Chapter 3: Counterattack
“It’s so frustrating!”
Lu Yi smiled and then straightened his back.
Mrs. Hu's words made Lu Yi secretly angry.
After the new year, he turned sixteen. For the first time in sixteen years, Lu Yi straightened his back in front of "outsiders".
It feels like a mountain suddenly rising up under the snow.
An inexplicable sense of energy soared into the sky.
A strong masculine scent rose and spread from Lu Yi's body, and the temperature of the entire reception room seemed to rise a little.
Bai Lu was overwhelmed by this momentum, her face turned slightly red, and layers of tears suddenly appeared in her eyes.
Bai Qiong coughed heavily.
Bai Lu came back to her senses, restrained the watery look in her eyes, and bowed to Lu Yi in a coquettish manner: "Mr. Lu, please listen to Wei Shuang's explanation."
Behind Bai Lu, Mrs. Hu snorted coldly.
There was a commotion outside the reception hall. Seven or eight strong and fat women, over eight feet tall, had gathered at the door.
Several fierce women were holding jujube wood bars as thick as their arms, waiting for Mrs. Hu's order to rush in, drag Lu Yi out and beat him up.
This group of fierce women are notorious in Tian'en Marquis Mansion.
In the past seven or eight years, there have been at least thirty to fifty members of the Lu family who had their arms, legs, and waists broken by them.
This is how Mrs. Hu established her "great reputation" in the Tian'en Marquis' Mansion.
Lu Yi put his hands in his sleeves, and stared at Bai Lu with a pair of eyes as cold as spring water: "Bai Lu turns white as frost, 'Jian Jia is green, Bai Lu turns white as frost', hey, what a good name. For the sake of this name, you speak, and I listen!"
At this moment, it was obvious that something was wrong with Lu Yi's spirit.
Just like a sharpened sword, the cold light from the blade pierces the eyes and hurts the heart.
For some unknown reason, Mrs. Hu and Bai Qiong felt a pang in their hearts, and the inexplicable uneasiness made them subconsciously twist their bodies.
Bai Lu was closest to Lu Yi, and was completely attracted by his suddenly improved appearance, so she failed to notice something else hidden under this stunning appearance.
Instead, when she heard the lines "reeds are lush and green, and white dew turns to frost", her eyes inexplicably lit up.
"Mr. Lu, you will be sixteen after the New Year."
Bai Lu stared deeply at Lu Yi, especially at his rosy lips which were slightly curled up in a sneer.
"Yes." The veins on Lu Yi's forehead retracted, he straightened his back, and his tone was no longer fierce and angry as before. Instead, it carried a strong sense of laziness and indifference like a well-fed 'caracal'.
But the aura that emanated from his bones was as if he was standing on a tall building where he could pick the stars with his hands, looking down at Bailu and everyone present.
"According to Dayin law, men should get married when they are sixteen and women should get married when they are thirteen."
Bai Lu sighed softly: "Weishhuang is only three months younger than Master Lu. According to Dayin folk customs, Weishuang is already an old girl."
Shaking her head slightly, Bai Lu showed a hint of bitterness on her face.
Lu Yi's face twitched.
The term "old girl" who is under the age of sixteen is noteworthy.
Tsk!
If word gets out, it will become that Lu Yi is a good-for-nothing and has wasted the time of a good girl!
This is absolutely amazing.
"Weishhuang also knows that a gentleman's promise is worth a thousand gold. Since my grandfather has promised Weishuang to Master Lu, I have to accept my fate. Weishuang has been looking forward to the day when Master Lu will marry Weishuang home in a grand ceremony."
"For this reason, Wei Shuang has been patiently waiting for you to achieve success in your studies and become famous."
"Weishhuang has imagined countless times what her future husband will look like."
"Wei Shuang doesn't ask him to be born into a wealthy family, or to live a life of luxury, but Wei Shuang is also a proud person, and she hopes that her future husband can at least give me some hope!"
"I think all women in the world can agree with my idea. It is understandable that they want their husbands to be successful."
Bai Lu looked at Lu Yi's face again and again with deep and slightly greedy eyes!
Lu Yi smiled and nodded, indicating that he agreed with her idea very much.
Bai Lu smiled slightly, revealing a few sparkling white teeth.
"But!"
After Bai Lu's "affectionate confession", her tone suddenly changed.
Lu Yi chuckled, "But I'm not motivated, right? I've also done such a mess in the clan school. I've been ranked in the bottom of the year-end evaluation for four consecutive years. There's absolutely no hope for me."
Bai Lu sighed and shook her head.
She put her hands behind her back and walked back and forth in the reception hall with the demeanor of a man.
"Don't be embarrassed, Master Lu. I have read a lot of books in the past few years."
Bai Lu stopped and gave Lu Yi a reserved smile.
Mrs. Hu next to her picked up the teacup, took a big sip of tea, and put the cup down heavily.
"You are a poor, unlucky child. Miss Bai is now a famous figure on the Gaojing Dragon and Phoenix List. She is a top talent in music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry and songs."
"Have you heard of the 'Picking the Wild Wheat Review' that is held once a quarter in Gaojing?"
"The eighteen most famous sages of the various schools of culture and education in Gaojing will comment on the most outstanding young people in Gaojing every quarter."
"Ms. Bai, you have been ranked at the top of the Caiwei rankings for two consecutive years!"
"The great sage of the Li Zong sect commented that if Miss Bai were a man, she would be a 'pillar of the country' and a 'virtuous minister who governs the country'!"
"Tsk tsk, look at her, look at her, she is like a fairy with pearls and dewdrops, with such knowledge and talent, especially her appearance, she is like a fairy that came out of a painting."
"Tsk tsk, in the city of Haojing, how many young masters of noble families and talented men worship Miss Bai as a deity?"
"Why don't you wash your face? Look at your bumpy skin!"
Lu Yi's face twitched.
His face is covered with bumps and pimples? Where did this come from?
"In short, in short, you are just not worthy of her!" Mrs. Hu was really uneducated. She could not find better words to praise Bai Lu, nor could she find better words to belittle Lu Yi.
She concluded roughly, slapping the armrest of her chair.
"In short, you are not worthy of her."
"I've also heard about your bad reputation in the Lu clan school. In such a big clan school, no one is more shameful than you."
"Look at you, you are already old, but you still have not achieved anything . Every month, you have to rely on the one hundred yuan and one bag of rice distributed by the clan school at the Duke of Lai's mansion to make ends meet. Have you ever earned a copper coin in these years?"
"But Miss Bai's paintings are worth a lot of money in Gaojing!"
Mrs. Hu was shouting in surprise. When she mentioned the question of "How much is a painting?", her eyes turned red and her breathing became heavier.
She is sensitive about money.
Bai Qiong coughed heavily, interrupting Mrs. Hu's exclamation.
In a certain small circle, Bai Lu's paintings are sought after for a large sum of money.
But this is something that can be done, not said.
Exchanging your talent for money is not shameful at all, but rather elegant.
In the literary circle, your things can be exchanged for money, a lot of money. The more money you can exchange for, the more it proves that you are more genuine and talented!
If your stuff can make a girl pay for you, sleep with you, or even be willing to pay to support you!
Wow, you are a literary giant, undoubtedly the leader of literature and a talented person!
But Bai Lu is still a grown-up girl in the pavilion.
right!
It's not good to have anything to do with this kind of thing. Mrs. Hu's words were a bit offensive. Even if Bai Qiong was a little more sensitive, he would have speculated whether Mrs. Hu was intentionally mocking and provoking their Bai family in person.
Bai Qiong crossed his legs and played with the teacup lid.
He looked at Lu Yu with a sidelong glance and said calmly, "Nephew Lu, to be honest, the engagement between the two old masters was just an impulse, and it was not carefully considered."
"This engagement is unfair to Weishuang!"
"In my Bai family, I, Bai Qiong, have nine brothers and about twenty sons and nephews, but I only have one daughter, Weishuang."
"She is the sweetheart of our Bai family, the jewel in our crown."
"You are indeed not worthy of Wei Shuang."
Lu Yi put his hands in his pockets and looked at Bai Qiong quietly.
At this moment, in this situation, in this scene, he no longer wanted to talk about what happened in the past.
Before leaving home, Lu Yi's father left a letter, detailing the details of Lu Yi's engagement.
The engagement between the two old men was just a spur of the moment decision?
Haven't you thought it over carefully and considered it seriously?
That’s what I said, haha.
Lu Yi sneered in his heart.
He would certainly not think so when Bai Changkong, the old man of the Bai family, was born in a humble family and was almost robbed and killed while studying abroad.
When Lu Yi's grandfather saved Bai Changkong and spent money to hire a doctor to save his life, he certainly would not have thought so.
When Bai Changkong took the initiative to make friends with Lu Yi's grandfather, drank blood wine, and became sworn brothers, he certainly didn't think so.
He would certainly not think so when Lu Yi's grandfather used the power of his family to write a letter of recommendation for Bai Changkong in the name of Jingyang Lu family, paid for him to take the imperial examination, and allowed him to rise to a high position.
Lu Yi's grandfather died on the battlefield.
The official position reserved for Lu Yi's grandfather was temporarily taken over by an older member of the Lu clan.
Lu Yi's father was unreliable. He abandoned the young Lu Yi and ran away from home. His whereabouts have been unknown for many years.
Lu Yi is a child who has been living like a transparent person in the huge Lu family for nearly ten years.
Today, Lu Yi's home is completely penniless.
So, very good, now the marriage certificate left by the two old men has become a 'spur of the moment' thing!
"What a pity! If our ancestor had a daughter, or if the grandfather of the Bai family had a daughter, I'm afraid this marriage contract would have been fulfilled." Lu Yi sighed deeply.
Bai Qiong was also slightly startled.
He smiled dryly, "That does make sense. More than a decade ago, if either of our two families had a daughter, the marriage would have been arranged. But your family only has your father, and my family has nine brothers!"
Lu Yi sighed deeply, looked up at the sky, and looked at the gorgeous caisson decoration on the roof of the reception hall.
Mrs. Hu's face turned gloomy again.
"Lu Yu, please say something quickly. I don't have time to chat with a little monkey like you."
Lu Yi lowered his head and looked at Mrs. Hu with a smile.
"After all, it was decided by the two old men. If I break the contract, I will suffer."
Mrs. Hu's eyes turned and looked at Bai Qiong.
Bai Qiong said calmly: "I will definitely not let you suffer any loss. My Bai family will compensate you with 100 taels of silver and give you a recommendation letter. I will allow you to study at the Imperial College and guarantee you a bright future. How about that?"
'One hundred taels of silver'?
Wow, that's a lot of money!
One hundred taels of silver cannot even buy five acres of good farmland outside the city of Haojing.
'Studying at Imperial College'?
Oh, what a bright future!
She signed the divorce agreement herself and admitted that she was "incompetent and uneducated" and "immoral and unscrupulous". What future could she have in Dayin?
Add to that Lu Fei’s bad reputation in the clan studies!
I'm afraid that on the first day of entering the Imperial College, I will be scolded by countless teachers and classmates!
Lu Yi smiled at Mrs. Hu and said, "Aunt, of course I have to cancel the engagement. I also deeply understand that I am not worthy of Miss Wei Shuang. She is engaged to me, which is like sticking a flower in cow dung. It really defiles her."
"So, we have to cancel the engagement. Anyone who doesn't agree is a coward and I will be angry with him!"
“But it costs extra money!”
"How could the two old men dismiss the marriage contract for a mere 100 taels of silver so frivolously?"
"This is disrespectful and disrespectful to the two old men. It's unfilial!"
"Add more money, you must add more money!"
"As the saying goes, a gentleman's promise is worth a thousand gold. A promise is worth a thousand gold!"
Lu Yi winked at Mrs. Hu.
Mrs. Hu's eyes widened, a look of sudden enlightenment on her face, and then she slapped the armrest with great excitement.
"Gentleman, this thing is worth a thousand gold!"
