The Marquise: I Earn My Own Worship

Duan Jing'an can be said to be very straightforward, without showing any mercy. Since you are unkind, don't blame me for being ungrateful.

Big brother is right. Duan Bofu does not provoke trouble, but he is not afraid of trouble. If he is weak this time, there will be endless troubles in the future.

It's like beating a dog at the door, to scare away those who have bad intentions.

Moreover, he always felt that some people did not want Duan Bofu to rise. After all, a sinking ship could suddenly set sail again. Wouldn't those who were waiting to eat meat and drink blood be very disappointed?

It was the first time that Emperor Chu saw the fourth son of the Duan family like this. The way he was arguing with others was like a little lion with its fur standing on end. The determined look in his eyes was somewhat similar to that of his old father.

The Emperor of Chu inappropriately thought of Kang Ge'er, a boy from the Duan family. That boy was the most similar to his grandfather, and his naughty appearance was a perfect replica of his grandfather.

However, Jing'an was still too young and impetuous during this period, but when you think about it, it is understandable. He has just come of age and still has a long way to go.

"Hmph, I am weak and naturally cannot compare to the dignity of your Duan Bo Mansion." Seeing Duan Jing'an getting anxious, Ma Guo was secretly delighted. He only needed to use a little trick, and he couldn't deal with a young boy.

"Your Majesty, everything I said is true. It's a pity that I, an old man, was insulted and attacked by a boy. I hope Your Majesty will make the decision and give me justice."

Ma Guo knelt down, tears welling up in his eyes. Wasn't he so capable just now? But now he's suddenly become weak and is pretending to be pitiful.

An old man with gray hair was kneeling in the main hall and crying. People who were not in the know would feel very sad when seeing this scene.

Duan Jing'an said nothing more. He felt that he was now the villain in his mother's storybook, bullying the elderly and speaking nonsense.

Tsk, he got to be a bad guy today, and it felt pretty good.

Seeing that neither of them spoke, the Emperor of Chu pointed at Duan Jing'an and began to ask in a calm voice, "What exactly is going on? Mr. Duan, tell me the whole story."

It is not easy to be an emperor. Not only does he have to deal with state affairs, but he also has to deal with conflicts between court officials from time to time. He is like a judge.

Ma Guo was secretly resentful that His Majesty let that kid speak first, so he lost the opportunity.

Duan Jing'an had already told Ma Guo everything from the impeachment in the court, the private threats to the family conflicts.

"My poor little niece, living away from her father, lives with her maternal grandparents. She finally managed to leave the house, but was nearly scratched in the eye by the arrogant daughter of the Ma family. If it weren't for the protection of the family servants and the support of her two nephews, she would have died of injustice. Your Majesty, you said that a girl's reputation is the most important thing. My daughter only asked the Ma girl to apologize, but she was not polite and threw her hairpin on the ground. My children not only said nothing, but also compensated for the hairpin."

"That would have been fine, but the next day a woman claiming to be from the Ma family came to the house and made a scene at the main gate of the Bo's mansion, saying foul language and insulting the door lintel, saying something about the Bo's family personally going to the Ma's mansion to apologize."

"Be bold!"

The Emperor of Chu was furious. Although Duan Bofu was incompetent, they were still nobles whose ancestors had made great contributions to the founding of the country. As long as they did not commit any crimes, the glory of the Bofu would remain. Their ancestors were buried with the founding emperor.

"Who are you, the Ma family? How dare you ask the Bo family to come to your house to apologize? You are so bold, Ma Guo!"

The Emperor of Chu was extremely tolerant of these old nobles. As long as you did not rebel, he would provide you with good food and drink.

In the previous life, no matter how incompetent the descendants of Duan Bofu's family were, the Emperor of Chu never said anything. Their final downfall was due to the fact that a new emperor has new ministers, and they were suppressed by the new emperor when they made mistakes.

The Ma Kingdom was frightened. Why was His Majesty so angry? The situation looked bad.

Seeing the Emperor of Chu like this, some officials at court began to have their own plans. They had thought the Bo Mansion was going to fall into decline, but they had never expected His Majesty to still value it so highly.

"Keep talking!"

The Emperor of Chu suppressed his temper and asked Duan Jing'an to continue.

"The gatekeeper had been with our family for generations, and he probably had a bad temper from all those years. He beat the woman who was swearing and refusing to leave. The woman waited for our steward to come out, then produced a piece of shabby paper, claiming it was a post. The steward saw that the post looked fake, so he doubted the woman's authenticity. Later, in front of the neighbors, she was sent to the government office."

"Your Majesty, everything I said is true, and the neighbors can testify to that. Please make your judgment."

The Emperor of Chu thought it was nothing more than a quarrel between children. The Ma family was too petty. They were no better than children. The children suffered injustice outside and did not come home to complain. The Ma family wanted them to come and apologize. It was simply ridiculous.

"Ma Guo, is what Duan Qing said right or wrong?"

"Your Majesty, this brat is talking nonsense! My daughter simply saw the hairpin and took it to admire it. How could she have been scratched as he said? I can only say that my daughter was careless, and in the end she was forced to apologize in front of so many people, and she didn't eat or drink after returning home. Master Duan talked about a daughter's dignity, but does that mean my Ma family's daughter's dignity is not dignity?"

"And the old woman. The letter she delivered was written by my wife herself. She never expected that she couldn't even get into the Duan Bo residence, so she was shouting outside the door."

"I've never seen a lady's invitation written on a piece of paper, and the Duanbo Mansion has never received such a vulgar invitation. The ladies of the inner house can only enter through the side door, so why did your maid come to my main gate to make trouble? I think she did it on purpose, and my guards didn't hear anyone knocking on the door, which means your maid was deliberately looking for trouble! Lord Ma claims to be the most disciplined, but your Ma family's inner courtyard is notoriously dirty. The wives don't look like wives, the concubines don't look like concubines, and there are even titles of second and third wives in the mansion. The outer and inner courtyards are mixed, and the inner curtains are not well maintained. I am ashamed to have you associating with me."

Duan Jing'an directly interrupted Ma Guo's words, and his tone and expression were obviously full of disdain.

The flower cards of each mansion have special symbols. For example, the official card of Duanbo Mansion has a lion holding a flower, which was personally bestowed by Emperor Taizu. The only flower card with a lion in the capital is the Prince Yi Mansion, which has a lion lying on the couch.

But even ordinary officials and nobles would always have a mark on their gifts in order to distinguish themselves and show their specialness. But the one sent by the Ma Mansion that day was not a flower card, but an ordinary letter card.

The Ma family is really in chaos. They were given a handle for no reason. Maybe the wife of the head of the family has lost her mind.

Ma Guo was so angry that his beard kept shaking and he couldn't speak for a long time.

"Alright! Shut up! What's the point of making such a fuss in the court?"

"You still need me to judge such a trivial matter? I am the ruler of a country, not your nanny. I will fine you both three months' salary each. There is no need to say more!"

Upon hearing this, Ma Guo shouted, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I have something to say."