Chapter 188

Chapter 188

Meng Shuping's eyes widened in disbelief as he saw Sun Zidou pointing directly at him. "No way! Is he pointing at me? Does he have any manners?"

He subtly shifted to the left, then to the right, but the finger relentlessly tracked his movements. Meng Shuping couldn't help but feel utterly exasperated. "Damn it! They look like trouble, but do I really look like an easy target? What kind of judgment is that?"

Sun Zidou was momentarily stunned. The person who had been mocking him all along was this young man right in front of him? But why hadn't he seen him speak?

A moment later, he regained his composure. If that was the case, he'd settle both old and new scores! How dare he mock me to my face? He must have a death wish!

He kicked one of his servants impatiently. "You incompetent fool! Can't even catch the right person! What are you standing around for? Get him now!"

The servants charged menacingly toward Meng Shuping. Seeing them approach, the attendant Xing Lai quickly stepped forward and angrily rebuked them, "Are you blind? Do you even know who our young master is? Cross us, and you'll regret it!"

Captain Zheng and the others had initially intended to help, but paused, watching the scene unfold with arms crossed. What terrible judgment Sun Zidou had—picking the most formidable person among them without even realizing it. He probably had no idea the trouble he was inviting.

The servants hesitated, their steps faltering. The attendant spoke with such conviction, his arrogance matching that of their own household's people. Could he actually have powerful connections?

Sun Zidou also felt a flicker of doubt, but it quickly vanished. He had never even seen this young man before—how could he be someone of high status? And if he were truly important, wouldn't he carry himself with more authority?

He scrutinized Meng Shuping, then sneered, "Oh? Then why don't you tell me, just who do you think you are?"

Meng Shuping stiffly pointed at Captain Zheng and the others, his tone rigid. "I'm their leader."

"That's hilarious. I've seen poor judgment, but never this bad. Can't he see we're together? With such terrible perception, how dare he come out here to bully the weak?"

"Pfft!" The surrounding onlookers couldn't help but laugh. He thought he was bullying an easy target, only to find out the target was part of the tough group. Now that's truly amusing.

Sun Zidou was taken aback—they were actually together? Then he grew angry. Hmph, and he thought Meng Shuping was someone important. Turns out he's just got more muscle—all bluster.

But before he could react, Meng Shuping turned to Captain Zheng and the others. "Captain Zheng, teach him a lesson!"

"Looking down on people is one thing, but how dare he pick on me? I'll teach him a lesson he won't forget!"

Upon Meng Shuping’s order, Captain Zheng and the others rolled up their sleeves and advanced menacingly toward Sun Zidou. Sun Zidou quickly backed away, a tremor in his voice. "How dare you! Do you know who I am? If you harm me, my family will make you pay dearly!"

Meng Shuping sounded impatient. "Why does he keep asking if we know who he is? How would we know if he doesn't tell us? Is he out of his mind?"

Sun Zidou choked on his words and hurriedly said, "Let me tell you! Our Sun family is a major clan here! My uncle is a high-ranking official in the capital! Even the local prefect has to show our family respect! Believe me, I can have you all thrown into jail!"

He expected Meng Shuping and the others to pale with fear upon hearing his background, but instead, Meng Shuping showed a look of disdain. "Yeah, right."

"Is that all? I thought he had some major backing, but it's just an official in the capital? And he's bragging about that? Then again, for someone from a small place, having a relative in the capital is enough to throw his weight around in this backwater."

Captain Zheng and the others also laughed mockingly. "And I thought it was something big. You didn't actually think that would scare us, did you?"

"Let me tell you, even if your own uncle were here right now, we'd still rough you up!"

Never mind Meng Shuping’s status—even their Military Hall Department had detained many high-ranking court officials. If they were afraid of this, they might as well quit their jobs.

Meng Shuping echoed the sentiment inwardly. "Exactly! He threatens to jail me? Does he believe I can throw his whole family in jail instead?"

Sun Zidou’s face turned crimson with anger. How dare he call me a country bumpkin and look down on him?

But before he could curse back, one of them kicked him to the ground. The pain made him curl up, trying to shield himself from the blows.

After what felt like an eternity, the beating finally stopped. Sun Zidou, bruised and swollen, was helped up by his equally injured servants. He glared furiously at Meng Shuping. "You! At least have the guts to tell me your name!"

Once he called for backup, he’d make sure to teach this guy a lesson!

Meng Shuping thought for a moment, then said stiffly, "The name's Wu Qing, and I stand by it!"

Sun Zidou glared at him. "Wu Qing, is it? Fine, I'll remember you! Don't you dare run away! Wait till I bring my men to settle this!"

Meng Shuping lifted his chin arrogantly. "I'll wait. If you don't show up, you're a coward!"

As soon as Sun Zidou left, Captain Zheng turned to Meng Shuping. "Lord Meng, are we really waiting here?"

Although their men were skilled, if the other side brought too many people, they couldn’t guarantee Meng Shuping wouldn’t get hurt.

Meng Shuping looked at him nonchalantly. "Who said we were waiting? I'm not an idiot. By the way, Captain Zheng, investigate this Sun family. See what other trouble they've caused."

Captain Zheng chuckled. Right, how could they forget? This Lord Meng was cunning—he doesn't take unnecessary risks.

He nodded. "Got it."

They turned to leave. A while later, Sun Zidou returned with a large group of men, fuming with rage. But when he arrived, Meng Shuping and the others were nowhere to be seen. Enraged, he kicked over a nearby stall. "Those bastards! They tricked me! Search everywhere! Find him, even if we have to turn Yangzhou upside down!"

Meng Shuping didn’t care how angry Sun Zidou would be when he couldn’t find him. As soon as he arrived at the courier station, the local prefect came to visit, forcing him to reluctantly make small talk. Not long after dealing with them, Captain Zheng and the others had pretty much dug up everything about the Sun family.

It turned out the Sun family was no better than crooks—they had committed numerous evil deeds. Even when the court demanded tax payments, they had no intention of paying themselves. Instead, they pushed the burden onto their tenants, forcing them to pay higher rents. The tenants, already poor and with little savings, had to sell their children to make up the difference.

The local authorities knew about this but turned a blind eye. For one, the Sun family had powerful backing, and they didn’t want to cause trouble unnecessarily. For another, as long as the taxes were paid, the officials saw no need to intervene.

After learning about the Sun family’s actions, Meng Shuping decided to use them as an example. He gathered his men and was about to head to the local authorities when, not long after setting out, someone suddenly stopped him. "Stop right there!"

Sun Zidou stood triumphantly in front of Meng Shuping. "You! I’ve been looking everywhere for you! You’re quite good at hiding, aren’t you? But I found you in the end!"

Meng Shuping deliberately feigned confusion. "Do I know you?"

"Me, hiding from him? Does he really think he's that important? Who does he think he is?"

Sun Zidou’s face turned purple with rage. "You beat me up, and you don’t even remember who I am? Hmph! Weren’t you supposed to wait for me the other day? Too scared and ran away?"

Meng Shuping explained earnestly, "Because I don't keep my word!"

"I only said he’d be a dog if he didn’t show up. I never said I’d be a dog if I didn’t wait. If he’s dumb enough to fall for it, whose fault is that? No offense, but for someone his age, he’s surprisingly naive."

Sun Zidou trembled with anger. Even as a spoiled brat, he had never been this shameless. How could this guy say such things without feeling ashamed?

He shouted furiously, "You dare mock me?"

Meng Shuping looked at him as if he were an idiot. "It’s so obvious, and he still doubts it? He must be really dumb. Serves him right for being fooled!"

Sun Zidou had never been so humiliated in his life. Gnashing his teeth, he said, "Let me tell you, today you won’t leave here in one piece!"

No sooner had he spoken than a servant arrived with a group of constables. "It’s them! They attacked our young master a few days ago! Arrest them immediately!"

Seeing the constables preparing to take action, Captain Zheng and the others quickly formed a protective circle around Meng Shuping. "Let’s see you try!"

Sun Zidou lifted his chin arrogantly. "No matter how skilled you are, you wouldn't dare defy the law! Attack! Anyone who resists is rebelling!"

The onlookers shook their heads and sighed. "Ah, they're done for now. How could they have provoked this Sun family young master?"

But just as they finished sighing, they saw Meng Shuping’s group fighting the constables. Everyone stared in shock—are these guys not afraid of the law? What was their background? Could they be bandits?

Although the constables had some combat skills, they were no match for the Military Hall Department. Before long, Captain Zheng and the others had subdued them. The lead constable, seeing their lack of fear, growled angrily, "Let go! Do you really dare to rebel?"

Meng Shuping looked at him impatiently. "Oh? Bullying people with authority? Don't they know I'm a pro at that?"

He turned and instructed Captain Zheng, "Take them to the yamen."

Seeing that they still dared to head to the yamen, Sun Zidou and the group of officers were utterly astonished. Sun Zidou snarled, "Well, well! You actually dare to deliver yourself to the net! Just wait until we get to the yamen—you’ll be sorry!"

Captain Zheng applied more force, causing Sun Zidou to scream like a banshee. Even at this point, Sun Zidou showed no awareness at all—truly, he had been acting like a local tyrant for so long that he no longer knew his place.

Soon, Sun Zidou and the others were brought to the yamen. Hearing of Meng Shuping's arrival, Yangzhou Prefect hurried out. As soon as he saw Prefect Qi, Sun Zidou angrily exclaimed, "Prefect Qi, you see? These people even arrested officers—they’re trying to rebel! Hurry and send someone to rescue us and arrest them!"

The other officers chimed in, egging it on, "Yes, Your Honor! He doesn’t even respect the official court. Order someone to arrest him!"

Yangzhou Prefect was taken aback. Rebellion? What rebellion? He quickly approached Meng Shuping, about to ask, when he noticed Meng Shuping looking at him with suspicion. "Prefect Qi, who are these people? Are they ordering you around?"

Yangzhou Prefect hadn’t initially found Sun Zidou’s words problematic, but after Meng Shuping’s remark, his face darkened. What did Sun Zidou mean by that? Treating him like a servant?

He glared coldly at Sun Zidou. "Shut up!"

Sun Zidou was left speechless, hating Meng Shuping even more. How could someone stir up trouble like this?

But what astonished Sun Zidou even more was how respectfully Yangzhou Prefect treated Meng Shuping. He looked at Meng Shuping in confusion. "Lord Meng, what is this..."

Meng Shuping replied coldly and expressionlessly, "Prefect Qi, these people assaulted an imperial official and attempted to rebel. I had them brought here."

Yangzhou Prefect was even more bewildered. Could someone explain what was going on? On one side was the local bully, on the other an imperial envoy from the capital. Not only were they clashing, but both were accusing each other of rebellion?

Sun Zidou was so angry at this that his eyes seemed to breathe fire. "Nonsense! You’re the ones trying to rebel! Let me go now!"

This guy—was he really parroting my words? Has he no shame?

Yangzhou Prefect asked uncertainly, "Lord Meng, could there be some misunderstanding here?"

Captain Zheng immediately stepped forward. "Prefect Qi, here’s what happened: this guy disrespected Lord Meng a couple of days ago, and today he brought officers to arrest us. We had no choice but to ask you to uphold justice."

Hearing Captain Zheng’s explanation, Yangzhou Prefect began to understand. Sun Zidou must have picked a fight with Meng Shuping and ended up biting off more than he could chew. He couldn’t help but feel exasperated. This Sun Zidou—how could he be so clueless?

But since his own subordinates were involved, he had to awkwardly try to smooth things over. "So that’s what happened! This is like the dragon king’s temple being washed away by a flood—family not recognizing family. I'll give them a good talking to later. Lord Meng, please be magnanimous and let this go!"

However, as soon as he finished, Sun Zidou shouted, "What Lord Meng? Prefect Qi, don’t be fooled by him! His surname is Wu—he’s not any Lord Meng! He’s an impostor!"

He remembered clearly—that day, this guy said his name was Wu Qing. Besides, how could an official who made it to Director of the Board of Revenue be so young? This guy looked barely twenty! Couldn't he at least come up with a believable lie?

No wonder this guy dared to come to the yamen—he was using a fake identity!

Meng Shuping looked at Sun Zidou in disbelief. "You're kidding! He actually believes everything I say? Seriously, how can he be so gullible? If I said I was his father, would he call me 'father' too?"

He added gleefully, "Are you saying Prefect Qi is losing his marbles? That he can’t even tell who I am?"

Yangzhou Prefect’s face darkened even further. He was ready to burst at Sun Zidou. He knew Sun Zidou was foolish, but he hadn't expected him to be this foolish. Did Sun Zidou think he was easy to fool?

He sternly said, "Shut up, you idiot! This is Director of the Board of Revenue Lord Meng from the capital. I think your brain has been kicked by a donkey! You might not recognize Lord Meng, but how could I not?"

Meng Shuping chimed in approvingly. "Though the words are harsh, they’re true. Isn’t it just like his brain was kicked by a donkey?"