Mourners came in an endless stream. The Second and Third Masters from the Yang family’s eldest branch came to help. Second Master Yang was seeing off a guest from Bailu Hall when he noticed Xiangyou bending down to tie Yang Jingyuan’s mourning clothes while Yang Jingyuan was putting on his mourning cap. Second Master Yang’s eyes narrowed as he recalled Sheng Fengze’s words.
“Third Young Master! Your father’s body isn’t even cold, the household is so busy, yet you sneak out to play! You unfilial son!” Second Master Yang shouted and swung his palm towards him.
As expected, Yang Jingyuan swiftly caught his wrist.
Thinking of how Second Master Yang, for the position of family head, disregarded his elder brother’s advanced age and sent him doctored aphrodisiac wine, and how he conspired with Sheng Fengze to harm his two elder brothers, Yang Jingyuan wanted nothing more than to strangle Second Master Yang.
The eldest master had drunk the secret aphrodisiac wine and died of overexertion while intimate with the concubine. Such a cause of death meant that although Yang Jingyuan knew Second Master Yang’s malicious intent, he couldn’t accuse him publicly. It was like a mute eating bitter herbs—suffering without being able to speak of it. Now that Second Master Yang was actively provoking and trying to discipline him, Yang Jingyuan gripped his uncle’s wrist, looked around at everyone in the courtyard, suppressed his anger repeatedly, and finally flung the hand away forcefully.
Second Master Yang clutched his wrist and began squealing like a pig: “Aiyoo! It hurts terribly! This unfilial nephew has struck his uncle!”
“What nonsense are you speaking?” Yang Jingyuan raged.
Yang Silang, hearing his father’s cries, rushed out from the funeral tent just in time to see Yang Jingyuan throwing off his father’s hand. He flew into a rage, rolling up his sleeves as he charged forward: “Yang Jingyuan! How dare you strike my father!”
“Silang, stay back! He knows martial arts—don’t let him hurt you!” Second Master Yang turned to embrace his enraged son Yang Jingting, covering his face with his sleeve as he began to cry, “Elder Brother, if your spirit is watching, look at this rebellious son Yang Jingyuan! Instead of keeping vigil for you, he runs off to play. As his uncle, I merely spoke a few words, and he raised his hands against me… what misfortune for our family!”
Yang Jingting supported his father and shouted: “Yang Jingyuan, you dare strike my father—I’ll fight you to the death!”
The voices of father and son were so loud they alarmed the coming and going guests.
A crowd gathered at the courtyard entrance. Second Master Yang appeared heartbroken, his sleeves pulled by servants, affecting the air of someone who had been struck by his nephew and had lost all face to live, seeming ready to jump in the lake to join his elder brother, appearing utterly devastated. Several guests were holding him back with words of consolation.
Yang Silang blocked Yang Jingyuan’s path, his neck rigid: “My father is your elder—he can’t even scold you a few times? You’re not leaving today unless you kowtow to my father and apologize!”
Was this deliberately picking a fight? Knowing that the mother had always protected him, were they trying to pin the charge of assaulting an elder on him to make things difficult for her? In the past, Yang Jingyuan might have played the fool and acted even more pitifully. Now he wasn’t in the mood. He said coldly: “Move aside.”
“I won’t!” Yang Jingyuan grabbed his arm. This was the Yang family’s Bailu Hall. The courtyard was full of witnesses. Yang Jingting looked at Yang Jingyuan provocatively, bringing his face close, and said in a voice only the two of them could hear: “Yang Jingyuan, I’ve long despised you. No matter what trouble you caused before, Elder Aunt always protected you. Do you think Elder Aunt would truly care for the son of a concubine? Your father is dead now—Elder Aunt has no more reservations. If you dare touch a hair on my head, just wait to be beaten with the family punishment rod!”
In the past, no matter what trouble he caused, whenever his father wanted to apply family punishment, his stepmother had always intervened. Would Mother stop protecting him now? With Father dead, his stepmother finally lost patience with the concubine, which was why… No, that couldn’t be. Yang Jingyuan desperately tried not to believe Yang Jingting’s words, but Concubine Liu’s face and Master Shu’s eager approach to chat had planted thorns in his heart.
Don’t be easily provoked by Yang Silang, Yang Jingyuan silently warned himself, then said with a cold smile: “I, Yang Jingyuan, am more handsome than you, more generous with money than you, and live more like a legitimate son than you. There’s nothing you can do about your jealousy—it’s natural.”
He threw off Yang Jingting’s hand, “Looking for a beating? Do you think I’m too stupid to fight dirty? Watch yourself. I promise when I beat you, there won’t be any witnesses.”
But he had underestimated how shameless this father and son could be. Yang Jingting merely hesitated for a moment, stepped back, and deliberately fell to the ground. Before he could cry out, Madam Zou had already rushed over screaming, grabbing Yang Jingting’s hand to examine him up and down: “Silang, what’s wrong? Where are you hurt? Don’t frighten your mother!”
Madam Zou was even more dramatic than the father and son. She pointed at Yang Jingyuan while crying: “Yang Jingyuan, why don’t you just kill me too!” With that, she rushed headlong toward Yang Jingyuan.
Being a woman, Yang Jingyuan could only step aside. Missing him, Madam Zou was caught by a group of female relatives and began wailing loudly.
“What’s happening here?” Yang Jingshan came out from the funeral tent hearing the commotion. Seeing Silang on the ground, Madam Zou crying and wailing, and Third Young Master standing aside with a dark face, he momentarily thought Yang Jingyuan had discovered something and couldn’t help but lay hands on Second Master.
“Eldest Young Master, you must seek justice for your uncle and aunt!” Seeing Yang Jingshan, Madam Zou turned and cried out to him.
Madam Zhou, being in-laws with the second branch, first took Madam Zou’s side. Then, remembering how on the fifteenth of the eighth month her son Zhou Qilang had been beaten black and blue, and how Madam Yang had protected Yang Jingyuan, she said coolly: “This is outrageous! Let alone being scolded by an elder, even if they beat him, he shouldn’t have fought back! Is this how the Yang family raises their children?”
Madam Zhou’s voice wasn’t soft, causing the surrounding guests who didn’t know the situation to show strong disapproval in their eyes.
Yang Jingshan bowed deeply: “If Third Brother is at fault, Mother certainly won’t shield him. Second Aunt, Silang, Mother will give you an explanation for this matter.”
He helped Yang Silang up from the ground, glared at Yang Jingyuan, and said: “Go keep vigil for Father!”
Seeing Yang Silang squeeze his eye at him with a smug smile, Yang Jingyuan lowered his head and entered the memorial hall.
By evening, after the guests had dispersed and meals were finished, the second and third branches hadn’t left. Madam Yang sat in the center position, with Second Master and Third Master’s couples seated to her left and right.
Yang Jingyuan stood beside his two elder brothers, suddenly curious about how his stepmother would handle today’s events.
Third Master Yang cleared his throat and said: “Sister-in-law, our family has always been led by the eldest branch. The most important thing for the family head is to handle matters fairly, to win people’s hearts and minds. Today, Second Brother didn’t know Third Young Master had gone to Qingcheng to report to his master, and in a moment of anger scolded him. Even if Second Brother misunderstood him, should he have raised his hands against Second Brother? Pushing Second Brother in front of so many guests, then attacking Silang and knocking him to the ground. Sister-in-law, I know you love Third Young Master more than your children. But if you protect him today, how will the eldest branch command respect?”
Second Master Yang coldly snorted: “Sister-in-law, if Third Young Master had explained himself, would I have continued to scold him? He raised his hands without a word—is this how one should treat their elders?”
Madam Yang spoke calmly: “Third Young Master, come here.”