When a Son Takes After His Father, His Father Loves Him!

By the time Wei Nisheng left, the night had grown late.

In the Central Hall of the Wei Residence, several servants bustled about tidying up, packing used bowls and plates into food boxes and setting untouched pastries on plates to keep.

Wei Mingde sat in the seat of honor and rubbed his brow.

He had spent the whole day entertaining guests, smiling until his face went stiff. Now his entire body ached, and all he wanted was to lie down and rest.

Cui Shi was directing the servants as they took stock of the remaining food, wine, and tableware. "Those plates of osmanthus cake haven't been touched. Put them away properly. There are still three unopened jugs of wine. Seal them and store them..."

As she gave her instructions, she glanced at Wei Shouzheng standing to one side, then at Wei Mingde slumped in the seat of honor.

Without interfering in the father and son's affairs, she turned and went to the storeroom.

Only father and son remained in the Central Hall.

After holding his frustration in all evening, Wei Shouzheng finally could not resist speaking.

He walked up to Wei Mingde, his face full of grievance.

"Father!!"

"Today was my Apprenticeship Banquet! What was he playing at, singing and dancing over there?!

"Qin Gong talked to him from beginning to end, while I, his actual disciple, was reduced to a decoration!"

Wei Mingde looked up at Wei Shouzheng, his gaze calm. He offered no response, merely staring coldly at his eldest son.

"Finished?"

Wei Shouzheng froze.

"Then let me ask you: who suggested composing a lyric tonight?"

Wei Shouzheng opened his mouth. "It... it was me..."

"Did I try to stop you?"

Wei Shouzheng fell silent.

"Heh." Wei Mingde snorted coldly. "Couldn't you see how composed that Sinful Son was?"

"He stood there with clear eyes, without the slightest fear.

"A person like that either has genuine talent and learning or has come prepared."

"Whichever it was, charging straight at him was just inviting humiliation!"

"And now you blame him for stealing your limelight? Whose fault was it?!"

The rebuke left Wei Shouzheng speechless, his face alternating between pale and ashen.

Still unwilling to accept it, he struggled for a long while before squeezing out another sentence.

"But Father... after tonight, won't Qin Gong take him as a disciple too?"

This was what worried Wei Shouzheng most.

If Qin Gong really accepted Wei Nisheng, what would that make him, the "actual disciple"?

Would he even have room to speak before his teacher in the future?

At those words, Wei Mingde actually smiled.

"No."

Wei Shouzheng's eyes lit up. "How can you tell, Father?"

"Think about it. If Qin Gong intended to, he could have said so on the spot. Why keep it hidden?" Wei Mingde said slowly.

"Two brothers studying under the same master would make a fine story."

Wei Shouzheng frowned. "Then... then why didn't he..."

"Because he is a lad, and you are a student," Wei Mingde interrupted, his gaze meaningful.

"Did you hear how that Sinful Son referred to himself at the banquet today?"

"He never once used the word 'student.' From beginning to end, he called himself 'this lad.'"

Wei Shouzheng paused, thought back, and realized that was indeed true.

"What sort of man is Qin Gong? He could tell at once that the boy had only received an elementary education and had never properly studied.

"Not just anyone can call himself a 'student.'"

"So he could only call himself 'this lad' and say he had 'gained a little understanding.' He didn't dare call himself a 'student.'"

Wei Mingde lifted his teacup and took a sip.

The tea had gone cold and tasted astringent, but he swallowed it anyway.

"And Shouzheng, remember this. You are the eldest son of our Wei Family."

He set down his teacup and looked at his son. "Not long after Qin Gong returned to court, Grand Secretary Feng took the opportunity to retire.

"Court affairs aren't as simple as you imagine.

"He didn't agree to take you as his disciple merely because you had 'passable aptitude,' either."

Wei Shouzheng was lost in a fog. "Father, I don't understand..."

Seeing the blank incomprehension on his face, Wei Mingde immediately lost the desire to continue and waved a hand.

"In short, things aren't that simple. Qin Gong won't accept the Sinful Son. You can rest assured."

Although Wei Shouzheng had not understood, his father's assurance finally lifted the heavy stone from his heart.

"Thank you, Father! I knew you were on my side!"

Watching his delight, Wei Mingde changed tack.

"Don't celebrate too soon."

Wei Shouzheng's smile stiffened.

"You heard the lyrics that Sinful Son composed today, and everything he said."

"Why was he able, after sneaking into the study a few times and visiting the Ancestral Hall a few times,

"to blend your grandfather's calligraphy, Chu Suiliang's models, and the Xue Brothers' brushwork into a coherent whole and create a style of his own?"

"And you?" Wei Mingde fixed him with a piercing stare.

"You study in the study every day, with a tutor teaching you hand over hand. What have you learned? What do you think of that lyric you wrote?"

Wei Shouzheng lowered his head and fell silent again.

Of course he knew that his lyric was nothing but a heap of stock phrases. Compared with Wei Nisheng's, the difference was truly that between clouds and mud.

Still, he stubbornly muttered under his breath, "How is that the same..."

"How is it different?" Wei Mingde's voice suddenly rose. "To put it bluntly, you and that Sinful Son are both sons of Lu Niang and me!"

"The blood flowing in his veins flows in yours too! If he can do it, why can't you?!"

The shouting left Wei Shouzheng afraid to raise his head.

Looking at his pathetic display, Wei Mingde felt disappointment surge through him like a tide.

"Shouzheng! You're clearly the one who takes after me most!"

"Taking after you is exactly why I'm doomed..."

"What did you say?"

"Nothing. I just wanted to return to my room.

"After all, I have to go to the Imperial College to see my teacher tomorrow. I wouldn't want to be delayed."

"True. Go back to your room, then!"

As though granted a pardon, Wei Shouzheng bowed and hurried away.

And just like that, Wei Mingde was left alone in the Central Hall.

"That boy. What's wrong with a son taking after his father?

"As the saying goes: when a son doesn't resemble his father, his father dislikes him! When a son resembles his father, his father suspects him.

"Not only do I not suspect you, I love you!

"You inherited all my good qualities. That Sinful Son merely inherited my looks."

As he spoke, Wei Mingde recalled how Wei Nisheng had looked standing in the center of the Central Hall that day.

A moon-white brocade robe, features like a painting, neither servile nor overbearing, answering everything with composure.

Such bearing, such grace-he was practically identical to Wei Mingde in his youth!

As he was thinking this, Cui Shi returned.

"Husband, it's so late. Aren't you going to rest?"

Wei Mingde stood without answering, stroked his short beard, and asked with a smile,

"Looking at that Sinful Son today, wouldn't you say he looked exactly like me when I was young?"

"Er..." Cui Shi looked at Wei Mingde's bland features, then remembered that she had married into "a minister's household." She immediately smiled.

"Of course not. That child Ni Sheng doesn't possess even one ten-thousandth of your charm!"

"Ha ha, naturally! After all, your husband was once a talented scholar of Jiangnan!

"Otherwise, why would Lu Niang have married me just because my father brought me to her door to propose?

"That Sinful Son possesses no more than a tenth of my charm!"