"That ill-born wretch who brings ruin upon his kin..."
Wei Mingde gritted his teeth and stared fixedly at Wei Nisheng, a jumble of emotions churning within him.
The wretch he had driven out of his home stood amid a hall full of purple-and-scarlet robes, accepted as the former Chief Minister's disciple, surrounded by fourth- and fifth-rank officials offering congratulations.
Yet he, the boy's father, was merely his "second uncle."
Wei Shouzheng stood beside his father, his face equally livid.
He dared not look at the figure in the center of the main hall.
He feared he would envy him too much.
He was the Wei Family's Eldest Legitimate Son, Qin Yan's disciple, a student of the Imperial College.
Yet now he could only stand in a corner and watch the younger brother he had scorned steal all the limelight.
Why? Why did he deserve this? Why was an entire hall of purple-and-scarlet robes applauding him?
Amid his envy, Wei Shouzheng suddenly murmured, as though possessed, "Father, let's leave..."
"Leave?" Hearing his eldest son's words, Wei Mingde glanced at him, his gaze icy. "Have you lost your mind? Where would you go? Your teacher Qin Yan is here, and the Feng Residence is full of officials of the fourth rank and above. Do you think you can just walk out?"
Under his father's gaze, Wei Shouzheng shuddered. Realizing he had said the wrong thing, he lowered his head and dared not utter another word.
Cui Shi, however, had none of the tangled thoughts troubling Wei Mingde and his son. Instead, she was considering how much benefit Wei Nisheng could bring the Wei Family.
After all, Wei Mingde's blood had flowed through this child's veins from the very beginning, and a bond of blood could never be argued away!
For a moment,