Chapter 608 - Chapter 608: Chapter 595: Speculation (1/2)

Chapter 608: Chapter 595: Speculation

As his words fell, Chu Jinnian emerged from behind a curtain. Exiting his carriage, he landed in front of Zhuang Qisheng.

Already exuding an intimidating aura, his frosty countenance now added increased his intimidating presence, making Zhuang Qisheng feel oppressed. Zhuang Qisheng felt slightly out of breath and showed signs of panic.

But judging by his attire, he seemed nothing more than a well-off gentleman. Zhuang Qisheng straightened his back and intentionally raised his voice, “Who are you? How dare you not kneel in front of me, an official?”

“Guards, discipline these defiant men, blind to authority with ten strokes of the cane each. That should provide them with a timely lesson in respect and propriety.”

Several aggressive servants approached, rolling up their sleeves, ready to resort to violence against Chu Jinnian and Jing Zhao.

Jing Zhao chuckled, expertly fending them off with a mix of punches and kicks. In just a moment, he had brought all the attendants to their knees, then grabbed ahold of Zhuang Qisheng’s collar.

Zhuang Qisheng had never faced such aggression before, and he was now pale, speechless from terror.

Jing Zhao despised arrogant bullies. Seeing Zhuang Qisheng in his current state only magnified his contempt. He dragged Zhuang Qisheng over to Chu Jinnian as one might carry a chicken and tossed him onto the ground.

Zhuang Qisheng was in great pain, grimacing grotesquely. But seeing Jing Zhao didn’t beat him unreservedly like most people, Zhuang Qisheng assumed it was due to his position as a Magistrate, he regained some confidence.

“You dare strike an official appointed by the imperial court!” Zhuang Qisheng tried to stand, shouting at Chu Jinnian and Jing Zhao.

Jon Zhao raised an eyebrow, kicking Zhuang Qisheng back down to the ground. “Just a Magistrate, but already so conceited and oppressive. You don’t know your place. I can only imagine how you abuse the common people. I wonder who gave you so much audacity, do you think the rule of law doesn’t exist?”

“His brazen behavior is probably because he thinks having Mr. Wei to back him up that he feels he can be so audacious.” Chu Jinnian snorted.

After mentioning just a Magistrate and knowing about Mr. Wei as his backer, Zhuang Qisheng was taken aback. He looked at Chu Jinnian incredulously, his words became stuttered, “You, who are you exactly?”

“My master’s surname is Chu, he holds an official position in the Ministry of Justice.” Jing Zhao answered coldly.

Surname Chu? An official in the Ministry of Justice?

Could it be…?

Zhuang Qisheng’s eyes widened abruptly.

Chu is the surname of the royal family. Even though there are people named Chu in the world, the only Chu that serves the Ministry of Justice and carries such an imposing aura is the beloved nephew of the current Emperor, Prince Qi, Chu Jinnian, who currently holds the position of Attending Official in the Ministry of Justice.

Although Chu Jinnian isn’t royalty and even has a tense relationship with the King of Qi, he is adored by the Emperor and highly favored by the Empress. He holds a particularly high status.

What’s more, Chu Jinnian’s maternal family is the Qiao family, one of the noble houses. As an official, he has solved numerous challenging and complex cases, and recently, he was commended by the Emperor for risking his own life to save the Fourth Prince.

It is fair to say that Chu Jinnian is currently a rising star and one of the favourites in the Emperor’s inner circle.

So, he has run into Chu Jinnian today and even managed to completely offend him on their first meeting?