Chapter 70: You Must Take Responsibility for Me!

Zhu Ze was unwilling to admit defeat.

However, policy discourse, to put it bluntly, was nothing more than a street-brawling match of words.

If you cannot outtalk your opponent...

No matter how brilliant your theoretical arguments are, they are completely useless!

Although this session of policy discourse ultimately did not wait for an official "result,"

the victory and defeat were already crystal clear!

The pedantic scholars no longer had the face to remain seated; they each glared angrily at Zhu Ze and swept their sleeves away in fury.

The pleasant "Adoration Festival" ended on a sour note.

From their perspective,

today was a day of absolute disgrace!

As prominent leaders of the literary world, they had painstakingly plotted and schemed to suppress a child merely for their own petty private gains. This in itself was shameful enough.

What was even more disgraceful was...

that they had damn well lost the fight!

How was this any different from taking a shit right in everyone's face?

As for the onlookers and curious bystanders, they were equally filled with indignation. They voiced strong protests against this anticlimactic ending.

Is it over just like that?

Where is the hyped-up legendary showdown? Start fighting already!

...

Thud!

In the back hall of the government office,

a teacup was smashed against the wall, and porcelain shards splattered all over the floor.

Wang Shan roared angrily, "Dammit! Well played, Zhu Ze, stabbing me in the back like this. Do you really take me for someone who wouldn't dare touch you? Someone come here..."

"My Lord!"

Xing Yusen walked in, resting his hand on the hilt of his saber.

"Investigate this for me!"

"For that fellow surnamed Zhu to act so uncharacteristically, there must be something fishy going on!"

For no good reason,

who would go out of their way to offend a de facto county magistrate whose career was on a steady rise?

Besides,

they had no prior grudges!

Cheng An sat quietly to one side,

watching Wang Shan fly into a rage without batting an eye, while feeling somewhat amused inwardly.

While the incident seemed to target him as the victim, anyone with a shred of intelligence could see that Zhu Ze's target was definitely not just him alone!

Before long,

Xing Yusen returned.

"Reporting..."

"Cut to the chase!"

Wang Shan appeared exceptionally irritated.

Xing Yusen had no choice but to summarize concisely, "It is Zhou Heng! A few days ago, Zhu Ze had a private meeting with the steward of the Zhou estate at Hongbin Tower. I heard they conversed quite cordially."

The specific contents were unnecessary to know.

Just the single phrase "conversed quite cordially" explained everything.

"Hah!"

"He really doesn't give up that easily..."

Upon discovering the mastermind behind the scenes,

Wang Shan actually calmed down. With a smile, he said, "Such petty tricks are hardly sophisticated, though! Zhou Heng, oh Zhou Heng! This is truly the extent of your abilities!"

Ever since the "confrontation in the official hall" that day, Zhou Heng had not shown up for work for a long time.

By now, this place was already Wang Shan's undisputed territory. He was simply waiting for the transfer orders for Zhou Heng to arrive in the spring, and then he would unquestionably become the Magistrate of Pinggu County!

Therefore, this level of attack was, to Wang Shan,

somewhat nauseating, yet completely harmless.

"Go find some people..."

"And spread the news about today's events far and wide!"

This was a customary tactic in bureaucratic struggles.

There was no need for sophisticated schemes.

It was simply a matter of making each other utterly sick to the stomach until one side's reputation was completely ruined.

"Understood!"

"Wait..."

Just as Xing Yusen was about to leave,

Wang Shan called him back and instructed, "Leave Zhou Heng out of this. Do not pursue a cornered beast! Since he is leaving soon anyway, there is no need to stir up further conflict!"

This was the hallmark of a qualified politician:

knowing when to yield and when to stand firm!

Cheng An let out a silent sigh inwardly.

There were simply too many black-hearted schemers in Pinggu County; it made one's heart utterly exhausted!

Once the room fell quiet again,

"My Lord..."

He stood up, bowed, and said, "Now that the Adoration Festival has concluded, it is no longer appropriate for me to continue imposing upon your hospitality. I plan to set off for home tomorrow."

"You are leaving?"

"Do you feel aggrieved?"

Wang Shan looked at him with a smile.

Though his tone carried no ripples, it was pregnant with deeper meaning.

"I wouldn't dare!"

"How could this student possibly harbor such thoughts?"

Cheng An gazed at him with utmost earnestness and said sincerely, "Your benevolent care for this junior has been plain for all to see. How could I ever be ungrateful?"

"Heh."

"Good then..."

Wang Shan did not probe further, merely smiling as he said, "After all, even the Zhu family intervened this time. If you do not leave, I'm afraid you will only become embroiled in further gossip!"

...

Back at the inn,

Cheng An looked at the two sisters with a smile and asked, "Why did the two of you come here?"

"Look at you talking!"

"You've been gone for days, and big sister was worried sick."

Gu Xiaoyue shot him a dissatisfied, coquettish glance.

"Xiaoyue!"

Gu Xiaorou cried out in embarrassment, feigning anger as she scolded, "You dead girl, must you talk so much?!"

"What's wrong with that?"

"If you like someone, you have to say it. Otherwise, how would he ever know?"

It had to be Gu Xiaoyue!

This girl seemed to have no concept of "shyness" whatsoever. A single sentence caused both Cheng An and Gu Xiaorou to blush furiously, awkwardly lowering their heads at the same time.

"Besides!"

"Brother-in-law once said that one must be open and aboveboard..."

The more Gu Xiaoyue spoke, the more justified she felt.

"Stop!"

With a face full of dark lines, Cheng An interrupted her, speechless, and muttered, "Are you certain Master taught you that? Is 'open and aboveboard' even used that way? That's called..."

"Never mind what it's called!"

"I'll just ask you: do you like my sister?"

Gu Xiaoyue asked with a serious tone.

In a child's world, the word "like" was as pure as an orchid, defying any vulgar desecration by adults. Yet, residing within Cheng An's body was the soul of an old ghost.

"If I say I don't like her, the atmosphere has already been built up to this point."

"But if I say I do..."

Cheng An awkwardly scratched the tabletop, saying, "You know how it is. Senior Sister and I made a promise to reunite in Yaozhou three years from now. A person must keep their word, right?"

"What does that matter?"

"At worst, the two of us can just go to Yaozhou together..."

Can such a thing even be done together?

Cheng An stared wide-eyed at Gu Xiaoyue.

Gu Xiaorou was so mortified that she couldn't even lift her head.

"You wretched girl!"

"Have you no shame?"

He had already made his rejection so obvious; even at her young age, she should have been able to tell that Cheng An's heart belonged to someone else.

To keep entangling oneself like this

would only make everyone more embarrassed!

However, Gu Xiaoyue did not see it that way. She retorted, "If you like someone, you have to fight for it! Besides, Sister Qingqing isn't an outsider. Wouldn't it be wonderful for us all to be together?"

"At worst..."

As she spoke,

Gu Xiaoyue's pretty face flushed red, and she lowered her head to murmur softly, "I can marry him too, wouldn't that solve it?"

Uh!

Cheng An instinctively let out a small hiccup.

He remained frozen in place.

Such wild and fierce words...

Were these really something an ordinary member like me allowed to hear?

"Xiaoyue!"

"You really..."

Gu Xiaorou was so embarrassed she wished she could dig a hole and crawl into it.

Panicking, she stood up and bolted from the room like a fleeing rabbit.

The room fell quiet for a brief moment.

Cheng An glared exasperatedly at Gu Xiaoyue, speechlessly asking, "Are you two really biological sisters?"

"Of course we are!"

"If she's your biological sister, why are you setting her up like this?"

Cheng An inwardly poured one out for Gu Xiaorou's mental state.

Having such a lunatic of a sister probably meant losing ten years off one's lifespan.

"What do you know?"

"Actually, big sister has fancied you for a long time..."

Gu Xiaoyue rested her chin in her hands, looking somewhat dazed.

Was it love at first sight?

Cheng An couldn't help smiling. "You're only how old, and you're already talking about love?"

"It's true!"

"Big sister said that you're different from the other village boys—there's always a light in your eyes, and you have a stubborn pride deep down, the kind that refuses to admit defeat."

Gu Xiaoyue looked at him.

Her bright eyes flickered like stars in the night sky.

Cheng An hesitated for a moment.

Then, he suddenly smiled.

"And do you like me?"

"I..."

Gu Xiaoyue's pretty face flushed instantly.

Panicking, she turned her head away and muttered defensively through trembling breaths, "Bah! Little scoundrel, who likes you? Even if this grand lady liked a ghost, she wouldn't like you!"

"Then why are you blushing?"

"I'm just hot!"

In the small room,

an ambiguous atmosphere gradually heated up...

"I-In any case, I don't care!"

Gu Xiaoyue abruptly raised her head.

With a blushing, furious glare, she chided, "You saw inside my s-skirt... so you have to take responsibility! Otherwise, I'm going to tell your mother and make her beat you black and blue!"