Chapter 46: The Dispute between the Inner and Outer Courtyards
"Tolerate? I'm a big man who doesn't bear grudges, do you understand?"
Upon hearing this, Li Da became unhappy and immediately found an excuse for himself.
"Brother Da, you are too generous. You actually want to treat Shen Yichen to a meal?"
It was obvious that Zhang Qi didn't believe this explanation. Li Da's recent behavior was too abnormal.
" Do you want to be beaten, kid?"
Since the explanation is unclear, the only option is to threaten with fists, a tactic Li Da is very familiar with.
Sure enough, when the word "ask for a fight" was uttered, the previous voices of doubt immediately disappeared, except for Li Da himself who began to murmur in his heart.
Since when did my attitude towards Shen Yichen change?
Was it the fight in the alley that day, or the family dinner, or the poetry reading together?
To be honest, even Li Da himself couldn't figure out when it all started. What he couldn't figure out even more was why he was so polite to Shen Yichen.
Maybe this guy has started to have some of the shadow of a noble family, so he is not as annoying as before. That must be the case!
After thinking about it, Li Da could only find this explanation for himself. After all, he hated people who were timid and submissive the most.
Zuixianlou was a famous restaurant in Yingtian Prefecture during the Ming Dynasty. Its Pipa Duck was considered the best in the world. It is said that even Emperor Hongwu praised it highly after tasting it.
Shen Yichen had no idea whether the legend was true or not, because he had never been to Zuixianlou. The price of a meal there could be enough for the mother and son to support their household expenses for half a year.
So when Li Da mentioned going to Zuixianlou for dinner, Shen Yichen immediately agreed. He was also very curious about what the food in this top restaurant like Ming Dynasty tasted like.
It was obvious that Li Da and his companions came here frequently. They called the waiter in a familiar manner and arranged a table for them. They did not even ask what dishes were available, but just listed a bunch of names.
Perhaps it was just a coincidence that just as Li Da and his group were waiting for the food to be served, a group of people walked in from outside the store. When the leader saw Shen Yichen, his face immediately turned unsightly.
"Oh, nowadays, a pheasant can turn into a phoenix after flying to a tree, and it can also afford to eat the food of Zuixianlou."
The person who came spoke in a low voice, but he was facing the table where Shen Yichen and his friends were, so they could hear it clearly.
Hearing these words out of nowhere, Shen Yichen and his group naturally turned their heads to look over and found that a group of people from the inner courtyard private school had also come to Zuixianlou, led by Zhu Qingyu, a member of the Zhu clan.
Li Da and Zhu Qingyu and others often met each other in Zuixianlou. Although the relationship between the students in the inner and outer courtyards was not good, most of the time they could be said to be at peace, so this sentence was not directed at Li Da and others.
So who exactly is it targeting? The answer is obvious.
"Zhu Qingyu, when you come to Zuixianlou, just enjoy your meal and don't speak in a sarcastic tone."
Before Shen Yichen could speak, Li Da stood up with a very ugly look on his face.
You have to know that because the Inner Court is the Zhu clan, its status has always been higher than that of the Outer Court, and there is also an inexplicable sense of superiority. However, even though Li Da is the boss of the Outer Court, he often chooses to avoid them and not provoke them.
But today is different. Shen Yichen invited me to dinner himself. No matter what conflicts there were before, targeting Shen Yichen now is like a slap in the face of me, Li Da.
No matter how high the status of the Zhu clan members was, Li Da had to stand up and take the lead.
"Li Da, do you have the right to speak here?"
A person standing nearby stepped forward, his tone full of disdain. It was already a great blessing to allow these students from the outer courtyard to study at the Chengguo Mansion, and yet they were talking to the Zhu clan members in this way?
This sentence made Li Da's face turn pale. He clenched his fists to suppress the anger in his heart.
In feudal society, the higher the official rank, the more powerful he is. Now Duke Cheng has just won a great victory and was conferred the title of Grand Tutor, which is the heyday of the Spring and Autumn Period. If he offends the Zhu clan, if he sues Duke Cheng, not only will he be implicated, but even his father will be implicated.
Seeing that Li Da kept silent, Zhu Qingyu was very satisfied with his admitting defeat. At the same time, he came to Shen Yichen's table with even more arrogance.
"In terms of seniority, I am your cousin. Why don't you stand up and greet me when you see me?"
Zhu Qingyu's words were naturally not meant to emphasize any cousin relationship. He simply meant that at the family dinner at Duke Chengguo's mansion that day, he was outshined by Shen Yichen using the name of Marquis Taining, and today he wanted to get back at them.
But Shen Yichen was amused by being addressed as cousin. His two brothers didn't try to be friendly and respectful to each other. So how could a cousin who was not even remotely related to him be worthy of him standing up and greeting him?
So Shen Yichen was too lazy to care about it, and he was not even interested in the verbal dispute. He said bluntly: "Go away."
When these words were uttered, the students from both the inner and outer courts were petrified and could not digest them immediately.
When did Shen Yichen become so arrogant, asking people to get out the moment he opened his mouth?
“You…you…what did you say!?”
Zhu Qingyu was shocked. People of his class all met people of status and position. Even if they disliked each other and made sarcastic remarks, they would at least have a verbal battle. No one would be as simple and rude as Shen Yichen.
"You are not in the family tree, so you are not considered a relative. Are you qualified to be my cousin? If you understand what I am saying, get out of the way and don't disturb my enjoyment of eating."
Shen Yichen still clearly remembered that at the family dinner that day, this group of Zhu clan members did not treat him as a member of the clan and were not even worthy of attending the dinner.
Today he wants to use this to put pressure on me again, how can there be such a good thing where you can take advantage of me?
"Shen Yichen, how dare you commit treason?"
Zhu Qingyu probably never expected that Shen Yichen would be so arrogant and not take him seriously at all.
So after saying this, he raised his right hand and subconsciously prepared to slap Shen Yichen.
As a result, before the palm hit him, he felt a sharp pain in his abdomen and fell backwards.
Because Shen Yichen was not stupid enough to get beaten in vain. Since the other party already wanted to attack, he might as well strike first. So when he saw Zhu Qingyu raising his hand, he kicked him out.
"Brother, are you okay?"
"Shen Yichen, you dare to beat up a member of the Zhu clan!"
"You are a rebellious person. If the Duke knows about this, he will definitely kick you out of the family school!"
This group of playboys may be used to bullying others, and have never met anyone like Shen Yichen who dares to take direct action, so their first reaction is not to come up and fight in a group, but to use their status and background to suppress others.
Zhu Qingyu was the quickest to react. He understood that the Zhu clan's plan to suppress Shen Yichen was not strong enough. After all, no matter what, he was the blood of Duke Cheng. If the incident got out of hand, it would be nothing more than a punishment for both sides.
"What are you still standing there for? Go and beat him up!"
Since it is an internal fight within the clan, then it all depends on who has more people and who has the bigger fist. Even if Shen Yichen is beaten up today, I believe that the vassals in the outer courtyard will not dare to intervene. This slave-born son must be made aware of how serious his crime is!
Seeing that the other party was about to beat , Shen Yichen subconsciously picked up a bench and sat down, which is an invaluable weapon in street fights.
But before Shen Yichen could make a move, a wine glass was thrown over. With a crisp "bang", the other person fell down with his head covered.
The person who threw the wine glass was none other than Zhao Hongjie, who had been hiding behind Shen Yichen.
"I...I...I, Zhao Hongjie, am not a man without loyalty!"
Zhao Hongjie was so scared that his voice was trembling when he said this. But he still gritted his teeth and stood behind Shen Yichen without backing down.
"You bastard, you did it!"
Even Zhao Hongjie, whom he had looked down upon in the past, dared to attack him . Li Da suddenly became angry and overturned the table, rushing towards the people opposite him.
At the same time, several students from the private school in the outer courtyard also showed their courage as the children of military generals and joined in the fight with Zhu Qingyu and his men.
However, the situation was one-sided. After all, Li Da and others were descendants of military generals, and their families had a tradition of practicing martial arts, which could be described as physical. The Zhu clan was also a family of military generals in theory, but most of these side branches relied on one person's success to bring prosperity to the whole family, so how could they possibly endure the hardship of practicing martial arts?
Normally, he relied on his reputation as Duke Chengguo and his large numbers to bully others. Today, when he encountered these tough guys from the outer courtyard, he quickly understood why the flowers were so red!
"Okay, stop it and leave!"
Seeing that Zhu Qingyu and others were knocked to the ground, Shen Yichen grabbed Li Da and others and signaled them to leave quickly .
You have to know that Zuixianlou is a famous restaurant, and many dignitaries eat here. Once a conflict occurs, the officers and soldiers of the Wucheng Bingmasi will arrive quickly.
I and others have no achievements, and tomorrow is the day of the county examination. If we are caught and delayed, we will probably have to wait until two years later to take the exam again.
Also, it would be easier to deal with minor injuries if the fight caused any serious problems. If the fight caused any major problems, the clan elders behind these playboys would definitely step forward and put pressure on Duke Cheng Zhu Yong.
In this day and age, the world is ruled by filial piety. Zhu Yonggui, as the Duke of Chengguo, cannot ignore the opinions of the clan elders. If the matter gets out of hand, it will definitely be Li Da and his men who will suffer, and even he himself will not be able to escape.
So now that you've got the upper hand, run away!
Although Li Da and his men were furious, they were still sober. When they heard Shen Yichen's words to stop the fight, they ran towards the alley outside the restaurant. They had done this many times before and were quite experienced.
After passing through several alleys, the group stopped panting, looked at each other for a few seconds, and suddenly burst into laughter.
As the saying goes, there is no acquaintance without fighting. The students from the outer courtyard are all a group of young boys in terms of age. They have had frictions and grudges in the past, but today they are on the same front.
"Shh...shhh, Zhao Hongjie didn't expect that you finally had some courage and didn't embarrass us, the sons of military commanders!"
While breathing heavily, Li Da praised Zhao Hongjie. He really didn't expect that the first person who would dare to stand up today would be this guy.
"hey-hey."
Zhao Hongjie was probably not used to Li Da's attitude and just chuckled.
"And you, Shen Yichen, I am convinced. From now on, I will let you call me my brother."
"What are you talking about, brother, dear brother?"
Shen Yichen found it hilarious to hear this. This kid is still thinking about who will be the big brother.
"That's right. If it weren't for Shen Yichen today, I would have been unable to vent my anger at being bullied by the inner courtyard for many years. I have also accepted it!"
The fat white man Zhang Qi also echoed that Shen Yichen was too tough and completely subverted his previous image. He was convinced.
"Me too, Shen Yichen, you will still be my big brother from now on!"
"That's right, Boss."
If Shen Yichen hadn't taken the lead today, the students from the outer courtyard would probably have been filled with rage.
Since the boss Li Da has acknowledged him as his younger brother, what else can I say? Shen Yichen will be the boss from now on!
