Chapter 64 – Conflict
Yu Tang’s gaze was so intense that it was difficult for Pei Yan to ignore.
He was a little baffled at her sudden anger at him and wondered what tricks Lady Yu was up to again.
Pei Yan was still silently pondering in his heart when Yu Tang’s gaze suddenly shifted away.
Feeling as if he missed something, he raised his eyes to see his family’s guards escorting two sturdy and strong men in.
They should be the two fugitives.
Pei Yan carefully examined them.
Their clothing were badly torn, and they were beaten and bruised all over and looked to be in a pathetic state.
Pei Yan forcefully held back from pursing his mouth.
It was a pity that they lacked the experience. If they were to be witnesses, they had to be cleaned up properly beforehand. With just a glance, it’s obvious that they were mistreated. Wouldn’t that be a clear opening that the opponent could use?
Pei Yan quietly drank his tea, wistfully thinking that today’s tea was pretty good.
He lowered his voice and asked Pei Man who was standing beside him. “What kind of tea is this? Is it black tea from Tong Mountain?”
“Yes.” Pei Man said in a low voice.
As Pei Yan didn’t have any special requirements for tea, Pei Man chose the black tea of Tong Mountain to serve the guests as this year’s harvest was of top quality.
“The weather is turning cool and Lady Yan from your estate says that you have some intestinal problems these days, so it’s better to have some warm tea.” Pei Man continued, “If Master doesn’t like it, I’ll have someone change it.”
“It’s fine.” Pei Yan said, “It’s still acceptable.”
As he spoke, he felt Lady Yu’s gaze on him again.
What’s wrong?
He looked up tersely and glanced at Yu Tang.
He saw Lady Yu’s big almond-shaped eyes glaring daggers at him.
Pei Yan was a little surprised.
He had never seen anyone’s eyes with a glare like this in his life …… perhaps …… except for the cat.
The more he thought about it, the more he felt like she really resembled one.
Her eyebrows also resembled it.
Like a furious cat.
PeiYan couldn’t resist taking another look.
Yu Tang was so angry that she didn’t know what to say.
The hall was too quiet.
Everyone was waiting for PeiYan to say something.
However, Pei Yan was discussing instead with Pei Man about which tea to drink.
The people did not understand Pei Yan’s intention.
These people that came here today to serve as witnesses, most of them came because of the Pei family’s influence, as it was the first time after PeiYan took over as the patriarch to be presiding over a case. Only two or three people were here sincerely supporting the Yu family. Therefore, depending on PeiYan’s attitude and whose side he was on, they would adjust their words accordingly. It was thus imperative that they had a clear understanding of Pei Yan’s stance.
However, seeing him acting like this, everyone was confused. Later, when the two families argue, what attitude should they have, and which side should they be supporting?
However, Li Duan was secretly relieved.
At least, Pei Yan did not outwardly show that he was on the side of the Yu family.
He didn’t wait for the Yu family to speak before he made the first move and said gently. “These two should be the witnesses that Scholar Yu mentioned. This is unexpected. Both of them were once sheltered by my family, and later when the officials came to investigate, they turned out to be pirates from Fujian. After we released these fugitives, they even tried to blackmail me. It’s truly unexpected for them to be witnesses for the Yu family.”
Clearly, he was implying that they were people of poor character. Just for the money, they can even turn against their benefactor. This casted serious doubt on their credibility as witnesses. He also deliberately pointed out that Yu Wen was only of scholar rank, which highlighted the fact that his own rank was higher and thus used that to suppress Yu Wen and lend more credibility to his own words.
Yu Wen had already recognized Li Duan’s cunning from their previous exchanges, so after listening to his words, his expression darkened. Thankfully, he was able to remain calm and was not provoked by Li Duan. He replied curtly “The magistrate has yet to confirm if those two fugitives were really bandits. For Eldest Young Master Li to make such an accusation is a little hasty.”
Since Li Duan called him a scholar, he in turn called Li Duan the eldest young master of Li family, using his age and seniority to suppress Li Duan, which was what Yu Tang reminded him of previously.
“At that time, someone from the Wei family saw that it was these two people who went to find Wei Xiaoshan. They have also admitted that it was an order from the Li family. They pretended to be his childhood friends and called him out. They later tricked him into going to the creek behind the Wei Family’s estate and drowned him. Thereafter, they threw his body into the river where Wei Xiaoshan frequently went to fish. It’s unthinkable that anyone would admit to a murder charge that he did not commit himself.”
“What Scholar Yu said is incorrect!” Li Duan cut in. His face was pulled taut in displeasure but he couldn’t help but sneak a glance at the vibrantly beautiful Yu Tang. “Those fugitives were vicious outlaws! Once arrested, they would be put to death. So what’s the difference if they admitted to a few more murder charges? Anyone facing a life-and-death situation would seek self-preservation. How can these people be trusted?”
He didn’t expect Lady Yu to be present today as well.
Although she was dressed as a male attendant, but with that pale and luminescent complexion and eyes shining as bright as the stars, how could her brilliance be concealed?
He did not wish for things to end up like this with the Yu family.
However there are some things that are accursed.
If it was not crushed, it will never be controlled.
Such beauty like hers was incomparable.
The playful twinkle in her eyes, so lively and vibrant, makes one want to find out more about her, about how someone can possess such an enchanting gaze.
Li Duan shot a fleeting glance at Pei Yan.
He was a little worried that Pei Yan …… would be taken in by Lady Yu’s beauty, and thus form a bias towards the Yu family, perhaps harboring nefarious thoughts about her.
Seeing Lady Yu like this was good as well.
It looks like she’s still safe from Pei Yan.
His mind raced as he quickly refocused his attention on Yu Wen.
Yu Wen face darkened as he responded. “So according to eldest young master Li, what you see with your own eyes and what you hear with your own ears may not necessarily be the truth. Then what, pray tell, is considered the truth?”
Li Duan was a little surprised at his words.
He figured Yu Wen would continue to argue with him about the testimony of the two fugitives, but Yu Wen threw him a curveball instead.
Could it be that they still had other evidences yet to be presented?
Li Duan became a little more guarded, but he didn’t reveal it as he replied with a smile. “I simply can’t understand why you would think that our family would go to such great lengths to harm the life of the second son of the Wei family.”
Before Yu Wen could reply, Li Duan continued, “Ah yes, you think that we wanted Lady Yu to marry into our family. Afraid that the second son of the Wei family would marry her instead, we set out to have him killed. However, Scholar Yu, don’t you think that argument is too preposterous? The second son of the Wei family is a human being! Not some little dog or cat. My family is trying to win over the affections of Lady Yu, and definitely not to create animosity. Even if our family wanted to force the marriage, we would instead find a way to hire a few ruffians to harass Lady Yu, and then arrange for my brother to rescue the damsel in distress. In this way, not only will we obtain Lady Yu’s gratitude, but it will also seal the marriage. Yes, I’ll admit it. The previous incident where Lady Yu was harassed by those miscreants, was indeed our family’s poor judgement, which was done out of helplessness. However, instructing those fugitives to kill the Wei family’s second son, that definitely was not us!”
The invited witnesses in the hall were all unaware of this.
As soon as they heard Li Duan’s words, the crowd began to whisper among themselves.
“To think that there would be such a thing!”
“The Li family is really too …… too eager to form this marriage.”
“Lady Yu must really be as beautiful as the rumors say!”
The voices that echoed from all over the hall made Yu Wen so angry that he couldn’t speak. Yu Yuan stood up in a fit of anger, he clenched his fist and strode towards Li Duan.
In her previous life, Yu Yuan had also beaten Li Duan up.
In front of the crowds, Li Duan cunningly did not return the blow, which made everyone praise Li Duan for being a gentleman. However Li Duan secretly sent someone to capture Yu Yuan to beat him up1. It was the fruit seller on little plum lane, Ah Liu who inadvertently got to know of it and informed Yu Yuan beforehand, and Yu Yuan manage to escape unscathed. It was also from that time on, she grew suspicious of the Li family and of Li Duan.
Yu Tang went forward and stopped Yu Yuan. She lowered her voice and said, “Elder Brother, impulsiveness is not the solution to any problem. We came here today to fight our case with the Li family. Therefore, it is impossible for me to remain a paradigm, free of gossip and malicious slander. My reputation will definitely be tarnished from this moment on. However, compared to the life of the second son of the Wei family, all these things are negligible. We are here today to redress the injustice of the death of the Wei Family’s second son. You must not lose sight of what’s more important.”
Master Wei who was sitting right in front of them heard those words clearly. He immediately gave way to tears, thinking that in the next two or three years, if Yu Tang’s marriage was still not settled, he would have Wei Xiaochuan marry Yu Tang.
In any case, he definitely can’t let such a good person like Yu Tang be carelessly given in marriage to just anyone.
As Pei Yan was sitting further away, he could not hear what Yu Tang had said, but he felt that Lady Yu must have a plan.
Seeing her calmness, Li Duan’s words obviously did not affect her.
This was either because she had strong, innate confidence in herself or that she already had a countermeasure in place.
Whether the former or the latter, it is admirable that she could maintain her composure under such circumstances.
He was suddenly curious about the kind of person Lady Yu was.
What exactly did she go through to become a dazzling pearl, shining with her own unique light?
Pei Yan was greatly intrigued about what the Yu family would say or do next.
And the Yu family, or rather, Yu Tang, did not let him down.
Yu Tang straightened her lapel and stood upright. Calmly and confidently, she walked out from behind Master Wei and stood in front of Li Duan.
Li Duan was shocked.
The invited witnesses who were whispering amongst themselves stopped. Their initial surprise turned to sudden realization and their interest was piqued after they guessed her identity. The entire hall went silent, as all eyes fell on her, waiting for her to speak.
This went much better than Yu Tang had anticipated.
At least these people did not immediately reveal her identity, thinking that she, as a lady, should not be standing here and speaking.
Yu Tang became more confident, her eyes sparkled more brilliantly, giving off a radiant glow.
“Eldest Young Master Li,” She said. Her voice was elegant, her demeanor was mild and gentle as she looked at Li Duan. She boldly introduced herself, “I am Lady Yu. I wonder if Eldest Young Master Li knows of me?”
Never did Li Duan think that Yu Tang would represent herself in person like this.
Why didn’t anyone from the Yu family stop her?
Did she know the consequences of her actions?
Not mentioning anything else, she will definitely not escape from being labelled as a vixen or being seen as a quarrelsome woman.
Li Duan’s mind was shaken, and he answered woodenly “I know”.
Yu Tang smiled faintly and continued, “Please correct me if I’m mistaken. Earlier you admitted that the men who harassed me at the Yu family’s countryside residence were ordered by your family?”
That was already an indisputable fact.
However, if this incident was handled properly, just like Wenjun who sold wine2, it could be something to be admired for in the eyes of the people and would not adversely affect the reputation of the Li family and Li Jun.
Li Duan admitted it.
Capture Yu Yuan and beat him up (套郁远的麻袋) : Literally it means “put Yu Yuan in a sack”, which doesn’t make much sense. Basically, this refers to the practice of capturing someone and putting a sack over his head and then beating him up, so that he doesn’t know who his attacker is and rendering him unable to defend himself as he can’t see his opponent. It’s really despicable. -_- Wenjun who sold wine (文君沽酒) : This refers to the story of Zhou WenJun and Sima Xiangru. Wenjun was the daughter of a an extremely wealthy family and was talented in arts especially in poetry and music. She fell in love with Sima Xiangru who was only an impoverished poet and musician. Her father was against the marriage so she decided to elope with him, much to the fury of her father. The couple sold everything they had and opened a place where she sold wine to make a living. This kind of job was often seen as lowly and degrading, especially for a woman, but her courage, intelligence and drive to support the family despite the circumstances, made people see her in a positive light and she is still greatly respected today as a brave and intelligent woman who dared to chase her love despite the odds and fight to protect her marriage. There’s more to this story, if you wanna check it out. I only included this little snippet just to give some context to what Li Duan said.
Chapter 64 – Conflict
Yu Tang’s gaze was so intense that it was difficult for Pei Yan to ignore.
He was a little baffled at her sudden anger at him and wondered what tricks Lady Yu was up to again.
Pei Yan was still silently pondering in his heart when Yu Tang’s gaze suddenly shifted away.
Feeling as if he missed something, he raised his eyes to see his family’s guards escorting two sturdy and strong men in.
They should be the two fugitives.
Pei Yan carefully examined them.
Their clothing were badly torn, and they were beaten and bruised all over and looked to be in a pathetic state.
Pei Yan forcefully held back from pursing his mouth.
It was a pity that they lacked the experience. If they were to be witnesses, they had to be cleaned up properly beforehand. With just a glance, it’s obvious that they were mistreated. Wouldn’t that be a clear opening that the opponent could use?
Pei Yan quietly drank his tea, wistfully thinking that today’s tea was pretty good.
He lowered his voice and asked Pei Man who was standing beside him. “What kind of tea is this? Is it black tea from Tong Mountain?”
“Yes.” Pei Man said in a low voice.
As Pei Yan didn’t have any special requirements for tea, Pei Man chose the black tea of Tong Mountain to serve the guests as this year’s harvest was of top quality.
“The weather is turning cool and Lady Yan from your estate says that you have some intestinal problems these days, so it’s better to have some warm tea.” Pei Man continued, “If Master doesn’t like it, I’ll have someone change it.”
“It’s fine.” Pei Yan said, “It’s still acceptable.”
As he spoke, he felt Lady Yu’s gaze on him again.
What’s wrong?
He looked up tersely and glanced at Yu Tang.
He saw Lady Yu’s big almond-shaped eyes glaring daggers at him.
Pei Yan was a little surprised.
He had never seen anyone’s eyes with a glare like this in his life …… perhaps …… except for the cat.
The more he thought about it, the more he felt like she really resembled one.
Her eyebrows also resembled it.
Like a furious cat.
PeiYan couldn’t resist taking another look.
Yu Tang was so angry that she didn’t know what to say.
The hall was too quiet.
Everyone was waiting for PeiYan to say something.
However, Pei Yan was discussing instead with Pei Man about which tea to drink.
The people did not understand Pei Yan’s intention.
These people that came here today to serve as witnesses, most of them came because of the Pei family’s influence, as it was the first time after PeiYan took over as the patriarch to be presiding over a case. Only two or three people were here sincerely supporting the Yu family. Therefore, depending on PeiYan’s attitude and whose side he was on, they would adjust their words accordingly. It was thus imperative that they had a clear understanding of Pei Yan’s stance.
However, seeing him acting like this, everyone was confused. Later, when the two families argue, what attitude should they have, and which side should they be supporting?
However, Li Duan was secretly relieved.
At least, Pei Yan did not outwardly show that he was on the side of the Yu family.
He didn’t wait for the Yu family to speak before he made the first move and said gently. “These two should be the witnesses that Scholar Yu mentioned. This is unexpected. Both of them were once sheltered by my family, and later when the officials came to investigate, they turned out to be pirates from Fujian. After we released these fugitives, they even tried to blackmail me. It’s truly unexpected for them to be witnesses for the Yu family.”
Clearly, he was implying that they were people of poor character. Just for the money, they can even turn against their benefactor. This casted serious doubt on their credibility as witnesses. He also deliberately pointed out that Yu Wen was only of scholar rank, which highlighted the fact that his own rank was higher and thus used that to suppress Yu Wen and lend more credibility to his own words.
Yu Wen had already recognized Li Duan’s cunning from their previous exchanges, so after listening to his words, his expression darkened. Thankfully, he was able to remain calm and was not provoked by Li Duan. He replied curtly “The magistrate has yet to confirm if those two fugitives were really bandits. For Eldest Young Master Li to make such an accusation is a little hasty.”
Since Li Duan called him a scholar, he in turn called Li Duan the eldest young master of Li family, using his age and seniority to suppress Li Duan, which was what Yu Tang reminded him of previously.
“At that time, someone from the Wei family saw that it was these two people who went to find Wei Xiaoshan. They have also admitted that it was an order from the Li family. They pretended to be his childhood friends and called him out. They later tricked him into going to the creek behind the Wei Family’s estate and drowned him. Thereafter, they threw his body into the river where Wei Xiaoshan frequently went to fish. It’s unthinkable that anyone would admit to a murder charge that he did not commit himself.”
“What Scholar Yu said is incorrect!” Li Duan cut in. His face was pulled taut in displeasure but he couldn’t help but sneak a glance at the vibrantly beautiful Yu Tang. “Those fugitives were vicious outlaws! Once arrested, they would be put to death. So what’s the difference if they admitted to a few more murder charges? Anyone facing a life-and-death situation would seek self-preservation. How can these people be trusted?”
He didn’t expect Lady Yu to be present today as well.
Although she was dressed as a male attendant, but with that pale and luminescent complexion and eyes shining as bright as the stars, how could her brilliance be concealed?
He did not wish for things to end up like this with the Yu family.
However there are some things that are accursed.
If it was not crushed, it will never be controlled.
Such beauty like hers was incomparable.
The playful twinkle in her eyes, so lively and vibrant, makes one want to find out more about her, about how someone can possess such an enchanting gaze.
Li Duan shot a fleeting glance at Pei Yan.
He was a little worried that Pei Yan …… would be taken in by Lady Yu’s beauty, and thus form a bias towards the Yu family, perhaps harboring nefarious thoughts about her.
Seeing Lady Yu like this was good as well.
It looks like she’s still safe from Pei Yan.
His mind raced as he quickly refocused his attention on Yu Wen.
Yu Wen face darkened as he responded. “So according to eldest young master Li, what you see with your own eyes and what you hear with your own ears may not necessarily be the truth. Then what, pray tell, is considered the truth?”
Li Duan was a little surprised at his words.
He figured Yu Wen would continue to argue with him about the testimony of the two fugitives, but Yu Wen threw him a curveball instead.
Could it be that they still had other evidences yet to be presented?
Li Duan became a little more guarded, but he didn’t reveal it as he replied with a smile. “I simply can’t understand why you would think that our family would go to such great lengths to harm the life of the second son of the Wei family.”
Before Yu Wen could reply, Li Duan continued, “Ah yes, you think that we wanted Lady Yu to marry into our family. Afraid that the second son of the Wei family would marry her instead, we set out to have him killed. However, Scholar Yu, don’t you think that argument is too preposterous? The second son of the Wei family is a human being! Not some little dog or cat. My family is trying to win over the affections of Lady Yu, and definitely not to create animosity. Even if our family wanted to force the marriage, we would instead find a way to hire a few ruffians to harass Lady Yu, and then arrange for my brother to rescue the damsel in distress. In this way, not only will we obtain Lady Yu’s gratitude, but it will also seal the marriage. Yes, I’ll admit it. The previous incident where Lady Yu was harassed by those miscreants, was indeed our family’s poor judgement, which was done out of helplessness. However, instructing those fugitives to kill the Wei family’s second son, that definitely was not us!”
The invited witnesses in the hall were all unaware of this.
As soon as they heard Li Duan’s words, the crowd began to whisper among themselves.
“To think that there would be such a thing!”
“The Li family is really too …… too eager to form this marriage.”
“Lady Yu must really be as beautiful as the rumors say!”
The voices that echoed from all over the hall made Yu Wen so angry that he couldn’t speak. Yu Yuan stood up in a fit of anger, he clenched his fist and strode towards Li Duan.
In her previous life, Yu Yuan had also beaten Li Duan up.
In front of the crowds, Li Duan cunningly did not return the blow, which made everyone praise Li Duan for being a gentleman. However Li Duan secretly sent someone to capture Yu Yuan to beat him up1. It was the fruit seller on little plum lane, Ah Liu who inadvertently got to know of it and informed Yu Yuan beforehand, and Yu Yuan manage to escape unscathed. It was also from that time on, she grew suspicious of the Li family and of Li Duan.
Yu Tang went forward and stopped Yu Yuan. She lowered her voice and said, “Elder Brother, impulsiveness is not the solution to any problem. We came here today to fight our case with the Li family. Therefore, it is impossible for me to remain a paradigm, free of gossip and malicious slander. My reputation will definitely be tarnished from this moment on. However, compared to the life of the second son of the Wei family, all these things are negligible. We are here today to redress the injustice of the death of the Wei Family’s second son. You must not lose sight of what’s more important.”
Master Wei who was sitting right in front of them heard those words clearly. He immediately gave way to tears, thinking that in the next two or three years, if Yu Tang’s marriage was still not settled, he would have Wei Xiaochuan marry Yu Tang.
In any case, he definitely can’t let such a good person like Yu Tang be carelessly given in marriage to just anyone.
As Pei Yan was sitting further away, he could not hear what Yu Tang had said, but he felt that Lady Yu must have a plan.
Seeing her calmness, Li Duan’s words obviously did not affect her.
This was either because she had strong, innate confidence in herself or that she already had a countermeasure in place.
Whether the former or the latter, it is admirable that she could maintain her composure under such circumstances.
He was suddenly curious about the kind of person Lady Yu was.
What exactly did she go through to become a dazzling pearl, shining with her own unique light?
Pei Yan was greatly intrigued about what the Yu family would say or do next.
And the Yu family, or rather, Yu Tang, did not let him down.
Yu Tang straightened her lapel and stood upright. Calmly and confidently, she walked out from behind Master Wei and stood in front of Li Duan.
Li Duan was shocked.
The invited witnesses who were whispering amongst themselves stopped. Their initial surprise turned to sudden realization and their interest was piqued after they guessed her identity. The entire hall went silent, as all eyes fell on her, waiting for her to speak.
This went much better than Yu Tang had anticipated.
At least these people did not immediately reveal her identity, thinking that she, as a lady, should not be standing here and speaking.
Yu Tang became more confident, her eyes sparkled more brilliantly, giving off a radiant glow.
“Eldest Young Master Li,” She said. Her voice was elegant, her demeanor was mild and gentle as she looked at Li Duan. She boldly introduced herself, “I am Lady Yu. I wonder if Eldest Young Master Li knows of me?”
Never did Li Duan think that Yu Tang would represent herself in person like this.
Why didn’t anyone from the Yu family stop her?
Did she know the consequences of her actions?
Not mentioning anything else, she will definitely not escape from being labelled as a vixen or being seen as a quarrelsome woman.
Li Duan’s mind was shaken, and he answered woodenly “I know”.
Yu Tang smiled faintly and continued, “Please correct me if I’m mistaken. Earlier you admitted that the men who harassed me at the Yu family’s countryside residence were ordered by your family?”
That was already an indisputable fact.
However, if this incident was handled properly, just like Wenjun who sold wine2, it could be something to be admired for in the eyes of the people and would not adversely affect the reputation of the Li family and Li Jun.
Li Duan admitted it.
Capture Yu Yuan and beat him up (套郁远的麻袋) : Literally it means “put Yu Yuan in a sack”, which doesn’t make much sense. Basically, this refers to the practice of capturing someone and putting a sack over his head and then beating him up, so that he doesn’t know who his attacker is and rendering him unable to defend himself as he can’t see his opponent. It’s really despicable. -_- Wenjun who sold wine (文君沽酒) : This refers to the story of Zhou WenJun and Sima Xiangru. Wenjun was the daughter of a an extremely wealthy family and was talented in arts especially in poetry and music. She fell in love with Sima Xiangru who was only an impoverished poet and musician. Her father was against the marriage so she decided to elope with him, much to the fury of her father. The couple sold everything they had and opened a place where she sold wine to make a living. This kind of job was often seen as lowly and degrading, especially for a woman, but her courage, intelligence and drive to support the family despite the circumstances, made people see her in a positive light and she is still greatly respected today as a brave and intelligent woman who dared to chase her love despite the odds and fight to protect her marriage. There’s more to this story, if you wanna check it out. I only included this little snippet just to give some context to what Li Duan said.