Chapter 842: Praise Is Just to Make You Pay Silver

The steward was waiting for Fan Tong to arrive.

Upon hearing that Fan Tong wanted to see Chief Historian Deng, he sneered, “You must have some nerve to even think you can meet with a man of such stature.”

“Scholar Fan, the Chief Historian will not see you,” the steward said, “You claimed the credit for saving the Chief Historian’s life from Xu Po and her grandson. You deserve to die for such deceit!”

“But due to the Chief Historian’s kindness, we’ve decided to only expel you from the mansion without pressing charges,” he added.

Chief Historian Deng implied that dealing with a lowly figure like Fan Tong would only dirty his hands. Was Fan Tong worth the trouble for the entire Deng Mansion?

Though they wouldn’t press charges, Scholar Fan was already socially dead in Shengjing, with no future ahead.

Fan Tong felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave.

Who were Xu Po and her grandson?

He defended himself, “I did not deceive the Chief Historian. He was truly saved by me, and that old woman and her grandson lied.”

The steward laughed coldly, “Lying even when your end is near.”

The steward continued, “Do you think everyone at Deng Mansion is just a decoration for you to fool around with? You claim you’re the savior, and the Chief Historian believes it? Where were you on the night of the fifteenth of the first month? Who were you with and what did you do? The Chief Historian has it all clear. On that night, not only did you not save the Chief Historian, but you also abandoned your wife, leaving her in danger. If it wasn’t for her defending herself with a hairpin, she would have lost both her honor and life.”

Fan Tong’s face turned deathly pale.

“I have my reasons,” Fan Tong quickly changed his tone when exposed and pleaded, “I had no choice but to deceive the Chief Historian. I admit I lied to see him, but I wasn’t intentional. I only wanted to make it there on my own merits.”

Fan Tong presented his “National Governance Strategy” with both hands, “I wrote this strategy myself. I was known as a child prodigy from my village, the first to become a scholar. I have the ability to govern the nation. I just lacked the platform, so I tried everything to approach the Chief Historian. Steward, please let me meet him just once. He should review my strategy before making a decision.”

The steward didn’t take Fan Tong’s strategy, looking at him as if he was mentally challenged.

Every year Shengjing sees numerous prodigies. To enter the imperial examination, one has to be considered a prodigy back home.

Besides, from these days of observation, he found no outstanding talent in Fan Tong.

If having a thick skin was considered a talent, then Fan Tong would be unrivaled.

“Steward, I believe my ‘National Governance Strategy’ can help the Chief Historian advance further with Prince Ning, gaining his trust,” Fan Tong insisted.

The steward’s contemptuous gaze made Fan Tong uncomfortable. Holding up his strategy, he begged the steward, planning to kick him out once he gained a foothold with the Chief Historian.

It was all his fault for putting him in such an embarrassing situation.

Perhaps the Chief Historian’s investigation was also instigated by the steward.

Back on the fifteenth night, the Chief Historian woke up, thanked him repeatedly, and brought him to the mansion, treating him like an honored guest.

But everything changed when he returned.

The steward took a deep breath.

Fan Tong’s skin wasn’t just thick; his brain was filled with nonsense.

How could the Chief Historian advance further with Prince Ning? He already managed Prince Ning’s daily needs. Advancing further meant ousting Prince Ning himself?

What was he thinking?

The steward stopped wasting words, signaled with a call, and several guards behind him rushed up, giving Fan Tong a beating before throwing him out of the courtyard.

Fan Tong’s “National Governance Strategy” scattered onto the ground.

One page flew onto the steward’s leg; he picked it up, glanced at it, and scoffed, “What rubbish! Not even better than what I could write.”

Fan Tong was beaten and expelled from the Deng Mansion.

At that moment, it was twilight. The warmth of the day fading, coldness engulfing the entire city, leaving Fan Tong both hurting and cold.

Clenching his teeth, he refused to leave without a fight.

He ran to the gate, pounding it, only to be beaten by the guards.

“Get out of here. We didn’t kill you because our lady has been praying and abstaining, avoiding bloodshed. If you return to cause a scene, killing you and dumping your body in a mass grave would be doing you a favor,” the gatekeeper warned.

Fan Tong shivered and left the Deng mansion.

With no money and nowhere to go, he wandered the streets aimlessly.

Remembering Jie Yuhua, whom he whispered sweet nothings in the brothel, he went there.

Upon seeing him filthy, Madam wanted to drive him away.

Fan Tong shouted at the door of the brothel, insisting on seeing Jie Yuhua. He refused to believe she was as money-minded as Madam.

Jie Yuhua was the sweetest girl he had ever met.

It was not until late that Jie Yuhua leisurely appeared before him, her eyes filled with disdain.

“I have nowhere to go now. Could you lend me one hundred taels of silver? I promise to repay you soon, and once I succeed, I’ll redeem and bring you into the house as my concubine,” Fan Tong said.

Jie Yuhua looked at Fan Tong as if he were a joke.

Is he here to be funny?

He pays, and she provides the service.

She wondered how she ever gave the impression to this down-and-out scholar to even think of borrowing money from her?

Did he take her service as an affection for him?

And painting the picture of redeeming her was a pie in the sky.

If she wanted to be redeemed, plenty of rich gentlemen in the city could do it. She simply didn’t want to trade one cage for another.

What angered her more was, despite his current state, he belittled her, claiming to bring her in as a concubine as if elevating her from a common prostitute.

Even though you saved me when I was down.

Jie Yuhua lifted her head with disdain, saying, “Who do you think you are, asking me for money when you have nothing?”

Jie Yuhua was startled, never seeing a client ask a service person for money.

Isn’t this a free ride?

Fan Tong’s eyes widened incredulously at Jie Yuhua.

“You miserable scholar, stop clinging to me like a leech. Go die wherever you should,” she lashed out, the words like knives stabbing into Fan Tong.

Wasn’t Jie Yuhua someone who judged based on appearances?

Were those sweet words of hers during their intimate times forgotten? Where was her tenderness?

“But didn’t you say my poetry was great? Didn’t you want to fly beside me?” Fan Tong asked, unwilling, tugging at Jie Yuhua’s sleeve.

Jie Yuhua shook off his hand, saying, “Flattering your poetry was just to make you spend. Am I crazy to fly beside you? You can’t even lift off alone; stop dreaming of flying together.”

“Oh hello, Mr. Luo. Where have you been these days?” Jie Yuhua’s face blossomed with a smile as she walked towards a finely dressed young gentleman approaching from behind Fan Tong.

Fan Tong turned, watching Jie Yuhua, arm-in-arm with the richly dressed young gentleman, approach him, the young man wrinkling his nose at his sight and asking where the beggar came from.

Jie Yuhua laughed and replied, “Who knows.”

This scene was observed by Gao Ming patrolling nearby.

Gao Ming went back and informed Lu Yiner, who the next day went to the pig farm and told Gu Honglian and Tong Pandi.

The Gu Family heard that Fan Tong was expelled by Chief Historian Deng.

Fan Tong’s dream crumbled within a month, evaporating completely.