Qi Yue wasn't finished, her gaze sweeping over the Wang family members in the room.

"Old Master, don't act so lofty; aren't you just bullying others with your influence? If you were a commoner, would you dare act like this?" she remarked with a smile. "In other words, if I were a commoner, arresting you would be pointless, and beating you would be in vain. But you're unlucky—you ran into me. If you can bully others with status, why can't I? As for hitting my own face, it’s your face you’re slapping when you are surrounded and attacked by me!"

I’ve already transmigrated; that’s bad enough luck. Stop trying to crush me with official authority or status. It’s just a life, just a breath—what’s the big deal? Who are you trying to scare? What do I have to fear!

Wang Tongye’s face turned ashen, his body trembling. It had been a long time since anyone dared speak to him this way. The last time he recalled seeing such an expression was when he was a reckless youth fooling around with peers.

Young people are just too arrogant! This is not a good trait! And she’s a woman! Looking at the man standing beside her, he didn't seem to find any of this improper; rather, he took it as a matter of course!

"Grandfather," Wang the Eldest Young Master suddenly interjected, "I fear there might be a misunderstanding."

"What misunderstanding?" Wang Tongye’s voice was stiff; clearly, he was enraged beyond measure.

"Young Madam, are you saying our people struck your face first?" Wang the Eldest Young Master asked Qi Yue. "Not that you were hit while you were striking us?"

"If you hadn't hit me, would I have hit you? Do I look like such an unreasonable person?" Qi Yue scoffed, casting him a look tinged with contempt.

Am I that foolish? To strike first and give them grounds for complaint? Even if I had the right, it would become baseless!

Wang the Eldest Young Master’s expression stiffened slightly at her retort. Though it was their first meeting, she did indeed appear somewhat unreasonable...

"Grandfather, let's summon the steward to inquire," he said quietly, looking at Wang Tongye.

Wang Tongye grasped the implication in Qi Yue’s statement. He took several deep breaths to suppress his anger and waved his hand.

Only then did the group realize the steward was missing.

After much effort, they located the steward sleeping in a corner by the gatehouse. Beaten a few times, he was dragged to the door, and since everyone else went off to fight, no one bothered with him, so the old man slept soundly in the gatehouse.

"It's him!" Que Zhi immediately shouted upon seeing the disheveled old fellow. "He’s the one who struck our Young Madam! And me too!"

Looking at the steward being hauled in, reeking of wine, then dumped on the ground still half-asleep, Wang Tongye had a rough idea of what had transpired.

This time, they were truly... utterly unlucky!

It proves that incompetent descendants will bring ruin upon the entire household.

"Wake him up," Wang Tongye commanded.

A bucket of icy winter water was thrown over him, and the steward sprang up with a cry.

"What? Who is it?" he yelled. "You little brat, you little slut, I'll kill you..."

Que Zhi quickly stepped in front of him, and the steward obligingly shouted the phrase.

"Shizi Ye..." She rushed towards Chang Yuncheng like a startled little rabbit.

Ah Hao reached out to stop her.

"Don't be afraid, we’re all here. See if he dares hit you now," she scoffed, very considerately pulling Que Zhi into her embrace.

The Wang family members sighed inwardly.

"Villain!" Wang Tongye roared. "You got drunk and didn't return home, what were you stirring up trouble for here! Kneel!"

The steward had sobered up halfway from the cold water. Coupled with the Old Master's shout, as he knelt, his eyes flickered around the room. Seeing several familiar women, his heart instantly lurched, and the hazy memories of his drunken state brought a cold sweat to his brow.

"Old Master, I was muddled; I shouldn't have indulged in drink," he wailed, slapping his own face repeatedly.

"Do you recognize who these people are? Why didn't you report their arrival?" Wang Tongye demanded, pointing at Qi Yue and her party.

The steward glanced at Qi Yue in panic.

"I saw them at the gate, but I was muddled with drink and didn't clearly hear or recall which Madam it was..." he stammered, bowing his head repeatedly towards Qi Yue. "I deserve death for offending the Madam; I deserve death for being too drunk to announce you..."

Qi Yue frowned slightly. Could they be this unlucky? Did her announcement of her identity fail to reach the masters of the Wang family, stopping instead at this drunken steward? And then...

Was that really the case?

"If we had known it was the Young Madam of Marquis Dingxi who had arrived, how could we have ignored you?" Wang the Eldest Young Master remarked from the side. "Young Madam, you are not unreasonable, and neither are we."

He cast a meaningful glance at Qi Yue as he spoke.

The implication was: You aren't foolish, and neither are we—we wouldn't create grounds for criticism in a matter like this.

Indeed. It seemed this time they were truly... unlucky.

"Then this is truly a misunderstanding compounded by another misunderstanding, and then another," she said with a wry smile, spreading her hands.

Her smile only made her swollen face look worse.

Chang Yuncheng felt an unquenchable irritation churning within him.

"A misunderstanding? Even if it was a misunderstanding, a beating still occurred," he said coldly.

Wang Tongye's expression, which had just started to soften, instantly clouded over again.

"Then what does Shizi Ye require?" he asked calmly.

"The hand that struck must pay," Chang Yuncheng replied just as calmly.

The moment these words were spoken, everyone in the room’s expression shifted slightly.

Qi Yue was also startled.

The steward’s face turned pale, but having lived this long, climbing from a mere stable hand to the steward of the outer court, he hadn't relied on sheer luck.

"Old Master, this is all my fault. Never mind the hands; I have no face left to claim this life," he choked out, bowing repeatedly. "I will go end things myself right now..."

Since this entire affair was a misunderstanding, Qi Yue decided to let it go. In the end, neither side gained an advantage. She endured an inexplicable beating, and the Wang family lost considerable face; it was a wash.

"Forget it, since it was a misunderstanding..." Qi Yue quickly whispered, pulling Chang Yuncheng aside.

Wang Tongye had already stood up. He first shouted down the steward who was rising, covering his face as he tried to rush out, then looked coldly at Chang Yuncheng.

"Since Shizi Ye wishes to resolve this misunderstanding in this manner," he began slowly, "then how do you plan to resolve the misunderstanding of you inciting the crowd to besiege the main gate of my Wang residence?" He spoke slowly. "While the gate of my home may not compare to the grandeur of your Marquisate of Dingxi residence, the two characters 'Wang Zhai' were personally bestowed by the Emperor when I returned to my hometown in Rongyang..."

The Emperor bestowed the characters! Qi Yue was greatly shocked. In ancient times, this was no small matter. If brought up, regardless of the two characters, even the highest-ranking official would have to kneel if told to!

Blast it, this time it’s a head-on collision...

The steward knelt to the side, covering his face. On his seemingly tearful face, there was a hint of relieved smiling. As the patriarch of the family, Wang Tongye was bound to defend his kin. No matter how much fault the steward had, punishing him privately was one thing, but allowing an outsider to mete out punishment was an issue of the entire Wang family's honor.

How could someone of Wang Tongye’s standing allow a junior to embarrass him like this?

If the Marquis of Dingxi himself had come, perhaps. But unfortunately...

The steward’s smile deepened. Everyone in Yongqing Prefecture, even the court, knew perfectly well what kind of man the Marquis of Dingxi was...

A Shizi is still a Shizi; he has a father above him. No matter how aggressive you are, what can you do if your own father won't back you? Why should others treat you with courtesy?

Chang Yuncheng’s expression remained unchanged, his cold gaze still fixed on Wang Tongye. Just as he was about to speak, someone shouted from outside.

"Marquis of Dingxi... Arrived."

The announcement was cut short as seven or eight guards escorted the Marquis of Dingxi inside. Behind them, the Wang family retainers followed in disarray, attempting to intercept.

The Marquis of Dingxi had actually come! Everyone in the room was astonished again, and even the steward stopped crying in surprise.

"How to resolve it?" The Marquis of Dingxi didn't even look at Chang Yuncheng or Qi Yue upon entering. He strode directly toward Wang Tongye, standing almost in front of him. "How to resolve it?"

He shouted loudly, his voice trembling, whether from agitation or something else.

"Wang! Your family plaque was bestowed by the Emperor, so it cannot be smashed or rushed? My daughter-in-law was granted her marriage by the Emperor, yet you beat and curse her?"

At these words, Wang Tongye’s expression also changed.

Damn it, he had truly forgotten that point, or perhaps, it had never registered in his mind.

"My Lord Marquis, this matter is a misunderstanding..." he said, his expression softening.

"A misunderstanding?" The Marquis of Dingxi cut him off, his face flushed crimson. "Easy enough. Let us both submit memorials, explain this misunderstanding, and see how the Emperor rules!"

If this truly went to the Emperor, setting aside how the Emperor might scold them for such trivial squabbles, the court officials would certainly turn it into a public laughingstock.

Moreover, compared to the Wang family, who maintained their prestige through official careers, the Marquis of Dingxi, a hereditary noble who could live comfortably as long as he didn't rebel or commit treason, was akin to a man with bare feet versus one wearing shoes—the former had nothing to lose.

Simply put: the Marquis of Dingxi didn't care about his reputation, but the Wang family could not afford such a disgrace.

"My Lord Marquis, how can such trivial childish play be brought before His Majesty!" Wang Tongye declared firmly, reaching out to grab the Marquis of Dingxi’s arm. "The affairs of the children should be resolved by the children. We elders shouldn't complicate matters..."

The Marquis of Dingxi spat out a disdainful sound.

Just as his grandfather had said, some people are only tough on the outside; if you press hard, they turn soft.

"The children’s affair?" he said indignantly, shaking off Wang Tongye’s hand. "Then why were you threatening my two children just now? Old Master Wang, they say that the old grow childish in their old age—are you using your age to consider yourself a child now?"

Wang Tongye wished he could spit right in the Marquis of Dingxi's face, yet he was deeply surprised.

He was not entirely unfamiliar with the Marquis of Dingxi, knowing him to be nothing more than a boisterous drunkard, the sort who feared trouble most and avoided responsibility, hiding under the guise of pursuing elegance like a tortoise in its shell.

By rights, shouldn't he be hiding at home, pretending ignorance, and then, when Wang Tongye sought an explanation later, feign anger, scold his own people, and strive to settle the matter quietly?

Why was he acting as if injected with chicken blood today, refusing to let go and insisting on escalating the situation?

"My Lord Marquis, you didn't see it—my home was suddenly surrounded late at night! Surely we can’t be forbidden from asking questions or feeling indignant? Such a major incident demands an explanation from us!" A younger member of the Wang family couldn't hold back and stepped forward to speak.

The moment he stepped out, Wang Tongye and Wang the Eldest Young Master simultaneously sensed disaster, but before they could stop him, the Marquis of Dingxi spoke.

"An explanation?" He shoved Wang Tongye aside and charged toward the young man, delivering a resounding slap. "What a joke! Your Wang family first seized my people, then assaulted my Young Madam, and now you demand an explanation from me? Murder demands a life; what explanation is needed? I slap you now for speaking disrespectfully to a commoner junior—is that your explanation? Do you understand now?"

Everyone in the room stared blankly, including Chang Yuncheng and Qi Yue.

Is this... is this really the Marquis of Dingxi who prided himself on refinement, despised vulgarity, remained aloof from other people's affairs, and hid when his own affairs were involved?

Did someone else transmigrate into his body?

Qi Yue had that fleeting thought.