Chapter 60 Clash (2)
Lu Jingli chased after Prefect Song back to the Song residence: "Brother-in-law, brother-in-law, what should we do next? Didn't the Meng family already abandon Meng Ying's branch of the family? How could they possibly help him vent his anger? He must be bluffing us, right?"
Prefect Song said expressionlessly, "If you think he's bluffing you, then just wait and see. You don't need to do anything."
Lu Jingli panicked: "Brother-in-law, you have to help Wei Fu! He only revealed it today because he was angered by Meng Guanqi. He's still young and doesn't understand—"
Prefect Song's facial muscles twitched violently as he stared at Judge Lu with a dark gaze: "Ignorant? He's already twenty-one years old, and he's ignorant?! When he drugged Meng Guanqi, didn't he know who he was? Didn't he know he had the title of Xiucai (a scholar who passed the imperial examinations)? Didn't he know he was from the Meng family?"
Lu Jingli hurriedly said, "Meng Ying has been convicted and is no longer tolerated by his family. Didn't you say that he might only be able to stay in Biyang County for the rest of his life? On the day he was seriously ill, Meng Guanqi knelt in front of the mansion for four hours, but you ignored him and didn't even allow the doctor from the prefectural city to go with him to save Meng Ying. Wei Fu only did the wrong thing because he saw that you didn't take it seriously."
Prefect Song laughed in exasperation: "So now you're blaming me?"
Lu Jingli slapped himself hard across the face: "Brother-in-law, I know he's gotten himself into trouble this time, but Wei Fu is a junior. He always does things according to our wishes. If he had known that the Meng family might stand up for him, how could he have done such a thing?"
Prefect Song roared, “Foolish! Utterly foolish! You and your son are utterly incompetent and more likely to cause trouble than achieve anything! Meng Ying and I have differing political views. He offended me first, and I impeached him afterward. Even if I intentionally made things difficult for him, he couldn't say it openly. Could he possibly tell the Meng family that I neglected him, made things difficult for him, or gave him a hard time? Saying such things would only make the Meng family look down on Meng Ying even more, venting their anger and making him appear incompetent. That's what it means to have nowhere to voice one's grievances.” Even if I complain, I'm in the wrong, and the Meng family certainly won't care! But what have you done? He only has one son, his only hope. It's one thing if you dared to touch him, but why did you have to let it be discovered? Now, he's provoked you into admitting the truth with just a few words, affecting the entire Meng family's reputation. Even if Minister Meng turns a blind eye, the Meng family can't allow their descendants to be bullied like this! How deep is the foundation of a family with hundreds of years of history? How can a small, humble family like yours resist? You'd better go back and wash your neck and wait to see when his knife comes down.”
After saying that, he turned around and left.
Lu Jingli chased after him, pleading, "Brother-in-law, brother-in-law, we know we were wrong, please help Wei Fu, brother-in-law..."
Meanwhile, Magistrate Meng and his entourage boarded the carriage returning to Biyang County. They had barely left the city gate when a hurried cry came from behind: "Magistrate Meng, Magistrate Meng, please wait!"
A pageboy rode up on a horse.
Magistrate Meng instructed Zhao Jian: "Stop for a moment."
The pageboy leaped off his horse, and a carriage was speeding toward them from a short distance away.
The page boy bowed and said, "Lord Meng, I am Tang Xuezheng's page boy. The Xuezheng has something to say to Lord Meng. Please wait a moment, Lord Meng."
As they were talking, the speeding carriage had already come up in front of them. Tang Yili, the school administrator of the prefectural school, lifted the curtain and got off the carriage. He bowed to Magistrate Meng and said, "Magistrate Meng, please get out of the carriage and join us."
Magistrate Meng returned the greeting, saying, "Please, Your Excellency the Provincial Education Commissioner."
They had just left the city gate and were not far ahead when they came to a small pavilion for travelers to rest. Tang Xuezheng and Magistrate Meng dismissed their attendants and talked in the pavilion. Li Xiaoxiao knocked on the carriage window, and Meng Guanqi opened the window: "What is it?"
Li Xiaoxiao handed him a familiar-looking box.
Upon seeing this item, Meng Guanqi felt a pang of sadness: "How did you bring it back?" When he opened it, he indeed found Liu's gold necklace inside.
Li smiled and said, "Why can't we take Madam's things?" Would the Lu Jingli dare to snatch them from her?
They must be as anxious as ants on a hot pan right now, trying to figure out how to get through this difficult situation. Why would they care about the fate of this collar?
Meng Guanqi put down the collar, glanced at Lord Meng and Tang Xuezheng who obviously wouldn't finish their conversation anytime soon, and pointed to a teahouse ahead, saying, "It's too cold, let's go up there and have some tea."
Zhao Jian stayed behind to watch the carriage, while Asheng, feeling cold, didn't want to move. Meng Guanqi led Li Xiaoxiao to the teahouse and ordered two bowls of tea, as well as a bowl of plain noodles for her: "You're probably not full yet, right? Have another bowl of noodles?"
Prefect Song entertained the officials, but the servants were left out. So everyone waited outside and ate dry rations. Li Xiaoxiao had a big appetite and ate two pancakes, but it was as if she hadn't eaten anything at all.
Meng Guanqi ordered noodles for her, and she ate them without hesitation.
Meng Guanqi held the warm teacup, his head lowered, seemingly lost in thought.
Li Xiaoxiao finished her noodles in a few bites, then asked the owner for two tea eggs to peel and eat. As she ate, she asked, "Young master, what do you think the Education Commissioner wants with the master?"
Meng Guanqi said, "I don't know either. My father has been in Biyang County for a year and has never had any contact with this education official."
Li Xiaoxiao whispered, "Do you think he might want you to go to school?"
Meng Guanqi was taken aback: "Go to school?"
Li Xiaoxiao said matter-of-factly, "That's right, isn't he the academic director of the prefectural school? When the academic director talks to Lord Meng, the most likely thing is to talk about your studies, right?"
Meng Guanqi's expression was gloomy and uncertain: "After what happened today, you want to invite me to the academy?" Did you hear that he has the Meng family backing him up?
He couldn't help but scoff. If Tang Xuezheng invited him to enroll for this reason, he would only look down on the prefectural school in Lin'an City even more. What if he were a penniless scholar? Without family background or a powerful family like the Meng family to back him up, would Tang Xuezheng still have made this trip?
Li smiled and said, "If he really lets you go to school, will you go?"
Meng Guanqi's expression was icy: "Why should I go? I have no outstanding writings to offer, nor do I have a good reputation. What makes me, the son of a mere county magistrate, worthy of this provincial education official's personal invitation to enroll? If he came to see my father for this very reason, he must have other motives."
Suddenly someone let out a low laugh.
When Meng Guanqi and Li Xiaoxiao turned around, they found that four men in black had been sitting at the table next to them. They were all wearing cloaks to protect them from the wind and snow. One of them was a refined middle-aged scholar, another was a strong and burly man, and the third was a pale-faced, beardless man with a gloomy demeanor. They were sitting around a young man in his twenties with a handsome face. The one who was laughing was the young man in his twenties.
The four were dressed identically, but the young man, without uttering a word but with a slight smile, possessed an imposing and outstanding presence, making it immediately apparent that he was the center of the group.
Seeing Meng Guanqi and the other man looking over, the young man put down his teacup: "I didn't expect the good show at Chunfeng Tower to have a sequel. It seems that not all the officials in Lin'an Prefecture are fools. This Tang Xuezheng is the first smart one."
He looked at Meng Guanqi: "Young Master, didn't you say you didn't know why he came to find your father? I can guess a few things. Would you like to hear them?"
Meng Guanqi carefully examined the group of people. They seemed to be young masters from wealthy families traveling around. He cupped his hands in greeting to the young man and said, "I would like to hear more details."
The young man smiled and said, "He came here only to clear his name. If the Meng family really pursues the matter of you and your son being humiliated, he can also absolve himself of any responsibility. He personally came to invite you to enroll. If you go, the Meng family will naturally not blame him. If you don't go, he will have an excuse to refuse. Isn't that a win-win situation?"
Meng Guanqi immediately understood after being enlightened by him: there really are no simple people in officialdom, and there are plenty of people who know how to change their stance according to the wind.
The young man said, "Do you find the adult world hard to understand? You've always been sheltered under your father's wing, so it's normal that you don't understand the behavior of these adults."
Does he mean to let him enter the prefectural school?
Meng Guanqi pondered for a moment, then cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for your guidance, brother. I will consider it carefully."
He sized up the young man and asked, "My name is Meng Guanqi. May I ask how you are addressed, sir?"
The young man smiled and said, "My surname is Li, and everyone calls me Second Master Li."
The surname is Li? Li is the imperial surname, and there are many prominent families with the surname Li in the Great Wu Dynasty, but this person is unwilling to reveal even his origins and name, which suggests that he has no intention of associating with him.
He cupped his hands in greeting to Master Li, then got up and left with Li Xiaoxiao.
As the two figures disappeared into the distance, Master Li suddenly turned around and asked, "Wen Kui, what are you looking at?"
The middle-aged scholar was named Li Wenkui, and the robust man was named Pang Shi. When Master Li asked, Li Wenkui said, "I was looking at the attendant beside him, Pang Shi. Did you notice when he fought with that attendant at Chunfeng Tower?"
Pang Shi said, "Sir, you also noticed? He defeated two people with minimal effort, but he didn't use his full strength, so it's hard to say how strong he really is."
Li Wenkui said, "If you were facing him, could you defeat two people in a row as easily as he did?"
Pang Shi laughed and said, "Sir, do you not know that I practice the Fierce Fist? It is hard and powerful, and when I fight, nothing is left unbroken... Are you wondering if this young man from the Meng family also has such a capable person by his side? The Meng family is, after all, a prestigious family. Although Magistrate Meng is not highly regarded, it is not surprising that he keeps a few skilled people around him, is it?"
Li Wenkui said, "It's not surprising that the Meng family has recovered their skills, but what's surprising is that it's a woman."
Pang Shi was taken aback: "A woman?"
Master Li laughed and said, "Although she is dressed as a man, she is obviously a woman. Among us, you are the only one who didn't notice, right?"
Pang Shi was immediately embarrassed and turned to ask Wan Quan, "Master Wan, you recognized me too?"
A rare smile appeared on Wan Quan's pale face: "Yes, we recognized him at first glance."
Pang Shi muttered, "So I'm the only fool who thought I'd have a chance to spar with her... But how could Meng Ying, an unappreciated illegitimate son, keep a woman with such extraordinary skills?"
Many aristocratic families kept bodyguards, but few kept women. Women are sometimes much more convenient than men for carrying out special missions, but keeping such people is not easy. First, the candidates need to be raised from a young age, teaching them to read and write as well as various skills, which is time-consuming and laborious. Only a huge amount of money can afford it. Meng Ying was so poor that he had to use his wife's dowry to make ends meet, so what need did he have to keep such people?
Master Li thought for a moment: "What was the reason Meng Ying was demoted?"
Li Wenkui said, "He got involved in the troubles of Third Master's faction, and was set up and pushed out as a scapegoat."
Master Li said, "Could this person be someone that the third brother placed by his side?"
Li Wenkui said, "Before Meng Ying got involved in this matter, he was only a sixth-rank official. Although he had the Meng family behind him, after the incident, Minister Meng cut off his arm in the blink of an eye, which clearly showed that he did not want to get involved in the struggle between the gentlemen. He also turned a blind eye to the fallen Meng Ying, which made his attitude clear. Therefore, it is almost impossible for the Third Master to expect him to win over the Meng family."
Master Li smiled and said, "That's fine then. She's just a maid with slightly better skills. There's no need to be so alarmed. There's still one last place we haven't visited on this trip. Let's set off. We need to return to the capital before the New Year."
The group responded in unison. Pang Shi took out some copper coins, placed them on the table, and together with the other three, mounted their horses and galloped eastward.
Not long after the three set off, a dozen or so riders hidden in the shadows quietly followed them.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com