Chapter 124: Shen Zhang Comes to Settle the Account
She was the youngest daughter of Chengyilang. When she heard that Sun Mingzong performed well in the Autumn Examination, her mother brought her to the Sun family to propose marriage.
Liu Qiuyue deliberately showed off in front of the two of them, constantly saying that she was in the top three in the first class, completely unaware that something was wrong with Sun Mingzong's expression.
Sun Mingzong opened his mouth and said with some difficulty: "Mother, I am not among the top three in the first class."
Liu Qiuyue glared slightly, but still consoled him in front of outsiders: "Second Class is not bad either, it's also a sixth-rank official position."
It is more than enough to marry the daughter of a councilor.
Sun Mingzong looked at Liu Qiuyue without saying a word, but his expression made her realize something was wrong. She almost broke her voice and shouted, "Could it be that you didn't even get into the second place? How is that possible? You were in the top ten of the Autumn Examination! You're a potential top scorer!"
Sun Mingzong was too weak to speak, and didn't want to say what place he got in the exam. He pushed Xu Qiulan aside and walked inside.
Liu Qiuyue grabbed him and shouted in disbelief, "How could this happen! You're so talented! Did those people from the Ministry of Rites mark your paper wrong?"
"I don't believe it! I'll go with you to ask them for justice. How come you don't even have a second-class grade?"
Liu Qiuyue was like an ant on the hot pan, and subconsciously pulled Sun Mingzong to go out.
"Mother!" Sun Mingzong shouted, "Can you please stop causing trouble for me?"
At this moment, the wife of the Minister of Justice stood up with her little daughter. Her expression was less enthusiastic than before, and she said in a calm tone, "Madam Sun, the palace examination was personally selected by His Majesty. How could there be any mistakes? I think your son's ability is not as good as others."
"Since he didn't even get a second-place finish, I'll call off the marriage proposal I made earlier."
As she spoke, she led her little daughter out at a brisk pace.
I thought I had a good eye and hit the jackpot, but I didn't expect it to be a misstep.
The wife of Cheng Yilang was about to step out of the door with her little daughter when they suddenly saw a large group of people walking towards them. The leader was wearing a crimson martial robe and had a big sword on his waist.
The wife of the Minister of Justice recognized them as the imperial guards at a glance. Seeing them walking towards the Sun family with expressionless faces as if they were going to rob the family, she was frightened and immediately stepped aside.
What did the Sun family do wrong that even the imperial guards came to their door!
Liu Qiuyue was completely oblivious to the approaching army. She held Sun Mingzong's hand and muttered, "How could this be? My son, you're a 19-year-old juren. The teachers in Wu County all praised your talent, saying you were bound to be the top scorer. How could you not even get into the second place?"
Sun Mingzong was already in a bad mood. Seeing Liu Qiuyue holding his hand and talking non-stop, he suddenly broke free from her hand and said, "Mother, have you said enough? I didn't hit the target, that's all!"
"If you have time to nag at me, why don't you hurry up and pack my bags? I'll be assigned to an official post soon."
"Outward Bound! Is that possible?" Upon hearing the word "outward bound", Liu Qiuyue jumped up like a cat whose tail was stepped on. "Our family has finally returned to Luojing from the countryside. How can you go back?"
"No! You must stay in Luojing." Liu Qiuyue said firmly.
Having seen the prosperity of Luojing, Liu Qiuyue was reluctant to go back.
Sun Mingzong said with a headache: "How can my family have such connections that I can stay in Luojing?"
Liu Qiuyue's eyes rolled around, and she pulled Sun Mingzong and said, "My son, do you still remember the young lady from the Shen family that your mother told you about?"
"Chen Shuwei has two older brothers. They've been pampered and raised in a family, and they don't have any scheming minds. If you're a little more considerate and make them happy, you might be able to stay in Luojing and have a good future."
"I heard that her second brother is quite powerful. He serves in the Imperial Guards and has the support of the General's Mansion!"
"My son, you are handsome and well-educated. What's that sixth-rank councillor? She doesn't even look down on you. Our Sun family is not even as good as her!"
"When you coax Shen Shuwei into your hand, won't everything in the Shen family belong to our Sun family? Although I despise Shen Shuwei's temperament, you just need to be patient for a while. When she gives birth to our Sun family's grandson, mother promises to give you a few more beautiful concubines."
The more Liu Qiuyue spoke, the more excited she became. She imagined the bright future of the Sun family and felt that her idea was absolutely correct.
Sun Mingzong frowned when he heard this and was about to speak out a rebuttal when the half-closed door was suddenly kicked open.
The door panel hit the wall hard and bounced back, blocked by a sword hilt. A tall young man stood in front of the door, looking at the mother and son in the room with an expressionless face.
Liu Qiuyue was so frightened that she hid behind Sun Mingzong and shouted tremblingly, "Who are you? How dare you barge into my house?"
Chen Zhang smiled wryly and pulled the corner of his lips, "It's you who just mentioned, the second brother Shen Shuwei who serves in the Imperial Guard and has the support of the General Guarding the Nation Mansion."
Liu Qiuyue choked and looked at Chen Zhang in fear. Her legs were so weak that she almost knelt on the ground.
Who would have thought that the words he just said were actually heard by the Shen family! Not only did they hear it, but he also brought people to the door!
Sun Mingzong was also frightened by the banditry of Shen Zhang. Suddenly, Shen Heng's words came back to his mind: "My second brother has a bad temper. I'm afraid he will come to talk to you."
This... How did he get here so quickly? And isn't he a member of the Imperial Guard? Why does he look like a bandit, with so many people following him?
Chen Zhang was too lazy to guess what the two people in front of him were thinking. He pulled over a stool and sat down with his horse and golden sword. Behind him, the other imperial guards blocked the door tightly like a dark-faced evil star.
"Sun Mingzong, you sent a visiting card to the Shen Mansion some time ago, saying that you wanted to meet my third sister?" Shen Zhang took out a visiting card from his pocket with a half-smile and threw it on the table, "A talented man and a beautiful woman, a perfect match?"
"Did you ever urinate and look at yourself while writing these words? Which of these words has anything to do with you?"
Sun Mingzong's face turned pale, but he didn't dare to refute.
The man in front of him looked like a gangster, and he was really afraid that he would start a fight if they disagreed.
"I was the one who threw away those posts of yours. I thought you would have some self-awareness, but I didn't expect you to dare to talk nonsense in the teahouse and say some unpleasant things in front of my third sister." Chen Zhang said slowly. With every word he spoke, Sun Mingzong felt that the rope around his neck was tightening.
"I heard that my eldest brother took the palace examination this morning, and my third sister went to see him off. You touched the snacks that my third sister gave to my eldest brother, and said that she made them especially for you, just to please you?" Chen Zhang raised the corners of his lips and revealed a sneer.
Sun Mingzong swallowed hard and explained softly, "It's...I misunderstood."
"Misunderstanding?" Chen Zhang stood up and walked over to him, lowering his head and staring at him. "You can just lie about a misunderstanding and ruin my third sister's reputation in front of everyone?"
Chen Zhang looked past Sun Mingzong and at Liu Qiuyue, who was standing with her head lowered like a quail. "You still want to use sweet words and some low-brow tricks to trick my third sister into marrying a low-brow family like yours, so as to pave the way for your family?"
Liu Qiuyue bravely retorted, "Do you have any evidence? If you have the guts, arrest me and take me to the government office. I was just saying it casually. What's the point?"
"My son is handsome and talented, but your third sister looks like a vixen seducing men. She is also arrogant and disrespectful to her elders. My Sun family doesn't even look down on her!"
Shen Zhang's expression suddenly changed.
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