In Love With My Fierce Farming Wife!
Chapter 1190 - 1102: The Rat’s Son Knows How to Burrow

Chapter 1190: Chapter 1102: The Rat’s Son Knows How to Burrow

Cui Minghao had long heard of Su Ke.

However, for an aristocratic family like his, wasn’t Su Ke just a peasant who had climbed out of the countryside through marital connections? How could his qualifications compare to those of the successor nurtured by a great aristocratic family like theirs?

Usually, it wasn’t even about speaking; they walked past with their heads held high without acknowledging each other’s presence.

Just now, the scholars were all checking the questions they had worked on, and they looked admiringly at the few who stood out with their answer sheets, naturally including him.

But when Su Ke arrived, not only did he not come forward to greet them, he even put on an air of arrogance, naturally giving rise to the intention to teach him a lesson, which was why Cui Minghao opened his mouth to speak.

The other’s arrogant attitude immediately infuriated Xue Qian.

He immediately stepped forward and shielded Su Ke behind him, his anger flaring up, "Cui Minghao, what do you mean by that? Are you looking for trouble? Others might be afraid of you, Cui Minghao, but I certainly am not."

Strictly speaking, his father’s official rank was comparable to that of the Imperial Censor, so he indeed had no reason to fear him.

"What could I possibly do to him? Young Master Xue, I was merely inviting this Uncle-in-law to compose a poem and discuss literary works. Where did I use a single wrong word?"

Cui Minghao displayed a lazy demeanor, with a mocking, shallow smile tugging at his lips, obviously not taking the two of them seriously.

Indeed, his words contained not a hint of insult.

But the tone of his voice made it clear to anyone that it was filled with profound contempt. The vast and profound Chinese characters invented by the ancestors, the same words in the same order, could convey vastly different sentiments when spoken with different tones.

If Cui Minghao intended to pull the wool over his eyes now, even if the matter reached His Majesty, they would be unable to describe the current situation, and it would likely be futile.

Were they really resigned to swallow this silent grievance today?

Su Ke gently patted Xue Qian’s shoulder and stepped forward, "Cui Minghao, is it? I’ve heard that Master Cui has for many years served the law with dedication and acted prudently. I remember when I accompanied His Majesty, I often heard His Majesty praise Master Cui, which made me truly admire Master Cui, regretting that I couldn’t have met him earlier. Seeing Young Master Cui today has indeed made me feel quite emotional."

Cui Minghao’s laugh was excessively complacent, "Hmph! My father has spent many years working tirelessly for the country. It’s quite something for the Uncle-in-law to still remember him."

"Alas! Master Cui indeed commands respect. However... I recall that just the other day, His Majesty said... Ah..."

Su Ke repeatedly made as if to speak, then stopped, while continuing to shake his head.

His words turned Cui Minghao’s face a fluctuating shade of pale, the previously proud and arrogant smile now gone, replaced by a gloomy expression.

He had been mocking the other’s status just a moment ago, but now, Su Ke had mentioned regularly seeing His Majesty’s face.

These scholars toil over their studies, ultimately to serve the Imperial Family.

Now, with a few words, Su Ke not only implied he could see His Majesty, but he also managed to bring up Cui Minghao’s father.

How could Cui Minghao maintain his composure?

Xue Qian also found joy in the situation!

It was only today that he realized Su Ke was so articulate. He wanted to laugh, but seeing the increasingly gloomy face of Cui Minghao across from him, he couldn’t help but add fuel to the fire.

"What are you so emotional about?"

Su Ke shook his head and swayed, his face full of emotion.

"The saying goes, ’Dragons beget dragons, phoenixes beget phoenixes, and the son of a mouse will dig holes.’ It seems that this adage is mistaken!"

The offspring of this old rat might experience mutations too; aside from burrowing, other matters such as bullying others with their power, they could handle even more skillfully.

A single sentence incited Cui Minghao to leap to his feet in rage!

"Su Ke, you dare..."

But Xue Qian suddenly burst into laughter. While laughing uproariously, he had no qualms about his image as he patted the table vigorously, seemingly unconcerned about propriety.

Yet Su Ke stood there with a serious demeanor, his deep eyes locked on Cui Minghao, showing no signs of being intimidated.

"Cui Minghao, do you think this young master dares or not?"

Is there even a need to ask if he dares?

Cui Minghao intended to say something else, but his gaze fell on Xue Qian. Compared to Xue Qian, he was obviously at a disadvantage. Being the third son, with two older brothers above him, the responsibility of inheriting titles of nobility was bound to fall on the eldest son. And Xue Qian was someone destined to inherit such a title. As for the Su Ke before him... As long as the Empress remained alive, the Su Family was unlikely to fall...

With these thoughts in mind, Cui Minghao’s complexion suddenly changed.

"A misunderstanding, a mere misunderstanding. This young master merely wanted to discuss the contents of the examination questions with Master Su. I never thought the reaction would be so intense. In that case, we shall take our leave first. Let’s go!"

Having said that, he led the others away.

"Young Master Cui, take care. If there is a chance in the future, this young master will surely enjoy a thorough discussion with you."

A lazy call from Su Ke trailed behind them.

But it almost made Cui Minghao unable to keep the smile on his face, his pace faltered for a moment before he hurriedly left.

Su Ke maintained a grave expression, while Xue Qian looked utterly pleased with himself, fuelled with combative spirit: "Hehe! Brother Su, I really didn’t see this coming! Brother Su actually possesses such skill, insulting others without using any foul language. I had never noticed it before! However, Cui Minghao is not one to be magnanimous. If you encounter him alone in the future, you better be careful. Don’t fall into his hands."

"Don’t worry! As long as he does not provoke me, I have no interest in provoking him."

Su Ke walked over and sat down in another chair.

Following this commotion, the pavilion suddenly became quiet.

A glint quickly flashed through Xue Qian’s eyes.

The Imperial Censor Cui and his father belonged to different camps. With Cui Minghao’s performance today, whether he could ally with Su Ke in the future was uncertain, but at the very least, Cui senior was no longer an option – Su Ke definitely wouldn’t join him.

"What spirit, Brother Su!"

While Xue Qian was musing, suddenly a voice praising him came from a corner. A young man who appeared quite young approached from afar with his fists clasped in greeting: "Ye Xin pays respects to the two senior students."

Su Ke and Xue Qian exchanged glances, seeing surprise in each other’s eyes.

"You must be Young Master Ye, it’s a pleasure to meet you." Xue Qian clasped his hands in greeting.

Su Ke also hurried to return the salute, but he was quite curious about the other’s identity.

Perhaps sensing Su Ke’s curiosity, Ye Xin took the initiative to introduce himself: "Brother Su may not have heard of Ye Xin’s name, but I am the heir of Prince Ye’s Mansion. In the past, it was the Empress herself who personally selected me from a collateral branch of the Ye Family to be adopted by my royal father and renamed Ye Xin. Just now, I overheard the debate between Brother Su and Brother Cui and wanted to make your acquaintance."

In the entire Great Zhou, there was only one prince with the surname Ye, and Su Ke happened to know him. Hearing that he was the one handpicked by the Empress, his own elder sister, Su Ke instinctively felt a surge of goodwill towards him.

"So it’s Brother Ye, a pleasure indeed! Come, come, let’s not stand on ceremony, please come and sit inside."