Transmigrated as the Villain: Punching the Protagonist Group and Stepping on the Domestic Abuser - Chapter 16

The next day, Rong Se woke up yawning to change clothes and prepare for court, taking the opportunity to listen to Yun Chu report on last night’s lesson taught to Qiu Zihan.

“Although he did not see us, because of yesterday’s incident at the Floating Life Tower, an issue occurring right in the middle of the night makes it inevitable that he will suspect Your Lordship.” Yun Chu put down the washing utensils and retreated to the side, as his master never allowed anyone close to serve him.

Rong Se said indifferently, “Let him suspect if he wants to. If he dares to speak out, does he not deserve a beating?”

Since he dared to send people to make a move, he wasn’t afraid of the Qiu family turning hostile.

Yun Chu choked back a word and hesitated, “However, his Qiu family…”

“It should be Qiu Sinan who is wary of me.” Rong Se glanced over. “The Qiu family is not that important. How his son obtained his official rank is something Qiu Sinan knows very well in his heart. Besides, isn’t he busy enough guarding against Liang Shenyu?”

The Marquis of Dingbei had guarded the borderlands all these years. Although it seemed he hadn’t reached into the imperial court of Jinjing, Rong Se knew he was simply biding his time, waiting for an opportunity to return to the capital and seek revenge in broad daylight.

Qiu Sinan was bound to lose in a struggle against Liang Shenyu.

The morning court session was once again nothing more than the same old clichés. Rong Se did not possess the original owner’s knack for state affairs, so he put on a pretense of listening until court was dismissed, walking away faster than anyone else.

Leaving work on time was an absolute must.

He walked in front, and suddenly a voice came from behind, “Will the Regent please stay a step.”

The newcomer wore official robes, with white hair and beard, stepping forward to say, “My Lord, hold on, hold on.”

“Minister Qiu.” Rong Se wore a faint smile, saying, “Walk slower. Speak if you have something to say.”

Qiu Sinan stated bluntly, “Last night, this unworthy son behaved without decorum and offended Your Lordship. I ask Your Lordship to forgive him.”

Rong Se gave a half-smile.

He spoke nicely, but he was probably still unsure of who had given the beating and had come specifically to probe him. Rong Se’s bright and charming features naturally carried a hint of sharpness when he smiled as he said, “Is that so? Then does Minister Qiu know what your son said?”

How could Qiu Sinan not know? Furthermore, he heard clearly from those words that Rong Se was admitting that yesterday’s matter was the handiwork of the Regent’s estate! Cold sweat beaded on his palms, and he lowered his gaze to say, “Your Lordship, please forgive me. This subject will definitely discipline him strictly in the future!”

Rong Se lacked the enthusiasm and was rushing off to the Floating Life Tower, so he sneered and said, “Enough, Minister Qiu. This king is not interested in the Qiu family’s domestic affairs.”

With that, he strode away quickly.

Qiu Sinan’s expression shifted unpredictably where he stood. He knew all too well that the Regent was ruthless and cold-blooded; if last night’s matter had reached his ears, he definitely wouldn’t let it go easily. That was why he had felt unending suspicion upon learning that his son had merely been given a beating without sustaining fundamental injuries.

Yet although Rong Se had acknowledged it, he hadn’t revealed his intentions.

Was this matter simply going to be flipped over, or was he going to continue pursuing it?

Just as he was thinking this, he suddenly sensed a blade-like gaze. Raising his eyes, he saw a man clad in a red court robe embroidered with a lion beast walking slowly toward him, causing his pupils to suddenly contract.

They say a thief feels a guilty conscience. Qiu Sinan had immersed himself in the imperial court for many years and understood all too well just how immense the Marquis of Dingbei’s current power was. Thus, after panicking for a brief moment, that man had already walked past him.

It was hot enough to melt stone, yet Qiu Sinan felt entirely chilled to the bone by that sneering, icy glance.

Over on that side, the moment Rong Se stepped out of the palace gates, he heard someone walk up quickly beside him to say, “Has the Qiu family offended Your Lordship?”

Rong Se paused. Liang Shenyu was standing right beside him at a distance too close for comfort. Remaining silent, he shifted sideways by a step to open up an appropriate distance before saying, “Can’t really call it an offense. Why do you ask?”

Liang Shenyu smiled genially, “Nothing much. I simply came to express my gratitude to Your Lordship, thanking the Floating Life Tower for speaking up with a sense of justice that day.”

He appeared completely harmless, looking gentle and modest at the very least. Yet Rong Se sensed a faint incongruity. He always possessed an innate, sharp intuition when dealing with danger, but after pondering repeatedly, he still maintained his patience and said, “Think nothing of it.”

On the surface he appeared magnanimous and unperturbed, but internally he was screaming at the top of his lungs: You better remember this! You must definitely remember it! I helped speak up for you after all!

He could easily dish out a bowl of chicken soup for the soul when dealing with the Yun brothers and Lan Ying, but this person was different. This was the protagonist gong from the original novel, brave, battle-tested, gentle, powerful, and possessing high emotional and intellectual intelligence. The original novel painted him as peerless under heaven, pristine like a jade tree in the wind, a glowing gentleman. Most importantly, nearly all of the original owner’s plans had ended up failing at this man’s hands.

To preserve his life, he had to build a good relationship.

Liang Shenyu lowered his gaze and spoke slowly, “Yet with Your Lordship’s noble status, why would you personally go to the Floating Life Tower?”

When the two stood together, Rong Se more clearly perceived the towering height of the military general. If he wanted to look at Liang Shenyu, he actually had to tilt his chin upward, creating an extremely strong sense of oppression. Even though the distance was sufficiently wide, Rong Se still felt somewhat stifled.

This feeling of being suppressed made his expression turn somewhat unpleasant.

In Liang Shenyu’s eyes, this appeared as a beauty knitting his brows. Perhaps calling the awe-inspiring Regent a beauty wasn’t entirely appropriate, but he truly was a beauty, with features naturally carrying allure. It was simply that his gentle temperament softened the cold sharpness between his brows, and his bright, affectionate pair of eyes hooked people in, making it impossible to look away.

Liang Shenyu’s Adam’s apple rolled gently, and he remained silent while half-narrowing his eyes.

Rong Se only felt that Liang Shenyu’s gaze was growing increasingly bizarre, sending pins and needles down his back and causing an unwarranted panic. After a brief silence, he said, “Your Lordship can just consider it a whim of this king.”

Liang Shenyu smiled, “So that’s how it is.”

Rong Se sighed silently.

Otherwise, what do you want me to say?

Tell you I just picked up my old trade?

The two parted ways at the palace gates. The sky was overcast, sultry, and humid. Sitting inside the Marquis’s carriage, Liang Shenyu closed his eyes for a moment before suddenly asking, “What is going on with the Qiu family?”

“Oh, that thing,” Song Yan said from outside. “Didn’t Qiu Zihan host a banquet at the Floating Life Tower yesterday? He invited the prominent aristocratic youths of Jinjing and even invited the Regent. As a result, the Regent didn’t give him any face and didn’t show up at all. With him not showing up, quite a few aristocratic youths who wanted to build connections naturally didn’t go either. Not only did Qiu Zihan lose face, but he also got drunk at the Floating Life Tower and spouted a bunch of nonsense in public. Coincidentally, before dawn today, he was found passed out in an alley on Yaoqin Street in the West Market, covered all over in injuries.”

His tone carried a moderate amount of schadenfreude.

Liang Shenyu said lazily, “What did Qiu Zihan say to make the Regent fly into such a massive rage?”

Song Yan replied, “It’s understandable why the Regent lost his temper. I heard that Qiu Zihan not only brought up his background, but also had the audacity to say that the Regent was born to be, cough, born to be slept with.” He paused, then added with a serious tone, “Not taking his life can already be considered the Regent having a good temper.”

The Regent’s origins were subject to intense criticism: a birth mother from a pleasure house who served Emperor Yuanguang, then served the late emperor, and finally it was Cao Lun who led a group of court officials in submitting a memorial that forced Dowager Concubine Yan to her death. Over the past two years after the Regent rose to power, rarely anyone brought it up, but the matter was common knowledge to all.

No wonder he flew into a rage.

Liang Shenyu remained silent, but upon hearing those words that could be called humiliating, he abruptly recalled that heartless yet stunningly beautiful face, along with the bright red little mole beneath the corner of his eye. He suddenly felt his throat grow dry, his tongue tracing the edge of his canine teeth as his expression gradually darkened.

“Quite audacious indeed.”

Liang Shenyu let out a low, almost vicious chuckle, softly spitting out the words: “He certainly dares to imagine it.”