(Many people think this story has some flaws, so please skip it.)
The male lead has extremely high power levels; he won't suffer hardship, but setbacks are unavoidable.
"Stop hitting them! Stop hitting them! Please!"
"My son, you must hold on!"
"My husband~"
"father!"
...
The sorrowful pleas of women and children echoed in Xie Ming's ears.
As he slowly opened his eyes, he saw several people dressed in fine clothes but looking disheveled being stopped from moving forward, while several men whose pants had been pulled down were being pressed to the ground and beaten with boards in front of him.
He let out a breath; the pain in his buttocks reminded Xie Ming that he had just been seen naked. The scene was so stimulating that it immediately reminded him where he was.
"Father, does it hurt?"
A soft, cute voice came from beside Xie Ming. He turned his head and saw a pair of clear, innocent eyes staring at him with concern.
Xie Ming instinctively grabbed the outstretched hand and gave him a helpless smile.
In his past life, this kid heard him say "it doesn't hurt" and then swiped his butt with a claw, almost killing him.
Xie Ming knew very well that even if he said "it hurts," the child would still grab him hard.
Who can blame him? This little guy, only four or five years old, has such a strong desire to "kill" me! Sigh~
To avoid further trouble, he quickly whispered in his son's ear, "Find a chance to go to your father's study as soon as possible. After you enter, go to the bookshelf on the right..."
He went on and on, explaining the location of his secret stash of money to his son.
"Did you remember?" he said, looking at him solemnly and seriously.
"Hmm!" The kid was clever enough; after hearing what was said, he quietly slipped away amidst the chaos.
Xie Ming was worried for his son, and after adding a "cannot notice me" cheat to his son, he lay on the ground like a dead pig, not moving at all.
This time, his identity is that of the illegitimate son of the Xie family of the Marquis of Chengen, whose elder sister is the current Empress.
To put it bluntly, the Xie family's fate is similar to that of the deposed empress families in melodramatic novels; their family supported the current emperor to ascend the throne.
After consolidating his power, the emperor turned his back on his former empress and prepared to install his beloved concubine as emperor.
After a series of actions, the Marquis's family and other related families were all purged, resulting in their property being confiscated and them being exiled. Many people in the court felt that the emperor was cold-hearted and ungrateful.
In fact, this was what the emperor wanted to show his ministers, warning them not to easily participate in the struggle for the throne, because even if they had contributed to the succession, they might not be able to keep their wealth and honor.
Xie Ming felt that the emperor was only benefiting from the peaceful and prosperous times. He thought that if the emperor did the same thing in a chaotic era, he would be able to keep his throne.
That said, this world is pretty messed up this time.
After the Marquis of Chengen's family was convicted, the entire family was to be exiled three thousand miles away and barred from taking the imperial examinations for three generations, effectively cutting off the Xie family's future.
It should be noted that before the Marquis of Chengen was granted the title of Marquis, the old patriarch was the Grand Tutor of the current dynasty and a veteran of three reigns.
His disciples were scattered throughout the government and the country, which is why his daughter was targeted by the current emperor.
After the emperor ascended the throne, he made a woman from the Xie family his empress and even bestowed upon the Xie family a hereditary title, a truly imperial favor. The old master Xie also passed away with the title of Marquis.
However, after the old Marquis passed away, the Xie family's situation became less optimistic.
After all, once someone leaves, the tea cools; the emperor took the opportunity to get rid of most of his men.
Finally, 18 years after his ascension to the throne, he cleared all obstacles and prepared to vindicate his beloved.
Xie Ming knew that the man, who was almost dead, had staged this whole drama simply to purge the court for the new emperor. Seeing that the emperor was still somewhat sane and hadn't indiscriminately killed people, he didn't intend to interfere and waited patiently for the exile to follow.
This time, the eldest prince, born to the empress, was also implicated. He was given a barren fiefdom and expelled from the capital, thus completely losing his chance at the throne.
Xie Ming was the old Marquis's second son, born when he was over 60 years old to a concubine who had recently entered the household.
Don't be fooled by the fact that the old man is still taking concubines even in his old age; he's just too weak to have many children.
Despite his lifelong efforts, he only had two sons and one daughter. The empress who was killed was Xie Ming's sister. In fact, both siblings were Xie's late-life sons.
As for Xie Ming's mother, she was released from the mansion after he was born.
Grandpa Xie had no interest in romantic entanglements; he only wanted a son. Once he had a son, the young woman was no longer important.
In his previous life, after Xie Ming was exiled, his biological mother searched for Xie Ming and his father, but unfortunately, she couldn't find them.
Seeing that she was doing well now, he decided not to disturb her. It wasn't easy for a woman, and it wouldn't be good for her to let her husband's family know about her past.
Old Master Xie's eldest son passed away before inheriting the title, and Xie Chengguang, who was stripped of his title, is the eldest grandson of the Xie family. He is lying next to Xie Ming now, and although he is almost 30 years older than Xie Ming, he still has to respectfully call him "uncle".
The ones being suppressed and beaten in front are all of the nephews and grandnephews.
Xie Ming wasn't very old, but he held a high position in the household. Even the youngest child had to call him "Grandpa." Unfortunately, being born out of wedlock, his seniority was merely a title.
The Marquis's mansion could have divided its assets long ago, but before Old Master Xie died, he left Xie Ming many valuable possessions. The eldest branch of the family coveted them and was reluctant to give them up, so the matter has been delayed until now.
Xie Ming also didn't want to be separated, after all, there was a big difference between the second master of the Xie family and the second master of the Hou family.
When it came time to raid the house, the soldiers surrounded the mansion and wiped it out in one fell swoop.
After the Xie family was exiled, Xie Ming actually died not far away because his family had a "Great Holy Mother".
Previously, the Xie family was neither good nor bad; apart from their refusal to separate, Xie Ming lived quite comfortably at home.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
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