Inexplicably, he was praised by the Emperor, and Rong Shangshu returned home in a daze. He was frowning and smiling at the same time. When it was time for dinner, Madam Rong Zhou ordered her maidservant to come with the food.
“Sanlang, there is a new dish today, called tofu. It looks very delicious. Please try it.”
There were two elder brothers in Rong Shangshu, so Rong Zhou called him Sanlang in private.
“Is it the tofu mentioned in Rong Lian’s letter?” Rong Shangshu became interested. Seeing the white and tender delicacy on the plate, he scooped it up with a spoon, his hands trembling slightly, adding a touch of interest to the scene.
As the delicacy entered his mouth, it was smooth and refreshing, proving to be a truly exquisite dish.
“This is purchased from a merchant and produced in Mengshan.” Rong Zhou covered her lips with a handkerchief and smiled. “Mengshan is indeed a place with outstanding people. I really want to see it with my own eyes.”
This was a roundabout way of praising him. Rong Shangshu understood her intentions and felt very comforted. Thinking of the emperor’s praise, he said: “Today in the palace, King Qin presented a new thing called glass. The Emperor was very happy. He praised my son, it should be Rong Lian.”
Among the young children of the Rong family, Rong Lian was the only one worthy of His Majesty’s praise.
Although he did not know why the emperor would praise the Rong family’s young men while watching glass, it did not prevent him from being happy.
Rong Zhou said with a smile: “Who in Shengjing doesn’t know Lian’s talents and character? If Han’er is half as smart and hard-working as him, I will feel relieved.”
Rong Han was the eldest son of Madam Rong Zhou, the fourth in line in the clan. He was only twelve years old and not as outstanding as Rong Lian, but he was still considered a promising young man.
“I tested Han’er the other day, and his academic progress is quite remarkable. It’s quite good.” Rong Shangshu praised him.
Rong Zhou was immediately honored.
However, at this moment, a servant came in a panic and said urgently: “Report to the master and madam, the forth young master has been beaten!”
Upon hearing this, Madam Rong Zhou almost crushed her handkerchief in her grip. However, mindful of her status, she remained seated upright and asked in a stern voice, “Is he injured? Who hit him? Where is he now?”
Minister Rong also showed displeasure on his face. Rong Han was Rong Zhou’s eldest son and had decent natural talent, so he was the most beloved. Now, hearing that he had been beaten, Rong Shangsu felt both heartbroken and angry.
The servant replied in fear: “He was beaten by Master Liang outside the school.”
“Which Master Liang?” Rong Zhou’s eyes were cold.
“That’s Master Liang, the adopted son of King Qin!” At the mention of King Qin, the servant’s body visibly trembled slightly.
Rong Shangshu and Rong Zhou exchanged glances. King Qin! Why is he involved again? The previous one was already sent back to his ancestral home in Linxi. This time, let’s not have any more trouble!
Thankfully, it was our own son who was beaten. Even if King Qin is incredibly powerful, he still has to be reasonable.
Huh? What is this feeling of thankfulness about?
Rong Shangshu was a little confused and hurriedly scolded: “You are still not leading the way!”
Madam Rong Zhou, as a woman, was not suitable to go, so Rong Shangshu had no choice but to take a servant with him. After all, it was King Qin’s adopted son, and if he didn’t go in person, he might not get a good outcome.
When several people walked to the fighting scene, they saw Liang Siwen pressing Rong Han to the ground and beating him. No one could stop him and no one dared to stop him.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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Rong Shangshu then sent people to the Prince’s mansion to look for Qin Ke.
“Master, some have already gone to invite him.” The servant replied nervously, fearing that the Master would blame them for failing to protect Fourth Young Master.
When they were anxious, the sound of horse hooves came, and everyone looked up.
A man rode in on a spirited horse, exuding an imposing aura. His black clothes were adorned with gold, and his jade crown sat high atop his head. His appearance was extraordinary. He looked down at everyone from his horse with cold and piercing eyes, as if he were about to claim the heads of enemies amidst a thousand troops
“Liang Siwen.”
The indifferent voice split the sky like an axe.
Liang Siwen immediately stopped; his fierce gaze still lingering. He turned his head to meet Qin Ke’s eyes and immediately shrank back, unable to speak.
“The official has met the Prince.” Although Rong Shangshu was furious, he did not lose his reason. He cupped his hands and said, “For some reason, Master Liang actually beat this official’s son in public.”
His voice was deep and slightly trembling.
Qin Ke glanced at Liang Siwen, who was looking aggrieved, and said lightly, “Siwen has behaved inappropriately. I will surely punish him severely to give Rong Shangshu an explanation.”
After saying that, he actually wanted to take Liang Siwen away directly.
No matter how timid he was, Rong Shangshu couldn’t swallow this breath and stopped the horse directly, his beard trembling: “Your Highness, I think it would be better to clarify the matter in public.”
Rong Han was helped to his feet by the servants, his nose bleeding profusely. He burst into tears.
How can a father, seeing this with his own eyes and hearing it with his own ears, remain unmoved?
“Siwen, explain.” Qin Ke dropped the words coldly, as if he was speaking to an enemy.
Rong Shangshu was still in a state of astonishment when he heard Liang Siwen say, “Father, I have investigated the matter clearly. Several months ago, Fourth Young Master Rong used the heirloom of Eldest Young Master Rong’s biological mother as a threat to force him to do indecent things to me. I previously mistakenly thought that First Young Master Rong was a perverted person and punished him. Now that I see the real culprit, how can I remain calm?”
Everyone: “…” It seems like they hear something terrible.
Rong Shangshu: “…” Why is his head even more dizzy?
There were many onlookers in the streets, and it concerned the Rong family’s reputation, so Rong Shangshu didn’t want to stay any longer.
“Rong Xi really insulted you?” Qin Ke’s voice sounded like ice.
No matter what, using harm to others to retrieve his birth mother’s heirloom is not gentleman’s behavior.
Liang Siwen carefully recalled the situation that day.
During a gathering of young noblemen, after the banquet, First Young Master Rong suddenly approached his table, in front of everyone, verbally harassed him, and even tried to touch him.
He was so angry that he didn’t pay attention to his expression.
Thinking carefully now, I realize that at the time, First Young Master Rong looked disheveled, with bruises on his mouth and nose, and red eyes, as if he had been crying.
“However, at the time, my heart was filled with disgust, and I didn’t pay any attention to his state of mind.”
“I stopped him before he could insult me.” Liang Siwen’s face turned red and he felt a little guilty.
Rong Xi’s behavior was wrong, but it was excusable.
And Rong Han, as the culprit, humiliated both of them with one move. It would be hard to vent his anger without giving him a good beating.
Qin Ke’s eyes fell on Rong Han’s face, without any warmth in his eyes, “What is the relic of Rong Xi’s biological mother? Where is it?”
Rong Shangshu wanted to refute the accusation, arguing that they couldn’t just take Liang Siwen’s word for it. However, when he met Qin Ke’s cold and detached side profile, he felt a bit intimidated.
Rong Han was too busy crying to hear Qin Ke’s question.
“Ask you! What is the relic? Where is it?” Liang Siwen knew that he had become a tool for brothers to kill each other, and he was very depressed.
The Rong family’s morals have truly degenerated!
Rong Han’s body trembled when he was scolded. He became frightened.
When he looked around and accidentally touched Qin Ke’s cold eyes, he was more scared. He howled directly: “Threw it away! I threw it away! It’s just an old purse!”
Having said this, can Rong Shangshu still not know the cause of the matter?
Rebellious son! Rebellious son! You’ve disgraced the entire Rong family!
“Where did you throw it?” Liang Siwen asked again.
Rong Han trembled and said in a miserable voice, “In the grass.”
Could it be that the very grassland where they once embarked on their journey together and reveled in a wild feast is the very same one where the discarded item lies now?
“Rong Shangshu, there is disharmony in your house, but it has affected the Prince’s house. The matter has come to this, and the grudges have been cleared. What do you think?”
Qin Ke sat high on his horse and looked down at Rong Shangshu.
Rong Han’s actions of using Liang Siwen as a mockery to humiliate Rong Xi, leading Liang Siwen to lose face in public and become the subject of gossip, fully justified the punishment he received that day.
“My son has been disrespectful in his youth. I, as the Minister, will come to apologize another day to make amends,” Rong Shangshu admitted his fault and had to bow his head.
Seeing that he didn’t care about his eldest son, Qin Ke sneered.
He said to Liang Siwen: “You should be punished if you beat others on the street. When you get home, you will be punished with ten lashes.”
After saying this, he rode away on horseback regardless of everyone’s comments.
Liang Siwen returned home and after being whipped ten times, he lay down on the couch while Chen Chuangu applied medicine to him.
“You are too impulsive.” Chen Chuangu couldn’t bear it when he saw the purple whip marks on his back.
Liang Siwen snorted, “I’m just so angry. How could Rong Han be so shameless? It’s so despicable to threaten someone with their biological mother’s relic!”
He was filled with righteous indignation and seemed to want to beat Rong Han up again.
Chen Chuangu was helpless, “Where is your father?”
“I don’t know, it seems like he left the city.”
After the medicine is finished, Liang Siwen suddenly stood up and approached Chen Shu, saying, ‘Uncle Chen, earlier Rong Lian also misunderstood Rong Xi. Now that he is in Linxi, living with Rong Xi, I want to send a message to him to clear up the misunderstanding and avoid harming the relationship between brothers.’
Chen Chuangu thought secretly: Actually, you just want to write a letter, right? What excuse are you looking for!
“After writing the letter, lie down and recuperate.” After saying that, he left with the medicine box.
Upon reaching outside the courtyard, the night had fallen dark. He suddenly saw a tall and slender figure ahead—it was Qin Ke.
The man was holding something in his hand, but it was so dark that he couldn’t see clearly.
“Brother Si!” He shouted loudly.
Qin Ke seemed to have a conditioned reflex and immediately stuffed the object into his sleeve, his expression flustered for a moment.
Fortunately, the courtyard is so dark that Chen Chuangu might not see it. Qin Ke sighed with relief.
“The Emperor has ordered me to lead several people from the Ministry of Industry and set off to Mengshan tomorrow to learn the methods of craftsmen.”
Beneath the swaying shadows of the trees, Qin Ke lowered his eyes and asked, “Are you going?”
“Go!” Do you even need to ask?
However, it’s a bit strange that the Emperor is actually sending people to Linxi to study instead of calling Mengshan craftsmen to Shengjing.
Could it be this guy’s idea?
The author has something to say:
Interview with Rong Shangshu.
Microphone: Excuse me, besides “treason”, what else can you say?
Rong Shangshu: …It’s really embarrassing for the Rong family!
Microphone: emmmmmm, screw it!
Thank you for the chapter ❤
Thank you for the chapters 😍 ❤️ ❤️ ❤️
Thanks for the chapter!
Wow…..so the original actually led a pitiful life💔
Thanks for the chapter!
Poor Xi 🥺
Thank you for your translation 💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙
Now i understand why OG Rong Xi wanted to die 🤧 Poor baby 😭