After today, the Capital Wei shall rise through me!

March sixteenth, noon. An auspicious day for every undertaking.

A somber atmosphere hung over the Wei Family's Central Hall.

The Clan Elders sat on either side. Some lowered their heads, some stroked their beards, and some kept glancing toward the entrance. None dared speak.

Wei Mingde sat beside the seat of honor, his expression dark, without uttering a word.

Cui Shi stood behind him, her gaze flickering between the entrance and the thick stack of documents on the table.

The clan patriarch, Wei He, occupied the seat of honor, with those documents laid out before him.

Land deeds, shop deeds, and a stack of crisp new Jiaozi notes, all neatly arranged.

Just then, footsteps sounded outside.

Light and steady.

Wei Nisheng walked slowly inside with Wei An.

He wore his moon-white brocade robe that day. His pace was unhurried, his back perfectly straight, his gaze fixed ahead.

After crossing the threshold, he swept his eyes over everyone present, then stepped forward and bowed slightly to Wei He.

"Patriarch."

Then he turned to Wei Mingde and said flatly, "Second Uncle."

Wei Mingde gave a cold snort and did not answer.

Wei Nisheng could not be bothered with him either. He simply stood before the table, looking at the deeds.

Wei He cleared his throat, picked up the documents, and unfolded them one by one.

"Wei Nisheng, these are the properties your grandfather left to the Eldest Branch."

He picked up a land deed, showed it to everyone, then set it aside. "Three hundred mu of fertile farmland. Here is the deed.

"All of it is prime land in Wei Family Village, thirty li south of the city. The tenant farmers are honest people who pay their rent on time every year."

Then he picked up five shop deeds and laid them out one by one. "Five shops. Here are the deeds.

"Three are in the south of the city, two in the east. All occupy excellent streetfront locations and provide steady rental income every year."

Wei Nisheng nodded without asking any further questions.

Wei He pushed the stack of Jiaozi notes toward him. "These are the profits deposited over the past ten years, totaling five thousand six hundred taels.

"After deducting the clan's expenses for repairing the Ancestral Hall and aiding the poor, exactly five thousand taels remain. Count them."

Wei Nisheng accepted the stack without counting it. He merely glanced at it before handing it to Wei An behind him.

At the sight, Wei Mingde finally could not hold his tongue. "You unfilial wretch! This is everything you wanted! Hold on to it, and don't come crying poverty later!"

Wei Nisheng did not look at him. He only bowed slightly to Wei He. "Thank you, Patriarch."

Then he turned to Wei An, handed him all the deeds and Jiaozi notes, and said quietly,

"Uncle Wei, go to the Capital Prefectural Academy, the County Yamen, and the Local Worthies Shrine right now."

Wei Nisheng's voice was not loud, but every word was clear enough for everyone present to hear.

"Have copies made of every land deed belonging to the Eldest Branch, then submit them to all three places for registration."

Realizing what lay behind Wei Nisheng's arrangements, Wei He's eyes flickered. This child's mind is so meticulous.

Wei Mingde's expression changed sharply, and he sprang to his feet. "You! What do you mean by this?!"

Still confused, Cui Shi tugged at Wei Mingde's sleeve and asked softly, "Husband, what is he doing?"

His face livid, Wei Mingde explained through gritted teeth, "When mortgaging or selling fields and residences, neighboring parties must be consulted. This consultation extends first to relatives of the same clan within the prescribed degrees of mourning, and to those whose ancestral burial fields lie within a hundred households or adjoin the property concerned, in order of kinship. If no such clan relatives exist, the neighbors of the burial fields must be consulted."

"With this move, any future sale or purchase involving so much as a blade of grass or a tree belonging to his Eldest Branch will have to go through him!"

"If this wretch refuses, with the records filed at all three offices, the Official Brokerage won't dare endorse the transaction, buyers won't dare take possession, and you and I won't be able to change the registered owner!"

Cui Shi's face turned white. She looked at Wei Nisheng. "Then... Cheng'er..."

She did not finish, but her meaning was plain.

The plan they had made yesterday to transfer the properties to Wei Shoucheng had been utterly dashed by Wei Nisheng's maneuver.

Wei Mingde glared fiercely at Wei Nisheng, as though he wanted to devour him.

Wei Nisheng only smiled faintly and told Wei An, "Uncle Wei, go and come back quickly. I'll wait here."

Wei An acknowledged the order and hurried away with the deeds in his arms.

Wei Mingde raised a hand to stop him, then lowered it again.

Those deeds now belonged to Wei Nisheng. What right did he have to stop him?

He could only watch Wei An's figure disappear through the doorway, his chest heaving.

Wei Nisheng remained where he stood, his expression calm.

He looked at neither Wei Mingde nor Cui Shi, merely lowering his eyes slightly as though waiting for something.

Dead silence filled the Central Hall.

Before long, Wei An had someone deliver the land and shop deeds, their ownership transfers fully completed.

He himself stayed outside the residence with the five thousand taels in Jiaozi notes.

Wei Nisheng then handed the transferred land and shop deeds back to Wei He.

With that, the matter of Adoption into the Lineage was finally and completely settled!

At last, Wei Mingde lost his composure. He pointed at Wei Nisheng, his finger trembling.

"Fine! Fine! You're impressive! You've left nothing out of your calculations!"

"Now everything is settled. You've completed the Lineage Separation and taken back what belongs to you..."

"Haven't you wanted to leave all along? Then leave!" He drew a deep breath and snapped, "Get out right now! Get out of the Wei Family!"

The Clan Elders exchanged glances. No one spoke.

Wei He frowned, wanting to say something, but ultimately only sighed.

"Since the clan uncles happen to be here, I'll bear witness as well," Wei Mingde continued, his voice rising. "From this day forward, our Julu Wei of the Capital will no longer count you, Wei Nisheng, among us!"

Wei Nisheng raised his head and looked at him.

His gaze was as calm as water.

There was no anger, no sorrow, only the relief of a burden finally lifted.

"Thank you for your kindness." Wei Nisheng bowed slightly, his tone indifferent. "Henceforth, I will not claim descent from your branch either."

Then he turned and strode toward the entrance.

Behind him, Cui Shi tried to say something, but Wei Mingde grabbed her and held her back.

The Clan Elders rose one after another, unsure whether they should see him off.

Wei He watched the young man's retreating figure with a complicated gaze.

He knew that from this day onward, this child would have no further ties to the Wei Family.

Wei Nisheng left the Central Hall, crossed the covered corridor, and headed toward the Side Courtyard.

A few servants saw him from a distance and hurriedly lowered their heads, stepping out of his way.

No one dared approach him. No one dared speak.

He entered the Side Courtyard. His bundle had already been packed.

He took one final look at the courtyard where he had lived for ten years.

The shabby table and chairs, the crude bed, the oil lamp on the windowsill.

This place had been his cage, and also his schoolroom.

"At last, I'm leaving."

Wei Nisheng turned away without lingering.

At the entrance to the Wei Residence, Wei An stood waiting outside.

When he saw Wei Nisheng emerge, he hurried forward and took the bundle from his hands.

The two walked side by side, heading out beyond the gates.

Behind them stood the vermilion gates of the Wei Residence.

"Uncle Wei."

"Young master?"

"All these years, I've had you to thank."

Wei An froze, then hurriedly waved his hands. "Please don't say that, young master. This old servant was your grandfather's study attendant. Looking after you is only my duty..."

"No." Wei Nisheng cut him off, his gaze solemn. "It was not your duty."

"Without you, I would have died long ago in these past ten years. Without you, I could never have studied, practiced my writing, or made it this far."

Wei An stood stunned. His mouth opened, but no words came.

Tears had welled up before he knew it. He raised his sleeve to wipe them away, but the more he wiped, the more they flowed.

Wei Nisheng looked at him and spoke each word clearly. "Uncle Wei, you have no children. You could have spent your remaining years peacefully in the residence, yet you labored so hard for my sake.

"Ni Sheng has no way to repay you, but I promise you this..."

"After you pass away, you will receive the incense offerings of my Capital Wei for a hundred generations, alongside my grandfather."

Not the Julu Wei.

Wei Nisheng's Capital Wei.

Wei An shuddered and stared at him as though he had not heard correctly.

A moment later, he dropped to his knees with a thud.

"Young master! How... how could that be allowed?" His voice trembled. "This old servant is only a servant. How could I..."

"Why couldn't you?" Wei Nisheng quickly bent to help him up, his expression earnest. "My grandfather bestowed a surname upon you. Now I will bestow a name!"

"A name worthy of enshrinement in the Ancestral Hall!"

Wei An raised his head and looked at that young, earnest face. His lips trembled, but he could not utter a single word.

In the end, he only knelt there, weeping like a child.

Wei An had spent his life serving Wei Zheng, and Wei Zheng had not failed him. He had released him from his bond of servitude and allowed him to spend his remaining years in the Wei Residence.

But Wei An had no children! What did being registered as a free man matter? In caring for Wei Nisheng over these ten years, had he not also treated him as his own child?

Even so, he had never imagined that one day he might enter the Ancestral Hall and receive incense offerings.

This was a kindness as vast as the heavens. As vast as the heavens!

"This old servant... thanks you, young master!" Wei An bowed his head heavily to the ground, his voice choked with sobs. "For you, I would spill my liver and brains upon the earth, and serve until death!"

At the sight, Wei Nisheng hurriedly pulled him to his feet and said softly, "Uncle Wei, from this day onward, you are an elder of mine."

Wei An was too overcome to speak and could only nod again and again.

The two stood outside the Wei Residence, one old and one young, supporting each other.

Sunlight fell upon them, warm and gentle.

In the distance, vendors' cries rose from the bustling streets, alive with the smoke and warmth of everyday life.

Wei Nisheng cast only one final glance at those gates, then turned and walked forward.

"Uncle Wei, let's go."

"Where to, young master?"

"We'll find somewhere to stay first, then work out the rest." He paused, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.

"The Capital is so vast. There's bound to be a place where I, Wei Nisheng, can plant my feet."

With that, he stepped forward without looking back.

Behind him, the plaque bearing the words "Wei Residence" grew ever more distant.

Ahead lay a long street filled with passing people, the warmth of everyday life, and countless possibilities.

After today.

The Capital Wei would rise through him.