Mr. Su glanced at Mr. Tang, a hint of disdain in his eyes.
As a member of the Mu family, you are provided with a life of luxury, studying and learning skills, yet you have no desire to contribute anything to the family. You only want to roam freely outside. How can such an unfilial and unjust person be worthy of living in this world!
He stood up and said, “Young Master Mu is right. I was there at the time. Old Master Mu personally crossed out the name with his pen, and almost everyone in the county knows it. If you don’t believe my word, you can send someone to find the other survivors. There is definitely no falsehood in my words.”
After saying that, he sat down.
The room was deathly silent. Everyone looked at Mr. Tang with complicated expressions.
They all thought that Mr. Tang had found his grandnephew and could revive his beloved family, but they never expected that he had already been expelled from the clan.
To exterminate an entire clan is a matter of utmost importance.
While alive, they can no longer use their family name; without the protection of their family, they cannot be buried in the ancestral grave after death; with no one to offer sacrifices, they can only become lonely ghosts...
How disappointed must the patriarch of the Mu family be with his younger brother to make such a decision!
Dean Zhou was even more conflicted. Judging from Mr. Tang's appearance, he must have known all along that he had been expelled from the clan. So how did he have the confidence to force the only bloodline of the Mu family to act according to his will as an elder?
He's not even considered a member of the Mu family anymore!
Mu Xu had no interest in watching the crowd's dramatic change of expression and continued, "Today, I have clarified this matter, and I ask all of you gentlemen to bear witness. In the future, if Mr. Tang grows old or becomes ill, I will not abandon him, but will provide for and care for him."
"But please, Mr. Tang, do not use your seniority to force me to do unjust things. If you insist on going your own way, then we are strangers, and I will no longer consider any blood ties."
He stood up and bowed to everyone again, saying, "Thank you all for your hard work. I will definitely visit you again another day to express my gratitude."
Then, he led Mr. Su away to take his leave.
Dean Zhou wanted to stop them, but he really didn't know what to say.
Everyone looked at Mr. Tang, unsure whether to offer comfort or words of advice.
Mr. Tang's face turned as red as a purplish-red, as if his clothes had been stripped off piece by piece, leaving him standing naked in front of people.
A lifetime's worth of face was completely destroyed in that moment!
He moved his mouth twice, as if he wanted to say something, but suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed to the ground!
"Brother Tang!"
"Oh no! Help!"
"Help! Help!"
The room immediately descended into chaos. Several gentlemen surrounded Mr. Tang, some helping him up, others wiping away the blood, all in a flurry of activity.
The young pageboy serving outside was terrified and scrambled to fetch a doctor.
The academy now has several hundred students and over a hundred teachers and their families. They inevitably suffer from minor ailments from time to time. Therefore, a few years ago, Dean Zhou invited an elderly doctor from the city to come and stay permanently.
This has come in handy today!
Two pageboys ran out the door, one carrying a medicine box and the other carrying the old doctor on his back, and returned in no time.
Mr. Tang had been placed on the bed. His face was ashen, and there was still blood at the corner of his mouth. He looked terrible.
The senior doctor didn't dare to be negligent and quickly stepped forward to take her pulse.
After a long pause, he frowned deeply and said, "Dean, Mr. Tang is overwhelmed with grief and anger, which has damaged his internal organs. He needs acupuncture to wake him up, followed by a medicinal soup to soothe him."
"But acupuncture is dangerous; the slightest mistake could cost Mr. Tang his life. I am truly lacking in knowledge and skills; I dare not attempt it!"
"Should the dean send someone to the city to invite a master expert over?"
Everyone became anxious upon hearing this, and Dean Zhou was also pacing around in circles.
Regardless of Mr. Tang's usual character, this is a life, and we can't just stand by and watch him die!
Dean Zhou called to his attendant and instructed, "Take my visiting card and go to the city to invite Doctor Gu from Huichuntang!"
As a result, before the servant could respond, several more gentlemen rushed in from outside the door.
The servant boy had just carried the doctor away and ran wildly; many people had seen it and naturally guessed that something had happened.
Mr. Peng was among them. Upon hearing that a doctor needed to be called, he quickly said, "Don't beat around the bush. Mr. Tang's illness is so serious that even other doctors might not be able to help. Why not just go directly to Doctor Zhang of Suijintan?"
Someone responded, "Yes, Mr. Tang is Li Jiaren's calligraphy teacher. The Li family has always taken good care of Mr. Tang, so they certainly won't stand idly by at this time."
Mr. Peng is Jia Huan's father-in-law, so he's practically a member of the Li family.
At this moment, he called out to his attendant without hesitation, gave him a few detailed instructions, and the attendant quickly rode off.
Dean Zhou wanted to stop him, but after hesitating for a long time, he still didn't speak.
Firstly, it's really not good to publicize Mr. Tang's entanglement with the Li family to more people.
Secondly, Mr. Tang is now on the verge of death, and he believes that given the Li family's conduct and character, even if there were some unpleasantness before, they would not stand by and watch someone die.
He looked at the gentlemen who had given their testimonies earlier and shook his head slightly along with them.
The group understood and quickly nodded.
And just like that, a tacit understanding was achieved...
There weren't many chores to do today, so Li Lao Er was able to go home early, which was quite rare.
Li Ge'er is leaving tomorrow. Although his new post is nearby, it is his first time serving as a local official, so he always wants to give him a few more words of advice.
But when he arrived at the Earl's mansion, before he could even dismount from his carriage, Mr. Peng's attendant arrived.
Upon hearing that Mr. Tang was coughing up blood and on the verge of death, Li Lao Er immediately guessed that something must have changed. When he asked Mu Xu if he had taken people to the academy, he became even more certain.
So he immediately sent the old soldiers in the manor back to Suijintan on horseback to fetch Doctor Zhang, and then he got into the carriage and headed to the academy.
It's not that the Li family is without temper or willing to repay evil with good; it's simply that they have no other choice.
Scholars cherish their reputation as birds cherish their feathers.
Especially in officialdom, there is another rule to add: respect for teachers and the way of the world.
Whom you study under, who your fellow students are, and when you study together can all bring unexpected connections and benefits.
Mr. Tang has traveled the world and has countless students, who may all become Jiaren's help in the future.
Even if he didn't covet these things, if the Li family didn't help him today, and word got out, Jiaren would still bear the stigma of being unfilial and unjust.
Of course, most importantly, Li Lao Er wanted to see what kind of ruthless tricks Mu Xu had used and what tragic end Mr. Tang would suffer!
The veteran's horseback riding speed was far superior to that of Mr. Peng's personal attendant.
Almost as soon as Li Lao Er arrived at the college gate by car, the veteran also arrived with Doctor Zhang.
The group entered the academy together and were immediately led to Mr. Tang's courtyard.
Everyone was delighted to see that the Li family had arrived so quickly.
Dean Zhou felt ashamed for Mr. Tang and quickly stepped forward to bow, saying, "Lord, Dr. Zhang, thank you for making this trip."
Li Lao Er returned the greeting with a smile, saying, "Dean, you're too kind. Mr. Tang is our family's calligraphy teacher. He's ill, so it's only right that our family helps out."
"It's a pity that Jiaren has already gone to his post, otherwise he would have personally served him medicine at his bedside. Now there's no way around it, so I, as his father, will do my best to take care of him."
Everyone listened and couldn't help but nod in agreement.
The update is late today, but there are two chapters!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com