65

Chapter 67: The Son-in-Law and the Father

Zheng Yingying furrowed her delicate eyebrows. "Who knows where old man Yang is, and Chang'an is still such a long way off..."

After Luo Hou leaped out of the encirclement, a group of young women grabbed onto him tightly. "Wuwuwu, we have nothing to live for now, you might as well just kill us!"

"Didn't I already say I have a way?" Luo Hou patted his chest, making a boastful and arrogant guarantee.

"Just you? What kind of way could you have?" A girl glanced at Luo Hou with disdain, looking at the clothes he wore; he certainly didn't look like a man of wealth. How could he possibly have any solutions?

"I might not have a way, but my young master certainly does. My young master possesses vast fortunes and is read in five cartloads of books!" Luo Hou coughed, and his posture and expression—tsk tsk—were even more swaggering than an emperor's.

"Your young master? What is your young master's name?" Zheng Yingying could not help asking with curiosity.

"Speaking of my young master, he is someone everyone knows and no one is a stranger to. Haha, pardon me for boasting to you ladies, but the current top scholar, Duan Mingyu, is none other than him!" Luo Hou proclaimed loudly.

In an instant, the eyes of the women gleamed. Some had red hearts in their eyes, some had gold ingots, and others saw a handsome man—truly a variety of reactions, each more colorful than the last!

"Wah, the top scholar! Young, wealthy, and imposing. Sisters, if we serve the top scholar well, we won't have to worry about the rest of our lives!"

"Hehe, with my skills, I guarantee the top scholar will taste the charm and be unable to stop, refusing to leave the bed even when the sun is high in the sky."

"..."

Luo Hou said, "What do you say? If you're willing, I can take you to our young master. With his brilliance, this matter is just a piece of cake!" A nearby team member saw Luo Hou's unbridled smugness and practically envisioned Luo Hou being slapped into the heavens by the young master with a single blow. Uh, everyone shuddered in unison.

"Hehe, then hurry up and take us to see the top scholar, this lady can't wait!" With that, the woman bared one of her fragrant shoulders, a seductive aura fiercely assaulting everyone's olfactory senses. All the team members, including Luo Hou, suddenly found themselves pitching tents below the belt. Luo Hou hurriedly said, "Since that's the case, let's set off immediately!" With a righteous expression, he took the lead and walked out, though as he walked, his body was arched like a giant shrimp, as if trying to conceal something.

***

Zheng Yingying snuffed coldly and immediately stamped Duan Mingyu's face with the mark of a wolf. "This lady will first kill this dissolute and lawless top scholar to eliminate a scourge for the people, and then go to Chang'an to find old man Yang." She followed unhurriedly behind the crowd, slowly walking out of the city.

Before leaving, Luo Hou did not forget to set a blazing fire. Thus, the money-drain of Bianliang collapsed and perished in the raging flames.

Inside the prefectural yamen, Cheng Zhiyuan gazed at the several pillars of fire soaring into the sky within the city, unable to suppress a splitting headache. Cheng Junyu stepped forward lightly. "Father, the outside is in such chaos, why aren't you sending people to put out the fire? The bailiffs and constables are all assembled outside!"

Cheng Zhiyuan said, "Junyu, as a young woman, naturally you don't understand the intricacies of this. This fire brings deep comfort to my old heart; Brother Duan has finally made a move against the Yangwei Escort Agency. Haha, your old father is too busy reveling in the agency's misfortune to even think about putting out the fire."

Cheng Junyu's eyes lit up. Aside from the three words "Brother Duan," she completely ignored everything else Cheng Zhiyuan said. Which young maiden's heart is not stirred by romance? Rising from commoner status to top scholar, defeating all scholars at the Huibin Tower, winning the couplet king title, coupled with Duan Mingyu's youth, capability, and dashing charm—all of these combined were undoubtedly like feeding aphrodisiacs to young girls! Naturally, Cheng Junyu could not remain immune.

"But... Father, if you don't send anyone, wouldn't it make it blatantly obvious that the arsonist has a very close relationship with you?" After some quick calculation in her heart, Cheng Junyu instantly grasped the crucial point.

"Hmm, Junyu's words make sense. It would be better for me to send people immediately to avoid giving others grounds for gossip!" Cheng Zhiyuan glanced sideways at his daughter. *Hmph, girl, let's see you drop your composed facade this time.*

"Father, we can't do that!" Cheng Junyu hurriedly puffed out her plump chest and said with considerable worry. Then, this sharp-witted young woman caught the trace of a crafty smile leaking from Cheng Zhiyuan. *Hmph, you old fox, actually making fun of your own daughter!*

Cheng Zhiyuan laughed heartily. "Alright, what brilliant scheme does this little girl of mine have this time? Hurry and tell your father; aside from Brother Duan, your ghost ideas are the most numerous."

"As if! Father, just leave this matter to me. I guarantee it won't make Father look like he rushed to save the Yangwei Escort Agency too early, nor will it give anyone room for gossip." With that, Cheng Junyu stomped her foot petulantly and scurried out of the yamen like a wisp of smoke.

"This girl, sigh, she's been deeply poisoned by that kid's tea! But with this prefect around, how can you, Brother Duan, not obediently become the prized son-in-law of the Cheng family? Wahahaha!" Cheng Zhiyuan continued to daydream.

"Miss, isn't this enough? Do you really want to burn the master to ashes?" The maid Chunmei asked timidly beside Cheng Junyu.

"What do you know? This is called looking authentic. Once the yamen catches fire, we won't need to send anyone to put out the fire anywhere except the entrance. Pour oil everywhere else; the more wretched my father looks, the better it reflects the severity of the situation!" Cheng Junyu said triumphantly. *You old fox actually dared to make fun of your daughter, see how I torment you. Hmph, for the sake of Young Master Duan, Father, you'll just have to suffer a little grievance!*

The maid Chunmei clapped her hands and said, "Alright, Miss, it's pretty much all poured!"

***

"Alright, then light it!" Cheng Junyu commanded.

Chunmei took out a match and struck it with a *swish*. Cheng Junyu looked on with fascination. "Eh, Chunmei, what is this thing? It's quite handy!"

"Miss, this is the new product from the top scholar's shop—Great China matches. These matches are much more useful than traditional fire-keepers or flints, and they're cheap too, just one cash per box. All the servants are very grateful to the top scholar!" Chunmei said with pride.

"Oh, then step aside, let me strike one!" Cheng Junyu said excitedly.

Mimicking Chunmei, Cheng Junyu struck a match with a *swish* and quickly tossed it toward the wooden plank wall drenched in lamp oil.

"Boom!" Flames soared into the sky. Cheng Junyu's pretty face flushed red, resembling an obedient child visiting an internet café for the first time for an hour.

Chunmei shook her head and sighed. "Sigh, she wants the son-in-law and discards the father! The master's days ahead are going to be miserable!"

Cheng Zhiyuan's nose twitched. "Hmm? What is this smell?"

"Boom!" The fire raged fiercely, instantly scorching Cheng Zhiyuan's official robes.

Horrified, Cheng Zhiyuan scrambled to the floor in a panic, rolling a few times to extinguish the flames on his body before bolting toward the entrance like a streak of smoke. "What kind of sins have I committed in my past life?!"