Chapter 304: The dog-thing is beyond saving

The few guards were all Su Qingyao's trusted aides, and they took orders from him alone.

The one with the coldest face stepped forward, blocking Shen Jing Bin like a wall, his voice icy, "Apologies, the Lord is currently handling official business in the study and must not be disturbed by anyone. I ask that the Heir Apparent take another route."

"Take another route?" Shen Jing Bin laughed in anger. "This is the only path to the study; where do you expect me to go?"

The cold-faced man remained as immovable as a mountain. "The Heir Apparent may go wherever he pleases, but this path of mine—is off-limits."

Shen Jing Bin: "..."

Is this brat looking for a beating?

"Fine! Since you are so unappreciative, let's see if your mouth is tougher, or if this Heir Apparent's fists are!"

Saying this, Shen Jing Bin rolled up his sleeves, let out a roar, and swung a punch.

Hmph, I refuse to believe you'd dare to fight back!

The cold-faced man indeed did not fight back, but he didn't hold back either. He tilted his body to the side, dodging Shen Jing Bin's "embroidery punch," then grabbed him by the collar and tossed him aside.

*Bang! * Shen Jing Bin landed in a pathetic heap on his backside.

"You dare hit me?" He scrambled up, pointing at the cold-faced man, and threatened him in a fit of rage, "Just you wait, brat! Don't think that just because my uncle protects you, you can act lawlessly. Tomorrow I'll go tell Grandmother to have your hands chopped off and your feet severed, and we'll see how arrogant you can be then!"

The cold-faced man's expression remained blank, as if he hadn't heard a thing.

Just as Shen Jing Bin was about to charge the gate a second time, Su Jin Xiu, who had been silent until now, finally spoke, "Enough, Bin'er. Do not be impudent."

She looked slowly toward the study and raised her voice, "Brother, I know you are listening. If it weren't a matter of life and death, your little sister would not have the gall to come and beg you! I ask that you, for the sake of Mother, grant your sister a way to survive!"

"That's right, Uncle."

Shen Jing Bin also hurriedly played the pity card, "I am your own nephew! Can you really stand by and watch us die? If you refuse to help with this, nephew... oh no, the entire Commandery Princess's residence will be bankrupt!"

It would have been better if he hadn't spoken; hearing this, Su Qingyao was absolutely livid.

He knew it was about this damn business!

Serves you right, for gambling.

When he first heard about the gambling, he had immediately sent people to warn Su Jin Xiu and her son to stop, not to get involved in this muddy water for the sake of money.

But did they listen? No.

What is the use of coming to beg him now?

It's too late!

Su Qingyao threw the door open and stepped out. He stood before Su Jin Xiu, his face stern as he scolded, "If you knew it would come to this, why did you do it in the first place? If the Commandery Princess's residence goes bankrupt, it is your own doing. Who can you blame?"

"Of course, I blame that Jiang Zhan!" Shen Jing Bin's donkey-like face was full of resentment as he shouted, "If he hadn't been so cunning and deceitful, deliberately acting weak, how could I have bet on the wrong horse? It's all his fault!"

"You scoundrel!"

Su Qingyao could no longer endure it; he raised his hand and gave his nephew a resounding slap. "Even now you do not know you are wrong, and you even push the responsibility onto an innocent person. You are truly detestable!"

His face was livid. He waved a hand at his guards, "This dog-thing is beyond saving. I do not want to see him again. Throw him out."

"Yes, My Lord!"

The guards were all skilled men with martial arts foundations; dealing with a weakling like Shen Jing Bin was a breeze. Two grabbed his arms, two grabbed his legs, and ignoring his struggles and roars, they carried him away.

The posture was just like carrying a pig ready for slaughter.

Su Jin Xiu was stunned for a moment.

She had not expected Su Qingyao to turn against his own nephew for the sake of an outsider.

"Brother, are you really unwilling to lend a hand? Do you want to watch our Commandery Princess's residence decline just like that? What good does that do you?" Su Jin Xiu stared fixedly at her brother.

Su Qingyao shook his head speechlessly.

This younger sister had been strange since childhood, selfish and cold-hearted. When problems arose, she never looked for the cause in herself, only blaming others.

If it weren't for their mother, Old Madam Zhao, always protecting her, he would have stopped caring about her long ago.

Just like this time, it was clearly a mess they had made themselves, yet they blamed him, the brother, for not helping.

How could he help?

By ignoring the rules and appointing Duan Xiu as the Prefectural Top Scholar?

Unless he didn't want his job anymore!

"That's enough. I cannot help with this. You had better go home quickly." After all, she was his half-sister; Su Qingyao's heart wasn't made of iron, so he offered a few words of comfort, "This is only the result of the first round; there is still a second round. Duan Xiu has decent strength; he may not necessarily lose. You don't need to worry so early. Perhaps he can make a comeback?"

Su Jin Xiu looked at him deeply and twitched her lips, "I hope so."

She said nothing more.

She straightened her back, turned, and left without looking back.

Walking out of the Du Fu, she looked back at the high-and-mighty plaque, and a look of venom flashed in Su Jin Xiu's eyes.

In the end, wasn't it because she wasn't the legitimate daughter? If it were Su Qing Ci who encountered such a thing, I'm afraid her good brother would have rushed to solve it for her without her even having to ask, right?

Not born from the same mother, just not close...

The mother and son sat in the carriage, Shen Jing Bin anxious and agitated, "Mother, what should we do now?"

"What else can we do? Go home and pray to the gods and Buddhas," Su Jin Xiu complained irritably. "And you, Mother warned you not to engage in these crooked ways, but you wouldn't listen. You patted your chest and guaranteed Mother that you would win. And what happened?"

"I thought Duan Xiu was a sure win. Who knew he was all show and no substance, a flower vase? He couldn't even beat a Prefectural Top Scholar from a tiny, broken county..."

Speaking of this, Shen Jing Bin's eyes suddenly lit up, "Right, Mother, I heard that His Highness Prince Yu is arriving soon. Why don't we beg him then and let him think of a way?"

Prince Yu... he was indeed a sharp blade.

Su Jin Xiu pondered for a long while, but in the end, she shook her head, "No. Prince Yu's past conduct was improper, and he is not favored by the Emperor. Consequently, those noble families don't even look at us relatives by marriage. Now that he has finally managed to pull himself together, I hear he has accomplished several major things. As long as Prince Yu gains momentum, our Shen family can move to the capital and join the ranks of the first-class nobility."

"We must not lose the big for the sake of the small and let people get a handle on Prince Yu."

Shen Jing Bin's shoulders slumped instantly, and he said dejectedly, "Is there really no way to save the situation?"

He gritted his teeth and made a throat-slitting gesture, "How about we just... get rid of that Jiang Zhan?"

"No, it's too conspicuous!"

Su Jin Xiu rejected the idea without a second thought, "Right now, everyone in Fengyang Prefecture is watching Jiang Zhan. If anything happens to him, your uncle will definitely investigate until he finds the truth. You know your uncle's temper; do you think he would bend the law to let us off? Stop dreaming; we cannot sacrifice ourselves."

She smiled, "What are you panicking about? This is only the first round; it hasn't been decided who the Prefectural Top Scholar will be yet."

"We are anxious, but someone is even more anxious than us. Just wait and see; without us having to do anything, the Duan family will definitely take action." ===== CHAPTER 305 =====