The Rejected Genius Son-In-Law Of The King's Mansion

The Competition

Minutes later, Lucien emerged through the door from the backyard, a piece of fabric in his hand. Mr. Chao took it and was astonished. "This fabric is indeed brighter than the other," he remarked, his eyes wide with wonder.

"Prepare the two thousand gold coins," Mr. Chao instructed his servants.

"Yes, sir," they replied in unison, hurrying off to fulfill the request.

Once the coins were brought forth, Mr. Chao turned to Lucien. "Now, please share the formula with me."

"Of course," Lucien said, revealing the secret to creating the golden yellow fabric. "I wish you the best in overtaking the Zhang Company in the fabric business."

Mr. Chao nodded, intrigued by the formula. "Verify this formula," he told his head staff.

Thirty minutes later, the staff member returned with a new piece of fabric. "It's successful, sir. The fabric turned out perfectly."

Mr. Chao smiled, satisfied. "Thank you, Lucien. Here's your payment." He handed Lucien the box of gold coins.

Just as Lucien was about to leave, a loud voice echoed from the entrance. "How dare you!" Mr. Zhang thundered, storming into the premises, Emma Zhang following closely behind him.

"Word reached me that you were betraying me, I rushed here to see for myself. How dare you steal my golden yellow formula and sell it to my competitor?" Mr. Zhang barked out in anger as he closed in on Lucien.

Lucien was shocked, not knowing what to say, so he looked at Mr. Chao to defend him. But Mr. Chao, knowing his reputation was at stake if news got out that he sided with a betrayer like Lucien to steal the Zhang company's secret formula, replied, "Sorry, Lucien. My son is studying at the Turtle Pool Martial Arts Academy, and the new son-in-law of the Zhang family, Mr. Damien Lee, is the guard commander of Mystical Dragon City, and his father is even the head of New Leaf County, so my hands are tied."

Lucien's face darkened, and he took a deep breath. He thought to himself, "So Mr Chao is trying to use me for his son's success in exams and later make business with the Zhang family."

Mr. Zhang pointed at Lucien and said, "You have no shame, Lucien. We welcomed you into our home, and you ended up stealing a priceless artifact to sell. Now you steal my new secret formula?"

Emma also spoke, her voice filled with tears. "That's really shameful of you, Lucien. If you needed money, you should have just informed me."

Just then, the officials stepped in, and Mr. Zhang turned to them. "Prestigious officials, my former son-in-law decided to take revenge for the fact that we threw him out of our family for his misconduct by stealing our secret formula and exposing it to our competitors, proving that he was just a tyrant before we threw him out."

The officials turned to Lucien and asked if he pleaded guilty to this crime. Lucien remained silent, and Emma pretended to defend him. "Lucien, I know you couldn't stand being abandoned by me, that's why you went a little bit astray. Just confess to this crime, and we might just regard it as an intellectually disabled case."

Lucien stood there for a while, his eyes closed. He thought to himself, "The Zhang family is amazing at their schemes. They make themselves look righteous and play the victims in front of everyone, but they have underestimated me."

Suddenly, he burst into laughter, leaving everyone confused. "You think you can trap me with your schemes?" Lucien's laughter echoed through the premises, his eyes gleaming with a hint of mischief.

The officials, Mr. Zhang, Emma, and even Mr. Chao looked at him, unsure of what to make of his reaction. Lucien's laughter seemed to signal that he was far from defeated, and that this was far from over.

Lucien's eyes locked onto Mr. Zhang, his voice firm. "You're blaming me for committing a crime. What evidence do you have against me?"

Mr. Zhang sneered, his tone condescending. "That's easy; You're just a nobody, intellectually incapable of even reading a single word. How can you be the author of the formula? Meanwhile, my family and I have been the producers of this fabric for years. What else do you think I need to show as evidence?”

Lucien smiled, his eyes still beaming with determination. "So you're just simply saying you don't have any physical evidence?"

He turned to the officials, his voice confident. "Respectable officials, I'd like to prove myself innocent by challenging Mr. Zhang to a live contest. If I produce a golden yellow silk that's better than this fabric, then you'll see that I'm innocent."

Emma Zhang intervened, her pretentious voice sweet but condescending. "Don't be stupid, Lucien. It's completely possible to produce golden yellow fabric better than that. As a matter of fact, we already have the formula, so you can't use that as an excuse to deny your crime."

Lucien's smile didn't waver. "Okay, then we won't only compare golden yellow. We'll also compare purple." He knew that purple was a color that hadn't been discovered yet in this world, and the fabric industry had been struggling to produce it.

Even Great nations that concentrated on fabric and silk could only come up with pale purple which faded quickly.

The Zhang family exchanged worried glances, but Emma's expression remained calm. "If you're able to produce a better purple than the Zhang family, then we have nothing to say."

Lucien's eyes sparkled with amusement. "What do you mean by 'nothing to say'? You will have to apologize to me, and your father will have to apologize to me as well."

Emma's voice was firm. "Accepted."

Lucien's smile grew wider. "Let's limit it to three hours and see who emerges the winner."

The officials nodded, their faces serious. "The competition is on. We'll invite the top fabric experts to judge the case."

With that, the two opposition parties separated to start the competition, each determined to emerge victorious. Lucien's confidence was palpable, and the Zhang family's composure was beginning to crack. The stage was set for a thrilling showdown.