Chapter 84
Chapter 84
“My lady, you needn’t worry about me. I will undoubtedly put every man there in his place and make every woman so jealous of you their eyes will pop.”
Shen Lang beat his chest as he spoke, but Mulan had no desire to respond. She had always disliked being compared to others, nor had she ever felt the need. But what could she do? She had married a man who loved to boast and show off…
“Sigh, life is a process of endless competition. When I was still in my father’s loins, I had to swim stronger and faster than the other tadpoles just for the chance to become a person. Otherwise, I would have remained a tadpole forever. After I was born, I was smarter and more handsome than the other children. As I grew, I was more handsome and excelled in my studies more than anyone else. After coming of age, I earned more money than other husbands and even won a wife more beautiful and passionate than any other. Soon, I’ll have a child more brilliant than anyone else’s. And in my later years, I’ll have children more successful and filial than anyone else’s…”
“A person’s life is one of constant competition, a contest that extends endlessly to their descendants. If a person lacks a sense of superiority, they cannot go on living. That is why people can’t help but enjoy being among those who are worse off than themselves. It’s simply how it is.”
Mulan turned her head to look at Shen Lang. As their eyes met, her voice softened instinctively.
“My lord, you don’t have to see through everything so clearly. Sometimes, it’s better to live a little more vaguely to be happy.”
“I am exceedingly happy right now! Because I have never lost a competition. No matter the contest, I have always won. That’s why I love competing more than anything. Hahahaha!”
Mulan turned her head away again. She wanted to ignore him completely now. From outside, Jin Hui couldn’t help but speak up.
“Young Master, can you win even in a contest of martial arts?”
“Of course, I can. My wife possesses incredible martial skill, and a husband and wife are one body and soul. Therefore, my wife’s martial skill is my own, is it not?”
At that moment, Jin Hui, who was driving the carriage outside, let out a long sigh. It was as if the air had become thick with a foul, unlucky stench, and breathing it in felt like it would sear his lungs. And yet, both he and Mulan felt a sense of certainty that a Young Master like this just might be able to dominate the atmosphere of tonight’s grueling battle.
Indeed, Shen Lang was brimming with fighting spirit. He felt no tension about walking into a tiger’s den. On the contrary, he looked forward to it. It was the feeling a shark has just before entering a lake to devour all the fish within.
“We’re arriving shortly!”
Shen Lang’s carriage came to a stop. They had finally reached the battlefield.
***
It seemed Shen Lang was the last to arrive. The garden was already teeming with guests, like a swarm of clouds. It appeared that nearly all the powerful families from Raging River Commandery, Yangwu Commandery, and the surrounding areas had come. The Prefect, Liu Chengyan, was lost in the crowd, nowhere to be seen.
“Lady Jin Mulan of the Count of Xuanwu’s Estate and her husband, Shen Lang, have arrived!”
The moment the carriage reached the main gate, a servant immediately announced their arrival. Instantly, Shen Lang knew there was a scheme afoot. It was highly unusual for the announcer to include his name as well.
Both Zhang Jin and Xu Qianqian held extreme animosity toward him, so they would surely try to trample his dignity at every turn. When announcing the arrivals, they should have only called out Jin Mulan’s name. Even if they were to mention him, they would have emphasized it by announcing the arrival of ‘the live-in son-in-law, Shen Lang.’
But they hadn’t. By casually elevating his status, they were surely plotting something. Shen Lang was indeed perceptive and sharp. The moment his and Mulan’s names were called, everyone in the garden who had been exchanging pleasantries fell silent.
All eyes turned toward Shen Lang and Mulan. They weren’t looking because he was handsome, but because he was infamous. Moreover, every guest attending the engagement ceremony knew it was a prelude to a joint assault on the Count of Xuanwu’s Estate. Holding Mulan’s hand, Shen Lang stepped down from the carriage, enjoying the feeling of being the center of attention. Just then, a crowd of people approached them.
A woman surged forward like a crashing wave, blocking his path. She was quite beautiful, but in a vulgar, cheap, and seductive way. From her attire, everyone could guess her status. She was a prostitute, over thirty years old, and of a low class that charged no more than half a silver coin for a night. She looked at Shen Lang with delight and exclaimed loudly.
“My love, I’ve finally found you! A few days ago in Nanshan City, we shared a fateful night together. I’ll never forget that night for the rest of my life.”
Her words implied that Shen Lang had dallied with a low-class prostitute in Nanshan City. Shen Lang stood still, watching her performance.
“Shen Lang, you told me I was better than your wife in bed! You said she was like a dead fish with no reaction, but I made you feel alive. You even said you and your wife were like strangers sharing a bed, and that she had another man in her heart and might be cheating on you.”
Shen Lang’s eyes narrowed, and a hint of anger flickered in Mulan’s beautiful gaze. But the clueless prostitute continued.
“Shen Lang, you promised me. You said you’d take me to Xuanwu City and make me your concubine. You even gave me something of yours as a token of your promise.”
Finishing her speech, the prostitute took out a longevity lock, on which the character ‘Lang’ was engraved. It was the very same longevity lock Shen Lang had worn since childhood, one his father had personally made for him. Of course, it was one of the items confiscated when he was kicked out of the Xu Clan.
“Shen Lang, I’ve waited so long. Why didn’t you come for me?”
As the prostitute spoke with resentment, Shen Lang frowned. With a face on the verge of tears, she said quietly.
“Shen Lang, you are a heartless man. That day, you and Jin Mucong ravaged me… I couldn’t even get out of bed for three days because of you.”
The words were disgusting. Everyone present knew she was acting, but it still felt repulsive.
“Shen Lang, it’s true you’re handsome and exceptional, but… you still have to pay for that night. I’m a prostitute who needs to get paid. That night, you not only had me, but you violated me seven times. The next day, when I got my period and was bleeding, you still wouldn’t let me go. That costs extra.”
Her words grew even more disgusting, to the point of being nauseating. The purpose of this play was to show everyone that Shen Lang was so pathetic and depraved that he sought out a low-class prostitute, acting like a beast who wouldn’t even let her go during her period. And what was even more despicable, he hadn’t even paid.
This was the gift Xu Guangyun had prepared for Shen Lang, the opening salvo in his attack. Xu Guangyun was launching a shameless, no-holds-barred assault. It was a messy attack, like stepping in dog droppings that you can’t shake off. No matter how Shen Lang tried to explain himself, it would all be his fault. He had been smeared with a stain that couldn’t be washed away.
Xu Guangyun was repaying Shen Lang in kind. Just as Shen Lang had used writing to tarnish the reputations of Xu Guangyun and Xu Qianqian, he was now using a similar tactic. The only difference was that Shen Lang had done so with a certain elegance, masking his mudslinging with a classic masterpiece of high literary merit. The crowd watched with great interest to see how Shen Lang would handle this disgusting and vulgar ploy. An ordinary person would have no easy way out of this situation. What would Shen Lang do?
Shen Lang leaned over and gave a few instructions to Jin Hui beside him.
“Yes, sir.”
Jin Hui immediately left. Seeing that Shen Lang offered no explanation, the prostitute grew even more smug.
‘Looks like I’ll definitely get the money.’
With that, she threw herself into her performance with even more vigor, rushing forward to grab his leg.
“My love, when are you going to take me with you? When will you pay for that night?”
Shen Lang didn’t get angry. Instead, with a gentle face and a warm voice, he asked.
“How much do I owe you for that night?”
Hearing Shen Lang’s words, everyone was stunned.
‘Shen Lang, what kind of move is this? Is he admitting to the slander, pouring the filthy water on his own head?’
“You and Jin Mucong played with me thirteen times, and you even made me bleed. The total is fifty silver coins.”
Shen Lang’s voice became even gentler.
“Fifty silver coins? How about I give you ten gold coins instead?”
Shen Lang took out ten gold coins and gave them to the prostitute. She accepted the money gleefully. In that moment, a feeling of contempt and disdain for Shen Lang grew within her.
‘Useless fool, just as pathetic as the rumors say. Do you think I’ll change my story and declare your innocence now that I have this money? Dream on! The Xu Clan paid me much more.’
“Miss, how much do you usually charge for a single client?”
“Half a silver coin. But there were two of you, with Jin Mucong, and you made me bleed, so it costs extra.”
“So, I gave you ten gold coins, which is equivalent to two hundred silver coins. Even if we subtract the five silver coins you mentioned for one client, that leaves one hundred and ninety-five. That means I’ve paid for you to service about three hundred and ninety clients. Am I correct?”
Shen Lang’s voice grew progressively colder, and his gaze turned to ice.
“Jin Hui, bring them in!”
At that moment, cavalrymen from the Count’s estate brought in about twenty beggars and vagrants. Whenever a banquet was held at a mansion, beggars and vagrants would gather nearby, as the host would often generously distribute the abundant leftovers after the feast.
The beggars and vagrants looked as if they hadn’t washed in months, reeking of filth and covered in sores. They didn’t dare to look at the fairy-like beauty of Jin Mulan, instead staring at the prostitute with eyes burning like flames. Shen Lang spoke to the twenty-odd beggars and vagrants.
“Brothers, do you like this woman?”
The beggars’ and vagrants’ eyes lit up. At this point, they would have lit up at the sight of a sow, let alone a woman. To them, the prostitute before them was a feast more delicious than a fattened pig.
“Yes, we do!”
“She’s a woman I couldn’t even hope for in my dreams.”
“Today is my treat. Each of you can have her ten times!”
Hearing Shen Lang’s words, the twenty-odd beggars and vagrants lunged at the prostitute, lifting her voluptuous body to carry her outside. The prostitute was scared out of her wits.
‘I-I’ll die!’
With twenty beggars and vagrants, she would be ravaged to death. And it would be a horrific death!
“What is this…! Young Master, please spare me!” the prostitute screamed wretchedly.
But the warriors of the Count of Xuanwu’s Estate formed a human wall, preventing anyone from saving her.
“I have already paid. It is only right that you service your clients.”
The prostitute trembled in terror, nearly wetting herself.
“Steward Xu, save me! I only framed Young Master Shen Lang because you asked me to! Please, save me!”
The Xu Clan’s steward was the planner of tonight’s engagement ceremony. Although the event was held at Zhang Jin’s estate, all the manpower and resources were provided by the Xu Clan. The steward was supposed to be busy in the kitchens, but he had come out to personally witness Shen Lang’s misfortune. That was why, even though it wasn’t his job, he was shamelessly greeting guests outside—specifically, only the lower-status ones.
His eyes had been fixed on Shen Lang the entire time. He had no personal grudge against him, nor was he a loyal servant willing to die for his master’s honor. His obsession with Shen Lang stemmed from the fact that when Shen Lang had been the Xu Clan’s live-in son-in-law, he had been a complete fool and an idiot.
Back then, the steward’s daily routine consisted of eating, sleeping, and tormenting Shen Lang. Shen Lang was at the bottom of the hierarchy, bullied by everyone, and the steward couldn’t go more than two or three days without putting him down. Now, that same Shen Lang had risen in status, becoming like a phoenix.
‘How can that be? If you become successful, how can I torment you anymore? A piece of filth like you succeeding goes against my entire worldview. Shen Lang, a piece of trash like you should be living in a latrine, catching other people’s waste. How dare you suddenly rise in the world?’