Coming to Apologize

Zhao Ruxi was puzzled and was about to ask again when she saw Qingfeng rushing in from outside, saying, "Miss, Earl of Zhongqin has brought his son to apologize to you."

"That's it." Kang Shilin's face was full of disgust. "This father and son came to me first, shamelessly demanding that I forgive them. I ignored them and went straight here, and they followed me, saying they wanted to apologize to you."

Knowing Jia Junze's disgraceful reputation, and recalling what Jia Junze had said to his young apprentice, even though Jia Songlin lost his official position and was demoted because of this, Kang Shilin was still very angry and felt disgusted whenever he saw Jia Junze.

Zhao Ruxi understood her master's feelings perfectly.

But she felt things shouldn't be handled that way. The Jia Family had already fallen to this state; if the master and apprentice continued their relentless pursuit, the sympathy they had gained in this incident would vanish, replaced by a tarnished reputation.

She herself didn't care, but she had a family; she was even more unwilling to let her master's reputation be tarnished by her, not to mention that her master had a large family, the Kang Family, behind him.

The old man was stubborn and had been willful his whole life, so she couldn't bring herself to ask her master to deal with Jia Songlin and his son for her sake.

Just as they were in a dilemma, Wu Zong walked in.

He said to Kang Shilin, "Master, I know you find them disgusting even to look at, but you have to think about Junior Sister. Why did Jia Junze speak those words so recklessly? It wasn't because he was stupid, but because he looked down on Junior Sister. The Earl of Suiping's Residence has fallen, and Junior Sister is a girl who grew up in the countryside. Even if she suffers injustice, she will only hide and cry, and dare not confront them directly. That's why he spoke so recklessly and dared to say anything."

"Now that they've lost their official positions and titles, they resent Junior Sister, but they still won't take her seriously. Their apologies here are just an act for the Emperor and the people of the capital. If you ignore them, they'll hate Junior Sister even more and will definitely try to frame her behind her back. The Emperor and the people in the capital will think we're being unreasonable and have gone too far. You are highly respected, so no one dares to say anything against you, but they will have reservations about Junior Sister. It might even affect the painting class next door."

Upon hearing that it would endanger his young apprentice's safety and reputation, Kang Shilin could no longer act recklessly.

With a dark expression, he waved his hand and said, "Fine, fine, then go out and put on a show for them."

Zhao Ruxi quickly stepped forward and tugged at his sleeve, her face full of apology. "I'm sorry, Master. I've caused trouble and made you suffer."

Kang Shilin slapped her on the head. "What did you do wrong? Whether it was Ge Wu or yesterday's conflict, it was the Jia Family's fault. What does it have to do with you? If you know someone is bullying ordinary people and you cower and dare not help them, if someone insults you and you dare not talk back, I won't accept a disciple like that. Girl, remember this: we don't cause trouble, but we're not afraid of trouble either."

Zhao Ruxi felt genuinely guilty, but she didn't think she had done anything wrong.

Hearing her master's words, she felt incredibly warm inside and tugged at Kang Shilin's sleeve, saying, "Master, you're so kind."

Kang Shilin's mood finally improved after being flattered by his little apprentice.

He said, "Let's go, let's get out of here."

The three of them went outside and saw Jia Songlin standing awkwardly in the courtyard with his servants, while Jia Junze lay on a stretcher being carried by his servants. No one in the painting academy paid any attention to them.

Upon seeing Kang Shilin and Zhao Ruxi emerge, Jia Songlin rushed forward as if he had seen a savior, with the Jia Family servants carrying Jia Junze close behind.

Jia Songlin Kang Shilin and called out, "Mister Kumu." He then bowed to Zhao Ruxi, "Fifth Miss Zhao." With a wave of his hand, the servants helped Jia Junze down from the stretcher and made him lie face down on the ground.

Last night, Jia Songlin knew he couldn't face Kang Shilin and the Prince of Zhennan's Residence's Mansion without giving his son a good beating, so he hit Jia Junze hard, and Jia Junze was seriously injured. When he was lifted and put down like that, he was in so much pain that he almost screamed. But knowing that this matter could not be overlooked, he still endured it, and beads of sweat quickly appeared on his forehead.

Kang Shilin and Zhao Ruxi watched this scene without a trace of emotion on their faces.

"My son insulted and offended Fifth Miss Zhao yesterday, and I have brought him here today to apologize to Fifth Miss Zhao. I beg Fifth Miss Zhao to forgive him this time, considering that I have lost my official position and been demoted because of this matter."

Jia Songlin suddenly became clever. He knew that if he spoke to Kang Shilin, not only would he not gain forgiveness, but given Kang Shilin's temper, he would definitely give the father and son a good scolding. So he simply turned to Zhao Ruxi.

Anyway, Zhao Ruxi is the one really in this situation. The young girl is easily swayed; a few kind words will be enough for her to forgive them. As long as Zhao Ruxi forgives them, Kang Shilin won't be able to say anything more.

Zhao Ruxi had pinched herself hard when she left with her master, and now, thinking of how heartbroken her aunt must have been when she heard the news of her and Xiao Ke's deaths, tears welled up in her eyes.

Holding a handkerchief, she lowered her head and began to sob, tugging at Kang Shilin's sleeve. "Master," she cried, "Does everyone in the capital know I've been humiliated? How can I ever face anyone again? Waaah..."

Under the tutelage of her master and fellow disciples, her acting skills have improved significantly. Because of the grief she carries, her crying is particularly moving, touching the hearts of all the sentimental people painting in the courtyard.

Kang Shilin didn't know if he was influenced by her or because of his own professionalism as an actor, but when Zhao Ruxi cried, his eyes immediately welled up with tears as well.

He sighed deeply, "What can people like us, powerless and without influence, do besides endure?"

Jia Songlin: "..."

Everyone at the art academy. "..."

They've all been dismissed and demoted, and you're still lamenting your lack of power and influence! Is life really that hard?

Jia Junze lay on the ground, his fingernails digging fiercely into his palms as he clenched his fists.

All he did was utter a few harsh words, right? Who doesn't argue like that? Why has his family been so badly wrecked by this woman? Has she cast some kind of spell? Even so, she still won't let the Jia Family go. What deep-seated hatred does she have for the Jia Family family?

He desperately wanted to yell at his father, "Don't beg her. Let's go!"

But when the words were about to come out, he remembered his father's repeated instructions on the way, and he used all his strength to hold them back.

But Wu Zong still noticed the ferocious expression on his face.

Wu Zong chuckled and pointed at Jia Junze, saying, "Take a look..."

The sound was so sudden that when everyone instinctively looked at Jia Junze Jia Junze, his expression hadn't even had time to change before his ferocious expression came into view.

Kang Shilin immediately became furious.