The Trick to Teasing a Noble Family's Son - Chapter 28

Xie Zichen remained silent as Wei Hua and her friends fled in terror. Wei Lan leaned lazily against the counter, twirling the jade hairpin in her hand, and glancing at Xie Zichen with a languid air. The shopkeepers around them pretended not to notice, busying themselves.

After a while, Xie Zichen finally found his voice and frowned, “I am your brother. What does my pursuit of Miss Wei have to do with you?”

“Don’t you think,” Wei Lan moved closer to him, her warm breath fragrant with floral scents brushing against his face, her voice tinged with amusement, “if you want to be my brother-in-law, you should at least inform me?”

Xie Zichen said nothing. Wei Lan’s proximity made him somewhat anxious.

Seeing Xie Zichen’s expression, Wei Lan, though initially displeased about his pursuit of Wei Hua, had resolved to treat Xie Zichen as a brother and wouldn’t go too far. She smiled slightly, stepped back to create some distance, and said, “Are you really serious about pursuing my sister?”

“Yes.” Xie Zichen finally found something he could respond to. Wei Lan nodded and said, “Then this jade hairpin will serve as a bribe for me. After all, A’Hua would surely buy it to give to me.”

With that, Wei Lan turned to leave, shaking the jade hairpin in her hand and calling out, “Thank you, Fourth Young Master Xie.”

Xie Zichen watched Wei Lan walk away, feeling a wave of relief. The shopkeeper, who had been pretending to wipe the tables, finally came to life, smiling as he approached, “Fourth Young Master Xie, wasn’t that the Shizi of the Changxin Marquis Manor? I didn’t know you were friends…”

Xie Zichen didn’t say much, just nodded, had Xie Tong pay for the item, and then left.

stealing a chicken only to lose the rice, Xie Zichen couldn’t help feeling frustrated.

Before boarding his carriage, Xie Zichen remembered that around this time in his previous life, Wang Ning accidentally killed his younger brother at home, leading to his expulsion from the capital, delaying his entry to the Imperial Academy by three years. Thinking of this, he told Xie Tong to invite Wang Ning for an outing.

“Tell him I plan to travel for ten days. He must come, or we’ll sever ties.”

Xie Zichen figured that within ten days, the imperial decree for the palace companion should arrive.

The next morning, Wang Ning arrived with his servant, all packed for the journey. As he entered, he laughed heartily, “Zichen, I heard you confessed to Miss Wei in public and got beaten by Wei Shizi? Are you planning to escape with me?”

Xie Zichen: “…”

He always knew the rumours in the capital were unreliable.

As Xie Zichen and Wang Ning left the city, the tale of “Fourth Xie proposing to Miss Wei on the street, only to be beaten by Young Master Wei” spread like wildfire, and Xie Zichen’s departure only fuelled the speculation. So much so that Wang Xi and others, upon seeing Wei Lan, would almost always start with, “A’Lan, did you really beat up Xie Si?”

Wei Lan felt wronged. She’d never lay a finger on man! Let alone Xie Zichen, a beauty—even an ugly old man would be safe from her!

But no one believed her, and instead, Wei Hua’s beauty quickly became the talk of the capital.

A woman pursued by someone as handsome as Fourth Young Master Xie must be extraordinarily beautiful!

Soon, the Wei residence saw a surge of wall-climbers. One day, while Wei Hua embroidered in the garden with friends, he looked up to see a wall lined with heads, terrifying him into tears as he ran to Wei Lan.

Her brother was scared to tears; how could this be tolerated?

Wei Lan quickly brought in her private soldiers from the outskirts and had them surround the Wei residence, each armed with a bamboo pole. Anyone attempting to climb the wall was promptly poked down. Overnight, the Wei residence became the capital’s most impregnable fortress.

Amidst all this chaos, news about Lin Xia was finally clear. She had been locked in the dungeon for five days and was beginning to despair when Wei Lan walked in, smiling as she handed her a pill.

This was a poison Wei Lan obtained from the poison doctor Chen Hui, with effects similar to what Lin Xia had described.

“This pill requires you to come to me for the antidote once a year,” Wei Lan said, leaning back comfortably in her chair. “I’ll clean up your background and give you a new identity to take the Imperial Medical Bureau exam. When I rise to power, I want you to reclaim the Director’s position. Then I’ll restore your surname, letting the Lin family regain its rightful glory.”

“Is this true?” Lin Xia’s eyes sparkled with determination. Wei Lan admired this look; a woman should indeed be ambitious.

“It’s true,” Wei Lan nodded with a smile. “As long as you serve me.”

“If you keep your word,” Lin Xia said solemnly, “I will follow you through fire and water. May I ask your honourable name, sir?”

“Wei,” Wei Lan said as she got up, with Lin Xia following her out of the dungeon. “Heir of the Changxin Marquis, Wei Lan.”

Hearing this, Lin Xia realized her decision was the right one. A woman disguised as a man and holding such a high position, offering her a lifeline, was indeed extraordinary.

Pondering, Lin Xia stepped out with Wei Lan, spotting soldiers by the courtyard, each holding a bamboo pole, standing sternly by the wall. Curious, she asked, “Master, these people are…”

“Oh,” Wei Lan sighed, a bit of a headache coming on. She glanced at Lin Xia and thought of a permanent solution.

“Lin Xia, are you willing to go through fire and water for me?”

Her earnest gaze made Lin Xia’s heart race, tempted to flee. Is she sending me to climb mountains of blades or seas of fire? But fresh from the dungeon, she dared not anger Wei Lan. “What does Shizi command?”

“I have a sister,” Wei Lan said, patting Lin Xia’s shoulder with increasing satisfaction with her idea. “With a face like flowers, a form like the moon, a city-toppling beauty. These lustful rogues are drawn by her looks. I want you to pursue her.”

“What?!” Lin Xia was shocked. “But I’m…”

“I know!” Wei Lan pressed her shoulders, looking serious. “That’s my brother disguised as a girl!”

Lin Xia: “…”

The Wei family must be mad.

She had thought Wei Lan was forced to disguise herself as a man due to the lack of males in the family, but this…

“Well?” Wei Lan raised an eyebrow, putting an arm around Lin Xia’s shoulder and signalling to Ran Mo as they walked. “My brother is beautiful, gentle, and I’ll provide a generous dowry. You won’t lose out taking him as a husband. Think about it.”

Lin Xia struggled internally. She wanted to refuse, but rejecting the first task given by Wei Lan seemed too disrespectful.

Moreover, Wei Lan’s choice of words was odd. Wasn’t it just cross-dressing? It shouldn’t lead to a gender identity crisis.

As Lin Xia pondered, Wei Lan continued praising her brother’s virtues—Skilled at embroidery, dancing, and breathtakingly beautiful. Innocent, lively, and immensely strong…

As she spoke, Wei Lan ushered Lin Xia into a bath chamber. Soaking, Lin Xia mulled over her words, sensing something off. Wei Lan described a sissy with a cross-dressing fetish, yet seemed proud of it…

Lin Xia had a bad feeling. From her modern experience reading countless web novels, she suspected she might be dealing with someone from a matriarchal society.

After her bath, Lin Xia emerged to find Wei Lan had prepared luxurious clothes for her—a white undergarment with a green robe embroidered with white orchids. As she dried her hair and walked out, Wei Lan, sitting by the table ,a book in a hand and pouring tea with other  smiled warmly, “Come, have some tea. Have you made up your mind?”

Lin Xia sat down, studying Wei Lan, and tentatively asked, “Sir, if I truly take… no, marry…”

“No, no, take,” Wei Lan interjected, valuing a like-minded soul. “You take my brother—I don’t mind. Go on.”

“Fine,” Lin Xia nodded. “If I take the Young Master, what does Shizi think makes a good woman?”

“As a woman, first, you must have responsibility—care for, cherish, and dote on my brother. Spoil him for life, no less than I do.”

Lin Xia’s hand trembled, holding her teacup, her suspicions growing. Wei Lan, seeing her seeming agreement, grew elated, continuing, “At home, be responsible for your lord. Outside, uphold a gentleman’s virtue, worthy of the ruler above and the people below. Embrace the world, aim for the four directions. Seek to leave a name in history, renowned for ages. Lin Xia, what do you think?”

Wei Lan grew excited, having not met anyone to share such thoughts with in a long time. Lin Xia nodded slightly, and Wei Lan’s affection for her increased.

Finally, Lin Xia voiced her suspicion, cautiously laying out her thoughts, “To be honest, Young Master, I understand your words. I feel I have a past life. I clearly recall it. Where I was born, men and women were equal, with equal inheritance rights. Marriage wasn’t about marrying or taking, just two people united by love. Seeing you, I recall books from that life about a land where women held high status, a matriarchal state, where men…”

“I am.” Wei Lan understood and cut her off, nodding. Seeing Lin Xia’s unsurprised look, she continued, “In my past life, I was from that matriarchal state you speak of.”

Lin Xia fell silent. After a long pause, she shakily lifted her cup, took a sip, and said slowly, “Let me calm my nerves…”

Fourteen years of life, and I finally meet a damn transmigrator, from a matriarchal society, no less!

The variety of transmigrators in this world was truly astounding!