Transmigration: Space-Aided Rise to Power and Prosperity-Chapter 661 - 497: Making Enemies

Actually, this marriage is already set in stone, unless that Miss Kong has an accident. Bah! I’m not cursing her, just speaking the truth.

No matter the beauty or ugliness, Zhu Pang has to marry her, and there’s still four or five months. Can’t they even wait that long?

Upon hearing this, Zhu Pang could only withdraw his gaze, lowering his head, suddenly losing his spirit.

Gu Chengyu didn’t know how to comfort him either. The young man is at the age of admiring beauty. Marrying a beautiful wife is naturally the wish of these young men, though it’s normal for affluent families to take concubines, those blossom-like concubines can compensate.

But a wife is ultimately different. Moreover, as Zhu Pang himself said, there’s only one concubine at home, whose appearance is just average. He understands, perhaps Zhu Pang’s mother, Mrs. Tian, feared the concubine might look too good and develop mutual affection with the young master, being the first woman so close.

Furthermore, if she’s too beautiful, she’ll certainly be ambitious and stir up trouble in the inner residence.

Therefore, Zhu Pang actually still has fantasies about romance between men and women, with the concubine only serving to meet physical needs, while emotionally he remains pure.

Of course, Gu Chengyu finds such behavior disgraceful; the fate of that concubine lies in the hands of the future mistress.

If met with someone who cares about face or is kind-hearted, the concubine will naturally stay, waiting to be elevated. If met with someone who minds deeply and doesn’t fear the mother’s opinion, the concubine will be driven away, married off far away.

In this ancient time, the outcome for a woman who lost her chastity is predictable; even if the husband is honest, doesn’t he have a knot in his heart? Such women mostly lead unsatisfactory lives in the latter half.

"Sister Kong, sitting in the third seat is Mr. Zhu!" A girl dressed in a pink jacket tugged at the girl beside her, pointing her chin towards Zhu Pang’s direction, then covered her mouth with a handkerchief and laughed.

Kong Shuhuan had glanced over there earlier, but her attention was on the young man in the snow-blue clothes in front. This young man was striking, and she heard he was Mr. Gu, a newly appointed official at the Hanlin Academy.

Being a renowned handsome man in the Capital and famous for his talents and strategy, it’s not surprising she looked at him twice.

She heard Zhu Pang was on good terms with Mr. Gu, and just now she noticed beside Mr. Gu a young man in a lotus-colored round-collar robe, with a round baby face, who looked very young, unexpectedly her fiancé.

From the moment he sat down, Zhu Pang had been peering over at the women’s section; Kong Shuhuan didn’t have a good impression of him, his actions were much like a libertine.

Whether to look at her or the women there, it was very disrespectful.

Seeing the girl’s ambiguous expression, Kong Shuhuan’s smile stiffened slightly.

Zhu Pang didn’t know his fiancée already had a bad impression of him, he was feeling a bit on edge now.

Gu Chengyu was renowned for his poetry and correspondence, naturally drawing people’s attention. For him, sitting next to Gu Chengyu, with not even a strong ability for poetry appreciation was torture.

That Ji Mingxuan had glanced at him several times, possibly plotting something bad!

If forced to compose poetry, wouldn’t it kill him?

Ji Mingxuan glanced at Zhu Pang a couple of times, then sneered twice, but wasn’t he clear about Zhu Pang’s motives for hitting him?

Before, when his mother went to incense, she met the head wife of Zhu Mansion by chance, and they hit it off immediately. Later, they met a few times, and the two head wives got along pretty well.

Mr. Zhu had a concubine daughter, also thirteen this year, just about the right age for marriage. Mrs. Tian had seen him once and found him gentle and courteous, wanting to strengthen the ties between the two families.

Afterward, when his mother talked with his father, he overheard and had a fit. He’s the legitimate son; why should he marry a concubine’s daughter?

Even if Mr. Zhu is the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of War, a standard third-rank official, so what?

Isn’t this a humiliation? Does he, a legitimate son, only deserve to marry Mrs. Zhu’s concubine daughter?

Even if Zhu Mansion only has that one concubine daughter, and Mrs. Tian even said if Ji Mansion agreed, the concubine daughter could be recognized under her name, Ji Mingxuan still adamantly refused.

His mother finally declined Mrs. Tian, and it was supposed to be peaceful. But he accidentally mentioned it outside, which led to a thrashing.

It was unintentional; Zhu Kui was a third-class official, how could he dare offend Zhu Mansion?

As expected, the other day he ran into Zhu Pang, who caught him by surprise and gave him a good beating, even struck his face, making it hard for him to swallow this indignation.

Moreover, being blocked by someone at that place really made him feel unable to vent his anger.

Seeing Ji Mingxuan dare to sneer, Zhu Pang’s fury flared.

This Ji Mingxuan truly doesn’t appreciate kindness. He originally didn’t have a high opinion of the person his mother mentioned for his sister.

He had heard of Ji Mingxuan’s character before; he only has one sister, how could she marry such a coward?

Even though she is his concubine sister, he only has this one sister. Moreover, his concubine sister is obedient and never angers his mother. Her temperament is gentle and virtuous, and her appearance not bad, yet Ji Mansion despises her so much.

Ji Mansion’s refusal is acceptable; you can’t force love. So, this matter ends here!

His mother, though unhappy, thought that the identity of a concubine daughter made it hard to find an ideal husband. Therefore, she plans to find an auspicious day soon to recognize the concubine sister under her name and raise her as a legitimate daughter.

Yet Ji Mingxuan is disgraceful; initially refusing marriage, as long as he kept quiet, it wouldn’t affect the two families in the future.

But who could have thought Ji Mingxuan would talk outside, claiming a concubine daughter wanting to marry a legitimate son is wishful thinking, heard right by Zhu Pang.

Isn’t this disdain for his concubine sister being a concubine’s daughter? Though not directly named, some aristocratic families are very sharp.

Zhu Mansion’s head wife frequently visited his home before; others might have already guessed something.

If people make guesses and spread rumors outside, how can his concubine sister’s reputation be saved?

This infuriated Zhu Pang; it was an insult to the Zhu family!

In anger, Zhu Pang naturally resorted to violence, and after some time, he cornered Ji Mingxuan in a brothel, punching Ji Mingxuan’s face several times, hitting his body too.

Ji Mansion, aware of their fault, didn’t come to demand justice, even Doctor Ji secretly apologized to his father.

Luckily there was no evidence, so this didn’t spread, otherwise, it couldn’t end between Zhu Pang and Ji Mingxuan, but a vendetta remained between Zhu Pang and Ji Mingxuan.

Gu Chengyu accidentally noticed Ji Mingxuan’s gaze towards him, feeling Ji Mingxuan’s look at Zhu Pang was somehow off.

He then remembered hearing Zhu Pang beat Ji Mingxuan, but didn’t know the reason.

"What’s the deal between you and Ji Mingxuan? Why do you two act like enemies upon meeting? Why did you hit him?"

Gu Chengyu was too busy before and didn’t pay attention to Zhu Pang.

Zhu Pang hesitated for a moment and ultimately didn’t tell the truth. A woman’s reputation is crucial, and he didn’t want Gu Chengyu to look down on his concubine sister.