Chapter 125: Teaching Sun Mingzong a Lesson
With a "bang", Sun Mingzong was knocked to the ground by Shen Zhang's punch in the face, knocking down the antique shelf on the wall, and the porcelain ornaments on the shelf shattered to the ground.
Sun Mingzong lay in a pile of broken porcelain and cried out. The imperial guards blocking the door immediately widened their eyes, looking at Sun Mingzong and then at Chen Zhang.
This... why did they suddenly start to attack? Didn't General Shen say that he would bring them here to scare the Sun family?
But now that General Shen Lang has taken action, it wouldn’t look good for their subordinates to just do the same, right?
Several imperial guards looked at each other in bewilderment.
Just when some people couldn't help but roll up their sleeves to help, Chen Heng gestured with his back to them, and everyone paused in rolling up their sleeves and stood back down.
Chen Zhang grabbed Sun Mingzong's collar and dragged him up from the ground. He raised the corners of his lips and revealed a cold smile, looking at Liu Qiuyue who was slumped in the chair with a deathly pale face.
"What did you just say? Say it again for me."
Liu Qiuyue was frightened by his ruthless attack and subconsciously shouted, "How dare you hit someone!"
Shen Zhang tightened his palm impatiently, and Sun Mingzong cried out softly.
This cry of pain seemed to turn on a switch for Liu Qiuyue. She shuddered in fear, "I...I said the wrong thing. I shouldn't have said that Miss Shen was a vixen. It's my Sun family that is...not worthy of Miss Shen."
After she finished speaking, she glanced at Shen Zhang tremblingly. Meeting his cold eyes, Liu Qiuyue swallowed hard.
"I...I shouldn't have encouraged my son to take advantage of the Shen family. It's all my fault, but...can you please let him go?"
Liu Qiuyue really regretted it now. If she had known that Shen Shuwei's second brother was such an evil star, she would never have set her sights on Shen Shuwei no matter what.
Chen Zhang curled his lips coldly and tapped Sun Mingzong's face with the hilt of his sword. "If I ever hear gossip about my third sister outside again, regardless of whether it was spread by your Sun family, I will come and have a good talk with your son first."
Shen Zhang let go of his hand, and Sun Mingzong staggered a few times and bumped into the table behind him to steady himself.
Liu Qiuyue quickly screamed and called my son to rush over to check the wound on his face.
Chen Zhang made a gesture, and the imperial guards standing at the door filed out. Chen Zhang brushed his sleeves and followed them out.
Before leaving, he glanced at Sun Mingzong. The mockery and disdain in his eyes made Sun Mingzong's face turn pale. He pushed away Liu Qiuyue who was about to wipe his nosebleed and said hatefully, "Mother, why did you have to provoke the Shen family? I've fallen to this point today, failed the palace examination, and been ridiculed because of the Shen family! It's all because of you!"
Liu Qiuyue was pushed away by him in a daze.
Sun Mingzong took a deep breath and muttered, "It's all your fault, mother, you ruined me," and staggered away.
-
Shen Zhang and the imperial guards he brought with him dispersed on the spot after leaving Sun Mansion.
Chen Zhang went to receive his punishment himself, while the imperial guards who followed him, having eaten such a big melon, naturally had to find someone to share it with.
They were responsible for patrolling the streets and alleys of Luojing, and were very familiar with the owners of the wine shops and teahouses in the capital.
So within just two days, rumors about the Sun family suddenly became rampant.
Initially, it was rumored that Sun Mingzong, a failed scholar from the Sun family, had low moral character and wanted to find a wife from a difficult family in Luojing to make it easier for the Sun family to become extinct. Moreover, since Sun Mingzong could not give birth to a son, the Sun family would take in concubines one after another, and the money for the concubines would be paid from his wife's dowry.
But as the rumor spread, it suddenly changed its meaning. It went from the Sun family wanting to wipe out the entire family to Sun Mingzong wanting to take over the property of his wife's family and kill her after marrying her.
Luojing was full of powerful families who spoiled their daughters. When they heard this rumor, no matter if it was true or not, they all wanted to spit in anger and make it clear to their female relatives that they must not get close to the Sun family.
"Fortunately, my Jiaojiao isn't engaged to that Sun Mingzong." The speaker was the wife of the counselor who had gone to the Sun family to discuss the marriage. She was currently complaining to her close friend, "The Sun family is a small family. If my wife hadn't said that he was in the top ten of the Autumn Examination and might be able to win first place, I wouldn't have brought Jiaojiao to their house."
"Who would have thought that Sun Mingzong couldn't even get a second place? And he even started all these rumors, which almost ruined my Jiaojiao."
The friend sighed, "In your opinion, are the rumors about the Sun family in the capital true or false?"
The wife of the Minister of Justice looked around and, seeing that no one was around, she leaned over to whisper in her friend's ear, "It's hard to say whether this rumor is true or not, but if you ask me, it's probably true."
"That day, when I was leaving the Sun Mansion with Jiaojiao, I ran into a group of imperial guards heading towards the mansion. If the Sun family hadn't committed any crime, why would they attract the imperial guards?"
After receiving such great news, the friend naturally shared it with his relatives and friends when he returned. With the testimony of the wife of Cheng Yilang, the rumors about the Sun family became more credible.
It was five days later when this rumor reached Shen Shuwei's ears. At that time, she was packing her bags for the winter hunting the next day.
The winter hunt was ordered by His Majesty, and all civil and military officials and their families were invited. The Shen family had Shen Yuan as a civil official and Shen Zhang as a military official, not to mention the popular top scholar Shen Heng. The news of the winter hunt was delivered personally by the eunuchs in the palace, and for a time the Shen family was the only one who was honored.
A few days ago, Chen Zhang led people to break into the Sun Mansion, which made the old general very angry and punished them severely. He should have reflected on his actions at home for a few days, but the emperor personally ordered him to lead the troops for protection that day.
So that day, except for Shen Zhiyang who caught a cold and was forced to rest at home, and Shen Yuan who didn't like to join in the fun and took leave at home, the rest of the Shen family had to participate in the winter hunt.
Listening to Yun Ling telling him the rumors about the Sun family in a serious manner, Chen Shuwei just smiled and put the rumors out of his mind.
The candy in Chen Zhang's mouth crunched. "I received five lashes and was fined three months' salary. That was too easy for them."
Chen Heng slowly packed up his clothes and stuffed a few ancient books into his clothes. Without even looking up, he said, "You've been punished. Why didn't you punch Sun Mingzong a few more times that day?"
Yun Ling looked at Chen Heng in surprise for several times. Is this something a gentle and kind young master could say?
Chen Zhang snorted with a sour face and said nothing.
"But there will be a winter hunt tomorrow, and the Sun family will most likely be there. Remember to restrain yourself. If you really can't control yourself, remember to drag the person to a deserted place and beat him up. Don't make such a big fuss." Chen Heng said.
Shen Shuwei raised his head helplessly and looked at the two of them, "Big brother, what are you teaching Second Brother?"
Chen Zhang couldn't help laughing, and the two siblings burst into laughter.
The next day, during the winter hunt, Shen Shuwei and Shen Heng rode in the same carriage. Coincidentally, the people following the Shen family's carriage were from the Sun family.
Shen Shuwei lowered the curtain of the sedan chair and didn't take it to heart.
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