When Jing Zhe returned to the Zhang family, the entire Zhang family of three came out to greet him, seemingly because his current reputation certainly warranted such a warm welcome.
"He said he would take first place, and he did indeed take first place! Young Master Jing's talent and the title of the number one talent in Anguo are truly well-deserved!"
While these words may seem like flattery, they truly reflect Zhang Xuexian's heartfelt sentiments.
Although Zhang Xiaoyu did not witness the birth of "Shuidiao Getou" when she returned home last night, her continuous writing of poems and her self-created calligraphy, which completely outshone the likes of Qi Junguang and Song Jimao, left Zhang Xuexian and his wife in awe.
At this moment, they gained a clearer and more comprehensive understanding of Jing Zhe's strength, and were filled with admiration.
Jing Zhe waved his hand with a smile: "It's nothing, just a piece of cake!"
"..."
Jing Zhe's humility, as always, left Zhang Xuexian speechless. After thinking for a while, he decided to change the subject.
He said respectfully, "I never imagined that Young Master Jing was a descendant of Minister Jing! No wonder Young Master Jing is so talented!"
Zhang Xiaoyu also recounted Jing Zhe's background. Zhang Xuexian knew about Jing Wenmao's time as Minister in Jingzhou and had some understanding of the past grievances between the Jing family and the Prince of Jin.
“I was skeptical when you told me before that you helped the Zhang family because of a grudge with the Prince of Jin’s heir, but now it seems that it is true.”
He sighed, "Minister Jing was an honest and upright official, beloved by the people, yet he ended up being demoted to Pengzhou. It's truly a pity!"
His words reminded Jing Zhe of the important matter at hand.
After arriving in Jingzhou, his first small goal was to help Zhang Xuexian get the distillery back and give Su Xinping a blow. Now that victory was in sight, he hurriedly called Zhang Xuexian out.
Although Zhang Xiaoyu had mentioned it upon her return, Zhang Xuexian remained skeptical: "Young Master Jing, is the winery... really coming back?"
"His Majesty said it himself, how could it be false?"
The two talked as they left the Zhang family's house and headed straight for the winery.
...
Because it was early morning, the distillery had just opened, and the staff were lazily strolling around the courtyard, while the current manager, Song Zude, had not yet arrived.
Two uninvited guests suddenly entered the backyard, which surprised the staff, especially since one of them was their former manager. They seemed to still be afraid of him and no one went up to speak to him. Instead, they secretly sent someone to call Song Zude.
"Uncle, what do you think of this place? How about turning it into a warehouse?"
"Okay, sure..."
"Uncle, should we just tear this place down and level it to make a rest area?"
"Oh, that works too..."
"And here, we'll build a new row of long sheds and install some new purification equipment to increase production!"
"..."
Watching Jing Zhe pontificate as if he owned the place in Zhang's winery, Zhang Xuexian felt a little uneasy.
"Oh my, who do we have here!"
Suddenly, a shrill voice rang out, and Song Zude walked in.
He gave Zhang Xuexian a cold glance. "Heh, didn't you say before that you wouldn't let me set foot in the Zhang family's house? Well, let me tell you, you can't step into this winery anymore! If you don't listen, I'll send someone to break your legs!"
As for Jing Zhe, he wasn't even on his radar.
Song Zude is a typical example of someone who is all brawn and no brains. He is also a petty person who has become successful, thinking that he can be fearless because he has the Prince of Jin as a powerful backer behind the winery.
Last night, he was having a great time at Fenfang Garden, completely unaware of Jing Zhe's performance at the poetry gathering.
This was once Zhang Xuexian's hard-earned distillery, and the person who spoke rudely was his former subordinate, which immediately ignited Zhang Xuexian's anger.
"Bah! This has always been my distillery. Why should I leave? You're the one who should leave!"
After Zhang Xuexian finished speaking angrily, Song Zude laughed as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world, then his eyes turned cold and he said, "So it was yours, but it belongs to the Prince of Jin now! If you don't leave, don't blame me for taking action!"
"All you ever do is get your hands moving!"
With a loud "bang," Song Zude, caught completely off guard, was kicked away by Jing Zhe. After getting up, he seemed a little dazed.
Jing Zhe explained to the stunned men around him, "When something happens, we should reason with each other. Can violence solve problems? Of course, I only used my foot, not my hand!"
Seeing Jing Zhe's smug expression after getting the better deal, Song Zude flew into a rage, clutching his waist and pointing at him: "Beat him! Beat him hard!"
After a moment's hesitation, the group of men, having analyzed the vast disparity between themselves and the enemy, charged toward Jing Zhe in a flurry.
Unfortunately, although Jing Zhe and his group were outnumbered, one simpleton was enough to take them down.
When a group of guys were knocked to the ground, and Hanhan walked towards Song Zude, he was almost scared to death.
He backed away while begging for mercy: "Good...good man, don't hit me! Fighting won't solve the problem, can't we reason with each other?"
Hanhan turned to look at Jing Zhe, only to see him shake his head and utter two words indifferently.
"not good."
When I try to reason with you, you attack me. When I attack you, you start trying to reason with me again?
There's no such thing as a free lunch!
So, Hanhan swung his fist, as big as a clay pot, at Song Zude again. Song Zude lay on the ground, used all his strength to shout, "Quickly go to the East Palace to invite the Prince of Jin's heir," and then lost consciousness.
Unfortunately, Su Xinping was not the Buddha, and Jing Zhe was not Sun Wukong, so they were not afraid of him and continued to swagger around the courtyard, offering their opinions.
...
The Eastern Palace.
Su Moyan was sitting in the hall drinking tea with Su Xinping, praising Jing Zhe's performance the night before.
"Xinping, I heard there's been some misunderstanding with your Jing Zhe?"
"If you ask me, now that the Zhang family's winery has been returned, this misunderstanding should be cleared up!"
"I'll invite him over when I have time, and I'll give you a proper talking to him again!"
After being reprimanded by Su Mowu upon disembarking from the boat, Su Xinping, who was in a bad mood, was pondering his next move when Su Moyan mentioned it. He immediately nodded, having come up with an idea.
"Your Highness, there's no time like the present. Why don't we invite him to the Eastern Palace tonight, and I'll host the dinner so we can have a drink and make peace?"
Su Moyan was kind-hearted but not cunning. Hearing Su Xinping say this, he immediately smiled and said, "That's right! Judging from Jing Zhe's performance last night, he's bound to become an official in the palace. It won't do either of you any good if things get ugly! Since you have this idea, then hurry up and send someone to tell him!"
"Yes, Your Highness!"
Just as Su Xinping was about to get up and take his leave, a servant rushed in and said, "Your Highness, a waiter from Zhang's Wine Shop has come looking for the young master!"
"Why are you looking for me at this hour?"
Su Xinping frowned.
I heard…
The waiter looked up at him and then said, "It was that young master A-Kun who took Zhang Xuexian to the wine shop and beat up Song Zude!"
"..."
————
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