TRBDM -Chapter 30 Disrespecting One’s Elders

“Of course it wasn’t you. The one who laid hands on him was Zhang Lin.”

Wei Zhaorong’s icy tone sent an inexplicable chill down Xie Sheng’s spine.

“Zhang Lin did it? When I was at the Zhang residence today, that’s not what they said. Mother, could it be that Xie Lan deceived you?”

“I saw it with my own eyes. How could it be false?”

“Mother… you went to the private school?”

Her words were like a bucket of ice water poured over him from head to toe. What unsettled him wasn’t that Zhang Lin had been caught bullying Xie Lan on the spot—but that Wei Zhaorong had personally gone to the school for Xie Lan.

Back when he and Xie Chuan studied there, she had never once gone.

Was Mother being too biased?

These past days, Xie Sheng had felt something was wrong. The Marquis’ residence looked the same as always, yet somewhere unseen and untouchable, earth-shaking changes had taken place.

He had vague suspicions, but tonight was the first time the threads came together clearly.

He had always known his mother showed favoritism.

She favored the eldest branch and his younger sister.

But now—even the concubine-born Xie Lan was favored?

A sharp throbbing pounded at Xie Sheng’s temples; the blood that had just stopped seemed ready to burst forth again.

He abruptly stood up, startling Shen Zhizhi, who hurried to support him. “Husband, don’t move. Be careful your wound doesn’t split open.”

He understood now. Forcing Zhang Lin to withdraw from school had been Mother’s idea. Xie Lan was merely relying on her power, wagging his tail at the right moment.

“Mother, for Xie Lan’s sake, you’re making Zhang Lin withdraw. Do you know that Zhang Lin is the younger brother of Zhang Xiuzhuan—and Zhang Xiuzhuan is my close friend? Making Zhang Lin leave is the same as forcing me to sever ties with him. Mother, why are you so partial, with no regard for my feelings? Xie Lan is nothing more than a lowly concubine-born son. What right does he have to oppose Zhang Lin?”

Wei Zhaorong knew her second son well—sharp-minded, quick-witted. With just her single remark that she had “seen it with her own eyes,” Xie Sheng had already guessed that she had backed Xie Lan and pressured Zhang Lin into leaving.

But his words made her deeply uncomfortable.

“Xie Sheng, were it not for the injury on your forehead, the words you just uttered would have earned you a slap from Nanny Qi.”

“Mother? You still want to hit me?” Xie Sheng’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

“Of course! The state has its laws; the family has its rules. As the elder brother, you should cherish your younger sibling. Only when a family stands united can the Marquis’ residence remain at peace. Yet you keep calling him ‘concubine-born,’ trampling your own brother into the mud. Where is even a shred of an elder brother’s conduct? A slap would already be the lightest punishment.”

Xie Sheng retorted indignantly, “He is one in the first place—”

“Impudent!” Wei Zhaorong cut him off. “Xie Lan has been raised under my name since childhood. What distinction of legitimate or illegitimate exists between you? All of you are sons born of me, Wei Zhaorong.”

“No, he isn’t! I won’t acknowledge him as your son. His mother was a lowly maid—so is he. He is not worthy to sit or stand on equal footing with me!”

Xie Sheng was truly enraged now, words spilling out without restraint. His eyes were bloodshot, his expression twisted beyond recognition from his usual demeanor—thoroughly repulsive.

Wei Zhaorong slammed her palm on the table. The force was so great that even the teacup beside her rattled sharply.

If not for the wound on his head, that slap would have landed squarely on Xie Sheng’s face.

Everyone present was startled; the servants dropped to their knees in unison.

“Xie Sheng has shown utter disrespect and spoken reckless slander. Today, he shall kneel in the ancestral hall as punishment.”

“Mother! You mustn’t!” Shen Zhizhi cried out. “My husband is injured. He still has to report to the palace for duty tomorrow. If he kneels in the ancestral hall, his body won’t withstand it. Mother, Second Master is your own flesh and blood—you cannot treat him this way!”

Husband and wife played off each other, attempting to bind Wei Zhaorong with the rope of mother–son affection.

A tactic that had never failed them before.

But it did not work on Wei Zhaorong.

“Why are you crying? Is this a funeral? Shut your mouth at once.”

Wei Zhaorong let out a sharp reprimand, and Shen Zhizhi immediately shut her mouth.

“You don’t have to kneel in the ancestral hall. But Xie Sheng, from this day forward, the words illegitimate son are not to be spoken in our marquis residence again. The three sons of the Mingde Marquis Manor were all born to me. Did everyone hear that?”

The first sentence was directed at Xie Sheng; the latter was for everyone in the Lan Courtyard.

There were many people in the manor and just as many loose tongues. By tomorrow, Wei Zhaorong’s words would spread throughout the entire residence.

Only now did Xie Sheng finally realize that his mother had truly changed. He didn’t know what kind of bewitching potion Xie Lan had fed her, but it had turned her attitude completely upside down.

“Hmph—” With a sweep of his sleeve, Xie Sheng stormed off in anger. Shen Zhizhi hurried after him.

The Lan Courtyard, which had been in turmoil for quite some time, gradually returned to peace.

“Mother, I’m sorry.” Xie Lan lowered his head, his face filled with dejection and unease.

He did not want his mother and Second Brother to grow estranged. They were family. If discord arose because of him, he would feel deeply distressed.

“You did nothing wrong. What are you apologizing for? Xie Sheng is the one who erred. Bullying his own family for the sake of outsiders—does that make any sense?”

“Second Brother’s official career depends on Scholar Zhang’s help. It’s only right that he assists the Zhang family,” Xie Lan said softly.

“Ha—an official career! What kind of future is there in being a mere seventh-rank Supervising Censor in the palace? Just a petty seventh rank and his tail is already in the air. If he truly rises in the future, would he even spare a glance for the marquis residence?”

Xie Lan’s expression shifted slightly. In his heart, he agreed with Wei Zhaorong, yet something still felt off. After all, in the current marquis residence, Xie Sheng was indeed the most promising one.

Wei Zhaorong continued, “Besides, Xie Sheng is terribly shortsighted. He thinks he’s latched onto some towering tree, when in truth it’s nothing more than a weak vine. Try climbing with a vine as your support, and you’re bound to fall flat on your back.”

Xie Lan nodded silently. On the path of officialdom, one should choose someone unquestionably powerful as a patron—at the very least a third-rank official or higher. Scholar Zhang was only sixth-rank; no matter how much he helped Xie Sheng, he could never push him beyond that level.

Xie Lan quietly clenched his fists, swearing inwardly that he would study hard, attain scholarly honors, and bring glory to the family.

“Lan’er, don’t worry. This time, I will make sure Zhang Lin is expelled from the school. If the Zhang family wants to oppose the Mingde Marquis Manor, they’d better weigh their own worth first.”

Wei Zhaorong’s harsh words were no empty threat.

After the Old Marquis passed away, the marquis residence had indeed declined from its former glory—but she, Wei Zhaorong, was not someone to be trifled with.

Even if the matter reached the palace, the Emperor would still grant her a measure of face.

“Mother… why are you treating me so well?” Xie Lan finally voiced the doubt that had long lingered in his heart.

Wei Zhaorong looked at him, her gaze gentle, her eyes filled with a tenderness he had never seen before. “Because I owe you.”

“Us?” Xie Lan did not know who else she meant.

“Yes, you— and Rou’er.”

At the mention of his elder sister, Xie Wanrou, who was already married, Xie Lan’s brows softened at once.

“Elder Sister is doing well.”

Before Xie Wanrou married, though Xie Lan’s days in the marquis residence had been difficult, her help and protection had given him many moments of happiness.

When Wei Zhaorong refused to let him attend the private school, Xie Wanrou personally taught him to read and write.

To avoid being discovered by others in the manor, she would secretly take him to the ancestral hall to study.

Few people entered or left the ancestral hall on ordinary days, which made it convenient for them.

Later, when Xie Wanrou married and left, Xie Lan was the one who cried the hardest in the entire marquis residence.

The only sister who had sheltered him was gone. In the long stretch of dreary, rain-soaked days that followed, there would never again be sunlight for him.

But now, Xie Lan lifted his head—

And realized that someone had brought him a sun even warmer, even brighter than before.