Chapter 4

“Seriously, Sister, even if it’s not for my face or your own reputation, you shouldn’t beat someone up in public like this. What if this gets out? Mother will be furious.”

Xiao Baoshu was securely tied up and thrown onto the carriage, so he took the opportunity to lie down and his entire body was relaxed. He really had a strong and natural ability to adapt.

His appearance was sixty to seventy percent similar to Xiao Baoxin. He had red lips and white teeth, and was also a handsome young man.

If one didn’t know his character well enough, anyone would think that he was a graceful and elegant young master.

“You also know how much effort Father and Mother put in for your marriage. Although the Chen prefecture’s Yuan family can’t be compared to a top aristocratic family like Wang Xie’s family, it can still be considered a high status one. If not for Father’s many years of managing and Aunt mediating the relationship between them, the Yuan family probably wouldn’t even look up to our family… Aristocratic families value rules the most. Sister, you should be more careful…”

“…I have completed a divine forecast for you. The marriage between both of you won’t be that great.” Xiao Baoshu muttered softly. Although he was young, he had used all his heart on worrying for this family.

The current Emperor came from a clan with a low status. He fought in the east and west and killed more than ten emperors before finally establishing the Liang Kingdom.

In this chaotic world, those aristocratic families had no choice but to pledge their allegiance. On the one hand, they had to submit. But on the other hand, they looked down on the royal family that was born from a peasant family. They would always act high and mighty, sacred and inviolable.

If one were to talk about the Xiao Family, Xiao Baoxin’s father, Xiao Yun, was not even worth anything back then. He had relied entirely on his martial arts to become a general.

At that time, the current emperor was not even the crown prince. He was just a prince who was not favored. However, when the crown prince attempted to force the old emperor to abdicate, the princes who were assigned to various places all stood up to rebel. Xiao Yun clearly stood on the emperor’s side and fought his way all the way to Jiankang City. He killed everything in his way until he reached the emperor’s throne.

From then on, Xiao Yun earned the merit of protecting the Emperor, and enjoyed glory, splendor, wealth, and endless favor.

Except that the aristocratic families did not even look up to the Emperor who had a humble origin, let alone the Xiao Family, who was favored by such an Emperor.

Xiao Yun was born into a poor little landowning household. Even though he was looked down upon by those large and influential families, he still had the pride of a landowning household within him. He wholeheartedly wanted to revitalize his family’s status, and marriage was the most effective method to improve his status.

The aunt that Xiao Baoshu spoke of was actually not a real aunt. She was just a distant relative. However, because they both had the surname Xie, outsiders were eager to form connections with them. Her ‘aunt’ was from a true aristocratic family, the Xie family of Chen prefecture.

The Liang dynasty followed the traditions from the previous dynasty. Aristocratic families formed marriage alliances, almost controlling the entire privileged class.

As the saying goes, if one doesn’t fall from the carriage, one can be an official; if one can write a few lines, one can be a secretary— no matter what status a person is born with, they can inherit an official’s position.

No matter how noble their Xiao family was, they were merely the Emperor’s favored subjects. In the eyes of the aristocratic families and landowning households, they were just nouveau riche. They could not look up to them at all. Fortunately, this aunt of his was someone who had an amicable relationship with both sides. They had known each other for many years, and because the Xiao family had indeed accumulated many merits, they were able to protect the marriage agreement with the Yuan family.

Xiao Baoxin usually stayed in the backyard, but she also knew her parents’ schemes. Now that Xiao Baoshu was talking about her marriage, it seemed like he was talking about her on the surface. But who didn’t know that he was purely changing the topic?

“If you really want to think about my reputation, why don’t you behave in an upright manner? Don’t learn from those profligate sons of rich families and rely on their family’s power to run amok,” Xiao Baoxin said calmly.

“How am I acting recklessly?” Xiao Baoshu did not admit his offense. Compared to the profligate sons in Jiankang City, his behavior was so healthy and beneficial!

He raised his eyebrows and looked unconcerned.

“Sister, you’re too calculative. Can’t you see what the young masters of Jiankang City are fooling with now? You’re calling me a troublemaker when I’m like this. If you really see those so-called young masters of aristocratic families running naked, won’t you dig out your own eyeballs?”

“You, you’ve been locked up in the back of the house by mother for so long that you’ve become silly—”

“Brother has a mistress outside. Sister-in-law is making a fuss in front of Mother now.” Xiao Baoxin interrupted his nonsense with a straight face.

She had a younger brother who was so immature, and a pair of brother and sister-in-law who always demanded a divorce at the first sign of disagreement. What reputation did she need?

“What?!”

Xiao Baoshu would have jumped out of the carriage if he hadn’t been tied up with a rope. “I knew Xiao Baoshan wasn’t a good person! His divine lot indicated that he was a refined scum and not a good person!”

His every word had to do with divine lots. It was a waste of talent not to set up a stall to read fortunes for others.

“Did your divine lot say that if you continue to do this, you will easily meet a bloody calamity?” Xiao Baoxin smiled.

“…Even doctors don’t treat themselves,” Xiao Baoshu muttered. “So fortune-tellers also don’t tell their own fortune. Anyway, I did a good job of fortune-telling for Father. He will be harmonious with his wife and his children will have smooth-sailing luck!”

Could it be that Xiao Baoshan was not a descendant of the Xiao Family?

“Don’t be so long-winded. The family is in a mess right now, so stop it. Don’t create more chaos.” Xiao Baoxin glanced at him. “Otherwise, you know.”

… He was used to being beaten up.

Xiao Baoshu retorted, “What do they mean by that? The couple have always settled their own matters. They are always the ones enjoying moments of happiness. But if something goes wrong, will they look for our mother to make up for it? They need someone to stand in front of them, but they don’t need to stand in front of others. Unfortunately, we are a family. If their reputation is tarnished, our reputation will be tarnished as well. It’s not like we can ask our mother to leave them alone.”

“It’s just raising a mistress, how is it worth it to cause such a ruckus. Big brother’s way of controlling his wife is really lacking!”

Xiao Baoxin frowned slightly. “Just raising a mistress? Xiao Baoshu, do you know that Sister-in-law is six months pregnant and will give birth in four months? Does a man not even have this sense of responsibility and have to insist on fooling around outside during this time?”

If this had happened to her, she would definitely hit him so hard that he won’t be able to take care of himself!

Although she didn’t like Madam Cai, she didn’t like what Xiao Baoshan had done either.

In the first place, it was not right to keep a mistress. Yet when his wife was pregnant, he would still be lovey-dovey with his wife, while flirting around like a butterfly outside!

He really deserved a beating!

Unexpectedly, Xiao Baoshu’s brows twitched when he heard this. The corner of his mouth twitched, and he had an expression that said he wanted to say something but he didn’t.

“Sister, I’ve read your fortune. Your husband can be considered to be… handsome and suave… You won’t lack any suitors.”

Was this a compliment? n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Xiao Baoxin did not know where he had learned these words from. Even his praises sounded more piercing than insults alone. Her brother had really gone through a lot of trouble just to remind her.

“You don’t have to worry about me.”

“How can I not care? You are my sister, my biological sister!” Xiao Baoshu was agitated. “I am doing this for your own good!”