Chapter 257: Can

Jinzhi saw the noble lady walking toward her and couldn't help but be slightly startled; it turned out to be Second Miss Qin and the others.

These people were the same group she had met last time by the lake at the Princess's residence, except Duan Qingqing, the legitimate daughter of the Duan family, was absent.

Presumably, after Zhao Lang shaved Duan Qingqing's yin‑yang haircut, she no longer dares to appear in Shang Jing.

Qin Kexin lifted her eyes and actually ran into Zhao Lang and his wife?

The scene of Zhao Lang cutting Duan Qingqing's hair with a knife had left a lingering shadow in the minds of these noble ladies.

Now that they have run into Zhao Lang, each of them turned pale with fear, retreating repeatedly as if they had seen a ghost.

Jinzhi also instinctively stepped back.

She did not want any further conflict with them, and did not want Zhao Lang to raise his hand and tightly grip hers as he walked straight toward those noble ladies.

"Don't be afraid; with a capable husband here, what could they do?"

Zhao Lang knew that Jinzhi's temperament carried a hint of inferiority, so he tightly squeezed Jinzhi's hand and walked toward those people.

This was the only path through the plum forest, after all the scenery here was the most beautiful, and the others were willing to come take a look; truly, this was a narrow encounter.

Qin Kexin was indeed frightened by the murderous aura on Zhao Lang, so she quickly turned aside, yet seeing Zhao Lang's heroic bearing, she felt a few conflicting emotions.

She then gently stepped in front of Zhao Lang, bowed slightly and said, "General Zhao, blessings."

Zhao Lang sneered, said nothing, held Jinzhi's hand, ignored the gazes of those people, and walked straight past them.

Second Miss Qin turned and looked at Zhao Lang's back, her brows furrowed sharply.

How could a woman as broken and wretched as Jinzhi receive such protection from Zhao Lang? This world is truly unjust!

Moreover, Jinzhi's looks were ruined—she was just an ugly freak—relying on Zhao Lang's affection, yet she still strutted with such arrogance, showing off that proud demeanor to whom?

Several women gathered in front of Second Miss Qin and whispered among themselves.

Outside the plum forest there were some small traders, especially those selling frozen persimmons.

Baskets upon baskets of frozen persimmons were placed outside the plum forest, contrasting with the surrounding winter scenery and giving off a lively hue.

Zhao Lang saw Jinzhi's gaze fall on those persimmons, let out a low laugh, and walked up to the persimmon vendor.

He was about to ask the price to buy the persimmons for Jinzhi, when Second Miss Qin and a few women slowly approached from behind.

"General Zhao, sorry, those were all pre‑ordered by us just now."

Zhao Lang's brows knit tightly, and the persimmon seller hurriedly lowered his head.

The persimmon sellers here all feared the Qin family; although the Qin family in Shang Jing wasn't a great aristocratic household, Qin Kexin's mother's clan were major merchants.

Especially those in Shang Jing who ran small trades, they all had some connection with the Qin family.

Upon hearing Second Miss Qin speak that way, the persimmon seller instantly realized that she probably had some feud with the Zhao family.

Though General Zhao standing before them bore a hint of ruthlessness, these people all lived off the Qin family.

Since Second Miss Qin has already said so, how could they dare not give her face?

The small persimmon stallholder hurriedly bowed to Zhao Lang and said, "Um… General Zhao, truly sorry, these baskets of persimmons were indeed pre‑ordered by Second Miss, and they must be delivered to the Qin residence shortly."

"If you wish to eat, we still have some in our garden; we can deliver them to your residence later. How does that sound?"

Zhao Lang, knowing these people feared the Qin family, was about to speak when Second Miss Qin calmly smiled and said, "General Zhao, sorry, these people all cultivate land belonging to my Qin family; the persimmon orchard is ours."

"This year's persimmons are few, only this batch is for sale, so we probably cannot treat the Young Madam to persimmons."

As soon as the words "Young Madam" finished, everyone understood that Second Miss Qin was standing up for her friend Duan Qingqing.

In the exchange, the silent Jinzhi was filled with hostility.

Zhao Lang's brows furrowed, and he coldly stared at Second Miss Qin.

Suddenly a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth; his already handsome, upright appearance now added a few touches of dashing charm.

Qin Kexin, after all, couldn't quite take her eyes off him.

Yet such a fine man, didn't he marry that ugly freak beside him?

Now she didn't know why she felt angry, just didn't want to see Jinzhi thrive.

The vendor beside them broke out a cold sweat on his forehead, never expecting Second Miss Qin to be so narrow‑minded.

Yet those merchants were all vassals of the Qin family.

Although Second Miss Qin was being unreasonable, they had no recourse and could only keep quiet, standing respectfully aside.

Zhao Lang let out a cold laugh, and Jinzhi behind him cautiously tugged at his sleeve.

Jinzhi liked persimmons, but for a single bite, if Zhao Lang clashed with the Qin family again, it would be especially detrimental to the Zhao family.

She didn't want to endanger the Zhao family any further because of herself, so she even pulled harder, gripping Zhao Lang's sleeve tightly, trying to pull him away.

Who would have thought Zhao Lang remained unmoved, coldly looking at Qin Kexin: "Hey! Second Miss Qin, are you trying to swallow all the persimmons in Shang Jing? May I ask if you can actually eat them all?"

Qin Kexin stared at Zhao Lang's icy gaze; though her heart fluttered a bit, she still refused to yield at that moment.

On what grounds did he favor Jinzhi? A country bumpkin ugly freak, how could she compete with these noble ladies?

Zhao Lang lightly patted the back of Jinzhi's hand, signaling her not to be afraid and that everything was in his hands.

He turned and gestured to the two guards following behind him.

The two guards hurriedly stepped forward.

Zhao Lang's cold gaze fixed on Qin Kexin's face as he said, "Bring the brothers of the Southern Great Camp; throughout Shang Jing, any persimmon tree belonging to the Qin family, cut them all down for me."

As soon as Zhao Lang finished speaking, everyone was stunned. In this way, it was truly lawless, wasn't it?

Jinzhi turned pale with shock, hurriedly gesturing anxiously at Zhao Lang, even pulling his arm and shaking it forcefully.

Zhao Lang, however, pressed her tightly against his chest, coldly looking at the pallid Qin Kexin.

"Second Miss Qin, if you love persimmons, I'm going to make sure you never get to eat any in this lifetime."

"You two, carry these baskets away! Remember to pay!"

"By the way, how many persimmon trees to cut? Whatever the cost, it'll be charged to my account, Zhao Lang."

In an instant Zhao Lang's fury surged, and his reckless act of felling all the persimmon trees in Shang Jing spread across the city instantly.

Qin official instantly flew into a rage and, before the emperor, lodged a fierce impeachment against Zhao Lang.

Although Zhao Lang had those persimmon trees cut down and paid triple compensation, the deed was still somewhat underhanded.

Moreover, the troops employed were still those of the Zhao family army of the Southern Great Camp; the affair was neither major nor minor, but it left Emperor Longqing fuming for a while.

If it weren't for the Bei Di and Western Rong eyeing them like tigers, Emperor Longqing would have long since dragged this lawless brat out and beheaded him.

Instead, Zhao Lang piled all the felled persimmon trees, including the persimmons themselves, into the courtyard of the general's residence.

Even so, there was still no place to put them; Zhao Lang ordered a shed built specially outside the wall of the general's residence and had the persimmon trees moved there.

He even spread the word that if his wife couldn't eat persimmons, no one from the Qin family would be allowed to eat them either.

Such overbearing words ultimately provoked Emperor Longqing, who had him thrown straight into the Ministry of Justice prison.

Soon someone delivered the news to Rui Wang Fu, to Gu Jiu Ling's side.