Punishment

"Old Madam, Bao'er made a fool of herself several times before out of ignorance, so I wanted to learn a few characters and understand more of what's right."

"Qing is mischievous, and there will be plenty of times when I need to reason with him in the future. He's still young now, and even when I just say whatever comes to mind, he listens. But if he grows up and refuses to listen, how am I supposed to persuade him when I, his mother, don't understand anything?"

Ge Bao'er knelt on the ground, speaking with heartfelt sincerity.

Old Madam Lu thought she had a point. Qing would not submit to Lin Yunwan's discipline and listened only to Ge Bao'er. They could hardly let Qing have an ignorant, foolish birth mother.

She could only warn Ge Bao'er, "Read proper books. If I find out you dare read frivolous books or books expressly forbidden by the court in this residence, don't blame me for cleaning house with my own hands!"

"Bao'er understands how serious that is. I would never dare read such filthy things."

That evening.

Lu Zhengliu came to pay his respects to Old Madam Lu. When he heard that Qing had asked for a different teacher, his brows knotted. He held back for a long time, and, remembering how Qing had suffered outside for his first seven years, he only said something that was not too harsh: "He got used to running wild outside. He'll need proper discipline from now on."

Old Madam Lu did not argue. Instead, she said, "He's still young, and he hasn't been back long. We'll take it slowly."

"Mm."

Old Madam Lu sighed regretfully. "Yun Wan is a master hand at both managing the household and raising children. Only today have I come to appreciate how good she is!"

Lu Zhengliu smiled, the corners of his lips curling up. "Of course. Grandmother chose her herself."

Old Madam Lu gave him a suspicious look.

Lu Zhengliu immediately stopped smiling.

Old Madam Lu asked him, "You saw your mother-in-law and your wife's younger brother on the return visit. Did you get along well?"

"Well enough. My mother-in-law treated me very kindly."

"Keep Yun Wan's family in mind more often in the future. After all, she is your lawfully wedded wife."

Uncharacteristically, Lu Zhengliu did not argue. Instead, he said, "I understand."

Noticing the change in his attitude, Old Madam Lu smiled.

Lu Zhengliu did not know what his grandmother was smiling about. He took the opportunity to ask her, "Grandmother, before Yun Wan married into the family, did she ever..." On his last visit to the Lin Family, he had meant to find something out, but his wife's younger brother had not wanted to see him, and his mother-in-law had stayed with Lin Yunwan the whole time. He had learned nothing.

"Did she ever what?"

"Nothing," Lu Zhengliu said. "It's getting late. Your grandson will take his leave."

He thought it would not be good to let his grandmother know, so he would make inquiries himself.

He left the Small Hall and passed the Side Room on his way out. Two lamps still burned brightly in Ge Bao'er's room. Her window was open, and she stood beside it, watching him.

Ge Bao'er smiled at Lu Zhengliu.

Just as before, when he returned to Liyang, she had looked forward to his return like this.

A maid passed through the courtyard.

"Heir."

Lu Zhengliu came back to his senses and walked straight on.

Ge Bao'er's smile faded, and she felt a little disappointed.

Since returning to the Lu family, they had had fewer and fewer chances to see each other. But she had chosen this herself; she had been willing to come back.

"Since I made the decision myself, I won't regret it."

She murmured under her breath.

The Wuding Marquis Residence was peaceful for several days.

Qing rose early with Lu Chang'gong and studied diligently, but he grew more and more listless. Outside class, however, he became livelier and livelier.

That day, he came with Lu Chang'gong to pay his respects to Lin Yunwan.

Lu Chang'gong walked quickly, unwilling to wait for him.

Qing shot at him with a slingshot from behind, shouting, "Stop right there!"

Afraid of being hurt, Lu Chang'gong walked even faster.

Qing fired another shot, hitting Lu Chang'gong squarely on the head. Lu Chang'gong covered the back of his head and turned to look at him.

"You dare glare at me? Who said you could glare at me?"

He spoke with complete indifference, not feeling in the least that he had done anything wrong.

Lu Chang'gong walked over and said, holding back his anger, "If you hit me again, I'll tell Mother."

Qing grinned. "Just try it! If you tell Mother, I'll tell Old Madam that you hit me first."

Lu Chang'gong was furious.

He knew Old Madam Lu would certainly believe his younger brother, and Old Madam Lu was senior to Mother. So if it really turned into a fuss, nothing good would come of it for him, and he would drag Mother into it too.

He was not afraid of being punished, but he was afraid of implicating Mother.

Lu Chang'gong said, "I'll wait for you. Walk faster, and don't keep Mother waiting for us."

Qing curled his lip and followed, saying unhappily, "You should have listened to me sooner." How nice it would be if he were as obedient as the servants who waited on him.

Lu Chang'gong's delicate face was taut, and he did not want to pay him any attention.

"Are you angry?"

"I'm the older brother, and you're the younger one. An eldest brother is like a father, so you should listen to me." With great seriousness, Lu Chang'gong recited the principle he had learned from his books.

Qing clutched his belly and roared with laughter. "You fool! This is my home, and I'm the master of this residence. Why should I listen to you?"

Lu Chang'gong's face flushed red.

He knew he had been adopted into the family, and he did not know why everyone except Mother and the people around her treated his younger brother better.

As long as no one said it aloud, he could pretend he did not know.

But why did his younger brother have to say it out loud?

Qing found it even funnier and laughed so loudly that he did not notice even when his legal mother arrived.

"So, the Lu family is already under Young Master Qing's rule now?"

Lin Yunwan walked over from behind them.

Qing and Lu Chang'gong both turned. One looked as though he had seen a ghost, and the other as though he had seen a rescuer.

"Mother," Lu Chang'gong said.

"Mother..." Qing said.

Lin Yunwan looked down at Qing, and he immediately behaved himself.

Ping Ye gave a cold snort and asked him, "Which servant did Young Master Qing learn those words from? I'll report it to Old Madam at once and have that servant beaten to death immediately!"

Qing went pale with fright.

Where had he learned it? His mother had taught him, of course.

Mother had said that he alone was the Lu family's only bloodline and that the whole Lu family would be his in the future. He had to study hard so that he could rule the household like Father, and the servants would obey him forever. That included Lu Chang'gong.

He did not dare say it. His lips puckered, and he wanted to cry again.

"Ping Ye, ask Mr. Zhang to excuse Second Young Master from class. Tell him I'm keeping Second Young Master here for the day."

"Yes."

With that, Lin Yunwan went to Drooping Silk Hall.

Lu Chang'gong followed her.

Ping Ye looked coldly at Qing and said, "If Second Young Master wants to cry, come to Madam's courtyard and cry to your heart's content." She ordered the matrons to hold him up and take him there.

"Mother, I was wrong. I won't dare do it again."

"Mother, please spare me..."

Qing stood in the courtyard, being beaten. When the ruler came down, he pulled his hand back, only for the matrons to force it open again.

As though she could not hear his cries, Lin Yunwan continued applying medicine to Lu Chang'gong's injury.

"Silly child, you even put up with him bullying you?"

Lu Chang'gong lowered his head, his back to Lin Yunwan. "Don't worry, Mother. It doesn't hurt."

Lin Yunwan frowned. "It's swollen, and you say it doesn't hurt?"

Lu Chang'gong pressed his lips together.

"Madam, Second Young Master has been standing as punishment for two hours."

Lin Yunwan finally instructed Ping Ye, "Let him go."

Ping Ye went out and said, "Young Master may go back now."

Qing no longer had the strength even to cry. Like an eggplant struck by frost, he went to the Hall of Longevity to complain.

Tao Ye lifted the curtain and came in. "Madam, Eldest Young Master is sleeping much more soundly than he did during his afternoon nap yesterday," she said softly.

Lin Yunwan's heart ached. "He was hurt so badly. He ought to have a good rest."

Tao Ye kept sighing. "Young Master Qing only behaved himself for a little while. How has he gotten even worse again?"

Lin Yunwan sneered.

In her previous life, she too had constantly puzzled over why Qing's behavior was good for a while and bad the next. She had thought it was because Old Madam Lu spoiled him. Though that was part of the reason, Old Madam Lu only doted on him; she would not deliberately spoil his character.

The root cause was Ge Bao'er's instigation!

"Madam, Young Master Chang Gong is clever. He must not have wanted to make a fuss because Old Madam dotes on Young Master Qing. But it's no solution for him to keep giving way like this..."

Lin Yunwan closed her eyes briefly and made up her mind. "Chang Gong is my legitimate eldest son. Nowhere under heaven is there a rule that says a legitimate eldest son must put up with a second son. I won't let him endure it any longer!"

Since Ge Bao'er was so impatient to make Qing the master of the Lu family.

She would, of course, make mother and son's "wish come true"!