The Princess of Northern Land
Chapter 436: In Trouble with the Top-Notch (6)_1

Chapter 436: Chapter 436: In Trouble with the Top-Notch (6)_1

"Lin Ziyin, this is all your fault, just wait and see." Alone at a table, Ma Zhicai gritted his teeth and mumbled to himself.

After a few days away from home, he thought it was high time to return. Being in Feng City, he couldn’t do anything; after all, he was just an ordinary citizen and couldn’t even get close to the Wang Residence.

But none of that mattered, the prince had also appeared at the Lin Family, hadn’t he? Perhaps by watching the Lin Family, he could gain a lot of news.

Ma Zhicai hurriedly packed his belongings. For this trip into the city, he had brought only a few changes of clothes, making packing a simple task.

Bundles of silver were laid out on the bed, and Ma Zhicai’s expression became obscure again. There were forty taels of silver on the bed, left behind by his uncle, Ma Erlang, to be brought back and handed over to the Bao Family.

Forty taels of silver was no small sum, and Ma Zhicai found himself torn, wondering whether to bring all this silver back and hand it over to the Bao Family.

After pondering alone for a while, he hurriedly wrapped the silver in his clothes, slung it on his back, and checked out of his room.

"Ouch, can’t you even walk properly?" Perhaps Ma Zhicai was just unlucky; he had barely taken a few steps outside before he was bumped into by several women.

"Are you trying to take advantage of us?" Before Ma Zhicai could speak, several dark-faced men rushed out, each one looking frightful.

"Look closely, they bumped into me while trying to avoid a carriage." Ma Zhicai said coolly, "The government offices are nearby. If you want to frame me, we might as well go there and talk."

The men on the other side probably didn’t expect him to suggest going to the government offices. They were instantly taken aback, somewhat at a loss.

An ordinary citizen would rather avoid the government offices. The place was no better than Yama Palace. Besides, under the rule of the prince, the officials were always keenly observant. As no one was injured here, there would be no benefit in going to the government offices.

"You think you’re a hero for standing up to us?" A dark-faced man glared at Ma Zhicai and scolded, "If you weren’t such a weakling, I’d give you a good thrashing."

A dispute broke out, quickly drawing a crowd of onlookers. Faced with the pointing fingers of the crowd, Ma Zhicai was so embarrassed, he could bleed. "Who are you calling a weakling?"

"I’m talking about you. What are you going to do about it?" The dark-faced man glared at him defiantly.

Ma Zhicai wanted to fight him right then. As a scholar-in-training, he’d never been so humiliated before. If his teachers and classmates at the academy found out, he would be mortified.

Despite his rage, Ma Zhicai hadn’t lost his wits. Seeing the crowd supporting the man, and considering the robust and menacing appearance of the men, Ma Zhicai lost heart, "I have no interest in bickering with unreasonable people like you. It wouldn’t befit a scholar."

He emphasized the word ’scholar’.

Sure enough, when his opponents heard that word, their expressions shifted, and they began to regard Ma Zhicai with caution.

Ma Zhicai quietly delighted in his opponents’ uncertainty, holding his head even higher. Yes, he had done it on purpose. Let them misunderstand. Up north, if a commoner were to attack a scholar, strict punishment would be meted out by the authorities.

"Make way, please make way." Just as the standoff persisted, an urging voice came from not too far away.