NCCnovel Chapter 510 Conflict
Chapter 510 Conflict
Liu Rushi quietly led Li Xiangjun to the window on the other side, where they could also see the situation at the doorway at an angle. She calmly said to Li Xiangjun, "Your lord has come to save you. No matter how arrogant this warrior is, he won't dare to lay a finger on these Fushe scholars. Just watch."
Li Xiangjun looked expectantly at Hou Fangyu in the crowd and murmured, "Why isn't he rushing over yet? I can't stay here a second longer..."
Dong Xiaowan appeared behind the two of them unnoticed and said softly, "Sister Liu, Sister Xiangjun, don't underestimate him. There's nothing in this world he wouldn't dare to do..."
Liu Rushi turned around and said with dissatisfaction, "No matter what you had with him before, we are now trapped here by this guy. Don't forget your place and don't be unable to distinguish friend from foe."
Dong Xiaowan fell silent, taking two steps back without saying another word. She thought to herself: What are we anyway? Aren't we all just unfortunate souls fallen into prostitution? His words, though harsh, weren't wrong. It's our blessing to have guests, and serving them is our duty. We shouldn't think too highly of ourselves.
She once shared Liu Rushi's high aspirations, but after encountering Chang Wei in Suzhou, she realized that the so-called halo of a famous courtesan was worthless in the face of power. If Liu Ye hadn't appeared back then, what could have happened if Chang Wei had forced himself on her? She would have just had to swallow her anger.
Seeing that the soldiers dared not use force and could only retreat step by step, the members of the Fushe Society grew bolder, shouting and pressing forward. Lin San stood behind the soldiers, wishing he could rush over and kick these scholars. He anxiously looked up at the building; why hadn't the general given the order yet?
Liu Ye was currently weighing the pros and cons. If they were to actually fight, one soldier could easily take on five scholars; there was no need for the Duke's personal guards. Sending a dozen or so guards would be enough to rout these dozens of men. But what would be the most appropriate course of action? Liu Ye didn't care much about his reputation among these scholars, but he also didn't want to leave an impression of arrogance in the eyes of the common people. After all, in their minds, scholars who had passed the imperial examinations were like celestial beings descended from heaven, holding a very high status—a perception that couldn't be changed overnight.
Xu Hongji paced back and forth, wringing his hands and muttering, "What should I do? I can't fight back, and I can't not fight back either. If I fight back, I'll ruin my reputation; if I don't fight back, they'll rush in and take the person away. Where will I put my face then?"
While Liu Ye hesitated, Hou Fangyu's eyes turned bloodshot. He kicked the soldiers who were trying to stop him a few times through the crowd, but he couldn't reach them. Liu Ye had hit a nerve, leaving him powerless to refute. Just then, the crowd began to charge at the soldiers, giving him the perfect opportunity to vent his anger. He felt that these soldiers were all Liu Ye's henchmen and accomplices, despicable, and he only wanted to kick them to vent his frustration.
After several kicks missed, he desperately pushed forward and finally came face to face with a guard who couldn't retreat in time. Without thinking, he used all his strength to slap him across the face.
A crisp "snap" rang out, audible even amidst the surging crowd. Both sides in the conflict froze in shock.
A clear red handprint was visible on the soldier's face. His eyes blazed with fury, his teeth clenched, and he gripped his rifle tightly, not retaliating, but feeling incredibly wronged. Since joining the Qionghai Navy, he had always been the one hitting others, and he had never felt so humiliated, being slapped by a weak and powerless scholar.
Hou Fangyu's eyes were already red. When he saw the soldier glaring at him, he scolded, "What are you glaring at? I'm teaching you how to behave. Do you want to fight back?" He rolled up his sleeves and slapped the soldier again. Although the soldier tried to dodge, the distance was too close, and half of his hand still hit the other side of the face.
Upon seeing this from upstairs, Liu Ye immediately flew into a rage: "Stop! Hou Fangyu, if you dare to lay another hand on me, I'll chop off your claws."
Hou Fangyu sneered, "I don't believe it. I have the title of Juren (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations), and my father is the Minister of Revenue. You dare to try and chop me up?" As he spoke, he tried to rush over to hit someone, but Wu Changshi grabbed him tightly from behind and advised, "Brother Chaozong, a gentleman uses words, not fists."
Liu Ye roared in fury, “The soldiers of the Qionghai Navy only shed blood on the battlefield, not suffer humiliation off the battlefield. Listen up, all soldiers! You are not lowly military households, and no one can insult you. Whoever attacks you, fight back! If you can’t even beat these good-for-nothings who can’t even distinguish between farming and manual labor, take off your uniforms and get out of the Qionghai Navy!”
Upon hearing this, the guards, who had been holding back their anger, slung their rifles over their backs and charged towards the soldiers like tigers released from their cages, roaring as they did so.
The poor scholars were no match for these soldiers; one punch was enough to knock some unconscious on the spot. The once-impressive Fushe troops were instantly routed by the soldiers' onslaught.
Liu Rushi and Li Xiangjun witnessed this scene from upstairs, their faces turning pale. Liu Rushi mustered her courage and confronted Liu Ye, rebuking him: "These are the very seeds of the court's scholarship. If anything were to happen to them, ten of you common soldiers wouldn't be worth one..."
Liu Ye glared at her coldly: "In my heart, it's the exact opposite. Ten such good-for-nothings are not as good as one well-trained soldier. Soldiers can defend their country and fight on the battlefield. Scholars are useless. What can they do besides indulging in romance and talking about national affairs? Don't think that just because you're a woman you can act recklessly. If you keep talking, I'll buy you and sell you to a border town as a prostitute."
Liu Rushi shivered and dared not utter another sound. If that were the case, she would rather die.
The soldier who had been slapped by Hou Fangyu, his eyes blazing with fury, found his "enemy," grabbed him by the collar, and slapped him hard across the face. It was the same slap, but this time the strong soldier's blow was far more brutal; half of Hou Fangyu's face swelled up. If the soldier hadn't restrained himself for fear of killing him, a few more slaps would have nearly killed Hou Fangyu.
Li Xiangjun saw this from the window and shouted loudly, "Don't hit him!"
Hou Fangyu covered his swollen face, squinted and looked in the direction of the sound. He saw his beloved and cried out in pain, "Xiangjun, are you alright?"
Seeing the once dashing and debonair young man reduced to such a wretched state, Li Xiangjun was heartbroken. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she rushed to Liu Ye, reaching out to scratch his face, shouting, "You corrupt official! You abuse your power to bully a defenseless scholar..."
Liu Ye was already in a bad mood, and this scratch almost scratched his eye. He became inexplicably angry, slapped her hand away, and shouted, "What's wrong with you? You're allowed to hit people, but not allowed to fight back?"