Chapter 96

Chapter 96

Hong Da's expression stiffened briefly before quickly returning to normal. He forced a smile and said, "Vice Director Meng, I have some questions I'd like to discuss with you. Would you mind waiting for me after the morning meal so we can walk together?"

After morning court sessions, officials typically had a meal in the palace before leaving. If seating arrangements weren't assigned by rank, Hong Da would have tried to sit next to Meng Shuping.

On one hand, despite his intense dislike for Meng Shuping, his son was now in Vice Director Meng's hands, forcing him to try and improve their relationship. On the other hand, he also wanted to sound out what punishment his son was facing.

Aware of the subtle glances from others in the room, Meng Shuping grew nervous and quickly declined, "Uh, we're... not headed the same way. Let's just drop it."

"*Tsk, tsk, tsk*," he muttered under his breath, "no wonder he made it to General. His ability to control his expression is better than many actors. Do all these court officials have so many skills?"

"*But is he nuts? With so many people around, he directly approaches me—isn't that basically announcing he's trying to pull strings? How will I explain myself clearly later?*"

Minister of Revenue Chen and Minister of Justice Cao Jie: "..."

Don't worry, with your talent for offending people, even if you openly admitted to favoritism, no one would believe you!

Hong Da was annoyed—*You're the one who's nuts!* But since he needed a favor, he bit back his irritation and let out a dry, forced laugh. "Haha, if we're not going the same way, that's fine. Vice Director Meng, I'll take my leave then."

Meng Shuping sighed in relief. "Alright."

Hong Da turned and walked away.

It seemed he should find a private time to meet with Vice Director Meng. Even if his son couldn't be pardoned, maybe the punishment could at least be reduced.

Watching Hong Da leave, Meng Shuping felt deeply troubled. "*Damn it! The Emperor piling more work on me is bad enough, but why does he always assign me such tricky tasks? If I don't comply with someone's wishes, what's to stop them from getting back at me?*"

Jiang Cihe smiled. Wasn't it a bit late to think of that now? He walked over and gave Meng Shuping's forehead a flick. "What are you spacing out for?"

Meng Shuping immediately glared at him. "Why did you flick me?"

Jiang Cihe said seriously, "Just reminding you that almost everyone has left."

Meng Shuping looked around and saw that it was true. He cleared his throat awkwardly. "Let's go then."

Normally, Meng Shuping would eat with others after morning court, but Jiang Cihe, knowing he wasn't comfortable eating with unfamiliar people, invited him to a separate room where the two ate together.

Halfway through the meal, Meng Shuping suddenly remembered, "*Wait, isn't this a powerful patron right here? With the Prince protecting me, even if others want revenge, they’ll have to think twice, right?*"

"*Should I try to suck up to him? But how? I have no experience in this!*"

Jiang Cihe's lips curled into a smile. He was curious to see how Meng Shuping planned to win him over.

But the next moment, he heard Meng Shuping think, "*Forget it. Not offending people is already an achievement. Trying to curry favor? Who am I kidding? Don’t overestimate myself.*"

Jiang Cihe felt slightly disappointed. Why wouldn’t Meng Shuping try to flatter him? If he did, Jiang Cihe might have had a chance to tease this gutsy little guy.

Completely unaware of Jiang Cihe's thoughts, Meng Shuping returned to his office and began investigating Hong Yucheng's case. His main tasks were locating the victims and recording their statements. Upon review, he realized Hong Yucheng had harmed quite a few people.

After finishing his duties for the day, he had just left the office when someone stopped him. "Vice Director Meng, my Master has reserved a private room at a restaurant and specifically sent me to invite you for a discussion."

Meng Shuping was very surprised. Who would suddenly invite him to a meal for no reason? He didn’t know that many people. Curious, he asked, "Who is your Master?"

The messenger wore a somewhat haughty expression. "My Master is General Hong."

After getting his answer, Meng Shuping immediately waved his hand in refusal. "Sorry, I've got plans. Let's skip it today."

He wasn’t familiar with this Hong Da, so why should he go eat with him? Besides, it was obviously about Hong Yucheng.

But as soon as he took a step forward, the messenger blocked him again. "Vice Director Meng, what do you mean by this? Aren’t you showing disrespect to my Master?"

Claiming to be busy was clearly an excuse. Why didn’t he say he was busy earlier but suddenly made excuses upon hearing it was his Master?

Their young master might have committed a crime, but their Master was still in good standing. How could Vice Director Meng disrespect their Master like this? Wasn’t he afraid of offending him?

Meng Shuping was baffled. "*Really?*"

"*Not going to a meal means disrespect? How entitled are they? Not to be rude, but who does their Master think he is? Why should I show him respect? If he’s asking for a favor, why is he acting so arrogant? What, do I owe him one?*"

Ni Xiong was stunned. He hadn’t seen Meng Shuping speak. *Were those later words ventriloquism?* But soon, his anger boiled over. He was just saying that—how dare Meng Shuping actually respond like that!

Remembering his mission, he realized Meng Shuping was different from other low-ranking officials. This person probably responded better to softness than force. So he quickly changed his attitude. "Vice Director Meng, please don’t make things difficult for me. If I can’t bring you back, my general will surely punish me severely."

"Ah? Is that so?" Meng Shuping said sympathetically. "*Well, good luck with that.*"

"*Wait, how am I making things difficult for him? It’s clearly General Hong making things difficult for him! Why blame me? I’ve never seen such unreasonable people!*"

"*If he gets punished, so what? What does it have to do with me? Does he think I’ll feel guilty and go to some 'Hongmen Feast'? I'd pay to see him get beaten by General Hong. His attitude changed so fast—clearly he’s that guy’s henchman!*"

Ni Xiong gritted his teeth. *This guy has a heart of stone!* Most people, even if they declined, would at least offer some comfort.

He immediately dropped his polite smile and said threateningly, "Vice Director Meng, are you sure you won’t go?"

Meng Shuping was done with this guy. "No."

"*Have these people lost their minds? I said no, why can’t they understand? How dare they threaten me? Guess they're not that eager to get Hong Yucheng out after all!*"

He sidestepped Ni Xiong and kept walking. Ni Xiong, anxious, tried to block him again, but Xing Lai and Jia Yue immediately stepped in front. "Hey, what's the big idea? We’re not far from the Ministry of Justice. If you come any closer, we’ll have you arrested!"

Blocked by the two, Ni Xiong could no longer reach Meng Shuping. He shot them a dirty look before turning to leave.

Soon, he arrived at the restaurant where Hong Da was waiting. Seeing him come alone, Hong Da was disappointed. "What, you didn’t bring him?"

Suppressing his anger, Ni Xiong said, "Master, that Meng Shuping is truly detestable. As soon as I said you invited him, he immediately claimed he was busy. And he said he doesn’t respect you at all! Since you’re the one asking for a favor, he feels he can do whatever he wants."

Hearing this, Hong Da hit the roof. He slammed the table. "He really said that?"

Ni Xiong said indignantly, "Absolutely! Master! I was just following your orders to invite him. Not only did he refuse, but he also threatened to have me arrested! Hmph, if it weren’t for young Master Hong Yucheng’s situation depending on him, how could I have tolerated such humiliation?"

Hong Da shot to his feet. "He's a nobody, a seventh-rank official, and he has the gall to be so arrogant! He won't last long with an attitude like that."

He paced angrily around the room. "Hmph! If Hong Yucheng weren’t in his hands, how could I be humiliated like this?"

Ni Xiong glanced at him. "Then, Master, what should we do now?"

Hong Da punched the wall fiercely. "Forget it. Tomorrow, I’ll go see him myself! Once Hong Yucheng’s matter is resolved, he'll pay for this!"

A gleam of satisfaction flashed in Ni Xiong’s eyes. "Master, you are wise."

So the next day, as soon as Meng Shuping had prepared all the documents, a subordinate announced, "Vice Director Meng, General Hong is here."

Meng Shuping's irritation spiked. "I won’t see him."

"*Again? Is this never going to end?*"

But no sooner had he spoken than Hong Da strode in through the door. "My, Vice Director Meng, you *are* a busy man!"

Meng Shuping stared, lost for words. "*If he knows I’m busy, why is he bothering me? Has he no common decency? And he’s a general—where are his manners?*"

Hong Da was furious at this response. If Meng Shuping hadn't refused his invitation, would he have had to come here in person? Wouldn't it be more appropriate to discuss things over a meal?

But remembering his purpose for coming today, he could only suppress his anger and put on a polite smile. "I invited Vice Director Meng to dinner yesterday, but he declined. So I had no choice but to come here directly. I hope Vice Director Meng doesn't find me too abrupt."

Meng Shuping replied unhappily, "Actually, I do!"

"If he knew it was abrupt, why did he still come? Is he just socially clueless, or does he simply not care about others’ feelings? And how dare he bring up yesterday? Even if we were close—which we’re not—who would want to socialize after work? Does he think everyone revolves around him?"

Hong Da was taken aback. Most people would at least say something polite—how could this Meng Shuping be so blunt?

But having climbed to his current position, Hong Da had long since developed a thick skin. He had no choice but to save face himself. "Haha, Vice Director Meng, you certainly have a sense of humor."

Meng Shuping gave him an annoyed look. "So what does he actually want? Can’t he just get to the point? Can’t he see I’m busy?"

Seeing Meng Shuping’s impatience, Hong Da quickly said, "Vice Director Meng, in my son’s case, what kind of punishment can we expect?"

Although he disliked Hong Da, Meng Shuping saw no reason to hide such a minor detail. He answered honestly, "I don't know!"

However, Hong Da assumed Meng Shuping was deliberately withholding information. Furious inside, he maintained a smile on the surface. "Vice Director Meng, although our Yu Cheng may be somewhat unruly, I doubt he would ever oppress the common people. It’s likely that some servants deceived him and kept him in the dark. I hope Vice Director Meng will investigate thoroughly and clear his name."

Noticing that Hong Da was sliding a piece of paper toward him as he spoke, Meng Shuping asked, "What’s this?"

Hong Da smiled. "This is a property deed in the capital. I have no other requests—I only hope Vice Director Meng will handle this matter fairly."