What kind of person is this!
Huang Cheng trembled with anger.
"Too arrogant!" He glared fiercely at Duke Zhu Shan, "Zhu Shan, you're too arrogant!"
The Duke of Chengguo neither rushed nor got annoyed, but merely smiled.
"Zhu Shan would not dare," he said. "I simply trust in justice."
Saying that, he strode forward.
The crowd parted on its own, clearing the way without obstruction.
"Did he really say that just now!" One official pointed at the Duke's retreating figure, shouting to everyone, "These people were all brought here by him."
The officials exchanged complex expressions, many of them having faint smiles that seemed indiscernible.
"Such words should not be spoken casually," someone remarked with a chuckle.
"Who's speaking casually? Can't you see? It's obvious, he brought them here to target Lord Huang..." The other official exclaimed angrily.
Before he could finish, a rotten fruit flew over with a swoosh, hitting squarely on his official hat.
The official cried out in shock, raised his hands to protect the hat.
"Give us back our homeland!"
"No one incited us!"
"Corrupt officials! Return our homeland!"
The crowd, blocked by the Imperial Guards, began to riot and shout. Rotten fruits and leaves seemed to come out of nowhere, raining down in a sudden frenzy.
The Imperial Street was mired in chaos; officials scrambled to dodge, but many still bore the brunt, including Huang Cheng himself.
A rotten fruit struck his shoulder, its juice splattering onto his face.
An official by his side hurriedly reached out with his sleeve to wipe it off, shouting "Lord Huang" in alarm.
Huang Cheng shoved him away, slowly using his own sleeve to clean himself, his gaze dark and nearly turbid.
"These insolent commoners!"
"This is rebellion!"
"Detain them all!"
The officials shouted furiously.
"What are you still doing there?"
Only then did the Imperial Guards seem to react.
"By his majesty's orders, the crowd may gather on the Imperial Street today; no dispersal permitted," the lead guard stated.
The officials glared in frustration.
"Is this 'gathering'?" He yelled, pointing at the clamorous, jeering crowd in the distance.
Three or four more rotten fruits and leaves flew through the air, striking the same official, who fumed and jumped in rage.
Where were these people getting so many rotten fruits? It's only early summer—surely fruits haven't even ripened yet!
"This is a siege!" The official stomped and shouted.
Only then did the Imperial Guards snap into action, raising their waist knives. But before they could issue commands, the chaotic yelling and fruit-throwing mob abruptly dispersed with a loud roar.
"The officials are attacking!"
"The Grand Scholar wants to silence us!"
"Grand Scholar Huang is ready to kill!"
"Grand Scholar Huang plans to expel the refugees from the capital!"
The shouts scattered along with the crowd, which vanished in moments, leaving behind a scene of utter mess.
The Imperial Guards hadn't even managed to draw their knives, now standing there bemused.
Were they brash or cowardly? Brash enough to dare curse high-ranking officials, yet cowardly enough to flee before threats were fully unleashed.
Such unruly commoners.
Were these truly refugees from the northern lands?
"Catch them! Detain them! Interrogate them and find out who instigated this," several officials shouted in rage.
The guards decisively shook their heads.
"That's beyond our jurisdiction," they replied.
Such slackers they were!
These Imperial Guards, sons of noble families in the capital, going through the motions as though they owned the place. Their official titles and salaries might not amount to much, but their sense of entitlement was solidly in place.
Could they also have been influenced by Zhu Zan? Acting dumb and disengaged to cover for him?
"You…" Several officials bellowed.
"Enough." Huang Cheng silenced them.
The officials stopped.
"Lord..." One muttered in grievance, "This is simply outrageous."
Huang Cheng had regained his composure.
"Today is a joyous occasion—the emperor is in good spirits. Let us not spoil it with petty matters," he said as he stepped forward, slowly wiping his face with his sleeve.
The juice had long since been wiped off, yet he kept rubbing as though to scrub his entire skin off.
His aides dared not disturb him further, motioning for the carriages and horses to follow Huang Cheng.
As they walked away, the other officials exchanged glances, their expressions a mix of peculiarity and complexity.
"Who would've thought the Duke of Chengguo would act like this," one official murmured.
Another smirked.
"From afar, written words on memorials may hold power, but they lack the impact of face-to-face verbal confrontations," he said. "From now on, things will surely get lively."
The group discussed enthusiastically. Some officials showed unease.
Since it was now a matter of struggle and confrontation, one would inevitably have to choose sides.
"I wonder who will prove to be more formidable," an official muttered, glancing at Ning Yunzhao.
"No, you're mistaken," Ning Yunzhao said, smiling. "In such matters, it's never about who's more capable, but about who's in the right."
His fellow colleagues nodded.
"Indeed, Lord Ning speaks wisely," one said.
"So, Lord Ning, which side do you think is in the right?" another asked curiously.
Unconsciously, they began addressing Ning Yunzhao as Lord Ning, dropping the diminutive.
Ning Yunzhao smiled faintly.
"Naturally, whoever the emperor considers right will be right," he answered.
Ah yes, they forgot he was one who held the emperor's authority above all. His colleagues shook their heads with resigned amusement.
"In any case, we'll just follow Lord Ning's lead," one chuckled softly.
The officials began dispersing from the Imperial Street, with Ning Yunzhao and his group mounting their horses. As they moved across the street, they noticed many gathered people laughing and chatting.
"It seems the commotion hasn't ended yet," an official remarked.
A servant holding a horse next to him interjected eagerly.
"Lord, actually, there's another big stir," he said, his face animated with excitement. "Miss Jun has returned."
There were countless people surnamed Jun across the empire, but only this particular Miss Jun needed no further explanation—everyone knew who she was.
Surely, as the servant spoke, nearby officials raised their brows.
"Miss Jun of Jiuling Hall," they said. "Her return already causing such excitement?"
"Indeed," another servant jumped in, eager to outpace the first. "As soon as Miss Jun entered the city, Lord Lu stopped her."
Several officials responded with an intrigued "Oh," raising their eyebrows again.
"Well, this will certainly be lively," they remarked.
"No, no, that's not the key point," the first servant interrupted again, impatiently continuing, "The key point is—Miss Jun is actually the wife of Duke of Chengguo's heir."
The officials exclaimed in shock, their eyes widening.
"Now that's a major stir," they said, eagerly telling each other, "Let's go, find a place to sit and listen over tea."
Buzzing with enthusiasm, they moved hurriedly forward, pausing briefly to notice Ning Yunzhao following them.
"Lord Ning, you're coming too?" a colleague asked with a hint of surprise.
Ning Yunzhao smiled and nodded.
"I enjoy hearing lively tales too," he replied.
How odd—he rarely joined such gatherings. Then again, it might've been due to concerns over Ning Yan that he kept a low profile.
"Alright, come along," they said cheerfully.
Xiaoding, leading the horse, pursed his lips.
What "enjoy hearing lively tales"? He only enjoyed rumors about Miss Jun. Even if it was an established fact, he'd still listen to others retelling it as if it were fresh, always intrigued.
Just wait until he hears others discussing Miss Jun's return alongside Duke's heir and wife—let's see if he'll still be smiling then.
Xiaoding mused privately, reminding himself to resist revealing any hints.
The Miss Jun, now being chattered about, stood before the gates of Duke of Chengguo's residence—more precisely, she stood outside its walls.
She had been here for quite some time, gazing slightly upward at the aged traces atop the wall and the thick, lush branches and leaves of the tree.
Footsteps approached from behind, accompanied by a cough.
"Hey, what are you doing?" Zhu Zan asked.
Miss Jun turned to him and smiled.
"Just looking," she answered.
Oddly enough, he remembered the last time; she had also been standing here, staring at the wall. Zhu Zan furrowed his brows, perplexed.
"Looking? You must want others to see you're Duke of Chengguo's heir's wife," he sneered.
"Does that even require showing off to others?" Miss Jun replied sweetly, spreading her hands. "Is it not already known to all?"
She looked so proud of herself.
Zhu Zan rolled his eyes.
"The heir is such an exceptional young man—with a husband like that, of course, you'd feel honored," Miss Jun said, stepping closer to him.
Pfft! Zhu Zan glared at her and tried to dodge, but Miss Jun still patted his shoulder before smiling and walking past him.
Behind her, Zhu Zan shook his fists defiantly at her retreating figure before stomping forward sulkily with his hands clasped behind him.
The gates of the Duke Mansion were wide open now, with servants standing respectfully to welcome her.
Miss Jun halted once more, staring at the plaque above the gate, then into the courtyard.
"I never thought I'd get to enter the Duke Mansion," she reflected with a touch of sentiment.
Zhu Zan chuckled dryly, stepping closer to her.
"Our Duke Mansion is always accommodating to guests. Come and go freely, returning has never been difficult," he remarked emphatically on the word "guest."
Miss Jun pursed her lips into a smile, lifted her skirts, and stepped onto the stairs.