Family discord

"Can you really guarantee that Xie Sinan will be of use to us?"

"Don't worry, my lord. Nan-ge'er grew up by my side since he was a child. Although Lian'er wanted him to see through my true colors, he is a fool and still believes what I say."

“If you raised him from childhood and don’t know how to repay kindness, how could you be so easily bewitched by that girl?”

“What the master says is true. Such a fool can only be a stepping stone for our Yu-ge’er, and is only fit to be a stepping stone.”

Beneath the east window, the two whispered secrets, their shadows cast long shadows on the windowpane, and the flickering flames seemed like phantoms.

"I heard you want Yu Ge'er to marry Princess Anning."

Noticing Xie Zhun's gaze, Madam Huang smiled and nodded, "Do you think Yu-ge'er is not good enough for Princess Anning?"

Not receiving a reply from Xie Zhun, she continued, "If Yu-ge'er can achieve outstanding results in this major examination, he will naturally catch the eye of Princess Anning." A smile appeared in her eyes, "Yu-ge'er has never needed our help with his studies, and his teacher always praises him."

Noticing Xie Zhun's gaze, she continued, "As expected of the master's biological son, he inherited his master's intelligence, while Nan-ge'er is a fool."

“A son is like his mother.” Xie Zhun said without much thought. “Xie Sinan’s unruly nature has nothing to do with Madam; it’s all because of Madam Lu.” He placed all the blame on Madam Lu.

Ms. Huang smiled with delight.

Remembering what Xie Ling had said earlier, Xie Zhun turned his gaze to Madam Huang again, "Madam, do you think Father and the others will really leave the Prime Minister's residence at this time?"

Madam Huang looked at Xie Chun and said in a low voice, "Master, don't you think about it? My second brother has been in Suzhou all these years, and Father has been living in Yuzhou City. If he returns to Chang'an, where else can he go besides living in the Prime Minister's residence?"

Madam Huang didn't give Xie Zhun a chance to speak, but continued, "Master, don't worry, I know what I'm doing. You don't need to worry. The big exam is just around the corner, and we should prepare Nan Ge'er for it. The exam will last for three days, and he'll be at the academy for all three days. It's heartbreaking to think about."

"Why worry?" Xie Zhun said with a smile, "Yu-ge'er is doing well in his studies."

Huang smiled at Xie Zhun.

Xie Sinan found a suitable place to bury Lian'er. In the darkness, Lian'er's body lay on the tidy flower bed.

At first, he had feelings for Lian'er, after all, she was the first ray of light in the darkness of his youth. At that time, he even felt that Lian'er was a fairy sent by heaven to save him.

"Reluctant to part with it?" Xie Sili teased. "You're quite the sentimental one."

“I don’t want to hear this praise.” Xie Sinan looked at her with a helpless smile. “She was the first ray of light in my life when I was young. Although Huang Shi never lacked food or clothing at that time, I always felt that something was missing. Now I think it was probably what is called ‘family affection’.”

Lian'er's appearance perfectly filled this gap. I was truly moved by her, and at one point even considered marrying her.

"It's a good thing you didn't do that." Xie Sili said without much thought. "If you had married her and spent every day with her, you probably would have died long ago." Her eyes became more serious as she looked at Xie Sinan. "You wouldn't be able to see me now."

Under Du Heng's care these days, Xie Sinan's figure has changed, and he can be described as a handsome young man in a white robe.

Not to mention, Xie Sinan, after losing weight, bears a striking resemblance to her in many ways.

They all had almond-shaped eyes.

"The big exam is in three days." Xie Sili glanced at Xie Sinan. "Have you prepared everything you need for the exam?"

Before Xie Sili could answer Xie Sinan's question, he heard Xie Sili's voice: "I'm almost ready, but even if I get the top score in the exam, I don't want to pursue a career in government. I don't yearn for officialdom."

“I’m not like my father. He’s shrewd and cunning, a man of great social skills and a sharp mind. I’m not like that. In the court, I might be torn to pieces.” He chuckled self-deprecatingly. “Sister, can I really help you overthrow the Prime Minister’s mansion?”

Xie Sili rolled her eyes at him, her voice icy, "To be honest, I could have destroyed this Prime Minister's residence even without you."

Noticing the emotion on Xie Sinan's face, she reached out and patted his shoulder. "After you entered politics, didn't you ever think about replacing our father?" Her words were tinged with a hint of teasing. "Brother, I have high hopes for you."

"Sister!" Xie Sinan's helpless voice rang out.

The two stood in front of Lian'er's flower bed. At Xie Sili's command, the person standing next to them set the flower bed on fire, and the raging flames quickly engulfed everything in front of them.

Xie Sili glanced at the scene before her, tossed the Buddhist prayer beads in her hand, and murmured something under her breath.

Noticing Xie Sinan's gaze, she smiled but remained silent.

It's almost the end of November, and Longmen Academy is about to face its annual exam.

On the eve of the major exam, Huang hosted a rare dinner for everyone.

Xie Ling, Qin Shi, and Yang Shi, along with Xie Sichuan and Xie Sichu, were able to dine together, a rare occurrence even for the concubines of the Prime Minister's residence.

Nowadays, the Prime Minister's family has few male heirs; apart from Xie Sinan, Xie Sixian, and Xie Siyu, they are mostly daughters.

However, participants in the major exam are not divided by gender; gender will only be separated when the scores are tallied later.

However, the content of the major exams is basically the same, so there is no unfairness.

Princess Anning has been a leading figure for many years and is regarded as a role model for women, but she herself has never cared about this matter, as if this title is nothing but dirt to her.

"Tomorrow is the big exam, so you all need to do well," Madam Huang instructed Xie Siyu. To her, Xie Sinan was just someone to be mentioned casually.

"Don't worry, Mother, I will do my best." Xie Siyu's face was full of determination.

He looked at Xie Sinan and asked, "I wonder how your preparations have been going these past few days, Second Brother?"

Xie Sinan knew Xie Siyu's purpose, and said, "Fifth brother, you don't know my strength. Now that Fourth brother is also with me, he will definitely be a burden." As he spoke, he showed a simple and honest smile.

"Second brother, you can't keep up with fifth brother in any subject, whether it's academics or studies." Xie Siyan bluntly said, "You've always been inferior to fifth brother all these years."

Xie Sili glanced at Xie Siyan, smiled, and remained silent.

“My sister is right, I’m not good at academic research.” He laughed nonchalantly. “That’s just how I am.”

When Xie Siyu heard this, the corners of his lips involuntarily turned up.

Who doesn't like to be contrasted by a fool? He's no exception.

“Fourth Brother’s studies are definitely better than ours.” Xie Siyu said, then turned his gaze to Xie Sichuan. “I’ve noticed that Fourth Brother has been quite spirited at the academy these days, and he’s quite popular with the daughters of noble families.”

"Fifth brother is joking." Xie Sichuan quickly spoke up, "I'm just a good-for-nothing, not very good at studying." He scratched his head as he spoke, "Mother has been having headaches about these things these days." He glanced at Yang Shi sitting next to him as he spoke.

Upon receiving a signal from Xie Sichuan, Madam Yang quickly spoke up, "Although this child is also studying at Longmen Academy, his academic performance is poor. He often gives the teachers headaches at the academy. Not to mention the teachers, even I, who have spent a long time with Chuan-ge'er, have a headache."

“That’s right, that’s right.” Xie Sichu quickly chimed in, “My brother is such a fool, how can he compare to my fifth brother?”

As soon as the three of them finished speaking, they saw a subtle joy in Huang's eyes. They exchanged glances and understood each other.

"Oh dear, it must be because the Longmen Academy in Yuzhou City produces so many talented people that Chuan-ge'er seems rather mediocre." Madam Huang couldn't stop smiling, her smile almost reaching the sky. "I think Chuan-ge'er is quite good this way. Will my second brother come back for the New Year? Or will he stay in Suzhou for the New Year again?"

“Aunt, you may not know this, but every year during the New Year, my father would have a few days off and would often travel to Yuzhou City to meet with us. Unfortunately, we are returning to Chang'an this year, so I’m afraid we won’t be able to come back,” Xie Sichuan said, feigning regret.

Upon hearing this, Xie Zhun's lips curled into a smile.

His younger brother is good in every way, except that he is upright, honest, and intolerant of any wrongdoing.

One of the main reasons he is now the prefect of Suzhou is that he wanted to investigate the case of the late crown prince back then.

That was a pain that no one could touch, but Xie Yi refused to believe it and insisted on investigating. In the end, he crossed the line of the powerful families and was driven out of Chang'an by them, and could only go to the remote Suzhou to become the prefect.

Xie Ling noticed Xie Zhun's emotions and unconsciously tightened her grip on her hands hanging by her sides. She glanced at Xie Sili, who was engrossed in eating, and her expression softened.

He had heard Xie Yi mention that on his way to Suzhou, he was ambushed and shot with several arrows. He was on the verge of death when he was fortunate enough to meet the old man and Xie Sili, which saved him from death.

He knew Xie Sili was kind-hearted. The old man had also told him that his granddaughter was good in every way, except that she was too gentle and kind. No matter how injustice she encountered, she would still want to save others even with her frail body.

“Grandfather, isn’t Second Uncle supposed to be returning to the capital to report on his duties this year?” Xie Sili looked at Xie Ling sitting beside him. “Second Uncle returns to the capital to report on his duties once every two years. Last year, Second Uncle spent the New Year in Yuzhou City. This year, he should be returning to the capital to report on his duties.”

She deliberately ignored Xie Zhun's murderous gaze and smiled, "Now that I think about it, it's been a year since I last saw my second uncle, and I miss him terribly."

“Your second uncle will be very happy to hear this.” A smile appeared on Madam Yang’s face. “In the previous letter, he said that he would have to go through Yuzhou City when he returned to Chang’an. Several gentlemen are in Yuzhou City, and they all want to come to Chang’an for the New Year. Mr. Du Kang is also coming from there.”

As Yang spoke, a smile appeared on her face.

"They're all coming?" Xie Ling looked at Madam Yang, his eyes flashing with barely perceptible anger. "Why would they want to come to Chang'an for no reason?"

"Father, you don't know, but when they heard about Third Sister, they all clamored to come and see her." Madam Yang said, covering her mouth and chuckling.

Xie Sili listened to Yang's words and turned her gaze to Xie Ling. She vaguely felt that Xie Ling seemed to harbor deep hostility towards these people.

She considered those people to be friends, but Xie Ling saw them as nothing more than cronies.

"Father, are some people coming to visit?" Huang asked kindly. "Do you know who they are? So we can make preparations in advance and avoid making a fool of ourselves."

"You don't need to worry about it," Xie Ling replied irritably. "We'll move out of the Prime Minister's residence in the next few days."

Upon hearing this, Xie Zhun glanced at Xie Ling and said in a low voice, "Father, it's already the end of November, and the New Year is just around the corner. Don't say anything hurtful."

Xie Zhun, unusually good-natured, said, "Father, we're all family, why say such things? You yourself said that the second son also has to go back to the capital to report on his duties, why make the whole family unhappy?"

"Did I make everyone unhappy?" Xie Ling blurted out without hesitation, "You wanted your daughter's life!"

Seeing Xie Ling's actions, Xie Sili quickly stood up and supported him, "Grandfather, take care of yourself. Don't get angry with Father because of me."

She gently patted Xie Ling's back. "Grandfather, you and Father are biological father and son." She looked at Xie Ling and said softly, "My relationship with Father has always been complicated because I didn't grow up in Chang'an. He doesn't have much affection for me."

Every word she uttered was for the sake of Xie Ling and Xie Zhun.

Noticing Xie Zhun's gaze, Xie Sili turned and glanced at him.

"Don't worry, even if the second son comes back, he won't stay overnight at the Prime Minister's residence. Do you really think we have nowhere else to go besides the Prime Minister's residence?" Xie Ling looked coldly at Xie Chun, but her voice softened because of Xie Sili's words.

“We’ll move out after Nan’er leaves today. Anyway, your family can’t tolerate us.” Xie Ling said, slamming the silver chopsticks on the table.

Xie Ling, along with Qin Shi, Yang Shi, Xie Sichuan, and Xie Sichu, turned and left.

Watching Xie Ling turn and leave, Xie Sili turned his gaze to Xie Zhun, "Father, don't hold a grudge against Grandfather."

"Why did you meddle in other people's business in the first place?" Xie Zhun questioned without much thought. "If you hadn't meddled, would we have encountered such a situation?"

Xie Sili didn't expect Xie Zhun to say anything nice; in her opinion, he had already been merciful by saying those words.

Otherwise, given Xie Zhun's past personality, he would have given her a severe dressing-down, since there was absolutely no father-daughter relationship between them.

Even if Fang Ye is now sentenced to death, does my father still think I did something wrong?

Noticing Xie Zhun's slightly angry gaze, Xie Sili continued, "In Father's eyes, this may be something that shouldn't be interfered with, but in my opinion, as long as one's conscience is clear, that's enough."

She glanced at Xie Chun and whispered, "Father, you may not know this, but I was born with a short lifespan and was originally destined to live to the age of fifteen. My master said that only by doing one good deed a day can I change that. Perhaps that insignificant help is hindering your career, but in my eyes, it is my life."

She looked at Xie Zhun, her eyes reddening, and said, "Is it wrong for your daughter to want to live a few more days?" She coughed a few times as she spoke, "Now, in your eyes, your daughter is just a useless pawn. Do you also think that your daughter should pass away?"

When she removed the handkerchief, there was a pool of blood on it. "Father, all I wanted was to live a few more years."

Only by living can one witness the downfall of the Prime Minister's residence and the fate of this family.

Only then can we see that retribution is not absent, but rather that the time has not yet come.

There's still plenty of time, Xie Zhun, let's wait and see!