Free Web NovelChapter 688: Chapter 688: Who Gave Him Such Confidence?
The steward of the National Master Mansion in charge of recruitment, Sun Jiang, glanced at the scholar sobbing in the corner.
Then he looked at the man in white standing proudly in front of him, who had driven the scholar to tears.
He swallowed with difficulty.
His intuition told him that this man before him was very likely the house servant that his lord wanted.
Yet he had a vague sense of foreboding that things were slipping out of control.
Liu Ji scrutinized Sun Jiang up and down, left and right; he didn’t look like a candidate, but more like the mansion’s steward, selecting people with care.
"What’s your name?" Liu Ji put away his umbrella and placed it directly on the recruitment table, asking with his arms crossed.
"What?" Sun Jiang’s mind buzzed for a moment; who in this mansion wasn’t afraid of him, Steward Sun? Who outside wouldn’t call him Mr. Sun upon sight?
Liu Ji seemed oblivious to the intimidating aura from him, and frowned with disdain: "Are you deaf? I’m asking you what your name is!"
The guards at the front of the National Master Mansion couldn’t bear it anymore and asked, "Steward Sun, should we drag this person away?"
"Do you dare?" Liu Ji shouted first, slamming down the crumpled paper he held—a recruitment notice.
"I’m here to apply for the servant position, take me inside, the sir is waiting for me to serve him." Liu Ji tilted his chin towards the mansion and glanced at the dumbfounded Sun Jiang, urging him to lead the way quickly.
Sun Jiang finally reacted, hurriedly waved to the servant inside the door. The servant, receiving the order, ran swiftly towards Lord State Preceptor’s courtyard.
Seeing the servant run off, Sun Jiang then turned to look at the arrogant Liu Ji, "Do you know who I am?"
"No, I don’t." Liu Ji answered with an honest look, "That’s why I asked for your name."
Sun Jiang almost choked with anger, took two deep breaths to stabilize his mood, and, with a stern face, taught him:
"I am Sun Jiang, the steward of the National Master Mansion. All the affairs in this mansion, the punishments and rewards of maids and servants, are arranged by me as entrusted by Lord State Preceptor. Now do you know who I am?"
"I do." Liu Ji nodded, casually touching the golden door knocker, then kicking the stone lion at the entrance a couple of times. It felt solid; he wondered if it could withstand a punch from his wife.
"Now that you know, how dare you be so impudent!" Sun Jiang shouted angrily, clenching his fists at his sides, making a teeth-grinding creaking sound, his arms tensed, muscular and towering, very intimidating.
The other recruiting scholars who saw this all secretly retreated, afraid of being caught in the crossfire.
People said the State Preceptor was very kind and righteous, but Sun Jiang, who was by his side, was notoriously ruthless within the circle.
Liu Ji, however, seemed unaffected by the intimidating aura, squatting in front of the stone lion, tapping the engraved patterns with a slender finger, muttering to himself, "Surely it can’t withstand her punch."
"What are you doing? The National Master Mansion’s fortune-stabilizing stone lion is not something you can just touch!"
Sun Jiang roared, striding forward, swiping a palm intended to grab his neck.
Unexpectedly, with a slight shift of his body, he tilted his head to look at the lion’s bottom, causing the palm to miss.
At this moment, Sun Jiang didn’t realize anything amiss, assuming it was merely a coincidence that his attempt missed.
He extended his iron palm again, trying to seize him.
Suddenly, the man performed an agile spin jump and stood at the lion’s side, shaking his head and making clicking sounds, as if mocking him.
Once might be a coincidence.
Twice was not. Sun Jiang squinted his eyes in disbelief.
Could this seemingly frail scholar be a hidden martial arts master?
"Steward Sun?" Liu Ji seemed to only just notice he followed and smiled at him, pointing at the open door of the National Master Mansion, asking: "Are you ready to invite me in?"
Sun Jiang suddenly donned a kindly face, "Come on, let’s first discuss the matter of payment before proceeding."
With a gesture of invitation, he indicated Liu Ji should come to the table for a detailed discussion.
Liu Ji was satisfied, "That’s more like it. You’re a servant, and I’m a dignified scholar; there should be distinctions of rank."
Sun Jiang’s smile stiffened, forcing a demeanor, suppressing a burgeoning murderous intent, he brought Liu Ji to the table and swiped away the oiled paper umbrella he left on the table, "How should I address the scholar?"
"Your smile is really unpleasant," Liu Ji first taunted, then replied, "Liu Ji."
Sun Jiang nodded, very well, he remembered!
"According to our mansion’s servant’s monthly salary, normally a lower-class servant gets eight cents of silver per month..."
Liu Ji raised his hand, "No need to continue, this matter isn’t up for discussion with a servant like you. You can’t make the decision, wait for your Lord State Preceptor to come and discuss with me."
Sun Jiang could no longer smile, his eyes showed nothing but ruthlessness.
Others were already too scared to breathe, yet this Liu Ji before him showed no reaction, still glancing around, even reversing the question on him:
"In such hot weather, does your National Master Mansion not even offer water for people to drink?"
Look at these young men queuing, their faces are all sunburnt.
Of course, now that he’s here, there was nothing left for them.
"You all can leave now, this servant position belongs to me alone, unless you think you’re more handsome than I am." Liu Ji boastfully flicked his hair and began discouraging others.
The queue dispersed, but who would want to miss out on such a spectacle? They surrounded but didn’t leave.
Look at Sun Jiang’s darkened face, in the Capital City, few could make him this angry.
What kind of background did this Liu Ji have? Even daring to confront Sun Jiang, wasn’t he afraid of retaliations from behind?
Yes, Liu Ji was of course afraid, otherwise he wouldn’t give up sixty percent of the benefits to Qin Yao, just to put up a life-saving front for himself.
It was all just bravado.
"Here comes the State Preceptor!" Someone exclaimed from the crowd.
The bravado in Liu Ji caused his legs to weaken for a moment, but! A man must stand firm!
He feigned nonchalance, stood up, and looked towards the gate out of curiosity.
Sikong Jian, dressed in a long robe of blue-green ink, lifted his noble head as he stepped out, surrounded by the servants, first nodding and smiling to the excited, admiring scholars and citizens at the door.
Then he flung his long sleeves around, turning to smilingly look at this man Liu Ji, who was radiating light, so pale he was impossible to ignore.
The white snake scales reflected dazzling brilliance under the sunlight; Sikong Jian squinted to adapt for a while but still couldn’t adjust!
Moving his gaze upwards, he met Liu Ji’s shimmering enchanting eyes.
Though it was the first meeting, Sikong Jian felt certain in his heart—this person was indeed the disciple his teacher favored, possessing charm comparable to the State Preceptor himself!
"Are you Liu Ji?" Sikong Jian asked with a smile at the corner of his mouth.
Liu Ji thought, you really are good at acting, and solemnly saluted, "Ji, greets Lord State Preceptor."
Sun Jiang couldn’t wait to step forward and complain, his eyes full of hostility towards Liu Ji, wanting to peel off his skin.
Sikong Jian waved his hand, signaling him to stand aside, secretly observing Liu Ji’s expression.
In the face of Sun Jiang’s violent aura, he surprisingly remained calm.
However, the information sent by his subordinates described this person as avaricious and fearful, surviving by relying on his looks.
So, who gave him this confidence?
