As Martial Graduate Dan fell silent.
The sitting room gradually grew quiet. Through the windows, they could even hear the faint flutter of birds' wings in the courtyard... Everyone's eyes unconsciously gathered on Wei Tu, all wanting to hear how this disciple Martial Graduate Dan had taken as a son would answer.
Most people—or rather, ninety-nine out of a hundred—looked expectant, hoping Wei Tu would follow Martial Graduate Dan's wishes and agree.
That included Dan Yangong, the Shan Family's only son, who had previously been somewhat at odds with Dan Fang.
The Shan Family could tell that the old master's silence meant he did not wish to force Wei Tu into agreeing, lest it damage the bond between master and disciple.
—He had not explicitly rejected Dan Fang's request, and the meaning beneath his words was obvious.
Even without this matter, the Shan Family could have guessed the old master's thoughts.
When people grew old, they all hoped the family fortune they had built would endure, and that the skills they took pride in would be inherited by their descendants.
Dan Yi Wu was the descendant Martial Graduate Dan valued to inherit his martial arts within the family.
Everyone in the room understood that Martial Graduate Dan had taken Wei Tu as his disciple because he intended for Wei Tu, after earning official rank, to protect the Shan Family's foundation.
Wei Tu agreeing to teach Dan Yi Wu martial arts was not closely tied to this matter, but it would reveal whether Wei Tu possessed "pure filial devotion."
If he would not help with a "small matter," then whether Wei Tu would step forward when the Shan Family faced life and death would be open to question.
"This matter..."
After a moment of silence, Wei Tu finally spoke. He bowed slightly. "This matter shall be entirely as Master commands."
The words fell.
Everyone frowned inwardly.
After living with Wei Tu for more than a month, they knew that though he was respectful and cautious by nature, this disciple who had won Martial Graduate Dan's favor was certainly no fool who could not distinguish good words from bad or read what others were thinking.
They all felt Wei Tu's answer could have sounded more pleasing, more brilliant, more likely to delight Martial Graduate Dan.
Even if he had refused...
—For instance: Master's attainments run deeper, and he is more suited than me to teach Yiwu. This disciple should not overestimate himself and spoil Master's pleasure in enjoying his grandson.
That would have worked!
"Entirely as I command?" Martial Graduate Dan raised his brows slightly and looked at Wei Tu.
As Wei Tu lowered his head while bowing, Martial Graduate Dan's gaze from his chair happened to be level with Wei Tu's eyes.
Yet one looked at the other, while the other looked at his own toes and the floor.
Their eyes did not meet.
"I understand what you mean." After a moment, Martial Graduate Dan withdrew his gaze and told Wei Tu to straighten up, saying he need not remain bent over.
Martial Graduate Dan did not pride himself on being able to judge people by their faces, but after spending so long with Wei Tu, he knew what kind of temperament Wei Tu had and could guess some of his thoughts.
—Wei Tu did not wish to remain dependent on him, his master, and the Shan Family forever.
Just as in his conduct within the Shan Family... he never asked for any extra possessions beyond knowledge.
The unspoken meaning of "entirely as Master commands" was that he would repay the favor, but Wei Tu was not the Shan Family's servant and would not let the Shan Family order him about at will.
Of course, there was another hidden meaning in those words: only he, Wei Tu's master, could command Wei Tu to do things. The rest of the Shan Family lacked that qualification.
"After I die, Wei Tu should be someone the Shan Family can rely on." Having understood it all, Martial Graduate Dan thought to himself.
He had lived for so long. Though he did not believe he possessed any special talent for judging people, he could still see seven or eight parts out of ten when it came to the goodness and evil in a person's heart.
Besides, even someone as stingy as Li Yaozu had thought highly of Wei Tu, going so far as to spend a personal favor to send Wei Tu here to learn...
Martial Graduate Dan did not believe Li Yaozu had gone blind either.
"If Yiwu wants to learn martial arts, then when you leave after the New Year, leave Yiwu with me. I will teach him personally."
"Wei Tu still needs to focus on the martial examination and has no time to spare. The County Examination is in February, the prefectural examination in April, and the circuit examination in September and October. He will not have any free time."
After waiting a moment, Martial Graduate Dan drew a deep breath and spoke sternly to Dan Fang in a tone that brooked no doubt.
"Father?" Dan Fang cried out in surprise.
This time, it was true that she coveted the Family Boxing Manual, and it was equally true that she wanted Dan Yi Wu to take Wei Tu as his master.
The true teaching lay in a single sentence.
False teachings could fill ten thousand volumes.
The Shan Family's Family Boxing Manual was worth a thousand pieces of gold, not some common goods found everywhere. Whether it was sold off or kept as a family inheritance, either choice was viable.
As for having Dan Yi Wu take Wei Tu as his master...
Dan Fang was not blind. After staying in the household for the past month or two, she knew just how great Martial Graduate Dan's hopes for Wei Tu were.
If Wei Tu became a Martial Graduate, he would surely become a formidable figure in Qingshan County. Whether he was used as the wings sheltering her family or through his connections to revive the family estate, it would be a deal yielding ten thousandfold profit on a single investment.
But the prerequisite was that she had to establish ties with Wei Tu, and Dan Yi Wu was an excellent bridge.
Yet her wishful calculations broke at the link most likely to succeed.
Martial Graduate Dan had refused!
"Father, there's no need to rush this. We can discuss it after Wei finishes his examinations. Yiwu can grow for another two years..." Dan Fang's voice softened again as she pleaded with Martial Graduate Dan in a near-begging tone.
She did not believe Martial Graduate Dan could not see the gains and losses involved.
If they failed to establish ties with Wei Tu.
Once Martial Graduate Dan was gone, the Shan Family and Wei Tu would inevitably drift farther and farther apart. Whether this old bond could still remain then was impossible to say.
"I am not old yet. If Yiwu truly wishes to practice martial arts, there is no need for Wei Tu."
Contrary to his usual manner, Martial Graduate Dan righteously refused Dan Fang's plea this time, utterly unmoved by the affection between father and daughter.
At this.
Dan Fang pressed her lips together in silence. She ransacked her mind but could find no suitable words of rebuttal, so she turned to Madam Shan Min, seated beside Martial Graduate Dan, hoping to use Madam Shan Min's words to persuade him once more.
She knew Martial Graduate Dan had always valued Madam Shan Min's opinion and would not easily oppose her.
However—
Something happened that surprised Dan Fang once again.
Madam Shan Min did not follow the script Dan Fang had expected. Instead, she gave a soft cough, furrowed her brow, and offered a conciliatory remark.
"Enough, youngest daughter. There is plenty of time. If Yiwu grows close to Wei, it will not be too late for Wei to teach him then..."
Those words sounded like mediation, but Dan Fang knew that her son Dan Yi Wu becoming Wei Tu's disciple was finished. The old couple had thoroughly rejected it.
"We already gave him a horse. Why are they unwilling to agree to this..." Standing in the sitting room, Dan Fang could not understand it.
The horses in the Shan Family stables, even the old ones, were fine horses—valuable stallions that had never been gelded.
One could sell for nearly a hundred taels of silver.
And no matter how one looked at it, her request benefited the Shan Family. All it cost the old couple was a few words, nowhere near a hundred taels of silver.
"And stop thinking about the boxing manual as well. Unless Yiwu can firmly establish all five Stance Trainings, or learns martial arts from me and I teach him personally, there will be no discussion of this matter."
Martial Graduate Dan added.
After speaking, Martial Graduate Dan waved his hand, signaling Dan Fang and her husband to withdraw.
PS: As for why Dan Fang wanted a share of the property and was able to claim one, the book has already made it clear: Dan Fang's husband married into the family, and Dan Yi Wu bears the Dan surname.
Therefore, even with a legitimate grandson, Dan Fang still had the right to contend for the Shan Family's property.
Before you continue