◎The Young Need Not Respect.◎
Jiu Huan and Mo Lu descended the bridge holding their sentry sticks, and wherever they went, people retreated three paces in fear.
These maids trained in a military official’s household had practiced martial arts since childhood to protect their young mistress. However, before Lin Yuebai married, her mother repeatedly instructed them to speak softly and act kindly toward others in their new household, never resorting to violence. Thus, no one in this family knew of their skills.
The two maids bowed to Chen Laoye. Jiu Huan said, “Don’t worry, Master. The mistress ordered us to watch over An Ge’er. We know our limits and won’t harm them.”
“Ah, good, good.” Chen Laoye nodded with exaggerated politeness.
At this moment, elders from both families helped their own children up and moved down the bridge, converging on Chen Jing Tang. Led by Master Chen the Third with a darkened expression, they confronted him: “These two maids dare to offend their superiors—vicious servants bullying their masters! They should be sent to the authorities for punishment. Guards!”
The two maids simultaneously stepped back one foot into firm stances and raised their sentry sticks again.
Master Chen the Third inexplicably retreated half a step.
Ping’an stepped forward, shielding them. “Uncle, how can you repay kindness with enmity? If not for Sister Jiu Huan and Sister Mo Lu intervening, who knows how badly they would have beaten each other.”
Master Chen the Third, suddenly rebutted by a four-year-old child, turned pale with rage. “You ill-mannered child! How dare you talk back to your elders!”
Ping’an said, “Because my mother taught me yesterday: ‘the young need not respect.'”
The preceding line to “the young need not respect” is “the old deserve no respect.”
“You…” Master Chen the Third nearly choked on his fury.
“Ah, Third Brother, don’t get angry on such a joyous occasion.” Fearful that Ping’an might suffer, Chen Laoye pulled him close. “We should first ask why they were fighting. How can clan brothers from the same lineage resort to armed conflict?”
Master Chen the Third found the phrase “joyous occasion” particularly grating but had no outlet for his anger. He could only glare at the children who had instinctively divided into two groups and demand, “Who threw the first punch?”
“They did!” The troublemakers pointed at each other.
Master Chen the Third pointed at a boy of eleven or twelve. “Pingde, you speak first.”
Chen Pingde was the second son of North Chen’s Second Master and younger brother of Chen Pingye. Hearing his name called, he pointed at the Southern Chen Family boys and accused, “They said our family’s banquet didn’t even have a single guest—utterly humiliating!”
“Isn’t that true?” retorted Chen Pingji, eldest grandson of Southern Chen’s Second Master.
“Aren’t we people?!” Chen Pingde snorted coldly. “My father said your uncle just passed the Ke Examination and is already making such a show of it. He’d better be careful not to fail the Xiang Examination!”
All the disparaging remarks Master Chen the Second had made behind others’ backs came pouring out uncontrollably from his son, leaving him stomping his feet in embarrassment.
Chen Pingji said, “My father also said your brother just killed someone and is throwing a lavish banquet to entertain guests. He’d better watch out for vengeful spirits!”
His father hadn’t managed to stop him either.
Chen Pingde, flushed with anger, blurted out, “My brother didn’t mean to kill anyone! That woman threw herself at him!”
Everyone present was shocked, turning their eyes uniformly toward Chen Pingde. Master Chen the Second grabbed his arm tightly. “You saw it?”
“I, I…” Chen Pingde grew flustered, avoiding his father’s gaze.
“If you saw it, why didn’t you testify in court back then?” Master Chen the Second demanded.
“Father, you’re hurting me.” Chen Pingde broke free from his father’s grip and said timidly, “I didn’t see it. I… remembered wrong.”
“How could you misremember something like that? He’s your own elder brother!” Master Chen the Second lamented in anguish.
Master Chen the Third snapped back to reality. “Second Brother, this isn’t the place to talk. We’ll discuss this when we return.”
Master Chen the Second finally relented.
As the two families remained at an impasse, a Youbi Che turned into the alley from the north of the bridge, approaching from a distance.
All eyes turned toward the carriage. The first to descend was Chen Yan, dressed in scholar’s robes, his brow slightly furrowed as he scanned the surroundings before turning to assist his wife. Lin Yuebai emerged in a goose-yellow dress, moving gracefully with an equally surprised expression.
Someone called out, “A-Yan has returned.”
The backbone of the Southern Chen Family had returned.
Lin Yuebai gently pulled Ping’an over to examine him briefly before turning her gaze to Jiu Huan, who gave her a reassuring look.
“Father, what happened?” Chen Yan asked.
“Uh, well…” Chen Laoye stammered, “The children from both families had a verbal dispute and ended up fighting on this bridge.”
But Master Chen the Third, his face dark, took the offensive first: “Clan Uncle, you knew perfectly well our family had a banquet today, yet you chose the same time to send invitations to friends and relatives in the county to celebrate your passing of… what was it, the Supplementary Imperial Examination. The children exchanged some words, and somehow it turned into a fight.”
Although he didn’t approve of Master Chen the Second’s method of holding a welcome banquet, when disputes arose between the two families, he would still side with his own.
Chen Yan didn’t directly address his remarks. Instead, he surveyed the broken sentry sticks and scattered stones on the ground, saying coldly, “That still doesn’t justify armed conflict between clan brothers. Do you not know that according to national law, murderers face hanging, those who cause injury face punishment, and assaulting others—especially non-relatives—carries heavier penalties? Regardless of whether there are deaths or injuries, taking action itself is a crime. Within the family, elders may tolerate it, clan relatives may endure it, but outside Chen Family Alley, outsiders won’t indulge you.”
Chen Yan’s voice was deep, and even the usually fearless troublemakers felt somewhat uneasy.
Chen Yan continued, “These are all children over ten years old. They should learn to take responsibility for their words and actions.” Having said this, he turned his gaze to Master Chen the Second: “I believe no one wants to see tragedies repeated.”
Master Chen the Second’s face flushed with embarrassment.
“A-Yan, what do you mean by that? You know perfectly well Pingye had mitigating circumstances,” Master Chen the Third said.
Chen Yan responded calmly, “Mitigating circumstances or not, should I approve of his actions and encourage other clan youths to follow his example?”
“You…” Master Chen the Third was left speechless, finally saying indignantly, “There’s no point in talking like this. Why don’t you mention how your two maids dared to strike young masters of the main family?”
Ping’an raised his hand and said, “Jiu Huan and Mo Lu sisters were trying to break up the fight.”
“Nonsense! She hit me, right on the back,” Chen Pingde stepped forward and said.
Master Chen the Second stepped forward and lifted Chen Pingde’s short shirt, then froze in surprise. While there were injuries elsewhere, his back remained smooth and fair without even a trace of redness.
“Are you sure you remember correctly?”
“I remember clearly, it was on the back,” Chen Pingde insisted.
Jiu Huan and Mo Lu exchanged glances, looking rather pleased with themselves. As martial arts practitioners, they knew how to control their strength.
“Could it be internal injuries?” Master Chen the Second asked.
Even Chen Yan laughed at this.
Master Chen the Third, feeling his pride wounded, began to set the tone: “After hearing everything, it seems this was just a minor verbal dispute. Armed conflict between clan brothers should never have happened. They should kneel in punishment before the ancestral tablets for two hours as a warning to others.”
After speaking, he symbolically asked Chen Laoye, “Clan Uncle, do you find this acceptable?”
Chen Laoye looked at Chen Yan. Is this alright, son?
Chen Yan said, “Let it be as our clan brother suggests.”
Old Master Chen naturally had no objections, since it wasn’t his grandson being punished.
After the clansmen dispersed, several relatives gathered around Chen Yan to speak. Lin Yuebai, fearing that Master Chen the Third would cause more trouble, left first with two maidservants. Old Master Chen and Ping’an trailed far behind them. Ping’an was still looking around with lingering curiosity: “Is that all?”
“What else did you expect?”
“Chen Pingde never explained how the person died! Grandfather, there’s more to this story, there must be!” Ping’an said urgently.
“Well, this case… everyone thought there was more to it back then too…” Old Master Chen came back to his senses and said to Ping’an: “Ah, even his own brother doesn’t want to get involved, why are you asking so many questions?”
“Just tell me, what happened two years ago? Why did Chen Pingye kill someone?” Ping’an asked.
“Little children shouldn’t inquire about such matters of life and death, or you’ll have nightmares.” Old Master Chen added: “Don’t mention a single word of what Chen Pingde said when we get home. Wait until after the Xiang Examination to discuss it.”
Having said this, he made Ping’an pinky swear.
Ping’an reluctantly made the promise with his grandfather and remained silent along the way.
He recalled the records in “Records of Traitors” – how North Chen and South Chen reconciled and merged after Chen Yan joined the cabinet, rapidly developing into local bullies.
The two brothers Chen Pingye and Chen Pingde had become complete delinquent young masters ten years later. Leading other clansmen, they oppressed men and women, bullied villagers, hoarded goods, annexed land, and harmed countless innocent commoners. Even local officials could do nothing about them.
Meanwhile, Chen Yan was far away in the capital, busy with official duties and unable to control the situation from afar. Several letters he wrote asking clan elders to rectify the situation had little effect, because every clansman benefited from their wrongdoing.
Eventually, these misdeeds were exposed in memorials from local officials, firing the first shot in the campaign to overthrow Chen Yan.
The book even mentioned that everything began in the fourteenth year of Jingxi, when autumn floods in Sheng’an County washed a skeleton out of the river in front of the Chen residence. Investigation revealed it was someone killed by the Chen brothers…
Ping’an desperately wanted to know if these two events were connected. He needed to understand the full context of the case and sort through the information mentioned in the book.
Seeing his solemn expression, Old Master Chen tried to cheer him up: “It’s still early. If you haven’t had enough excitement, let’s go watch at the ancestral hall.”
“Great!” Ping’an readily agreed.
The Chen ancestral hall stood in the southern part of the lane. To demonstrate fairness, the clan school had been established in the northern part.
The ancestral hall had three outer gates, though usually only the side gate was used. The main gate only opened during festival sacrifices or important clan meetings. Inside was a single main hall housing the Shenzhu Kan for four generations of ancestors.
Since North Chen had produced a jinshi, the hall had been rebuilt and looked quite impressive.
There, his clansmen had been sent to kneel in punishment in this very hall, each with bruised faces and disheveled clothing. To an unknowing observer, it might appear the Chen family had charitably taken in a group of refugees.
What surprised Ping’an more was that in just this short time, several servants had been coming and going – delivering meals, clothes, medicine for wounds, and even soft cushions… performing the classic drama of “indulgent parents raising worthless children.”
Song Sou, who watched over the ancestral hall, acted as if he were blind, guarding a timing incense stick while dozing by the doorway.
“Oh, Master.” Song Sou hurriedly stood up upon seeing Old Master Chen, rubbing his face.
No matter how domineering Master Chen the Third might be, Chen Laoye was still the nominal chief officiant of the ancestral hall. There were two stewards responsible for daily management—one from each family, taking turns annually. At the moment, these two were nowhere to be found.
Ping’an sighed softly. Having come from the modern era as an orphan, he had no concept of clan ties. But now it was different—his sense of clan loyalty was extremely strong, because these pampered, disorganized, foolish or wicked individuals were people who shared both honor and disgrace with him!
Lost in thought, he suddenly realized that another argument had broken out in the ancestral hall, growing increasingly louder.
He heard Chen Pingji declare, “My cousin-uncle is the Top Scholar of the Imperial Examination!”
Chen Pingde retorted, “The Imperial Examination is nothing! My granduncle is a Metropolitan Graduate, serving as an official in the capital—a Wangfu Guan.”
Chen Pingji shot back, “My father says Wangfu Guan have the least promising futures, no wonder he’s still a sixth-rank official in his fifties.”
“What’s wrong with sixth rank? Try passing the exams yourself!”
“I don’t need to take them personally. My cousin-uncle will eventually become a Metropolitan Graduate.”
“You talk as if Metropolitan Graduates are like buying radishes. I heard there’s an old man in the neighboring town who was a child prodigy—it took him over forty years to pass the provincial exam, and he went mad after finally succeeding.”
“My cousin-uncle would never!”
…
Hopeless. This was the new generation of the Chen family—they couldn’t even argue properly.
Ping’an tugged at his grandfather’s sleeve. “They’re making a racket in the ancestral hall.”
“I hear them,” Chen Laoye said.
“Aren’t you going to intervene?” Ping’an felt anxious on his behalf—after all, he was the nominal clan leader.
Chen Laoye shook his head. “Your great-grandfather died just after turning fifty. Do you know why?”
“No,” Ping’an blinked, wondering what connection this had.
“Because he loved meddling in others’ affairs during his lifetime,” Chen Laoye explained.
Ping’an: “…”
…
In the main hall, Chen Yan sat in a lower seat, massaging his temples wearily—after the clan assembly, there was still a family meeting to attend.
Early that morning, the couple had taken a carriage out of the city. They first admired the morning dew on lush grasses at the foot of Sheng’an Mountain, then sat halfway up the slope enjoying the cool mountain breeze, strolling along forest paths listening to birds chirping—time without children interrupting was sweet, even the air tasted different.
They had originally planned to watch the sunset from the mountain peak and gaze at stars by Fengming Lake, but Lin Yuebai worried Ping’an might tear the house apart, so they hurried back before afternoon.
Upon returning home, they discovered children from both families had engaged in a brawl. It wasn’t just the house at risk—they nearly dismantled the stone bridge! Upon closer inquiry, the instigator turned out to be his own father.
“Well… North Chen has always done as they please. Don’t take it too much to heart,” Chen Laoye said with a laugh. “Look on the bright side—among all the children from both families, our Ping’an is the most well-behaved. Not only did he not participate in the fight, he even tried to break it up.”
Only then did Chen Yan feel a belated fear, pulling Ping’an close and examining him carefully three times over.
Chen Laoye reassured, “Don’t worry, An Ge’er was under my protection and emerged completely unscathed.”
Zhao Shi rolled her eyes at him. “Only because Jiu Huan and Mo Lu have such good martial skills.”
She then rewarded Mo Lu and Jiu Huan with five mace of silver each, and instructed Chen Shou to increase their monthly allowance by another five mace.
The two young women exchanged glances, bewildered. They had beaten people up and received rewards instead, plus a raise.
Zhao Shi explained, “The previous two guards received eight mace monthly. Your skills surpass theirs, and your duties are more numerous—this is what your monthly pay should be. Henceforth, the inner quarters will rely heavily on you for Ping’an’s safety. Please accept this with peace of mind.”
After expressing their gratitude and receiving the reward, the two were determined to redouble their efforts, vowing to go through fire and water for the Chen family and risk their lives for An Ge’er without hesitation.
Chen Laoye quickly added, “From now on, try to avoid using force whenever possible.”
Jiu Huan replied with her usual line, “Don’t worry, we know our limits.”
Zhao Shi looked as if she had stumbled upon a treasure, watching the two skilled maids respectfully withdraw.
Since its founding, Da Yong had strictly prohibited commoners from keeping slaves, so most of the so-called “servants” in households were hired laborers from employment agencies.
Jiu Huan and Mo Lu had grown up in the Lin family. When Lin Yuebai married into the Chen family, they followed her, but they had always been registered as commoners with full civil rights and were free individuals. While there were plenty of strong men who could fight, how rare were maids capable of guarding the residence? Now that they had “made a name for themselves in one battle,” if North Chen were to poach them with a hefty offer, it would be a great loss.
After all the servants had left the main hall and the door was closed, Chen Yan stared at Chen Laoye without saying a word.
“Ahem,” Chen Laoye explained awkwardly, “I just thought that with the Xiang Examination next month, it would be better to avoid causing you any trouble.”
“…”
Chen Yan said, “Thank you.”
“No need to thank me,” Chen Laoye assured him, slapping his thigh. “Rest assured, for the next month, the household will be perfectly peaceful. Focus on your studies and exam preparation—we are your strongest support.”