Chapter 20 (2/2)

The emperor was speechless after he heard Ren Jie’s words. This rascal’s ego has become so inflated after being the family head for a year. You want to become your father so badly. When your father was your age, he had already reached the peak of the True Qi Realm. He also excelled in both literature and martial arts. As for a good-for-nothing like you…

Those good-for-nothings would not usually have the opportunity to meet the emperor. Because of Ren Jie’s status as the family head of the Ren family, coupled with the fact that the occasion was the imperial feast at the Five Clans Hall, the emperor could not say anything else about that.

“The Ren family head’s eagerness to serve the country is to be applauded. However, you have to finish your studies at the Jade Imperial Academy first. Please have a seat.” The emperor did not want to continue listening to Ren Jie speak. Who knew what other nonsense would he say if he was to go on?

“Spurt…” Wen Yong had just successfully held in the mouthful of tea he had almost spurted out. Upon hearing that, he finally could not hold it in anymore and spurted out the tea in his mouth.

Wen Zihao was sitting beside him. Because of how hard he tried to suppress his laughter, the muscles on his face twitched uncontrollably.

Fang Tianen, who was sitting on the other side, looked at Ren Jie in disgust. This rascal has changed so much. He did not even dare to lift his head and look at the emperor straight in the eye in the past. Now he has the guts to say anything, even though he’s just uttering nonsense, he thought to himself.

He thought about the news that he heard of before he entered the imperial palace. Fang Tianen concluded that this guy had lost his mind after he had been beaten.

“Yes, your majesty.” Looking at the expression on the faces of the emperor and those around him, Ren Jie felt satisfied. From the looks of the current situation, the emperor and the other family clans did not take him seriously. Ren Jie answered the emperor rigidly before he waved Gao Ren and Tie Ta over to the first seat on the left. Before he was seated, he had already grabbed a fruit that was placed on the table and took a bite out of it impolitely.

Fatty Gao Ren was not at all affected by his surroundings. When he saw the scrumptious-looking food on the table, he acted faster than Ren Jie. When Tie Ta saw Ren Jie make a move, he simply grabbed the entire plate of fruits in his hand.

The trio’s actions made Wen Yong and Fang Tianen, the two family heads sitting at the side, to crease their eyebrows into a frown.

“Emperor! Emperor, you must seek justice for me! Emperor, there are no laws and justice around anymore. What Ren Jie did is intolerable by the national laws! Emperor…” At that moment, Gao Zhanyuan’s cries were heard from outside the hall and attracted everyone’s attention.

Gao Zhanyuan led the staggering Gao Peng into the hall.

“Splat…” The moment Gao Peng stood before the emperor, he spat out a mouthful of blood. The few shattered teeth fragments that he had crushed when he clenched his jaw lay within the pool of blood. As he opened his mouth, his entire mouth was seen covered in fresh blood. It looked horribly gruesome and appeared as though he had suffered a fatal injury and would not be able to survive.

“What… what happened? Why is Gao Peng so severely injured?” Gao Peng secured the second place in the imperial examinations last year. He was specifically nominated by the emperor. It was no surprise that the emperor recognized Gao Peng. Nevertheless, he acted ignorant of the incident that happened earlier.

“Emperor, you must seek justice for me! The Ren family head Ren Jie turned a blind eye to the imperial laws. He hurt my son Gao Peng right in front of the imperial palace and threatened to kill my entire family with the death exemption jade tablet that your majesty has bestowed him. Please help me seek justice so everyone can be assured.” Relatively speaking, if he was merely a family head, he would be slightly aloof even towards the emperor since he represented a powerful organization and was not part of the imperial government. However, that was often not the case. Ren Jie, who was a family head not included in the imperial government, was a rare case.

Gao Zhanyuan was the secretary of the treasury who controlled the money and food supply in the world. He had a high position and held immense power in his hands. However, at that moment, tears were streaming down his creased face, making it appear as though he had been bullied.

Gao Peng remained silent. Every once in a while, he would spit out a mouthful of blood. However, when he looked at Ren Jie from the corner of his eyes, his gaze was terrifyingly cold. His gaze looked as if he was out to kill. The piercing cold look in his eyes could send shivers down people’s spines.

“Big Brother, this tastes delicious. It’s a special tribute that we do not get to eat every day.”

“Yeah… Yeah… This tastes good as well. Tie Ta, eat slower.”

“Burp… Nice!”

Ren Jie had brought two foodies with him and they had treated them as nonexistent. Although other dishes had yet to be served, there were dozens of pastries and fruits on the table. The table was still mostly empty and had adequate space for the hundreds of dishes that were to be served later. The trio was happily digging into the food and was engrossed in eating.

“My beloved deputy Gao, don’t panic. Tell me exactly what happened. Servants, call the imperial physician over immediately to look at the first runner-up.” The emperor pretended as though he knew nothing about what happened. He ordered someone to summon the imperial physician to show his concern for Gao Peng before inquiring about what had happened once more.

Gao Zhanyuan repeated the incident again with strong feelings of distress lining his words. Afterward, he expressed his anguish about how Ren Jie’s actions could not be simply regarded as him giving someone a beating, but instead showcased how he mishandled the imperial item bestowed to him. He had disregarded the laws of the nation and the sanctity of the imperial family and should be executed for his offenses.

“Bam… This is outrageous.” The emperor bellowed in extreme anger after hearing his explanation. He slapped the table in front of him suddenly, causing the pastries and fruits to tremble from the impact. Afterward, he looked towards Ren Jie with a stone face and questioned, “Ren Jie. Ren family head. What do you have to say?”