Farm Tough Girl
Chapter 650 - 650 651 To Please_1

Chapter 650: Chapter 651: To Please_1 Chapter 650: Chapter 651: To Please_1 Veins throbbing with rage, he scolded furiously, “You worthless thing! How many times have I told you, if you’re incompetent, just stay at home and keep out of trouble? Provoked by a few words, off you scurried, and look where we are now. What am I supposed to say to you?”

Feng Rui clung to Mr. Feng’s legs, crying, “Father, father, it truly wasn’t my fault, it was all Qiao Muniang’s craftiness. She deliberately set a trap for me! How could I have known she was so cunning? I was even more shocked that Zhao Jiangshui turned out to be Qiao Muniang’s brother. It was the spy who inquired about Zhao Jiangshui’s background who erred. He fetched the wrong information, leading our family to ruin. Yes, it’s his fault!”

Mr. Feng was also furious and immediately shouted, “Who was the one who probed the information?! Get out here! How are Zhao Jiangshui and Qiao Muniang related?!”

A man dressed as a servant scurried in, tumbling and crawling, “Master, master, I had no idea it was such a situation either. Zhao Jiangshui’s father had married Qiao Muniang’s mother only three months ago. I checked Zhao Jiangshui’s family background, but I had no clue that his father would later marry a woman of such stature. Moreover, that woman had been very low-key when she married over, not at all showing the demeanor that the mother of a princess consort should have…”

Before he could finish, he was already kicked to the ground by Mr. Feng, “Brainless thing! All you do is create these damn messes.”

Lady Feng had just come to her senses, and now she held her head and dragged her body out, quickly saying, “Master, now is not the time to talk about this. Master Ning has already gone to the palace for an audience, and the word has already spread throughout the Capital. Our Feng Family is probably in trouble. We should think of a strategy as soon as possible.”

Mr. Feng retorted angrily, “Think of a strategy? All my strategies have been ruined by this piece of good-for-nothing son. What strategies do I have left to consider?”

Mr. Feng felt utterly out of luck himself, wondering why on earth he had to cross paths with such people?!

But as much as he said so, Mr. Feng naturally wouldn’t just sit back and wait for doom. He wanted to rely on Marquis Chen Mansion, but considering Qiao Muniang’s actions today, it would be impossible without the Marquis Mansion’s approval. It was out of the question to ask them for help now. The only alternative was to turn to Rong Mansion for aid.

Yet, the Feng Family had greatly overestimated their own status. They were but a third-ranked official family, and with Lady Rong looking out for Rong Mansion, they were unapproachable. Although the Feng Family had covertly worked for the Rong Family, how could they expect them to step in to resolve such a huge mess? The Rong Family wasn’t a charity. They simply refused to meet, leaving Mr. Feng with no choice but to go to the palace himself and play a distressed card before the emperor.

But before he even reached the palace gates, he saw Eunuch Gao, who was by the emperor’s side, coming out with an imperial decree. Mr. Feng’s face immediately paled, a strong premonition of doom flooding his mind. Eunuch Gao didn’t even spare him a glance and said coldly, “Lord Feng, follow me back to your residence to receive the decree.”

With great difficulty, Mr. Feng squeezed out through clenched teeth, “If so, then… alright.”

Mr. Feng was demoted three ranks, and Feng Rui was barred from ever holding office. The reputation the Feng Family had slowly built over the years vanished in an instant, becoming a laughingstock of the entire Capital.

Qingya had earlier gathered the news and relayed it to Muniang. Muniang didn’t show much interest but simply asked, “What does it matter to us what happens to them? How is Mr. Zhao doing? What did the emperor say?”

“His Majesty personally examined Mr. Zhao. Mr. Zhao responded fluently and what he said was sensible and well-founded. His Majesty was very pleased and praised him as a pillar of the state and personally conferred the title of Number One Scholar on him!”

Muniang’s eyes lit up, “Number One Scholar? That’s really something.”

While some families were jubilant, others were experiencing the opposite. Now Muniang’s side was full of joy, discussing how to write home to share the good news with their parents. Yet on Mrs. Feng’s side, they were almost worried sick. Without a prestigious maternal family as a backer, what difference was there between her and any common concubine? What capital did she have to stand firm in front of Madame? With three concubine’s sons in Marquis Chen Mansion, without her family to rely on, her son was no different from any common concubine’s son. Even without Yu Jin and Yu Ze, the position of heir would definitely not fall to him!

The Feng Family’s scandal spread far and wide, only to be overshadowed by the announcement of the new Number One Scholar.

Because of Master Ning’s high praise earlier and the fact that his exam papers had been circulated early, everyone who read them applauded in approval. Furthermore, with the Feng Family’s incident, everyone’s attention now focused on the new Number One Scholar, eagerly awaiting to see who this true prodigy was.

But who would have guessed, it turned out to be a sixteen-year-old boy!

When Zhao Jiangshui, adorned with a big red flower, rode through the streets on a tall horse, nearly everyone’s eyes were glued to him. Was this handsome young boy really the talented writer who crafted such an excellent work?!

The most laughable was Jin Qingqing. She had been close to Feng Rui since childhood, calling each other with endearing nicknames all the time. This time, Feng Rui suffered a major setback at Qiao Muniang’s hands, not only tarnishing his reputation, but also losing the chance to become an official for life, condemned to live as a commoner. How could she not feel sorrow for him? She wept all night, her eyes swollen with crying. People saw her and said Jin Qingqing was indeed a person of deep feelings.

However, as soon as Jin Qingqing saw the triumphant Zhao Jiangshui riding on the tall horse, all her previous grief disappeared, and Feng Rui was completely forgotten. She made a scene at home, crying and demanding to become Zhao Jiangshui’s Number One Scholar’s wife.

And now, early in the morning, she had even run over to Muniang to ingratiate herself.

“Sister, you’ve finally come. If you were any later, this excellent osmanthus fish cake would have gone cold. If we reheat it, it surely won’t taste the same!”

Muniang had just stepped through the door when Jin Qingqing came up to her with a smile, giving Muniang quite a scare. Hearing that “sister,” she thought Yu Ze had somehow secretly taken a concubine.

Muniang looked at the table full of good dishes, and calmly withdrew her hand from Jin Qingqing’s grasp: “Miss Jin, why the sudden leisure to run over here today, and with all these things too. Don’t you find it cumbersome?”

Jin Qingqing hastily flattered: “These are made by a famous chef from Qilian Kingdom. Our mansion spent a lot of money to bring him here. Knowing that you love fine food, I thought of bringing some over to you. If you like it, I’ll send some over regularly in the future!”

Muniang felt chills: “Miss Jin, we’ve only met a few times. Isn’t this ‘sister’ a bit too intimate? When have Miss Jin and I ever had such a close relationship?” Previously, Lady Jin had a confrontation with Muniang, and Muniang had even labeled Jin Qingqing as someone with a rough temperament. The last few times Jin Qingqing saw her, she seemed as if she could hardly wait to devour someone. Was she on the wrong medication today?!