Chapter 278.1: Jin Wangfei
Speaking of which, it was just the Governor-General Manor’s young master taking fancy to an engaged girl. Just, that girl’s fiance is a poor scholar, and that girl’s family is actually a newly rich. Having climbed on the Governor-General’s son, she just no longer fancied her fiance. And that poor scholar, for the sake of a piece of Kaiming Crisp, just ended up losing all his money.
And this matter today, it was just that pair of degenerate man and lowly woman working together to set up a play, a play purely for the sake of humiliating that poor scholar, the kind that completely didn’t require any skill.
The poor scholar simply didn’t know that his head was already considered green. Originally, with his fiancee, they were also considered childhood sweethearts. The other party’s family had gradually made their fortune, and provided him with considerable financial aid. Of course, this so-called financial aid actually was just satisfying his basic needs for studying, ready-made brush, ink, paper, and grind stone, the most inferior kind, never having given him a single copper coin of cash.
Even so, their family was also deeply grateful. For the sake of repaying their future in-law’s kindness, for the sake of letting his future wife have good days, he worked hard to improve himself, and his entire family also tightened their waistbands, providing for his studies, really can be said to be the ‘two ears not hearing the matters outside the window’, wholeheartedly only reading the virtuous text. Quite a few neighbors all vaguely discovered his fiancee’s matter, but because that was the Governor-General Manor’s young master, all didn’t dare to rashly spread rumors, just secretly laughing at him behind his back. And his parents also faintly sensed it somewhat, just didn’t have actual evidence, and worrying that it will affect their son’s studies, they didn’t dare tell him either.
One day, his fiancee, who for the most part never really visited, suddenly dropped in, sorrowfully expressing that the girl that lived next door to them, her fiance’s family had sent over a bunch of Kaiming Crisp, and that she also wanted to eat a piece given by her fiance, don’t need too many, just one piece, just one piece was enough.
The poor scholar’s complexion wasn’t too good. Rather, not because of his fiancee’s request, but because he was unable to even satisfy this kind of request. He had his own dignity and pride, yet he didn’t want to let his parents know either, taking out that mere bit of money of his, yet it was still far from enough. Thus, he thought of every way to make money, writing letters for others, helping the bookstore copy books, and was rather successful too, more successful than any time in the past. In fact, that relatively unpresentable calligraphy, he was all able to sell a few. The other party’s meaning was that they fancied his writing, so whether or not the paper was good didn’t matter, and whether or not it had a mount was also unimportant. He could even be said to be happy to the extreme. The time it took to save up money was far less than he’d anticipated, taking nearly a month’s time.
(T/N: Because majority of the commoners were illiterate, they would often pay poor scholars to read or write things for them.)
Having finally saved enough money, he carried a large bundle, all single copper coins, and came to Kaiming Crisp Restaurant. Seeing him wanting to buy Kaiming Crisp, and even just one piece, the people nearby, not one didn’t curl their mouth in disdain, saying things like a poor person should just have the awareness of a poor person, don’t even have a single set of intact clothes, yet gluttonously wanting to eat Kaiming Crisp, really is a poor-smelling miserable wretch.
The poor scholar’s face was thoroughly shamed red, like having gotten stripped naked, at a loss for what to do.
Rather, it was the shopkeeper that resolved the dilemma for him, saying those who enter are customers, and if he wants to buy, then of course they’ll sell to him. Accepting that bundle of copper coins of his, he called over two servers, counting in front of his face. But in the end, he was actually short by more than a dozen coins. The shopkeeper expressed, sorry, the money wasn’t enough, so can’t sell to him.
Hearing this, one should just know, this shopkeeper definitely wasn’t a good thing either. If he truly was a good person, he would’ve just directly accepted the money and have the Kaiming Crisp given to him. Moreover, he most likely knew that the other party was short on money. One piece of Kaiming Crisp, three taels of silver, three thousand copper coins, merely just a few dozen short, this big of a restaurant, would he even lack this bit?
The poor scholar was rather an honest one, or perhaps should say, having wholeheartedly buried himself in books, he was somewhat not versed in the affairs of the world, completely unable to detect. Yesterday, he’d already happily and excitedly told his fiancee that today, he’ll have the Kaiming Crisp sent over. This while, don’t know as to why, he was just short on money, anxiously scratching his ear and cheek. Abandoning his face, he lowered his head to beg the shopkeeper to sell him a piece.
However, the shopkeeper this while had a stern expression, boldly expressing, this place is a restaurant, a place for doing business, not a charity hall. If he doesn’t have money, then just please leave, don’t block them from doing business.
The poor scholar had no other choice, and could only hug his money bag and prepare to leave. He didn’t care about other people’s views, just contemplating how he will explain to his fiancee.
Just, as soon as he turned, he saw his fiancee come in, but was being held in the arms of a wealthy-looking young master.
In that moment, the blood on his face drained, not only because his fiancee’s gentle and delicate face was full of mockery, but further because she, a girl with a marriage engagement at hand, was actually shamelessly leaning in another man’s embrace. His finger tremblingly pointed at her, “You, you, you…………..”
“You what? Just a piece of Kaiming Crisp, yet you need a whole month, but sorry, this young miss lately has already gotten tired of eating. You still don’t know right, if not for young master helping you, even if you save for another month, you still won’t be able to afford a piece of Kaiming Crisp. Speaking of which, you really are useless. Young master didn’t have the energy to play with you for too long, so just kindly helped you out. Were you very happy getting your calligraphy acknowledged by someone? Just unfortunately, it was immediately thrown into the gutter. Is your money short? I was the one that took it. Say, with you like this, still want to marry this young miss, letting this young miss suffer and endure hardships with you? Who do you think you are, letting this young miss suffer, aren’t you afraid of your life shortening…………”
The poor scholar’s complexion was blue and white, his eyes growing dark. What could he still not understand. He recalled all his hard work, yet he was actually just messed around with like a monkey by these people. And further because he was holding a sincere heart, getting trampled on like this, he nearly just fainted.
“Young master, didn’t you say that you’ve never seen what a copper coin looks like before? How about letting you have a look now?” That fiancee turned her head and delicately smiled at the wealthy young master holding her. In public, under numerous eyes, she even extended her hand and teasingly caressed his chest, and further used her plump chest to rub against him. How was this anything like a daughter of a respectable family, even the prostitutes of the brothels were more reserved and proper than her.
The poor scholar foot staggered, nearly tumbling. This kind of woman, this kind of person, was actually his fiancee?
“Alright, this young master really wants to increase one’s knowledge.” With that said, that Governor-General’s young master wantonly squeezed that girl’s chest.
The girl coquettishly cried out, but when she turned towards the poor scholar, she immediately changed face, going forward two steps, and having the money bag in his hand snatched over. Opening it up, she took out a string of coins and untied the string. The copper coins just rained down onto the ground. Hearing the Governor-General’s young master clap his hand and cheer, the girl’s face grew all the more happy, her hands moving even quicker. Nearly three thousand copper coins scattered all over the ground.
The people circling around watching increased more and more. There were some that were joining in on the fun, and of course, there were also some that expressed their sympathy and pity towards that poor scholar. However, no one dared to say a single word. This youngest son of the Governor-General’s, in Kaiming Fu, was infamously lawless and out of control, a complete tyrant. Seeing him, how many people would immediately retreat strategically.
“Shopkeeper, have today’s share of Kaiming Crisp all brought out.” The Governor-General’s young master glanced at the poor scholar, “Seeing that you let this young master watch a whole month’s worth of entertainment, today’s Kaiming Crisp will just all be given to you. If you have it all eaten, there’s additional rewards.” The Kaiming Crisp got brought out, lustrous and plump, alluringly fragrant, and afterwards, just got poured onto the ground, getting crushed by the Governor-General’s young master with his foot. “Quickly, have it eaten clean.”
The poor scholar shook all over in anger, “Too intolerable.”
“Yo, look at these words, however, this young master is precisely bullying you, so what? Someone come………..”
Two bodyguards went forward, grabbing the poor scholar, kicking him in the back of his knee, forcing him to kneel on the ground, pressing his head onto the ground.
The poor scholar’s two eyes burned red, his veins about to explode, roaring in anger, “Where is the heaven’s order? Where is the imperial law? The ways of the world is unjust, the ways of the world……wuu……..”
His mouth got forcibly stuffed with the crushed Kaiming Crisp. Those two eyes filled with indescribable and endless hatred…………
“Heaven’s order? Imperial law? I’m the heaven’s order! I’m the imperial law! Have it all stuffed down.”
The spectators all couldn’t help but retreat a little.
The young masters that hung out with this Governor-General’s youngest son on normal days also weren’t in the minority. They all knew what he was having fun with recently, so they also followed over to watch the play. The majority were all the same as him, clapping their hands and cheering, but there were also a few other ones that were frowning at his behavior right now. This was truly a bit overboard. To humiliate someone as such similarly is also ruining oneself.
“Move aside———” The people blocking the entrance got parted from the outside, and two rows of human walls thoroughly had them blocked out, yielding a path in the middle.
A party of people walked in. The man and woman in the lead were filled with a noble air, a majestic presence as if made by the heavens. The clothes although weren’t especially luxurious, but for those who had knowledge, by looking at the material, they just knew, these people weren’t ordinary. Quite a few people all inhaled a breath. This person was just too good-looking. When did such an individual come to Kaiming Fu?
There were actually those few whose brain was still considered sober, immediately just guessing their most likely identity. Then, recalling their family’s serious advice, their complexion couldn’t help but change. Although it’s said that ‘the powerful dragon cannot suppress the local snake[1]‘, but that’s just because the powerful dragon wasn’t truly powerful enough. Encountering those they can’t afford to offend, and just getting crushed to death, there’s not even place to cry out their grievances. And for this one, where even their old man all have to grovel and curl up, what did they even count as? They definitely can’t provoke him. Subconsciously grabbing someone nearby that they were pretty good friends with, they retreated backwards, but seeing the entrance already blocked, their hopes of quietly leaving crumbled. However, leaving from the back was also a little too obvious. Their hearts couldn’t help but jump, afraid something bad will happen today!
[1] This comes from the concept of how local ‘tyrants’ sometimes are so powerful that even the Emperor is unable to suppress them, making them above the law.
T/N: Since not much of a description is given about the Kaiming Crisp, I just added some pictures of flakey pastries that it might look like.
Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freew𝒆bnov𝒆l.c(o)m