Chapter 696 Slap in the Face (Second Update)
The weather was sweltering, and after a 15-minute traffic jam, the carriage finally started moving slowly.
The first half of the line was heavily congested, but it became clear as soon as it approached the Imperial Preceptor's Hall. It turned out that most of the people who had been queuing to see the Imperial Preceptor had been persuaded to leave by the disciples of the Imperial Preceptor's Hall, leaving only a dozen or so who were still determined to see him.
Gu Jiao's carriage stopped opposite the Imperial Preceptor's Hall.
She jumped off the carriage, took the tokens of the six chess masters, and walked towards the main gate.
A disciple of the Imperial Preceptor Hall was persuading the dozen or so people who refused to leave: "The Imperial Preceptor only sees three guests today, and he has already met two. If you have visiting cards, please take them out quickly. If not, please go back. You can come to the Imperial Preceptor Hall again when you have visiting cards."
Hmm, I also need a visiting card.
Gu Jiao touched her chin.
The disciple from the Imperial Preceptor's Hall had never met Gu Jiao before, but still politely asked, "Young master, do you have a visiting card?"
"I don't have an invitation card, I only have this." Gu Jiao handed the token of the Six Kingdoms Chess Saint to the disciple of the Imperial Preceptor Hall.
The disciple from the Imperial Preceptor's Hall took a look and said in astonishment, "Young master, please come inside."
Someone nearby protested, "Hey! Why should he get in?"
"Really? He didn't even have an invitation card, did he? We've waited so long, he should let us in first!"
A disciple from the Imperial Advisor's Hall explained, "This young master is carrying the token of Master Meng, the chess master of the Six Kingdoms. Master Meng is a distinguished guest of the Imperial Advisor's Hall, and those he recommends can directly enter the hall. Alright, all three spots for today are filled, everyone please return."
"Seriously! All that waiting was for nothing!"
"That's right! I wish I hadn't come!"
"He looks so poor and shabby, who knows if his token is fake?"
The disciple from the Imperial Preceptor's Hall shook his head helplessly, seemingly worried that Gu Jiao would thank him. He said, "Young Master, don't take it to heart. They wouldn't have been able to enter without an invitation from the Imperial Preceptor's Hall anyway. It has nothing to do with you."
Gu Jiao said, "Oh, I'm fine."
The young man was quite considerate.
"Young master, please follow me." A disciple from the Imperial Preceptor's Hall led Gu Jiao inside.
Just as the two turned to walk inside, a carriage suddenly drove up behind them. As soon as the carriage stopped, a girl in a white dress jumped down, lifting her skirt.
You could tell she was a little anxious.
"Please wait a moment."
She called to the disciples of the Imperial Preceptor Hall.
Hearing the familiar voice, Gu Jiao turned around along with the disciples of the Imperial Preceptor's Hall.
"It's you?"
The other person was taken aback when they saw Gu Jiao. "What are you doing here?"
Gu Jiao looked at Mu Ruxin, who had appeared in a hurry, and said, "Why can't I be here?"
Mu Ruxin glanced at the majestic and solemn plaque above her head, her eyebrows furrowing slightly as she said, "This is the Imperial Preceptor's Hall, not a place for you."
A disciple from the Imperial Preceptor's Hall asked, "May I ask what brings this young lady here?"
Mu Ruxin's attitude towards the disciples of the Imperial Preceptor's Hall became much better. She politely said, "I have come to request an audience with the Imperial Preceptor. I have a visiting card."
After saying that, she took out a golden visiting card from her wide sleeve.
The disciple of the Imperial Preceptor Hall immediately recognized that this was a genuine visiting card from the Imperial Preceptor Hall, but he still politely declined, saying, "I'm sorry, young lady, you're a step too late. Our Imperial Preceptor only sees three guests today, and this young master is the last one."
"He...he's just a commoner from a lower kingdom! How could he possibly be qualified to see the Grand Preceptor!" Mu Ruxin held up the visiting card in her hand and said not only to the disciple from the Grand Preceptor's Hall who was leading the way, but also to the other two disciples guarding the door, "Look carefully, this is a visiting card from the Chess Manor, personally presented to the Chess Manor by the Grand Preceptor! It should be the highest-level visiting card! I don't care where this person got the visiting card from, he is not qualified to be ahead of me!"
Visiting cards also have different grades: the first grade is the gold card, the second grade is the silver card, and the third grade is the blue card.
Only the gold ingot was personally stamped by the Grand Preceptor, and those qualified to receive it were usually members of the royal family. Qi Zhuang was lucky enough to obtain one, which has always been regarded as a treasure.
Mu Ruxin had gone to great lengths to cure the heir of the chess manor's cough in order to obtain this gold invitation.
Even if the heirs of the ten great families were here today, they could not bypass her!
The disciple from the Imperial Preceptor's Hall frowned slightly: "May I ask which country you are from, young lady?"
Mu Ruxin choked.
The disciple from the Imperial Preceptor's Hall spoke in a slightly cooler tone: "You're from Chen, aren't you, young lady? Your Yan dialect has a strong Chen accent, but I didn't hear any accents from the other countries in this young master's dialect."
Mu Ruxin's lips twitched slightly.
Are all the disciples of the Imperial Preceptor Hall this abnormal? You can even tell the difference in their accents.
Mu Ruxin felt ashamed and angry when her identity as a foreigner was exposed in public.
She glared fiercely at Gu Jiao.
Why is it that nothing good ever comes from meeting this Zhao man? She hasn't even settled the score with him for slapping her and breaking her arm, and now he's trying to steal her right to see the Grand Preceptor!
She would never let him succeed!
"Make her show me her visiting card! If it's a gold card like mine..."
Before Mu Ruxin could finish speaking, a disciple from the Imperial Preceptor's Hall presented the token that he hadn't had time to return to Gu Jiao, and said neither humbly nor arrogantly, "This young master is carrying the token of Elder Meng. Elder Meng is a distinguished guest of the Imperial Preceptor's Hall, and his token is far more valuable than the gold note you have!"
Mu Ruxin's pupils contracted sharply: "Impossible! How could he have Old Master Meng's token! This must be fake!"
Mu Ruxin did not come alone; there was another carriage parked behind hers.
A refined-looking man stepped down from the carriage. He was in his early forties, slender, and sported a goatee.
He walked over with his hands behind his back and an air of arrogance: "It's fortunate that I came today, otherwise I would not have known that someone was using the name of the chess club to swindle and cheat people!"
Mu Ruxin quickly turned around and greeted the other person, her tone gentle: "Master Feng."
The disciple from the Imperial Preceptor's Hall frowned as he looked at the other person: "Who are you?"
Mu Ruxin smiled faintly: "You keep saying that Elder Meng is a distinguished guest of your Imperial Preceptor Hall, but can't you recognize that this is Elder Meng's personal disciple, Master Feng Yuehua?"
Master Meng was a chess saint, and his eldest disciple was respectfully called a master by the world.
The disciple from the Imperial Preceptor's Hall cupped his hands in greeting: "So you are Master Feng, I've heard so much about you."
Feng Yuehua glanced at Gu Jiao and said bluntly, "I don't know this person at all. The token he's carrying..."
It's true!
Feng Yuehua saw the token being handed to her and showed an even more surprised expression than Mu Ruxin.
Mu Ruxin asked, "Master Feng, what's wrong?"
"You...you..." Feng Yuehua held the token in her hand, turning it over and over to confirm. "It's definitely the teacher's token. How did the teacher's token end up in your hands! Where did you steal it from!"
“I didn’t steal it,” Gu Jiao said.
Mu Ruxin sneered, "If you didn't steal it, then where did this token come from? As everyone knows, Old Master Meng has disappeared and his whereabouts are still unknown. How could his token have ended up in your possession by such a coincidence?"
The people who had already left turned back when they heard Mu Ruxin's voice, and lined up to watch the show.
Seeing the large crowd, Mu Ruxin was even more eager to humiliate Gu Jiao: "Do I need to remind everyone that you're a repeat offender? You once impersonated a doctor and went to the Duke of Anguo's mansion to swindle people, but luckily I discovered it in time! Otherwise, you would have made the Duke of Anguo sick!"
The onlookers began to whisper among themselves.
"Oh my, so young, how can you be so shameless?"
"He even deceived a great man like Duke Anguo, how heartless can he be!"
"He even stole the Chess Saint's token! And the Imperial Preceptor's Hall doesn't do anything about it! They actually want to bring someone like this into the Imperial Preceptor's court!"
"that is!"
Mu Ruxin raised the corners of her lips smugly: "Xiao Liulang, admit it, you stole the token!"
Feng Yuehua coldly replied, "I've never seen you before! The Chess Saint would never give you the token! You'd better tell the truth, otherwise—"
"Otherwise what?"
A dull, aged voice came from behind the crowd.
Feng Yuehua paused, then abruptly looked at the other person.
The crowd spontaneously parted to make way, and Mr. Meng walked over with a somber expression.
Mu Ruxin and the other common people had never seen Old Man Meng before. Judging from his clothes and appearance, he was just an ordinary old man.
Mu Ruxin said arrogantly, "Where did you come from? I advise you not to meddle in other people's business. The man beside me is the eldest disciple of the Chess Saint and the current owner of the Chess Manor..."
Old Mr. Meng stopped beside Gu Jiao and gave Feng Yuehua a mocking look: "Master?"
Feng Yuehua's face turned pale: "Shut up!"
Mu Ruxin was startled.
Master Feng... was he scolding her?
She cured his chronic cough, which had plagued him for many years. He treated her as an honored guest and personally escorted her to the Imperial Preceptor's Hall today.
How could he suddenly—
Feng Yuehua broke out in a cold sweat. He wiped it with his sleeve, bowed to Old Master Meng, and stammered, unable to speak.
Just now he was so arrogant, now he's so lost.
Old Master Meng said sternly, "Kneel down!"
Feng Yuehua knelt down with a thud!
I checked the monthly votes on the bookstore, and we're 5 votes short of breaking 1,000. Let's break 1,000! I'm going to write the third chapter now.
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
