At this moment, Lu Chi was sitting by the roadside, panting heavily, thinking that he had finally escaped, but in an instant he heard the sound of horses' hooves approaching from afar.
Turning his head, he saw Jin Shanyao riding a white horse, charging angrily towards him...
Lu Chi felt a sense of foreboding. He got up and ran away as fast as he could. Good heavens... when did this woman learn to ride a horse? How come he didn't know?
Just as he was running for his life, someone suddenly grabbed his waist, and he was lifted into the air.
"Ahhh... Jin Shanyao, you're going crazy! Put me down!"
Lu Chi was hanging from the side of the white horse, smoke billowing in front of his eyes, the horse's hooves clattering wildly, as if they could kick him in the face at any moment.
Lu Chi covered his face and wailed, "Master, Master, please listen to me... People have feelings, right..."
Jin Shanyao said coldly, "I am not human, I have no feelings."
Lu Chi almost burst into tears; his master was so angry that he even cursed himself.
Cough cough... My mouth is full of mud and sand, and my stomach is aching from the belt.
He forgot all about assassins and enemies; he had only one thought: please, don't let your belt break.
He walked for an hour, but returned to the starting point in no time; his brief escape seemed like a joke.
Inside the Anzhi Hall, Meng Anzhi, Qing He, Qing Yang, Xiaoli... were dumbfounded.
Lu Chi's frizzy hair was stuck to his face, his eyelashes were covered in a thin layer of dirt, and his coarse cloth clothes were torn to shreds, with the front ripped from the collar to his waist.
The cloth belt around his waist was twisted and wrapped twice, with one end hanging on the ground, filthy from being trampled by horses' hooves.
Meng Anzhi waved her hand in front of Lu Chi's eyes, "Master, Master... can you hear me?"
Lu Chi's eyes flickered slightly. He turned around and walked silently to the backyard. He arrived at the side room, opened the door, closed the door, and collapsed onto the kang (a heated brick bed).
A pair of lifeless eyes stared at the ceiling, humiliation... utter humiliation... a disgrace beyond measure...
He, a dignified eight-foot-tall man, was lifted into the air by a woman, looking as disheveled as a rag in the wind.
His eyes welled up with tears, and a single tear rolled down his cheek... Bang! The loud sound of the door opening startled him back down, and Lu Chi clutched his belt in alarm.
"Master, Master, please calm down..."
Meng Anzhi, Qing He, Qing Yang stood at the door, gasping in shock. None of them dared to step forward and plead for mercy.
Inside the room, Lu Chi was Jin Shanyao. "Master... listen to me... people have feelings, don't they?"
His eyes darted around, and although he was usually sharp-tongued, he couldn't think of a single word right now; his mind was filled with nothing but the word "humanity."
Jin Shanyao suddenly had a broken stick in her hand. She pressed Lu Chi down onto the kang (a heated brick bed) and struck him twice with the stick, causing Lu Chi to howl in pain.
Jin Shanyao said coldly, "In this house, have you forgotten who the master is? Is the contract of servitude I hold just for show?"
Lu Chi was in so much pain that he was sweating profusely. This was only the second time in his life that he had been beaten by a powerless woman. He wanted to grit his teeth and endure it, but the pain was just too much.
"Master, I was wrong! Please forgive me, as long as I can still sweep the latrine, chop wood, and repair roof tiles."
The Jin Shanyao wouldn't let him have his way. If all the servants followed suit, she wouldn't need to be a mistress anymore; she'd just be a sucker.
So he was hit twice more with the stick, and Lu Chi howled in pain.
Qing He and Qing Yang turned pale as they watched.
Meng Anzhi turned her face away; it was too cruel!
Jin Shanyao the stick and grabbed the man.
The book says that when dealing with servants, you should give them a beating and then a sweet treat. She just counted that she hit them five times in total.
I'll give him five dates later to sweeten his mouth; after all, we're the masters, we have to be generous.
"He's really something, running away from home at such a young age."
"Leaving with nothing? You think you're so great? Why don't you just fly to the moon?"
Lu Chi: "Master, that's not how you say 'leaving with nothing'."
"Hmm..." Jin Shanyao glanced at him lightly, startling Lu Chi into silence instantly.
Well, it's just a few words anyway, so let the master use them however he likes.
Lu Chi completely gave up and simply revealed his background to avoid implicating them.
"My mother's surname is Qin, my father's surname is Lu, and my name is Lu Chi... the heir of the Zhenyuan Marquis's mansion. Half a year ago, I was poisoned and killed by my stepmother..."
After saying that, he looked at Jin Shanyao seriously and said, " The Lady Wei will kill me to silence me. They won't let me return to the capital alive. If I don't leave, you will all die."
His expression turned sorrowful as he spoke, "I'm leaving. Perhaps you still have a glimmer of hope."
"You were bought by me, you are mine... I will not allow any creature that depends on me to be bullied."
Ugh... Lu Chi scratched his head, feeling like he wanted to die. "Why can't you understand?"
Jin Shanyao wondered to herself, "What's so hard to understand?"
Isn't this the same thing as the Meng Household fighting over land?
The Meng Household sold Meng Anzhi, Lu Household sold Lu Chi; it's just that the Meng Household failed, while the Lu Household succeeded.
Jin Shanyao looked at the muddy face, a hint of disgust flashing in her eyes.
Too lazy to argue with Lu Chi, she pulled out a handkerchief and haphazardly splashed it on his face.
He said while wiping, "It's useless. They haven't even seen the enemy's face, and they're already trying to run away."
Lu Chi's cheeks were rubbed red, and the fine sand scratched his skin, causing his facial features to contort in pain.
He tried to resist, but the hands gripping his neck were like vises, leaving him powerless to fight back.
Wiping her hands twice, Jin Shanyao shook her handkerchief with disdain, "What's the use of hiding? Just hit him..."
Lu Chi grimaced in pain, "I, a dignified prince, have been sold out, and you, powerless and without influence, still dare to go against people?"
He swallowed back the words that were meant to say, "Why are you all grown up but not smart?" After all, being hit with a stick really hurts.
Jin Shanyao lightly, "If you leave, I can guarantee they won't kill you to cover their tracks. If you stay, I still have leverage in negotiations."
Lu Chi froze. What did she mean by that?
Jin Shanyao probably wouldn't want to send him away; she just wants to ensure his safety.
He was filled with remorse. He shouldn't have impulsively revealed his identity. Now, instead of the enemy coming, their henchmen had already appeared.
Lu Chi wanted to cry. Why is life so hard?
After half a month of calm, the results of the county examination were released.
Jin Shanyao, along with Meng Anci and Meng Anzhi, waited outside the county government office early in the morning.
The county examinations were mostly attended by children, ranging from eight or nine years old to five or six years old.
After passing the county examination, one must participate in the prefectural examination. Only after passing the prefectural examination can one obtain the qualification of a student candidate. Only with the qualification of a student candidate can one participate in the provincial examination.
"They're here! They're here!" Meng Anzhi exclaimed excitedly, pointing at the yamen runners.
The constables posted the list on the wall, and a large crowd immediately gathered around it.
Jin Shanyao possessed extraordinary eyesight; with just a glance, she spotted Meng Anci's name.
Meng Anzhi squeezed through the crowd and looked up until her gaze fell on the very top. " Anci, you're second in line."
Meng Anci looked somewhat dejected upon hearing the rankings. He looked up, trying to see who was in first place, but he was too short and there were too many people around to see.
Seeing that he was struggling to stand on his tiptoes, Jin Shanyao grabbed him under the armpits and put him on her shoulder.
Meng Anci suddenly felt a wider field of vision as he ascended, and hurriedly looked at the top of the list.
Zhao Zhiyuan... It turns out that Zhao Zhiyuan was ranked first.
Meng Anzhi smiled as she squeezed through the crowd and reached out to pull him down from her aunt's shoulder. " Anci, you're amazing! You actually came in second!"
Meng Anci forced a smile and said, "There's still the prefectural examination to go. Only after passing the prefectural examination are you truly qualified."
"What are you afraid of? You're so capable, you'll definitely pass the prefectural exam."
Meng Anci felt uncertain as he thought of Zhao Zhiyuan. The county-level examinations were ranked by each county itself, while the prefectural-level examinations were ranked jointly by all eight counties.
He didn't even get first place in Willow and Poplar County, so how could he possibly come out on top in the prefectural exam?
Jin Shanyao saw through his thoughts and comforted him, "Second place is also great. There was only one person in front of you, but there were more than a dozen people behind you. Isn't that amazing?"
Meng Anci wanted to laugh but couldn't. "Don't worry, Auntie, I'm sure I'll pass the prefectural exam."
Jin Shanyao patted his little head. "Okay... let's go back and keep trying."
Hehe County has tried it, and she's one step closer to becoming a god.