At these words, everyone's gaze fell upon Ye Jinghe, and Pei Qingyan's eyes were especially heavy with contemplation.
If the punishment were too light, Pei Qingyan would not let it pass easily; but if it were too heavy, Ye Jinghe would have no place left to stand in the family school!
In truth, Pei Qingyan knew full well that this had nothing to do with Ye Jinghe, yet he still vented his anger on him.
Had anything gone wrong today, most of the younger generation of the Pei family would have been lost—he and his brothers would have been ashamed to face their ancestors!
Pei Qingyan stared at Ye Jinghe, waiting for him to propose an inappropriate punishment so he could deal with him properly.
Ye Jinghe thought for a moment—so long that Pei Qingyan could not help but urge him on—before he finally spoke slowly:
"This student believes that rather than punishment, there should be reward."
"You—!"
Pei Qingyan nearly slammed the table and rose to his feet, his iron ruler raised high. Pei Qinghe quickly grabbed him:
"Now, now, it's not that serious. He's still a child—children speak without thinking, without thinking!"
Pei Qingyan's eyes were red with fury as he threw the iron ruler heavily to the ground and spat hatefully:
"Speak! Tell me what reward you propose! If you can't give me a proper reason tonight, you'll get out of the Pei estate before dawn—our family can't accommodate such a great Buddha as you!"
Pei Qingyan was so enraged that he spoke without thinking, but Ye Jinghe remained unruffled as he said:
"Just now, Fourteenth Master said that our fellow students acted with great righteousness, and you did not refute it, Master. I take it you agree with that assessment."
Pei Qingyan let out a cold "Ha," his breath carrying shards of ice that pierced the heart, but Ye Jinghe was not intimidated and continued:
"Since Changfeng entered the Pei estate, I have observed that all the masters and young masters are persons of noble character and upright conduct. I imagine that with the Pei family's upbringing, had you been present, Master, you too would have been willing to go and lend a hand, would you not?"
Pei Qingyan found himself unable to say yes or no. Ye Jinghe looked up at him:
"Would you say this matter deserves a reward?"
"What about them not caring at all for their own safety?! The son of a thousand gold does not sit beneath a crumbling eave; the gentleman does not stand beneath a perilous wall!"
"That is precisely the second reason they should be rewarded."
Pei Qingyan laughed—a purely exasperated laugh:
"What, you all risk your lives, and still you want a reward?"
"Punishment is not the goal but the means. You could reward us students by having us rise early each morning from tomorrow to build our strength—running, holding horse stances, and the like.
First, physical training is exhausting and serves as a reminder. Second, I have heard that during the imperial examinations, frail students sometimes faint before they can even finish writing their answers. This would be a way to prepare in advance.
In this way, it is both reward and punishment—daily training that will keep the lesson fresh in our minds while greatly benefiting both body and spirit. What does Master think?"
"You! You! You!"
Pei Qingyan jabbed his finger angrily at Ye Jinghe:
"Fine! Very well! I never realized you had such a silver tongue! We'll do as you say—from tomorrow, you'll all arrive half an hour early and hold horse stances! And now, every one of you, come up here and receive ten strikes of the ruler!"
When Pei Qingyan said this, some wanted to intercede, but he glared them back into silence:
"Anyone who doesn't like it, take your son home—I don't have room for such great Buddhas here!"
At that, everyone quietly sat back down. Ye Jinghe stepped forward, picked up the iron ruler, held it with both hands, and lowered his eyes to murmur:
"Please administer the punishment, Master!"
Pei Qingyan did not hold back, treating everyone alike. Before long, the empty family school courtyard echoed with a series of "smack, smack" sounds from the ruler, along with a cacophony of wails, howls, suppressed sobs, and groans.
After the last student had received his punishment, Pei Qingyan rubbed his forehead and pointed at the group of red-eyed, sniffling students, saying coldly:
"Now. Immediately. Take these little ancestors of yours home!"
Pei Changli was the first to force a smile, hoisting Pei Peng and Pei Cheng up with a kick at each:
"Eighth Brother, we'll be off now!"
Once they were out the estate gates, Pei Changli let out a snort:
"Tsk, you've all gotten quite capable. Pei Peng, lift your head up and tell me the truth! Did you start this whole thing today?"
Pei Peng put on the same ingratiating smile:
"Father, what are you talking about? That was Pei Du—"
"Don't give me that! The tricks you're pulling now are the ones I've long since retired! Pei Cheng, you tell me—who started it?"
"My brother."
Pei Cheng said honestly, and Pei Peng's heart tightened as he watched Pei Changli's big hand reach toward him. He couldn't help but close his eyes:
"Father, go easy on me…"
But the next moment, Pei Changli simply ruffled his hair:
"What you did today was a good thing, but don't do it again. If something like this ever truly happens, you should at least bring people with you."
Pei Peng's eyes went wide with disbelief. Pei Changli smiled:
"What, surprised your old man isn't so unreasonable after all? Boy… from now on, learn from Changfeng! You have no idea how furious your Eighth Uncle was before you all came back—and yet that Changfeng managed to soothe him with just a few words."
Pei Peng looked at his swollen left hand and cast a resentful glance at his father. This was what he called "soothed"?
"What are you looking at? That's only ten strokes, and it's the left hand. When I was a child, my tutor hit my right hand until my palm swelled up high, like it was stuffed full of blood under the skin. Even then, I still had to tremble and write large characters. That feeling, that agony…"
Pei Peng and Pei Cheng both shuddered in unison and fell silent.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Pei Qinghe led Pei Du and Changfeng out of the family school without a word of reproach, but Pei Du's heart was heavy with grief.
He would rather his father lose his temper like Fourteenth Uncle, even yank him up off the ground—anything but this cold, indifferent silence as they walked side by side.
It was as if he and his father were strangers bound only by blood, with not a shred of father-son affection between them.
"Master, today's matter is Changfeng's fault. As for the earlier matter of the written agreement…"
Pei Qinghe snapped back to attention, his mind still replaying the moment when Pei Du had stepped forward to take responsibility for Ye Jinghe.
That child he had barely looked at when he was born had grown into a little man right under his nose, in places he never knew!
Hmph, he was definitely his seed!
"The written agreement proceeds as planned. Do you think I don't know what those youngsters are thinking? This matter has nothing to do with you. Rest easy."
Pei Qinghe waved his hand, his gaze landing on Pei Du, only to find that the boy hadn't even glanced at him, merely pressing his lips together.
"Du'er, tomorrow I'll assign you two servants trained in martial arts. You're getting older now, and the estate can no longer contain you. Only one thing—wherever you go, never put yourself in danger."
His mother's prophecy about the stars all those years ago had driven father and son this far apart, and yet… even he didn't know how to bridge the distance between them.
"Yes, your son will heed your teachings."
Pei Du replied with proper deference. Pei Qinghe opened his mouth, then waved his hand:
"Enough. You may go. I have other matters to attend to."
Pei Qinghe stood at the fork in the path, turned, and headed back to the front courtyard. Pei Du slowly raised his head, and after a long moment, asked softly:
"Changfeng, why didn't Father show even a hint of disappointment in me? Is it… that he never had any hope for me to begin with?"
The sky had grown dim, and the last vestiges of hazy light cast jagged, clawing shadows from the rockeries along the path.
And now the shadow Pei Du cast beneath the rockery seemed to be entangled and devoured by that darkness, slowly pulled into the black.
Just then, Pei Du felt a layer of warmth cover his ice-cold hand:
"Young Master, there are many kinds of kinship in this world. There are those like Fourteenth Master and Young Master Pei Peng—close as father and son, yet bickering their whole lives. And there are those like the Master and you—quietly watching, yet poor with words. If you want something, Young Master, wallowing in self-pity won't do. If you're too embarrassed to speak to the Master, there's still the Madam.
At your age, this isn't the time to bottle things up inside. Some matters are precisely the ones you should let the adults worry their heads over!"
"Huh?"
Pei Du's earlier awkwardness eased somewhat at Ye Jinghe's words, and only then did he speak again, like a drenched puppy, his tone forlorn:
"Changfeng, stop trying to comfort me. How could Father possibly be quietly watching over me?"
"If the Master weren't quietly watching over you, why would he sit there with you for so long? As the helmsman of the Pei family, the Master doesn't give his time to just anyone."
Ye Jinghe's soothing words slipped into Pei Du's ears and settled into his heart, and he couldn't help but waver:
"Is that really so…"
"…Whether it's true or not, that's for you to discover slowly, Young Master. But if you don't let go of my hand soon, it's really going to turn into braised pork knuckle!"
Pei Du snapped back to attention and realized he was still gripping Ye Jinghe's injured hand. He quickly released it and murmured:
"Changfeng, why didn't you remind me…"
Ye Jinghe shook his head. He watched coldly—if he hadn't talked the Young Master through today's events, the capricious, willful male lead from the book would have emerged ahead of schedule.
But right now, he was still that boy who was usually somewhat timid yet dependable in critical moments. Walking that path would be too exhausting, too bitter.
The female lead's redemption was still a long twenty years away. How was he supposed to get through that stretch of time?
Out of guilt, after returning to Xingjian Courtyard, Pei Du ordered food for the first time, and so… Ye Jinghe received a braised pork knuckle.
"Changfeng, eat up! They say like cures like—I wronged you just now, so let's eat together. Om—"
Pei Du took a big bite of the soft, glutinous, springy pork knuckle, rich sauce dripping from the corner of his mouth, while the savory aroma of the meat whetted the appetite.
Ye Jinghe couldn't resist either and ate a whole one himself. The natural richness of the fat wrapped in savory sauce opened his appetite—this was also the first time since he'd transmigrated that he'd eaten something so rich and heavily sauced!
Delicious!
When the meal was done, both of them had eaten until their bellies were round and sat in their chairs digesting, when Wenxin's voice came from outside.
"Auntie Wenxin, please come in!"
The voice arrived before the person. Wenxin's concerned tone floated in:
“Is the young master alright? The lady heard about what happened at the family school and sent me to check on you. She also asked me to bring you this ointment for swelling and bruising. Changfeng, this one is yours.”
Wenxin produced two boxes of ointment and handed them over with a beaming smile. Pei Du's eyes sparkled as he recalled what Ye Jinghe had said not long ago, and he immediately spoke up:
"Auntie Wenxin, would it be alright if I go to Mother's place tomorrow morning for breakfast?"
Wenxin was instantly delighted and replied at once:
"Of course! The lady will be so happy! Oh, and tomorrow, the lady's close friend, the Marquise of Qingyang, will be coming to visit. The marquise has also been thinking of the young master for quite some time. Would the young master be able to stop by the Jianjia Courtyard at noon?"
Ye Jinghe was completely dazed at this moment, not even catching what Pei Du had said in response.
That Marquise of Qingyang was none other than the female lead's birth mother!