Transmigrated as the Villainess, She Made the General Blush - Chapter 73 - Brother Yunxiao 1

Chapter 73 – Brother Yunxiao 1

“Then he really was too careless. He couldn’t even bear to spend eight taels of silver on a dress, yet he dared to find someone to cause trouble at my door with a cheap imitation.”

Xiao Wangshu let out a cold laugh, her narrow phoenix eyes filled with contempt.

Xiao Pingnan spoke up, “Mu Chengyang is, after all, too young and has been spoiled by his family. He won’t amount to anything great, so there’s no need to pay him any mind.

“After today’s commotion, he was invited to the prefectural magistrate’s office by the guards for a cup of tea. He’ll likely have to apologize publicly in front of your Brocade Gate tomorrow to explain the truth.

“Furthermore, the dress he had imitated belonged to the Gu family’s Young Lady. For him to have observed the dress Gu Yongjia was wearing so closely at such a young age is truly wretched.

“Add to that his previous outburst at Old Lady Gu’s birthday banquet, where he threatened to strip Gu Yongjia of her clothes.

“With the threat coming first and the imitation following after, the Mu Family’s reputation has been thoroughly disgraced by him anyway.”

Xiao Wangshu gave a light chuckle. “Forget it. He’s a low-life not worth mentioning; bickering with him would be beneath me. If he really goes to Brocade Gate to apologize tomorrow, let him apologize to Ruan Fuxin.”

“Fourth Sister, oh Fourth Sister, you really are something!” Xiao Pingnan shook his head with a smile.

This Fourth Sister of his was truly ruthless in her methods.

Making the pampered Tenth Young Master of the Mu Mansion go to Brocade Gate and publicly apologize to one of her servants-if Mu Chengyang lost his mind then, there was no telling what kind of trouble he’d cause.

Wouldn’t that provide another excuse to send him back to the magistrate’s office for tea?

“I assume you’ve just finished your duties and returned to the mansion, Second Brother. You didn’t come here just to talk about Mu Chengyang, did you?” Xiao Wangshu looked at the armor Xiao Pingnan was wearing.

He hadn’t even removed his plate, clearly having just returned from the palace.

“Nothing gets past you. There is indeed something.” Xiao Pingnan hesitated for a moment before continuing, “The Tuoba Envoy has arrived in the Capital. Among them is the Tuoba Chieftain’s most beloved Little Princess-Tuoba Xin.”

After saying this and seeing no change in Xiao Wangshu’s expression, Xiao Pingnan explained his purpose.

“The Tuoba Little Princess has never been to the Central Plains and knows no one in the Capital. She accompanied her two brothers here, and as a man, I don’t know how to host her.

“I wonder if Fourth Sister would be willing to take on a bit of trouble and visit the Official Lodge more often these days to take the Tuoba Little Princess sightseeing around the Capital?”

“The Tuoba Envoy has already entered the Capital?” Xiao Wangshu calculated the dates; the envoy wasn’t supposed to arrive for another two days.

Xiao Pingnan nodded. “Yes, they arrived faster than I expected.”

Xiao Wangshu didn’t have the leisure to dwell on the matter and replied, “Alright, I understand. Rest assured, Second Brother. Once the Tuoba Envoy has rested, I’ll go. I won’t let the Tuoba Little Princess be bored in the Capital.”

“I’m counting on you, Fourth Sister.” Xiao Pingnan stood up and patted Xiao Wangshu’s shoulder. “As expected, when things come up, it’s most reliable to turn to one’s own siblings.”

Xiao Wangshu also stood up and saw him out of the Moonlight Courtyard, chatting and laughing.

***

At noon the next day, Xiao Wangshu entered the Official Lodge with her arm linked through Fang Qiluo’s.

Inside the lodge, a young girl about the same age as Xiao Wangshu came out, surrounded by maids. The silver bell ornaments tied to her forehead and waist jingled as she moved.

“Are you the Miss from the Xiao family?” The girl’s Central Plains dialect was a bit awkward, but still understandable.

“Princess Tuoba Xin?”

Xiao Wangshu asked. Seeing the other party nod, she smiled, gave a polite greeting, and introduced herself: “I am the Fourth Miss of the Xiao Mansion, the sister of Commander Xiao Pingnan, Xiao Wangshu.”

Tuoba Xin wasn’t very familiar with the etiquette of the Central Plains and returned the greeting somewhat stiffly.

Xiao Wangshu didn’t mind. She pulled Fang Qiluo forward slightly and continued the introductions: “This is the Second Young Miss of the Fang Mansion, my eldest uncle’s daughter, Fang Qiluo.”

Tuoba Xin nodded and exchanged greetings with Fang Qiluo.
“Princess Tuoba, what do you usually enjoy doing back in your tribe?” Xiao Wangshu was the first to speak.

Tuoba Xin thought for a moment before answering, “Horseback riding, archery, and practicing with broadswords.”

Fang Qiluo was shocked. “Women in the Tuoba Tribe are allowed to learn those things?”

Tuoba Xin nodded and asked in return, “Why wouldn’t we be? The girls in our tribe can even go to the battlefield to kill enemies!”

In truth, she didn’t want to come to the Central Plains for a political marriage at all. If it weren’t for the alliance between her father and the Prime Minister of Great Wei, she wouldn’t have come.

As for that Second Young Master of Xiao Mansion, she had seen his portrait before arriving. He looked decent enough; she hadn’t felt any aversion when she saw the painting.

Now that she had seen him in person after arriving in the Capital of Great Wei, he looked quite presentable. She could make it work.

“You all are so amazing!” Fang Qiluo praised her with genuine admiration.

As young ladies of the inner chambers, they spent their time learning poetry, painting, the zither, chess, and needlework. Despite being this old, she had never even been on a horse’s back!

Xiao Wangshu, however, had long since familiarized herself with the customs of the Tuoba Tribe. She showed no surprise and simply said, “A banquet will be held in the palace tonight to welcome the envoys of the Tuoba Tribe.

“We don’t have much time today, so let’s head out for a walk first. I’ll show you around the Capital. Once the palace banquet is over, we’ll find another time to go to my manor to ride horses. How does that sound?”

“That works. Thank you for the arrangement, Miss Xiao.” Tuoba Xin had been staying at the Official Lodge all morning and was already quite bored.

It was only because she was unfamiliar with the place that she hadn’t gone out to run wild yet.

“No need for such formalities. My father and the Tuoba Chieftain are close friends; he often reminds us children to take good care of you. If you ever feel bored in the Capital, you can come to the Xiao Mansion to find me at any time.”

Hearing Xiao Wangshu mention the friendship between their fathers, Tuoba Xin suddenly felt much closer to her. She nodded in agreement. “Alright, I’ll come find you to play then.”

Xiao Wangshu nodded as well and smiled. “Please do, don’t be a stranger. I’ve set up quite a few shops in the Capital. I’ll take you to see them in a bit and see if there are any clothes or jewelry you like.”

After saying that, Xiao Wangshu pulled Fang Qiluo to stand between herself and Tuoba Xin.

“My cousin and I have always wanted to learn riding and archery, but our mothers wouldn’t allow it. They were afraid we’d fall and get hurt.

“Furthermore, there are no female instructors for riding and archery here in the Capital. Having a man teach us personally would be a bit improper.

“So, even though we’ve always wanted to learn, we never could. We could only watch our brothers galloping on the Riding Field at home every day, feeling very envious.

“In a few days, I’ll call some of my brothers and we’ll go to my new manor to play freely. When the time comes, you can teach us and let us feel what it’s like to gallop on horseback.”

“Sure! I’ll teach you!” Tuoba Xin agreed readily.

Fang Qiluo also sighed with emotion. “Life really is more exciting when following my cousin. Just by stepping out today, I’ve had the good fortune to snag the Tuoba Little Princess as our riding and archery instructor.”

Xiao Wangshu smiled faintly. She hooked her arms through theirs from behind, one on each side, and led them out of the Official Lodge.

“Let’s go. We’re going to tour the Capital.”

Seeing Xiao Wangshu walking ahead with an arm around each of them, the servants behind the three of them quickly followed.

This was especially true for the maidservants Tuoba Xin had brought along.

Their Little Princess was the most noble woman in the tribe after the Queen. They had never seen a peer dare to hook arms with their Little Princess like this upon their first meeting, after only a few words of conversation.

This was a first for them.

However, the other party was the most beloved legitimate daughter of the Prime Minister of Great Wei. Strictly speaking, her status was no lower than that of a Princess of Great Wei.

It seemed that being held by her didn’t slight their Little Princess at all.