Xie Cheng'en, Did You Soil Your Pants?

As soon as Zhou Wanwan entered the courtyard, she heard the trees in the yard whispering not far away:

"Wanwan, they're going to poison the food this time!"

But don't worry, we've prepared everything."

Zhou Wanwan chuckled and said, "Okay, I understand."

These trees had been prepared long ago to prevent the prefect from harming her.

Zhou Wanwan Zhou Wanwan n't need to worry about anything; she can just eat and drink well today.

The prefect, seated in the main seat, looked at the group of students and said with a faint smile, "My fellow students, you have worked hard these past few days. You have all done very well this year. Please eat more later. I have also prepared some gifts for you all."

The prefect waved his hand, and countless beautiful maids came forward, their trays filled with silver.

Each student received ten taels of silver. Zhou Wanwan carefully put away the ten taels of silver, feeling quite pleased with herself.

I'm so happy to be here today with so much to eat and so many things to do.

The prefect glanced at their table and said, "Alright, let's eat!"

Countless dishes were served in a continuous stream, with chicken, duck, fish, meat, and fresh fruits and vegetables filling the table, their aromas filling the air.

The prefect hosted a banquet to entertain the newly appointed scholars. The banquet was very lavish, with a wide variety of delicacies and exquisite snacks, showing that a lot of thought had been put into it.

Zhou Wanwan's table was quickly Manman delicious dishes, and the atmosphere was filled with clinking glasses and constant laughter.

Zhou Wanwan had a good appetite to begin with, and seeing that the dishes were to her liking, she ate with great pleasure, her face beaming with a lighthearted expression.

The prefect, seated at the head of the table, glanced around the room. When his gaze landed on Zhou Wanwan's table, he saw that everyone was enjoying their meal. His face was full of sneers. "You are all newly appointed talents of Dongshan Prefecture. Today, we have prepared a simple feast. Please eat and drink as you please, without any restraint."

Everyone quickly stood up to thank the prefect, and the banquet became even more lively.

But halfway through the meal, an unexpected event occurred.

Suddenly, someone clutched their stomach, their face pale, and cried out in pain, "It hurts... my stomach hurts terribly!"

Several other people nearby suddenly changed their expressions, clutching their lower abdomens and frowning. "My... my stomach is hurting too!"

"Me too, what's wrong? My stomach is cramping terribly!"

In an instant, cries of pain erupted throughout the room.

Many scholars were in so much pain that they broke out in a cold sweat, staggering about, and frantically searching for chamber pots, causing chaos in the scene.

Xie Cheng'en also clutched his stomach, his brows furrowed.

Zhou Wanwan quickened her pace. "Hurry, run! We won't be able to eat anymore!"

She moved incredibly fast, carrying several dishes as she ran towards a corner not far away.

The people at her table also picked up their food and ran to a corner.

Two tables of people came from Black Wind Stronghold. Zhou Wanwan found a stone table and said:

Let's keep eating, and then we'll go see what's going on.

"We've come all this way to the prefect's office, we can't just leave empty-handed, can we?"

After finishing their meal, the group leisurely made their way to the front hall, which was in complete chaos. The prefect's face was ashen; he had failed to grab a chamber pot and had soiled himself.

Xie Cheng'en was also in a sorry state; he hadn't had time to react, and now he smelled terrible.

She was only about ten years old, and tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.

The scholars at the other tables said, bewildered:

What on earth happened?

Is there something wrong with the food served at the prefectural government office?

But why are our tables okay?

"Could this be poisoned?"

"Who knows? Anyway, there was something wrong with the food on those five tables. Luckily, we weren't assigned to those tables."

Zhou Wanwan sighed and said, "That prefect is really unlucky!"

Several scholars approached and asked, "Your Excellency, are you alright? Is there anything we can do for you?"

The prefect waved his hand and said, "No need, no need, go away, go away."

He didn't dare move at all. As soon as he finished speaking, he started babbling away again.

The scholars retreated in fear, while the prefect glared at Zhou Wanwan, gritting his teeth, and said, "Zhou Wanwan, this is what you've done again, isn't it?"

Zhou Wanwan smiled faintly and said, "Your Excellency, please don't wrong me. I haven't moved an inch from where I'm standing."

The prefect gritted his teeth and said, "Send them out! Send them all away!"

Xie Cheng'en's men carried him out in a sedan chair.

Walking up to Zhou Wanwan, Zhou Wanwan pinched her nose and said, "Xie Cheng'en, did you zip up your pants? Hahaha..."

Xie Cheng'en gritted his teeth in anger and said, "You just wait."

Another round of crackling sounds followed.

Zhou Wanwan pinched her nose and took two steps back, saying, "It stinks! You'd better not talk, or you'll suffocate me."

Zhou Wanwan returned home in a very good mood. The prefect had diarrhea for half the night and was so angry that he summoned Cheng Xiao directly.

Cheng Xiao pinched her nose and said, "What's wrong with this living room? Why does it smell so bad?"

The prefect recounted what had happened that day:

"The Zhou Family is simply lawless. I have no idea how that little girl managed to put the drug in our food."

I originally intended to punish them for disrespect, but instead, they outsmarted me."

Cheng Xiao sighed and said, "This little girl is really amazing. To be honest, I don't know what to do."

The prefect looked at him and said, "I heard that your son is working as Zhou Wanwan's lackey?"

Cheng Xiao gets a headache just thinking about Cheng Chao:

That unfilial son is simply insane, beyond redemption.

Now he's become Zhou Wanwan's lackey; no matter how much I hit or scold him, it's no use. I've severed all ties with him.

The prefect pondered for a moment and said:

"Why don't we see if Cheng Chao is willing to help us? If he's willing to take action, he'll have more opportunities."

We absolutely cannot let the Black Wind Stronghold members go to the capital.

"If even one of them passes the imperial examination and achieves official rank, we're doomed."

Cheng Xiao said helplessly, "I'll give it a try! I'll go find Cheng Chao today."

Cheng Xiao looks down on Cheng Chao; now he can't even hold his head up high in public.

Whenever they eat out, the Cheng Family is ridiculed whenever his unfilial son is mentioned.

He walked to the gate of Cheng Chao's mansion and couldn't help but frown, saying, "He actually bought such a large mansion."

The servant beside him nodded and said, "They bought a five-courtyard house, saying the feng shui here is good and it's close to Zhou Wanwan."

Cheng Xiao gritted her teeth and said:

"I feel like I gave birth to a slave for Zhou Wanwan. Who is born liking to be a slave?"

Look at his despicable appearance, it's utterly shameful.

Then they saw Cheng Chao leading Zhou Qingyuan as they strode over.

Cheng Chao looked at him with a grin and said, "Isn't this County Magistrate Cheng? What brings you here?"

Cheng Xiao looked at him and said, "Let's go inside and talk."

Once inside, Cheng Xiao looked around and said, "You certainly know how to enjoy life. This house must have been expensive."

Cheng Chao chuckled and said:

"It's alright! It only cost a little over ten thousand taels, not too expensive."

"Dad, what do you want from me?"