Simulation becomes reality, have I ever looked down upon the eternity?

Chapter 426: The son-in-law breaks off the engagement and is punished by the clan!
[The four girls slowly wake up. Li Xiangjun covers her cheeks with both hands, blushing between her fingers: "How can I face people in this way?"]

[Chen Xiang lowered his eyes and straightened his clothes, a hint of loss flashed in his eyes. ]

[Hu Yunniang bit her lips lightly and suddenly sighed: "Young Master is truly... a true gentleman who can remain calm even when a woman's arms are flirting with him."]

[You rubbed your brows, sent the four girls away, and agreed to repaint the painting. After discussion, Hu Yunniang and others decided that they needed to obtain the consent of the owner of Yuehuaxuan before visiting.]

[Zhou Yuner fell to the end and whispered, "A gentleman is not as good as this!"]

【You cough and pretend not to hear. 】

[When Wutong came back in the afternoon, he brought back a lot of gifts. ]

[“Master, Luya said the Sima family is really nice. They have a big yard and can make their own decisions on everything.”]

[“Master, when can we have a yard of our own?” Wutong looked at you expectantly.]

[You looked up at the clouds in the sky and whispered, "The world is in turmoil. I'm afraid I won't have a place to settle down anymore."]

【Wutong smiled and said, "With the young master here, there's nothing to be afraid of."】

[“Master, please don’t abandon me.”]

[You touched her head, "If one day I am gone, Wutong, you should walk out of the courtyard and take a look outside. There is more to this world than the Xie family, the Sima family, and Bianjing. The world is much bigger and more exciting than you think."]

[“Wutong wants to accompany the young master.”]

[Half a month has passed in the blink of an eye, and the scorching summer sun has made the bluestone slabs hot. ]

[Today, you are copying the Taoist Huangting Sutra in the courtyard, and the ink in the stone inkstone has been tanned by the sun.]

[Suddenly, Xie Yuan rushed into the courtyard, startling the two Zhaoming Luans that were playing in the courtyard and hiding in the crown of the phoenix tree.]

[“Brother Guan! Something terrible has happened!” Xie Yuan walked into the courtyard, “The Li family has sent someone to cancel the engagement!”]

[You are practicing calligraphy on the stone table, holding the pen with your wrist suspended until you finish writing the last word, then you turn around.]

[“Sixth brother, why are you so anxious? Didn’t you know about it a long time ago?”]

[Wutong stood under the eaves, twisting the corners of his clothes, even though he knew it was inevitable. ]

【Xie Yuan was so angry that he kicked over the stone bench, shocking Zhao Mingluan so much that he flapped his wings and flew away in the tree canopy.】

[“What a grand show the Li family put on!” he gritted his teeth, “Twelve people carried a gift box containing the letter of withdrawal of engagement, paraded it all the way through Changning Street, and even rang a gong to clear the way when entering the Grand View Garden, as if they were afraid that someone in Bianjing would not know!”]

[“In the morning, we have already entered the Grand View Garden, and are welcomed by the old lady herself. She has also summoned the three elders and twelve clan members of the Xie family to discuss the matter.”]

[“The most hateful one is that fellow Xie Renfeng. He and Madam Zhao also went to the Grand View Garden today and complained to you, my brother, that you are a wicked person and that you have harmed your own people, which is against the family rules. I beg the old lady to make the decision and punish you severely to correct the family tradition.”]

【Xie Yuan paced in the courtyard, worried: "The old lady also took your household registration from the Ministry of Households and the Imperial Clan Court, saying that she will punish you according to the family law today."】

[Before Xie Yuan finished speaking, there was a knock on the door outside the courtyard.]

[Wutong looked up and saw Qiuyue, the maidservant of Old Lady Xie, and four maids standing quietly outside the door.]

[Qiuyue was wearing a lilac-colored vest and a silver hairpin in her hair. She looked to be in her early twenties, but her demeanor was three times more noble than that of an ordinary young lady from an aristocratic family.]

[As a maid, she was deeply loved by the old lady. Her food, clothing and other expenses were much better than most of the children in the Xie family. She also had a carriage to pick her up when she went out.]

[Her words carry as much weight as those of an ordinary lady, but she is extremely low-key and modest. She is courteous to the young master, a bastard, and never speaks harshly to servants.]

[“Greetings, young masters.” Qiuyue bowed, and the jade bracelet on her wrist did not move at all - this was the rule that only people around the old lady followed.]

【“The old lady invites you to watch the young master enter the Grand View Garden.”】

【At this time, it was almost noon and the sun was high in the sky. 】

[Your mind moved slightly, and you realized that there were three powerful auras lurking following Qiuyue - at least they were martial arts masters of the upper three realms.]

[Such a scene really shows respect for you. 】

[If you refuse, I’m afraid you’ll be taken away by force.]

【Xie Yuan was secretly surprised: How could it come so quickly? And the timing chosen today was also clever, as my mother happened to be away from home.】

【Seeing this, Wutong's face turned as pale as paper.】

[“Thank you for passing on the message, Miss.” You brushed your sleeves and said calmly, “Let me change my clothes and leave.”]

[Qiuyue did not step into the courtyard, but just stood quietly outside the door.]

[Hearing the word "big girl", she frowned slightly. This was a name that the elders in the mansion or the favored young masters would call her. It sounded harsh to her ears at this moment.]

[Xuan's brows relaxed again, and he said calmly: "Young Master, please hurry up. All the elders of the clan have arrived today. Don't keep them waiting for too long."]

[“Otherwise, the old lady will be unhappy.”]

[You put on a jade-green gown. Although the material is not expensive silk, it makes your figure look as slender and graceful as a bamboo.]

[Qiuyue, like her own old lady, looked down on the Xie family's bastard and regarded him as a source of trouble, thinking that he would only bring trouble to the Xie family. However, as a servant, if she could not understand the master's intentions and share the same mind and heart with him, it would be difficult for her to gain favor.]

[Qiuyue looked up and did not deny it—the demeanor of this bastard young master was even more noble than Xie Yu, whom the old lady loved the most.]

[Unfortunately, in this great compound of Bianjing, the capital of the Great Qi Dynasty, one’s birth determines everything.]

[You gently told Wutong: "Don't leave the courtyard today. Don't worry about anything."]

[Wutong nodded, and with red eyes he watched you leave with the others, like a prisoner being escorted to the execution ground.]

【Xie Yuan did not follow, he wanted to go find his mother and Uncle Zhuge.】

[“Wutong, you can stay at home. Don’t worry, I’m here. No one can harm me.”]

【Xie Yuan also left in a hurry.】

[The courtyard door creaked and slowly closed. The long tail sound was like a blunt knife, cutting off Wutong's last bit of strength. She leaned her back against the door and slowly slid down to sit on the ground.]

[She hugged her knees with her arms and buried her face in her arms. A feeling of despair and powerlessness spread in her heart.]

[Suddenly, two clear and melodious phoenix calls broke through the air, and two Zhaoming phoenixes flew down from the treetops and gently landed on her trembling shoulders. ] [Wutong looked up in a daze——]

【I saw a bright scene!】

~

~

Xie Yuan was hurriedly looking for a carriage and was about to go out of the southwest gate.

Just then, Zhang Shi and his daughter were seen coming towards them in their carriage.

He quickly pulled the reins and jumped off the carriage, "Third uncle, fourth cousin! I was just looking for you. Why are you here?"

Zhang Shi said, "The Li family is beating drums and gongs to cancel the engagement today, and half of the people in Bianjing know about it."

"I still owe Master Guan a favor, so I should come today."

Xie Yuan was puzzled. Since when did his third uncle owe Guandi a favor?

Zhang Yunzhi looked worried, "Father, you said the Xie family wanted to confront Master Guan, what did they do?"

Zhang Shizai's eyes were deep, "It's just an opportunity to get rid of future troubles."

"After all, the Xie family is a family that has been passed down through poetry and etiquette. Even if we want to kill someone..." He suddenly chuckled, "We must first wrap ourselves in a layer of brocade of benevolence, righteousness, and morality. If we act this way, others will not be able to find fault with us."

Zhang Yunzhi clenched her hands so tightly that her knuckles turned white. "Even a tiger won't eat its own cubs. How can the Xie family, which is so big, not have room for a bastard?"

The girl's voice was filled with injustice, "He has always been law-abiding and talented, can't the Xie family see it?"

"Yunzhi." Zhang Shizai interrupted her, "In the mansions of the nine major surnames, some of the sins are... precisely because they were born too dazzling."

"The status of a bastard is his irreparable sin."

Silt should rot in the mud, and lotus should not grow in it.

When Xie Yuan saw his third uncle, his tense nerves relaxed a little, and he bowed and said, "I'll go find my mother first."

The words haven't finished yet!
A carriage with green curtains has quietly stopped.

The curtain of the carriage was lifted, and a middle-aged man in Confucian clothes walked down slowly.

"Uncle!" Xie Yuan's eyes lit up and he quickly stepped forward, "Is mother here? It's urgent right now."

The person who came was Zhuge Jian, Xie Yuan's uncle.

Zhuge Jian raised his hand to stop him from finishing his words, "It's better if your mother isn't here. After all, Madam Yuan is the mistress of the Xie Mansion."

Zhang Shizai nodded when he heard this.

"Today, all the members of the Xie family have gathered together. I'm afraid they will hold a public trial in the ancestral hall."

Zhuge Jian looked solemn and sighed: "The key depends on the attitude of the old lady."

Xie Yuan's voice tightened: "If grandma insists on severe punishment, I'm afraid..."

Having said this, I couldn’t continue.

Zhang Shizai said slowly: "Da Qi ruled the world with filial piety, and Xie Guan is the blood of the Xie family after all. Even if the old lady ordered people to beat him to death in the ancestral hall..."

He paused and said, "It is also a natural family rule. Outsiders have no right to interfere."

Zhuge Jian said, "Not to mention outsiders like us, even in the court, no one can interfere in such family affairs."

It was noon at this time, the sun was high in the sky and the sky was clear.

However, at some point, the sky had changed. The sky was covered with dark clouds, and the clouds were thick, with faint thunder echoing in the clouds.

Even the birds outside the mansion gate were flying low and circling.

The temperature has quietly dropped by several degrees without me noticing.

Xie Yuanqiang remained calm and led everyone through the mottled vermilion-painted gate of the Xie Mansion and all the way to the Grand View Garden.

There are shadows inside the door, as if a storm is about to come.

~

On Changning Street, a three-story restaurant with a plaque reading "Taipinglou" stands tall.

The inscription above is extraordinary, with the strokes moving like dragons and phoenixes dancing.

As the most popular restaurant in Bianjing City recently, long queues form in front of the door before it opens every day, and private seats have to be booked half a month in advance.

At this moment, in the private room on the top floor.

Yun Wan, Hu Yunniang and other female shopkeepers gathered together.

The carved window lattice was half-closed, but it could not conceal the anxiety expressed within.

"This morning, the Li family's procession for breaking off the engagement paraded through the streets, and now the entire Changning Street is talking about it." Yun Wan's fingertips dug into her palm, "Being broken off in public as a son-in-law, this is clearly an attempt to crush Master Guan's reputation into the mud."

Zhou Yuner's face turned pale: "Just got the news that the Xie family opened an ancestral hall!"

The silk handkerchief in her hand had been twisted out of shape. "She said she was going to punish him according to the family law."

"What should we do? This is a family affair of the nine major families. How can we sisters help?"

Chenxiang suddenly stood up, the pearl hairpins beside her temples trembling: "Are we just going to watch—"

Sighs of helplessness.

Hu Yunniang suddenly thought of something and said quickly, "Let's go to the academy."

(End of this chapter)