Farm Tough Girl
Chapter 644 - 644 645 Forced Out_1

Chapter 644: Chapter 645: Forced Out_1 Chapter 644: Chapter 645: Forced Out_1 “Ah, why don’t I see Mr. Feng here? I specifically wanted to meet that legendary talent this time. What a pity, I prepared so much fine wine and food, but he didn’t come?” Muniang said regretfully.

Lady Feng’s mouth twitched, and she smiled, “He has been feeling unwell these past few days, afraid to spread his illness to others if he went out, so we didn’t let him come.”

Muniang snorted softly, “So that’s the reason. But Mr. Feng has been ill for almost a month now, right? If the Feng Family’s doctor isn’t effective, why not call for the Imperial Physician? It’s improper to keep dragging this out.”

Lady Feng hurriedly said, “There’s no need for that. It’s just a minor illness, nothing serious. What’s the need to trouble the Imperial Physician?” Calling for the Imperial Physician would just give the game away, wouldn’t it? Feng Rui isn’t sick at all. It’s just that the top-scoring examination papers have been the talk of the town, and once he makes an appearance, he will inevitably have to explain his answers. It would be a wonder if he could actually do that, so he simply chose to lay low at home.

Lady Feng cursed inwardly. This year really was bad luck; how did they unexpectedly come across such a prodigy who wrote such profound and novel things, and as a result, her son was the one who suffered.

The so-called shamelessness to the extreme must be referring to a person like her.

Muniang laughed coldly, “Unwilling to see a doctor, and unwilling to show up, it couldn’t be a fake illness, could it?”

Muniang’s voice was very loud, and since she was the hostess, the guests were all paying attention to her. Naturally, her words reached everyone’s ears, casting suspicious glances her way.

Lady Feng’s eyes widened as she said urgently, “What are you saying? Why would my son need to fake an illness? This is simply making trouble out of nothing!”

Muniang snorted coldly again, “Actually, the main purpose of my banquet today was to invite Mr. Feng. I had a small argument with him at Dongxing Building before. I’m a person who holds grudges and never admits defeat. Hearing that Mr. Feng has become the top scorer and completely overshadowed my fame, how could I bear it? If Lady Feng doesn’t mind, please have Mr. Feng come out and compete with me in literary skills. If he wins, I will willingly concede. But if I win, I’m afraid Mr. Feng’s title as the top scorer might seem rather hollow.”

Upon hearing this, the hall was abuzz with shock. They hadn’t expected Qiao Muniang to be such a troublesome and reckless person, shamelessly bringing up an inglorious argument to challenge someone publicly.

But Muniang didn’t care. One cannot catch the wolf without risking the flock. If she didn’t play the role of the confrontational shrew today, Feng Rui wouldn’t show up. And by the time Feng Rui really gets into trouble, nobody would bother to look her way!

Lady Feng’s complexion turned pale, but her tone became firmer: “It seems that the Princess did not sincerely invite me over today but instead sought to provoke. Since I’m not welcome, there’s no need for me to stay any longer!”

Thinking of leaving? Not so easy!

Muniang grabbed Lady Feng at once, “Lady Feng, you dodge the question. Are you perhaps afraid? Worried that Feng Rui can’t beat me and will lose too badly, bringing shame upon yourself?”

Lady Feng was infuriated, “You’re just a village woman, why should he be afraid of you?”

Muniang raised an eyebrow, “Village woman? So this is what Lady Feng truly thinks of me.”

Lady Feng instantly panicked. Her earlier words were blurted out in a rush and weren’t intentional at all; now she didn’t know how to rectify the situation, so she could only say, “I, I, I misspoke…” If she admitted that this was indeed her thought, the Marquis Chen Mansion might not let her off easily.

Muniang, however, countered, “Since Lady Feng harbors such thoughts about me, it seems the Feng Family has quite an opinion of me. Feng Rui has a grudge against me, and so does Lady Feng. Well, the feeling’s mutual, I’m very angry with Feng Rui too. He humiliated me at Dongxing Building last time, and now he has even gained the title of top scholar to overshadow my reputation! Today, I must challenge him to a contest. If he doesn’t dare to show up, then it must mean he’s afraid of this village woman, afraid that even someone as illiterate as I am could beat him!”

Yu Ming was the first who couldn’t bear to listen any longer. Qiao Muniang’s attitude was outrageously arrogant; her actions were nothing short of unreasonable provocation. Who would want to compete with her over who had more fame in the Capital City? She was just preoccupied with these inexplicable things, which was fine on its own, but then she had to put forth such an absurd request—wasn’t she just asking to be scolded?

Not just Yu Ming, the others in the room also couldn’t stand it anymore and began to defend Lady Feng, “Is the Princess perhaps too presumptuous? After all, Mr. Feng is the top scholar; how could he be inferior to you? Insisting on a comparison will only humiliate yourself, won’t it? Even if there were past grudges, surely this isn’t the way to handle them.”

“Exactly, it’s just too rash.” What everyone really thought was that it was no wonder she was from a rural family; she just couldn’t act properly in public. Such temperament was truly embarrassing.

Only Lady Feng was questioning in her heart. She had encountered Qiao Muniang a few times before, and the woman was always well-composed. How could she act so out of character all of a sudden? But she hadn’t time to ponder as Muniang had already launched her attack.

“What’s the matter? I just can’t stand that he’s become the top scholar! I just want to compete with him. What right do you have to say I can’t beat him? Lady Feng seemed hesitant, didn’t she? Obviously, she dares not agree; and why? Because she’s afraid her son will lose to me!” snorted Muniang.

Lady Jin, who was on good terms with Lady Feng, couldn’t stand it anymore and spoke up directly, “Why is Lady Feng hesitating? Have Feng Rui come here, and teach this arrogant girl a lesson, show her just how ignorant she is of the world! Just a country girl, on what grounds does she bare her claws and teeth! Even if she’s indeed adept at doing business, scholarly pursuits are certainly not her forte!”

“That’s right, Lady Feng, please call Mr. Feng out. It’s no good to let him stay inside and become the talk of the town. Can the Feng Family really afford such a loss?”

The crowd immediately began to incite action, but Lady Feng was still shrewd at heart. Qiao Muniang’s behavior was entirely unusual today—her antics were like a deliberate provocation. Although Feng Rui wasn’t as scholarly as Zhao Jiangshui, he had been studying from a young age, and his capabilities certainly exceeded those of Qiao Muniang, who had never formally studied. However, Lady Feng was cautious and refused to let Feng Rui accept the challenge.

Little did they know, Muniang had already made her moves. Yesterday, she had bribed a servant from the Feng family, who had now gone to inform Feng Rui. Lady Feng might be shrewd enough not to act rashly, but Feng Rui certainly wasn’t, filled with self-pride as he was. Could he tolerate Muniang trampling over him like this?

Muniang was determined to force Feng Rui out today. Only then would his so-called “genuine scholarship” be exposed for what it really was, wouldn’t it?