Chapter 231: The More One Speaks, The More Mistake One Makes
Translated by Gumihou
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“Deal with your own family problem yourself. I’ve already gone above and beyond the duty of friendship by having someone escort you back to the Capital. Why must you give me trouble? Just leave and head back to the Capital.”
“Since you are the one who found me, you are now responsible for my entire well-being. If you had not yelled out my name like that, Xiu’er and I would have been happily shopping for clothes right now. Even if I had to work hard and break my back as a farmer, as long as I have no memory of my past I would have been happy. However, you just have to be a nosy busybody who insisted on telling me all about my past. After having dropped all that baggage onto my head, you’re now trying to wriggle out of your responsibility? Do you think that the world exists only for your own convenience?”
“You are being completely unreasonable.”
“No, I am being very reasonable.”
… …
[Gumihou: I- I am starting to understand why Long Pingzhang is described as a ‘rising star politician’…]There’s something really wrong with this picture, ah. According to Duan Tingxuan’s description, this Long Pingzhang was a steadfast, serious scholar, perhaps even a little dull and straightforward. Duan Tingxuan even said that this fellow was someone who was really bad at riddle guessing, and whatever riddle he made up was immediately picked apart by others. Surely, this kind of person… would never have such eloquence and, shall we say, be speech savvy enough to quarrel successfully with a black-bellied schemer like Duan Tingxuan?
Su Nuan Nuan and Xiu’er watched as the two men stabbed each other with verbal knives and spears. Finally, Su Nuan Nuan got out of her chair and quietly scooted over to sit next to Xiu’er. In a whisper she said, “Lil’ sis, has the image of the precious Brother A-Niu in your heart… fallen into ruin?”
“All ruined.” Xiu’er replied without blinking as she continued to stare at Long Pingzhang.
“Really ruined?” Su Nuan Nuan pressed. This young woman’s eyes were somehow even more fervent than before.”
“Really ruined.” Xiu’er nodded firmly. “The original Brother A-Niu in my heart was like a stone house that shelters me against wind and rain. The stone house has now been shattered. In its place is a stone mountain that towers above the clouds.”
“Tcheh! Who says that a village girl has no knowledge? Look at her skill with words, could any city girl match her in terms of love endearments?” Su Nuan Nuan wailed to herself, in despair of her previously sensible friend.
The two men were still busy mud-slinging and slashing at each other with their tongues. First madam’s face turned black and in a desperate attempt to reach out for someone sensible, she turned to Si Ping, “Didn’t you say that your master and His Excellency Long were intimate friends?”
“Hei hei hei…” Si Ping’s laughter was clearly forced. “That is… does first madam really not know? There are certain types of friends that are worse than enemy when alive, but are transformed into intimate friends when dead.”
Su Nuan Nuan, “… …”
“Very good, ah, Si Ping. You dare spit up this kind of sayings. I have to admire your guts. I shall not underestimate you in the future.” Su Nuan Nuan gave Si Ping a fierce glare.
The crafty little servant merely grinned back unrepentantly, “It is all thanks to first madam’s guidance. This lowly one dare not take credit.”
“Just roll along, who wants to take credit for this annoying skill?” Su Nuan Nuan scolded with a laugh. By now, the quarrel between Duan Tingxuan and Long Pingzhang seemed to have wound down a little. However, neither seemed to have given in yet. There was an air of ‘Let’s reorganize our troops before attacking again’ kind of atmosphere brewing between them.
Su Nuan Nuan dared not let them quarrel anymore. If they were to quarrel further, the roof of this inn might actually be blown up to the sky. Moreover, one was a lord heir to a marquis’ position, while the other a Rank Three Imperial Officer, but they were on the verge of throwing down like a couple of thugs. Just what kind of sight would that be, ah? Let me ask you again. Just what kind of sight is that? I want to have nothing to do with you idiots, you know?
In the end, His Excellency Long emerged as the final victor! It was all thanks to first madam’s powerful backing that he was able to overthrow Little Marquis Duan in this mud-slinging competition. As a result, Duan Tingxuan’s Exclusive Scenic Tour of Ancient China gained two additional party members.
Problems cropped up almost immediately at the conclusion of this ‘fight’. Xiu’er looked at the completely different Brother A-Niu and said helplessly, “Brother A-Niu, I have to arrange matters with father first before coming with you, alright? This is not a short trip after all.”
Long Pingzhang was perfectly agreeable to this. After having extorted several promises from Duan Tingxuan to not leave the inn until the two of them came back, he and Xiu’er ‘Dusted their buttocks and set off [1]’, leaving the lord heir and his wife staring after them. After a long time, the little marquis slapped the table and snapped, “That hateful thing, to think he didn’t actually die. What a waste of my grief!”
“Enough, you are actually very happy.” Su Nuan Nuan mercilessly poked at her husband’s mask of fake ‘anger’. As expected, the frown on Duan Tingxuan’s face turned upside down and he took a leisurely sip of tea before grinning. “You’re right, I am in fact, extremely happy. No matter what, having him alive and annoying people is better than him being dead. Though he’s actually very tiresome, but we did have a lot of happy memories together.”
Si Ping said, “Master, are we really going to stay here and wait for them? Now that His Excellency Long is not here, if you leave now they won’t be able to catch up with you.”
Before he could finish speaking, the little marquis drew his leg back and kick out at this servant of his. “You scoundrel. It’s bad enough that you can’t do anything right. You are also brimming with rotten ideas. If I leave now, where would those two go? Are they supposed to wait here and be slaughtered by King Xiangyang’s men? That King might not dare to kill me, but do you think he has such reservations with a Long Pingzhang who had lost his memory? Why don’t you use your head to think before you speak?”
Behind him, Si Ping stuck out his tongue at this master of his. Just who was the one who struck the table and muttered about wishing he could just kick a certain Excellency Long to death? Just how did the story turn to me being unable to take a hint? Looks like the old adage is right, ‘The More One Speaks, The More Mistake One Makes’, in the future, I had better just shut up.
“Nuan Nuan, do you think that fellow really lost his memory? He seemed awfully comfortable about confronting me, ah. Moreover, he grabbed Xiu’er’s hand just now and left unhesitatingly, as though he was not at all afraid that we will just disappear without him. It is as though he knew me perfectly well. If you tell me that he has not fully recovered his memories, I really can’t believe it, ah.”
The more Duan Tingxuan thought about it, the more he felt like something was not right. That was when Su Nuan Nuan piped up, “What’s so strange about it? Didn’t Excellency Long said it before? He had lost his memories not his wits. Before meeting you, the only people he had contact with were kind, honest farmers who lead simple lives and did not have a shred of intrigue in them. Because of this, the genius cells in his mind probably went ‘Oh, there’s nothing for us to do. So, let’s take this opportunity to goof off’. Because his intelligence was not engaged, he developed into a simple man with a kind and honest nature who could not lie for his life.
Then, a wild Duan Tingxuan appeared.
That was when he realised that people could be dangerous, treacherous liars, and all his genius brain cells immediately woke up screaming ‘Enemy! An enemy has arrived!’ and the whole nest of them rushed forth to engage in verbal combat with you. This explains why the longer Excellency Long quarrelled with you, the cleverer he became. To the point that he very nearly recovered his devious tricky personality. This has nothing to do with his memories. The point is that his brain is still the original brilliant brain that won him second place at the imperial exams. Therefore, his basic personality is still the same.”
“I see, I see, that makes sense.” Duan Tingxuan nodded along at her explanation. Suddenly, he shook his head and howled at his wife. “Wei! What are you implying, ah? Simple and kind when surrounded by farmers, but became devious and tricky when encountered me. Are you implying that I am a bad influence?”
Su Nuan Nuan laughed, and shook her head, “You can think whatever you like, ah. It’s not like I can stop you.” She yawned, and stretched. “We’ve been travelling non-stop since early morning today. I’m going to take a short nap, wake me up when it’s time to eat.
With that, she went to bed and flopped backwards, limbs all akimbo. Si Ping glanced over, and immediately made himself scarce. Despite what his master says, he was a servant who knows how to read the situation.
[Gumihou: I’m starting to understand why DTX would like a spicy woman like SNN…]
[1] Dusted their buttocks and set off– leave without concern
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Translated by Gumihou from kitchennovel dot com.
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