Volume One, Chapter Four: Arrogance

After dealing with Steward Wu, Song Chenfei turned to the other servants and said coldly, "See that? This is what happens to those who oppose me."

With thuds and thumps, the servants dropped to their knees one after another, weeping so hard they could barely breathe. Terror shook them so violently that they trembled like leaves in a gale, all begging for mercy.

"Young Master Song, spare us! We will never dare again!"

Song Chenfei said calmly, "Li Jin, Wang Mazi, Sun Dongde, Zhao Sixi. These years, you have taken such good care of me. I will be sure to repay you properly."

Eunuch Zhao had left two men for Song Chenfei. They stepped forward and singled out those four, giving them a merciless beating.

The four men’s screams rose and fell in waves, echoing through the laundry house.

Song Chenfei did not intend to take their lives. From here on, these servants were labor.

A severe lesson was enough.

Soon after, Eunuch Zhao brought blacksmiths, carpenters, and all manner of materials.

With ample supplies and hands at his disposal, Song Chenfei could finally begin in earnest.

The washing machine driven by water and wind that he had originally built had been a crude, makeshift affair, assembled from scraps with poor materials and rough workmanship.

This one would require careful design, far greater in size, and much more powerful in function to satisfy that lord’s demands.

Rather than calling it a waterwheel washer, it would be more accurate to say it was a water-changing device.

But the one Song Chenfei was designing now would truly have a washing function.

And beyond that, there was also an "extra surprise" for that lord.

It would take a great deal of manpower and specialist skill to complete.

Time passed in a hurry.

Everything proceeded in orderly fashion.

Yet at that very moment, in the Manor of the Prince of Pingyang, the true heir, Song Qianshan, was growing anxious.

"Damn it, that Song Chenfei is ungrateful beyond belief. Father personally brought him back, and he still refuses to return."

Song Qianshan was furious.

"No. We have to get him back at once."

"If he doesn’t come back, I’m the one who will suffer. What should I do?"

A servant nearby flattered him, saying, "Young Master, it’s simple. I’ll take a few guards from the manor and teach Song Chenfei a lesson. After that, he’ll obediently come back."

"Exactly. That’s it."

Song Qianshan sneered. "Does he think he’s still the old heir? He doesn’t even know what he is anymore. Take five guards from the manor, beat him hard, and make him return to the manor at once. If he refuses, show him what for."

"Yes, Young Master. I’ll handle it immediately and make sure it’s done properly."

At once, the servant selected five agile guards from the manor and headed for the laundry house.

In the laundry house, Song Chenfei was seated in a chair, basking in the sun with his eyes closed.

Golden light poured down over him like a curtain of silk.

Beside him sat a pile of silver, a full thousand taels.

Li Hao was playing with it, unable to put it down. "Chenfei, tell me, am I dreaming? I’ve never even seen this much silver in my dreams."

Song Chenfei kept his eyes closed. "Stop acting so useless. This is only the beginning. It’s still far too early to talk about making a name for ourselves."

"I am useless. I’ve lived this long and never seen this much silver. From now on, I’m sticking with you."

Li Hao only wanted to cling to Song Chenfei’s leg.

"Follow me, then. So long as you are loyal and work hard, there will be a day when you soar."

"My abilities are limited in this life. If I can just marry a wife, I’ll be satisfied."

Song Chenfei opened his eyes and shook his head. "You fool. Fine. Birth determines where you start, so it’s only natural that your horizon is limited. When you truly have something of your own, you won’t think that way."

At that moment, a commotion arose outside the laundry house.

A servant, leading several guards from the manor, burst in aggressively.

Anyone who tried to stop them was rudely shoved aside.

"Out of the way! Out of the way, you blind fools!"

The servant shouted curses as he went. "Do you not even know who we are? How dare you obstruct the business of the Manor of the Prince of Pingyang!"

"Where is Song Chenfei?"

The servant strode in arrogantly, all swagger and insolence.

"I am Song Chenfei."

Song Chenfei stood up.

The carpenters and the others who were working also turned to look.

"You are Song Chenfei?"

The servant looked at him in surprise.

Wasn’t Song Chenfei supposed to be living in miserable conditions, worse than a pig or a dog?

And yet the Song Chenfei before him was neatly dressed. Though his body was covered in wounds, they had already been medicated and hidden beneath a silk robe.

His face was handsome, his bearing extraordinary. After all, he had been raised as a prince’s son.

"What are you people? What do you want with me?" Song Chenfei asked, knowing they had come with ill intent.

"We have been sent by the heir of the Manor of the Prince of Pingyang. By his order, you are to return to the manor at once." The servant’s tone was filled with contempt, as though he were commanding a dog.

He was not merely overbearing; he was absolutely imperious.

Song Chenfei gave a cold laugh. "I am no longer a member of the Manor of the Prince of Pingyang. On what grounds should I return?"

As expected, I was right. The Prince of Pingyang must have run into some grave trouble, which is why he suddenly remembers this false son of his.

Just as I thought: four years without a single visit, and yet yesterday he suddenly came to take him home.

"Don’t be ungrateful. Do you think you’re still that lofty, noble heir of before? You’re nothing but a fake." The servant said disdainfully.

"Even if I’m not the heir, I’m still better than a hound from the Manor of the Prince of Pingyang," Song Chenfei shot back.

"You dare insult me!"

The servant flew into a rage.

Then he noticed the silver on the table not far from Song Chenfei.

A thousand taels of silver!

Piles of freshly minted ingots!

So much silver!

Greed blazed uncontrollably in the servant’s eyes. "Song Chenfei, so this is it—you’ve actually stolen all this silver!"

He said that in an attempt to trick Song Chenfei, but Song Chenfei knew exactly what he was up to and admitted it without a care. "This silver is mine. Why speak of theft?"

"Hmph. I know your situation very well. This silver must be what you stole when you were expelled from the manor. I am only taking it back on behalf of the manor." The servant surnamed Li spoke with righteous indignation.

Song Chenfei sneered. "Evidence?"

"My word is evidence." The Li servant was domineering. "If not, where did you get so much silver?"

"Move in. This silver all belongs to the Manor of the Prince of Pingyang. We are only taking it back for them."

Behind Li, the five manor guards immediately stepped forward three paces, menacing and fierce.

"How dare you!"

Song Chenfei’s expression turned icy.

One of the manor guards sneered. "Song Chenfei, do you think you’re still that noble prince’s heir? You’re nothing but useless trash now."

As he spoke, he threw a punch at Song Chenfei.

Song Chenfei naturally would not stand there and await death. Twisting his body, he actually managed to evade the blow, and in the same motion drove an elbow into the man’s chest.

The guard stumbled backward several steps and collapsed to the ground, his face contorted with pain.

He stared in disbelief. Song Chenfei had actually knocked him down.

In truth, Song Chenfei was not feeling well either.

"Damn it. This body is far too weak and ruined. It can’t even properly support my skills—it’s only making me injured."

The force of the blow had shaken his blood and qi violently; his entire body felt churned and unsettled, deeply uncomfortable and painful.

"All of you, attack together!"

The five guards surged forward at once to deal with Song Chenfei.

What made matters worse was that the two men left behind by Eunuch Zhao had been sent by Song Chenfei to buy some materials and were not present.

At this point, Song Chenfei could not even handle one opponent, let alone five.

"Damn you all! Chenfei, I’m coming to help!"

Li Hao was a loyal boy. Seeing this, he immediately grabbed a wooden staff and swung it fiercely at the manor guards.

But he was no match for them at all.

The guards of the Manor of the Prince of Pingyang were the best of the best, each one skilled and well-trained.

They easily snatched away the staff, knocked Li Hao down, and left him writhing on the ground in pain.

"Damn it!"

Seeing this, Song Chenfei was powerless to help. He could only dodge desperately.

As the saying goes, two fists cannot beat four hands.

That was exactly Song Chenfei’s situation. More importantly, his body, after four years of torment, was already weak to the point of collapse.

With such thin arms and legs, how could he possibly stand against five broad-shouldered guards from the manor?

Smack!

A fist slammed into Song Chenfei’s left ribs. He gasped in agony, and before he could counterattack, another kick swept across his shoulder.

Song Chenfei toppled headlong to the ground.

Before he could rise, another fist smashed into him, drawing a muffled groan and more searing pain across his face.

Song Chenfei said nothing, gritting his teeth and enduring it.

But they did not stop. Fists and kicks rained down on him with crackling force, as though he were a sandbag.

"Don’t hit Chenfei!"

Li Hao lunged forward and threw his arms around Song Chenfei, letting the fists and feet land on his own body instead.

Partly out of loyalty, but more out of self-interest.

He knew perfectly well that if Song Chenfei died, he would lose everything.

As long as Song Chenfei lived, he could still hope to rise.

So even if it cost him his life, he had to protect Song Chenfei.

"Oh? Didn’t expect that. Reduced from heir to worthless trash, and yet someone is still willing to follow you to the death."

Li’s indifferent, condescending voice drifted over them.

"Enough. Don’t beat him to death, or we’ll have trouble answering for it." Li waved a hand.

"Bah. If the heir didn’t still have use for you, you’d already be dead by our hands."

They truly wanted to beat Song Chenfei to death. After all, this young man had once been the heir for twelve full years.

Those twelve years had been genuine, unassailable.

It was only after the phoenix had fallen from the branch that they could trample him with such wanton cruelty.

Of course, they did not dare truly kill Song Chenfei.

They did not even dare use too much force. Why?

Because they knew perfectly well that the Manor of the Prince of Pingyang was in deep trouble and desperately needed this false heir.

If they killed Song Chenfei, they would be finished too.

"These silver ingots originally belonged to our Manor of the Prince of Pingyang. We are only returning them to their rightful owner."

Li and the others, eyes gleaming with greed, hurriedly packed up the silver.

Then Li issued a harsh warning: "The heir is asking you to return, and that is giving you face. Don’t be so ungrateful."

"Song Chenfei, you have two days. If you do not crawl back to the manor at once, the next time we come, we will make sure you wish you were dead."

With that, Li and the others took the thousand taels of silver and swaggered off.

Not long after they left, the two men left behind by Eunuch Zhao returned.