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Chapter 305 Angry Talent
"Drive! Drive!"

On the official road from Hejiang to Luzhou, dust rose and horses' hooves clattered as the Su family and their entourage galloped at full speed!

Su Lu has already learned to ride a horse. Taking a boat back to Luzhou is too slow, so riding a horse will save time!

They set off at noon and arrived at Luzhou City, eighty li away, in just over two hours... on the other side.

As mentioned before, Luzhou is on the north bank of the river, so we had to take a ferry across again. Su Youjin paid five times the fare and hired four boatmen to row with him. They hurried along and finally entered Luzhou just before the city gates closed.

The group rushed back to Zhuzi Lane, where the newlyweds Su Youcai and his wife still lived.

Manager Tian was also there, and upon hearing the commotion, he quickly came out to greet them.

"Young Master, you've arrived so quickly!" Steward Tian grabbed the reins and helped Su Lu dismount.

"It's fast, but it'll wear out your crotch," Su Lu said, grimacing.

“It’s inevitable for a young master to have some trouble riding a horse since he just learned. He’ll be fine once he develops a strong stance,” Steward Tian comforted him for a moment, then quickly lowered his voice and said, “Go inside and take a look. Your father is furious.”

"Okay!" Su Lu nodded and walked inside with her legs apart.

Then look at Chun Ge'er, he's doing the same thing, the two brothers with their hips spread apart, waddling in like two ducks.

Su Youjin and the others were much better off; this distance wouldn't wear out the groins of these veterans.

"Manager Tian, ​​please settle my brothers in." Su Youjin said, striding into the courtyard.

~~
As soon as Su Lu and his brother entered the courtyard, they heard the sound of rattan canes cracking inside the house!
"Brother, you're back just in time!" Little Tiantian was peering through the doorframe of the main room when she saw Su Lu enter and quickly called out:
"Dad, stop hitting him! My eldest uncle, eldest brother, and third brother are all back!"

The sounds of whipping inside grew even more frequent.

Ignoring the burning sensation in his groin, Su Lu rushed to the door, only to have Xiao Tiantian push it open—

Su Tai was kneeling on the ground, shirtless, with bruises all over his back!
Su Lu's heart ached upon seeing this. If it weren't for his father wielding the rattan cane, he would have...

"Qiu-ge'er, you've come back just in time! Quickly persuade your father! He's going to beat your brother to death!" The landlady was covered in sweat, her hair half-disheveled, and she was tightly gripping Su Youcai's arm.

"It's alright, let Dad hit me, I won't die." Su Tai said in a muffled voice, "The harder he hits me, the better I feel!"

"Did you hear me? Don't pull me back, let me beat this disobedient brat to death!" Su Youcai, also covered in sweat, was still furious and wanted to swing his whip.

Su Lu and Su Man's attempts to persuade him were to no avail, until Su Youjin entered, snatched the whip from Su Youcai, and shouted:
"Stop hitting him! Did he kill someone or commit arson?!"

"..." Su Youcai then rubbed his arm and said dejectedly, "Big brother, I'm too ashamed to say it. Let the wicked child say it himself."

"Sister-in-law, you speak," Su Youjin said, letting the landlady speak instead of asking Su Tai.

"Brother, didn't I hear that Uncle was detained by the Pacification Commissioner in Lincheng?" The proprietress said, casually tying her hair up as she spoke. "His father asked Mr. Tian to bring Xia-ge'er back from school, hoping that Xia-ge'er could ask Miss She if she could help smooth things over..."

"Sigh..." The proprietress sighed, then continued, "Who knew that as soon as Xia-ge'er came back, he knelt on the ground and slapped himself, saying that his uncle was the one who caused it..."

"Huh? What do you mean by that?!" Su Youjin looked at Su Tai in surprise. This was an honest kid who never caused trouble!

“Uncle, actually the Roro people wanted to capture me…” Su Tai said with a face full of shame, “Last month, I was cornered in an alley by more than a dozen Roro warriors, who told me to go to Lincheng with them.”

"Is that so? Then why didn't you go?" Su Youjin asked, his eyes wide.

“Because I chased them away…” Su Tai said with no pride, but even more guilt, “I should have told my father immediately, but I was bewitched and kept it a secret.”

"Do you think he deserves to die?!" Su Youcai roared, "If he had just farted at home, would he have been able to get to Lincheng?!"

“Sigh, you really should tell the truth. How could you keep such a big thing from your family?” Su Youjin slapped his thigh heavily and said, “Brother Xia, you’re usually such a steady person, how could you be so confused?”

"He's not bewitched by a demon, he's bewitched by lust!" Su Youcai pointed at Su Tai and cursed, "He's afraid I'll find out and make him break up with that barbarian woman!"

“It’s not just that…” Su Tai whispered, “It’s because my parents are getting married, and I didn’t want to upset them. When I came back, Yunluo said the matter had been resolved, and I believed her…”

"Don't you know how fickle barbarians are?" Su Youcai snorted, pointing at Su Tai and saying to his elder brother, "I told him back then that that woman was not to be trifled with. How could her mother, She Saihua, possibly allow her heir to marry a Han Chinese?"

"Did I say that?!" Su Youcai questioned Su Tai.

"I told you," Su Tai said, bowing his head. "Didn't I tell you to break up with her right away?!" Su Youcai questioned again, "Didn't you hear me?!"

“I heard it…” Su Tai said in a low voice, “but it didn’t break.”

"You still don't want to break it off!" Su Youcai sneered. "Are you some kind of gold nugget? Why is she still clinging to it and refusing to let go?!"

“That’s right, Atai is my gold nugget!” A clear female voice rang out in the courtyard.

Everyone turned around and saw a tall, beautiful young woman in a plain dress walk in with a somber expression.

No need for self-introduction; even those who haven't met her know who this girl, with her completely different temperament from Han women, is!
“Miss She…” Su Youcai suppressed the urge to kick her out, mainly because he still needed her to save Youma.

“Uncle Hao Ren,” She Yunluo walked into the main room, looking at the intertwined whip marks on Su Tai’s back with heartache, and knelt down beside him, saying to Su Youcai, “Atai didn’t disobey you. He wanted to break up with me many times, but I kept pestering him! Hit me if you want!”

“That’s how it started, but later I didn’t want to be separated from her anymore,” Su Tai said loudly.

“Never mind all that,” She Yunluo interjected, “This whole mess was my fault—Atai knows nothing about it, so if you’re going to hit someone, hit me!”

"Sigh, Miss She, why are you doing this to yourself?" Su Youcai certainly couldn't hit her, and said helplessly, "What's so good about this kid? He's not worth it for you to do this."

“He’s perfect in every way. There’s no better man in the world! We’re like a weight that can’t be separated from the scale; no one can break us apart.” Although She Yunlu was kneeling, her words were unambiguous.

"Sigh, get up first." Su Youcai gestured for Xiaotiantian to help She Yunluo up, and said helplessly, "Let's not talk about our Su family for now. Isn't your mother's attitude already very clear? Do you think there's still a chance for you two to be together?"

"Yes!" She Yunluo stubbornly knelt down and refused to get up, and Xiao Tiantian's little strength couldn't move her at all.

Su Lu couldn't stand it anymore. He gently patted Xiao Tiantian's arm, signaling her not to waste her energy. Then he said to Su Youcai, "Dad, calm down first, let me have a few words with Miss She alone."

"Mm." Su Youcai nodded eagerly, thinking to himself that the brat had finally come to the rescue.

"Let's go, let's talk in the courtyard." Su Lu gestured for She Yunluo to get up.

She Yunlu refused to get up, and Su Lu said helplessly in a low voice, "Do you still want to solve the problem?"

"..." Only then did She Yunlu reluctantly get up and follow Su Lu to the flower garden in the central courtyard.

The two sat facing each other at the stone table, and Su Lu calmly said, "Now tell me everything that needs to be said."

"Where to begin?" She Yunlu was at a loss, and seeing Su Lu was like seeing a savior.

"Let's start from the beginning." Su Lu took the candlestick offered by Steward Tian and said calmly, "The night is very long."

“My uncle came during the annual examination last month.” She Yunlu organized her thoughts and then said in detail, “He asked me to go back, saying that he was acting on my mother’s orders, but he didn’t say the specific reason.”

"But even if he didn't say it, I knew it; my mother wanted to use me for a political marriage." She Yunluo gazed at the flickering candlelight in the night sky and said softly.
Do you remember the first time we met?

“I remember.” Su Lu nodded and said, “You encountered an ambush by the Du Zhangman. Later, I heard that it was your half-brother who was behind it. Your mother took the opportunity to purge the forces that supported your brother, so that you could secure your position as the heir.”

She Yunlu looked at Su Lu in surprise and said, "You know so much?"

“My second brother is my most important relative…” Then Su Lu said coldly, “My uncle… is also very important. If your mother dares to touch him, or even a hair on the head of any of my family members, I guarantee that within ten years, the Yongning Pacification Commission will be wiped out from the world.”

"..." She Yunlu didn't seem to care about Su Lu's harsh words. She was still immersed in her own world and said with a sad smile, "You don't even need to lift a finger. Yongning Division will probably disappear within ten years."

"Because of the Yang family?" Su Lu asked.

“Yes.” She Yunluo nodded and said, “My brother’s uncle was unwilling to accept defeat, so he actually went to the Yang family. The Yang family has always been ambitious and wanted to annex our Yongning Division. When they saw this opportunity, they pounced on us like leeches smelling blood.”

“Bozhou is a Pacification Commissioner’s Office, which is much more powerful and has a higher status than our Pacification Commissioner’s Office. Pacification Commissioner Yang Bin is even more influential, with connections in both the province and the capital. Once he gets involved, the situation immediately changes. My mother has been under tremendous pressure these past two years. Fortunately, Uncle Huang did not allow Bozhou to control Yongning, so the Yang family did not succeed.”

"What does the Yang family want? To have She Yunming replace you? Or to have him take over your mother's position directly?" Su Lu asked.

"Both options have been mentioned, but my mother would never agree to them. That would make Yongning a puppet state of Bozhou, and our faction would be purged," She Yunluo sighed.
"Uncle Huang also strongly opposed this plan, so Yang Bin compromised and wanted his youngest son to marry into our family. Now Uncle Huang couldn't object anymore."

She said dejectedly, "My uncle wants me to go back and get married."

P.S. Please vote with monthly tickets and subscribe!
I also recommend Brother Xihu Yuyu's "The Great Literary Masters of the Song Dynasty." We both wrote about the same place—how amazing!

(End of this chapter)