Springtime Farming: A Happy Wife At Home

Chapter 2107: Difficult to Deal With

Prefect Liu and Constable Li, those despicable characters, had likely spoken ill of Lord Shao countless times in front of General Sun and the Sun family. Their demeanor suggested malicious intentions towards Lord Shao…

Shao Yunduan’s heart sank at the thought.

The Sun family was already at odds with him. If the envoy this time had truly been a genuine member of the Sun family, Shao Yunduan believed he could persuade them. At the very least, safeguarding Anze Province in the interim wouldn’t pose a problem.

Yet, it was the Sun family’s guards who arrived.

Confronting the King of Hell was manageable, but contending with the Sun family’s authority proved more challenging. He needed only to align himself with the Crown Prince; that alone should suffice to fortify his stance and make a decisive stand.

It didn’t add up…

Shao Yunduan inwardly sighed. He needed to compose himself and handle the situation with caution.

It seemed he had no choice but to make a journey to the provincial city.

Constable Li’s gaze bore into Shao Yunduan and Jia Heming as they rode ahead. The longer he stared, the deeper his resentment festered.

His animosity toward Shao Yunduan burned the brightest, yet the man held the esteemed position of Prefect Lord, making him untouchable. However, Jia Heming, a mere Deputy Prefect, was fair game.

He couldn’t forget the humiliation of being thrown into prison on Jia Heming’s orders last time.

Malevolent thoughts surged within him, and suddenly, Constable Li spurred his horse forward. Brandishing his whip, he feigned a strike towards the eyes of Jia Heming’s mount, mocking, “Deputy Prefect Jia, hold a moment. I have a few words for you, Deputy Prefect Jia!”

Reacting swiftly, Sun Qian, positioned just behind Jia Heming, drew his longsword and severed Constable Li’s horsewhip in a single fluid motion.

Jia Heming’s steed narrowly evaded the perilous strike, but the fright was palpable. Were it not for the swift intervention of a nearby guard who steadied the panicked horse, Jia Heming, a frail scholar, would have been unseated.

Trembling with shock, Jia Heming’s face drained of color as his heart raced. Wheeling around, he fixed a glare upon Constable Li.

Constable Li, the instigator, launched into a tirade, brandishing his horsewhip towards Sun Bai as he bellowed, “How dare you! Such insolence! What manner of conduct is this? You’re but a lowly bailiff under Lord Shao. Know your place!”

Though Sun Meng harbored animosity towards Shao Yunduan, desiring his removal for the Emperor and his master’s sake, he displayed indifference towards Constable Li’s provocations—an implicit sign of agreement.

A master at deciphering body language, Constable Li concealed his inner satisfaction behind a stern facade. “Lord Shao, an explanation is warranted, don’t you think?”

Jia Heming seethed with fury. “You—”

Shao Yunduan interjected, “What is it that you seek?”

Perceiving Shao Yunduan’s interruption as a sign of fear, Constable Li sneered. “This fellow is trying to provoke us. What’s his game? Aren’t you going to enlighten us?”

“I believe you’ve misconstrued the situation,” Shao Yunduan countered with a light smile. “Sun Bai was merely preventing an incident.”

“What?”

Constable Li, along with Sun Meng, Jia Heming, and even Sun Bai himself, were taken aback.

Maintaining a serious demeanor, Shao Yunduan continued, “Your whip veered off course, nearly startling the horse. Imagine the chaos if the horse had panicked and caused injury. People would have misconstrued your actions as arrogance and bullying. Sun Bai’s intervention was a kindness, preventing potential harm.”