Chapter 71 – Fearless (3)
“If it were during the founding of the nation, perhaps it’s possible, but now? If Jingxian marries Wu Ma Jun, she might be laughed at, with people poking fun at her spine and saying she sacrificed her pride for wealth… Unless Wu Ma Jun’s mother has an extraordinary background.”
This was akin to the daughter of a prominent family marrying the son of a nouveau riche purely for a hefty dowry. It’s quite embarrassing to speak of.
“Wu Ma Jun’s mother was once celebrated alongside your mother as the twin beauties of Langya; they were well-known literary talents in Dongqing,” Liu Zhi’s words indirectly confirmed Jiang Pengji’s speculation. “The Wu family doesn’t think highly of the Wei clan, but the Wang family of Langya? They would consider that quite a catch.”
Jiang Pengji rummaged through her memory… The rumor that the fourth prince’s birth mother was from the Wang family of Langya turned out to be true?
She didn’t know much about the Wang family, only that their status was vaguely on par with the Feng family.
“Two beauties of Langya? So, Wu Ma Jun’s mother is pretty famous, almost on par with my own mother. But how did she end up in the harem?”
For a Feng family woman to enter the harem, even a side branch’s illegitimate daughter was promised the title of Zhaoyi, equivalent to half a concubine.
A woman from the Wang family of Langya, who had a reputation not much lower than Gu Min’s, surely held a respectable position. How could she possibly end up in the harem?
“I’m not entirely sure about that, but Wu Ma Jun is indeed from the Wang family. Among the four princes, he has the highest background,” Liu Zhi said meaningfully, “Although the current Crown Prince holds the title, his maternal family’s influence is weak, and the emperor is quite wary of him, not having taught him much about court affairs. Do you think such a Crown Prince resembles a nation’s heir?”
Oh, but all these twists and turns hold little significance. Dongqing is on the brink of collapse; what’s the point in fussing over their internal family conflicts?
Prompted by Liu Zhi, Jiang Pengji’s thoughts suddenly became clear.
“Wu Ma Jun is the hidden Crown Prince?”
If that’s the case, then it wouldn’t be impossible for Wu Ma Jun to marry Wei Jingxian.
Liu Zhi shook his head. “That’s not the case. The emperor genuinely fears him and has tried to weaken the Wang family’s power in recent years, but has repeatedly failed.”
Jiang Pengji: “…”
The thinking of a scholar is something this martial artist simply cannot fathom.
Noticing Liu Zhi’s faint smugness, her nerves began to twitch, and she said, “I would appreciate my father’s clarity.”
“Think for yourself.”
Liu Zhi cheerfully left four words behind and patted her head, seemingly filled with joy.
Suddenly, a comment from an anonymous viewer in the live stream popped into Jiang Pengji’s mind—
“Wow, pretending to be a big shot and then running away—it feels so exhilarating!”
She stood there in a daze for quite a while, desperately trying to suppress her bubbling curiosity, muttering, “I’m not curious at all.”
The palace is about to fall, and the Wu family is just a grasshopper in autumn. Who knows how long they can hop around?
Instead of wasting time pondering over their familial disputes, it would be better to think about how to extract Wei Jingxian from the situation.
Her thoughts didn’t sit well with some of the live stream’s viewers, who expressed their strong disapproval and even some reflexive disgust.
How arrogant she was to think that just because she felt Wu Ma Jun wouldn’t make a good husband, he truly wasn’t?
Marriage is fundamentally about two people. Perhaps Wei Jingxian and Wu Ma Jun are a perfect match?
What business is it of hers? They’re not her parents; what qualifications does she have to interfere?
[Host V]: Didn’t that monk Liaochen say I’d eventually follow the path of “hunting for deer?” The current political situation is chaotic; who knows when it’ll completely fall apart? If that’s the case, will the Dongqing royal family even remain? Do you all think I would show mercy?
The remnants of the previous royal family? Naturally, they must be swept away entirely, because one must remove the roots.
If Wei Jingxian truly marries Wu Ma Jun, won’t she just become a young widow?
Oh, that’s heart-wrenching.
Audience members: “…”
After a long while, finally, a netizen couldn’t hold it in and typed out a remark.
[Not Up for It? Come Fight Me!]: Host, maybe you’re overthinking it.
Jiang Pengji just smiled in silence; whether she was overthinking or not, she knew that given the current situation, chaos would inevitably ensue.
Others might not know it, but she knew herself very well. She, Jiang Pengji, had never been a docile person. When peace reigns, she can feign obedience, but if chaos reigns, she has no qualms about stepping in and finding herself some business.
Suddenly struck by a thought, Jiang Pengji scribbled two characters on the bamboo paper spread across the desk. Even someone who didn’t understand calligraphy could sense the latent ferocity there, though it wasn’t that she vastly improved. It was just her emotions unconsciously infused into it.
Jiang Pengji casually dropped the brush, quite satisfied as she said, “Xu Ke, frame this calligraphy and hang it in the study.”
Having just passed through the Elegant Gathering, Xu Ke didn’t yet fully understand Jiang Pengji and couldn’t quite gauge this Young Master’s temperament. He didn’t dare to provoke her recklessly for fear of being dealt with. But as he stepped forward to tidy up the calligraphy, he couldn’t help but be stunned.
A palpable aura of menace struck him. Although the characters weren’t beautiful, the crisp, clean strokes revealed an extraordinary quality.
He couldn’t help but murmur, “Stirring trouble?”
The characters of this era resemble the ancient scripts in the live stream world, but after thousands of years of evolution, the characters there have become simplified. If written neatly, they might guess a few, but Jiang Pengji’s wild strokes completely mystified the audience into “illiteracy.” If it weren’t for Xu Ke reading them out loud, they wouldn’t have even known what was written.
[Not Up for It? Come Fight Me!]: Whoa, the host has escalated this—stirring trouble… cough cough, so who are you planning to mess with?
[Have You Got Brain Rot This Year?]: Doesn’t it go without saying? It’s definitely not about that Zheng Bin; it’s all about Wu Ma Jun. One guy puts his face close to the host so she can smack it; after one hit, he’s asking for another. The other one’s trying to snatch the host’s wife—that’s something no man can tolerate!
[Stowaway Non-Money]: Every time the host adopts that tyrannical demeanor, I can’t help but think of a phrase: a shocking tremor!
[Evening Gloriosa]: Ding—Tyrannical Emperor Card!
[This Grass is Poisonous]: Hahaha, have you all forgotten that the host is a girl? Even if there’s going to be a tremor, it’s gotta be a princess tremor, right?
[Umbrella Rustling]: (/ω╲) A girl with a big stick exuding a tyrannical emperor vibe.
[Poverty Daoist Watching Your Flower Has Poison]: So boring… I just want to be firmly pinned down by the host and be honored… Ah, use more strength…
Even after spending a few days together, Jiang Pengji still couldn’t comprehend the bizarre thought processes and artistic styles of those viewers in the live stream—all of it is toxic.
Jiang Pengji secretly prodded the System, hesitantly asking, “Over there… have human brains not fully evolved yet?”
What’s strange about the phrase “stirring trouble?” The Seventh Legion’s motto has been carried on for thousands of years since its establishment!
The System wore a look of resignation: “Other people can refer to it casually; it’s just that you don’t understand their quirks regarding memes.”
