At the sight of him, the prison guards, battered and bruised, rushed over to lodge a complaint. "Lord Zhou, this Mei Changgong broke into the prison by force and assaulted his superiors! He has complete disregard for the law!"
The man blocking Mei Changgong was none other than the Assistant Department Director of the Ministry of Punishments, Zhou Fu!
The guards were simply doing their jobs by the book, but Mei Changgong’s actions today were clearly driven by a personal grudge. Naturally, they were furious, grumbling and cursing in the enclosed stone halls, where the thick walls amplified the noise into a chaotic din.
Zhou Fu lowered his gaze slightly. "Silence, all of you."
A single, quiet word brought instant stillness to the surroundings.
Zhou Fu looked across at Mei Changgong, whose posture remained arrogant, and his expression darkened. "The prisoners held here have all been approved by the Ministry of Punishments and are detained entirely within the law. Furthermore, the prison is a high-security precinct—not a place for a martial brash like the Third Young Master to throw his weight around!"
Mei Changgong swept a disdainful glance over him. "Are you the one? You're the one who ordered the whipping of my sister, aren't you?"
With that, he lashed out with the whip in his hand.
Mei Changgong was furious, but having briefly crossed paths with the man moments before, he knew Zhou Fu possessed martial arts skills, so he fully expected him to dodge.
To his utter astonishment, however, Zhou Fu stood completely rooted to the spot. With a sharp crack, the whip struck him directly across the face, leaving a distinct red welt.
"My lord, are you alright?" the guards cried out in alarm.
Startled himself for a second, Mei Changgong quickly recovered and raged, "Did you do that on purpose?"
Zhou Fu raised a hand to touch the wound on his face, then licked the drop of blood from his finger, speaking at a leisurely pace.
"The Third Young Master is truly bold. Not only do you break into the prison by force, but you also strike a high-ranking imperial official. Aren't you afraid that I might submit an impeachment report against your Marquis Manor to His Majesty?"
Mei Changgong felt a jolt in his chest as the gravity of the situation began to dawn on him.
Beating a few minor guards to blow off steam was one thing, but assaulting an official was a completely different matter!
If the Censorate caught wind of this, they would undoubtedly blow it out of proportion!
He was somewhat familiar with Zhou Fu, who was notorious in the capital as a harsh and ruthless official. He knew Zhou already held a grudge against Zhao Zhang, having been personally appointed by the Emperor half a year ago to investigate Zhao for accepting bribes and buying and selling official posts.
Later, although Zhao Zhang was brought to justice, nearly eighty percent of the vast fortune he had amassed remained unaccounted for.
To track down such a massive sum of money, interrogating Zhao's relatives was entirely lawful and justified.
At the time, Mei Gongxue had already married into the Zhao Estate, so naturally, she was taken into custody as well, and after that—
Mei Changgong somewhat regretted coming here, but he was burning with fierce resentment. The mere thought that their family's daughter had been forced to marry that beast Zhao Zhang and suffer humiliation, only to be implicated further, filled him with rage.
He took a deep breath, fighting to reign in his boiling anger. "Zhou Fu, I acted rashly today. Beat me or punish me as you see fit!"
With that, he tossed his whip to the ground and waited to be dealt with.
Instead, Zhou Fu narrowed his eyes and waved a hand magnanimously. "The Third Young Master needn't go that far; this subordinate is not a petty man. As for how to handle this matter, I must consult my superiors, and I shall send someone to inform your eldest brother later."
At the mere thought of his eldest brother, a shiver ran down Mei Changgong's spine, but for now, leaving was his only option.
This trip had accomplished nothing—he hadn't vented Mei Gongxue's grievance, and he had only managed to stir up trouble. His mood grew heavier than ever.
Hesitating for a moment, he didn't dare return straight to the Marquis Manor. Instead, he wheeled his horse around and headed for the military training grounds.
Armed with a spear, he put the group of soldiers-in-training through a rigorous wringer until he finally vented the stifled frustration in his chest.
By the time he headed back, the sky was already growing dim.
Both sides of the street were lined with small food stalls, and one of them was selling bright, glossy candied hawthorns!
A thought stirred in Mei Changgong's heart. He seemed to remember Mei Gongxue saying once that these were her favorite street snacks!
He immediately pulled on the reins, dismounted, bought out the vendor's entire stock of candied hawthorns, and carried them back excitedly in his hands.
When they got back to the manor later, surely Xiaoxue would crack a smile at the sight of these?
She had indeed suffered terribly these past few years, but from now on, he would slowly make it up to her!
When Mei Changgong arrived back at the Marquis Manor, the estate was already brightly lit.
"Third Young Master, you're finally back! The Marquis and the Second Young Master are waiting for you in the front hall!" the steward said, bowing with his hands folded.
Mei Changgong's steps faltered. It seemed he really had stirred up trouble today!
Sure enough, when he entered the main hall, he saw Mei Heming sitting in the seat of honor with a dark, grim expression.
Mei Yanjun sat nearby with a slight frown, the only sound in the quiet room being the clicking of the prayer beads turning in his hand.
To his absolute surprise, however, Mei Gongxue was also there!
Surprised as he was, Mei Gongxue was just as startled.
She had received a sudden summons, and upon arriving, she found Mei Heming looking utterly furious. Without a single extra word, he had simply ordered her to sit down.
This was the first time the siblings had seen each other since her return to the manor, yet there were none of the warm inquiries she had imagined.
Ever since she was a little girl at home, Mei Gongxue had feared this eldest brother above all others!
Still, she instinctively glanced at him. Years of absence had left their mark; though Mei Heming was barely in his early thirties, a wealth of gray hair now frosted his temples.
It wasn't until Mei Changgong walked in that Mei Gongxue vaguely sensed her brother might have gotten himself into some trouble.
Sure enough, the moment Mei Changgong entered, he dropped straight to his knees.
"Eldest Brother, I know I was impulsive in forcing my way into the Ministry of Punishments Prison and hitting someone today, but I was only..."
Before he could finish, Mei Heming cut him off with a cold snort. "You still have the face to come back? What kind of place do you think that is? You actually had the nerve to publicly beat a sixth-rank official! If your second brother hadn't sent word to warn me, I likely would have been dragged down to my death by you!"
Mei Heming was clearly shaking with anger, his expression chillingly severe.
Zhou Fu's facial injury was far too obvious; come morning court tomorrow, others would bound to ask about it. What would happen if he intentionally spread the word and the matter reached the Emperor's ears?
"I know I was wrong!"
Though he said the words, Mei Changgong kept his neck stiff. "Eldest Brother, that Zhou Fu is no good man. He could easily have dodged my blow, yet he deliberately took my whip, purely to get some leverage over me! I did this alone, and I'll bear the consequences alone. If he wants to beat me back, let him—I won't fight back!"
The Ministry of Punishments Prison? Beating an official?
A flicker of realization crossed Mei Gongxue's mind. The look she cast at Mei Changgong turned complex for a split second before returning to normal.
"Fool!" Mei Heming cursed in deep exasperation, furious at his lack of sense. "You'll bear the consequences alone? It's not that simple! The Marquis Manor's military authority was stripped away long ago, and our influence is a shadow of its former self. Do you have any idea how many people out there are just waiting for us to slip up?"
The Marquis Manor of today even had to rely on Ji Ruchu for support!
"Calm your anger, Eldest Brother!" Mei Yanjun chimed in to smooth things over. "Hasn't Zhou Fu already sent word that he won't publicize the matter?"
With that, he turned his gaze to Mei Gongxue.
"He simply put forward one small request. As long as we agree to it, this matter will be dropped!"
Mei Gongxue, who had thought the affair had nothing to do with her, gave a sudden start and immediately lifted her head.
Mei Yanjun instantly averted his gaze.
Although Mei Gongxue detected nothing unusual in his eyes, a deep sense of foreboding rose in her heart.
Could this "small request" possibly have something to do with her? Otherwise, why would they have summoned her here?