The scene was extremely chaotic for a time.
Zhu Zhi's malice was beyond their imagination. His fists struck the ground quickly and fiercely, as if he wanted to vent all the resentment and anger he had accumulated over the past few days.
An Jun, a thin and weak student, was beaten until his nose bled and his teeth fell out.
Xu Mo and Qi Huai were shocked. One of them rushed forward to stop Zhu Zhi, and the other used his body to block the falling foot.
Even Zhu Sihuan, who was in line, rushed over, trying to stop him while shouting, "Third Uncle, Third Uncle, what's wrong with you? Why are you hitting people in the street?"
The surrounding people retreated again and again, even disregarding the roasted chestnuts they were about to get, just to avoid the noise and trouble.
Zhu Zhi wanted to press his advantage, but Qi Huai and Zhu Sihuan held his hands and feet firmly, making him unable to move.
"Brother An, Brother An." Xu Mo called softly to An Jun, whose face was bruised and swollen, feeling both annoyed and frustrated.
We initially agreed that it would only be a verbal conflict, at most a bit of pushing and shoving, but we never imagined it would escalate to this serious level.
Seeing a big white tooth being kicked around on the ground, Xu Mo wished he wasn't the one being hit.
Suddenly, a voice called out in his ear, and a trembling hand reached out, "Brother Xu, now you'll have to bring me some roasted chestnuts..."
Xu Mo looked down in astonishment, only to see An Jun's calm smile and the composure of someone who had gotten what they wanted.
In that instant, they both understood each other's shared belief in revenge.
Like a high mountain meeting a flowing stream, or like Bo Ya and Zi Qi, they looked at each other and smiled, everything understood without words.
The other two weren't so lucky.
After Zhu Zhi became unable to move, he unleashed a furious roar, his mouth, covered by his short beard, resembling the spout of a wine jug, as he unleashed a torrent of words.
Unfortunately, what spilled from the wine jug was fine wine, but what Zhu Zhi spewed out was just foul saliva.
Zhu Sihuan could still hold back, but Qi Huai had already rolled his eyes and was about to vomit.
Finally, Zhu Sihuan could no longer contain himself and shouted angrily, "Third Uncle, don't be angry! What will happen if word gets back to the Zhu family if you beat someone up in the street!"
Zhu Zhi's cursing suddenly stopped, and he appeared wise and shrewd, showing no sign of being frantic.
He first glanced at An Jun lying on the ground, then looked around at the surrounding people, and calmly clutched his abdomen, crying out in pain, "This man attacked me first. I was just fighting back. Everyone can testify that he hurt me first."
Xu Mo's expression immediately darkened.
According to the laws of the Dayu Dynasty, the one who strikes first is considered unreasonable. Even if An Jun did not mean it, Zhu Zhi could claim that he was fighting back to protect himself, and it would be difficult to get a verdict even if the case was brought to Fengtian Prefecture.
Therefore, Zhu Zhi acted with impunity, delivering blows with brutal force. He used An Jun to vent his resentment and hatred from the past few days, and even managed to leave An Jun with no way to file a complaint, leaving him in the wrong and beaten.
His heart is despicable, his intentions are malicious.
Fortunately, An Jun was not an ordinary person. He was a student selected by the emperor to enter the Imperial Academy, a scholar preparing for the provincial examination, and most importantly, he was Zhu Zhi's ghostwriter and the whistleblower who caused Zhu Zhi to lose his status as a provincial graduate.
As Zhu Zhi finished speaking, An Jun, who was missing a tooth, struggled to his feet and knelt down in the direction of the imperial city. "Student An Jun was maliciously retaliated against by the Zhu family at the entrance of Tianjie on the tenth day of the first lunar month. I have failed His Majesty's trust. I will now give my life to the Zhu family!"
After saying that, he crashed into the nearest pillar.
Xu Mo and Qi Huai hurriedly stopped them, offering all sorts of comforting words.
Zhu Sihuan turned his head and saw his usually arrogant direct uncle, whose face had turned pale and whose body was swaying. He smiled meaningfully.
The Zhu family publicly retaliated against the person who had performed the knife-making.
This incident has shaken the entire city of Fengjing.
The powerful families stared in disbelief, their eyes wide with rage. How could the Zhu family be so foolish? Everyone was wary of An Jun these days, so how could the Zhu family be so bold as to retaliate right under the Emperor's nose?
The Zhu family was also baffled, genuinely unable to understand why Zhu Zhi would provoke An Jun at this crucial moment, knocking out one of his teeth, and doing so in full view of everyone. No one could explain it away.
Zhu Zhi, the person involved, was completely bewildered and didn't understand how he had ended up hitting An Jun.
Yes, if it weren't An Jun, but an ordinary person, they would have just taken the beating for nothing.
While finding it all rather amusing, Xu Mo didn't forget to remind his younger siblings to stay away from powerful and wealthy families, and even avoid any potential collisions.
Jiang Sheng nodded obediently, remembering it well.
The entire Fengjing was watching the Zhu family and An Jun. The brutal beating at Tianjiekou had completely escalated the conflict between the two sides, and even the Tian family could not compromise.
The siblings in the second courtyard waited anxiously, hoping that their brother could avenge his father and take the imperial examination in peace.
The following day, the imperial court summoned members of the Zhu family to the palace.
Four days later, after much struggle, the Zhu family finally removed Zhu Zhi's name from the family genealogy and announced to the entire Fengjing that Zhu Zhi had been expelled from the Zhu family.
The act of sacrificing a pawn to save the king was expected by many.
Zhu Zhi lost his status as a Juren (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations) and could no longer participate in the imperial examinations in the future. His marriage alliance with the Tao family ended in failure, and he also had a mistress and an illegitimate son. His entire life was ruined.
He was able to have a place in the Zhu family only because of his status as a direct descendant, and was protected by his elder brothers and sisters.
Now that he has offended An Jun and has attracted the attention of the imperial family, even his closest siblings cannot protect such a younger brother. They can only watch helplessly as he is expelled from the Zhu family and loses the family's protection.
But so what?
Zhu Zhi still lives peacefully in his villa, with a beautiful wife and young children in his arms, lacking nothing in terms of gold and silver, food and drink, and entertainment.
The Zhu family was not his backing, but the Fang family's wife, the head of the Zhu family, still secretly took care of this good-for-nothing younger brother.
To truly avenge oneself, one final step is needed.
The fifteenth day of the first lunar month.
Lantern Festival.
While others were cooking glutinous rice balls and eating Yuanxiao (sweet rice balls), Xu Mo was sharpening a knife.
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