Chapter 6: Speaking with Fists

Incredible, a good young man has come to the sewing room to make a purse, even applying flower stickers in front of the mirror, looking like a lovesick girl. If we catch sight of this, won't he be embarrassed and furious? It would be better to run away! Gu Zhengchong and Gu Qiubo have been studying arts at the general's residence for the past two years, familiar with the chaotic calls of their senior and junior brothers, Jiang Xuan and Jiang Bai. They know very well that although Jiang Bai appears delicate and enjoys acting coy, when he gets angry, even Jiang Hua'an and Jiang Huagai have to appease him, so he must not be easily offended. With the same thought in mind, the two of them ran even faster.

Gu Zhengchong nodded slightly and said: "Let them follow us. We will send them away when we reach the other end of the garden. If we send them away now and someone in the residence sees us moving about without any guards, they might start to gossip."

Oh no! Jiang Bai was unable to dodge in time and was directly knocked down to the ground by Shen Tiantong. As she saw Shen Tiantong's astonished face so close, Jiang Bai, overwhelmed with embarrassment and anger, and feeling a distinct pain in her rear, instinctively resorted to using her fists to express herself.

"Chirp chirp, Mulan weaves at the door..." Jiang Bai bit off the thread, lifted the embroidered pouch to examine it, and murmured the "Ballad of Mulan" she had learned a few days ago, imagining herself as Hua Mulan, preparing to take her father's place in battle. Before departing, she would embroider a pouch for each family member, and this one in her hand was for her beloved mother. Oh, how heroic!

Some people at the back can be sent away. What are they sneaking a peek at? Gu Qiubo reminded Gu Zhengchong, leaning in to say: We have practiced for several years, yet we worry about not having the opportunity to showcase our skills! If there are truly some petty individuals, we can handle them ourselves, and there is no need for them. Moreover, the General's residence is not a place where ordinary people can enter. It is broad daylight now, and it is quite safe.

A few people were conversing as they arrived at the garden, at which point they instructed the guards to wait inside, merely stating that they wished to stroll around the garden without anyone following them. After dismissing the guards, Gu Zhengchong and the others then discerned the direction and quietly made their way to the sewing room, avoiding the maids and servants of the general's residence.

Seeing that Shen Tiantong remained silent, Madam Shen had no choice but to instruct the maid to call over the young servant who had followed Shen Tiantong out to inquire in detail. The young servant, not daring to conceal anything, recounted what he knew: "The young master went to the garden with the Crown Prince and Prince of Shu, and they did not allow us to follow. Later, the Crown Prince and Prince of Shu came running from another direction, saying that the young master had gotten into a fight with Young Master Bai from the General's residence in the garden, and the young master received two punches from Young Master Bai on his face"

This time, the King of Shu selected companions for study, choosing Shen Liubai, the sixth son of Shen Yongyang from the main branch of the Shen family, and Shen Tiantong, the eldest son of Shen Yonghu from the sixth branch. The Shen family naturally took great pride in this. However, upon hearing that they would accompany the King of Shu to the General's residence to learn the arts, the head of the Shen family, Shen Yongyang, felt uneasy and gave many instructions.

Poor Shen Tiantong, who had previously devoted himself to studying, only practiced martial arts to strengthen his body. Moreover, his time at the General's residence was short, and he lacked the stability of Gu Zhengchong and Gu Qiubo in his foundational skills. In just a moment, he was left far behind by Gu Zhengchong and Gu Qiubo, realizing that it was a dire situation. Sure enough, he heard Jiang Bai's voice behind him, calling out sharply: "Shen Tiantong, stop right there!"

The civil officials and military officials in the court often find themselves at odds. The Jiang family represents the military officials, while the Shen family represents the civil officials. Although there were some private connections between Jiang Hua'an and Shen Yuan-zhi in the past, the other members of their respective families are often in conflict with each other. The Jiang family members believe that military officials, who protect the country, are more important than civil officials, and they tend to look down on the latter. Upon encountering members of the Shen family, they cannot help but mock them, referring to them as pedantic scholars. Conversely, the Shen family members disdain the Jiang family members, claiming that aside from martial arts, they are ignorant of other customs and etiquette, considering them to be uncouth individuals with whom rational discourse is impossible.

I am a companion reader, and it is only right for me to escort the Shu King to the sewing room. Shen Tiantong, determined to prove that the purse was embroidered by Jiang Bai and the book, naturally seized the opportunity. Seeing Gu Zhengchong and Gu Qiubo moving ahead, he hurried to follow. The guards standing outside the martial arts hall, upon seeing Gu Zhengchong and the others exit, also quickly followed suit, resulting in a bustling crowd heading towards the sewing room.

"You go ahead, I can manage on my own. I still need to head to the martial arts hall later!" After Jiang Bai saw the embroiderer leave, she looked down and noticed that a pouch she was working on was only a few stitches away from completion. She picked up the thread and threaded the needle, beginning to embroider.

Shen Tiantong suggested going to the sewing room, and Gu Qiubo pretended that the robe she was wearing had been torn by his gun during a confrontation with Gu Zhengchong, so she needed to go to the sewing room to find an embroiderer for repairs. Upon hearing that Gu Qiubo valued her robe, Jiang Huagai was somewhat surprised; she did not care when gold or silver was damaged, yet she was concerned about a robe that needed mending. It seemed she was bored from practicing martial arts and wanted to wander around but couldn't find an excuse, so she used the robe as a reason. After all, she was still a child, having been too tightly confined in the palace, and now that she was here, she was still restricted, which must be difficult for her. It was better to let them wander around on their own. He thought to himself and then instructed someone to take Gu Qiubo to the sewing room.

"You are the companion of the King of Shu. Who dares to beat you like this?" Madam Shen, seeing that Shen Tiantong's eyes were swollen, naturally kept asking, both heartbroken and angry: "Considering this, you are actually the cousin of the King of Shu. Did he not protect you at all?"

Puh! Gu Qiubo was the first to be unable to hold back, bursting into laughter. As soon as he laughed, he realized it was a mistake and immediately took off running. Gu Zhengchong and Shen Tiantong watched Jiang Bai posing in front of the mirror with various feminine gestures, and they too nearly burst into laughter. Upon hearing Gu Qiubo's laughter, they knew it was not good and hurriedly followed suit, running away.

Shen Tiantong only wanted to catch up with Gu Zhengchong and Gu Qiubo, hoping they would share the risk of this peeping incident. Naturally, he would not stop and continued to run. As he dashed into the garden and library, he caught a glimpse of Gu Zhengchong and Gu Qiubo's figures ahead, feeling hopeful about catching up. Suddenly, he felt a tightness at the hem of his robe, clearly someone had grabbed it. He paused for a moment and pulled back forcefully. Unexpectedly, Jiang Bai was running fast and had not yet regained balance; when Shen Tiantong tugged, Jiang Bai stumbled and directly lunged towards Shen Tiantong.

Shen Tiantong lost two elder brothers who were not even a year old, and after his mother gave birth to him, Madam Shen was busy raising him, carefully taking care of him. Fortunately, he grew up to be intelligent and handsome, and was naturally cherished in every way. Upon hearing that Shen Tiantong was to accompany the King of Shu into the General's residence, she recalled her past grievances with the monk Jie and felt uneasy. She repeatedly instructed Shen Tiantong, worrying that he might suffer hidden losses in the General's residence. Each day, when Shen Tiantong returned home, she would meticulously inquire about the words and actions of the people in the General's residence. Hearing that Jiang Bai was different from Jiang Xuan and Jiang Qing, being careless during martial arts practice and fond of joking and playing with the maidservants, he exhibited some habits of a young dandy, which made her secretly sneer: "Jie, you think you can always suppress me, but I fear this grandson will not bring you any glory in his lifetime. If the eldest branch of the General's residence produces a good-for-nothing, that would truly be a delight to the heart." Thus, she instructed Shen Tiantong to pay more attention to Jiang Bai's behavior. Although Shen Tiantong did not understand his grandmother's intentions, he agreed nonetheless. At this moment, suspecting that Jiang Bai had a fondness for embroidery, he naturally wanted to verify this matter.

Shen Tiantong uttered a soft "hm" and after a moment said: "Just say that I confronted Jiang Bai, and he struck my face before he could react."

The three young men crouching outside the window could see clearly that Jiang Bainai was wearing a bright red cotton robe, over which she had draped a silver fox fur coat. At this moment, she was pressing a small piece of cloth against the corner of her mane with her right hand, looking as comical as could be. They couldn't help but cover their mouths, fearing that one of them might burst out laughing.

As she recited the line, "When combing my hair by the window, I apply yellow flowers before the mirror," Jiang Bai put down her purse and casually picked up a piece of yellow fabric from the sewing table, placing it in the palm of her left hand. With her right hand, she pinched the fabric between her thumb and index finger, lifting it slightly while pressing and twisting the other three fingers, shaping the fabric into a flower. After admiring the fabric in her hand for a moment, she stealthily retrieved a small copper mirror hidden in the sewing room, bending down to look at herself from different angles. With a cheerful smile, she raised the fabric in her right hand and gestured near her hair, mimicking the action of applying the yellow flowers. She pressed the fabric against her hair, her smiling face suddenly contorting into a look filled with melancholy, and she sighed softly, saying, "Two rabbits run side by side; how can one tell which is male and which is female?"

Shen Tiantong watched as Jiang Bai lunged towards him. In a reflexive moment, he darted aside, only to forget that the corner of his robe was still in Jiang Bai's grasp. This sudden movement caused Jiang Bai to spin around unsteadily. As Jiang Bai tried to steady himself by gripping the corner of Shen Tiantong's robe, he inadvertently caused Shen Tiantong to lose his balance as well. Consequently, Shen Tiantong stumbled directly into Jiang Bai.

The young servant, seeing Madam Shen in a fit of rage, was so frightened that his calves trembled. With a quivering voice, he said: "Young Master was hit twice on the face, and this is in plain sight for everyone to see. I heard that Young Master Bai received several punches from him, and his belt was even torn apart by Young Master. His injuries might be even more serious than Young Master's!"

"What was it for that they started fighting?" Mrs. Shen was furious, "You, Jiang Hua'an, actually condone your son beating my grandson, this is outrageous!" She slammed the table and said, "Does the Jiang family think there is no one in the Shen family? If I don't get an explanation, just watch me report this to the Empress!"

The embroiderers usually work in the sewing room, which is naturally well-lit, hence the room has windows on all four sides. At this moment, Gu Zhengchong and Shen Tiantong were peeking into the sewing room through a small hole they made under a window at the corner. Gu Qiubo, feeling impatient, joined them and made another small hole to take a look. They saw Jiang Bai sitting beside the sewing table, talking to the embroiderers. The embroiderers responded a few times and smiled, saying: "The young mistress is expecting again, so she must not overwork herself or read too much. I heard that today we are sketching shoe designs, so I need to go help in the young mistress's room." They saw Jiang Bai sitting beside the sewing table, talking to the embroiderers. The embroiderers responded a few times and smiled, saying: "The young mistress is expecting again, so she must not overwork herself or read too much. I heard that today we are sketching shoe designs, so I need to go help in the young mistress's room."

Shen Tiantong was feeling frustrated, having received two punches to the face. Just as he was about to retaliate, Jiang Bai unexpectedly pushed him aside and rolled away, avoiding his punches. When Shen reached out to grab him, he accidentally tore Jiang's belt instead. Before his fist could land on Jiang, the people from the General's residence arrived. Upon seeing them, Jiang Bai immediately began to complain, claiming that he had been hit by Shen several times and that his belt had been torn, expressing that he was in great pain. He even pretended to cough a few times, on the verge of tears. Shen was two years older and a head taller than Jiang, and now with a bruised face and swollen lips, he found it impossible to admit in public that he had been beaten by Jiang, especially since he hadn't actually hit him. Thus, he had to swallow this silent grievance.

As she lay down on the bed, Shen Tiantong secretly vowed that in the future, she could not solely focus on studying, but should also spend more time learning martial arts. One day, she would definitely give Jiang Bai a good beating!

"I just said, Tong'er is nine years old this year, and will turn ten right after the New Year. How could she possibly be bullied by a seven-year-old child?" Upon hearing that Jiang Bai had taken a few punches, Madam Shen's expression eased slightly as the situation was not entirely one-sided. She waved her hand to send the servant away and then went in to see the girl applying medicine to Shen Tiantong. She immediately instructed someone to bring a boiled egg to apply to the bruise at the corner of Shen Tiantong's eye, gritting her teeth as she said, "Such a beautiful face, beaten up like this, how will you face people tomorrow? You should speak up in front of your father and mother to ease their worries. Otherwise, I fear that when we go to the palace to pay our respects for the New Year, your mother will go crying to the Second Prince's consort. We are in the right, so we naturally need to complain; if we are not in the right and it gets out, it would be troublesome."

"We have arrived at the General's residence at this time, and we are familiar with the roads here, so there is no need for a guide." Gu Zhengchong stepped forward and said, "It was I who tore his robe; I can escort him to the sewing room myself."

A little later, the handsome Shen Tiantong returned home with a pale face and swollen lips