The female anchor turned into the dean of an ancient academy

Chapter 136 The "grudge" between Chen Zigui and Cen's sister Xiao

He took a deep breath, as if wanting to pour out all his grievances and anger. "In that essay, 'Governing the Country', I stunned everyone with my essay 'Strategies'. Even the always-impressive Cen Jiexiao praised me highly. But, because my talent was so dazzling, it overshadowed hers, and she became malicious..."

Chen Zigui's tone was filled with resentment as he spoke, his fists unconsciously clenched, the knuckles turning white. "She actually accused me of plagiarism! And she even bribed the examiner!"

"What? There is such a thing?" Lu Menzhong was filled with righteous indignation and could not help but slam the table and stand up. The others also looked at each other, unable to believe that there was such a vicious woman in the world.

A cold glint flashed in Chen Zigui's eyes, and he gritted his teeth and said, "After I was framed, my status in the academy plummeted. I was looked down upon and ridiculed. If I didn't have some connections in Linkang Prefecture, I would have been forced to stay here long ago!"

He stood up suddenly, pointing at the dark night sky outside the door, and said in a sad and angry tone, "I, Chen Zigui, swear that one day, I will make that woman Cen Jiexiao pay the price! I will make her lose her reputation and live a life worse than death!"

"Brother Lu, everything I say today is true. If I say even a single lie, I will be trapped and have no home to return to!"

His eyes were red and his expression was agitated, as if he had really suffered a great injustice, making people have to believe his words.

Lu Menzhong was deeply shocked by his words. He looked at him with eyes full of sympathy and admiration, and the doubts in his heart disappeared.

"So that's how it is. Mr. Chen is truly able to endure humiliation and bear heavy burdens. It's admirable!" Lu Menzhong looked at him with admiration, and his doubts about him were dispelled a little.

Seeing Lu Menzhong's admiring face, Chen Zigui was secretly happy, knowing that his plan had been half successful, so he struck while the iron was hot and continued, "That woman Cen Jiexiao and I are irreconcilable and irreconcilable! I must make her lose her reputation and make her kneel before me and repent! Brother Lu, brothers, do you know why I have fallen to this point? It's all thanks to that vicious woman!" As he spoke, his tone was full of resentment, as if he was about to cry again.

Lü Menzhong and the others were moved by his words and expressed their sympathy. They asked, "Master Chen, just tell us what that vicious woman did to you. We brothers will seek justice for you, even if it costs us our lives!"

Seeing that the time was ripe, Chen Zigui made up a story in vivid detail, portraying Cen Jiexiao as a vicious woman with a heart of snakes and scorpions, and himself as a poor man who was talented but framed. "That Cen Jiexiao, on the surface, is gentle and virtuous, but in fact, she is a vicious woman with a heart as vicious as a snake and scorpion! She was jealous of my talent, so she framed me, ruined my reputation, and made me ashamed to face the people of Jiangdong!" As he spoke, he pretended to wipe the corners of his eyes, as if he had really suffered a great injustice. "She colluded with the examiner and framed me for plagiarism, causing me to suffer humiliation in the academy! I was originally a child of destiny, a talented man admired by everyone, but because of her, I became a rat crossing the street that everyone shouted and beat!" He became more and more excited as he spoke, his tone full of resentment and unwillingness. "I hate it! I wish I could tear her into pieces!"

Upon hearing this, Lü Menzhong and the others were filled with righteous indignation. They slammed the table and stood up, cursing Cen Jiexiao for her vicious heart and lack of conscience. "Master Chen, don't worry, we will avenge you and make that vicious woman pay!"

Seeing everyone's excitement, Chen Zigui was secretly delighted. He knew it was time to extend an olive branch. "Brothers, as long as you are willing to help me, when I regain everything that belongs to me, then I will definitely marry Miss Lu in a grand sedan chair! I, Chen Zigui, will keep my word!"

Lu Menzhong and others were moved by his passionate speech and expressed their willingness to serve him.

"Great! With the help of all of you brothers, I, Chen Zigui, will have no worries about achieving great things!" Chen Zigui raised his glass and said with great enthusiasm, "Come, let's drink this glass of wine. I wish us success soon!"

"Cheers!" Everyone raised their glasses and drank them all.

Chen Zigui looked at the group of rugged men in front of him, feeling secretly proud. Although these people were simple-minded, easily fooled, and stubborn, as long as they were used properly, they would have a certain effect.

After three rounds of drinks, everyone gradually relaxed and began to call each other brothers and sisters, hanging out with each other. Chen Zigui also took the opportunity to find out about their backgrounds, understand their abilities and strengths, so that he could better utilize them in the future.

"Brother Lu, I see that you are tall and strong. I guess you were an officer in the army before?" Chen Zigui asked casually.

Lü Menzhong was fooled, and said smugly, "Of course! Back then, I was a famous wrestler in our village. No young man in the surrounding area could rival me! So when the imperial court attacked the Liao and Dan Kingdoms, I enlisted and personally killed a few of their wolves. I only achieved some minor military merits."

Chen Zigui raised his eyebrows in mock surprise, his eyes wide as if he had heard something incredible. The wine glass in his hand even stopped in mid-air. He put down the glass, leaned forward slightly, and said in an exaggerated tone, "Oh? Brother Lu actually has such glorious deeds. He is really a hidden talent!" He paused, his eyes swept over Lu Menzhong's burly figure, and with a bit of admiration and curiosity, he continued, "I know a thing or two about martial arts. Why don't we find an opportunity to exchange skills?" As he spoke, Chen Zigui even pretended to be eager to try, as if he was really interested in Lu Menzhong's "martial arts" and wanted to learn from him.

As expected, Lu Menzhong was fooled and became even more complacent. He slapped his chest with a muffled sound and said generously: "Great! I have heard that Mr. Chen is both civil and military, and today is a good opportunity to experience him!" He looked excited, as if he had foreseen the scene of Chen Zigui being defeated by him and kneeling down to beg for mercy.

Chen Zigui sneered in his heart. "With your mediocre skills, you are worthy of sparring with me? You are simply overestimating yourself!" He had received strict training since childhood. Whether it was swordsmanship, horseback archery, or boxing and kicking, he was proficient in everything. It was easy for him to deal with these rough guys who only knew brute force.

However, he pretended to be modest on the surface, waved his hand and said, "Brother Lu, you are too kind. I only know a little bit about it. How can I compare with Brother Lu who is experienced and battle-hardened?" He deliberately emphasized the words "battle-hardened" and "experienced", as if to imply that Lu Menzhong was just a fool who could only talk about war on paper.

As expected, Lu Menzhong did not understand the hidden meaning of Chen Zigui's words. He became even more proud and laughed out loud, saying, "Mr. Chen is too modest. We must have a good exchange of ideas when we have the chance!" He seemed to have seen himself becoming the object of everyone's admiration, while Chen Zigui was humiliated and lost face.

At this moment, a noisy sound was suddenly heard outside the temple, coming from far away, as if someone was approaching, and there were quite a few people.

"Oh no! It seems like someone is coming!" A sharp-eyed man was the first to notice the abnormality, exclaimed, and interrupted everyone's conversation.

Everyone's faces turned pale as they stood up, nervously looking for places to hide while observing what was happening outside. Some hid under tables, some hid behind Buddha statues, and some simply jumped out of the window, fearing they would be caught.

Chen Zigui's heart sank. How could they have been discovered so quickly? He had clearly already agreed with Lord Han that no one would disturb them tonight. Could there be some flaw in the plan?