Chapter 114: Beat the Older Brother, Out Comes the Younger

Liu Hui, seated firmly, seemed not to hear a word Cheng Dingye said, continuing to sip his wine with an air of nonchalance, which made Cheng Dingye roll his eyes in fury.

As the third young master of the household of the honorable scholar Cheng Da-ju, Cheng Dingye was a man of leisure, a profligate through and through who spent his days mingling with the local riffraff. However, his brand of mischief was different from Liu Hui’s, and the two usually kept out of each other’s way, maintaining a polite distance to avoid mutual trouble.

Though the Cheng family possessed vast wealth and influence, they still harbored a certain wariness toward a ruthless thug like Liu Hui. After all, such men were prone to violent brawls at the slightest provocation; offend one, and you would not even be able to sleep soundly at night, constantly fearing his underhanded schemes.

Zhang Dong and the other hoodlums were experts at brawling. The three servants were no match for them and were laid flat on the ground in a matter of moments.

Seeing his three servants rolling on the floor, Cheng Dingye was momentarily stunned. Yet, being the third young master of the Cheng family, he was unwilling to lose face.

Ignoring Liu Hui, he glared at Zhou Zhi and hissed, "You... you are just a vegetable seller from the countryside, yet you have such audacity! Hmph! Are you not afraid of the Cheng family of Gaochang?"

Zhou Zhi’s expression remained unchanged as he replied with a calm smile, "I am afraid. The Cheng family is powerful and influential; how could I not be?"

His face suddenly turned cold. "But you humiliated my brother Zhang Yong, and for that, you deserve a beating. Remember this: if I hear you call him a ‘eunuch dog’ again, I will strike you every single time!"

"You... how arrogant!" Cheng Dingye roared, pointing a finger at Zhou Zhi.

This gesture immediately displeased Zhang Dong and the others. The five men slowly closed in on Cheng Dingye, exerting immense pressure upon him.

Not having received orders from their leader, Liu Hui, or from Zhou Zhi, they were reluctant to escalate the violence. After all, the Cheng family held significant sway in the Gaochang region; it was best not to push such people to the point of no return.

Cheng Dingye was truly intimidated now, surprised that Liu Hui would actually stand up for Zhou Zhi. However, the man seemed to possess a shred of backbone; he stiffened his spine and, despite his inner cowardice, stood his ground against the hoodlums.

Just then, Li Zhenzhen scrambled to her feet and rushed frantically to Zhou Zhi’s side, throwing herself to the floor and clutching his right leg tightly.

Lifting her tear-streaked face, she sobbed, "Young Master, I know you are a brother to Zhang Hudan, so please, save me completely! I beg you, make Cheng Dingye divorce me! I never want to return to the Cheng house; I never want to suffer his torment again!"

Although Li Zhenzhen was now a member of the Cheng family, she had once been close to Zhang Yong. Had Zhang Yong seen her in this state, his heart surely would have broken.

Thinking of this, Zhou Zhi looked coldly at Cheng Dingye and said, "Cheng Dingye, write the divorce papers."

Cheng Dingye immediately retorted, "This is my family’s private affair! What does it have to do with you? You struck me just now, and I have yet to settle that score. Are you trying to meddle in my business again?"

Zhou Zhi did not speak, but his star-like eyes shot two cold glares at Cheng Dingye, as if trying to pierce through his very soul.

Cheng Dingye felt a sudden chill run through his body. Seizing the moment, Zhang Dong and the four other hoodlums roared, "Third Young Master Cheng, divorce her! Divorce her!"

Cheng Dingye realized he was utterly defeated. Deep down, he did not actually want to divorce Li Zhenzhen. She was a beautiful woman, and in his eyes, she still possessed a certain charm.

But he had no choice. He knew that if he did not comply, he would likely be beaten by this group, which would mean an even greater loss of face.

Cheng Dingye suddenly let out a laugh. "Need you ask? How could I possibly keep such a cheap woman? I came here today precisely to give her a sound thrashing and then divorce her!"

"Good! Then please, Third Young Master Cheng, write the divorce letter!" Zhou Zhi commanded.

The tavern proprietress, Madame Li, had secretly harbored a sliver of hope that Cheng Dingye might eventually treat her daughter well—after all, marrying into the Cheng family was an immense honor. But seeing her daughter’s resolve, she had no choice but to have a waiter fetch paper and brush. Though Cheng Dingye was no scholar and lacked any official status, he could at least write. Putting on an air of nonchalance, he quickly drafted the divorce letter.

Li Zhenzhen clutched the document as if it were a precious treasure, tucking it away close to her body.

The incident drew to a close. Cheng Dingye’s three servants climbed off the floor, and at a gesture from their master, they prepared to depart.

Before leaving, Cheng Dingye glared at Zhou Zhi, etching his face into his memory. In his twisted mind, this was a debt to be settled sooner or later.

As luck would have it, just as Cheng Dingye and his men stepped out of the hall, a carriage arrived. A man jumped down from it. Seeing him, Cheng Dingye burst into tears, scurrying over on his short legs to embrace the newcomer. "Brother! You’ve finally come! I have been wronged!"

The newcomer was Cheng Dingye’s fourth brother, the one known as the "Child Prodigy of Qingdu," Cheng Dingbang.

It was almost laughable; though Cheng Dingye was the elder brother, he acted like a mere child in front of Cheng Dingbang. Within the Cheng family, due to his diligent studies, Cheng Dingbang was undoubtedly Cheng Ke’s most favored son.

Of course, this favor stemmed entirely from the fact that Cheng Dingbang was a scholar. While he was well-read and intelligent, his practical judgment was poor, and in handling affairs, he could be quite dim-witted.

After listening to his brother’s account, Cheng Dingbang beat his chest in frustration. "Alas! I arrived a step too late! Father was worried about you coming to this tavern today and sent me to ensure you persuaded Li Zhenzhen to return home. We cannot afford to make a spectacle of ourselves in this place! Once you have her back, is it not your right to discipline her as you see fit?"

Cheng Dingbang did not even address Li Zhenzhen as his sister-in-law, which spoke volumes about her status in the Cheng household.

Enraged, Cheng Dingbang marched into the hall and spotted Zhou Zhi. He furrowed his brows and snapped, "Zhou Zhi, you boy, I have told you before: you are not cut out for scholarship! A toad dreaming of swan meat! And today you are consorting with Fan Jin? Hmph! You truly infuriate me! You forced my third brother to write a divorce letter—do you think I will let you get away with this?"

Despite his bravado, he felt helpless before the calm and collected Zhou Zhi, for he noticed Zhang Dong and the other four thugs watching him with cold, menacing expressions.

Lv Xingchuan and Che Lang, who were acquainted with Cheng Dingbang, stood up and bowed. "Master Cheng, please calm down. The divorce letter was not forced by Brother Zhou Zhi; Third Young Master Cheng did it of his own volition."

"Hmph! Let us assume it was of his own volition. But what about the fact that Zhou Zhi struck my brother?" Cheng Dingbang asked, his head held high, his voice icy.