The family rules of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion cannot be invoked casually, because if Xie Chang'an were to strike you with a solid stick as thick as three fists, you would be half-dead, if not killed.

He just wanted to see his unreliable father get scolded by his grandmother a few more times. At most, he would be forced to kneel for a few more hours. Anyway, martial artists are thick-skinned and their fathers seem to have thick skin too, so it didn't matter.

But if family discipline is used, the father will probably be bedridden on his first day back home.

No way, no way!

The matriarch wouldn't allow her beloved grandson to be subjected to family discipline on his very first day home!

Xie Chang'an's small body trembled involuntarily. He felt that the old lady had seen through his little tricks, which was why she said those things on purpose.

"Grandmother, I'm really fine. Please don't be angry with Father. If he gets sick from anger, I'll be heartbroken!" Xie Chang'an hurriedly ran to the Duchess's side and tugged at her sleeve, pleading.

"Mother, look at my grandson, what a well-behaved and good child he is! And look at your grandson, so unruly and unruly—" The Duchess was both heartbroken and proud, and proudly boasted to the old lady.

A large "danger" appeared in Xie Chang'an's mind.

Sometimes, he really admired his grandmother's thought process, as she actually showed off her grandson in front of the old lady!

Has she forgotten that the old lady's grandson is her own son?

“Grandmother! Father is a good man! He is your son, how could he be as bad as you say?” Xie Chang’an emphasized to the Duchess with a particularly strong survival instinct.

Duchess: ...

If Xie Chang'an hadn't reminded her, she would have completely forgotten this fact.

"What a piece of trash!" she muttered under her breath.

“Grandmother, Father has been away from home for five years before returning. Don’t you miss him? Shouldn’t you ask him if he has suffered any hardships in the northern frontier? If he has been injured? Are Grandfather and Uncles alright?” Xie Chang’an quickly reminded her.

He wanted to harm his father, but he didn't want to get himself involved as well.

"I wanted to ask him, but who told him to be so unreliable and bring you—Chang'an, my goodness, were you scared? Your father wouldn't really take you to the execution ground to watch people get beheaded, would he?" The Duchess remembered this incident and hugged Xie Chang'an, touching and pinching him here and there, asking with concern.

I saw a headless corpse and a pile of blood.

Xie Chang'an thought to himself expressionlessly.

"No, Grandmother, don't worry. When the bad guy was beheaded, Father covered my eyes, so I didn't see anything," Xie Chang'an said in a soft, cute tone, his face expressionless.

"He's smart to know what's good for him!" the Duchess said viciously.

"Little Chang'an, why did you leave without waiting for us—" Xie Shaoling and Xu Qingqing had just stepped into the courtyard when they saw Xie Chang'an snuggling in his mother's arms. Just as they were about to scold him, they saw Xie Chang'an's face.

"What happened to your face? Did someone hit you?" Xie Shaoling asked in shock.

"Chang'an, why is your face swollen?" Xu Qingqing rushed to Xie Chang'an's side, bent down and reached out to examine his face from left to right.

"Be gentle—don't hurt Chang'an! What kind of mother are you? How can you watch Chang'an be bullied?!" The Duchess pulled down Xu Qingqing's hand and scolded her with dissatisfaction.

"Ah—who bullied Chang'an? Nobody bullied him!" Xu Qingqing was a little confused.

Everything was fine before I went to take a shower!

"If anyone dares to bully my son, even if it's the King of Heaven himself, I will go and demand justice from him!" Xie Shaoling said passionately.

With a "smack," the Duchess slapped Xie Shaoling hard on the back. Still not satisfied, she kicked him, making him stagger.

For the Duchess, who came from a prestigious family and had 'rules' ingrained in her very being, slapping Xie Shaoling or kicking him was extremely improper behavior.

But there was no way around it; her rebellious son was just too infuriating. Verbal reprimands were not enough to quell her anger, so physical punishment was the more direct approach.

"Mother, why did you hit me?" Xie Shaoling asked, feeling wronged, as he could dodge but dared not, and even staggered slightly in coordination.

"Didn't you want to find someone who bullied Chang'an to seek justice for him? I'll seek justice for you!" the Duchess said sarcastically.

"Huh—what do you mean?" Xie Shaoling was stunned for a while before he realized what was happening and protested for himself, "Mother, you think I bullied Chang'an? How could that be! How could I possibly bully such a weakling like him?"

Xie Chang'an: My father is so annoying! His mouth is especially awful!

"Wasn't it you who pinched his face?" the Duchess asked, glancing sideways at Xie Shaoling.

"I didn't—" Xie Shaoling wanted to retort, but then suddenly remembered that he had indeed pinched his son's face.

Right after his mother left, he saw that Xie Chang'an's little face was tender and looked like it was easy to pinch, so he casually pinched it. Unexpectedly, it felt so good that he couldn't help but pinch it a few more times.

"No, I only pinched him a few times, and it swelled up like this?!" Xie Shaoling found it unbelievable. He bent down and leaned closer to Xie Chang'an, staring at his swollen little face.

"Tsk tsk... Little Chang'an, it seems I wasn't wrong to call you a little girl. How come your face is even more delicate than a little girl's?!" Xie Shaoling said to Xie Chang'an with an exaggerated expression.

Xie Chang'an pouted, feeling quite annoyed!

“The men of my Zhenguo Duke’s Mansion cannot be so pampered. How will you go to the battlefield like this? Starting tomorrow, I will personally lead your training!” Xie Shaoling said to Xie Chang’an with a serious expression.

After saying this, without waiting for the Duchess's objection, he quickly took a few steps, came to the old lady, knelt down directly, and kowtowed three times.

"Grandson pays respects to his grandmother. It has been five years since we last met. Is your grandmother in good health?"

The saying goes, "grandparents love their grandchildren more than their own." The old lady viewed Xie Shaoling just as the Duchess viewed Xie Chang'an. A grandmother naturally loves her grandson no matter what.

"Good! Everything is fine at home! Ling'er, you've suffered so much in the northern frontier, you've lost weight and gotten so dark!" The old lady's eyes were a little red as she reached out to help Xie Shaoling.

Xie Shaoling quickly got up and helped the old lady up.

"You must be tired from your journey back from the northern frontier. Nothing else is urgent. First, savor the home-cooked meals and see if they still taste the way you remember them," the old lady said, instructing that the food be served.

"Mother, Chang'an's face is still swollen. Shouldn't we ask Mr. Li to take a look first?" the Duchess asked worriedly.

"Chang'an, what do you think?" The old lady asked Xie Chang'an, a hint of a smile in her eyes.

Faced with the old lady's all-knowing gaze, Xie Chang'an naturally dared not do anything.

"Grandma, my face is really fine. The reason it looks so scary is probably because of the steam when I took a bath. It will be fine in a while." He blinked his eyes, using all his charm and cuteness to finally get his grandmother to let it go.

I'm so tired!

He'll never dare to play these little tricks on the old lady again!

He clearly intended to trick his father, but instead, he ended up breaking out in a cold sweat!