Seeing the scene before him, Third Master Yang said coolly: “Sister-in-law shows no favoritism—I admire that. However, with Elder Brother’s seventh day of mourning not yet passed, we shouldn’t have another death in the mansion. The lesson for the Third Young Master is sufficient. I take my leave.”
Third Master Yang needed only one glance to know the new rod was cast from raw iron. How Madam Yang wanted to deal with her concubine-born son was not something he wished to involve himself in. He cupped his hands and left without looking back.
Yang Jingyuan stared blankly at Madam Yang as memories slowly drifted before his eyes. He remembered how in his childhood when he was mischievous and playful, his Mother would always smile and praise his liveliness and intelligence. When he brought home his calligraphy praised by his teacher, Mother would carelessly set it aside, showing no interest.
No matter what trouble he caused, what fights he got into, Mother always indulged him. Father would look at him with complex emotions, only teaching him principles of conduct before sending him to his master at Qingcheng. He had always known that as long as he didn’t touch the family assets or threaten his elder brothers, his Mother would continue to treat him well and wouldn’t make things difficult for his birth mother.
“Was it all just for those assets? I don’t want them. Mother, I never wanted them. I asked Father—he said they were for my birth mother’s security.” His lips quivered, his voice swirling in his mouth, as light as the wind. “These twenty years, you’ve hated her all along, haven’t you? Hated her for taking Father away. As soon as Father died, you drove her to death. You hate me too, don’t you? Because I’m her son, you wish I were dead too.”
Father was gone, his birth mother was gone, and now his stepmother wanted to take the opportunity to beat him to death.
Can you take it?
She knew how to speak. Afraid he wouldn’t accept, she even provoked him with words. Mother, the mother who raised him for eighteen years, was gone too.
Yang Jingyuan closed his eyes, seeing only darkness.
“Third Young Master…” Madam Yang clutched her collar. It wasn’t her, it wasn’t her! She hated how the master showed favoritism, she was jealous of Concubine Liu. It wasn’t that she valued those assets so much—she just hated the master’s unfairness! She had never wanted to beat her Third Young Master to death! Madam Yang felt dizzy, nearly fainting.
Shu Ye sighed: “Madam Yang, Mu Tangyu and I were friends who would die for each other. Yang Jingyuan was his son born in his later years. As the saying goes, emperors love their eldest sons, common folk love their youngest. His favoritism toward the Third Young Master and the assets he gave wouldn’t exceed what the first and second young masters received. He just wanted to ensure a life of comfort for himself and his concubine. Since you can’t accommodate Third Young Master, I’ll take him away. How about exchanging those assets for him?”
“Master Shu, there must be some misunderstanding…”
“Let them go!” Madam Yang’s pride cut off Yang Jingshan’s words.
Without another word, Shu Ye hoisted Yang Jingyuan onto his back and walked out, gradually disappearing into the darkness.
Yang Jingshan anxiously stamped his feet: “Mother, you can’t let him take Third Brother away. It wasn’t you who did it—this way, Third Brother will misunderstand. Father’s seventh day of mourning hasn’t even passed!”
Tears welled up in Madam Yang’s eyes: “I raised him for eighteen years, yet without asking me a word, he immediately believed I drove Concubine Liu to death and wanted to beat him to death. What’s the point of keeping him here? Should I kowtow and apologize to him?”
Yang Jingshan looked at the kneeling servant and demanded harshly: “Who told you to switch to an iron rod?!”
The servant glanced nervously at Matron Chen before lowering his head.
Matron Chen? Yang Jingshan was dumbfounded. Could Mother have wanted to beat Third Brother to death?
Seeing her son’s expression, Madam Yang felt her limbs go cold with anger—even her eldest son didn’t believe her. She straightened her back and said dryly: “I’m tired. Matron Chen, help me inside. You brothers take turns keeping vigil for your father.”
Matron Chen lowered her head and supported Madam Yang’s hand.
Yang Jingshan wanted to say Mother was confused, but as a son, he couldn’t criticize her. Frustrated, he said to Second Brother: “I’ll keep vigil for Father tonight. Come replace me tomorrow morning.” He wanted to keep sincere vigil for Father, asking him to forgive Mother and bless Third Brother.
Only one lantern remained lit in the inner hall. For twenty years, since the eldest master stopped staying in Bailu Hall, only one lantern would be left burning at night.
Too many lights would make the room too bright, only emphasizing its emptiness.
Madam Yang sat at her dressing table, undoing her hair bun, letting her hair fall loose. The person in the mirror looked aged, crow’s feet spreading like fishtails from her eyes. She held a handful of hair—more white than black. She reached out to touch the bronze mirror. Once, she too had skin like mutton-fat jade and bright eyes. Twenty years ago, she was still a woman in her thirties. Twenty years. He had traded the Yang family’s prosperity for those twenty years! Her life had only her sons. Three sons. Not two. Madam Yang closed her eyes.
Matron Chen fell to her knees with a thud, choking: “Madam, it was this old servant’s moment of confusion! This servant dares not die—I must wait for Third Young Master’s return to beg his forgiveness!”
“No need.” Madam Yang turned around. “You’ve followed me all my life. What you did was what I would have done.”
After raising him for eighteen years, the Third Young Master easily believed she had no feelings for him. Just as she hadn’t begged the master to stay then, she would never beg him to recognize her as his mother now.
“It’s the master’s seventh day, and Concubine Liu’s body has also lain in state for seven days. Following the mansion’s customs, buy a plot and bury her.” Madam Yang stood and lay down on her couch, saying calmly, “Third Young Master went to Qingcheng today to have Daoist Huaqing examine the wine. Though he didn’t say it, there must have been something wrong with the wine. That night everyone drank that wine, yet only the master had an incident—we can’t pin down Second Uncle. He harmed the master, wanting to become the Yang family head, and will go after the first and second young masters. Starting tomorrow, add four guards for each young master; they are not to leave the mansion alone without cause. Tell the eldest young mistress, who manages the household, to send Chengyu to me first… After the seven sevens of mourning, when the ancestral hall establishes the family head, the Second Uncle will have to accept it whether he wants to or not. Matron Chen, this is what’s most important for the Yang family right now.”
“Rest assured, Madam, this old servant won’t let the young masters out of sight.” Matron Chen immediately understood.
In a side room of a small courtyard in Yizhou Prefecture, Doctor Fan cut away Yang Jingyuan’s clothes layer by layer. Seeing the clothes stuck to the wounds, he couldn’t help complaining: “If it was the family punishment rod, why didn’t he remove his clothes?”
Shu Ye said irritably: “He was being stupid, thought it was just for show—who knew they were serious?”
Doctor Fan used hot water to dissolve the dried blood: “You took two months’ leave just for him?”
“When Old Yang talked about him back then, he entrusted him to me. That’s why he specifically sent him to Qingcheng to learn martial arts for years. He’s a concubine’s son—staying with the Yang family would mean a lifetime of idleness. Following me, he can make his future. Now that the Yang family can’t accommodate him, it’s perfect timing to take him away.”
Doctor Fan examined the wounds carefully: “The injuries aren’t severe. If they were really serious, it wouldn’t be like this.”
Shu Ye said proudly: “That’s because old Shu was clever. Hearing the Yang family’s second branch clamoring about family punishment, I hid in the funeral tent. Otherwise, with the inner courtyard gates locked, and old Shu not knowing martial arts, I couldn’t even find a ladder to climb the wall. Let me tell you, he took forty-seven strikes of the rod first, crisp as bamboo shoots stir-fried with meat. For the last three strikes, when the bamboo rod broke and they changed rods, I stayed alert. Seeing something wasn’t right, I rushed out immediately and pulled him away. Otherwise, he’d have been beaten to a pulp.”
“Alright. A few days of rest and he can get up.” Doctor Fan packed his medicine box. “It’s quiet here, you two stay for now. I’ll let you know if there’s any news from the Yang family.”
Shu Ye saw him out, and upon returning, found Yang Jingyuan had opened his eyes.