Chapter 157 - 114: Communication Talisman? Isn’t This a Phone?!

Chapter 157: Chapter 114: Communication Talisman? Isn’t This a Phone?!

Zeng Anmin’s words carried a touch of solemnity. Naturally, his father understood the implication behind them. Sitting in his chair, he gently tapped his fingers on the table—TAP TAP—his eyes flashing with thought.

"Your Majesty has held two morning assemblies these past few days, yet Ren Weizhi hasn’t made the slightest move in court. It could be considered calm and peaceful," his father added.

Ren Weizhi hadn’t made a move? Zeng Anmin blinked and slowly nodded. "It should be soon."

"What?" Zeng Shilin looked up, his eyes flashing with surprise.

"Today, Ren Weizhi’s precious son came to the Imperial College and exposed the Crown Prince’s identity. The little fatty won’t be able to be my classmate anymore," Zeng Anmin said, a hint of regret in his tone.

He thought the little fatty was a pretty good person with a sufficiently attentive personality, making them a great match. As he spoke, he casually slid the two blood-red Jade Cups from the table into his robes. With a mere flick of his intent, the two Jade Cups were stealthily stored away into the Preparation Space.

"Ren Weizhi..." Turning a blind eye to Zeng Anmin’s little trick, his father frowned. He looked at Zeng Anmin, a hint of coldness edging his voice. "He is actually sending a warning to me."

"You thought of that too?" Zeng Anmin raised an eyebrow, his gaze holding a touch of surprise. "What is his purpose for doing this?"

Zeng Shilin glanced up at him. Slowly unrolling a sheet of rice paper on the desk, he picked up a wolf-hair brush and began to leisurely grind some ink. "You should be able to figure it out."

Zeng Anmin chuckled and nodded. "He doesn’t want to completely burn bridges with us. In other words, he’s backing down."

Ren Xueliang’s appearance had simultaneously exposed Ren Weizhi. This kind of method felt rather like being fierce in appearance but weak in reality.

"Backing down..." His father chuckled dryly. "I suppose you could say that. Ji Qing and Dean Mr. Shi are in the Northern Territory intimidating the demons. With the Eunuch Faction’s core members absent, the imperial court is experiencing a rare period of peace and quiet."

"Therefore, whoever breaks this tranquility first will instantly become the target of public criticism," his father said, narrowing his eyes as he slowly lifted his brush. With flowing movements, he wrote a massive character for "Quiet."

"Great calligraphy!" Zeng Anmin gave him a thumbs up.

After setting his brush down, his father slowly looked up, a touch of indifference in his voice. "You don’t need to concern yourself with the struggles within the imperial court; just prepare well for the imperial examinations. As for the Eldest Princess, we will quietly wait to see what move she makes for now."

"Alright." Zeng Anmin nodded, then headed toward his own courtyard.

SOB SOB.

Just as Zeng Anmin walked into his courtyard, he heard a burst of aggrieved crying.

He wondered, "Hm, this voice sounds awfully familiar."

Blinking, Zeng Anmin looked toward the other side of the courtyard. He saw several servants kneeling on the ground, trembling with fear. Ms. Lin sat in a chair, being served tea. Her face was calm as she watched the weeping Hu Zi.

SOB SOB.

Hu Zi’s voice hitched with sobs. As he cried, he stared down at his toes, not daring to make a sound.

"Where did you go wrong?" Ms. Lin asked softly. Sitting in her chair, she looked at Hu Zi. Though her eyes clearly flickered with heartache, her tone remained steady.

Hu Zi hiccuped, his aggrieved little mouth puckering up so much he could barely speak. "I shouldn’t have hit people..."

Zeng Anmin raised an eyebrow and slowly walked further into the courtyard. Crossing his arms, he looked at Hu Zi. Although Hu Zi had a tragic family background, living with his father and him in this manor meant the boy had never suffered any grievances. Combined with the fact that Ms. Lin usually spoiled the child quite a bit, it was likely he had developed some bad habits.

"What happened?" Zeng Anmin asked as he approached, looking at Ms. Lin.

Hearing his voice, Ms. Lin looked up. A touch of helplessness crossed her delicate face as she sighed. "After classes ended today, the teacher came to the manor to complain. He said Hu Zi secretly hid a Wooden Sword and beat up all his classmates at the academy... and while hitting them, he forced the other children to call him Mighty General."

Zeng Namming’s mouth twitched as he stared wide-eyed at Hu Zi.

GASP.

He wondered, "How did I never notice this kid was such a... troublemaker?! This is definitely not a good habit! Isn’t this just straight-up school bullying?!"

"That’s not all. Aside from those classmates, he didn’t even spare the monks from Fa’an Temple who went to the academy to beg for alms. He actually had a servant hold him up so he could secretly knock the monks on the head with his Wooden Sword..." Ms. Lin continued. "When the teacher punished him, he complained without any remorse, saying those monks’ heads were so shiny they looked like they would ring when struck, but they actually sounded really dull..."

Ms. Lin shifted her gaze toward the servants kneeling on the ground, a touch of coldness seeping into her voice. "If the teacher hadn’t come to complain, how long were these servants planning to hide this? Aiding a tyrant and deceiving your superiors!"

By the end of her speech, tears were faintly welling up in Ms. Lin’s eyes. She simply couldn’t believe it. This was actually something done by Hu Zi, the child she had raised herself...

After Ms. Lin finished speaking, the servants all lowered their heads and kept their lips pressed tightly together, not uttering a single word.

Zeng Anmin’s eyes slowly turned cold as he listened to Ms. Lin.

"Your monthly allowance for this month is forfeit. Go find Mr. Qi and receive the family punishment yourselves," he said, staring at the servants with a chilling tone.

"Yes." Hearing his words, the servants shuddered. They got up dejectedly and scurried outside.

"Other than hitting people, what else did you do wrong?" Ms. Lin asked, keeping her eyes fixed on Hu Zi.