Chapter 775 Lesson
"This lady-in-waiting has no power, and the personnel of the Imperial Household Department are not my responsibility. But Her Majesty the Empress can decide your fate. Do you think that because Chief Eunuch Cheng is in charge of the Imperial Household Department, I can't do anything to you?" Hongxiu knew that he was someone Cheng Feng had brought into the palace, just like when he brought He Chunfang into the palace as a maid.
He Chunquan knew how his sister was driven out of the palace—it was because of this woman. She wanted to steal Fang'er's husband. Dream on.
Fang'er has liked Cheng Feng since she was a child. Unexpectedly, Cheng Feng is so infatuated with the woman in front of him that he insists on marrying her, and the whole family tries to stop him but to no avail.
He Chunquan suddenly thought of an idea to humiliate Hongxiu. He said, "I will go and get the account book for you, Lady. Please wait a moment."
A moment later, He Chunquan also brought over some unimportant notebooks. He carried over a tall stack of notebooks. If he were to accidentally drop the notebooks on Hongxiu while he was not looking, and then fall on top of her, and she were to be hugged and kissed by another man in front of Cheng Feng, he would then say that it was an accident, and that she insisted on having the ledgers and that she had fallen on top of him.
Just as He Chunquan was thinking this, the next moment, he tripped over something, and the stack of notebooks he was holding fell to the ground, scattering them all over the floor. He fell straight to the ground, landing face-first in the dirt.
Hongxiu stepped aside and watched helplessly as he lay prostrate on the ground, his mouth bleeding from the pain, howling, "Which blind bastard dared to trip me?"
Lin Yu stepped directly onto the back of his hand with her boots, and sneered, "What kind of dog is on the ground that hurts my foot like this?"
He Chunquan was in excruciating pain from being stepped on. He wanted to curse but couldn't bring himself to do so, and he grimaced and cried out, "It hurts!"
Lin Yu wasn't going to let him off the hook, and increased the pressure on her feet. "Do you think your eyes are on the top of your head? How could you be so careless as to fall down like that? Oh dear, how could the Imperial Household Department keep such a useless piece of trash who can't even lift a thing?"
“You…” He Chunquan felt like his fingers were about to break.
At this moment, Cheng Feng walked over and said, "Please, Miss Lin, be gentle with your steps." He was afraid that Lin Yu would really break He Chunquan's fingers, and he would not be able to explain it to his aunt. These people were not people he wanted to bring into the palace. It was his mother and father who insisted on sending them in. He had tried to select some capable people from among them to train, but he had not succeeded.
Lin Yu glanced at Cheng Feng and said, "Oh, it turns out that Steward Cheng isn't blind after all. I thought he was blind in both eyes and mind."
Cheng Feng's face flushed slightly. He hadn't stopped He Chunquan from deliberately making things difficult for Hongxiu earlier. He just wanted Hongxiu to know that being a servant meant she would always be just a servant. No matter how high or low the official's rank, others could bully her whenever they wanted. This was the consequence of her insisting on being a servant.
He said, "Miss Lin wouldn't want anyone to die in the Imperial Household Department, would she?"
Lin Yu: "This young lady would never do murder or arson, but it is my duty to catch the petty thief who steals from the palace."
She increased her pressure, and with a few cracking sounds, it seemed as if one of He Chunquan's joints had really been broken.
She didn't need to investigate to know that the person under her feet must have taken advantage of her, and he was probably even involved in stealing valuables from the palace. Therefore, it was definitely the right thing to do to punish him in advance.
He Chunquan cried out, "Cousin, save me... save me! She broke my hand!"
Cheng Feng knew she was skilled in martial arts and didn't dare to provoke her, so he softened his tone: "Miss Lin, let's talk this out. Her Majesty the Empress invited you here to check the accounts, right?"
Cheng Feng added, "Quan, quickly apologize to Miss Lin."
He Chunquan had no choice but to quickly say, "I'm sorry."
"I didn't hear you! You're not being sincere! Whose eyes are blind?!"
“It was I who was blind and ignorant, I was wrong,” He Chunquan said.
Lin Yu said to Cheng Feng, "Isn't I the one he should apologize to the most? What do you think, Steward Cheng?"
Cheng Feng's face turned even redder. He glanced at Hongxiu and said to He Chunquan, "Apologize quickly."
He Chunquan's fingers were numb with pain. "Red Sleeve Lady, I'm sorry."
She had stepped back when He Chunquan lunged at her, so she knew he was doing it on purpose. She said coldly, "We are here to check the accounts on the orders of Her Majesty the Empress. Please cooperate, Steward Cheng."
She didn't want to say anything else, and she didn't want to play the emotional card with Cheng Feng anymore; she was all business.
Cheng Feng said, "Take all of these away, and get the account books they need according to the Red Sleeve Lady's request." He couldn't save them now; they were on their own.
The account books they first produced were all unwanted, and Cheng Feng allowed his subordinates to deliberately humiliate them.
Lin Yu withdrew her foot and said to Hongxiu, "Do you see clearly now?" She meant something by it, not wanting Hongxiu to be sad or upset over this kind of man.
Hongxiu was exasperated. She wanted to say that she really hadn't been interested in Cheng Feng. They had already made things clear, and they had all misunderstood. How could they not believe her?
Explaining further now would be tantamount to covering it up, so she doesn't want to explain anymore.
Sure enough, a whole host of problems came up when they checked the accounts of the Imperial Household Department. They spent a whole day and night investigating the accounts.
Cheng Feng didn't leave the area at all. He watched listlessly as his father and mother finally got into trouble.
-
That evening, Zhang Anyu, the Prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture, led his men and personally stormed into the Cheng residence.
The Cheng family was stunned. Madam Cheng cried and shouted, "Who are you people? How dare you trespass on private property? I'm going to report you to the authorities!"
"I am an official, what official are you reporting to? If you have any grievances, go to the government office!" Zhang Anyu took Cheng Zhong away from his concubine's bed.
Upon seeing this, Madam Cheng hurriedly sent someone to fetch Cheng Feng to return to the mansion. She was unaware that Cheng Feng had been busy auditing accounts at the Imperial Household Department and was unable to leave.
Butler Cheng was furious. "Lord Zhang, what right do you have to come into the manor and arrest me? I have no grudge against you. We even had dealings before!"
Zhang Anyu also felt embarrassed, because Steward Cheng's concubines were probably only the same age as his daughter. He was just a steward, yet he kept beautiful women in his household.
The reason Zhang Anyu stepped forward to arrest people was because the Empress had sent him a message asking for his help.
Steward Cheng never expected the authorities to come and arrest him. He asked, "Lord Zhang, may I ask where the Emperor is now? Please pass on a message for me."
Even now, Butler Cheng still doesn't understand who wanted to arrest him.
Zhang Anyu said, "I don't know when the Emperor will return. Steward Cheng, please come with me first."
Butler Cheng seemed to vaguely understand why. That day, he had actually gone to the palace to handle a small matter, but that meddlesome little eunuch insisted that he register.
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