He refused to make things difficult for Pei Ji.
He Zhile was eventually led into the front hall of the He residence.
He lowered his head just as he used to, yet this time he was seated squarely in the position of honor to He Hong’an’s left. The master of the house treated him as if he were someone of immense importance, his expression growing significantly more amiable.
During their previous return visit, He Hong’an had initially assumed that Pei Ji was only protecting this mute son for the sake of appearances. Recently, however, rumors and gossip had reached his ears, all of them claiming just how deeply favored this son of his was by Pei Ji.
This was of immense benefit to both him and the He family.
After all, He Zhile marrying into the Pei estate was a genuine case of climbing high above his station.
He Hong’an knew very well that although he held the title of Marquis of Jing’an, it was entirely an empty office. Compared to the real, substantial power wielded by various members of the Pei clan, he fell far short.
Therefore, he had no choice but to appeal to He Zhile.
Yet he did not consider himself to be begging. He merely viewed it as demanding that his child perform a task for the family, nothing more.
“A-Zhi, you know as well how few male heirs we have in this household. Our only hope rests upon your younger brother. If he can carve out a successful career for himself in the imperial court, it will also serve as a great support to you,” He Hong’an explained painstakingly. “A maternal family with weak influence gives you nothing to lean on, which will only lead the Pei family to treat you poorly. Listen to your father. Go back and tell your husband, and ask your father-in-law to put in a good word for your younger brother.”
This didn’t sound like a plea at all; it was a sheer command.
Chun Jian couldn’t help growing anxious, terrified that his young master might agree to the demand. Though he knew nothing of official titles, he knew well enough that He Yao was an absolute good-for-nothing. Otherwise, why would they ever need to beg others for an official post?
Yet He Hong’an’s words were difficult to pick apart on the surface. Even after marrying out of the family, children remained inextricably bound to their maternal kin.
If the maternal family held power, the married children would also command respect; if the maternal family fell from grace, the lives of those married out might become difficult indeed.
Yet none of this had anything to do with He Zhile.
He listened quietly as He Hong’an analyzed the pros and cons for him, as if the He family scaling new heights would somehow bring him boundless benefits.
Yet the He family hadn’t even fallen into the mud yet, and he had never received a shred of benefit from them. How could he possibly believe these deceitful lies now?
A troubled expression crossed his face as he hesitatingly began to form sign language.
A flicker of delight flashed in Chun Jian’s eyes as he faithfully translated every single word. “The Young Master says, ‘I cannot make the decision on this matter. I will do my utmost to convey Father’s intentions, but as for the outcome, I cannot guarantee it.'”
“I am not asking you to merely try your best; you must make it happen.” He Hong’an’s face turned stern, his eyes locked relentlessly onto every movement the youth made. “I have already laid out the pros and cons for you. Do not be ungrateful, and do not forget who helped you marry Pei Ji in the first place!”
His face darkened, his voice dropping into a cold, sinister tone resembling a venomous snake coiled and ready to strike for blood.
He Zhile trembled all over. He Hong’an had always been ruthless, and lacking the backing of a mother or maternal grandfather, the man would certainly never spare any sympathy for him.
He had never done so in the past, and he certainly wouldn’t start now when he was coercing him.
This matter is not up to me.
He Zhile shook violently, his fingers gripping the fabric over his knees with a deathly hold. Overwhelming terror caused his teeth to chatter, turning the skin around his eyes a burning red.
Yet his second brother had instructed him clearly and firmly: this request must never be accepted.
He Zhile understood He Hong’an well. The man was a bottomless pit of greed; give him an inch and he would take a mile. Once a precedent was set today, he would never be able to refuse him in the future.
He always had to consider Pei Ji’s position.
“Unfilial wretch! You unfilial wretch! I went through all that trouble to satisfy your wish and have you marry into the Pei family, yet you are this ungrateful!” He Hong’an roared, his fury distorting his features as he slammed his palm heavily against the table. “Yao’er is your own younger brother! How can you not wish for him to succeed? Do not think that just because you have married into the Pei estate you can act however you please! If you show not a shred of regard for your maternal family, do not expect the maternal family to shield you in the future!”
He Hong’an’s voice was hoarse and rough, loud enough to ensure that everyone in the He residence could hear, hear just how cold, unfeeling, and ungrateful He Zhile was toward his own family.
Startled by the sudden roar and table-slamming, He Zhile flinched violently, yet he refused to yield an inch.
It wasn’t just He Hong’an who understood the stakes; the Pei family understood them just as well.
Once He Yao entered the Ministry of Personnel, the move would bring far more harm than good to the Pei family, while benefiting the He family. This was something He Zhile could not permit.
He executed a rapid flurry of sign language, and Chun Jian held his breath to translate.
“The Young Master says he has made himself very clear. This matter can only be conveyed, not decided. If you insist on pushing him into a corner, he has no other choice.”
He Zhile had no idea what He Hong’an expected him to do.
This concerned the transfer and appointment of imperial officials; how could it possibly be something he could influence with a few words?
He Hong’an was overestimating him by far too much.
Besides, Pei Ji wasn’t a fool, and neither were the members of the Pei household. Even someone as ignorant of court politics as himself knew that casually shoving people into prominent positions was a foolish endeavor.
“You unfilial wretch!” He Hong’an bellowed, raising his arm high to strike the youth across the face.
Chun Jian immediately leaped forward to block him, shouting loudly, “If our Primary Spouse returns to the estate with injuries, the Fourth Young Master will not let this rest!”
He Hong’an’s hand froze mid-air. He couldn’t hit him, and cursing was useless; he suspected that even if he worked himself half to death with rage, this ungrateful son wouldn’t show a single reaction!
Taking a deep breath, he ground his teeth and said, “Fine! Very well! I will not force you on this matter any further. Since you have come home, go visit your mother’s spirit room and your siblings before you leave.”
With that, he turned on his heel and strode away in giant strides, looking as if the mere sight of He Zhile was enough to anger him to death.
The moment he left, He Zhile trembled even more uncontrollably, collapsing against the back of his chair as if the restraints holding him together had finally snapped. He was drenched in cold sweat, and as a stray breeze swept past, a bone-chilling cold washed over him.
“Young Master.”
He Zhile shook his head gently. It wasn’t the first time he had been scolded like this; he simply never grew accustomed to it.
Still, it mattered little. From now on, he would simply keep his distance.
Resting for a brief moment, he prepared to take Chun Jian and return to the Pei estate. Asking him to greet his stepmother and siblings was clearly an excuse to use their hands to punish him.
Knowing he couldn’t afford to provoke them, He Zhile decided that avoiding them was his best course of action.
Perhaps word had already been passed ahead, because just as He Zhile was about to step out of the front hall, He Ruman and He Ruxi emerged from around the corner.
Escaping now truly proved difficult.
“Stop right there!” He Ruman shouted at the top of his lungs.
The two of them hurried over to stand before him, glaring with bitter hatred as if He Zhile had committed some unforgivable sin against heaven and earth.
“Good one, He Zhile! To think you call yourself an elder brother, yet you refuse to lift a finger to help my older brother! All we asked was for you to put in a good word with Pei Ji, and you act this ungrateful!”
“Don’t forget thanks to whom you were able to marry into the Pei family and climb such a high branch, yet you don’t even know how to repay the favor! How could our He family produce someone like you!”
“I’m warning you, you’d better go clear things up with the Pei family and secure an official post for my brother right now, or else I’ll have Mother smash your mother’s memorial tablet to pieces!”
He Ruman raised his voice in a direct threat, refusing to believe he couldn’t handle a mere smelly mute!
He had been a defeated opponent since childhood, and even after marrying out, he remained no different!
The mention of his mother’s memorial tablet made He Zhile’s heart tighten. He had completely forgotten about that!
Closing his eyes for a brief moment, he cast a cold, expressionless glance at He Ruman, ignored him entirely, and simply stepped around him to walk past.
His mother’s memorial tablet was undoubtedly important, but as long as he, her son, remained alive, a new tablet could be carved at any moment. Matters of statecraft, however, were entirely different.
He didn’t understand the treacherous, calculated maneuvers his second brother spoke of, but his second brother had told him one thing clearly: do not make things difficult for Pei Ji.
And so, he refused to make things difficult for Pei Ji.
“You smelly mute! He Zhile, you’re nothing but a smelly mute! Why weren’t you drowned when you were little! You should have died right along with your mother, you bastard!”
“You’re nothing but a bastard! A little beast! It’s a good thing your mother died early, or she would have been angered to death by you as well! Your mother deserved to die!”
He Zhile stopped dead in his tracks. His hands dug fiercely into the tender flesh of his palms, though the pain couldn’t compare to even a ten-thousandth of the ache in his chest.
That foul mouth needed a proper lesson.
With that thought in mind, he turned abruptly and strode back toward He Ruman. His delicate, refined face was devoid of expression, but his dark, heavy pupils seemed capable of sucking a person into an abyss.
He practically lunged right up to He Ruman, but the habitually domineering He Ruman was hardly one to fear him.
“What are you planning to do? Do you want to hit me? Do you dare? You smelly mute, don’t think marrying into the Pei estate means you can rest easy! You’re nothing but trash! Do you dare hit me? Go ahead, try hitting me!”
He Zhile lowered his gaze to look down at him. Anger and resentment surged through his heart before finally settling into a resolute obedience.
Then, imitating He Hong’an’s gesture, he raised his hand high and brought it down swiftly.
A sharp, resounding slap landed squarely across He Ruman’s face.
Crisp and deafening.
Even his own palm tinged with a dull numbness, yet his spirits felt incomparably refreshed.
He Ruman stood frozen in shock, while He Ruxi shrieked at the top of her lungs, “You smelly mute, how dare you hit my brother! I’ll fight you to the death!”
She lunged forward with claws bared to scratch and claw at He Zhile, while He Ruman snapped out of his daze and joined the fray in a fit of rage, turning the encounter into a chaotic brawl.
Chun Jian shouted angrily at the servants who attempted to step in to help, diving straight into the mix himself. Two against two, victory was still anyone’s game!
Young masters and noble youths alike engaged in the classic battle of hair-pulling and face-scratching.
Everything had happened too abruptly for He Zhile to react immediately. Once he regained his composure, he began employing the self-defense techniques Pei Ji had taught him.
Though a lack of familiarity with the moves left him with a few minor bruises of his own, in truth, the brother and sister suffered far worse injuries!
Watching the two younger siblings sobbing and wailing on the ground, He Zhile took a deep breath and turned away with cold, unfeeling indifference.
“Young Master, if we just leave like this, what about the Mistress’s memorial tablet?” Chun Jian asked nervously. Memorial tablets were vital; what if they really smashed it?
As long as I am still here, Mother’s memorial tablet remains.
Besides, he trusted that his mother certainly wouldn’t wish for her tablet to become a shackle or a weakness holding him back.
His mother would protect him; she wouldn’t bicker over such things.
Chun Jian nodded hastily. “You are the Mistress’s son. A new tablet can always be made to express our grief and remembrance. Who knows, perhaps the Fourth Young Master will even be willing to set up a small ancestral shrine for you! Let’s hurry home, the injuries on your face cannot afford to be neglected!”
Meanwhile.
The moment Pei Ji woke from his nap, he discovered that his husband was nowhere to be found. Yuan Rong told him that he had gone out of the estate with Chun Jian, figuring that with Chun Jian around, nothing untoward could happen.
That was what he thought, until he laid eyes on the injuries on, He Zhile’s face and his disheveled clothing.
Pei Ji drew a slow breath, smiling with a terrifying, saccharine amiability.
“Be a good boy, Zhizhi, and tell me the whole story from start to finish.”
So, I can go burn some houses down.