Chapter 174: Killing father and brother?
Tang Ning's mind shifted when Xiao Yan mentioned Grand Tutor Rong. Holding her teacup, she puffed her cheeks and muttered, "Of course he's strict. My grandfather was my teacher when I was little, and I learned to read and study mostly with him. He was extremely strict with academics, and treated everyone the same way."
Rong Qian'an was the most talented person in the Wei Dynasty. He served in three dynasties and taught two generations of emperors. Most of his students became pillars of the court.
Back then, he was implicated in the case of the Crown Prince and took the initiative to retire. After leaving the court, he was not idle. There were many people in the capital who were eager to learn. If Rong Qian'an was satisfied with the candidates after the examination, he would keep them in the private school in his mansion to study.
Those students included children of court officials and dignitaries, as well as students from poor backgrounds. Rong Qian'an only considered their talents and virtues, regardless of anything else. In his eyes, they were all treated equally, regardless of their background.
There was a small table in the Rong family's private school, which was the home of the young Tang Ning. She had been attending classes since she was just learning to speak. From her initial ignorance to her ability to recite poems by imitating a parrot, she was "influenced" at an early age.
Her grandfather would always give her homework individually. Even though he loved her the most, he would still hit her palm with a ruler if she didn't finish her homework.
"At that time, my mother and father were busy and often left me at the Rong family. The disciples taught by my grandfather would always smile and call me "Little Junior Sister" when they saw me. My grandfather didn't stop them and even asked me to call them "Senior Brothers."
"Brother, you don't know, but at that time there was a senior brother who was not much younger than my father. He would tease me every time he saw me. He was unshaven and unkempt. Although he was already quite old, he would always call me "Junior Sister" in a pinched voice and even secretly steal my candies and cakes."
Although Tang Ning grumbled with dissatisfaction, there was a smile in her eyes when she talked about the things that happened in the Rong family. Those past events were happy and nostalgic for her.
Xiao Yan sat aside and said, "Has Grand Tutor Rong ever accepted a student like this?"
"Yes, his name is Wu Ziji, and he has a very bad temper. He was the one that my grandfather punished the most. But he also said that he was the most capable and would definitely achieve something if he entered the court. But later, for some reason, he had a big quarrel with my grandfather and left the capital."
Tang Ning still remembered that she was secretly hiding outside the door at that time and saw Wu Ziji arguing with his grandfather. The two quarreled so fiercely that Wu Ziji, who had always been strong-willed, had red eyes.
I don’t know what he said, but Master Rong slapped him and told him to get out. He threw his things and ran away, and never came back.
"When did that happen?" Xiao Yan asked casually.
"A long time ago."
Tang Ning bent her legs and placed the teacup on her knees. "I think I was only four or five years old at that time. It happened to be my birthday before they quarreled. Wu Ziji even gave me an ugly clay sculpture, saying it was made in my image..."
But she remembered that the clay figure had a face like a gong, a thin body, its face was painted in various colors, and one of its ears was missing.
What she gave Wu Ziji in return was a bowl of chicken soup with croton powder in it, which made him so exhausted that he wanted to live in a toilet. Then, she and Wu Ziji were punished by their grandfather and made to squat in the yard with books on their heads.
She was still young at that time and could not stand steadily. She staggered and sat down in the mud puddle in the corner. The last impression she had was Wu Ziji's face with a beard and laughing.
Xiao Yan whispered, "At the age of four or five, you still remember things from that long ago?"
Tang Ning said, "I remember things very early. My grandfather often praised me for my precocious intelligence and said that I was smarter than my mother and father. However, I don't remember everything."
She had only vague memories of many things that happened before she was three or four years old, but she remembered them more clearly after she was five or six. The incident with Wu Ziji happened on her birthday, and the clay figurine was later broken, so she remembered it particularly clearly.
She boasted somewhat proudly, "I still remember quite a few of my grandfather's students at the Rong family's private school. Although I can't quite recall their faces, I still remember their names."
Her grandfather also praised her for her good memory and loved teaching her to recite.
Xiao Yan listened quietly to her talking about the past. Seeing her talk endlessly about her childhood, his heart sank a little. She really just didn't remember those things.
His eyes were somewhat dark, and he tried to speak nonchalantly, "What about Mr. Song and the others? Do you remember them?"
"Of course I remember." Tang Ning sighed: "Dad and Mom loved me the most. If they were still alive, the Song family would definitely not dare to bully me."
"Did they have an accident that year?"
"Well, Daddy went out of the capital on business, and Mom went to see him off. Who would have thought they would run into the traitor king and join the rebellion? Daddy and the others didn't escape when the chaos broke out in the suburbs of the capital. By the time people in the capital found them, Daddy and Momdy had already been killed."
Tang Ning's voice was a little low when he spoke, but after all, it had happened many years ago, and the sadness had long passed its peak.
She hid her frustration in an instant and looked up at Xiao Yan: "Brother, why did you suddenly remember to ask me about my childhood?"
Xiao Yan said, "I'm a little curious."
Tang Ning didn't think much of it after hearing this. She just tilted her head and said, "I'm curious about brother's childhood, too." Thinking of the rumors outside, she pursed her lips and said hesitantly, "Is everything they say true? Did brother have a hard time as a child?"
Xiao Yan saw her expression of anxiety after asking, and then a look of regret. He suddenly realized that she was asking about "Xiao Yan's" past, and he said casually:
"Not really. I had a good life when I was young. My parents loved me, I had fine clothes and delicious food, and servants to serve me. I was much richer than others."
The little girl looked stunned and surprised.
He laughed: "Why that expression?"
Tang Ning opened his mouth and said, "But people outside say that my brother is treated harshly by our father and brothers..."
“It’s not harsh treatment.”
Seeing Tang Ning's doubts, Xiao Yan, who rarely talked about the past, spoke up: "Those things outside are not entirely true. Some of them are just fabricated rumors."
"My father was once a very wise man. He was highly regarded by my great-grandfather. He showed his talent at a very young age and was chosen by my great-grandfather to inherit the family business."
"My grandfather used to be quite fond of him, but it was probably because my father was too ambitious. When my great-grandfather passed away, he passed on some of his connections to my father, bypassing my grandfather. This made him very popular, and he even seemed to surpass my grandfather's prestige. As a result, my grandfather gradually became more distant from him, and a rift between father and son began to form."
He seemed to be talking about someone else's affairs, and his tone was light.
"My grandfather had many sons, but my father was the legitimate son. He should have cherished him, but this legitimate son didn't listen to him very much, and his outstanding character was disturbing."
"Grandfather favored my illegitimate uncles and intended to support them, hoping they would compete with my father. However, he couldn't find any fault with his father, and his status had long been recognized by the clan. Even my grandfather couldn't easily replace him."
One was jealous of the eldest son's prominence and feared that he would surpass himself.
One of them was completely defenseless, and sincerely thought that his father valued him, and only wanted to clean up the court and make the Wei Dynasty stronger. When his prestige overshadowed those who should not be overshadowed.
Even the superficial relationship between father and son cannot be maintained.
Tang Ning had no idea who Xiao Yan was referring to. She just thought he was talking about the Xiao family.
She had heard the rumors about the Xiao family before and knew that the outside world spoke very badly of the head of the Xiao family, and that after Xiao Yan came to power, the Xiao family was almost wiped out.
People outside said that Xiao Yan suffered a lot at home when he was young and was bullied by his father and brothers. After he came to power, the first thing he did was to kill his father, brothers, and uncles who had bullied him in the past with his own hands.
This is also the source of Xiao Yan's bad reputation.
But who would have thought that the "father" who was rumored to have died at his hands would be evaluated in this way by him.
Tang Ning listened in fascination: "What happened next?"
"later……"
Xiao Yan lowered his eyelids slightly to hide the coldness in his eyes: "Of course, we fell out later."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
