The Duke's Pampered Darling is So Scheming

Chapter 82: Chapter 82: Replace

This was not a friendly visit.

Ye Jingyan rose. ”That would be me. May I ask why you’re looking for me?”

The boy’s lips curled into a sneer, his eyes filled with undisguised contempt and derision.

”Oh, for no particular reason. I just came to see what kind of skills some poor brat who ran wild in the countryside for a few years could possibly have to get a letter of recommendation from the Lord Sacrificial Officer and enter the Imperial College.”

The moment he spoke, the area fell quiet, and the atmosphere turned awkward.

Everyone knew two new students had arrived at the Imperial College—and that the Lord Sacrificial Officer himself had personally welcomed them at the gates.

Everyone in the Imperial College knew the Lord Sacrificial Officer was stern and uncompromising, with incredibly high standards. Very few ever managed to earn his approval.

So, hearing that such individuals had arrived, who wasn’t curious?

They just didn’t expect someone to make the first move before they’d even had a chance to find out more.

Ye Jingyan sized him up, his expression unreadable.

The words were incredibly rude, and he’d even mentioned their older sister. Clearly, this boy knew a lot about their family’s situation.

More importantly, the boy was obviously deeply hostile toward them.

’Since returning to the capital, we’ve mostly stayed at home and have rarely had contact with outsiders. I’ve never seen this boy before, so where is all this animosity coming from?’

Ye Yunfeng couldn’t take it anymore. He shot to his feet. ”Watch your mouth!”

The boy’s gaze shifted, and his lip curled in a sneer. ”What did I just say? Exactly as I thought. Raised with no manners, just a hoodlum’s attitude from living in the wilds. Do you know what the Imperial College is? Is this a place for the likes of you?”

Ye Yunfeng’s expression darkened. ”You—”

”A Feng.”

Ye Jingyan cut in, stopping him.

Ye Yunfeng remembered the promise he’d made to his sister and forced himself to swallow the rest of his words. But his eyes remained locked on the boy.

Ye Jingyan’s expression remained unchanged. He said calmly, ”We’ve never met, Mr. Murong. I wonder how we could have possibly offended you to earn such venomous words?”

The boy narrowed his eyes. ”You know who I am?”

Ye Jingyan said lightly, ”You know my sister’s name and that we’ve spent the last few years away from the capital. That means you’re either an old friend of my father’s, or a colleague of my second uncle’s. Since I don’t recognize you, it must be the latter. You have calluses on the web of your hand, a sign of frequent martial arts training, which suggests you come from a family of military generals. Who else could you be but Murong Ye, son of Murong Capital Commander?”

After he finished speaking, the way everyone looked at Ye Jingyan changed subtly.

The boy who had first spoken to them was full of admiration. He secretly gave a thumbs-up and whispered, ”You figured all that out?! That’s incredible!”

Murong Ye’s expression turned sour.

He’d come here intending to teach the Ye brothers a lesson. Who knew that within moments of meeting, the other boy would deduce his identity?

’But this was fine too. Only by knowing who he was would the pressure be maximized. He would make them understand that even after entering the Imperial College, they still had to know their place!’

Murong Ye scoffed. ”I’m surprised. You actually have a brain. More than I expected.”

Ye Jingyan said calmly, ”You’ve also surprised me, Mr. Murong. I would have thought that since Murong Capital Commander is famously strict with his troops, the son he raised would be a dragon among men. I didn’t expect you to be just another young master who gets his kicks from bullying newcomers.”

Murong Ye was instantly incensed. ”What did you just say!?”

Ye Jingyan met his gaze fearlessly. ”You heard what I said, didn’t you?”

”You— You’re insolent!”

’When had anyone ever dared to speak to him like this? The insults didn’t contain a single swear word, but they were utterly cutting!’

He strode forward and jabbed a finger at Ye Jingyan. ”Who the hell do you think you are? How dare you speak to me like—”

Before he could even touch Ye Jingyan, a figure flashed out and blocked his path.

Before Murong Ye could get a clear look at who it was, a sharp pain shot through his hand.

Ye Yunfeng stood protectively in front of Ye Jingyan, his hand clamped around Murong Ye’s finger like a vise. The roguish look in his eyes had turned sharp and cold.

”My third brother is trying to have a civil conversation with you. You should listen.”

Murong Ye was so furious he laughed. ”And you—”

Suddenly, his expression changed. He realized he couldn’t break free from the grip of the boy opposite him, who looked no older than twelve or thirteen!

Murong Ye put more strength into it, struggling desperately, but found that Ye Yunfeng’s grip was like an iron clamp, completely immovable.

And yet, the boy’s face was perfectly relaxed, as if he wasn’t exerting any effort at all.

The onlookers couldn’t help but exchange glances.

’What’s going on? Murong Ye is no match for Ye Yunfeng? But he’s several years older! Besides, he’s been training with Murong Yang since he was a child, grew up in military barracks, and is skilled in martial arts and archery. How is he...?’

Ye Yunfeng pushed, and Murong Ye staggered back two steps before catching his balance.

”My third brother and I came to the Imperial College to study, not to get tangled up with your kind.” Ye Yunfeng dusted off his hands as if he’d touched something filthy, then snorted. ”If you have a problem with it, go report it to the officials!”

”You!”

Murong Ye was so choked with rage he could have coughed up blood.

Ye Jingyan shook his head in disapproval. ”A Feng, how many times have I told you not to be so impulsive? A trifle like this isn’t worth reporting to the officials. We could just go see the Lord Sacrificial Officer, couldn’t we? After all, the recommendation letters came from him.”

Murong Ye’s face went pale.

No matter how arrogant he was, he would never dare to offend the Lord Sacrificial Officer.

He thought he was coming to teach the brothers a lesson, but he’d run into a steel wall instead!

”The Lord Master is here!”

Someone shouted, and the crowd instantly scattered, scrambling back to their seats as fast as they could.

Feng Zhang, the Imperial College Master, held a position second only to the Sacrificial Officer.

But the students were far more afraid of him.

Because he was a former military general who had actually seen battle and fought in wars.

When the Lord Sacrificial Officer was angry, the worst he would do was make them copy texts. The Master, however, was different. He used his fists.

Even Murong Ye didn’t want to provoke him. He gritted his teeth and hissed, ”Ye Yunfeng, right? Fine. Good! If you’ve got any guts, we’ll settle this on the training grounds during the monthly examination! Don’t you dare chicken out then!”

Ye Yunfeng just raised an eyebrow.

Murong Ye spun around and left.

Ye Jingyan tilted his head. ”A Feng, what did he say to you?”

Ye Yunfeng shrugged nonchalantly. ”He said he wants a quick death and asked me to help.”

Suddenly, sensing something, he glanced alertly toward a spot outside the window.

Outside, a smile of keen interest spread across Feng Zhang’s face.

”Interesting. Did the Sacrificial Officer pick this student especially for me?”

...

「Dingbei Marquis Mansion.」

Shen Yanchuan’s brush stilled. He tilted his head slightly.

”What did you say?”

Lian Zhou said, ”We weren’t able to learn Doctor Ye’s intentions from the fabric shop. She...”

”The sentence before that.”

Lian Zhou paused, then said at once, ”Oh. Han Yao intended to buy the bolts of cloth to apologize to Doctor Ye, but she refused him.”

Shen Yanchuan set down his brush. ”This ink won’t do,” he said lightly. ”Get another stick.”

”Yes, Master.” Lian Zhou immediately stepped forward. ”Which stick would you like?”

Shen Yanchuan tapped his fingers lightly on the desktop.

”The position of Minister of the Ministry of Rites... it hasn’t changed in three years, has it?”

Lian Zhou: ”...???”