If he was the previous Ren Jie, he would be scared out of his wits when he heard the emperor bellowing out his name in anger. But the Ren Jie now progressively confirmed his suspicion that the emperor knew of what had happened from the beginning, yet he pretended that he did not and listened to Gao Zhanyuan's woes once more.
Could Gao Zhanyuan and Gao Peng not know that I would not be punished for that? No, they should be clear of that. F*ck. These guys are so cunning. Each one of them is more sly than the other.
But the good thing was that Ren Jie did not need to devise any moves against them. He could simply not play by the cards that they had dealt him. They were clueless about his situation and did not take him seriously deep in their hearts. That was his biggest advantage.
"Yes… Wait…" Ren Jie's mouth was filled to the brim. He pretended as though he was about to choke to death. He swallowed hard a few times and gulped down the cup of tea that the fatty had handed him before he finally caught his breath.
"Phew… Your Majesty, you have scared me to death. Your moment of rage almost caused me to choke to death," Ren Jie mumbled. Afterward, he looked towards the pathetic-looking Gao Peng and Gao Zhanyuan who was kneeling down and crying out his woes. "Gao Zhanyuan, how did you have the guts to say such embarrassing things. To think you are the Gao family head. I am embarrassed for you."
Although Gao Zhanyuan was acting, for the most part, the unhappiness and rage he felt towards Ren Jie were real. When he heard Ren Jie's words, he stared at him in rage and thought, You f*cking hit my son. Why wouldn't I have the guts to say that out? Why would I need you to feel embarrassed for me?
Wen Yong and Fang Tianen, who were sitting at the side, were momentarily stunned too. They did not expect Ren Jie to say that.
The emperor who was sitting on the dragon throne turned his head slightly to look at Ren Jie. He seemed greatly unpleased with the situation that he saw, yet he was actually very calm on the inside. To be honest, the things that happened today surprised him too. Because he could not see through what was happening, he had said a couple more sentences to Ren Jie when he first saw him.
However, he could not tell anything from merely observing Ren Jie. He had become bolder. Not only did he dare to look at him in the eye, but he also had the guts to blabber on in front of him. He was indeed saying nonsense. Moreover, he seemed slightly wild and full-on pampered.
Before Gao Zhanyuan could rebut anything, Ren Jie had already jumped up in a jolt. He pointed his finger at the father and son duo.
"To think you father and son have the cheek to complain about me in front of the emperor! If I were you, I would have drowned myself in my own pool of urine. You two are utterly shameless." Ren Jie appeared as if he was beyond angry. He pointed at Gao Peng and said, "Gao Peng! You are a junior in the family clan who followed the family head to attend and learn from the imperial feast. It was enough that you didn't pay your respects and greet a family head like me. However, your sarcastic attitude is intolerable. When I went to ask you to return me the five hundred thousand taels of gold that your younger brother owe me, you actually refused to do so. You wanted to renege on your debt. Reneging on debts in the Clear Jade Dynasty is a huge offense that could subject you to the cruelest punishments. Not to mention that you owe a huge sum amount of five hundred thousand taels of gold."
Afterward, Ren Jie turned to face the emperor. With anger still lining his voice, he said, "Your Majesty, I would have killed him long ago if I could have done so. How is he in the right when he is the one that owes me money? Since he brought up the issue, Your Majesty, please seek justice for me. Gao Fei owes me five hundred thousand taels of gold yet refuses to repay his debt. His brother Gao Peng reneged on the debt and refused to return the money as well. Why would the esteemed secretary of the treasury be short of five hundred thousand taels of gold? He makes so much more embezzling money. Your Majesty, please seek justice for me."
"Cough… Cough…" Fatty Gao Ren was eating his food while listening. When he heard Ren Jie's words, he accidentally choked on the food in his mouth. He coughed tremendously before he finally managed to swallow it down.
Wen Yong and Fang Tianen, who were sitting at the sides, were very speechless too. They had been the family heads for many years and had attended the imperial feast many times, yet it was the first time they encountered such a situation.
Upon hearing Ren Jie's words, the corners of Gao Peng's lips twitched slightly. He wanted to open his mouth and rebut Ren Jie's claims. However, the piercing cold look in his eyes sparkled slightly and he held back the urge to speak up. He merely hung his head low in silence.
Fuming with rage, Gao Zhanyuan stood up and pointed a finger at Ren Jie. "What nonsense are you speaking? Gao Fei was schemed by you… I have yet to settle the accounts with you. How dare you…"
"Schemed? What did I scheme against him? Why did you not mention how he almost beat me to death? F*ck. You Gaos are incredible. Even if we were to settle the scores, I should be the one revenging you. Old scumbag. None of the sons you have raised are any good. You embezzled tons of funds and crops as the secretary of the treasury every day, yet you are unwilling to repay me a measly five hundred thousand taels of gold. You should be glad that I did not try to settle scores with your f*cking son for beating me up. How do you have the cheek to complain about me before the emperor…" Ren Jie's reaction was even more intense than Gao Zhanyuan. He had jumped onto the table, pointed a finger at him and started lashing at him.
"You… How dare you scold me!" Although Gao Zhanyuan was not very powerful, he had perfected the True Qi Realm. His powers were released and he truly wanted to strangle that rascal to death.
"That's right! You are the one I'm scolding. Who do you think you are? You might be the Gao family head, but I'm also the Ren family head. Why would I be afraid to scold you? Not only you, but I'm also scolding your eighteen generations of ancestors. There is not a f*cking good person in your entire family. You are all f*cking rogues who have the cheek to complain to the emperor even when you were the ones owing money. Pooh!" So what if he had perfected the True Qi Realm. Ren Jie did not believe that Gao Zhanyuan dared to touch him in the imperial palace. That was different from if they were outside the imperial palace.
"That's enough!" the emperor shouted in raging anger. He was truly furious. "Bam!" He slapped his hand on the enormous jade table in front of him, causing it to shatter completely. His powerful presence engulfed the entire room. The might of the son of heaven and the wrath of the dragon emperor was not to be challenged.
"Look at how every single one of you is behaving. The imperial feast in the majestic Five Clans Hall has become a quarreling ground for rogues in the market place."
"Please ease your anger, Your Majesty. We have realized our wrongs." Other than Gao Zhanyuan, even the sensible and prudent Wen Yong and Fang Tianen, who were originally sitting down, stood up to admit their mistakes. However, that was merely a procedural act.
"Ren Jie. Even if you are young, you are still the head of the family clan. Think about how your father was then. When he was your age, he could already lead soldiers in battle to expand our country's borders. You have to constantly remind yourself of your position as the head of the family clan. You must not go around like the other kids of your age. My beloved deputy Gao, you should discipline your children more. It's only right to return the money you owe. I do not want to hear about my secretary of the treasury being hunted down for a debt amounting to a hundred thousand taels of gold ever again. Gao Peng was the runner-up for the previous imperial examinations. As he had not completed his studies then, he was not rewarded a title. Now that you have graduated this year, I will appoint you as the vice chief of staff in the military. Make sure to learn when you are in that position. Do not fool around all day."
Vice chief of staff. Although that was not an actual lieutenant general, it would not be difficult for Gao Peng to be promoted to a lieutenant general that possessed actual authority within a short span of time given the Gao family's influence. One must know that if the champion of the imperial martial arts examination had no background, he would only be appointed as a field-grade or company-grade officer. If he had some family background, he might become a deputy commander.
He had to depend on himself as he embarked on the path to his future. The first few places in the major examinations would usually take on a scholarly position. Few would be appointed to the military directly. Four-tenths of the military was under the command of the Ren family; two-tenths under the emperor; another two-tenths under the Wen family; and one-tenth was controlled by the Gao family. The last one-tenth was controlled by neutral officials that worked their way to their positions. Ren Jie had read about that from the materials that he found in the Ren family library pavilion. It was obvious that the emperor deliberately wanted the Gao family to gain more voice within the military.
Although that was only a vice chief of staff, there was much more information within that appointment. However, Ren Jie did not bother about that too much. Even if he wanted to involve himself in the matter, there was no opportunity for him to do so. Even worse, prying into the appointment would stir trouble for himself.
Ren Jie was not at all concerned with the lieutenant general matter regarding Gao Peng. He looked at Gao Zhanyuan and said triumphantly, "Brilliant idea, Your Majesty. I would try my best not to stoop down to the level of those people in the future as long as they do not mess with me. Gao Zhanyuan, have you heard what the emperor said? Give me my money immediately."
"Hank… you… Your Majesty…" Gao Peng was not able to articulate his words clearly. However, he still managed to mumble a "thank you". He was not concerned if he was the lieutenant general or not. Others might do anything to get to such ranks. However, given his circumstances, it was only a matter of time for him. All he wanted was a signal.
After Gao Zhanyuan had entered the room, Fang Yan was waiting at the door. He was accompanying the second prince to the event. As he heard the orders of the emperor, his hand that was holding his sword trembled slightly. He was also the second place in the imperial martial arts examinations. He was also defeated by the monster Lan Tian, whose power was unseen in a thousand years. He had various contributions in the military and was… with the seventh princess…
Up until then, he was merely a commander for the imperial troops. Although the imperial troops' commander was more impressive than ordinary general officers, he was ultimately still not considered a general officer. Gao Peng was a few years younger than him, yet he was a step earlier in attaining that position. Was the reason behind that because he had suffered a beating? Or, was it because of the actions of the Gao family head?
As he thought of that, he could not stop himself from looking towards Fang Tianen. If the Fang family had given him full support…
"Here is a fifty thousand jade coins banknote." Looking at the smug expression on Ren Jie's face, Gao Zhanyuan was furious. The events that happened today were unforgettable. He took out a fifty thousand jade coins banknote and threw it at Ren Jie.
"Bam!" Ren Jie waved the banknote gently and said happily, "Think about all the trouble saved if you had been this forthright. My goodness."
"Haiz!" When Wen Yong saw this scene, a sense of sorrow suddenly engulfed him. A vice chief of staff was nothing within the military, but that position was originally reserved for the Ren family when they were promoted. Ren Jie was pleased even when his family's position was acquired by others. Even five or ten million taels of gold were not worth forsaking a vice chief of staff position in the military, not to mention five hundred thousand taels of gold.
Truly tragic and dreadful!
"We were meant to discuss the empress dowager's birthday celebration. Now…" The emperor creased his eyebrows slightly as he looked at the pool of blood that Gao Peng had vomited. Mixed in it were shattered fragments of his teeth. He turned towards Fang Tianen and said, "From the reply by the imperial physician, there was something amiss about the poison that Fang Qi is afflicted with. Even he could not do anything about it. Have you found a cure yet?"
Fang Tianen stood up and kowtowed to the emperor to express his gratitude for his concern. At the same time, he said solemnly, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I have put up a notice that rewards a million jade coins and a middle-grade spiritual item. My only hope is that some master could save my daughter's life."
"I have ordered the imperial physicians to research it together. Hope that we can find a solution," the emperor said. "Such a thing happened to the Fang family. Gao Peng is injured too. Today is not a suitable day to discuss the empress dowager's birthday celebration. That's it for today. If the few of you think of any good ideas back at home, present it to me immediately. We'll leave other matters to after the empress dowager's birthday celebration. We'll discuss them again then."
After the emperor finished speaking, he turned and left immediately. The others bowed until the emperor was completely out of sight before straightening their bodies.
Everyone had a different expression on their faces. The incidents that happened today were way too creepy. The original procedure was for them to discuss matters ahead of time within the majestic Five Clans Hall. However, that rule was changed by the emperor in such a subtle manner. His move encompassed some deep meaning!
Ren Jie looked towards Fang Tianen the moment the emperor left. Looks like you are finally out of a solution and could only resort to putting up a reward notice. I'm going to earn buckets this time. When Ren Jie thought of poisoning, he could not help but recall the disgusting segments in Martial Hero novels when they required the yin and yang to balance out during sexual intercourse to treat poison. He could not control himself and said to Fang Tianen, "Is Fang Qi poisoned? Why did no one inform me about that? I have to visit when a beautiful lady is poisoned. Do you need my help to find a cure for the poison? I remember that when it comes to poison, we would usually require the yin and yang to balance out. If you need my help, I do not mind helping treat it."
"A million jade coins and a middle-grade spiritual item!" Gao Ren's eyes sparkled when he heard this. He could not control himself and tugged Ren Jie's clothes to tell him that the amount sufficed. The main reason that he did that was that he felt a faint pang of worry when he heard Ren Jie mention balancing out the yin and yang. It would be disastrous if he was still thinking of Fang Qi's beauty and lost out on the deal.
"Humph. Save the concern, Ren family head." The things that happened that day were way too creepy. Fang Tianen wanted to rush back as soon as possible to sort them through. Moreover, Fang Qi's condition was still unstable. He did not have time to handle this pampered kid. He stood up and prepared to leave. Did Ren Jie really think that he was capable of standing in the same position as them? Simply ridiculous. Especially when he heard Ren Jie mention about balancing out the yin and yang, his chests heaved in anger. He cursed at the rascal in his mind.