As Zhou Aimin was about to say something, Mingzhu entered the room. Her breathing was somewhat rushed, and her hair bundled appeared somewhat loose. It was clear that she was in a rush to report something.
Leaning against the wall, Mingzhu said hurriedly, “Young master, Miss Lei Li wants to see you.”
Zhou Aimin stood up and helped Mingzhu to a chair. He said jokingly, “It’s not as though Lady Lei Li is His Majesty himself. Why be in such a hurry?”
Mingzhu shook her head and explained, “Venerable Taoist, Miss Lei did not care for the gatekeeper, walking past him without waiting for young master’s permission. Were it not for Sir Gao, she would have arrived in this room before me.”
Hearing Mingzhu describing Lei Li, Jing Wen frowned. It appeared that His Majesty had chosen him a rather shameless marriage candidate. To enter into someone’s household without permission was no different from acting as though a thief, and was sufficient excuse for the other party to bring the case before yamen.
Swiftly leaving the room, Jing Wen found Gao Shu staying off Lei Li from approaching any further with a pole he had found somewhere. Lei Li stood a little past the main gate, and appeared rather lovely, albeit her physique was somewhat fragile. She bore a unique charm that was difficult to describe, akin to the feeling one would get from a naughty pet. And when this lively nature was paired with the bright pink dress that closely followed her curves, her spirited and mischievous nature was truly brought out. Yet her appearance and her attire was eclipsed by her exceptionally pure eyes, which were like the rare gems from Wutianzhu (五天竺).
She appeared utterly unlike the descriptions of the portrait; she was not weak or sickly at all, and instead as energetic as a newborn cub.
Facing Gao Shu Lei Li herself appeared unbothered; flipping her hand, she took hold of the other end of the pole, and with a gentle tug, the pole slipped between Gao Shu’s hands without any resistance.
This scene was far more shocking than what it may appear. Gao Shu was a Body Supplementation stage cultivator; however, he could stand on equal ground with most Heart Purification cultivators and even some Qi Manifestation experts such as Mo Xi. For Lei Li to seize the pole with such ease meant she was at least an expert on the late Heart Purification state.
As Lei Li was about to use the pole to flip open the gauze hiding Gao Shu’s face, she noticed the approaching Jing Wen. Throwing away the heavy stick into a nearby pile of snow nearby, she smiled adorably, appearing like a little beast. She said, “Jing Wen, you made me wait long enough.”
Jing Wen used his remarkable willpower to suppress his displease. Giving a light bow toward Lei Li, Jing Wen said, “Then I must ask Lady Lei for forgiveness.”
Lei Li continued to be shameless, saying, “Apology accepted.”
Hearing this, Jing Wen was exasperated. He have met countless shameless individuals, yet none were as audacious as her. Coupled with her outrageous prowess capable of matching him at his peak, Jing Wen was unsure how to make Lei Li depart from his manor in a civilised manner. Still, Jing Wen’s education though him to always remain on the high ground, so he said cooly, “What has Lady Lei come here for?”
Lei Li answered nonchalantly, “I’m here for the matters regarding the marriage.”
If Jing Wen had not the intention of rejecting all the marriage candidates, including Lei Li, from the start, he would undoubtedly have those intentions now. Still, these sort of things should be discussed over a meal, or at least after some acts of courtesy.
Jing Wen said respectfully, “Lady Lei, it is still early. There is no reason for you to be in such haste, and certainly, no reason for you to be so discourteous towards the gatekeeper.” Towards the end of the sentence, Jing Wen unconsciously let out some of his frustrations, speaking in a much more reprimanding tone.
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Lei Li unceremoniously sat atop an artificial mountain. Looking at Jing Wen, she said, “I’m not bothered for staying too long over here, but I don’t want to spend the entire time on the marriage matters.”
“So I’ll save both yours and my time.” Lei Li crossed her legs and leaned back against the mountain as she said, “I don’t like you.”
Very promptly, Lei Li added, “Although your looks are pretty good, I just don’t like you. Why not just forfeit it?”
In this world, the legal status of women was far below that of a man. In matters such as marriage, it was impossible for women to forfeit it unless they held an extremely high position. Yet no matter how capable she was at martial arts, Lei Li had only a merchant background, while Jing Wen was directly related to the royal family, not to mention the edict was from the Emperor himself.
Thus, Lei Li had relied on insults to force Jing Wen’s hands. Any prideful youngster would begin to argue loudly and immediately cancel the candidacy in a fit of rage. Perhaps they would personally seek the Emperor and demand Lei Li to be unwed her entire life.
Certainly, Jing Wen was indeed angered. After all, he was no Buddha, but instead a prideful youth; how could he allow Lei Li to continue any further?
Yet there was a problem.
Jing Wen had planned to reject Lei Li from the beginning, yet what Lei Li had done would cause anyone to walk the opposite path out of spite. For Jing Wen, this new path was to do away with the idea of forfeiting the marriage.
His hands hidden within his robes clenched as he said, “Miss Lei, I believe you are mistaken. I have intended to cancel the edict from the start.”
Lei Li was very shocked. She hurriedly said, “ Ah, that’s good. I’m glad you can see reason.”
Jing Wen suddenly became very serious as he said, “But I’ve changed my mind.”
The wind blowing seemed to have suddenly become cold, and the mood oppressive.
Lei Li felt something was wrong.
Suppressing the discomfort in her chest, Lei Li tried to sound warm, saying, “Why say this? Since you already know the logic is it then…”
Before Lei Li could finish, Jing Wen personally went up to the artificial mountain and seized her. Compared to Gao Shu, who was acting with reason, Jing Wen’s method was far more direct; he injected the extremely pure Yang qi that was still at the peak due to his advancement into Lei Li’s acupuncture, paralysing her.
Perhaps it was because she was relatively inexperienced, or simply still stun from Jing Wen’s sudden change of mind, Lei Li did not have the opportunity to resist. However, as Jing Wen transported Lei Li, he still acted with the rules of propriety, carefully bringing Lei Li to the carriage that had brought her here.
‘Looking’ at the carriage driver, Jing Wen found that he was respectful towards Lei Li, instead of the fear that most servants would feel towards an overbearing master or mistress. Regardless, Jing Wen coldly instructed the servant, “Bring your mistress back. I will bring her out to wander about in the afternoon so that she has sufficient time to prepare.”
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Once Jing Wen returned, he saw Zhou Aimin fanning himself, the motion of his hand slightly faster than usual.
“Fellow Jing, surely you are not going to marry Lady Lei out of spite?” Zhou Aimin asked.
Jing Wen shook his head. Now that he had regained his calm, he naturally realised the rashness of his decision. Still, to back down now was to admit defeat towards the audacious girl, and Jing Wen was utterly unwilling to do such a thing until he had taught Lei Li exactly how high the heavens were, and how thick earth is (天高地厚).
Shaking his head, Jing Wen said, “I will merely force her to accompany me with some time, giving her the impression that I intend to marry her before cancelling His Majesty’s edict. Lady Lei is simply too immature; the lesson will benefit her in the future.”
“Additionally, I have no intention of spending my life with such a shameless person.”
Zhou Aimin breathed out a sigh containing many emotions. Looking at Jing Wen, he said, “Fellow Jing, it is good that you at least practice moderation. I have no intentions in commenting any further since you have no desire of wedding Lady Lei. However, I must remind you not to indulge yourself.”
Jing Wen gracefully accepted Zhou Aimin’s advice with a small bow. Zhou Aimin, seeing this, unconsciously lifted the corners of his mouth. After sometime, Zhou Aimin said, “However, it is rather strange that Lady Lei Li has only come after you have largely recovered from the injuries suffered in the hands of Liu Shan.”
Jing Wen found Zhou Aimin’s question indeed very reasonable. If she had visited earlier, he certainly would have been unable to restraint her, even if she was in a stunned state. After pondering deeply for a long moment, he said, “Perhaps I have misjudged her character?”
Zhou Aimin thought Jing Wen’s conclusion was still insufficient. Shaking his head, he said, “Although she held no intents of harm, her actions sufficient for severe punishment through law. Unless she was a fool, I cannot reason how she would act so audaciously without sufficient strength and background to back her demands.”
Jing Wen frowned, saying, “On the subject of Miss Lei’s strength, I truly do not know how she could become a Heart Purification expert. Her physique is too weak to train the physical technique, and her carefree nature would prevent her from mastering anything that demands the use of spirit. I cannot think of any approach that can allow someone of her nature to reach such a high state.”
What Jing Wen said was extremely reasonable. There was only so many paths that one could approach in cultivation, the most popular form was through martial arts, while those who did not practice martial arts used certain methods to condense Qi into objects. Aside from a few obscure approaches, such as divination, there was no way for an individual to become a cultivator.
After a long moment, Zhou Aimin thought of a certain matter. The fan in his hand came to a stop as he mentioned, “Isn’t Lady Lei’s conditions rather similar to those of Consort Li?”