Chapter 13 You're Very Smart

Chapter Thirteen You're Very Smart

The meal left Chen Tang feeling like he had a fishbone stuck in his throat, making it difficult to swallow.

She thought about how Feng Hu had done all sorts of bad things and had not been severely punished by law.

Instead, they became even more outrageous, making me feel both angry and frustrated.

Although Meng Huaiyan chased him away last night, his domineering and unscrupulous behavior still lingers.

Shen Tang was also worried that he would find an opportunity to retaliate and would not let the matter rest so easily.

Just what I feared most came to pass.

In the afternoon, she was sunbathing in the yard with Liu Yuniang.

They heard a loud banging on the door, which startled them both.

Shen Tang and Liu Yuniang exchanged a glance, sensing that the newcomer was up to no good.

The person outside had no patience whatsoever. After a short while, seeing that no one opened the door, they kicked it open with a loud "bang".

Feng Hu walked ahead arrogantly, and said to the two men behind him dressed in blue with the word "constable" on their chests, "These are the women, arrest them!"

Shen Tang's eyes widened, and she angrily asked, "What right do you have to arrest us?"

"Why should I? Haha!" Feng Hu laughed twice, his arrogance undisguised.

Feng Hu pointed to his head: "You beat me up like this yesterday, you don't think you're just going to let it go, do you?"

"You were the one who broke into my house and tried to do something wrong yesterday!"

Feng Hu clicked his tongue twice, his tone nonchalant: "Really? So what? I can arrest you whenever I want, what can you do about it?"

"This is outrageous!" Shen Tang's lips pressed into a straight line, her eyes filled with rage.

Today she finally witnessed Feng Hu's shameless and bullying ways.

Shen Tang frowned, making no attempt to hide her disgust for Feng Hu, and angrily cursed, "You're utterly shameless!"

This beautiful woman's scolding sounds like she's being coquettish.

Upon hearing this, Feng Hu was not angry. Instead, he was aroused by Shen Tang's angry expression.

Feng Hu clicked his tongue, his lewd triangular eyes fixed on Shen Tang, wishing he could immediately pin this beauty down and do those pleasurable things to her.

Overwhelmed by lust, he couldn't wait a moment longer and ordered the two men, "Make your move!"

As long as they are thrown into jail and given any crime, these beauties will be at his mercy.

Upon hearing the instruction, the official in blue immediately stepped forward to grab Shen Tang and Liu Yuniang's arms.

Just then, a voice suddenly came from the doorway: "Let's see who dares."

The voice was clear and powerful, carrying a strong sense of authority and intimidation.

Shen Tang heard the sound and looked towards the door. Seeing that it was Meng Huaiyan who had returned, she instantly breathed a sigh of relief.

Those two minor officials had followed the county magistrate for many years and had the opportunity to see some of the world.

Seeing Meng Huaiyan standing tall and elegant at the courtyard gate, dressed in ordinary clothes, yet exuding an imposing aura.

He thought to himself, "This person is probably not a simple character."

When Feng Hu saw Meng Huaiyan, he was reminded of the humiliating scene of being beaten yesterday, and his eyes were filled with gloom.

No one has ever dared to treat him like this before!

He was determined to avenge the humiliation he suffered yesterday.

He came prepared today with two helpers; he didn't believe he could fight four people by himself.

He wasn't afraid of the two defenseless young women.

But this man is highly skilled in martial arts; he's no match for him. He needs to deal with him first.

Feng Hu turned to the clerk and said, "You two, take this man down."

The two men exchanged a glance, and seeing Meng Huaiyan's imposing manner, they hesitated.

When Feng Hu saw that the two men did not obey his orders, he felt that he had lost face and authority in front of this man.

He couldn't help but get angry and kicked them both hard, saying, "Are you deaf?!"

Feng Hu has always been used to bullying them, and they have long been very dissatisfied with him.

However, since he had the county magistrate backing him up, they dared not speak out against him.

Fearing his identity, the two no longer hesitated and walked towards Meng Huaiyan with their knives in hand.

Seeing this, Feng Hu sneered at Meng Huaiyan, looking confident of victory, and said to Meng Huaiyan, "If you kneel down and beg for mercy now..."

"If your grandfather is happy, he might consider leaving you a complete corpse."

Upon hearing these audacious words, Meng Huaiyan's lips curled slightly, his eyes filled with mockery.

He reached into his pocket, pulled out a jade pendant, and tossed it to one of the tall, thin clerks.

The clerk instinctively reached out and caught it, finding it to be a ring-shaped jade pendant carved from Hetian jade.

The front is engraved with an intricate pattern, resembling a lotus but not quite, while the back features a small character "孟" (Meng).

"Take this jade pendant and bring your county magistrate to see me."

The tall, thin clerk hadn't even reacted yet.

Upon hearing this, Feng Hu laughed out loud and said sarcastically, "What kind of thing are you that you dare to send the county magistrate to see you? You don't deserve it."

Meng Huaiyan's expression was indifferent, but his eyes were icy: "It seems that yesterday's beating was too lenient, and you didn't learn your lesson."

"You still have the energy to cause trouble here today." Meng Huaiyan now truly regretted not killing him yesterday.

Although this person is not to be feared, he keeps buzzing around my ear like a fly or a bedbug, which is really annoying.

Feng Hu felt a dull ache in his chest as he recalled the scene of being beaten yesterday.

Thinking about this person's ruthless methods, I couldn't help but feel a little apprehensive.

The tall, thin clerk looked down at the jade pendant in his hand, then watched as Meng Huaiyan calmly asked the county magistrate to come see him.

He completely disregarded the position of county magistrate.

He had already made a judgment in his mind: this person's identity was probably extraordinary, and compared to Feng Hu, this person was probably even more unapproachable.

He winked at his companion, who understood and nodded.

Without further hesitation, the tall, thin clerk left the courtyard and rushed towards the county government office without looking back.

Feng Hu was shocked to see that the minor official had simply abandoned him and run away without listening to his orders.

His eyes were blazing with anger, and he wanted nothing more than to grab the person and beat them to a pulp to vent his fury.

But when he looked up and saw Meng Huaiyan standing at the courtyard gate, exuding a fierce aura, he hesitated and dared not make a move.

Feng Hu glanced at Meng Huaiyan with disdain. How could this man be so good at showing off?

He thinks he can get the county magistrate to come see him in person with some worthless jade pendant? He doesn't even know who he is.

His brother-in-law was no pushover.

This man dares to be so arrogant and conceited, challenging his authority.

Given his vindictive nature, he would definitely send someone to arrest him and throw him in jail, giving him a severe lesson.

Thinking of this, Feng Hu was no longer angry. He found a stool in the yard and sat down in a relaxed manner.

He was waiting here for this man to beg for mercy with tears streaming down his face.

The county government office was only a quarter of an hour away, and soon the sound of a carriage rushing towards them could be heard from the gate.

Feng Hu was excited, his face flushed as he looked towards the door.

The carriage arrived at the courtyard gate in a hurry, before it had even come to a complete stop.

Then a fat, middle-aged man dressed in a green official robe hurriedly got off the carriage.

So flustered, when I landed my feet felt unsteady and my body swayed.

If the coachman hadn't been quick to catch him, he probably would have fallen to the ground.

Upon seeing this, Feng Hu's pupils contracted, and his face was filled with shock.

Wait a minute! How come his brother-in-law actually came?!

Feng Hu's mind was a little slow to process what was happening, and he hadn't yet figured it out.

Then his brother-in-law suddenly knelt down respectfully before the man.

Feng Hu: "!!!"

Pan Rende knelt on the ground, his tone filled with panic and respect: "This humble official is Pan Rende. I did not know that Lord Meng would grace us with his presence."

"I apologize for not greeting you properly, Lord Meng."

Seeing how respectful the magistrate was to this man, the lower-ranking officials quickly and observantly knelt down.

Liu Yuniang looked at the large group of people kneeling in the courtyard, especially when she saw that the usually aloof and arrogant county magistrate was among them.

My legs suddenly felt weak, and I wanted to kneel down too.

She was pulled back by Shen Tang.

Meng Huaiyan looked at the trembling green-robed official kneeling before him and sneered, "Lord Pan, you certainly have quite the air of authority."

Upon hearing this, large beads of cold sweat dripped from Pan Rende's forehead, and he lowered his body even further, wishing he could bury himself in the ground.

Trembling with fear, he said, "This humble official is foolish and does not understand Lord Meng's meaning..."

"Please enlighten me, sir."

Meng Huaiyan lost his patience and was too lazy to beat around the bush with him: "Why don't you ask your good brother?"

Pan Rende was puzzled and looked up, only then did he see Feng Hu in the middle of the courtyard.

Feng Hu is a ruthless and cunning man.

He was very loyal to him, and many things that he could not do in person were actually arranged by him behind the scenes.

It was one of the better knives he used.

Moreover, he really liked his younger sister, so he always turned a blind eye to Feng Hu's misdeeds and wrongdoings.

But unexpectedly, he managed to offend the Meng family, and even more so, the formidable Meng Huaiyan.

"You wretched creature, what have you done?!"

Pan Rende was furious and cursed, but Feng Hu was still sitting calmly in his chair, looking completely clueless.

I felt completely lost and wished I could just die on the spot.

He roared, "Kneel down now!"

Feng Hu was so frightened by the scene that his legs went weak, and he knelt down on the chair leg, muttering "I...I...I" for a long time without getting a coherent answer.

Seeing this, Shen Tang sneered and questioned Pan Rende: "If someone breaks into a private residence and attempts to rape a woman, what should be done according to the laws of the Great Liang?"

Pan Rende glanced at Meng Huaiyan, and seeing that he didn't speak, he quickly replied, "According to the laws of Daliang, anyone who breaks into a private residence and attempts to rape a woman is guilty of this."

"He was given fifty strokes of the cane and sentenced to three years in prison."

After Pan Rende finished speaking, the courtyard fell silent.

After all, he's been in officialdom for decades. If he doesn't even have this much tact, then he's wasted his time.

He hurriedly and sternly ordered the clerk, "Suppress this Feng Hu for me."

Upon hearing this, Feng Hu's face turned deathly pale, and his body began to tremble uncontrollably as he cried out, "Brother-in-law, I'm innocent! I'm innocent!"

Pan Rende's heart pounded when he heard the words "brother-in-law".

He desperately wanted to sever ties with Feng Hu immediately, and worried that Feng Hu might say something detrimental to him, so he quickly ordered, "Gag him!"

Feng Hu was pinned to the ground by two minor officials, unable to move, and his mouth was gagged with a rag, making terrified "woo-woo" sounds.

Pan Rende then summoned a minor official and ordered, "Beat him!"

The minor official initially hesitated to use excessive force, but after hearing Pan Rende angrily shout, "Have you not eaten? Beat him hard!" he began to act without restraint.

For a moment, the courtyard was filled only with the sounds of sticks hitting Feng Hu's back and his painful groans.

When Shen Tang and Liu Yuniang met, they felt that the anger in their hearts had finally found a place to go, and they felt completely relieved.

After the fifty strokes of the cane were finished, Feng Hu's back was a bloody mess, and he could only exhale but not inhale.

Pan Rende quickly ordered the clerk to drag him out, lest he offend the nobleman's eyes.

He then fawned over Meng Huaiyan, saying, "Lord Meng, look... this..."

Meng Huaiyan's face was ashen, revealing neither joy nor anger. He said calmly, "Lord Pan still needs to properly manage his subordinates."

Pan Rende nodded hurriedly, "Yes, yes, yes, this humble official will certainly keep it in mind."

"Step down."

Pan Rende dared not disobey, and respectfully kowtowed to Meng Huaiyan before quickly leaving with his men.

The courtyard, which had been noisy just moments before, fell silent again in an instant.

Liu Yuniang could not hide her excitement. After all these years, Feng Hu had finally gotten his comeuppance.

Overwhelmed with gratitude, he knelt down before Meng Huaiyan with a thud, saying, "Thank you, sir! Thank you, sir!"

Meng Huaiyan helped Liu Yuniang up, saying, "It's just my duty, no need to thank me."

Liu Yuniang laughed: "No, you still have to thank me. Wait for me, I'll go to the county town to buy some good food and drinks. We have to have a good celebration tonight."

Before they could say anything, Liu Yuniang rushed out the door.

Shen Tang looked up at Meng Huaiyan. This grand gesture today was really unlike his usual style.

But... it was so much fun.

Shen Tang couldn't help but chuckle.

"What are you laughing at?"

"Happy."

After laughing, Shen Tang suddenly became worried: "You've exposed your identity like this, isn't that too dangerous?"

After all, they were still trying to save their lives.

"It's alright, we can return to the capital tomorrow."

Shen Tang's eyes widened, her voice filled with undisguised joy and excitement: "Really?"

Meng Huaiyan nodded: "Really."

He saw the marks left by Qingyang and his group nearby yesterday, and he just met up with them.

Once they are ready, they can return to the capital tomorrow.

Meng Huaiyan seemed to be deep in thought. He had been unconscious for so long that the markings had been lost.

The forest is vast and the terrain is complex. For Qingyang to find us so quickly, Shentang must have done something.

Meng Huaiyan asked, "Did you leave a mark?"

Shen Tang paused for a moment, then realized he was referring to the long and short symbol: "Yes, I saw you put it there. I suppose it's a way for you to contact your subordinates, so I left it."

"What's wrong?"

"fine."

Meng Huaiyan paused for two seconds before saying, "You are very smart."

Shen Tang was overjoyed to hear this; she rarely heard anyone praise her intelligence in her life.

And to hear these words come from the mouth of the talented scholar Meng.

Feeling a little smug, he still said modestly, "Oh, it's just so-so, nothing special."

Meng Huaiyan's lips curled slightly.