Translator: Atlas Studios  Editor: Atlas Studios

Sensing the anger in An Yexuan's voice, Liu Ping immediately shook his head and said, “Young Master An, I know that I was able to achieve my current status all because of your support. I wouldn't dare to have any other thoughts. I have undying loyalty for the An family.”

Deep down, Liu Ping was very scared. He knew that he had to thank his lucky stars for being able to come this far, despite starting off as a n.o.body. However, his ambitions were great, that's why he felt that he was above others and wanted to continue climbing up the social ladder. To do so, however, he had to make sure that Young Master An trusted him and did not dislike him.

“Liu Ping, you even pulled your small tricks on me. How great of you.” As the next heir of the An family, An Yexuan naturally had his own way of managing people. He just did not bother himself with Liu Ping, not that he was unaware of Liu Ping's thoughts.

However, this time, Liu Ping really pushed his limits. An Yexuan naturally could not let it slide.

Liu Ping was startled and immediately said, “Young Master An, I am very loyal to you, and I have no other intentions.”

An Yexuan slammed the table again and shouted, “Then how do you explain what happened today? How do you do things? Do you even know where you stand? You don't even take Majesty Huang or me seriously. You're really great, huh?”

“Young Master An, will you calm down please?” Liu Ping tried to inch closer to An Yexuan, to see how he could better suck up to him.

Looking at Liu Ping's face, An Yexuan suddenly felt disgust welling up inside him, so he slapped Liu Ping without a second thought.

Liu Ping did not expect to be slapped. His face immediately swelled up, and his body swayed from the impact of the blow. Clutching his face, he said in a shocked voice, “Young Master An, w-why…”

“Liu Ping, you think I shouldn't have hit you?”

“No, Young Master An, I just feel that it's unfair.”

“Unfair? Do you want me to count the number of times you used the An family to do all sorts of things while filling your pockets? Didn't you keep saying that your family is poor? How did you manage to buy a villa in that prime location in the city then? What about those prized treasures that you kept hidden away? Do you want me to get the officials to inspect them? Huh?”

The moment Liu Ping heard that, his face turned pale from fear. He immediately begged for mercy and said, “Young Master An, please have mercy. I was only working for your best interests.”

An Yexuan suddenly felt tired and annoyed, dealing with such an unrepentant person. Without a word, he kicked Liu Ping aside, knocking him down on the floor.

An Yexuan was strong to begin with, so with that kick, the corner of Liu Ping's mouth began to bleed.

Before Liu Ping could react, An Yexuan said, “Men, send Liu Ping to the An family's Hall of Family Rules. Punish him accordingly. Spare his life so that we can give him to Majesty Huang. We still need to account to Majesty Huang after this.”

“Yes!” Two subordinates of the An family immediately stepped forward to drag Liu Ping out.

Liu Ping was scared out of his wits. He kneeled on the floor and cried for mercy at An Yexuan. “Young Master An, I only wanted to stand up for you against Yun Bixue and show your displeasure and hate towards her. I am truly loyal to you. You told me to embarra.s.s Yun Bixue to no end and make her feel humiliated…” While saying this, Liu Ping felt very wronged.

The veins on An Yexuan's forehead popped as he heard those words. “Liu Ping, even if you can guess my thoughts, there are some things that can be said and some things that shouldn't. Do you still need someone to tell you that? Do you know that your words today had already pushed the An family to the center of public wrath? If it weren't for the fact that you stayed by my side for so many years, I would think that you were sent by another family to harm the An family.”

Liu Ping really had no idea how serious the issue was. However, the An family's Hall of Family Rules was also not a place anyone could withstand. It was a terrifying place that the n.o.ble families retained from generations of traditions—a place where they punish people who did something wrong in the family. If he went in there, he would definitely lose half of his life.