"What is it? I should know? Are they famous or something?" the questioner asked, utterly astonished. Could these two slimy, self-important wretches actually be some noteworthy figures? Yet, judging by their appearance, they certainly didn't look like it.

"The Four Scourges of the Capital, you ought to know them, right?" the other replied, his eyes half-lidded, speaking in a tone that suggested he was imparting profound wisdom.

"I know of those; isn't it just Fat Pig Tang, Bully Jun, plus the stench from the privy and the flies at the dinner table? Is that it??"

"Precisely! The two before us. They are the legendary, infamous Fat Pig Tang and Bully Jun! They stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the privy stench and the dinner table flies as the other two scourges known throughout the world!"

"No wonder I had the urge to swat them the moment I saw them—it makes sense now! The Four Scourges of the Capital, tsk tsk, seeing them today, they truly live up to their reputation!"

"Indeed. It truly tarnishes one’s refinement to speak of it. Such dregs actually have the standing to attend the Scholars' Banquet? The world is declining, and virtue is scarce. Sigh!"

"Sigh!" To be standing in the same world as such filth makes me wish I could bash my head against the ground—I am deeply ashamed!" A chorus of synchronized sighs escaped, breath catching in their throats. Amidst such clamor, everyone slanted their eyes towards the long-notorious "Two Great Scourges," pointing and whispering. In every gaze was contempt; on every face, only disdain.

Jun Mo Xie and Tang Yuan seemed not to have heard a thing, perfectly at ease.

"Fatty, remember what I told you the other day?" Jun Mo Xie murmured, his voice kept low.

"Can't forget," Tang Yuan yawned, slowly lifting his eyelids. "Don't you trust your man?"

"I just worry that you've gotten pig grease smeared over your heart and fat blocking your eyes, damn it!" Jun Mo Xie cursed.

"A gentleman does not focus on trivialities for the sake of dignity! Yes. My grandfather told me that." Tang Yuan shook his head with affected dignity.

"You, with your current disposition, dare to call yourself a gentleman?" Jun Mo Xie gagged theatrically. Besides, in this day and age, where were the truly genuine gentlemen to be found!

Having settled matters with Fatty, Jun Mo Xie felt a slight easing of tension. The rest depended on his own performance! Damn his ancestors, today he would show these dullards what a true rogue was! He’d rogue them to death!

Waiting around here? Did he have that kind of leisure time? Hmph hmph, today he would be a rogue through and through!

"Hey you, yes, you looking over there. What are you staring at? Is it that interesting?" Jun Mo Xie drawled, his eyes askance, addressing a dandified fellow who was stealthily watching him. He recognized this fellow—he was from the Meng family. He had been part of the group that, along with Meng Haizhou, had framed Fatty Tang last time. He seemed to be named Meng Fei, but naturally, Jun Mo Xie pretended not to recognize him now.

"Wasn't looking at anything," the fellow named Meng Fei replied haughtily, casting a sideways glance and then turning his head away from Jun Mo Xie. That was understandable; among those invited, who didn't possess some standing? The Meng family wasn't some insignificant clan either.

"Holy hell!" Jun Mo Xie let out a drawn-out shriek, beginning to roll up his sleeves and preparing to charge forward, stripping off his outer garment: "Who the hell are you calling out?! Do you know who you’re talking to? Damn it! What are you looking at? What's so great about looking! Look again, look again and I’ll gouge your eyeballs out and stuff them up your ass, believe it or not?!"

Young Master Jun stood rigidly, veins bulging high on his neck, teeth clenched, eyes narrowed, spittle flying.

The oil-haired, powdered youth Meng Fei never dreamed that just by standing there and stealing a couple of glances, he would invite such unprovoked disaster. Everyone else looked, so why was he the one to suffer? He was so thoroughly drenched in this torrent of foul abuse that he nearly spat blood, his face burning red. He stammered several times, so enraged he couldn't form words.

"Forget it! Third Young Master, why bother lowering yourself to the level of these vulgar commoners!" Fatty Tang interceded quickly, appearing magnanimous.

Now it was his turn to act. Having been scoundrel friends for so long, Fatty Tang and Jun Mo Xie coordinated with seamless perfection. He grabbed Jun Mo Xie's arm: "Save some energy; we still need to astonish everyone in the Jin Jian Hall later! Let’s display our peerless talent. Perhaps His Majesty will be pleased and grant us the positions of Prime Minister or Grand Tutor so we can enjoy a taste of officialdom."

"That’s true!" Jun Mo Xie smoothed his hair and tossed it back with an air of supreme vanity. "I won't soil my hands with such common folk!"

Their synchronized performance gave everyone nearby a powerful, violent urge to vomit: Them displaying peerless talent and astonishing the masses? Becoming Prime Ministers or Grand Tutors? I swear to God, what the—

What does it mean when a donkey doesn't know how long its own face is? Today, I’ve truly seen it. I've learned something new today.

"Jun Mo Xie! What is the meaning of this! Do you think I'm easy to bully?" The oil-haired Meng Fei, after being speechless for a long moment, finally managed to gasp out a furious roar.

"Everyone, did you see that! He's the one picking a fight, so don't blame me!" Jun Mo Xie spread his hands with the innocent look of a victim: "I originally intended to let it go, as we are all acquaintances who have arrived here; we aren't outsiders, right everyone? A single look should have been enough, but this fellow refuses to let it go! Where is this place? This is the Imperial Palace! And he dares to roar like this here. Hmph hmph, are you plotting rebellion, boy? Or is the Meng family planning to overthrow the throne?"

The crowd collectively fainted. Too shameless! Absolutely too shameless! Even if it were a fabricated charge, this one was too outlandish.

"You—you—absurd nonsense!" Meng Fei was nearly fainting from anger, his body trembling like a leaf in the wind.

The Great Dandy Jun paid him no mind. He strode forward, swinging both hands right and left, delivering a series of crisp, resounding slaps. Following that, he stomped his foot onto the small of the abdomen, the move clean and practiced.

Caught completely off guard, and never imagining this rogue would actually dare to start a brawl in the Imperial Palace, Meng Fei was instantly stunned, seeing a flash of gold and stars before doubling over like a shrimp, clutching his stomach. Young Master Jun, never one to show mercy to a fallen dog, didn't miss the opportunity! He leaped up, yelling an odd cry of "Oh yeah!" before slamming him heavily onto the ground with a bang. Then, Young Master Jun's two legs began to whirl like a cyclone, descending upon Meng Fei's face!

Before long, the oil-haired, powdered Young Master Meng had been beaten into a swollen mess, his face nearly as fat as Tang Yuan’s!

The crowd immediately surged with uproar; this Jun Mo Xie was too lawless!

"Enough, Young Master Jun, if you can spare someone, then spare them!" A youth with undisguised annoyance grabbed Jun Mo Xie just as he was about to bring his foot down again.

The crowd saw that there was a show to watch. These were all members of the oldest families in the capital, waiting to see the foremost dandy, Jun Mo Xie, make his exit!

"Who the hell are you? Is this your place to speak? Who do you think you are? Do you even know what crime this Meng boy committed? You want to jump in and play the hero for no reason? Are you tired of living?"

Jun Mo Xie squinted, straightened up, leaned his body sideways, twisting his hip, forming a shape like a '—', with one hand on his hip, his head cocked, looking like a giant teapot.

"I am Murong Qianli! The third-generation descendant of the Murong family!" The richly dressed youth spoke with an air of pride, lifting his chin slightly, looking down his nose at Jun Mo Xie, speaking slowly in the pretentious tone Jun Mo Xie loathed most: "Young Master Jun San, hehe, perhaps... you could grant me some face? It was merely a misunderstanding; shall we let bygones be bygones?"

"Holy cow! The Murong family! You scared me stiff! Fatty, quick, save me! I can't breathe from the shock!"

Young Master Jun leaped up with an exaggerated show of over-the-top shock, patting his chest as if his heart was about to leap out. Then, in a sudden shift, his face hardened, changing masks as quickly as wearing one: "You're trying to scare me?! Using the Murong family to pressure me?! Tsk tsk. Tsk tsk tsk..."

Jun Mo Xie circled Murong Qianli twice, stretching out his neck, grinning, teeth clenched: "Ha! Ha! Ha! Murong Qianli, you think you’re tough, huh? The Murong family, what a grand name. Heh heh, do you know who your young master is?"

Before Murong Qianli could reply, Jun Mo Xie spoke in a singsong, mocking tone: "Do you think the Murong family is more formidable than my Jun family? Hehe, you’re so young yet you can represent the Murong family? Holy crap! That’s amazing! It seems the Murong family is teaming up with the Meng family to rebel and overthrow our Tianxiang! I understand now!" Jun Mo Xie nodded gravely.

"I didn't say I represented the Murong family! Nor did I say anything about rebellion! Don't spread rumors here! Jun Mo Xie, your trick might work on others, but it won't work on me." Murong Qianli glanced sideways; several of his clan brothers were already looking at him strangely, so he quickly explained loudly, "I never said I represented the Murong family!"

"If you can't represent the Murong family, then why the hell did you jump out? Damn it! I must be a failure as a person; every stray cat and dog wants to come and bully me! It truly removes all joy from life, damn it."

Jun Mo Xie suddenly sighed, then his eyebrows shot up: "Since you can't represent the Murong family, why are you strutting around here pretending to be some big-tailed donkey? Get lost! Look! Try looking at me one more time! Believe it or not, I'll castrate you right now so you can find your next meal without even leaving this Imperial Palace? Get out of here now! Damn it!"

Young Master Jun's arrogance and insolence finally provoked the general anger. The assembled scholars and young masters began to criticize him in a torrent of words. Jun Mo Xie stood with his hands on his hips, ready for anyone. Right in front of the great hall of the Imperial Palace, his spirit was mountainous, verbally battling all the talented men! Filthy language erupted like wine; vulgar market slang flowed unendingly; his voice grew louder and louder, the spittle flew thicker and faster, yet he did not yield an inch.

As the poem goes: Let a thousand armies and ten thousand horses charge—I stand firm against the torrent!

Another poem praises: Brow coldly facing a thousand pointing fingers, and swearing back with a single mouth!

Fatty Tang gazed at the lean yet tall silhouette of Third Young Master Jun with infinite admiration, constantly praising: That eloquence! That quick thinking! Truly agile, truly formidable! Truly... hopeless; only one phrase can describe it: A child eating candy and chewing! (Brilliant!)

The voices mingled, the public sentiment grew heated, and the noise outside the main hall grew until it resembled a bustling marketplace. It looked as if a mass brawl was about to erupt.

"Insolence! This is the sacred grounds of the Imperial Palace! Who dares to cause such a ruckus here? Have you all lost your heads?" A stern voice suddenly rang out, like the sound of a temple bell in the evening mist—deafening and resounding!

The group, who had been happily bickering, looked up, and every single person let out an exclamation of shock: All the high officials of the court, including the elderly masters of every family, stood there with darkened faces; frost could have gathered visibly on each of their visages.

"What decorum!" Old Master Dugu Zongheng roared, as if eager to stir up even more chaos.

The younger generation all wore crestfallen expressions, heads hung low, hating Jun Mo Xie to the absolute limit in their hearts: All the image they had painstakingly built was lost in one morning because of this fellow, completely exposed to the eyes of the esteemed elders—sigh!

(Sigh, another all-nighter, going to sleep now. The third chapter isn't finished. I’ll get up this afternoon and continue striving. (To be continued))