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Grand Preceptor Zhuang's head was throbbing from anger. Marquis Xuanping probably came here to humiliate him! How could there be such a shameless and unscrupulous person in this world!?
However, he didn't stay angry for long. He thought of something and relaxed his expression, saying, "If we're late, doesn't Reader-in-Waiting Xiao have to be late as well?"
If he remembered correctly, this was also Xiao Liulang's first day of promotion!
Wasn’t Marquis Xuanping here to stand up for him?
Fine, let us see if he would still appreciate his kind intentions after making him late and receive a demerit!
Marquis Xuanping's handsome face indeed darkened.
Damn it!
He had forgotten about that!
Marquis Xuanping squinted his eyes at the cunning old fox Zhuang across from him and then at the expressionless Xiao Heng beside him. He leaned over and softly said as if consoling a child, "Don't worry, I won't let you be late."
With those words, he straightened up, his tone turning cold as he calmly stated, "Chang Jing, move the obstacle."
Chang Jing swiftly moved to the Zhuang Family's carriage, and before the Zhuang Family guards could even react, Chang Jing had lifted the entire carriage!
"Handle it with care, and be polite." Marquis Xuanping reminded.
"Oh." Chang Jing gently placed the carriage aside.
Grand Preceptor Zhuang was on the verge of exploding with anger, cursing loudly in his mind.
You move my damn carriage like that in the middle of the street, and you talk about being polite?!
How shameless can you be to say such things?!
Grand Preceptor Zhuang was truly furious, his body trembling with anger, "Marquis Xuanping! Stop bullying people intolerably!"
Having his carriage moved by Marquis Xuanping's underling right there on the street, where could he possibly hide his face after this? Where could the face of the Zhuang Family go?
Marquis Xuanping had originally intended to leave, but he unexpectedly heard Grand Preceptor Zhuang's outburst. He pushed aside the curtain and signaled for Liu Quan to stop the carriage.
Liu Quan dared not disobey and obediently stopped the carriage.
Marquis Xuanping casually stepped down from the carriage and approached Grand Preceptor Zhuang's carriage.
An Junwang suddenly felt a foreboding sense of unease in his heart. He was about to dissuade his grandfather, but it was already too late.
Marquis Xuanping directly shattered the carriage with a single palm strike. The carriage walls cracked and collapsed with a crash, leaving An Junwang and Grand Preceptor Zhuang exposed to everyone without warning.
The carriage was destroyed, leaving only a long seat. The two of them sat on the long seat, looking like they had suddenly been stripped of their clothes, their faces turning bright red with embarrassment.
Marquis Xuanping glanced at Grand Preceptor Zhuang, smirking arrogantly, "This is what I call bullying people intolerably."
Grand Preceptor Zhuang: "...!!"
This matter had caused a great stir and had a very negative impact. Even if it was just to save face, Grand Preceptor Zhuang would definitely go to the Emperor to report on Marquis Xuanping's actions.
However, would Marquis Xuanping be concerned if he were reported?
The documents complaining about Marquis Xuanping's misconduct were piled up like mountains in the imperial study. His shameless behavior was beyond description. While he hadn't committed any heinous crimes like murder or arson, he had engaged in a series of outrageous actions that could infuriate anyone to death!
These incidents didn’t warrant execution. At most, he would receive a severe flogging of a hundred and eighty strokes at most.
After the beating, he would bounce back like nothing had happened!
Marquis Xuanping left in Xiao Heng's carriage, leaving Grand Preceptor Zhuang and his grandson as the laughingstock of the street.
Grand Preceptor Zhuang originally wanted to assert his authority over Xiao Liulang, but unexpectedly, Marquis Xuanping asserted his authority over him. Grand Preceptor Zhuang had never been so humiliated in his entire life.
The Zhuang Family and the Marquis Xuanping Estate had had a longstanding feud. However, while disputes were common, it was still rare for things to escalate to this extent. Was this merely a dispute? They practically tore each other's undergarments apart!
An Junwang was truly unjustly implicated in this matter.
Today's events were not his idea, though he did have a certain sense of superiority in his heart. Overall, he had been dragged into this by Grand Preceptor Zhuang.
The glory of joining the cabinet was completely overshadowed by Marquis Xuanping's show of strength. This day of humiliation would likely become a dark chapter in his life.
Marquis Xuanping accompanied Xiao Heng to the Hanlin Academy. Along the way, Marquis Xuanping attempted to start a conversation with his son multiple times, but each time Xiao Heng replied with, "I didn't sleep last night," making Marquis Xuanping fall silent.
Marquis Xuanping held it in for the whole journey, and when Xiao Heng finally opened his eyes, ready to get off the carriage, he finally asked, "What happened? Why didn't you sleep last night?"
"I had something to do." Xiao Heng said.
Marquis Xuanping: ...Do I look like I can’t tell you had something to do? Tell me what it is exactly!
No. He couldn't get angry with his son.
As satisfying as it might be to bully Grand Preceptor Zhuang, it was equally miserable to be bullied by his own son!
Before Xiao Heng had an accident, Marquis Xuanping held an absolute dominant position in their father-son relationship. Four years had passed, and their positions had changed.
"How about I request some time off for you?" Marquis Xuanping suggested.
"No need." Xiao Heng replied indifferently as he disembarked from the carriage.
Marquis Xuanping followed suit.
He hadn't compared their heights carefully before, but today, for some reason, he glanced at his son's head and realized that Xiao Heng had grown too tall. He was only a hair's breadth away from surpassing him.
He was a military officer and had grown tall from a young age, which was expected. But this boy hadn't done anything physically demanding, yet he had shot up in height so quickly?
As he watched Xiao Heng walking towards the Hanlin Academy, Marquis Xuanping noticed something strange about his gait.
He was someone who had survived on the battlefield, and except for his face, there was hardly a part of his body that was still in pristine condition. He probably had suffered more injuries than Xiao Heng had fallen, so how could he not tell that his son's limp was different from before?
He asked, "Is your foot better?"
Xiao Heng's steps halted.
"Is it really better?" Marquis Xuanping looked at him with surprise.
Xiao Heng still refused to talk to him.
Marquis Xuanping sighed and said, "Do you hate me that much? Are you blaming me for not rushing to save you from the fire because I was too busy investigating the case? Or are you resenting me for not realizing the presence of those people earlier, causing you to be forced into hiding and leaving your home?"
Brute men could never seem to find the point when it came to apologizing. They could infuriate people to the point where one could dig up a vegetable garden with their feet!
With a cold expression on his face, Xiao Heng entered the Hanlin Academy without looking back.
Marquis Xuanping was completely baffled. Just what was he angry about?
Chang Jing caught up, driving their own carriage.
Marquis Xuanping sighed heavily as he got on his own carriage. Leaning against the carriage wall, he said with a tone of despair, "Chang Jing, I'm so pitiful. Xiao Heng doesn't recognize me. I'm going to become a lonely old man."
The original meaning of Marquis Xuanping’s statement was, “Quickly say, ‘You're not old, you're still in your prime, and you can still have twenty more years of youthful beauty!'"
However, Chang Jing fell into deep thought instead.
After a while, Chang Jing spoke solemnly, "Don't worry, if you die, I'll break a pot for you."
Marquis Xuanping: "..."
References
1. — A Chinese funeral tradition. The eldest son or the heir breaks the pot with ashes of paper money in front of the casket, which means that the deceased takes the money to the other world.
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