"You are too overbearing!" Ling Xuan was furious. Her parents were still alive, yet Xiao Man dared to overstep her bounds and break off Xiao Xiang's engagement!
"Everyone in the capital knows how overbearing I, Xiao Man, am," Xiao Man sneered. "Young Master Ling, I respect Lord Ling's upright character and will not argue with you. If there's a next time, don't blame me for turning my back on you."
"You... you're simply unreasonable!" Ling Xuan had heard of Xiao Man's arrogance and high-handedness, but hearing about it was different from facing it directly. Moreover, Ling Xuan was not one to back down. He stepped forward, raised his hand, and brought it down towards Xiao Man.
Xiao Man's eyes turned icy. Snapping back to reality, she grabbed Ling Xuan's arm, pulled, and pushed, deflecting his force. She struck his chest with a palm, then used a soft technique to send him flying out of the reception hall.
Xiao Xiang, having heard that Ling Xuan had arrived and was seeking out Xiao Man, hurried over, feeling puzzled.
To her surprise, as she entered the courtyard, she saw Ling Xuan being thrown out of the reception hall. Her gaze naturally fell upon the hall, and she saw Xiao Man emerging with a cold expression.
"Eldest Sister, Young Master Ling, what happened?"
Seeing Xiao Xiang, Ling Xuan's expression grew even uglier. He sprang up from the ground and charged at Xiao Man again, looking as if he would fight her to the death. Xiao Xiang's face changed drastically, and she quickly ran forward to shield Xiao Man.
"Young Master Ling, what are you doing?"
"Second Miss, please step aside. I will teach her a lesson today and see if she dares to bully you again!"
Xiao Xiang was taken aback, her pretty face flushing red. "When has she bullied me?"
"She ruined your reputation, threw you into the lake intending to drown you, and now wants to break off your engagement. Is this not bullying you?" Ling Xuan roared, his fury unchecked.
Xiao Man's expression turned even more grim. This Ling Xuan was not only a troublemaker but also a fool. She immediately pulled Xiao Xiang aside and kicked Ling Xuan in the abdomen, sending him sprawling. As Ling Xuan cried out in pain and struggled to get up, a foot landed on his head.
As the pampered son of the Prefect of Jingzhao, Ling Xuan had never endured such humiliation. He grabbed Xiao Man's ankle and flipped her over. Xiao Man landed nimbly on her feet, her movements as swift as lightning. She was in front of Ling Xuan again and sent him flying with a left hook. Before Ling Xuan could even hit the ground, Xiao Man was before him again, delivering a sweeping kick that sent him crashing into the large banyan tree in the courtyard. He fell to the ground, spitting out a mouthful of blood. Su Dan Novel Network.
Xiao Xiang's face was as pale as paper, her teeth clenched. She had confessed the loss of her chastity to Ling Xuan to prevent the matter from escalating. She never expected Ling Xuan to come directly to the General's Mansion to cause trouble and even fight with Xiao Man. The pointed stares of the surrounding servants fell upon Xiao Xiang, making her feel as if she were on thorns, bleeding profusely.
"Enough!"
Xiao Xiang roared. Xiao Man slowly released her grip on Ling Xuan's hand, and he fell to the ground.
Ling Xuan had never imagined that he would not be Xiao Man's match, nor even have a chance to retaliate, being beaten unilaterally by Xiao Man!
Xiao Man looked at Xiao Xiang. She had acted too late today. She should have beaten Ling Xuan as soon as they met and thrown him out of the mansion, thus avoiding such an embarrassing situation.
"Young Master Ling, our engagement is over. From now on, I never want to see you again." Having said this, Xiao Xiang threw the betrothal gifts sent by the Ling family at Ling Xuan and turned to leave quickly.
Ling Xuan stood frozen on the spot. He had come to defend Xiao Xiang, so why was she so angry and had even taken the initiative to break off their engagement?
After beating Ling Xuan and throwing him out of the mansion, Xiao Man naturally had to explain things to the Old Madam.
In the upper courtyard, several concubines were present. Xiao Xiang knelt on the ground, her face streaked with tears.
The Old Madam closed her eyes, calming her inner anger. A perfectly good marriage had been ruined by Xiao Man. To say she was not angry would be a lie.
"Xiao Man, do you know your mistake?"
"Your granddaughter knows her mistake." Xiao Man knelt upright.
Seeing Xiao Man admit her mistake so quickly, the Old Madam's anger subsided somewhat.
"Your granddaughter should have beaten him out from the beginning."
The Old Madam almost choked on her saliva, angrily slamming the table. "You are truly lawless! This beating you administered has ruined your sister's marriage!"
"Grandmother, do you know how Ling Xuan insulted Second Sister and me?" Xiao Man said righteously. "He somehow learned about Second Sister's loss of chastity but pretended not to know and came to provoke us. Second Sister was already devastated by the insult from a villain, and he added salt to her wounds. No matter how unbearable our General's Mansion's young ladies are, we will not tolerate being bullied!"
"Eldest Miss, you are indeed capable. Do you know that with Second Miss having lost her chastity, which family would be willing to marry her? You, on the other hand, have outright ruined Second Miss's chances of marriage." Madam Yan put on a look of heartfelt distress. "Eldest Miss, you are too impulsive."
"Our General's Mansion is a prosperous family; we can afford to support Second Sister without having to compromise and endure others' disdain."
"Second Miss, that's not quite right. A woman ultimately has to get married. With Second Miss having lost her chastity, good families will certainly not want her. The Ling family has good standing and a respectable reputation, and she would be marrying as the main wife, which would be glorious. Ling Gongzi's insults could have been endured." Concubine Lin chimed in.
"Concubine Lin was once the top courtesan in the capital with countless patrons. Why didn't you endure then?" Xiao Man said coldly. "My Second Sister was merely violated by a villain, not by her own will. Why should she endure?"
Concubine Lin's face turned pale, and she tightly twisted her handkerchief. Xiao Man's words were like steel needles piercing her heart. Her background was a sensitive spot for her. Yet, Xiao Man insisted on dwelling on it. Was Xiao Xiang seeking her refuge genuinely? Was it worth protecting Xiao Xiang so fiercely?
The Third Concubine remained silent. She was very satisfied with this marriage and inwardly did not wish to call it off. However, with things having escalated so unpleasantly, the marriage could not proceed.
"Are you intending for your Second Sister to become a concubine?" The Old Madam finally spoke.
"Grandmother, our General's Mansion's young ladies, even if they remain single for life, will never become concubines. I will not permit Second Sister to become a concubine either."
"Then Eldest Miss intends for Second Miss to remain single for life?" Concubine Lin scoffed sarcastically. "Eldest Miss, as the legitimate daughter, your status is noble. However, Madam is still here, and above Madam is the Old Madam. Eldest Miss's reach is quite long, daring to meddle in the marriage affairs of a concubine's daughter within the household."
"Xiao Xiang, what do you think?" Honestly speaking, the Old Madam did not think highly of Xiao Xiang.
Concubine Lin came from a humble background, having been elevated from a maid to a concubine. She had no strong backing, and coupled with Xiao Xiang having lost her chastity, the Old Madam's opinion of her further diminished. She did not wish to involve herself in Xiao Xiang's affairs.