Chapter 008: Take the Silver and Get Out

Under Madam Leng’s orders, Lu Junfan went to the accounting room to collect a banknote. He followed behind her, timid and cautious, not daring to make a single false move.

Outside the Prime Minister’s residence, a crowd had gathered—half were witnesses to Lu Junfan's violent act, the other half had come for the spectacle. Their noisy chatter filled the air, and none noticed that the frightened woman who’d been among them had quietly slipped back into the tavern.

The Lu family was a powerful household, not one common folk could afford to provoke. Although the world was ruled by the imperial family, those lofty rulers rarely cared for the lives of ordinary people. In the end, it was the Lus who had the final say.

The Prime Minister’s residence was heavily guarded; eight burly men stood watch at the gate, their faces expressionless and intimidating.

After the sound of shuffling footsteps, Madam Lu, Leng, appeared with Lu Junfan in tow.

The people looked at Lu Junfan with hatred and disgust; whispers of curses and insults escaped their lips, all directed at him.

Upon hearing the crowd’s invective, Leng shot a sharp glare at her disappointing son before speaking calmly, “Good people, I apologize to you all. My son acted out of ignorance and committed a grave mistake. I hope you’ll consider his youth and give him a chance to mend his ways.” With a display of benevolence, she bowed to those gathered at the gate, then suddenly grabbed Lu Junfan, who was trying to shrink away, and scolded harshly, “We’ve summoned the best doctor in town to apologize. If forgiveness cannot be earned, you need not return to the Prime Minister’s residence!”

Her reprimand served two purposes: first, to chastise her son, and second, to emphasize the weight of the Prime Minister’s residence. Only a fool would miss the threat veiled in her words. The crowd, initially gathered for entertainment, felt the risk of getting entangled and their fervor for justice cooled.

“Yes, Mother,” Lu Junfan replied, sounding like a changed man—gentle and subdued. He bowed to the crowd and prepared to leave.

“Where is she?” someone asked.

“Where’s the woman?” The commotion had lasted so long, yet it was only now that they realized she was gone.

“It matters not; my mistake came first. In my haste to see my father, I acted wrongly. I’ll apologize in person,” Lu Junfan said, now stripped of any airs of privilege. He smiled at the crowd and left with two servants.

The crowd was puzzled—how had the second young master of the Lu family suddenly changed his attitude?

Inside the tavern—

“Miss, the Prime Minister’s second son is here to apologize. Should I let him in?” The innkeeper hurried upstairs for instructions. The gold from the little god of wealth was pure gold.

“Oh?” Anran’s voice lingered with amusement. She glanced at the woman, her expression cool yet her tone raised, “Let him in.”

Let him in, not invite him in. In her eyes, the second young master of the Lu family was nothing more than a dog—an arrogant, bullying dog. “The second young master of the Lu family isn’t worthy of the word ‘invite’.”

Lu Junfan, downstairs, heard this clearly. His face darkened with anger, his teeth clenched in fury. Who dared to insult him so?

Without waiting for the innkeeper, Lu Junfan barged upstairs, kicked open the door, and glared fiercely at those inside.

The crowd below saw Lu Junfan rush upstairs and assumed he was there to admit fault. They secretly praised him—perhaps the Prime Minister’s family was indeed strict, and Lu Junfan had already been disciplined.

Before the crowd’s thoughts could settle, Lu Junfan’s voice rang out from above, filled with scorn, “Who are you, blind fool! I came to see him and threw them some silver—shouldn’t they be grateful? Now they want me to kneel? Who do they think they are, to deserve the honor of me kneeling?”

The doctor who’d accompanied him shrank away to the bedside, glancing at the pale-faced child. He felt pity and quickly set down his medicine box, tending quietly to the child.

As he worked, he kept nodding, stroking his goatee in astonishment. Remarkable! Such skill in treating patients—this person was truly extraordinary!

An Yue stood silently by. Anran merely glanced at the pile of silver Lu Junfan had thrown at the woman’s feet, then looked up at him, her tone indifferent, “Calling you a beast would be too generous.”

Lu Junfan suddenly saw stars as sharp pain shot through his legs. In the next instant, both his leg bones were snapped, and cold sweat drenched his brow.

“Take your silver and get out!” The young woman delivered a swift kick, sending Lu Junfan flying out the door without the slightest courtesy.

The two servants were terrified; they quickly carried Lu Junfan back to the Prime Minister’s residence. This wild girl was truly audacious!