Ruan Dacheng glared at him, “Not make things too difficult for her? I think I’m too kind to treat her this way! Think of the humiliation I received last time. My hatred will never vanish, even if I beat her to death!”
Yang Wencong was shocked and, assessing the situation carefully, he asked for the sedan chair bearers to send him to the Meixiang House.
At this time, the Meixiang House was a scene of great confusion. Ma Shiying’s attendants were making a huge amount of noise and his servants bullied people by pounding tables and smashing chairs. Upstairs, the courtesans cried with fear. As soon as Yang Wencong entered the house, the trouble makers stopped what they were doing. A servant girl ran upstairs hurriedly and shouted, “Master Yang is coming! Master Yang is coming!”
When he arrived upstairs, Yang saw that both Li Zhenli and Li Xiangjun were wailing loudly. Li Xiangjun cried because she refused to submit. Li Zhenli cried because she knew that Ma Shiying was so powerful that disaster was imminent if Xiangjun continued to disobey. When she saw Yang, Li Zhenli wiped her tears and said, “Master Yang, it’s you who has caused us this great harm. I never thought you could be such a vicious person!”
Yang Wencong ex plained hurr ied ly, “Zhenniang , you wronged me. I have nothing to do with this. Ma Shiying was so angry at Xiangjun’s refusal to marry Tian Yang that he ordered his attendants to coerce Xiangjun into marriage. I worry about you and am afraid you may be harmed so I have come to protect you. ” “These are just empty words. What shall we do to solve the problem?”
“In my opinion, if you receive three hundred taels of silver as a betrothal gift, it would not be a bad deal and if Xiangjun marries a governor, it would not be a degrading experience. These attendants are menacing and vicious people and you would never be able to disobey the Prime Minister!”
“This is not a good offer. Now you might as well talk to Xiangjun yourself.” With that, Li Zhenli started to cry again, know ing that even Yang Wencong was unable help them. However, Li Xiangjun stopped crying and shouted angrily at Yang, “Master Yang, how can you possibly please everyone! It was you who acted as matchmaker and my foster mother presided over our wedding when I was married to Scholar Hou. All the guests were there to witness the marriage. I still keep the token of love that Hou gave me”. With these words, she took the fan out of the case. “Master Yang, you also read the love poem inscribed on it. Have you forgotten? I am determined to wait for Scholar Hou and preserve my chastity. I would rather suffer from hunger and cold than marry that Tian Yang.”
At Xiangjun’s words, Yang Wencong flushed, “You are a foolish girl. Nobody knows where Scholar Hou is seeking refuge. What if he does not return in five years, would you still wait for him?”
“I would wait for him for ten years or even my whole life, let alone five years.”
“What a bad temper! Just like last time when you threw away the jewelry and silk clothes and condemned Ruan Dacheng! Yang Wencong anxiously scratched his head. At this moment, Ma Shiy ing ’s attendants shouted downstairs, “Come down immediately or we will have to drag you!” Yang had no choice so he said to Li Zhenli angrily, “Li Xiangjun is so unreasonable! Didn’t you know that Ma Shiying would send his people to take Xiangjun away without paying anything, not to mention the three hundred taels of silver? Do you dare defy his orders? I was not and never will be involved in this affair. I came here today for the sake of you all. Think about what I said. If I left you on your own to deal with the situation, you would be the ones to suffer.”
