Whose fierce son?

That afternoon, at the Ministry of Works' Construction and Maintenance Office.

The Construction and Repairs Office oversaw palaces, government buildings, and construction projects.

It sounded important, but as a section chief, Wei Mingde was specifically responsible for "project paperwork and miscellaneous duties."

In plain terms, it was a cushy desk job for an office official.

His daily routine was therefore simple: arrive in the morning, brew a pot of tea, and leaf through documents.

At noon, someone from home delivered his lunch. After eating, he continued drinking tea, chatting and swapping tall tales with his colleagues.

If there was nothing to do in the afternoon, he went home early.

Today, however, was different. Today, he had real business to attend to.

Tomorrow was his eldest son Wei Shouzheng's Apprenticeship Banquet. With all his colleagues present today, he needed to invite them one by one.

After all, Qin Yan, Director of Studies at the Imperial College and a great master of Neo-Confucianism, was personally taking his eldest son as a disciple.

It was an immense honor. From now on, he could stand a little straighter in the ministry.

At that thought, Wei Mingde hastily took several pastries Cui Shi had specially prepared out of the food carrier and arranged them on a tray.

When his colleagues returned, he would carry it over, invite them to have some pastries and tea, and broach the invitation.

Just as Wei Mingde finished preparing everything, a commotion arose outside. Footsteps jostled together, and voices rose and fell in laughter.

A moment later, Zhou Yan, an assistant director at the Ministry of Works, entered first, followed by another section chief, Liu He, along with the bureau chief, deputy chief, and a group of subordinate officials.

Wei Mingde hurried forward to greet him. "You're back, Lord Zhou."

He was just about to continue when Zhou Yan seized his hand first, his face wreathed in smiles.

"Mingde! Congratulations, congratulations! Your Wei Family is truly extraordinary!"

"Hm?" Wei Mingde froze. "My lord, what is this...?"

Liu He, his fellow section chief, also came over, clapping Wei Mingde on the shoulder with a laugh.

"Brother Mingde, you certainly kept this under wraps! Something this momentous happened in your family, and you never breathed a word to us!"

The bureau chief and deputy chief crowded around as well, all talking at once.

"Section Chief Wei, your son is truly remarkable!"

"A worthy grandson of Duke Wenduan! The Wei Family's Pure Nobility certainly lives up to its reputation!"

Hearing all this, Wei Mingde was utterly bewildered.

"What are you talking about? Is this about Shouzheng? But Shouzheng should be studying at this hour!"

Then another thought struck him. Could Qin Gong be building Shouzheng's reputation?

Wei Mingde instinctively assumed Qin Yan had publicized the news that he was taking a disciple.

His colleagues must have learned that Shouzheng was becoming Qin Yan's disciple and come to congratulate him ahead of time.

After all, those scholarly schools loved playing this sort of game.

"Mingde, when your father, Duke Wenduan, served at court, who didn't show him due respect?

"I was worried about your branch of the family... ahem. Now it seems I worried for nothing!

"Your Wei Family has not sullied Duke Wenduan's name!"

Listening to the praise from his immediate superior, Zhou Yan, Wei Mingde smiled awkwardly, growing more confused by the moment.

But he did not contradict him.

After all, they were praising the Wei Family, his son, and his father's reputation.

Wei Mingde could only play along. "You flatter us, Lord Zhou... it's all the boy's own doing..."

Just then, the bureau chief leaned in. "Section Chief Wei, how old is your son?"

"Ten," Wei Mingde blurted out.

"Only ten?!" The bureau chief slapped his thigh. "This boy is destined for greatness!"

Another chorus of admiration followed.

Wei Mingde kept a smile on his face, but his heart bobbed up and down in unease.

As he pondered this, a powerful shout suddenly rang out from the entrance to the Ministry of Works.

"Wei Mingde! What fine traditions your Wei Family upholds! A son of the Wei Family, fierce of spirit indeed!"

Everyone froze and turned toward the entrance.

There stood an elderly man in his sixties, his beard and hair graying, but his eyes bright and his face glowing with vigor.

He wore no official robes, only a scholar's gown, with a Silver Fish Pouch at his waist. His strides stirred the air.

It was Qin Yan, Director of Studies at the Imperial College and a great master of Neo-Confucianism.

Recognizing him, everyone in the room hastily bowed. "Qin Yan!"

Qin Yan waved them off. His gaze passed over the crowd and settled squarely on Wei Mingde, then he strode toward him.

Overwhelmed by the honor, Wei Mingde hurriedly bowed. "Q-Qin Gong, what brings you here?"

Qin Yan reached him, seized his hand, and squeezed it firmly, his excitement written all over his face.

"Mingde! You have not failed your father! If Wei Wenduan knows of this in the world below, he will surely be comforted!"

Wei Mingde's head buzzed. He answered instinctively, "You flatter us, Lord Qin... it's all Shouzheng's own hard work. That boy is fortunate to have earned your regard..."

He thought Qin Yan was referring to taking Shouzheng as his disciple.

Qin Yan paused. "Shouzheng?"

Then he smiled. "Mingde, do you mean your eldest son, who is about to enter my tutelage?

"I have met that boy. His learning and aptitude are respectable, but as for being 'fierce of spirit'..."

Qin Yan shook his head midway through, then smiled again. "To think I could have misjudged someone."

Seeing Qin Yan's reaction, Wei Mingde was truly lost now.

How strange. Weren't you building Shouzheng's reputation? Why are you looking like that?

Qin Yan paid no heed to anything else. He simply clasped Wei Mingde's hand, as excited as a child who had found a treasure.

"Your Wei Family son killed a wicked servant who insulted his master, upholding the family's rules to defend his honor and preserve its Pure Nobility traditions. The news has spread throughout the Capital!"

"At this morning's Morning Court session, even His Majesty personally asked about it!"

"He even praised him in person: 'A ten-year-old child, defending the dignity of the legitimate line, drew his sword and slew a servant to uphold his family's traditions. What a blessing for our Great Zhou!'"

The room erupted.

Zhou Yan, Liu He, the bureau chief, and the deputy chief all stared at Wei Mingde in shock.

Upon hearing those words, Wei Mingde's expression changed drastically, and his mind went blank.

A ten-year-old child, defending the dignity of the legitimate line, drew his sword and slew a servant to uphold his family's traditions.

That was not his eldest son, Wei Shouzheng. It was that Sinful Son, Wei Nisheng!

Didn't this only happen yesterday? How could it have spread in half a day...?

Wei Mingde was completely dumbfounded.

But he had forgotten that this was the Capital, the capital city of Great Zhou.

Any remotely interesting news could spread through every street and alley in a single day.

And "a ten-year-old child drew a sword and killed a wicked servant"-

That subject alone was explosive enough to spread at a frightening speed.

Half a day was therefore more than enough for the entire city to hear of it.

Wei Mingde stood there like a wooden post.

Zhou Yan was the first to react, smiling as he patted Wei Mingde's shoulder.

"Mingde, why are you standing there stunned?"

"You're always praising Shouzheng to us. What, is producing a Fiery Child just an everyday occurrence for your Pure Nobility Wei Family? Hahaha!"

At his teasing, the others laughed as well.

But Wei Mingde truly could not laugh.

Everyone was praising the Wei Family, praising his skill in raising a son, praising how comforted his father's spirit in heaven must be.

If he were to say now-

That is no Fiery Child, but a Sinful Son! He threatened his father with a sword, defied his superior, and committed a grave act of filial impiety!

And the reason the boy acted so fiercely was that yesterday, I believed the servants and ordered him to kill himself...

At that thought, Wei Mingde instinctively glanced at Qin Yan.

As a great master of Neo-Confucianism, Qin Yan valued "ritual propriety" and "rightful standing" above all.

What he prized most was upholding ritual law and the moral order, defending one's honor, and setting family traditions right.

He was so excited precisely because "a ten-year-old child drew his sword and slew a servant to defend the dignity of the legitimate line" aligned perfectly with his values.

If he learned that the child's father had been forcing him to kill himself just yesterday...

Wei Mingde dared not think any further. He cupped his hands and said-

"Gentlemen... gentlemen, you've misunderstood..."

"Misunderstood?" Everyone looked at him.

"Well... the one who defended the dignity of the legitimate line, drawing his sword and slaying a servant to uphold the family's traditions..."

Wei Mingde paused, then explained with a strained smile.

"The one who did this was not my eldest son, Shouzheng. It was... my second son."

"Your second son?" Zhou Yan paused. "You have a second son?"

"Assistant Director," the bureau chief explained quietly, "he's the one from... 'the younger drinks leftover broth and lies on a bed of ice.'"

The atmosphere became exceedingly awkward.

After all, that poem had circulated quite widely back then, too.

[The elder holds a jade-bound tome and ascends the cloud-high hall; the younger drinks leftover broth and lies on a bed of ice.]

Quite a few people in the Capital knew of the gulf between the two Wei brothers.

Now that second son who "drank leftover broth" had suddenly become a fierce soul who "drew his sword and slew a servant"?

Then what of the eldest son, who was usually praised to the heavens?

Everyone turned subtly altered gazes on Wei Mingde.

Wei Mingde wished he could find a crack in the ground and crawl into it.

Qin Yan, however, paid no attention to any of that.

He had been transferred back to the Capital less than three years ago and knew little of the Wei Family's old affairs.

Instead, hearing Wei Mingde's explanation only made him happier.

"Your second son?! Good! Good!"

"If even the second son is like this, Shouzheng must be better still!

"The elder brother is the younger's teacher, after all! Mingde, you certainly know how to raise your sons!"

Then he enthusiastically announced, "Everyone, come to tomorrow's Apprenticeship Banquet at the Wei Residence!

"I want to see that ten-year-old Fiery Child with my own eyes, too!"

With that, Qin Yan departed, laughing heartily.

He left Wei Mingde standing where he was, surrounded by his colleagues' complicated gazes.

Before Zhou Yan left, however, he patted Wei Mingde on the shoulder and said just one thing:

"Mingde... that second son of yours will attend tomorrow's Apprenticeship Banquet, won't he?"

"With Qin Gong summoning him, how could he not?"

"Good, then." Zhou Yan smiled and left.

Once everyone was gone, Wei Mingde sat alone in the duty room.

Before him sat the tray of pastries he had never handed out.

Jujube Paste Pastries, Osmanthus Cakes, and Walnut Pastries were arranged in neat rows, not a single piece touched.

His mind was a tangled mess.

That Sinful Son whom he had left in the Side Courtyard for ten years, whom he had ordered to kill himself just yesterday-

Was now a "fierce gentleman" praised by His Majesty himself.

He had become the "ten-year-old Fiery Child" Qin Yan was longing to meet.

At tomorrow's Apprenticeship Banquet, Qin Yan wanted to see him.

His colleagues wanted to see him.

The entire Capital knew that the Wei Family had a fierce child who had "drawn his sword and slain a servant."

And he, that child's father, had been forcing him to die only yesterday.

Suddenly, Wei Mingde recalled what Wei Nisheng had said the night before.

"If anyone uses this matter to make trouble in the future, Father, you must testify on your son's behalf."

At the time, he had not understood what those words meant.

Now he did.

But what could he do?

Now the whole Capital knew the Wei Family had a "Fiery Child." His Majesty had praised him, and Qin Yan wanted to see him.

"That Sinful Son... that Sinful Son... he did this on purpose!!"