"Outrageous! What are you laughing at? How dare you behave so unreasonably in front of His Majesty?" General Li grew furious upon seeing Ye Yiming's disdainful expression.
Ye Yiming felt increasingly displeased. Every word from General Li unjustly accused him, disturbing his plans for wealth accumulation.
"Hah! Since you want to play, then I'll gladly play along!" Ye Yiming shook his head lightly and sighed, "Alas, General Li, you're in the wrong here. Where did you see my disrespect towards His Majesty?"
Seeing Ye Yiming shake his head dismissively, General Li's anger turned to amusement. "Oh! Now you're trying to justify yourself? Today, His Majesty and many ministers of the court witnessed your behavior. Do you still want to argue?"
Seeing General Li becoming more self-satisfied, Ye Yiming suddenly jumped up and shouted, "Hah! General Li, we might be familiar, but if you continue with such slander, I can accuse you of defamation!"
General Li's face darkened. "How dare you! How dare you speak to me like this! Even though we are familiar, according to His Majesty's view, your character is stubborn and should be disciplined under the Duke of Wu."
Emperor Lin Wanjun was speechless. "You two can argue all you want, but why drag me into this?"
Discipline under the Duke of Wu? Forget it. The old man is already dozing off in his seat, and it's already giving me face. Should I really order him? Hmph, forget it!
Seeing General Li trying to convince Emperor Lin Wanjun, Ye Yiming felt anxious and quickly said, "Your Majesty, don't believe his words! I have no disrespectful thoughts towards you! Since childhood, I have admired you greatly, like the unending Yangtze River and overflowing Yellow River. Even the stars in the sky cannot match the wisdom in your eyes, nor can the celestial dragon above the nine heavens compare to your towering figure..."
"Cough, alright, alright, I believe you're not disrespectful to me. Please stop!" Emperor Lin Wanjun was somewhat amused and bewildered. Am I really that good? But then again, how come I never noticed before how good this kid is at flattering?
Hmm, he's not bad, quite eloquent! Emperor Lin Wanjun couldn't help but feel a bit more favorable towards Ye Yiming. Unfortunately, Ye Yiming's muttered comment immediately reverted Emperor Lin Wanjun's feelings.
"Phew, thank goodness I didn't forget my lines!"
I knew it! I've never heard that this kid had any education, yet he suddenly speaks so well. Turns out he's just memorizing! It's audacious of him to say he's admired me since childhood, comparing me to the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers. It's pure nonsense!
Emperor Lin Wanjun had the impulse to step down from the dragon throne and knock Ye Yiming on the head a few times. However, looking at Ye's old man who was still fishing, Emperor Lin Wanjun dismissed the idea.
"You, you, you..." General Li didn't know what to say for a moment, pointing at Ye Yiming repeatedly.
Ye Yiming raised an eyebrow and said, "What 'you'? You're already an adult, yet you talk like a child with unclear speech. How did you get to where you are?"
"I, I, I, you, you, you!" General Li became even more agitated, pointing at Ye Yiming, but unable to find his words.
"Cough!" At that moment, Prime Minister Wu cleared his throat lightly.
General Li was shocked and immediately snapped out of his confusion. When he regained his senses, General Li was drenched in cold sweat.
What a sharp tongue! I almost fell into this kid's trap! Hmph, this annoying guy is really despicable!
Seeing General Li startled by Prime Minister Wu's cough, Ye Yiming frowned imperceptibly and glanced at Prime Minister Wu, silently cursing him: What a cunning old fox!
Phew! After taking a deep breath, General Li's anger had subsided significantly. He smiled and said to Ye Yiming, "Alright, I was wrong to misunderstand you. My apologies!"
"Well, no problem, I accept your apology. After all, I'm a small person not holding grudges against the big ones!" Ye Yiming waved his hand nonchalantly in response.
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"You!" General Li's veins bulged, about to unleash a verbal attack, but upon seeing Emperor Lin Wanjun nearby, discussing matters with Prime Minister Wu, he suppressed his anger and gave Ye Yiming a fierce glare.
Seeing General Li manage to restrain his anger, Ye Yiming felt somewhat disappointed.
General Li composed himself and said, "I won't say much to you now. Let's talk about what happened yesterday!"
"Yesterday? What happened yesterday?" Ye Yiming looked bewildered, a face of innocence that could deceive anyone unfamiliar with the situation.
"Hmph!" Seeing Ye Yiming pretending not to know, General Li snorted and said, "What happened yesterday? Ha! Don't tell me you've already forgotten how you made the Third Young Master of Prime Minister Wu's house spit blood?"
After General Li finished speaking, he looked smugly at Ye Yiming, as if he had caught him by the tail and was overjoyed! However, Ye Yiming's response next made General Li feel as uncomfortable as if he had swallowed a fly!
Suddenly, Ye Yiming jumped up after General Li finished speaking, screamed, and said, "What did you say? I made the Third Young Master of Prime Minister Wu's house spit blood? How could you tell such a lie? Are you justified in your conscience? Are you justified in front of your parents? Are you justified in the country? Do you deserve the trust of the emperor?"
Ye Yiming's expression seemed like a vulnerable young girl being bullied by a villain, sorrowful in tone, and desolate in spirit! There was a feeling of sadness and tears!
The Emperor and a group of ministers present were shocked! Even Prime Minister Wu, who had always been calm, was momentarily stunned. As for Ye's old man, who had been fishing all this time, his mouth was wide open, and his gray-white beard trembled uncontrollably!
"You! You! You!" General Li began to stutter again.
Without giving General Li time to react, Ye Yiming immediately continued, "What 'you'? Am I not right? The truth is right in front of us. It's clear that you, a respected general, are maliciously defaming me!"
General Li was furious, his face red and his neck thick as he shouted, "I didn't!"
"Still nothing? Then let me ask you, when did you see me yesterday, beating the Third Young Master of Prime Minister Wu's house? With which eyes did you witness me make the Third Young Master of Prime Minister Wu's house spit blood?" With that, Ye Yiming took two steps forward, closing in on General Li, staring at him without blinking.
General Li felt overwhelmed by Ye Yiming's intense gaze, his mind in turmoil, unable to come up with a rebuttal.
"Why so quiet now? Realized you're in the wrong and can't find any words to say?" Ye Yiming lifted his chin slightly, sounding somewhat triumphant. After speaking, he circled around General Li and clicked his tongue a few times.
Feeling like a street monkey being played with, General Li, in a fit of anger, growled at Ye Yiming, "What are you staring at?" Thankfully, he hadn't completely lost his composure, aware they were in the court; otherwise, he might have dealt with Ye Yiming on the spot.
Seeing General Li's furious demeanor, Ye Yiming felt immensely satisfied. He chuckled lightly, "Oh! It's nothing, I was just curious, General Li, what kind of person you are. I merely exchanged greetings with Prime Minister Wu's Third Young Master, but in your version, it turned into a life and death struggle! Tsk tsk!"
Towards the end, Ye Yiming stared at General Li with an expression that seemed to imply more words left unsaid.
Exchanging greetings? Hearing Ye Yiming's words, General Li's blazing mind suddenly quieted. Then a light bulb went off in his head, and nervously, he shouted, "I got it! I got it! It wasn't that I made Prime Minister Wu's Third Young Master spit blood; it was my words that made him do it! Yes, that's it!"
As he finished speaking, General Li became increasingly convinced that his explanation made sense. This confidence led him to speak even more emphatically with his last five words.
Little did General Li know that after uttering those words, Ye Yiming smirked conspiratorially, a smile that Prime Minister Wu, who had been observing Ye Yiming closely, noticed. Seeing this, Prime Minister Wu thought to himself, "Oh no, Li Tao has fallen into Ye Yiming's trap!"
As expected, Ye Yiming's next words confirmed Prime Minister Wu's suspicions.
Ye Yiming widened his eyes, staring straight at General Li incredulously. "General Li, did I hear you correctly? You're saying that I exchanged greetings with Prime Minister Wu's Third Young Master, said a few words, and that caused him to spit blood? Is it possible that I misheard, or have I already ascended to the realm of a celestial-level martial artist? Or maybe Prime Minister Wu's Third Young Master has such a short life that mere words can kill him?"
This time, General Li was truly dumbfounded!
Who in this world could die from mere words? Moreover, if Ye Yiming, renowned for his indulgent and wasteful lifestyle, were indeed a celestial-level warrior, General Li would have to believe he'd become a god!
At this point, General Li realized he had fallen into Ye Yiming's trap and made a fool of himself!
Seeing the ministers around him shaking their shoulders, wanting to laugh but holding it in, General Li's face turned red and green alternately.
"Hahaha!" Ye's old man didn't notice General Li's expression at all. He laughed heartily, completely disregarding General Li's feelings.
The old man's laughter made General Li, who was already feeling embarrassed, even more uncomfortable. He even vaguely sensed Emperor Lin Wanjun's strange gaze on him.
Oh no! My image is completely ruined! General Li lamented inwardly.
If there were a crack in the ground right now, General Li would have jumped into it immediately. Unfortunately, after staring at the smooth and flawless white jade floor for a long time, he couldn't find a single crack!
Seeing General Li's current state, Ye Yiming felt a sense of joy.
Hah! Dare to compete with me?
Hmph! I'll make you regret challenging me!