Chapter 26

Yet at the time, he had been filled with disgust. When had he ever cared about the man's circumstances?

"He hadn't had time to humiliate him before I stopped him." Liang Siwen's face reddened slightly, guilt stirring in his heart.

Rong Dalang had acted wrongly, but his actions had been understandable.

Yet Rong Han, as the chief culprit, had humiliated two people with a single move. If he was not given a vicious beating, it would truly be hard to vent this anger.

Qin Ke's gaze fell upon Rong Han's face, his eyes devoid of even a trace of warmth. "What was Rong Dalang's birth mother's keepsake? Where is it?"

Minister Rong wanted to object. They could not simply take Liang Siwen's one-sided account as truth. But when he caught sight of Qin Ke's icy profile, he lost some of his nerve.

Rong Han knew only how to cry. How could he still hear Qin Ke's question?

"I'm asking you! What was the keepsake? Where is it?" Liang Siwen had learned that he had been made a tool for brothers to turn against one another. His frustration was beyond words.

The Rong family's household discipline had truly fallen into decay!

At his shouted rebuke, Rong Han's body trembled. He had been beaten into fear.

Then, when he inadvertently met Qin Ke's icy gaze, terror overtook him. Caring for nothing else, he directly wailed, "I threw it away! I threw it away! It was just an old sachet!"

With matters having reached this point, how could Minister Rong still not understand the cause of it all?

Rebellious son! Rebellious son! The Rong Clan's face had been utterly disgraced!

"Where did you throw it?" Liang Siwen asked again.

Rong Han's legs shook as he said miserably, "In the grass."

That day, the young gentlemen had traveled together, then feasted and made merry on a patch of grass. Could it have been that very patch?

"Minister Rong, your household discord has brought disaster upon my Prince's Residence. Now that matters have come to this, our grudges and debts are settled. What do you think?"

Sitting high upon his horse, Qin Ke looked down at Minister Rong.

Rong Han had used Liang Siwen as a living target to toy with Rong Dalang, causing Liang Siwen to make a fool of himself before the crowd and become the subject of others' gossip. What Rong Han suffered today was entirely deserved.

"My unworthy son is young and ignorant. On another day, this official shall certainly come to your residence and offer an apology." Minister Rong knew he was in the wrong and had no choice but to lower his head.

Seeing that he showed not the slightest concern for his legitimate eldest son, Qin Ke suddenly gave a cold laugh.

Then he said to Liang Siwen, "You beat someone in the street and should be punished as well. When you return home, administer ten lashes to yourself."

Having said this, he ignored the crowd's discussions, spurred his horse onward, and vanished in a cloud of dust.

After Liang Siwen returned home and received ten lashes, he lay sprawled on the couch while Chen Chuangu applied medicine for him.

"You were too impulsive." Seeing the purple-red whip marks across his back, Chen Chuangu could not bear the sight.

Liang Siwen grunted. "I just couldn't swallow it! How could Rong Han be so shameless? Using someone else's birth mother's keepsake as a threat—he's truly beneath contempt!"

Righteous indignation filled him, as though he wanted to go back and give Rong Han another vicious beating.

Chen Chuangu said helplessly, "Where has your father gone?"

"I don't know. It seems he left the city."

Once the medicine had been applied, Liang Siwen suddenly got up and went to the desk. "Uncle Chen, Rong Lian misunderstood Rong Dalang before as well. Now he's in Linxi, living with Rong Dalang. I want to send him a letter and tell him not to misunderstand, lest it harm the brothers' feelings."

Chen Chuangu thought to himself, He just wants to write a letter himself, doesn't he? What excuse is he looking for?

"After you finish your letter, lie down properly and recover." With that, he carried the medicine chest away.

After reaching the courtyard gate, he found the night deep and dark. Suddenly, he saw a tall, slender figure ahead—it was Qin Ke.

The man seemed to be holding something in his hand, but it could not be seen clearly.

"Qin Ke!" he suddenly called out loudly.

Qin Ke seemed to react on instinct, immediately stuffing the object in his hand into his sleeve. A flicker of panic crossed his face.

Fortunately, the courtyard was dim, and Chen Chuangu could not see clearly.

"His Majesty has ordered me to lead several people from the Ministry of Works to Mengshan County tomorrow to learn the craftsmen's methods."

Beneath the swaying tree shadows, Qin Ke lowered his eyes and asked, "Are you going?"

"Of course I'm going!" Did he even need to ask?

Still, His Majesty had actually sent people to Linxi to study rather than summoning Mengshan County's craftsmen to the capital. That was rather strange.

Could it be because a certain Qin had been pulling strings behind the scenes?

Author's Note:

An interview with Minister Rong.

Microphone: May I ask, other than "rebellious son," what else can you say?

Minister Rong: ...The Rong Estate's face has truly been utterly disgraced!

Microphone: Ummmmm, oh, get lost with you!

PS: This story goes VIP the day after tomorrow. I'm desperately building up chapters, so today's word count is a little low. I hope you cuties will keep supporting me! Don't stockpile it, okay? T﹏T

Chapter 26

Shengjing Rong Residence.

After returning home, Minister Rong had wanted nothing more than to make Rong Han kneel in the ancestral hall. But seeing him covered in wounds and pitiful beyond measure, while Madam Rong Zhou wept bitterly, he could not bring himself to say it.

"Not one of you gives me peace of mind!" he shouted furiously, then waved his sleeve helplessly and left.

Far away in Qingzhou, Rong Xi did not know that someone in Shengjing had already cleared his name. He was hiring people to install Glass in Gao Bai's home.

Gao Bai was already advanced in years. His wife had died early, and he had only one daughter, who had married far away and was difficult to see. He lived alone in lonely desolation.

He had previously received a handwritten letter from Minister Rong asking him to teach Rong Xi. Out of consideration for their old friendship, he had agreed.

He had thought it would be a difficult task. Unexpectedly, the Rong Dalang rumored to be incorrigibly unruly was gentle, refined, and quiet; cultured and courteous; affectionate, loyal, grateful, and one who repaid kindness.

Minister Rong failed to recognize the fine qualities of his legitimate son. It was truly a cause for sighs.

In his old age, gaining a young friend to care for and accompany him meant he had no regrets.

Gao Bai's residence had stood for many years and was rather old. Its layout was poor, and it lacked sufficient light. The study was dim every day. At his advanced age, spending too long there would leave one listless and dispirited.

Now that Glass had been installed, the room immediately became much brighter. Gao Bai was deeply pleased and wore a smile for everyone.

"Eldest Brother, you finished all the books I gave you last time, didn't you?" Gao Bai smiled as he selected several more volumes from the shelf and handed them to Rong Xi. "Take these back with you."

Giving books was how he expressed affection, and Rong Xi had long grown accustomed to it.

"Thank you, Teacher."

After returning home, the residence was exceptionally quiet.

Liu Zishi had gone to the county seat to study martial arts, while Rong Lian was reading in the study. With nothing to do, Rong Xi took several lenses and some white paper into the sunlit part of the courtyard and called Liu He over.

After Glass had been made, he had personally polished concave and convex lenses as well.

The matter of the Horseshoe last time reminded him of the developments that followed in the book.

Though Great Wei was quite powerful, formidable enemies in the north watched like tigers eyeing their prey and invaded the borderlands all year round. The protagonist, Liang Siwen, went on campaign with his father and accidentally fell into an enemy encirclement, only to be rescued by Prince Qin at the cost of his life.