Back then, Father Qi did not know that the mastermind behind the scenes was his paternal cousin, Old Master Qi. It was fine if he couldn't take the imperial examinations. Father Qi's studies were also average; he preferred doing business. But who knew that Old Master Qi would eventually drive their family out of Fengzhou.
Fortunately, Old Master Qi valued his reputation and wouldn't do anything to exterminate them. Nominally, he had separated Father Qi's family, and also allocated some assets. Of course, compared to the wealth Grandpa Qi Heng's grandfather had accumulated, what Father Qi took was less than a tenth.
With hatred in his heart, Father Qi went to Nanxuan Prefecture, still planning to take revenge on Old Master Qi someday.
However, circumstances forced Father Qi to rely on the name of the Qi family of Fengzhou to establish himself in Nanxuan Prefecture. Similarly, perhaps due to its reputation or out of guilt, the Qi family of Fengzhou also provided Father Qi with protection several times.
Father Qi had been in business for many years, and the lines between right and wrong seemed to blur under the impact of profit and reality. Every year, he would bring his wife and children back to the main family to pay New Year's greetings and honor their ancestors.
Likewise, the main family treated his branch as ordinary relatives, helping when they could and not being stingy with their assistance. The disputes of the past were no longer mentioned.
Zhan Feiyu stood at the entrance of the Qi family's mansion. It was normal for the onlookers to mistake her for a member of the Qi family.
"So young, yet so malicious!" On horseback, Commander Liu did not hide the disgust in his eyes. He pointed his horsewhip at Zhan Feiyu, "If there's a next time, hmph!"
He didn't finish his sentence, but the threat was self-evident. If Zhan Feiyu fell into Commander Liu's hands again, she would likely be whipped, even if she was a young girl.
"This subordinate thanks Commander Liu." A Jiang knelt and turned to Commander Liu, kowtowing three times. Hatred for revenge flickered in his eyes, clearly unwilling to let Zhan Feiyu, who had punished him, off the hook.
After kowtowing, A Jiang's kneeling body swayed, and he collapsed to the ground in pain. His face was deathly pale, cold sweat beaded on his forehead, and his legs twitched uncontrollably.
This was not an act. He had been kneeling for over half an hour. A Jiang claimed to be a gatekeeper, but he lived a life of pampered ease and had never suffered like this before.
"Lord Liu, this subordinate was rude..." A Jiang endured the pain and tried to get up, but after a few struggles, he still couldn't stand.
Seeing this, Steward Bao quickly stepped forward to help A Jiang up. "Reporting to Your Lordship, A Jiang knelt too hard and injured his knee."
After speaking, Steward Bao looked at Miss Zhan again, his attitude humble and fearful. "Miss Zhan, all mistakes are mine. It was my negligence. I beg you to spare A Jiang this time. If A Jiang kneels any longer, his leg will be ruined. If you are still angry, I will take the punishment for A Jiang."
Zhan Feiyu raised her eyebrows. Was this a deliberate trap for her? Trying to use a borrowed knife to kill?
"You dare to hit my father?" An angry shout came from inside the gate.
Zhan Feiyu's small body nimbly dodged to the side. Bao Baozhu, who was rushing over, did not expect Zhan Feiyu to move aside. Missing her target, she tripped over the threshold. Everyone heard a scream.
Bao Baozhu fell outside the main gate in a face-first posture. Because she fell with her face down, when Bao Baozhu looked up again, the blood from her nose smeared her entire face. "Father..."
"Baozhu!" Steward Bao, forgetting about A Jiang, rushed to check on his bruised and battered daughter. For a moment, the father and daughter hugged each other, appearing as if they had been severely bullied.
The surrounding servants and maids knew that the Bao family father and daughter were not to be trifled with, but at this moment, they couldn't help but show sympathy. No matter how arrogant and overbearing they were usually, when the master appeared, they were still treated like beasts, subject to scolding and beatings.
A Jiang, enduring the pain, also rushed over. Suppressing his inner disgust, he tremblingly wiped away Bao Baozhu's tears. "Baozhu, are you alright? Where are you hurt?"
"Miss Zhan, all mistakes are mine. I beg you to be merciful and not punish Baozhu." A Jiang plopped down on the ground again.
As he knelt, his knees felt as if they were being pricked by thousands of needles. A Jiang, who was lowering his head to beg for mercy, had a twisted expression, wishing he could flay Zhan Feiyu alive. He vowed to get back this humiliation a hundredfold from this lowly girl today!
Compared to Zhan Feiyu, who still stood proudly on the steps, and the miserable family of three on the ground.
Bao Baozhu cried as if her parents were dead, Steward Bao bent over to support his daughter, and A Jiang was still kneeling and kowtowing. The old, the injured, instantly made Zhan Feiyu appear as a cold-blooded and vicious mistress.
Commander Liu had a night of revelry and went to the military camp during the day. Although he was just going through the motions, he hadn't rested well. Hearing Bao Baozhu's pig-like wails, his irritable temper was instantly ignited.
"All of you, shut up!" With an angry roar, the violent Commander Liu looked at the detestable Zhan Feiyu. "Since you like bullying others with your status so much, today I will let you know what it means to bully with status! How long did that servant kneel? You will kneel back for double the time!"
Hah! It was better to offend anyone than Commander Liu, this malevolent star, especially when he was drunk and bad-tempered. It didn't matter who you were; if you fell into Commander Liu's hands, at best you'd get whipped, and at worst, you'd lose an arm or a leg.
Just as everyone thought Zhan Feiyu was going to be unlucky, they saw her roll her eyes. "Does Commander Liu live by the sea?"
Bao Baozhu wiped her bloody nose and said in a hoarse, disdainful voice, "Never seen anyone so stupid. Commander Liu lives on Nanhu Alley!"
"Since you don't live by the sea, why is Commander Liu meddling so much? Are you bored?" Zhan Feiyu tilted her chin, her clear, crisp voice filled with immense exasperation. "These are servants of the Qi family. They have signed contracts of indenture. I assume Commander Liu is a military officer and is not familiar with the 'Great Qing Law'."
No wonder she dared to punish Steward Bao's family of three. This young girl didn't even put Commander Liu in her eyes. She was truly a fearless newborn calf.
"What did you say?" Commander Liu's expression showed a moment of shock. In Fengzhou, no one had ever dared to speak to him like this.
A commander might be a petty official, but the key was his surname – Liu! Who in Jiangnan didn't know the imperial merchant Liu family!
In the seventeen prefectures of Jiangnan, the northernmost prefectures of Xuzhou, Anhuai, and Anfeng were all Liu family territory, occupying half the area of Jiangnan.
Although it was "scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants!" The Liu family, as imperial merchants, seemed insignificant. However, the Liu family's wealth and extensive connections were such that even the Chen family had to avoid their edge. It was also because of the birth of the First Prince that the Liu family, as the First Prince's maternal relatives, became the largest family in Jiangnan. But even so, one dared not underestimate the Liu family, the local power that occupied three prefectures.
Qi Heng came out a step too late. Just as he was about to speak, Zhan Feiyu stopped him. She wasn't afraid of offending Commander Liu, but Qi Heng was different; he was a disciple of the Qi family.
"Young Master, you must not bring disaster upon the Qi family!" Steward Bao looked at Qi Heng with great concern, appearing worried and helpless. "Young Master, ask Miss Zhan to apologize to Commander Liu! Commander Liu is a guest of Governor Meng and is sworn brothers with Commander Qiu. Young Master, you are going to ruin the Qi family!"
Commander Liu was a close friend of both the Governor of Fengzhou and the Commander of the Guard, the two highest officials, one civil and one military. He indeed had the capital to be arrogant, and it also showed the power of the Liu family.
"Steward Bao speaks the truth. Qi Heng, this is all Xiao Yu's fault. Don't interfere." Ming San said with a smile, placing a hand on Qi Heng's shoulder and pulling him aside, acting as if it were none of his business.
Zhan Feiyu looked speechlessly at the disloyal nephew and uncle. Shouldn't the renowned Ming San Gongzi, known for his arrogant scholarship, be arrogant and unrestrained, looking down on the world? No matter who came, he would openly confront them with righteous indignation.
The impatient Commander Liu urged his horse forward a couple of steps, his horsewhip pointing at Zhan Feiyu again. "Will you kneel yourself, or shall I break your legs before you kneel?"
Zhan Feiyu stood on the steps, not appearing short. Her aura was no weaker than the violent Commander Liu. "Is Commander Liu bullying others with his status?"
"Seeking death!" Commander Liu, who already disliked Zhan Feiyu's beautiful, rosy-cheeked appearance, and now that she dared to provoke him, his eyes turned viciously, and he swung his horsewhip fiercely towards Zhan Feiyu's face.
"Ah!" A timid maidservant screamed in fear, instinctively covering her face with her hands.
Commander Liu was a military man. If this horsewhip hit Zhan Feiyu's face, she would definitely be disfigured!
In the eyes of the surrounding servants, Zhan Feiyu was not wrong to punish A Jiang by making him kneel. For a servant who had signed a contract of indenture, let alone being made to kneel, even if they were beaten to death, it was their fate.
Commander Liu repeatedly accused Zhan Feiyu of bullying with her status, but wasn't he himself meddling in affairs that didn't concern him?
With a "bang!" the muffled sound of a heavy object hitting the ground made the maids who had closed their eyes involuntarily open them. They were stunned, and the bloody scene they had imagined did not appear.
He Sheng blocked Zhan Feiyu's path, intercepting Commander Liu's horsewhip with his right hand. With a strong pull, Commander Liu, who was sitting on his horse, was caught off guard and pulled off the horse by He Sheng, falling directly to the ground.
At this moment, the startled horse suddenly reared its front hooves. Commander Liu, who had fallen, was dazed. It wasn't until his left calf experienced intense pain that he reacted.
"Huh?" Zhan Feiyu was also dumbfounded, looking sympathetically at Commander Liu, whose calf bone had been broken by the horse's hoof.
He Sheng, standing beside her, also did not expect Commander Liu, a military officer, to be so slow to react. Falling off the horse could be attributed to his carelessness and lack of preparedness, but after falling to the ground, he didn't even know to roll away and instead had his own mount step on his calf, breaking it.
"You deserve to die!" Lying on the ground, Commander Liu's face was contorted with pain, and his bloodthirsty eyes glared ferociously at Zhan Feiyu and He Sheng. If his left calf hadn't been broken, he would have likely dismembered them both by now.
Steward Bao also did not expect his "borrowed knife to kill" to cause Commander Liu to break his leg. His face turned completely pale with fright, and he quickly stepped forward. Meanwhile, among the onlookers, a middle-aged man quickly stepped forward to hold the horse's reins and lead it to the side, preventing further accidents.
A moment later, as Commander Liu was sent to the medical clinic, the onlookers in the alley also dispersed. However, as they left, they all looked at Zhan Feiyu and the others with sympathy. Offending Commander Liu would at most result in a whipping, but now that Commander Liu had broken his leg, their lives were likely forfeit.
"What is all this!" Zhan Feiyu asked the heavens speechlessly.
"Haha, don't worry. As long as you mention Scholar Gu's name, let alone a mere commander, even Governor Meng wouldn't dare to touch you." Ming San was amused by Zhan Feiyu's dejected expression. The little girl was a diligent student, yet she was prone to causing trouble.
...
Steward Bao's family of three also left. However, after Zhan Feiyu's previous heroic act, the servants now looked at Zhan Feiyu with utmost respect, fearing that if they served her poorly, they would be the next ones to break a leg.
Almost at the same time, the news of Commander Liu breaking his leg spread to all the families in Fengzhou, and the Qi family naturally received the news.
In the main hall of the Qi mansion.
Even Old Master Qi, who was supposed to be enjoying his retirement, was alerted. The two eldest masters of the Qi family and their three young masters were also seated in the main hall with solemn expressions.
"Old Master, this subordinate could not dissupple her. This subordinate has brought disaster upon the Qi family. This subordinate deserves to die!" Steward Bao, lacking the shrewdness and cunning he showed towards Qi Heng, knelt on the ground and begged for mercy. He was truly terrified.
Although the main culprit for causing Commander Liu to break his leg was Zhan Feiyu, Steward Bao's family of three was also the trigger. Moreover, Steward Bao's "borrowed knife to kill" method was not subtle. Even if he pushed all the blame onto Zhan Feiyu, it was impossible to deceive Old Master Qi.
Bao Baozhu and A Jiang knelt behind Steward Bao with their bodies hunched. They dared to be insincere to Qi Heng, but when they were in front of the main family, they didn't even dare to breathe loudly. In the end, they were of slave status, and their lives depended on the whim of the master.
"That little bastard!" With a bang, an angry curse rang out. The young master of the Qi family slammed his palm on the table, his face full of rage. "I will take people to Nanhu Alley right now and tie that little bastard up and take him to Commander Liu's mansion. Whether he is killed or dismembered, it will be at Commander Liu's disposal."
Old Master Qi squinted his eyes and did not speak, but the aura around him was chilling. Even though the power of the Qi family had been handed over to his two sons, Old Master Qi was still the backbone of the Qi family.
"Grandfather, since that young lady was brought by Qi Heng, this matter should be borne by them! Commander Liu detests good-looking children the most." Young Master Qi's cold gaze fell upon the kneeling Steward Bao.
Qi Heng was young and had only visited Fengzhou a few times. It was normal for him not to know Commander Liu. But Steward Bao lived in Nanhu Alley. This was clearly intentional, trying to use Commander Liu to deal with Qi Heng and that young girl.
The young lady from out of town must have been pampered and grown up with a spoiled temper, certainly not putting a mere military officer like Commander Liu in her eyes. When the two sides clashed, Steward Bao's goal of using a borrowed knife to kill would be achieved.
It was just unfortunate that Steward Bao did not expect that Commander Liu would end up breaking his leg. Regret was useless now.
Old Master Qi, who was seated in the main position, finally spoke. Even though such a major incident had occurred, his voice remained calm and unhurried. "Drag those three out. Just keep them alive, and then send them to Commander Liu's mansion."
Steward Bao shivered and kowtowed desperately for mercy. Bao Baozhu and A Jiang were even more terrified. Unfortunately, no matter how they cried and begged for mercy, they were still dragged outside by the guards.
Ignoring the three, Steward Bao, who were being dragged away, the eldest master of the Qi family frowned and said, "Father, these three deserve to die, but how should Qi Heng be dealt with?"
If this had offended an ordinary person, the Qi family would have protected Qi Heng. Moreover, he had already passed the prefecture examination and would become a scholar after the imperial examination in August.
The Qi family was a prominent clan in Fengzhou, but outside of the small Fengzhou, few people would take the Qi family seriously. The eldest master of the Qi family was currently only a Tongzhi of the sixth rank.
Among the three sons of the Qi family, two were still studying, but unfortunately, one was only a scholar, and the other was still a commoner. They were far inferior to Qi Heng, and perhaps in the future, the main family would need Qi Heng's protection. But who would have thought that Qi Heng would offend Commander Liu, and in such a way that the offense was irreparable?
The second master of the Qi family was in business and had taken over the Qi family's business, acting with great thoroughness.
After the incident, the second master of the Qi family immediately sent someone to inquire in Nanhu Alley. As for Steward Bao's account just now, the second master of the Qi family would not believe a single word of it.
"Father, Eldest Brother." When the second master of the Qi family spoke, he gave people a shrewd and mercenary impression. "In the end, this matter was caused by that young girl. Qi Heng did not say anything at the time. Why don't we prepare a generous gift, and Eldest Brother, you can ask Governor Meng to mediate. As long as Qi Heng can be saved, no matter the cost, our Qi family will bear it."
Hearing this, Old Master Qi and the eldest master did not speak, but the three younger generations of the Qi family had grim expressions. The hot-tempered young master even spoke with dissatisfaction, "Second Uncle, it is clearly Qi Heng, that bastard, who made the mistake. Why should our Qi family clean up his mess?"
Old Master Qi ignored his young grandson and instead looked at the eldest master of the Qi family and said, "Mo'er, tell me."
The eldest master of the Qi family, who was named, was stunned. After pondering, he said, "Grandfather, Second Uncle's intention is to save Qi Heng because Qi Heng has a talent for studying, which is superior to me and Third Brother. After incurring this favor, Qi Heng will surely be used by the Qi family in the future."