Chapter 22: Three Slaps Shatter a Noblewoman’s Soul, Military Officer, We Are Family

The second quarter of the 戌 hour.

Ding Suian had already left Ji Pavilion. Lin Hansu, on a whim, sat before her dressing table and, looking into the mirror, divided her long, flowing hair into two strands, attempting to style a ‘Fenxiao bun,’ which symbolized an unmarried woman.

However, Lin Hansu’s hair had been styled by Granny Xu since she was a child, and she had never done it herself. She fumbled with it, making a mess, and couldn’t achieve the desired Fenxiao bun.

Granny Xu watched from a few steps away, yet she didn’t step forward to help.

It seemed both mistress and servant were using this small matter to express their attitudes.

The more Granny Xu acted this way, the more Lin Hansu deliberately said, “Nanny, tomorrow, take the embroiderer to Diying Garden to measure Young Master’s figure. The New Year is approaching; make him a handsome new outfit.”

Granny Xu’s expression was solemn. After a moment of hesitation, she still said, “Your Highness.”

But Lin Hansu interrupted her, “Nanny, there’s no need to say anything. I understand all the principles.”

“If that’s the case, why does Your Highness still allow herself to jump into it?”

“I want to,” Lin Hansu gazed at herself in the mirror, silent for a moment. A faint look of hope appeared on her porcelain-like face. “I’m thinking, after the two years of mourning are over, I’ll submit a petition to the imperial court requesting to be stripped of my title. When I’m no longer a Princess, I should still be able to marry, right?”

“There has never been such a precedent in the dynasty!” Granny Xu poured a basin of cold water on Lin Hansu. The latter probably knew this was extremely difficult, and after Granny Xu shattered her fantasy, her slender shoulders couldn’t help but slump.

But after only two breaths, Lin Hansu puffed out her chest, causing a global tremor, as if filled with confidence again. “He is young, clever, and has already entered the Manifesting Elemental State. With my help, he might become a crucial minister of the state in the future! Then, if he expresses his feelings to His Majesty, it might not be impossible for the imperial court to make an exception for him!”

Granny Xu saw that the usually rational Princess had become so naive and couldn’t help but feel anxious. She threatened, “Your Highness! Even if it works, how many years would that take? If outsiders knew, you would be scorned by thousands and reviled by tens of thousands. Are you not afraid, Your Highness?”

This time, Lin Hansu didn’t hesitate. She only smiled faintly, “If he isn’t afraid, then I won’t be afraid.”

Madam Wu’s death was like a thunderclap, seemingly stunning The Du Family.

Anyway, with Third Master Du’s temper, he should have stormed into the Prince’s Estate that very night to get to the bottom of it.

But unexpectedly, The Du Family actually held back for a whole night. It wasn’t until the next morning that the entire family, dressed in mourning, led by Second Master Du and Third Master Du, broke into the Prince’s Estate.

They looked as if they intended to tear Lin Hansu apart.

Steward Hou, who managed the front residence, neither reported their arrival nor stopped them.

Fortunately, Hu Jiangjiu and Chest Hair, who were on duty today, firmly blocked everyone outside the ornamental gate leading from the third courtyard to the fourth.

Second Brother Du had already witnessed the An Squad’s toughness and knew that a forceful entry wouldn’t work. He immediately called over the accompanying women and whispered to them.

Then, those aunts and grandaunts surrounded them.

As Chest Hair raised his hand to block the way, he heard a chorus of women clamoring:

“Try touching me with one finger!”

“How could our Old Ancestor encounter thieves for no reason? Why is Madam Lin unharmed? It must be Madam Lin colluding with bandits to harm her!”

“We want to see Madam Lin and get to the bottom of this! What right do you grunts have to stop us!”

“Old Ancestor, you left so unjustly. Open your eyes and see, outsiders have taken over our home, and we, our own family, can’t even enter the Prince’s Estate anymore.”

Some pushed and shoved, while others sat on the ground, slapping their thighs and wailing.

Even more audacious women stood with hands on hips, chests puffed out, using their bosoms as vanguards to push forward relentlessly, making it impossible to stop them.

Those who knew them understood they were noble relatives of Prince Lanyangs Estate; those who didn’t would have thought they were a group of quarrelsome viragos.

Chest Hair usually only dared to flirt, and had never seen such a spectacle. Both he and Hu Jiangjiu retreated continuously.

“Oh dear, this ugly monster touched me.”

A corpulent woman of over forty years old pushed Chest Hair with her chest. Chest Hair was completely fine, but she herself fell onto her Buttocks.

At her cry, the women all rushed forward.

Chest Hair’s head was instantly swamped by countless arms; some pulled his hair, some scratched, and some slapped Chest Hair’s face repeatedly.

Ding Suian arrived from Diying Garden with the rest of the An Squad Soldiers, just in time to witness this scene.

“Hey, hey, hey~”

The corpulent woman was enthusiastically slapping Chest Hair’s head and face when she suddenly felt her hair bun tighten, and her body involuntarily leaned backward.

“Little grunt~”

Seeing that it was the young Squad Leader of the Dragon Guard Army who had pulled her hair bun, the corpulent woman, accustomed to being arrogant outside, opened her mouth to curse, but Ding Suian didn’t give her the chance. His large fist, carried by the wind, smashed down.

The fist stopped a few inches from the woman’s face.

“grunt!”

The corpulent woman thought the Young Master was scared. The curse word, which had been startled back, was now spat out again.

But Ding Suian immediately changed his fist to a palm and slapped her greasy face.

‘Slap~’

Thick, greasy powder dusted down.

A crisp sound, exceptionally clear, brought silence to the scene.

“You… you dare hit me?”

The woman spun twice in place before collapsing to the ground, covering her face and looking up, as if still disbelieving.

“The little grunt is hitting people!”

After two or three breaths, she let out a pig-like, piercing shriek.

The women, briefly stunned, immediately changed targets and swarmed towards Ding Suian.

Not hitting women was Ding Suian’s bottom line as a person!

Ding Suian kicked one person over, then turned and said, “Hit them! Regardless of whether they’re male or female, kick them all out!”

“Brother Sui’an, they are women.”

Hu Jiangjiu, that simpleton, was still hesitating. Gongye Ni, usually taciturn, had already taken the lead, stepping forward. Mimicking Ding Suian, she grabbed a woman’s hair bun and slapped her twice, left and right.

Just now, she was the loudest one shouting.

Next were Chest Hair and Wang Xigui.

“Ah!”

“Slap~”

“You bandit Soldier, I am the Old Ancestor’s niece’s cousin! How dare you hit me!”

“Slap~ Slap~”

“Ah~ Brother, I was wrong~”

“Slap~ Slap~ Slap”

“Ah~ Military Officer, don’t hit my face~”

“Slap~ Slap~ Slap~ Slap~”

“Ah~ Military Officer, stop hitting! We are all family.”

“Slap~ Slap~ Slap~ Slap~ Slap~”

Gongye Ni said nothing, only continued to swing her arms.

In front of the ornamental gate, chaos immediately erupted.

The usually solemn Prince Lanyangs Estate was filled with continuous screams and pleas for mercy.

The commotion was so great that it could be heard even on the street in front of the residence, two courtyards away.

“What happened?”

In the backyard of the West Courtyard, after only ten days of being uninhabited, residual snow and withered leaves covered the ground, presenting a somewhat desolate scene.

Lin Hansu stood under a jujube tree, looking up at the branches. Ding Suian, perched on the tree, cupped his hand over his eyes, gazing towards the government office, “Second Brother Du and Third Son are crying and making a scene with their entire family, men, women, old and young, in the second hall of the government office.”

“Pull me up!” Lin Hansu stretched her arm upwards. Her sleeve fell back, revealing a crimson sleeve beneath her white mourning clothes.

Logically, after the four-seven mourning period, Lin Hansu would only need to wear plain colored clothes and no longer heavy mourning attire.

However, just after Du Jue’s four-seven mourning period, Madam Wu was harmed by ‘thieves.’ So, she had to wear mourning clothes for another twenty-plus days.

This was probably the only thing that made Lin Hansu unhappy today.

“Hold tight.”

Ding Suian bent down, one hand gripping the tree trunk, the other reaching down.

His demeanor was natural.

Lin Hansu glanced out of the corner of her eye at Granny Zhang, who was standing not far away. This Nanny was also part of her dowry, and her husband worked as a stableman in the front residence.

Because Granny Zhang was not talkative, Lin Hansu’s relationship with her was far less deep than with Granny Xu.

But on the night at Jintai Temple, Granny Zhang’s performance made Lin Hansu look at her with new eyes.

More importantly, she didn’t nag Lin Hansu about Ding Suian.

Therefore, when Lin Hansu came to the West Courtyard to spy on the government office today, she only brought Granny Zhang.

“Ah~”

As Lin Hansu reached out her hand, before she could fully feel the dry, warm palm, she was directly lifted onto the jujube tree by Ding Suian.

“Stand firm.”

There wasn’t much space on the jujube tree for standing. Ding Suian moved Lin Hansu in front of him to give her a better view. As Lin Hansu squeezed past sideways, her voluptuous Buttocks brushed against Ding Suian’s thigh.

It made him recall the springy sensation when he kicked her Buttocks tip during their first encounter last month.

“I knew it. Without Madam Wu, these good-for-nothing descendants of The Du Family would only do foolish things.”

Lin Hansu stood on tiptoe, peering out. Outside the second hall of the government office, Third Master Du seemed to be arguing fiercely with the prefect, Li Fengrao, while many noblewomen, bruised and swollen, sat on the ground, wailing and crying.

“They must be forcing Li Fengrao to arrest and interrogate me~” Lin Hansu could guess what The Du Family was saying with her toes. Then she confidently added, “Not to mention His Majesty just praised me last month in an imperial decree as ‘a role model for all women under heaven.’ Just regarding the Jintai Temple incident, I did nothing wrong, so I’m not afraid of ghosts knocking on my door!”

Pfft~

Sister, are you serious?

Although The Third Place Scholar Li has nothing to do with us, wasn’t Madam Wu killed by your own hands?

And you call that doing nothing wrong?

Such morals, just as upright as mine!

Lin Hansu, not hearing Ding Suian respond, turned back in confusion, but noticed that the latter, probably fearing she might fall, had his arms protecting her slender waist, yet maintained a hand’s breadth distance to avoid direct contact.

What a thoughtful, upright, and respectful Young Master!

Now that Madam Wu was gone, the gloom in Lin Hansu’s heart had dispersed, and she had grown much bolder. She simply leaned back and rested directly in Ding Suian’s embrace.

Ding Suian, however, seemed not to notice. He leaned close to Lin Hansu’s ear and said, “Princess, this morning when The Du Family stormed the residence, Steward Hou neither stopped them nor even reported it. If you want peace, you need to make arrangements as soon as possible. Our An Squad brothers are all kind-hearted men; they can’t bring themselves to hit women.”

In deep winter, the warm breath he exhaled turned into a white mist, brushing against her rounded earlobe, causing Lin Hansu’s body to tremble. It was a ticklish, numb sensation, and a sudden warm current rushed downwards.

“Uh~”

She uncontrollably let out a meaningless, lingering moan.

Fearing she would lose composure on the spot, Lin Hansu quickly grabbed the tree trunk and stood upright, taking more than ten breaths to gradually suppress the fierce palpitations.

Then she turned to glare at Ding Suian, but he was still gazing at the government office, as if his earlier breath near her ear had been entirely unintentional.

“What’s wrong, Princess?” Ding Suian’s face was pure, much like the innocent Crayon Shin-chan.

Even purer than Lin Hansu’s eyes when she was acting mischievously last night.

Lin Hansu eyed him suspiciously, unsure if he was deliberately retaliating or if it was an accident. She simply turned her head, “It’s nothing, Young Master, you~”

As she spoke, she realized her voice sounded seductive. Lin Hansu quickly coughed twice, cleared her throat, and then said, “Young Master, you don’t need to worry about these matters, lest the dark secrets and filth of the inner residence diminish your heroic spirit. You only need to diligently hone your abilities; I will take care of the dirty business in the residence.”

At this point, Lin Hansu’s voice grew colder, “Originally, I had intended to pass a peaceful New Year before making plans. I didn’t expect Steward Hou to still dare to collude both inside and out, treating me as nothing! Since that’s the case, they won’t have a New Year either. I need to make them feel as terrified and miserable as I once did, then I will feel better.”

Thanks to book friends: ‘Ren Muyu i’ and ‘zLaoBuji’ for the rewards~