The tribesmen's gazes swept towards Cui Lang silently, as if huge mountains were pressing down on them.
No one cared whether he agreed or not, and his words meant nothing.
Under normal circumstances, in such an atmosphere, he would have been so frightened that his legs would tremble, and he would have knelt faster than anyone else, then apologized with a grin to confuse the public, and before these tribesmen could convict him, he would have quickly escaped and gotten away with it.
But this time, Cui Lang didn't.
He didn't know where he got the courage from, he dared to look directly into those cold and deep eyes, and spoke again: "What did elder brother do wrong? If it weren't for elder brother, those members of the Zheng family would have been killed unjustly like those Luoyang nobles in the beginning... It's not impossible that they would all die out now!"
"Shut up!" Cui Wei slammed the table and stood up, his face extremely cold: "Who allowed you to say such treasonous words here!"
"Please be fair to me!" Cui Lang clenched his fists, his eyes reddened: "Those people don't know my elder brother, but don't the Cui family know my elder brother either?"
As he spoke, a look of grievance suddenly emerged in his eyes, but this grievance was not for himself.
He looked at the old man sitting at the top, and said in a hoarse and choked voice: "Don't grandfather know my eldest brother?!"
Cui Ju looked at his grandson who was standing in front of the Cui family members for the first time and looking at him with such a firm expression.
"Very good." The old man's voice was as deep as an ancient well: "You have indeed learned very well in the Imperial College."
This seemed to be a sign that the owner was angry and a storm was about to come.
Cui Wei immediately scolded him in a deep voice: "How dare you disregard the clan rules and disobey the head of the family... Come, take this brat away and punish him according to the family rules!"
Hearing the words "family rules" that he feared the most in the past, Cui Lang still refused to accept and continued to question, but he was soon forcibly dragged away.
Even after being punished by the family rules, he still showed no sign of "repentance" and did not try to escape like he did before. He just endured the harsh family rules.
Cui Lang gritted his teeth and tears rolled down his cheeks in pain.
This was the first time he went against the tribe and challenged the tribe rules, and the price he paid was terrible.
On this day, he made what he considered to be the most courageous voice in his life: "...Keep hitting me, beat me to death if you have the guts!"
As soon as he finished speaking, his eyes rolled back and he fainted from the pain.
However, because he showed no intention of admitting his mistakes, his punishment was not over yet. While he was unconscious, he was thrown into the ancestral hall for reflection.
Cui Wei threatened to keep him in prison until he admitted his mistake.
At Lu's instruction, Cui Tang went to plead for his brother and was also thrown into the ancestral hall.
Looking at his second brother who was beaten to pieces and lying half-dead on the mat, Cui Tang took out the medicine he had secretly brought and applied it to Cui Lang with tears in his eyes.
Cui Lang let out an inarticulate cry of pain.
"Now I feel the pain!"
Cui Lang said in a weak and aggrieved voice: "Didn't you ask me to come back..."
"That didn't mean you should contradict Grandfather!" Cui Tang burst into tears, "... Normally you are the most useless person, where on earth did you get the guts to do that today!"
Cui Lang: "I borrowed it from Da Huang..."
Cui Tang gritted his teeth and sprinkled the entire bottle of powder on his back.
Cui Lang cried out in pain, like a dog with its tail clamped, crying miserably.
Finally, Cui Lang took a deep breath, thinking that the servants outside the ancestral hall must have heard his shouting. It was not easy for him to be tough today, and the reputation he had earned with his life was ruined by the dog barking just now. He couldn't help but complain aggrievedly: "Cui Tang, you can't stand seeing me in the limelight, so you deliberately embarrass me, right!"
Cui Tang took the coat and covered him with it. It was rare that he didn't argue with him. With tears in his eyes, he whispered, "You are not embarrassed this time... I almost didn't recognize you."
Cui Lang lay there powerlessly, and laughed, "Hey, if my elder brother knew about this, would he think more highly of me..."
Cui Tang couldn't help but scold him: "Why do I think highly of you? Do I think highly of you for asking for a beating?"
"What do you know? I just want my elder brother to know... no matter what those people do..." Cui Lang's voice became weaker and weaker: "But my elder brother and I are in the same group."
Cui Tang wiped away her tears and said angrily, "So, this beating is your token of surrender?"
"More than that, this is a golden ticket to immunity from death... maybe it can guarantee that the three of us will be safe and prosperous in the future."
There was a vague smile on the corner of Cui Lang's pale mouth.
Since he was a child, he has subconsciously always wanted to get the recognition of his eldest brother and wanted to get closer to him, but it was just a thought before. Today, can it be considered as putting it into action?
He gradually couldn't hear Cui Tang's voice clearly. Before he fainted, a shadow as clean and fresh as a green lotus suddenly flashed before his eyes. He said absentmindedly: "If she knew what I did today... she would definitely think that I was just a useless playboy who ran away when encountering trouble, right?"
But he must look extremely miserable right now, not at all graceful, so it’s better not to let her know.
Seeing his second brother Yin's somewhat dazed look, Cui Tang asked curiously, "Who is he (she)?"
"I won't tell you..."
The voice that concealed the boy's secret thoughts disappeared, and Cui Lang closed his eyes weakly.
…
"Lang'er was really unbecoming today. I hope father won't argue with him..."
In the study room where only the father and his son were, Cui Wei stood in front of his father, apologizing for his second son.
Cui Ju sat behind the desk and shook his head when he heard this: "Liu Lang has made progress, which is a good thing."
Cui Wei was stunned when he heard this. He was disobedient in words and deeds and disrespectful to his elders. How could this be called progress? He felt that he was getting closer to that rebellious son.
"When Liu Lang is better, we will send him back to Qinghe in the name of punishment."
Cui Wei was even more surprised: "Father..."
Cui Ju interrupted him: "From now on, he is the eldest grandson of the direct line of the Qinghe Cui family."
Cui Wei suddenly clenched his fingers, his eyes flickering.
"I will personally select twenty young men of similar age from the clan to accompany him back to Qinghe and accompany him to study hard."
There was no room for negotiation or change in the old man's words.
Cui Wei was in a state of confusion for a long time before he said, "Yes, son, I understand."
He knew his father's painstaking efforts, and he suddenly understood why his father had suddenly decided to cultivate Lang'er, send Lang'er to the Imperial College, let Lang'er "be influenced" by the habits of those outside the aristocratic families, and make friends with children from poor families.
Lang'er's rebellious behavior today is closely related to his experiences over the past year.
So, my father had prepared for this day long ago.
But……
Thinking about what the clan had agreed to today, Cui Wei hesitated again and again, and finally spoke: "Then what about the rebellious son... must it be like this?"
He could tell that the tribesmen's words of dissatisfaction were initially just an attempt to get his father to put pressure on the rebellious son, but his father made such a decisive decision.
Hearing the word "rebellious son", Cui Ju looked at his son and asked with mixed feelings: "Isn't this exactly what you wanted to see?"
——"As a father, aren't your every move over the years pushing him away step by step?"
Cui Wei didn't know how he left. He walked slowly and everything around him was quiet. Only his father's voice echoed in his mind from time to time.
He raised his head to look at the towering and layered walls. The mansion was submerged in the night, and it was difficult to see the end at a glance. In the past, he believed that the glory of the Cui family had no end, but at this moment, when he looked at this boundless heritage, there was only unknown confusion in his eyes.
Who can guard them?
The stars and the moon gradually fade away, and the morning sun slowly rises.
At the residence of Qiao Jijiu of the Imperial College, the few servants and maids all had smiles on their faces, making it even more festive than during the New Year.
This morning, Qiao Jijiu walked out of his son's room.
Last night, my wife hugged our daughter and cried all night. She thought he was in the way, so she kicked him out. Even though she was kicked out, she was happy.
The four members of the Qiao family had breakfast together. Qiao Jijiu and Qiao Yubai went to duty and class respectively. The father and son quickly spread the good news throughout the Imperial College.
Qiao Yumian went to the study to write a letter. Although she had not stopped writing poetry over the years, she had never been able to hold a pen and write. She was so unfamiliar with writing that what she wrote made her laugh.
"If Ningning saw this, I don't know how she would laugh at me."
Xiao Qiu said beside her: "No, Madam Chang will only be happy for the girl."
Qiao Yumian smiled when she heard this, picked up the pen again, and continued writing: "Forget it, if it can really make Ningning smile, it would be good."
The first letter she wrote after recovering from her eye disease was destined to be dedicated to Ningning, at the expense of Ningning's eyes.
Qiao Yumian carefully wrote two pieces of letter paper and just put them into the envelope when she heard the servant come to tell her that a guest was coming.
A group of young girls came. Qiao Yumian went to the front hall to meet the guests. At first glance, she saw a hundred blooming flowers.
The girls gathered around her and happily congratulated her on recovering from her eye disease.
"Sister Qiao, guess who I am?" a girl asked with bright eyes.
Qiao Yumian smiled and replied, "Of course it's Sister A-Xia."
"Sister Qiao must have recognized my voice!" Yao Xia pulled another girl to her side and asked Qiao Yumian to guess.
Qiao Yumian looked at the elegant, calm and graceful girl in front of her and said, "This must be Sister Chunbai."
Yao Xia refused to admit defeat and grabbed another one: "What about this one?"
"It must be Sister Miaoqing from Duke Zheng's Mansion."
Being recognized at the first sight, Wei Miaoqing's face lit up with satisfaction - now that Madam Chang was not in the capital, she was the most beautiful girl in the capital, and of course the easiest to recognize in the crowd.
Yao Xia did not give up and asked Qiao Yunmian to continue guessing until Qiao Yunmian guessed wrong, and the recognition game ended.
The hall was filled with laughter, and Wang personally brought tea and snacks to entertain the guests.
Over the next two days, more and more guests or relatives who had learned about this came to visit.
On the third day, the Imperial College was closed for ten days. Xiao Qiu came back from outside and said with a smile, "Girl, your good friends and classmates are here to visit you today. The Hu family's young master and others are here too!"
So is he here too?
Qiao Yumian had been waiting for several days but had not seen Cui Lang. She wanted to ask but was too embarrassed to speak. She just let Xiaoqiu help her change clothes and personally selected the pearl jewelry.
She hurried to the front hall, but when she got close to the front hall, she slowed down, straightened her dress nervously, and asked Xiao Qiu in a low voice: "...Is there anything wrong?"
Xiao Qiu smiled and shook her head: "No, no, the girl is good in every way!"
Qiao Yumian curled the corners of her mouth slightly, took two long breaths, and then walked into the hall.
There were many people in the hall. Apart from her father and brother, most of them were young people. After Qiao Yumian bowed, she looked at the young students. When she met their smiling eyes, she began to feel confused.
He doesn't seem to be here.
Seeing her expression, Hu Huan took the lead and said, “Madam Qiao, I am Hu Huan!”
The remaining students also introduced themselves, and Qiao Yumian nodded to them one by one. They were all names she had heard of. Most of them were people who were on good terms with her brother and called her "Junior Sister" and took care of her like a younger sister.
But why was he the only one who didn't come?
Why didn't the person who took care of her the most and always loved to quietly follow her to protect her come? Rather than feeling disappointed, Qiao Yumian felt a trace of worry in her heart.
Not long after, hurried footsteps were heard outside the hall behind her.
Qiao Yumian turned around to look almost immediately.
The one who came was a young man in brocade clothes, panting and saying, "There's news!"
The person who came was still not him, but he brought news about him.
"Cui Liulang was punished by his family three days ago and was seriously injured. I heard that he is almost dying!" This young man is good friends with Cui Lang and is also a carefree person.
Everyone was shocked when they heard this.
"How can it be so serious!"
"What kind of heavenly law has Cui Liulang violated?"
"Let's go see him!" Hu Huan was so scared. If the person was really dying, he would have to see him for the last time, right?
"No one can see him..." the young man said breathlessly, "The Cui family locked him up and no one is allowed to see him!"
"Then...what about sneaking over the wall at night?"
Although Qiao Yubai was also in a state of anxiety, he did not forget to remind them: "...if you trespass into someone else's house without reason, the owner of the house can execute you on the spot according to the law."
The Cui family had heavy guards at their disposal, and they were afraid that Cui Liulang was still alive, so they were beaten to death first.
"What shall I do?"
The carefree young man almost cried: "What should I do? The worst result can only be to do it in a grand manner..."
Hu Huan kicked him hard: "Wang Zeyu, stop saying those unlucky words!"
Amid the noise, Qiao Yumian clutched her sleeves tightly.
In the end, Qiao Jijiu sent someone to go to the Cui family to inquire about the news. Cui Lang was a student of the Imperial College, so as Jijiu, he naturally had the right to ask.
The Cui family’s response was that Cui Lang was fine, but he had violated family rules and would be sent back to the old house in Qinghe for reflection. As for the Imperial College, he would not go there again.
Upon hearing the news, Qiao Yubai and the others were glad that Cui Lang was safe, but they couldn't help feeling a little depressed.
…
Before the Imperial Envoy for Disaster Relief, Minister Zhan, and his entourage arrived in Heluo, a group of Cui family members arrived in Xingyang the day before and found Cui Jing.
They came with the order of the head of the family. The old man in the lead had served as prime minister of two dynasties and was very prestigious in the clan. The next day, they opened a clan hall in a Cui family house in Xingyang, quoted the clan rules, asked the clan members to witness, and listed Cui Jing's mistakes.
He was disobedient and unfilial, violated clan rules, disgraced the Cui family, and refused to change despite repeated admonitions. Even his reluctance to get married and continue the family line after he was over 20 years old proved his unfilial behavior.
No one mentioned Zheng's affairs explicitly, but everyone knew what caused all this.
Finally, the old man said in a deep and solemn voice: "Da Lang, do you have anything to say?"
Faced with all these "accusations", the young man standing at the bottom of the stone steps lowered his eyes and said, "Cui Jing, I have nothing to say."
Ah, thank you Hanhan for the reward, thank you Xixi's Winter has clouds and willow leaves for the reward! Thank you 0巡城木马0, I only read books and don't leave comments, I am a sister and other book friends for the reward! Thank you for every monthly ticket and every message.
August is over. Although I struggled this month, I still updated to 120,000+ words, which is considered to be the task completed. What's surprising is that the monthly votes have climbed to the sixth place, which is the first time in history! Thank you all for your support and love this month! In the new January, I will continue to ask for monthly votes, please continue to love me (づ￣3￣)づ╭
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