Chapter 97 The Absurdity of Farce

为南方的冰一打赏灵兽蛋加更（4.28）

**************************

"On idle days I climb high to lament the past; there were many fine men, who took risks and achieved miraculous deeds, but it was not only men who had such feats, women too had their extraordinary rights."

"Tiyi saved her father, a tale rare in ancient and modern times, and acted as a soldier in his stead, a story even more astonishing. The remarkable woman we're speaking about today is none other than the Young Madam of Fang Family, daughter of Monarch of Justice Jun Yingwen, Miss Jun."

The teahouse was filled with people, who, while eating the food on their tables, also watched the stage, and the waiters maneuvered among them carrying teapots, listening intermittently to the new storytelling.

Miss Jun was no stranger to the people of Yangcheng, indeed a remarkable woman.

Since she had come to Yangcheng, Miss Jun had added countless pleasures and topics of conversation to everyone's lives, especially as the people linked to her were also the ones the citizens of Yangcheng were most familiar and most willing to talk about.

"...Miss Jun finally met Tenth Noble Son Ning at the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth of August, truly a breathtaking sight, and from then on, it was a tragedy of love, immediately composing countless poems..."

The storyteller closed his folding fan, posed like a bashful woman pondering and about to write a poem.

"On the east a lantern, on the west a lantern, I wish it was a moonlit lantern shining upon my beloved."

Laughter erupted in the teahouse.

.........….

With a bang, Eldest Madam Ning slammed the table again.

The maidservant who was speaking stopped.

Third Madam Ning and Fourth Madam Ning also stopped laughing.

"What a disgusting incident, yet it's being discussed like this; she's not ashamed, but Ning Yunzhao is," said Eldest Madam Ning with a cold expression.

Third Madam Ning gave a light cough.

"Indeed, the Fang Family wanted to divert attention, so they brought up such an issue; this is their own daughter-in-law, how shameful," she said with disdain.

"Why mention their own family's affairs as anything goes, why drag others into it?" Fourth Madam Ning also said angrily.

"Master, if they keep dragging our Yunzhao into this, it won't do," said Eldest Madam Ning, looking at Eldest Master Ning.

Eldest Master Ning, however, remained calm and gestured to the maidservant.

"Continue, I'd like to hear more on how the Fang Family will discuss this remarkable woman," he said.

The maidservant nodded fearfully, glancing at Eldest Madam Ning, who closed her eyes to rest and ignored her, so the maidservant continued.

Miss Jun's previous scandals were not particularly rare, merely various uproars during her engagement, such as attempting suicide or causing disturbances at the feudal authority.

These incidents, exaggerated by the storyteller, drew bursts of laughter in the teahouse.

"Hey, wait, that's not right," someone realized amid laughter, patting his companion, "making light of Young Madam of Fang's matters, but the Fang Family now has an imperial decree, how can this be!"

His companion also realized.

"Yes, this is a bit too much," he said, his expression somewhat alarmed, "the Fang Family can have the county magistrate execute someone just like that, we shouldn't end up as collateral damage."

A chilling silence gradually settled over the hall as the storyteller's piercing voice echoed, sounding somewhat eerie.

This scene was somewhat familiar.

Not long ago, when Miss Jun was still a joke and the Fang Family was just a wealthy merchant in Yangcheng, the most feared force in Yangcheng, the Jinyiwei, to celebrate their greatest backer in the capital, Thousand-Man Commander Lu and his marriage to Princess Jiuli, had coerced a group of storytellers to publicize the news in winehouses and teahouses.

Everyone was required to celebrate and be joyous, and those who dared not were met with mysteriously inevitable but reasonably expected misfortunes.

This time, it seemed that everyone was expected to celebrate and be joyous about the past of Young Madam of Fang.

The past of Young Madam of Fang was not at all glorious.

A woman's absurd and laughable past being discussed publicly, this was not a show of good intentions.

So was this the doing of the Fang Family or the Jinyiwei?

Should they be joyful or sympathetic? This truly is a question.

"If it's the Jinyiwei's idea, then it implies that those above are displeased with the Fang Family's actions," Eldest Master Ning tapped on the desk and spoke slowly.

The narrative maidservant once again paused, standing quietly in the room, listening to Eldest Master Ning's words.

Eldest Madam Ning, Third Madam Ning, and Fourth Madam Ning all showed signs of pleasure.

"However, my younger brother didn't convey such intentions," Eldest Master Ning added, frowning.

"The actions of the Jinyiwei are always secretive, it's normal for the second uncle to be unaware," said Eldest Madam Ning.

Eldest Master Ning did not respond, pondering for a moment.

"If it's not the Jinyiwei's idea, then it must be the idea of the Fang Family," he said, "The Fang Family..."

He tapped on the desk.

"The Fang Family doesn't want this Young Lady Fang anymore, I assume."

The always docile and submissive Ning Yunyan, who stood quietly on the side like she did not exist, suddenly had her eyes light up.

That malicious and despicable Jun Zhenzhen, was she finally being kicked out by the Fang Family, discarded like a used rag?

"Indeed, this Miss Jun caused quite an uproar, found hanged with a rope in the inn, fortunately discovered just in time to be saved,"

"Old Lady Fang rushed to embrace Miss Jun and cried bitterly, lamenting that she had lost her husband, son, and daughter, only you and Chengyu remain, Chengyu won't survive, you don't wish to survive."

"Enough, enough, life is not determined by fate but by people, I accept the destiny of a parent burying a child, if you wish to die then go ahead, if you live you can't enter the Ning Family's door, but if you die, I'll send you to the Ning Family's tomb."

The storyteller stood on the stage like an old woman beating her chest and stomping her feet, expressing her sorrow and helplessness to the heavens.

Even though the audience below was silent and tense, they couldn't help but feel a bit of sorrow and pain as well.

The sorrow of a white-haired person sending off a black-haired one is indeed the saddest thing in the world, and the pain of those who wish to live but cannot, and those who can live but do not wish to, is also the most painful thing in the world.

Old Lady Fang met both sadness and pain; it's an unfortunate circumstance beyond words.

But obviously, this feeling of sadness often only applies to those unrelated to oneself; for example, for Eldest Madam Ning, there was not a trace of sadness, only anger.

"What do you mean by 'sending to our Ning Family's tomb' after her death?" she fumed, "Since when did she get to decide for our Ning Family?"

"It might not be impossible though," Eldest Master Ning said, "The Fang Family has the imperial decree."

Holding the imperial decree and seizing our Ning Family's property is impossible, but using it to force our Ning Family into accepting a marriage proposal isn't something impossible.

After all, the marriage proposal is real.

Eldest Madam Ning was at a loss for words and took her fan, shaking it vigorously.

"What else? What else did they say?" she asked the maidservant, her usually gentle voice becoming a bit anxious.

"Next, Old Lady Fang cried her heart out, and upon hearing this, Miss Jun, who had returned from the brink, suddenly realized and thought of her deceased parents and her only remaining relative, her maternal grandmother. Hence, she gave up her obsessions and no longer entangled with the Ning Family," the maidservant said, "Then she decided to marry her cousin, Fang Chengyu, adding familial love and fulfilling her grandmother and aunt's wish, and also bringing auspiciousness to her cousin."

"And what happened next?" Fourth Madam Ning sneered, "One could say good deeds are rewarded, and heaven has opened its eyes. The Fang Family has reached the pinnacle from the nadir, and Young Master Fang has also recovered from his illness. Are all these thanks to Miss Jun bringing auspiciousness?"

"They talked so much, still ending up praising their Fang Family for being blessed by heaven and being extremely fortunate and virtuous," Third Madam Ning also sneered, "Why bother with all this effort, just take out half of the family's fortune and let Monk Nianzhi directly proclaim that their Fang Family is blessed by divine beings and the reincarnation of a heavenly star, wouldn't that be more convincing?"

"That's absurd," Eldest Madam Ning laughed as she waved her fan, "It seems the Fang Family has gone mad."

*************************************************************

Thank you to MAX Stone for rewarding two Spirit Beast Eggs (（づ￣3￣）づ╭?〜）

Thank you to Military & Wei, Miss Jun, and Southern Ice for rewarding He's Bi.

Thank you, thank you, the double reward is still continuing, sorry to bother everyone, it's been tough.