Chapter 46 This won’t do, replace it with another

Chapter 46 This won't do, replace it with another

Tang Shuyi guessed that the Wu family must be in disarray, but that had nothing to do with them. As long as the engagement could be smoothly annulled, the chaos of the Wu household was of no consequence to her.

Moreover, the schemes Mrs. Wu and Wu Jingyun had plotted against Xiao Yuchen, including their attempt to drug him, were not matters Tang Shuyi could let slide without retribution. As for what form this retribution would take, that depended on the actions of Wu Jingyun's father, Wu Guoliang.

Now, her guiding principle was to be assertive when necessary. With Xiao Huai gone and Xiao Yuchen yet to inherit his title, showing weakness now would surely make others think the Marquis of Yongning easy to bully.

Upon rising this morning, Tang Shuyi made herself presentable and headed to the training grounds. Xiao Yuming was to begin his martial arts training with Niu Hongliang today, and she planned to observe.

The training ground was located beside the small garden, and she took a detour through it, enjoying the equivalent of a morning exercise. Passing by the lotus pond, she smiled and suggested to Cui Zhu and Cui Yun, "Later, we should have our young master compose a poem about the lotus to test his learning."

Cui Zhu and Cui Yun joined in her laughter, with Cui Yun adding, "That surely won't stump our young master. The lord used to always ask him to write poetry, and never once did it pose a challenge."

Cui Yun had hardly finished speaking when Cui Zhu lightly chided her, causing Cui Yun to suddenly remember they should not speak of the lord. Every time they mentioned the lord before, their mistress would become saddened.

"Mistress, I deserve death," Cui Yun hastily apologized to Tang Shuyi.

"What's this? Why the talk of death all of a sudden?" Tang Shuyi asked with a smile, unaware of the issue.

Cui Zhu and Cui Yun, seeing the smile on her face, suddenly realized that their mistress, the Marquise, had truly moved on from the mourning of her late husband, which brought them great relief. They quickly dismissed the matter as nothing.

Tang Shuyi glanced at them, a slight smile curling her lips as she continued forward. The maids were worried about bringing up Xiao Huai, fearing it would upset her. They were worrying needlessly; the death of a man she had never met had no bearing on her life.

This 'small' garden was by no means modest, complete with pavilions, bridges over water, rockeries, and flower beds aplenty. Approaching a tall octagonal pavilion nestled among the flora, Tang Shuyi mused that enjoying the view here while eating skewers would be a delightful indulgence.

She turned to the two maids beside her and said, "When we return, have someone bring the roasting brazier here, and ask the kitchen to prepare some meats and vegetables. We shall have our noon meal here roasting meat."

In ancient times, there were also grills, but they were referred to more elegantly as braziers. And the meat wasn’t simply roasted; it was called roasted meat.

Seeing her in such high spirits, Cui Zhu and Cui Yun naturally shared in her excitement, promptly replying that they would take care of it.

"What meats do we have in the kitchen?" Tang Shuyi asked.

"Pork and mutton are always stocked, and whether we have other meats, I'll check later," Cui Yun answered.

"It would be great if we had venison," said Tang Shuyi.

In her memory, Xiao Huai sometimes hunted deer, and as someone from the modern era, Tang Shuyi naturally hadn’t tasted venison, but it seemed possible here. So she added, "Later, urge our Second Young Master to practice martial arts diligently. Perhaps he'll hunt a deer for us."

"That would be wonderful," Cui Yun replied with a smile.

The mistress and servants reached the training ground amidst laughter, only to see Niu Hongliang vigorously practicing his punches, while Xiao Yuming had just arrived, still bleary-eyed. Tang Shuyi felt that her wish to eat venison might take a long while to come true.

"Good morning, Madam," Niu Hongliang greeted Tang Shuyi with a fist and palm salute.

"I'm just here to watch. Continue with your training as usual," Tang Shuyi said.

Niu Hongliang acknowledged and then said to Xiao Yuming, "Second Young Master, warm up with some stretches, then show me a couple of forms."

Xiao Yuming glanced at Tang Shuyi, loosened up his arms and legs, and then executed a set of punches with all his might. Despite being a playboy, he too sought approval from his elders.

"Hmm, not bad, but..."

Niu Hongliang began instructing Xiao Yuming, with Tang Shuyi observing from the side. They say a layman watches for fun, and Xiao Yuming's form looked quite impressive. But when compared with the punches Niu Hongliang had thrown earlier, it lacked power and was somewhat flashy.

It was indeed all flash and no substance!

Meanwhile, Niu Hongliang had Xiao Yuming practice the horse stance. Tang Shuyi signaled for Niu Hongliang to come over and inquired about Xiao Yuming's progress, as martial arts too were a matter of innate talent. She wondered if Xiao Yuming possessed it.

"The Second Young Master has a solid foundation. Although he has neglected his training, he hasn't let it go to waste. If he dedicates himself, he can certainly excel," Niu Hongliang responded earnestly.

Pleased with his response, Tang Shuyi said, "We will rely on Master Niu's hard work then. If Yuming makes progress, he shall be duly rewarded."

"This humble one will do his utmost," Niu Hongliang said, but whether the Second Young Master would cooperate or not was beyond his control.

After watching for a while, Tang Shuyi returned to the Shi'an Garden. A quarter of an hour later, the three children arrived, and Tang Shuyi had the breakfast set. Just as the family sat down at the dining table, the butler arrived, handing over an invitation, "It's from the Wu residence."

Tang Shuyi took it and saw that it was an invitation from Wu Guoliang, stating he would visit in the afternoon, but it didn’t specify whom he wished to see.

"Take a look." She handed the invitation to Xiao Yuchen and said, "What do you think he's coming for?"

Xiao Yuchen pondered for a moment and replied, "To probe for information or to discuss calling off the engagement."

Tang Shuyi hummed in agreement, "You'll receive him. If he takes a tough stance, you be even tougher. If he's amiable, then reciprocate in kind. But remember two things: first, both Lady Wu and Wu Jingyun have tried to scheme against you, and we will not tolerate this indignity; let him figure it out. Second, regarding the matter of Wu Jingshu and Monk Changjing, we keep our lips sealed, but in the future, we’ll trouble Lord Wu to take extra care of his junior here."

Xiao Yuchen nodded seriously, while Xiao Yuming and Xiao Yuzhu were completely confused, unaware of yesterday's events at Chongguang Temple. Tang Shuyi didn't conceal it from them and briefly recounted the incident, successfully witnessing their astonished expressions.

"He who schemes against others often schemes against himself, and he who seeks to harm others often brings about his own destruction," Tang Shuyi said. "Harming others is ultimately self-harm, so don't consider yourself clever and trap others with tricks; who is truly a fool?"

"So, it means the Second Miss Wu no longer wishes to marry Big Brother, and the Third Miss Wu does, and they are trying to sabotage each other?" Xiao Yuzhu looked at Xiao Yuchen, "Even if Big Brother is exceptionally handsome, it shouldn't be to this extent, right?"

Xiao Yuming: "Hahahaha..."

Tang Shuyi: "Hahahaha..."

Xiao Yuchen: "......"

After laughing, Tang Shuyi began to teach Xiao Yuzhu: "A woman does not need to depend on a man to live, nor should she be so desperate over one; if he's no good, simply move on to the next."

Xiao Yuzhu nodded earnestly after hearing this.

Xiao Yuchen: "......"

Xiao Yuming: "......"