xiang'er to come in and save me? In the future, Elder Brother's innocence will totally depend on Xiang'er's defense."
Yu Xiang was silent for a moment and said in a muffled voice, "You've been held by her for so long, what innocence is there to speak of anymore? So dirty, go wash up!" Once the words faltered, she poked the hard chest of her elder brother.
Gripping her fingers, Yu Pin Yan buried his head on the side of her cheek and took a few deep breaths before raising his voice, "Fill the tub with water."
Tao Hong hastily called someone to fetch the water while Liu Lu stood at the door for a long time before finally stepping into the room. She then saw the Marquis move behind the screen as white mist suffused everywhere and several pieces of clothes that were just taken off were thrown on the ground.
"Young Miss, is the Marquis taking his bath here? Do you want to step out for a short while?" She gulped and stammered.
"Step out for what?" With knitted brows, Yu Xiang was lost in thought and stated without lifting her head, "Isn't there a screen there? Where else should I go?"
Rendered speechless for quite a while, Liu Lu stood woodenly for a moment and only bent to pick the robe and clothes on the ground, intending to take them out for washing. She, however, did not expect to hear her master's cold commanding voice, "No need to wash, torch up them hastily."
"Ah? But these were clothes that you just asked the seamstress to make for the Marquis and had only worn this one time." Liu Lu hesitated.
"Just burn them as ordered. What's with the nagging!" Yu Xiang glared at her impatiently.
Having no choice, Liu Lu could only balled the clothes up and took them outside to have them burn. Before leaving the room, she seemingly heard the low laughter of the Marquis coming from behind the screen.
Yu Xiang only revealed the gritted teeth expression after everyone had left. Heaven knows when she saw her elder brother and the naked Chang Ya Fu cuddling together, she was dying to hoist them upside down with a rope and whip them severely. However, after splashing the warm water on her elder brother, she began feeling apprehensive again.
Perhaps she was a little too extreme and her behavior might have probably overstepped the boundary that made her elder brother unhappy. After all, he is already twenty-one or two and not wrong to have fantasies about women.
Yet an acute pain stabbed her heart while her trance-like eyes gradually turned dimmed....
Time elapsed amidst her wild imagination. So, when Yu Pin Yan came out with his damp hair hanging loosely, he saw his younger sister waving at him with a thick cotton cloth on her lap, "Elder Brother, come over quickly. I'll help you dry your hair."
The two of them have done this countless times and are naturally familiar with it. Yu Pin Yan compiled and leaned on his younger sister's lap. With the white cotton cloth would wrap around his hair, a small hand would occasionally gently knead through the fabric and at times her fingers would smooth his hair slowly while quietly bringing out the pleasant feeling of warmth.
Yu Xiang's face has long lost her previous anger instead it's now filled with a sweet smile when she spoke in a low voice, "Elder Brother, I didn't mean to lose my temper with you today. I was really shocked by the shamelessness of the Chang family's mother and daughter. The good thing is that though they are brazen but they are not shameless enough, otherwise all the womenfolk who came to the banquet will be called as witnesses then you won't be able to explain clearly even if you have a hundred mouths. Are you really willing to marry that unscrupulous woman Chang Ya Fu?"
Unconsciously, there was a bit of resentment in that delicate voice. With eyes slightly shut, the corners of Yu Pin Yan's mouth hooked up faintly, "How could that be? Even if the skin of their faces are thick enough, Elder Brother will still have ways to make them withdraw the marriage voluntarily. Don't worry, Xiang'er. Elder Brother will marry anyone except Chang Ya Fu." As he said that, he grabbed the small hand of his younger sister that was combing through his hair and squeezed it gently.
Yu Xiang sighed a breath of relief and smiled, "That's good. How could a man of character have no wife. Without Chang Ya Fu, we can still slowly look for another and nevertheless find someone who will be wholeheartedly devoted to you."
Raising his eyes, Yu Pin Yan glanced at her and asked casually, "Devoted wholeheartedly? Anyone chosen randomly in the Capital will be devoted to me wholeheartedly. Which girl does not regard her husband as her destiny after marriage?"
Those spoken words seemingly like he was extremely eager to take a wife. Yu Xiang's susceptible nerves were pricked. So with one hand, she grabbed her elder brother's hair hard while the other wrapped tightly around his neck as she lowered her small face and pressed the tip of her nose against his then sneered, "Randomly chose one? Can a wife be randomly sought? If you are really so eager, I'll ask Grandmother to marry eight to ten for you tomorrow and let them saunter around you the whole day, treating you like a piece of vying fat meat while one puts drugs here and another plants poison there. In order to hastily give birth to an heir, they will bore into your bedding then squeeze you dry and stuff worms into your nostril ..."
As she said that, she let go of the hand that tugged his hair hard and switched to pinch her elder brother's face while baring her small white teeth as she spat out those threatening words.
Yu Pin Yan was strangled breathless by her yet he still chuckled and begged for mercy, "Xiang'er, hastily let go. Elder Brother was joking with you. Without you nodding your head, Elder Brother will not marry anyone."
"Really?" Yu Xiang poked his high nose with her fingertip.
"Of course it's true. What eight to ten, Elder Brother has enough trouble handling only you. How can Elder Brother still have the heart to handle eight to ten. Be good Xiang'er, hastily release Elder Brother." Not knowing whether to laugh or to cry, Yu Pin Yan freed his younger sister's grip.
Yu Xiang looked at him steadily for a moment before releasing her arm around his neck and smiled, "That's good. We are not in a hurry to marry a wife so let's take our time." It would be best to take ten or eight years to find.
Thinking about that, Yu Xiang squinted her big eyes and smiled wryly then puckered her lips to plant a firm kiss on her elder brother's forehead.
While his breathing was somewhat stifled, Yu Pin Yan then pointed his left cheek and coaxed, "Kiss here too."
A loud smack resounded when he then pointed at his right cheek.
Yu Xiang giggled. Generously she planted kisses on his cheek, his eyes, the bridge of his nose, his chin, the corners of his mouth and only gave up after she had dampened his whole face until with kisses.
Yu Pin Yan felt his chest and heart swelled with unsuppressed tenderness. Placing his hand behind her neck, he dragged her into his arms then carefully rubbed and caressed her as he dropped quick kisses everywhere.
Liu Lu who stood guard at the room entrance looked ghastly pale and felt dismal. Catching sight of the carefree Tao Hong who was cracking melon seeds, she asked with a heavy voice, "Don't you think Young Miss is excessively intimate (close) with the Marquis?"
"If Young Miss is not the Marquis should she be close to you?" Tao Hong spat out the shells of the melon seeds.
"......."
[T/N:亲密 (Qīnmì) - means intimate, close]
Liu Lu spoke again after a moment of silence, "But she can't always lean (rely) on the Marquis too ah!"
"Is it possible for her to rely on you if not the Marquis?"
[T/N: 赖 (Lài) - means rely, lean, depend, blame]
"........"
Liu Lu held her forehead, "That's not what I mean, I mean, how can the Marquis hug (carry) Young Miss all the time."
"If it's not the Marquis who carries her around, is it possible to let those mud-ball-like pozi carry? Aiya, that will truly hurt my eyes!" Tao Hong hastily covered her eyes with her hands as if repulsed by that scene.
[T/N: 抱 (Bào) - means hold or carry in the arms, embrace, hug]
Liu Lu silently swallowed a mouthful of old blood[1] and felt despaired at Tao Hong's denseness.
[1] 一口老血 (Yīkǒu lǎo xuè) - helplessness