Chapter 15 Unfilial Son

Guan Suyi went back to the main house after watching the play. In the cold weather, she didn’t want to go and invited the snub, so she only ordered Mingfang to bring a few sticks of sore medicine to Jingzhe Tower to visit the young master. Mingfang thought that Zhao Luli was also there, and left happily holding the brocade box.

“Look at her frivolous appearance, even I can see it, and I thought you didn’t know anything, miss.” Minglan spit at her swaying hips from the back.

“Don’t worry about her. Mingfang is a clever person who knows how to make progress. I will find a good future for her in a few days.” Guan Suyi held a small pair of scissors in her hand, slowly trimming a few red plums branches, and inserting them into the vase one by one in the correct position. Anyhow, the days in the Marquis Mansion were not at all sad. There were good shows to watch, and there were clean courtyards and groups of servants, which much more comfortable than being a nun.

“Miss, do you want to promote her as a concubine? Be careful of nurturing tigers, invites calamity!” Minglan frowned, tried to dissuade her.

“With today mess, I manage to fool the old madam and Zhao Luli over there, but don’t forget that there is still Ye family. Just a few days after I walked in, I persuaded Lord marquis to beat his di son. How could the Ye family be willing to just let it go? Although their official position is not prominent, there is still Jieyu niangniang in the palace. They won’t openly try to rip the Guan family’s face, but it’s easy to add some blockage for me. I assume in a few days, Madam Ye will come and persuade Zhao Luli to accept Ye family’s shu daughter as a concubine. After all, she is a real aunt, which is much more reliable than an outsider like me.” After arranging a vase of red plum, Guan Suyi slowly cleaned up the fine branches and leaves on the table, her eyes a little empty.

“Ah? Lord marquis has just been married to you and take a concubine so soon, won’t it embarrass you in public?” Guan family’s father and son never accept a concubine, so Minglan looked extremely surprised. Only then that she understood why her miss could not have a sense of belonging in the Marquis Mansion. Compared with the simple and beautiful Guan house, this place was just a fire pit!

“Were men who take concubine after marrying a wife for several days can be count as few? Look at the merchant named Li in the east of the city. On the day he married his wife, he brought in three small pink sedan chairs. Others just sighed and called him romantic. This world respects men, who will sympathize with women and protect women? We are powerless to resist, we can only find joy in sorrows, that’s all. If Zhao Luli agrees to the request of the Ye family, I will just help him find a few more and carry it together, let them enter the door together to make it lively.” The tabletop was cleaned, the vase was placed by the window, Guan Suyi untied her belt and was ready to go to bed, with no sorrow on her face.

Minglan very carefully served her to lie down, in her heart pray that Miss  didn’t like lord marquis, so she wouldn’t be bruised all over her body if she couldn’t move his heart. It turns out that it was such a difficult thing to marry into a high gate. It’s better to find an honest farmer.

The lights in the main house had been turned off, Zhao Luli and the old madam still reflected on themselves for a while before rushing to Jingzhe Tower. There were bright candles inside and outside the building, and there were more servants coming and going, in and out the building, holding basins, rags and other things in their hands, and a few people pour out the broken porcelain with a dustpan. It could be seen that the debacle was not light.

Before the two approached, they heard Zhao Wangshu exasperated cursing, “Guan shi that bitch, this old man will kill her, take out my machete”, and there was a loud noise of throwing things in between. The maidservants avoided the door one after another, but Zhao Chunxi stood by the bed and kept trying to persuade him not to get angry, and to be careful of the wound.

Zhao Luli and the old madam, who had been frightened by Guan Suyi’s words, couldn’t avoid it anymore at this time. Ten-year-old children were no longer considered young, and those who were intelligent and outstanding had now beginning to show their signs, and on the battlefield the children of Jiuli tribe of this age could be found everywhere. On the other hand, Wangshu was no different from the bullies who wandered the street all day.

“Sinister! I originally pitied him because his mother died when he was little and just indulge him, but could he be spoiled to this extent. Now Yanjing has been designated as the capital of the country, and the current situation is not as good as before. If he run to cause troubles outside and offend someone who shouldn’t be offended, even one fallen ridge beast tile can kill several imperial clan nobles. Who can protect him? Do you expect it to be that bitch? Chen Guang, your wife is right, Wangshu should really be properly taught, otherwise he will inevitably go on a crooked road.” The old madam’s tone was depressed, her face was ashamed, as if she became ten years older overnight.

Zhao Luli didn’t bother to get angry with his mother at this moment, and quickly stepped into the inner room, sternly yelling, “Unfilial son, you haven’t eaten enough rattan whip, still want to add another fifty?”

Zhao Wangshu was very afraid of his father. Seeing him came in, he stopped immediately. Zhao Chunxi hurriedly blocked in front of the bed and shouted, “Daddy don’t hit, brother is ignorant, if you have something to say him please tell him slowly.”

“He will be eleven after the new year, why is it still ignorant ?” Zhao Luli didn’t care about his son’s injury. Called a few young manservant and asked them how he performed in the clan school. Where did the little servant dare to tell the truth, and utterly praised the young master for being extremely clever, diligent and hardworking, and his future was boundless.

Zhao Luli sneered when he heard it, and ordered the housekeeper to take his son’s bookcase over and looked through it. There were knives, slingshots, woodcarvings, pastries, and other things, but the books were missing. He finally took out a crumpled ball of rice paper from the corner of the bottom, unfolded it, and almost vomited blood with anger. He saw on top written in crooked, unintelligible handwriting—Confucius said: Study and learn from time to time, don’t you say? Is it not joy to have friends come from afar? People who don’t know don’t feel hurt, not also a nobleman? People don’t know but not stunned, it’s not a gentleman. (From The Analects, let’s paraphrase it: Confucius said “I am very happy when I review and practice what I have learned on time. Isn’t it also very happy to have friends from far away? Others don’t understand me, but I don’t get angry. A cultivated nobleman?”)

There were total thirty characters, six were wrong, some strokes were too many, some too lazy to stroke so he directly use ink stick instead. How could this be a writing of a ten-years-old and half teenage boy? It was worse than a young child who was just getting started! Zhao Luli’s anger rushed to the top of his head and make him dizzy; the old madam leaned over to take a look, and also gasping a few breaths anxiously before she manage to control it.

“Since you people are not good at serving the master, then you don’t need to serve, all of you go home. People come, take the rattan cane, today I will hit this evil creature and let him admit his mistakes!” Zhao Luli rubbed the rice paper. Zhao Luli crumpled the rice paper and smashed it on the head of the little servant who knelt down and begged. A group of guards walked in, dragged the few people away, and on the way offered the hard rattan cane.

Zhao Chunxi thought that her daddy would hate Guan shi after hearing what she said, and then rushed to apologize to her younger brother. Then she would cry again, pretending to say a few words for Guan shi magnanimously, daddy would become guilty, and even more distressed for her grievances. But the reality was contrary to what she wants, and her dad’s temper had no sign of declining, clearly became more and more angry.

What did that bitch Guan say to daddy? She cursed in her heart, but two lines of tears fell from the corner of her eyes, she hugged Zhao Luli’s legs and knelt down, “Daddy, please don’t hit, Wangshu knows that he is wrong !”

“Where did he know that he was wrong?” Zhao Luli was afraid of hurting his daughter, still holding the cane and dare not move.

Zhao Wangshu was a bully but afraid of hardship, so he hurriedly said, “Daddy, I really know I was wrong. I shouldn’t insult Guan shi.” He felt aggrieved and cried, “I just want a mother too much. Mother can play with me, take care of me, touch my forehead when I’m sick, and pat my back when I’m sleeping. I just want such a mother, but Guan shi refused to accompany me, she even disliked me and wanted to drive me away.”

This was the truest desire in his heart, but even if Guan Suyi from the previous life fulfilled all of his hopes, he did not feel half grateful to her. That’s why in this life she learned what a “stone heart” really mean.

But Zhao Luli and the old madam didn’t have a stone heart. When they heard this, their anger disappeared into nothingness, also forgot to discipline him properly, their nose went sour, and both of them shed tears. Zhao Chunxi quickly grabbed the cane and threw it to the guard outside the house.

Zhao Luli was very weak, and he muttered after thinking about it for a while, “If you are obedient in the future, your mother will naturally love you. Today I will give you the bottom line, so that you won’t end up in a big disaster in the future. Our Marquis Zhenbei Mansion is already dying, dad in this life unable to re-enter the court. What is the life of noble families who have the title but no power? You will understand by looking at the Prince Jin Mansion and Prince Cheng Mansion.”

Prince Jin and Prince Cheng were imprisoned for conspiracy, and their lives were poor and destitute, treated as scumbags everywhere. Zhao Wangshu and a few playmates climbed across the wall of Prince Cheng Mansion, smashed Prince Shizi with stones, insulted him, spit on him, and humiliated him as much as possible, so he immediately felt as if it had happened to him. He said in disbelief, “Da, daddy, our Marquis Zhenbei Manison won’t be that bad…”

“Sooner or later. You just need to remember that my relationship with the emperor is not as close as the rumor says, it’s all in the past. On the contrary, he now sees me as a thorn in the eye and a thorn in the flesh, and maybe one day he will try to get rid of me. And the Guan family is now in full glory, and in the imperial’s heart. Don’t even say me your daddy, even the emperor must be respectful and hold a disciple courtesy in front of Old Master Guan. Your future may have to rely on the support of Guan family, daddy is already powerless.”

If it were not for Ye Zhen’s mediation in the palace, Zhao Luli believed that he would have died hundreds of times. In order for the two children to get along well with Guan shi, and to make their lives safe and prosperous, Zhao Luli had to abandon his self-esteem and strip the most embarrassing truth before them.

Seeing that his son was still unable to accept, he had no choice but to ask, “You also the son of the Lord, is there anyone who wants to play with you on weekdays?”

“No, don’t want.” Zhao Wangshu’s face was as gray as death, as if he realized why he was always rejected by other noble children. He stopped making noise, slowly buried his head in the soft pillow, and started crying. Inferiority and fear swept through his heart instantly.

Zhao Chunxi was wise very early, and naturally knew more than her younger brother. Even thought she was very unwilling, but she had to admit her daddy’s incompetence and Guan family’s power. That’s why she recognized Ye Zhen as her family’s backing, because she was her only help. She hated her father’s cowardice, hated the old madam’s partiality and heartlessness, and also hated Guan Suyi for looking down on people. But what can be done? With the Guan family climbing status, her identity suddenly became much more valuable, as evidenced by the successive invitations and greetings in recent days.

As the so-called word forbearanceThe character for forbearance 忍 has a character for knife 刀 on top, it means when the word forbearance is written, a knife is inserted in the heart, so even if it bleeds, its need to be patient puts a knife on its head, she would be able to enjoy her life after a while, and there would be a chance to clean up Guan shi sooner or later in the future. Thinking about this, Zhao Chunxi also softened.

Seeing his children finally accepted the lesson, Zhao Luli hugged them and wept. Today, he skinned his face alive and threw his self-esteem on the ground, but if the children could grow up safely and healthily, everything was worth it.

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