She Became A Downfall Noble Lady
Chapter 450 - 448 Already Accommodating You

Chapter 450: Chapter 448 Already Accommodating You

Lian Gui did not wait long before reporting: Two boys had arrived, asking whether to bring them in or not.

Duke An waved his hand, "Let them in." He hadn’t felt such joy in many years; the children of his own mansion had won in a brawl. Moreover, they were outnumbered and yet overcame their stronger adversaries. For a military general who had battled on the field for most of his life, could there be anything more gratifying?

Three children walked in one after another. Jiuhua, trailing at the rear, looked a bit uneasy, but Qi Sanshun and Qi Jiaer seemed more at ease. Before coming out, their big sister had instructed them to just go to Duke An’s place and say whatever came to mind without fear, assuring them that nothing untoward would happen.

In the eyes of Qi Sanshun and Qi Jiaer, Ye Xinyan was someone who could handle anything and never made mistakes. Since big sister had said there would be no issues, then there definitely wouldn’t be any, right? Big sister had also said that those boys deserved a solid thrashing, so they hadn’t done anything wrong, had they?

Upon seeing the three, Ji Guangwen immediately jumped up and yelled, "It was them, these few wild brats. Pretending to be noble sons, pah!"

Qi Jiaer, remembering his sister’s words to speak freely in answer to any questions, knew better than to speak up since Duke had yet to ask anything. Still, he couldn’t help but shoot Ji Guangwen a disdainful glance from the corner of his eye.

The young masters from wealthy families in the capital were nothing special after all, not even as good as a village kid like him—at least he wouldn’t cry when getting into a fight.

Seeing three swollen-faced children the same age walk in left Xing Bin and others dumbfounded. These were the kids who made their five boys cry for their parents? They were so young...

Qi Sanshun and the others stepped forward to salute Duke An and after rising, they took a look around the room. By all accounts, this gathering seemed like one to accuse and settle disputes. Since Duke had not required them to salute the others, perhaps it was best to wait and see?

Duke An did not ask them to salute but instead beckoned the three over with a wave of his hand, "Come here, stand beside Duke Granpda." The children moved over in succession, and Duke An lovingly patted each of their heads, beaming with joy.

Hmm, these lads weren’t bad at all. It had only been a few days, and they were already bringing honor to Duke Granpda.

As the attendees saw Duke An’s reaction, they realized he was not about to advocate for them but rather appeared to be indulging in fond satisfaction. They had misunderstood the situation.

Duke An pointed to the three children standing in front of him and said, "Just as the Ji family boys said, it was them. You all saw, these three, I won’t bother with the details, let’s just follow what Young Master Xing mentioned, it was a fight."

Duke An turned to Xing Zhonghe, "Since it was a fight, it comes down to personal ability. This child here is nine years old, this one eight, and the youngest is not even six. I would like to know, how old are the children of your families?"

Xing Zhonghe looked extremely displeased. His own younger brother, could he be compared with these wild brats? No matter the circumstances, it pained and angered him to know his brother had been beaten. Yet, this was difficult to articulate, especially in the presence of Duke An.

Xing Bin glanced over his side’s children; although the youngest was also around eight or nine, the rest were around eleven or twelve years old. These little rascals hadn’t mentioned how old their opponents were, simply crying over being beaten. They had been defeated by children so young?

A man sitting next to the Ji family, seeing that Xing Bin remained silent, spoke up, "Duke, you cannot say that. As Young Master Xing mentioned earlier, our children are raised spoiled and coddled, unlike countryside children who are rough and tough. They don’t mind taking a few hits and can still throw punches. Our mansion’s children have never suffered such pain before—after a few strikes, they naturally lack the power to fight back."

Xing Bin almost wanted to cover his face when he heard this. What kind of brain did Vice Minister Liu’s brother have, to say such things?

Duke An chuckled twice and asked Qi Sanshun, "Brother Shun, does it hurt to be hit with fists and kicks? If you were hurt in a fight, how would you explain it to your parents when you got home?"

"Of course it hurts, anyone who gets hit would feel pain," then Qi Sanshun continued proudly, "Children with ambition don’t go home and tell their parents after a fight, that would just make them a laughing stock among their peers. If they told their parents, they’d get another beating at home. We don’t voluntarily speak of our fights to the adults at home."

Duke An, without looking at the others present, then asked Qi Jiaer, "How about you? Your face was swollen from being hit, did you go and tattle to your sister?"

Qi Jiaer glanced disdainfully at the other children before responding, "Of course not, my nose was even bleeding. When my sister asked, I didn’t tell her either."

Qi Sanshun pulled Qi Jiaer to one side and whispered, "Didn’t we agree not to talk about this when we got back? How can we let Big Cousin find out about this?"

Qi Jiaer paused as if he had just remembered this, but defended himself, "It was their fault, being so lacking in spirit, not only did they run home to complain, but they also came to Duke An."

While speaking, he pointed at the youngest child, around eight or nine years old, and then turned back to Duke An, saying, "That little brother, he hit me several times, and I only hit back once, just gave him two punches, and he started crying, saying he wanted to go home to find his mother."

Is that so? Duke An thought about his own household, comparing this with Ye Hongyang’s childhood as he looked at Vice Minister Liu’s brother and nephew.

Vice Minister Liu’s brother, unembarrassed, defended himself, "Duke, this child of yours is out of line for saying that. People of different statuses should be treated differently. Can the children of officials and the noble and prestigious families in the capital be treated the same as the ordinary commoner’s children? Could my child withstand the heavy fists and kicks of a country bumpkin child?"

Duke An immediately frowned and said, "Everyone is made of flesh and blood, and anyone who gets hit with fists, kicks, swords, or arrows will feel pain. If your child is pampered and can’t withstand a beating and doesn’t have the toughness, then you ought to teach him not to do things that provoke others to violence. The five of you big children couldn’t even beat three little ones, and yet you dare bring them to my mansion to show off!"

Five big children unable to beat three little ones is a sorry sight anywhere. Xing Bin was also feeling embarrassed, but Duke An’s words were rather harsh.

Xing Bin said, "Duke, isn’t it a bit inappropriate to say such things? If your offspring had been involved in the scuffle with these children, we could accept that, but it’s not the case. These are just peasant children living in your mansion, and yet they are so arrogant. This could tarnish the reputation of Duke An’s Mansion."

Duke An looked at Xing Bin with an unreadable expression, thinking it was a good thing he didn’t have such offspring. If he did, he would have had to discipline all these little ones from their mansions.

"I don’t have such a good reputation to worry about being tarnished. Virtuous Nephew Xing, I didn’t bring the three children here to explain anything to you, but to let you see that my children also have injuries on their faces and bodies. My children are younger and fewer in number, and that’s already giving in to you. Even so, your families’ children still lost the fight. You can’t blame anyone else for this, only your own children for overestimating themselves and asking for it.

As for the cause of the incident, I won’t say much. Whoever you want to find or complain to is up to you, I will not interfere. It’s not good to disturb others for too long during the New Year festivities, so please leave."