Chapter 14 Furious at His Incompetence, Hurting Wuyou How did things turn out this way between him and the young lady…?
Chi Yanzhou stared blankly up at Cui Fuyu, who was sitting high on his horse, and remained silent for a long time.
I never expected that Chi Yanzhou was actually one of her people.
Wang Zeyou had heard of Cui Fuyu's formidable reputation, but seeing him in person, he was even more powerful than he had imagined. He was so frightened that his face turned pale and his legs went weak. He had just hit Chi Yanzhou.
Unsure of what to do, the steward turned to Cui Fuyu and pleaded, "Miss Cui, I will never dare to look down on people again. Please, please forgive me."
Cui Fuyu clicked her tongue in annoyance at his chatter and said unhappily, "Shut up."
Looking at the red and swollen handprint on Chi Yanzhou's face, she asked him impatiently, "Who hit me?"
Only she can bully her people.
No one else can bully you.
Chi Yanzhou lowered his eyes and looked away. He stubbornly stood his ground, refusing to utter a single word, a lingering resentment swirling within him.
Cui Fuyu had limited patience, and after waiting for a long time without receiving a reply, she realized that Chi Yanzhou was angry.
However, Cui Fuyu couldn't understand why Chi Yanzhou was angry.
Cui Fuyu paced back and forth, holding the reins, and pointed at the tutor she had hired for Chi Yanzhou, saying, "Tell me the whole story clearly, or I will not forgive you."
Suddenly being pointed at by Cui Fuyu, the master inwardly groaned, thinking that all the bad luck was his fault. He respectfully stepped forward and explained the matter clearly, making sure every word was explained.
As Cui Fuyu listened, his brows furrowed deeper and deeper, his anger becoming increasingly palpable, and his sharp gaze pierced Wang Zeyou.
Wang Zeyou felt a chill run down his spine: It's over! It's all over!
How can businessmen fight against government officials?!
Cui Fuyu dismounted, whip in hand, and lashed the steward with the whip again, saying nonchalantly, "You dog of a servant, you think you deserve to forgive?"
Cui Fuyu walked up to Wang Zeyou, looking at him coldly with a menacing air.
Wang Zeyou could no longer bear Cui Fuyu's oppressive aura and knelt down on the ground, begging for mercy: "I...I used a foul mouth to insult Miss Cui, I am guilty, please forgive me, I will serve you like a slave from now on, I will never dare to do it again!"
After Wang Zeyou finished speaking, he raised his hand and slapped his own face. He started by slapping lightly, hoping that Cui Fuyu would let him go. However, seeing Cui Fuyu's face growing colder and colder, he no longer dared to hold back and slapped harder and harder with each blow.
His face quickly swelled up, and blood seeped from the corners of his mouth; it was a truly pitiful sight.
Chi Yanzhou bit his lower lip and remained silent.
Cui Fuyu went over with a sullen face, reached out to pull Chi Yanzhou but was rejected. She squinted at him and tried to take his hand again, but after reluctantly taking his hand, she forcefully led him to Wang Zeyou.
She was clearly unhappy, but she held back. Why should Chi Yanzhou hold a grudge against her?
Isn't she seeking justice for Chi Yanzhou?
Cui Fuyu tilted his head slightly, sneering condescendingly: "Chi Yanzhou, fight back!"
Chi Yanzhou did not retaliate as she wished, remaining motionless like a puppet, her face expressionless.
Seeing his lifeless appearance, Cui Fuyu suddenly felt a bit annoyed.
She then suppressed her indignation and asked one last time indifferently, "Chi Yanzhou, I'll let you fight back."
Cui Fuyu turned her head and stared at Chi Yanzhou, who was still staring blankly at his toes, his expression unmoved. Anger welled up in her heart.
At this moment, she coldly slapped Chi Yanzhou hard across the face, furious at his lack of ambition: "Useless!"
Everyone who witnessed this scene was astonished by Cui Fuyu's behavior. How could she have been advocating for him one second and then turning on him the next?
Chi Yanzhou stood frozen in place, his lips trembling but ultimately no sound came out.
The change was too sudden.
But seeing this, Wang Zeyou was secretly pleased. Did Cui Fuyu dislike Chi Yanzhou?
Enraged, Cui Fuyu threw down the whip, turned and left, ignoring Chi Yanzhou completely...
Chi Yanzhou witnessed the young lady's departure, but his hand, which he tried to hold back, failed to grasp her sleeve.
——
Chi Yanzhou left the horse farm in a daze, having not only failed to learn to ride a horse but also displeasing the young lady.
He returned to the dilapidated Chi family home, and to his delight, the small kitchen and the side room where he lived were not burned down, so he could still cook and live there.
The white cloth covering the Chi family's house hadn't been removed yet. Touched by the sight, Chi Yanzhou noticed his face was wet and reached up to touch it.
He stared blankly at the tears in his hand, wondering how things had turned out this way.
He wasn't angry, nor did he want to argue with the young lady.
But how did his date with the young lady turn out like this?
Chi Yanzhou's thoughts drifted away, and when he came back to his senses, he still couldn't figure it out, so he simply stopped thinking about it.
He took two eggs from the side room, put them in a pot to boil, and after they were cooked, Chi Yanzhou rolled the two eggs on his cheeks.
The hot egg touched his swollen cheek, and the pain and heat combined to make him instinctively close his eyes and hiss.
The two men slapped him hard, and the marks wouldn't go away for several days.
He doesn't blame the young lady, but she's angry now, so how can he appease her?
After applying the egg to his face, Chi Yanzhou cooked himself a bowl of vegetarian noodles to eat with the egg, and then showed a satisfied smile.
He thought: This kind of life is definitely more suitable for me.
Meanwhile, at the Cui residence.
Cui Fuyu returned to the Cui residence with a livid face and locked herself in her room, even having Ju Ning personally deliver her dinner.
After seeing this, Zhu Jin whispered to Juning, "Who made our young lady angry? She came back radiating rage, and I didn't dare go near her. Shouldn't our young lady be the one causing trouble for someone?"
Zhu Jin guessed that since Miss hadn't returned for a day and a night, who could have angered her to this extent?
And they hadn't seen a lady who was angry in a long time.
Juning shook her head and guessed, "We might find out tomorrow. Things that Miss does usually get out the next day."
Zhu Jin nodded in agreement, saying she would inquire about it the next morning.
The next morning, people were already pushing carts and selling fresh vegetables from local farmers in the alley.
Zhu Jin, holding the inside information, secretly went into the room to share it with Juning.
Only then did the two realize that their young lady was angry because of that bastard Chi Yanzhou.
After packing up at home, Chi Yanzhou took his things and went to the academy.
He has already missed several days of schoolwork and cannot afford to miss any more.
Inside the academy, ever since Chi Yanzhou arrived, everyone has been scrutinizing him with curious eyes, and people have been exchanging pleasantries from time to time.
He tried to ignore the strange looks he received and entered the school without looking to the side.
But someone was already waiting for him inside the school.
The students who arrived early quickly made way for Chi Yanzhou. The once lively students were now completely silent, all staring at Chi Yanzhou, while cries could be heard from time to time in the school.
"Don't hit him. This isn't just his fault."
Chi Yanzhou stepped halfway into the classroom, his smile instantly freezing as he stared at the three people in front of him.
Wang Zeyou knelt on the ground, looking dejected and haggard, with the slap mark from yesterday still visible on his face.
A beautiful woman was tearfully protecting Wang Zeyou, pleading with the middle-aged man beside her to stop hitting him.
These two are Wang Zeyou's parents.
When Wang's father saw Chi Yanzhou arrive, he was heartbroken and pulled him over to kneel down before him, saying, "Young Master Chi, please have mercy and spare my Wang family."
It turns out that by the time the shop closed yesterday evening, the Wang family's business had plummeted. This morning, a group of soldiers even sealed off all of the Wang family's shops, big and small, in the capital. The people he sent to investigate returned without finding anything and shook their heads, saying they didn't know anything. How could he smooth things over if he couldn't find out any information?
After hearing his parents' account of the family's affairs, Wang Zeyou dared not say that he had offended Cui Fuyu. He tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep, before finally revealing the truth of his guess.
Upon hearing this, Wang's father was so angry that he almost fell ill. He didn't dare to delay for a moment and took Wang Zeyou straight to the Cui family, but the Cui family was not a family they could visit whenever they wanted.
Having failed to reach an agreement, Wang's father then took Wang Zeyou to the academy to seek help from Chi Yanzhou.
The three of them knelt in a row, and Wang's parents, for the sake of their family business, swallowed their pride and begged Chi Yanzhou.
Chi Yanzhou couldn't bear their kneeling and withdrew his feet. He asked in confusion, "I can't accept you kneeling before me. What's going on?"
Mr. Wang hurriedly told them what had happened at home, and casually mentioned that the horse farm, like the Wang family's, had been shut down, and that the manager had been killed by a horse that morning.
Chi Yanzhou looked at them with complicated feelings and an unreadable expression: "How do I know if it's true or false? Besides, Wang Zeyou should also know about my unpleasant parting with Miss Cui yesterday. I can't make the decision on this matter."
Wang Zeyou suddenly said angrily, "Didn't she treat you differently? Chi Yanzhou, you just don't want to help me."
He calmly watched Wang Zeyou go crazy; there was really nothing he could do to help.
Chi Yanzhou knew that even if Cui Fuyu were to retaliate against the Wang family, he wouldn't be so careless as to disregard human lives.
Unless the Wang family itself has done something shady.
Chi Yanzhou suddenly remembered the recent uproar over the smuggled salt case and the salt mines. He didn't want to get involved in this mess. "How much face can a nobody like me have in front of Miss Cui?"
After saying that, Chi Yanzhou went straight to his seat, ignoring the Wang family, and repeatedly reviewed his lessons from the past few days.
Knowing there was no hope, the father sighed and got up to walk outside.
Wang's mother pulled Wang Zeyou along to follow.
——
Colorful butterflies fluttered their wings and flew low through the air, landing on the newly cut lotus flowers on the windowsill of Yutang Courtyard, slowly flapping their dazzling wings as they smelled the fragrance.
Cui Fuyu, dressed in pink with simple makeup, looked refreshed and had a bright smile as she left the courtyard to have breakfast with her parents in the front hall.
However, as soon as she reached the door, she heard her parents discussing matters of the court inside. Intending to eavesdrop, she stopped at the door and told the maids to be quiet.
Cui Fuyu approached the door frame and quietly eavesdropped.
Cui Shihai, with a solemn expression, told Zhao Ying about what had happened at the morning court session that day, and that the salt mine case had been thoroughly investigated.
"This morning, Wang Fei, still injured, presented the results of his investigation to the Emperor. The Emperor was furious after reading it, threw away the memorial, and ordered the Imperial Guards to arrest four accomplices on the spot. Only the main culprit, Zhang Chaijie, has not yet been caught. Wang Fei led his men to raid several shops early this morning."
Zhao Ying sipped her congee with dried scallops and shredded pork, listening with surprise: "It's this serious. Salt mines are a major issue, fundamental to people's livelihoods. It's clear how much money Zhang Chaijie amassed by taking advantage of his position. But why did Zhang Chaijie do this?"
Given Zhang Chaijie's current position, he would at least be guaranteed a comfortable life, and no one would make such a grave mistake.
Zhao Ying sighed at Zhang Chaijie's actions. He was able to reach the position of Salt Commissioner in the capital at the age of middle age, which showed his talent and learning.
One wrong step and there's no turning back.
"Who knows? I heard from the Emperor that the money he embezzled could be equivalent to five years of the national treasury's revenue. When the Zhang family was raided, they also seized a lot of valuables that exceeded their authority. The Emperor intended to downplay the matter to avoid shaking the state, but the Zhang family will probably face the death penalty."
Cui Shihai also felt sorry for Zhang Chaijie. Although they were not close, he had heard of Zhang Chaijie's deeds, as they had served in the same court for decades.
If he is honest and upright in his official duties, he will likely be able to achieve even greater political success in the future. He should never have any crooked thoughts.
They deserve their current fate!
Zhao Ying recalled Cui Shihai saying that Zhang Chaijie had escaped, and asked with suspicion, "Wang Fei has always been cautious and meticulous in his work, how could he have let him get away? Could it be that someone in the court was in cahoots with him?"
The fact that Zhang Chaijie ran away was too much of a coincidence.
Cui Shihai shook his head. When Wang Fei ransacked the Zhang family's house, Zhang Chaijie was no longer at home, and no one knew his whereabouts. He probably ran away overnight.
Cui Fuyu thought with satisfaction: If the illegal salt trade and salt mines are completely resolved, the Cui family can enjoy a little more peace and stability.
At the same time, Cui Shihai leaned closer to his wife and muttered incoherently, "Do you know who sent the Emperor to investigate the salt mines? It was our daughter who subtly reminded me to submit a memorial!"
He said, "The more I think about it these past few days, the more suspicious it seems. How did she know?"
Zhao Ying did not reply to him, but coughed twice to remind Cui Shihai that his supposedly insightful daughter had arrived.
Cui Shihai looked up with a smile at his beloved daughter: "Good morning, Yu'er, did you sleep well last night?"
Breakfast went relatively smoothly, and Cui Fuyu didn't ask Zhang Chaijie any further questions, confident that the Enforcement Department would soon apprehend him.
Unexpectedly, when Cui Fuyu returned to Yutang Courtyard, she was startled!
It was the people from Anxuan who had returned; the young female warrior suddenly appeared before her!
A note from the author:
----------------------
Chi Yanzhou: I'm sorry, Miss, I really wasn't angry...
Cui Fuyu: [Oh oh oh][Oh oh oh][Oh oh oh]
Me: Our Xiaochi is such a bittersweet male lead!
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