Jing Shaoxuan knelt on the ground, supporting his father's back, and cried out grievances word by word!
Seeing blood, the onlookers immediately began to point fingers and murmur. "That's right! Is the Lord Duke trying to kill his own younger brother?"
"Even imperial princes are guilty of the same crimes as commoners. For the Lord Duke to commit murder in broad daylight is simply lawless!"
Jing Renyi wore a stern expression as he glared angrily at the onlookers. The murderous aura radiating from his entire body made the crowd instantly fall silent, as they worried that if they kept blustering, they would be the next ones sent flying by a kick!
Despite this, quite a few bold souls lingered nearby, reluctant to leave. Are you kidding? With such a huge commotion at the Duke's Estate, word of it would make for first-hand gossip.
Jing Renyi cast a disdainful glance at Jing Deqing, who was playing dead on the ground. "Second Brother! Did you really think your little tricks were airtight? How do you have the shamelessness to keep leeching off the Duke's Estate after daring to plot against my son?! Fortunately, my son's life is out of danger today, or else I would make your entire family pay with your lives!"
With that, he strode across the threshold, carrying Jing Luoluo inside. He was afraid that if he laid eyes on those two any longer, he wouldn't be able to resist giving them a few more kicks!
Realizing his scheme was exposed, Jing Deqing felt a surge of stifled rage block his chest, and he fainted dead away from anger.
Though Jing Shaoxuan felt deeply resentful, seeing his father lying on the ground sent him into an immediate panic. "Father! Father, how are you?"
"Luzhu! Hurry over and help my father onto the carriage. We're going to the medical clinic!"
"Hold on!" Steward Zhang had hurried over upon receiving word that the master had returned, and seeing that the Second Branch intended to make off with the estate's carriage, he immediately spoke up to stop them!
"The Lord Duke has given orders. When your Second Branch first came to the Capital, you didn't have a single coin to your name, and we won't bother settling accounts with you for your expenses in the estate over all these years! But don't even think about taking anything belonging to the Duke's Estate! Men, take the Duke's Estate's carriage back. And this servant is also a domestic of the Duke's Estate; if Young Master Jing wants to take him, he can bring silver and buy him out! If you can't produce the silver, well, our Duke's Estate won't keep him either—we'll just have the slave trader come straight to the estate and sell him off!"
These words threw the onlookers into yet another uproar!
"What does that mean? The young master was actually plotted against by the Second Branch's family?"
"Good heavens! If I had an older brother like that, I'd burn incense of gratitude for eight lifetimes. Has the Second Branch's family been kicked in the head by donkeys?"
"Exactly! Living off the man, eating his food, and yet still plotting to harm his son—what are they even thinking?"
"Heh, you don't understand. The Lord Duke only has this one precious heir left. If he were gone, wouldn't the Duke's Estate belong to that brat from the Second Branch in the future?"
As he spoke, he pointed his gaze toward Jing Shaoxuan on the ground, leaving the implication unspoken!
"Bah! And he calls himself an educated scholar. They're more like a family of leeches, clinging to the Lord Duke to suck his blood!"
Jing Shaoxuan's face flushed crimson from the remarks, but his top priority was getting his father to a medical clinic. He immediately tried to hoist the man onto his back and leave, but having lived a pampered life year round, he simply lacked the strength to lift the unconscious Jing Deqing.
He glared angrily at Steward Zhang. "If my father dies right here in front of your Duke's Estate's gates today, I will certainly beat the grievance drum and accuse you, the reigning Lord Duke!"
Head Steward Zhang curled his lip in disdain. "Bah! Dropping dead from a single kick? The Second Master didn't kick people any less around the estate on ordinary days—how come we're just lowly wretches who never die from it?"
Relying on the Old Madam's doting, Jing Deqing was at his most arrogant and domineering on ordinary days. If he took a fancy to any maid, he would take liberties with her, and if any servant displeased him in their service, he would raise his foot and kick them.
Today's kick could be considered venting pent-up frustration for all the oppressed servants in the estate!
Like a cornered beast, Jing Shaoxuan roared in fury, "You! Your Duke's Estate is something else! Just wait until I pass the imperial examinations one day, and I will make you all taste the humiliation I'm suffering today!"
With that, he yanked the gold ring off his father's finger and threw it to the ground. "Luzhu! Carry Father on your back, we're leaving!"
Luzhu stepped forward looking aggrieved, hoisted the man onto his back, and trudged laboriously through the crowd toward the medical clinic.
Steward Zhang gestured for a servant to go down and pick up the gold ring. "Hmph! This ring belongs to our Duke's Estate as well! Oh well, Luzhu, just drop him off at the medical clinic and come straight back!"
Jing Shaoxuan turned a deaf ear. Surely a single ring was enough to buy a servant?
As for Luzhu, cold sweat was dripping down his forehead—his indenture papers were still back at the estate!
Jing Luoluo had been recuperating in the estate for a period of time, and the wound on his forehead was healing very quickly. During this period, quite a few scions of noble families with whom he had a reasonably good relationship in the past came to visit him, but he brushed them all off using a headache as an excuse.
Counting the days, he had been here for well over half a month, and he was gradually growing accustomed to this body. The only thing he simply could not accept was those male physiological characteristics!
He lay flat on the bed and let out a long sigh. "What a sin!"
Immediately afterward, he thought about how other transmigrators all had various cheat codes, while in his case, not only did he turn from female to male, but he didn't have any magical assistance whatsoever!
"How am I supposed to live from now on? Wuwuwu!"
If there was any advantage to speak of, it was probably that the familial affection Jing Luoluo had never experienced in his past life was experienced to the fullest in this one. The Old Duke treated him with absolute devotion, treasuring him like nothing else.
There were also the delicacies of land and sea in the estate, all of which he had tasted thoroughly. Being a corporate drone in his past life and enjoying a life of luxury in this one, his days could still be considered manageable!
As he was comforting himself this way, he heard a servant reporting from outside the door: "Young Master, the Heir of Prince An's Estate is here. Will you see him?"
Lying in bed, Jing Luoluo sighed and groaned, "No, I won't see him! Just tell them your young master has a terrible headache!"
He still hadn't figured out how to face the original owner's former friends; it would be bad if someone discovered any flaws, and he had no idea whether this dynasty believed in ghosts and spirits!
"Hey! Little Jing, are you ever going to finish? I've been coming to look for you for several days—what are you hiding from? Could it be that you've been disfigured and are too afraid to show your face?"
"Your Grace, my young master is unwell, you really shouldn't... Hey? Your Grace!"
The servant was utterly unable to stop Zhao Huaiyuan, who kicked the door open with a single blow.
Lying in bed, Jing Luoluo widened his eyes as he watched the little chubber charge in. "Hey! What's wrong with you? I told you not to come in and you still kick the door open, is that it?"
Glaring angrily at Jing Luo on the bed, Zhao Huaiyuan snapped, "Your injuries are practically all healed, why are you still refusing to see us? Do you even know that Jing Shaoxuan from your good second uncle's family has also entered our academy?"
"Huh? What do you mean?" Jing Luoluo sat straight up from the bed in a single motion. He had seen Jing Shaoxuan's wretched state at the main gates that day! How could he suddenly have entered the academy?
The two most famous academies in the Capital were Nanling Academy and Beigu Academy, which, true to their names, occupied the northern and southern corners of the Capital respectively!
As for Nanling Academy, where the original owner studied, it was run by the imperial court and featured an imperial preceptor holding court within it. Because of this, various noble families pulled out all the stops to send the young men of their clans into the academy, hoping the preceptor might take a fancy to their boys.
Yet it also lacked no one like Jing Luo and Zhao Huaiyuan, who didn't study and dragged down the academy's overall grades! Thus, it had always failed to surpass Beigu Academy, which was renowned for genuine talent and solid learning.
Beigu Academy did not just accept anyone; without genuine talent and solid learning, one needn't even think about getting in. However, the tuition fees for any academy able to operate in the Capital were extraordinary.