He had intended to spend the two days of the holiday slacking off at the manor, but that very night, a servant from the Marquis Estate arrived on a swift horse with news.
Just as Xue You and Xie Kaiji were present, the servant knelt the moment he saw Xiao Yanshi. “Heir, several elders of the clan, including the Second and Third Uncles, arrived at the estate this afternoon. They are threatening to use family law to punish you.”
Before Xiao Yanshi could speak, Xie Kaiji frowned. “What Second and Third Uncle? And what manner of ‘family law’ is this?!”
It was no wonder Xie Kaiji said this; even Xiao Yanshi was momentarily dazed when he first heard it. The current Marquis, Xiao Mingquan, was from the main branch, and he had two younger half-brothers who had moved out over a decade ago, living in the South and West cities of Jiangling, respectively. One had entered officialdom, and the other practiced Taoism. Because the late Marquis had been biased when the estate was divided, both branches had walked away with nearly eighty percent of the family assets. Even so, the two branches had remained estranged from the main line; after the old Marquis passed, they hadn’t even visited during festivals. Over time, Xiao Yanshi had almost forgotten he had such relatives.
Yet, here they were, suddenly showing up with the elders of the clan, which felt utterly baffling to Xiao Yanshi. Especially when they threatened to use “family law” on him.
“Reporting to the Prince, the masters claimed the Heir is unruly and lawless that without parental consent, you presumed to seek marriage with a man of… unknown origin,” the servant replied, swallowing the words “of unknown origin” he had been chewing on. He continued quickly, “They said the Heir is not only disrespectful to the rites and laws but also reckless with the family name. They had already written to the Marquis several days ago, and from the sound of it, they seem to have dragged up the old grudges with the Princess’s Estate as well.”
“Rites and laws?” Xiao Yanshi scoffed. “As if they are the ones qualified to teach me rites!”
“Heir, it is not that I failed to distinguish what was urgent, but those people arrived with an aggressive demeanor to demand accountability. Not only did they anger the eldest Young Master until he fainted, but they also… collided with the young Mistress, causing her to nearly lose the little heir in her womb!”
The servant was coated in the grime of the journey. Upon hearing this, Xiao Yanshi’s grip tightened, and the wooden corner of the table near him was snapped clean off. “What did you say!”
Xiao Yanzhi was already in poor health and required careful nurturing throughout the winter. He had finally shown signs of improvement this year, only to be harmed again by these short-sighted fools. Without another word, Xiao Yanshi raced out of the manor and galloped toward the estate.
Xue You’s worry was evident. He turned to Xie Kaiji. “Could the Prince lend me a swift horse?”
Xie Kaiji’s expression remained unchanged, though he was surprised to see the Third Young Master Xue so concerned for Xiao Yanshi. He said nothing more, simply stating: “I will go back with you. Xiao the Second has a foul temper; if I don’t watch him, I fear he might beat those people to death.”
Xiao Yanshi galloped all the way. As he reached the city gate, he saw an estate servant waiting, who chased after him in a panic. “Heir, the eldest Young Master is fine; the young Mistress was only frightened, and both mother and child are unharmed… The eldest Young Lady was afraid you would be anxious upon hearing the news, so she asked me to wait here to report.”
“My brother is awake?” Xiao Yanshi’s veins stood out on the back of his hands; his fury only deepened on the journey. The servant felt things were taking a turn for the worse but dared not lie, answering honestly, “The eldest Young Master has not woken… but the physician said it was merely anger-induced fainting, and he will be fine after resting for a few days.”
Xiao Yanshi pulled the reins, guiding his horse straight through the gate.
A few moments later, Xiao Yanshi strode into the Marquis Estate, heading straight for the floral hall. Just as he suspected, the hall was crowded, with seven or eight people sitting or standing, and three or four silver-haired elders seated in the seats of honor. The moment they saw him enter, they began their interrogation: “Jingyun, you run off the moment you have a holiday! Before even bringing that Third Young Master through the door, you are already carousing with him—this is truly a loss of decorum! You should…”
Before the words were finished, Xiao Yanshi raised his whip and brought it down hard. A young man nearby who had been whispering gleefully about the misfortune was struck squarely on his spine by the whip. The crack of the whip was sharp, and the young man shrieked, shrinking to the side in pain. His movement was so abrupt that he stepped on the feet of the two men beside him, sending them sprawling.
“Ouch!”
“…You’re crushing my foot!”
“…Third Brother, get off me, you’re killing me…”
Xiao Yanshi’s strike was ruthless and unexpected. The surrounding crowd scattered in a panic, fearing he had “gone mad,” and the floral hall dissolved into chaos.
“Shut up!”
“Third branch, get up! What kind of display is this on the floor!”
The elder at the head spoke. The men below scrambled to pull one another up, dragging the fallen men off the ground through the shoving.
Everyone kept a distance of three feet from Xiao Yanshi, exactly as he wanted. He pulled over a chair, sat in the center of the hall, and flicked his whip. “Second Great-Uncle, it has been years. The moment you arrive, you want to lecture me on decorum…”
Xiao Yanshi lifted his eyes, his expression indifferent. “I would like to ask you: who gave you the right to break into my Marquis Estate, cause my brother to faint, and collide with my sister-in-law?… I want to ask who is responsible for this lack of decorum!”
Murderous intent flickered in Xiao Yanshi’s eyes. “Who exactly collided with my sister-in-law and caused my brother to faint? If you don’t want to be dragged to the government office, stand out now!”
In just a few short sentences, everyone present was terrified. The two young men of Xiao Yanshi’s age were particularly shaken—one hunched over like a quail, the other grimacing in pain from his back, not daring to let out a sound.
Xiao Yanshi didn’t need them to identify themselves; he knew who they were at a glance. His Second Uncle, Xiao Mingcheng, had lived in retreat for twenty years. With one wife and one concubine, his only son and daughter with his wife had died young; now, he had only a daughter born to his concubine. Xiao Mingcheng sat in his Taoist robes, in the first seat on the right. He hadn’t opened his mouth since Xiao Yanshi entered, his eyes closed as if in deep meditation. Xiao Yanshi swept a glance over him without much thought.
His Third Uncle, Xiao Mingfeng, wore a gold-flecked indigo robe, looking ostentatious and wealthy. Since the division of the family estate, he had secured a lucrative post in the Ministry of Rites through the late Marquis, and while he hadn’t climbed high in rank, he had, according to Xiao Yanshi’s knowledge, amassed a significant fortune. He had three sons and two daughters—only his youngest son was legitimate; the other four were born to concubines. The youngest son was only ten and hadn’t come to the estate today. Naturally, the identities of these two youths were clear.
Xiao Ping and Xiao Chu. In terms of age, they were actually older than Xiao Yanshi.
But the moment Xiao Yanshi began his assault, the two men huddled away. Xiao Chu was nursing his back, while Xiao Ping was like a startled bird. Xiao Mingfeng was already gnashing his teeth. Seeing Xiao Yanshi preparing to deal with his two treasures, he pointed a finger and berated: “Ping-er and Chu-er are your older brothers! You heartless thing, how dare you raise a hand against them!”
The room fell into silence. Xiao Yanshi tilted his head, his gaze light, yet it made Xiao Mingfeng’s courage falter. “You… do you intend to whip me too?! I am your elder!”
Xiao Yanshi laughed, as if he had heard an absurd joke. “Third Uncle, what are you afraid of? I am not a heartless person… I am merely teaching my two cousins a lesson so they don’t disturb my brother and sister-in-law in the future. Why are you all so terrified? It makes me feel embarrassed.”
He flicked his whip. Xiao Ping and Xiao Chu trembled and retreated several more steps. Xiao Yanshi shook his head. “It was only one lash. The blades of the Northern Di barbarians are far heavier; one strike is enough to cleave a person in two. If my two cousins were on the battlefield, they would have been sent to meet Yama before they even drew their swords.”
His words were disjointed. Xiao Mingfeng heard them and said instinctively, “The… Northern Di barbarians can’t reach Jiangling. Besides, Ping-er and Chu-er don’t need to go to the battlefield. No matter how powerful the barbarians are, it has nothing to do with us… stop trying to frighten us with them.”
“Nothing to do with it?” Xiao Yanshi rested his arms on the chair’s armrests, looking undisturbed. “My two cousins came to my Marquis Estate and collided with my brother and sister-in-law; it seems they have strength to spare. I shall satisfy their wishes and request an edict from His Majesty to send them to the Northern Frontier to broaden their horizons…”
The moment he said this, not only Xiao Mingfeng, but Xiao Ping and Xiao Chu turned ash-gray. “Heir, don’t speak such nonsense… we can’t even lift a sword or spear, let alone fight on a battlefield. Going there is just throwing our lives away…”
“Exactly! How could my sons fight those reckless barbarians? They are meant to take the imperial examinations—a military man’s killing is not for them!”
By now, everyone present understood Xiao Yanshi’s intent: he was using Xiao Ping and Xiao Chu to discipline Xiao Mingfeng. Xiao Mingfeng’s youngest son was only ten, and whether he would survive to adulthood was another matter. While Xiao Ping and Xiao Chu had no talent, they were his biological sons, treated like treasures. If they were truly sent to the battlefield by Xiao Yanshi, their lives would be forfeit!
Xiao Mingfeng immediately crumbled, hurriedly begging for mercy. “Jingyun—no, Heir, show mercy! Don’t send my sons to the Northern Frontier. They are the only two adult children I have. If anything happens to them, how can I face your grandfather in the afterlife!”
Tsk, playing the grandfather card again.
Xiao Yanshi shook his head, looking helpless. “Does Third Uncle mean that I have ill intentions and wish to harm my two cousins?”
He put on a show of being heartbroken. “Though I have been in the Northern Frontier these years, I have heard that my cousins have failed their examinations repeatedly. I figured they lacked affinity for the path of the scholar… so why not let them try the martial arts path? Perhaps in two years, they will return with great glory…”
As Xiao Yanshi went on, the three men looked like ash. “Heir…”
“Third Uncle doesn’t trust me? If you can’t trust anyone else, surely you can trust me? My cousins will not suffer in the Northern Frontier. Since we are relatives, I will naturally ‘take care’ of them well. Third Uncle, rest assured…”
It was precisely because Xiao Yanshi promised to “take care” of them that Xiao Mingfeng felt a chill run through his bones. He saw it clearly: Xiao Yanshi was threatening and intimidating them. If things didn’t go his way, he’d follow through. That “taking care of them” was surely a conspiracy to bury Xiao Ping and Xiao Chu in a trap!
“Enough! Jingyun, stop scaring your Third Uncle,” the elder at the head of the table spoke up. “We did not come today to argue with you…”
The speaker was the clan elder, and by rank, Xiao Yanshi should have called him Second Great-Uncle. But Xiao Yanshi asked a rhetorical question: “I recall that no matter who it is, one must submit a calling card to enter my Marquis Estate. I know Second and Third Uncle, so I will let that slide… but as for the others, please forgive my poor eyesight, I truly do not know who you are… Guards!”
“Heir!” The butler entered respectfully.
“As the butler, you allowed irrelevant people to trespass, disturbing the masters; you should indeed be punished.” Xiao Yanshi stood up and glanced at the butler. “Do you have any explanation?”
“Reporting to the Heir, I am guilty; I ask for the Heir’s punishment!” The butler was composed and did not beg for mercy, which surprised those present.
But Xiao Yanshi gave them no time to buffer, simply raising his hand. “Go take thirty lashes yourself. As for those on duty today, let them receive twenty lashes each and a month’s docked pay.”
“Yes, Heir!” The butler turned and left.
Xiao Yanshi looked back up at the top. “The one who makes the decisions in this estate is Xiao Mingquan. If you wish to charge me with a crime, let him do it. As for the rest… who would dare?!”
His words caused the Second Great-Uncle to stagger. The Xiao clan was withering; with the main line of Xiao Mingquan gone to the Northern Frontier, and only the sickly Xiao Yanzhi left behind, black-hearted people had always wanted to take advantage and pick up benefits from the Marquis Estate but could never find the right opportunity.
When the incident with Xiao Yanshi arose, they couldn’t sit still. After consulting each other, they hurriedly came to the estate. It was just Xiao Yanshi’s luck that he had gone to the manor outside the city, and they had missed him.
Xiao Yanzhi was a scholar and rarely dealt with the messy, complex affairs of a large family; after only a few words, he was angered until he fainted. And coincidentally, the young Mistress was pregnant she hadn’t known it herself. With her husband fainting and the group interrogating her with such aggression, as a weak woman, she couldn’t take the shock, nearly losing the baby in her womb.
Xiao Yanshi had been away; for years, Xiao Yanzhi had barely propped up the massive estate, and Xiao Yanshi felt guilty enough. Now, this group had stretched their claws toward his home with such deceitful hearts. How could he swallow his anger!
Not driving them out with whips and sticks was already an exercise of his remaining reason, out of fear of bringing catastrophe to his crumbling estate.
The group rushed out, one pulling the other for fear of being “dealt with” by Xiao Yanshi if they walked too slowly, leaving only Xiao Mingcheng walking slowly.
Xiao Yanshi watched his back, which retained a somewhat ethereal, Taoist grace, and a thought flashed through his mind. As the man was about to step over the threshold, Xiao Yanshi suddenly said: “Given your habit of living in seclusion for years, Second Uncle, you shouldn’t have wanted to come today. Why did you join in the fray?”
Xiao Mingcheng stepped over the threshold, paused, and after a long moment, said leisurely: “Human desires are never satisfied… it is difficult to hold oneself aloof…”
He finished and walked away slowly.
The estate returned to silence. Xiao Yanshi returned to the floral hall, sitting alone for a while until the sound of footsteps echoed.
He slowly lifted his head, a figure standing in the corridor.
With an elegant, handsome bearing that made him lower his eyes slightly.