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The private room on the second floor where Wei Yun was seated imdiately erupted into chaos. The sounds of argunts, scuffles, and the shattering of furniture filled the air.
Soon after, a large group of burly n rushed into the Spring Breeze House from outside, pushing past the crowd and heading straight for Wei Yun's room on the second floor. The sounds of fighting and wailing soon followed.
Wei Yun and Song Wen might have powerful backgrounds, but this was Lingbei County, and they couldn't possibly have brought as many n as Ye Zhong. Moreover, no one had expected Ye Zhong, the hotheaded young master, to actually dare to take action. His aggressive stance showed no regard for the consequences.
Ye Zhong's actions were not stopped by Qin Huai, who stood silently beside Su Qi'an, listening intently. After all, Su Qi'an was Qin Huai's brother-in-law, and Wei Yun and Song Wen's malicious attempt to drag Su Qi'an into the mud with their slander was truly despicable. Qin Huai, who was usually mild-mannered, was furious. If it had been Qin Wu, with his explosive temper, he would have been the first to charge forward.
The Spring Breeze House was filled with the sounds of wailing and screams. At this mont, the madam, standing on the stage below, hurriedly bowed to Su Qi'an and pleaded anxiously, "Young Master Su, please show rcy and stop Young Master Ye. You are all important figures, and if sothing were to happen here, the Spring Breeze House would not be able to bear the responsibility."
Su Qi'an felt grateful for Ye Zhong's support, but he also understood the madam's point. While venting anger through a fight was one thing, if things went too far and soone died in the Spring Breeze House, it would not only damage the establishnt's reputation but also implicate the scholars present. Su Qi'an knew where to draw the line.
With a calm expression, Su Qi'an walked toward Wei Yun's private room.
By now, Wei Yun's room was in complete disarray. Not a single piece of furniture remained intact. A group of burly n were beating up Wei Yun's subordinates, leaving them bruised and battered.
Compared to his subordinates, Wei Yun and Song Wen were in slightly better condition. They only had a few scratches on their faces, their hair was disheveled, and their clothes were torn. Ye Zhong, though hotheaded, knew his limits and had instructed his n not to lay a hand on Wei Yun and Song Wen. The injuries on their faces were inflicted by Ye Zhong himself. If Su Qi'an hadn't intervened, Ye Zhong would have continued his assault.
As soon as Ye Zhong let go, Song Wen exploded in anger. "How dare you, Ye Zhong! You have the audacity to assault scholars in broad daylight! Just you wait, I will report your family to the county magistrate. You dare to hit ? Your Ye family is finished!"
Ye Zhong, unfazed by Song Wen's threats, retorted fiercely, "Report ? Fine! I almost forgot. You think the Ye family is afraid of your Song family? If you don't report , you're a coward!"
As soon as Ye Zhong finished speaking, Song Wen's temper flared, and the two n moved toward each other, ready to clash again.
At this mont, Su Qi'an and Wei Yun spoke almost simultaneously.
"Brother Ye, stop. Let handle this."
"Song Wen, step back."
The two n glanced at each other, snorted coldly, and then stepped back.
Wei Yun, with a cold expression, spoke first. "Su Qi'an, I admit you have talent, but ordering Ye Zhong to cause a scene in the Spring Breeze House and assault fellow scholars is going too far. Even if you have the support of the Lingbei County magistrate, that doesn't give you the right to act recklessly. Just this incident alone is enough to disqualify you from the imperial examinations."
Su Qi'an, unflinching, sneered in response. "Oh, so this is where you were leading . Yes, according to what you said, this matter is indeed serious. It seems the only way to resolve it is to strip of my examination results, right?"
Wei Yun smirked. "You finally understand. Since you admit it, then this matter will be settled accordingly—"
"Settled accordingly? Who do you think you are, Wei Yun, to have such authority?" Su Qi'an interrupted sharply. He continued, "Ye Zhong hit you because you deserved it. You slandered and dragged Miss Xiao Wan into this. Hitting you was letting you off lightly."
"Slander? Su Qi'an, you need evidence. What slander did I spread? Everything I said was true. Is Lu Xiao Wan not the daughter of a rebel? Is that false? Did you not compose a poem for the top courtesan of the Spring Breeze House in front of everyone? Is that false?"
"Are you also going to say that I deliberately flattered Lu Xiao Wan and that there's so ulterior motive between us?" Su Qi'an retorted coldly.
"I never said that, but the truth speaks for itself. The scholars here are all educated n. What they think is beyond my control," Wei Yun replied with a smug expression.
Wei Yun had thought that Su Qi'an's grand display of talent would backfire, teaching him a lesson about the dangers of showing off. No matter how Su Qi'an tried to defend himself, the stain on his reputation would only grow darker.
Su Qi'an fell silent for a mont, then looked at Wei Yun's smug face and said coldly, "Fine, I'll admit to all of that. But there's one thing I'd like to ask you, Young Master Wei."
"Are all the maids, servants, and even your bed warrs in your household of clean backgrounds?"
Wei Yun opened his mouth to respond, but Su Qi'an didn't give him the chance. He continued calmly, "Rebellion is a serious cri in every dynasty, and the law has already determined the appropriate punishnts—execution, extermination of the family, exile, or forced labor. The Spring Breeze House was able to redeem Lu Xiao Wan and make her a governnt courtesan through legitimate ans. Are you saying, Young Master Wei and Young Master Song, that every ti you visit a governnt courtesan, you demand a woman of pure background and investigate her family history? If so, I must say, I'm impressed."
"Hahaha!"
Su Qi'an's words imdiately sparked a reaction from the scholars below, who burst into laughter.
Su Qi'an was right. Every governnt courtesan carried the weight of a serious cri. However, the Great Liang Dynasty was relatively lenient toward such individuals. As long as establishnts like the Spring Breeze House were willing to pay a high price to take them in, these won could live with a relatively clean identity, even if their cris could not be completely erased.
The scholars had been montarily frightened by Wei Yun and Song Wen's ntion of the Marquis of Laiyang's rebellion, but now, following Su Qi'an's explanation, they realized the matter wasn't as serious as it had seed.
Moreover, given the Spring Breeze House's profit-driven nature, it was unlikely they would accept a woman who couldn't clear her na unless she was directly related to soone on the execution list, like the Marquis of Laiyang. Soone like Lu Xiao Wan likely bore a lesser charge.
Realizing they had been played by Wei Yun, the scholars quickly rallied to Su Qi'an's defense.
"Young Master Su is right! Damn it, we were almost fooled by Wei Yun. A minor cri was blown up into a rebellion. Wei Yun, you're a disgrace to scholars. We're ashad to be associated with you!"
"That's right! The Wei family is so high and mighty. Why don't you investigate your own household and see if they're all clean? You slandered Miss Xiao Wan and tried to drag Young Master Su into the mud. Wei Yun, get out of here! You don't deserve to be here!"
"Wei Yun, Song Wen, get out! Get out!"
The scholars' voices quickly united, all directed at Wei Yun. This was a rare opportunity, and the scholars of Lingbei County weren't about to let it slip away.
Amid the chorus of curses, Wei Yun's face darkened, but he remained unfazed. To him, these were nothing more than a bunch of sycophants, unworthy of his attention.
What truly angered him was Su Qi'an. He had thought this was the perfect opportunity to teach Su Qi'an a lesson, but instead, Su Qi'an had turned the tables on him.
Realizing he had lost the upper hand, Wei Yun knew there was no way to deal with Su Qi'an now. He glared at Su Qi'an and sneered, "Su Qi'an, you win this ti. I admit defeat. But don't get too cocky. What I've lost, I'll make you pay back with interest. This dump isn't worth staying in anyway. Song Wen, let's go."
With that, Wei Yun, Song Wen, and their entourage left the Spring Breeze House in disgrace.
Beside Su Qi'an, Ye Zhong looked puzzled. "Brother Su, that was the perfect opportunity. If you had pressed further, Wei Yun would have been in serious trouble."
Su Qi'an shook his head and replied softly, "Brother Ye, pushing Wei Yun to this point was already the limit. He's not an easy opponent. Even if we pressed further, do you really think Wei Yun would apologize?"
Ye Zhong was taken aback, then chuckled self-deprecatingly. An apology from Wei Yun? That was wishful thinking.
Ye Zhong understood the extent of the Wei family's influence. As the wealthiest family in Lingbei County, he knew more about the power dynamics of other counties' aristocratic families than Su Qi'an did. However, given the circumstances and the fact that this was his territory, Ye Zhong couldn't simply swallow his anger. He represented not just himself but the dignity of the Lingbei County aristocracy.
Su Qi'an nodded in satisfaction. It seed this young master of the wealthiest family wasn't just a hotheaded fool.
With Wei Yun and Song Wen's departure, the commotion at the Spring Breeze House finally ca to an end.
The scholars below, realizing there was no point in staying any longer, all bowed respectfully toward Su Qi'an, Ye Zhong, and Qin Huai on the second floor before gradually leaving.
Soon, the once lively Spring Breeze House fell silent. Suddenly, a nervous maid entered Su Qi'an's private room and handed over a room token. The three n glanced at it and imdiately understood.
Ye Zhong looked at Su Qi'an with envy and teased, "Congratulations, Brother Su. I won't disturb your good ti here. Make the most of this precious mont."
"Get lost."
"Alright, alright. Take care, Brother Su. I'll be going now."
Ye Zhong, grinning from ear to ear, pushed Qin Huai and the others out of the room. Su Qi'an could only sigh in exasperation. From Qin Huai's gaze, he could tell there was an unspoken ssage: "Brother-in-law, enjoy this precious mont. I won't tell my sister."
Su Qi'an rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath, "Do I look like that kind of person?"
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