Chapter 58 Eat Up, and Don't Choke

"Qingfeng." Xie Ning looked at Qingfeng again.
"First thing tomorrow morning, go to the largest agency in the city."
"What for?"
"To buy people." A meaningful smile curved the corners of Xie Ning's mouth.
"Buy some sturdy guards, and a few cooks who know how to cook. Since the Old Dowager won't give us food, we'll cook for ourselves."
"Since the Marquis's Mansion guards cannot be relied upon, we will build our own force. I want to see precisely who calls the shots in this Dingyuan Marquis's Mansion."

Early the next morning, just as the sky was beginning to brighten, Xie Ning was practicing meditation in bed when he heard footsteps approaching from outside the courtyard.
Immediately following, a shrill voice rang out.
"The Heir's breakfast has arrived."

Xie Ning opened his eyes, his brows furrowing imperceptibly.
Breakfast delivered this early?
The door was pushed open, and a shifty-eyed servant wearing retainer's clothing walked in carrying a tray.
He set the tray down on the table and said, "Will the Heir please partake."

Xie Ning glanced at him without speaking, his gaze falling upon the tray on the table.
On the tray sat a chipped, broken bowl filled with rice porridge so watery it reflected one's own reflection.
Beside it lay a small dish holding a lonely handful of shriveled peanuts.
Aside from these, there was also a dark, rock-hard steamed corn bun that looked just like a stone.
This was the breakfast of the Heir to the Dingyuan Marquis's Mansion.

Looking at this so-called breakfast, Xie Ning inexplicably laughed.
Unbelievable!
Jia Yibo and that old woman truly had no shame left whatsoever.
Did they really take him for a soft persimmon that could be squeezed at will?

"You expect me to eat this?"
Xie Ning raised his head, looking at the servant with a very calm tone.

Seeing that Xie Ning did not fly into a rage as he had imagined, the servant grew bolder.
He straightened his back and said with a mocking smile, "Heir, you'll just have to make do. The Old Dowager said the household expenses are high right now and we must tighten our belts; everyone has to live frugally."
"Live frugally?" Xie Ning smiled. "Is your breakfast this as well, then?"
"How can we servants compare to our masters?" The servant curled his lip.

"Oh?" Xie Ning nodded. "Is that so?"
He suddenly stood up and walked toward the servant.
Taken aback by the sudden movement, the servant instinctively took a step back.
"Heir... what do you want?"
"Nothing much." Xie Ning walked right up to him, a benign smile on his face. "I just wanted to ask you—did you spit in this dish of peanuts, or did Jia Yibo?"

The moment those words left Xie Ning's mouth, the servant's expression changed instantly.
His already unattractive face turned instantly ashen, drained of every drop of blood.
"You... what nonsense are you spouting? I did not!"
He cried out in panic, his eyes darting frantically, not daring to meet Xie Ning's gaze.
How did he know?
How could he possibly know?
Only he and the Marquis knew about this!
Last night, Jia Yibo had specifically called him over and instructed him to spit into Xie Ning's peanuts when delivering breakfast this morning, just to thoroughly disgust Xie Ning.
At the time, he thought it was a brilliant idea that would both please the Marquis and humiliate this unworldly Heir.
Yet never in his wildest dreams did he expect Xie Ning to see through it at a single glance.

"No?"
The smile on Xie Ning's face slowly faded, replaced by an icy chill that made one's soul freeze.
"It seems you won't shed a tear until you see your coffin."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than his figure moved, swift as lightning.
The servant felt only a blur before his eyes, and the next second, his neck was gripped tightly by a hand as unyielding as iron tongs.
"Ugh..."
A strong wave of asphyxiation washed over him instantly. The servant's feet left the ground as he began to struggle wildly.
He stared in terror at Xie Ning, the contempt and smugness in his eyes replaced entirely by endless dread.

"I'll ask you once more."
Xie Ning's voice was soft and cold, yet it terrified the servant out of his wits.
"Whose spit is it?"
"It's... it's..."
Choked until his eyes rolled back and his tongue lolled out, the servant couldn't even form a complete sentence.
He had no doubt that if he dared utter another disobedient word, the madman before him would snap his neck without a moment's hesitation.

Just as he felt he was about to die—
*Thump.*
Xie Ning released his grip, tossing him to the floor like a dead dog.
"Cough, cough, cough!"
Lying prone on the ground, the servant greedily gulped in fresh air amidst violent coughing fits.
He felt as though he had truly brushed shoulders with the gates of hell just now.

"Speak."
A single icy word descended from above.
Trembling all over, the servant no longer dared to hide anything.
"It's... it's the Marquis."
"The Marquis made me do it."
Terror etched across his face, the servant confessed everything in a rush.

"Very well." Xie Ning nodded.
He walked over to the table and picked up the dish of saliva-tainted peanuts.
Then, walking back to the servant, he squatted down.
"Since Jia Yibo made you do this, you shall eat all of these in his stead."
A benign smile appeared on Xie Ning's face.
Yet to the servant, this smile was far more terrifying than any ghost.

"No... no!"
The servant shrieked in terror, scrambling backward frantically.
Make him eat this?
That was far worse than death!

"You won't eat?" Xie Ning's gaze instantly turned perilous.
"Mingyue." He called out faintly.

Mingyue, who had been standing guard outside the door the entire time, immediately pushed it open and entered.
Upon seeing the scene inside the room, he paused for a moment.
Yet he asked no questions, simply bowing respectfully to Xie Ning.
"My lord, what are your orders?"
"Pry his mouth open for me." Xie Ning pointed at the servant on the floor.
"Understood!"

Without a moment's hesitation, Mingyue stepped forward, grabbed the servant by the hair, and forcefully shoved his head down against the floor.
His other hand easily clamped onto the man's jaw like iron pliers.
*Crack.*
The servant's mouth was forced wide open.
"Ah!"
A shrill, miserable scream echoed through the entire courtyard.

Expressionless, Xie Ning took the peanuts from the dish one by one and stuffed them all into the servant's mouth.
"Swallow it."

Streaming with tears and snot from the pain, the servant whimpered incoherently, no longer daring to offer the slightest resistance.
He had no choice but to ignominiously swallow those saliva-tainted peanuts, mixed with blood and tears, down into his stomach.

"There now, that's better."
Standing up, Xie Ning wiped his hands with a handkerchief, his expression returning to its breezy, nonchalant composure.
"Get lost."
"If I ever see your face again, it won't just be peanuts you're eating."

Granted a reprieve, the servant scrambled up in a panic and fled the courtyard in a flurry of rolling and crawling.