Bai Shengqi sneered: "Bai Ruifeng, Bai Yan, are you very pleased with yourselves now? You killed my mother and drove our whole family away. Now the entire Bai family is in your hands, you two sisters."
Of the four children born to the Qian family, Bai Ruier, being a girl, often bullied the sisters in the backyard because she interacted with them frequently.
However, Bai Shengqi and the other two were men, so Qian hired a tutor for them, firstly because men and women are different, and secondly because they were not born of the same mother.
They lived in the same backyard for over ten years, and probably didn't exchange more than ten sentences in total.
Bai Ruifeng frowned slightly and said, "You've at least read the classics, you should know how your mother treated my sister and me. Qian was executed by His Majesty, she deserved it."
“Although we are blood relatives, we are not suitable to live under the same roof. You can’t forget Qian’s death, and we sisters will not forget Qian’s kindness over the years.”
Bai Shengqi scoffed, "Mistreated? Which girl in the world isn't like that? Why do you say my mother mistreated you?"
"You speak so grandly, but all you, Bai Ruifeng, are doing is trying to seize our Bai family's wealth by relying on His Majesty! Now that all the family's wealth belongs to you two sisters, and with His Majesty's backing, why bother putting on airs in front of me?"
Bai Ruifeng pointed at him: "How dare you say such a thing?"
"Dispute over the family fortune? You'd better tell me, what assets in the manor are yours?"
"Neither Xiao Yan nor I received a single penny of Lord Bai's salary!"
Bai Shengqi's eyes were also full of resentment: "Don't think that just because His Majesty is on your side now, you can be unreasonable. Yes, when Father entered the capital, he relied on your mother, but your mother has been dead for almost sixteen years. Does that mean that the Bai family's huge fortune was built by your dead mother?"
"If it weren't for my mother's tireless efforts over the years, do you think the Bai family would have reached this point?"
Bai Shengqi was filled with hatred. He studied at the Imperial Academy, surrounded by high-ranking officials and nobles. He had finally managed to find a way out through his own intelligence and wisdom.
But then, the Bai sisters ransacked his home—without such a family fortune, how long would it take him to reach the future he envisioned!
Bai Ruifeng almost laughed in anger: "So, your mother stole our chickens, and the eggs they laid belong to you?"
"You've read so many classic books, yet you don't even know the basic principle of having a sense of shame! Bah!" Bai Ruifeng spat on Bai Shengqi's face.
Then he turned around and said, "Get this whole family out of here!"
He then instructed, "Be very careful, don't let them search the house and steal any valuables!"
"yes!"
Bai Shengqi had been pampered by the Qian family since birth, and had never suffered such humiliation. He immediately clenched his fists tightly.
Bai Chong tugged at his sleeve: "Alright, Shengqi, let's go. What if they complain to His Majesty again if things really get out of hand?"
Bai Shengqi gritted his teeth, flicked his sleeve and walked out. Looking back at the door plaque, he said through gritted teeth, "Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river, just wait and see!"
Inside the room, Bai Ruifeng was also somewhat angered by Bai Shengqi's words: "What a shameless person! He's wasted all his time studying the classics! If it weren't for his future..." She gritted her teeth, "I really want to slap him!"
Bai Yan coaxed gently, "Alright, sister, don't be angry. It's cold today, and it might snow. The fur that Caizhu brought from the palace was given to us by His Majesty to make winter clothes. Come on, let's go take a look."
Looking at her younger sister's radiant smile, Bai Ruifeng's anger subsided considerably.
“Great, it just so happens that you’re still growing, so I’d like to make you a little jacket.”
The two sisters were at home taking measurements for clothes, while the rest of the Bai family had only been gone a short while when a heavy snow began to fall.
There were very few pedestrians on the street, so the sight of the Bai family moving house made them look rather dejected and disheveled.
Although Bai Chong received a salary over the past ten years, the expenses of being a Beijing official were also considerable.
Unlike the Bai family's previous residence in a spacious area of the capital, their new residence now consists of only two courtyards. In the capital, where land is extremely valuable, these two courtyards alone have completely depleted Bai Chong's salary over the years.
Such a house naturally cannot accommodate many servants.
The house has two courtyards, but Bai Ruier can no longer have maids to take care of her or a separate courtyard to live in as before. Looking at the cramped house, Bai Ruier couldn't help but cry.
Just then, the sound of horses' hooves rang out. The Bai family members quickly looked up and saw that the person coming from the palace was dressed in a eunuch's uniform.
"You are..." Bai Shengqi stepped forward, but he already knew who it was.
“Young Master Bai, this servant is a servant of Prince Xian.” The eunuch dismounted and handed Bai Shengqi a heavy wad of silver. “Prince Xian remembers the friendship between you and him, but he can’t very well refuse His Majesty.”
"Please keep this money. If you encounter any difficulties in the future, just come to us."
Bai Shengqi couldn't help but feel grateful: "Eunuch, please thank the Prince on my behalf."
The eunuch waved his hand, quickly mounted his horse, and left.
Watching the eunuch ride away on horseback, Bai Shengqi held the silver in his hand. What use was having connections? In the end, one had to rely on real ability. He had good grades at the Imperial Academy and would have a place in the Hanlin Academy in the future. That was why the Prince Xian looked at him with new respect.
Now I'm willing to lend him a hand.
But what about the two sisters?
Recalling the rumors he'd heard at the Imperial Academy that were probably 80% true, Bai Shengqi couldn't help but sneer: "What's the use of His Majesty's fondness for protecting them? Who knows who will be emperor in the future!"
Upon hearing his son's words, Bai Chong looked at him with a hint of fear: "Shengqi, even if you resent His Majesty, you cannot speak like that!"
He glanced around and said, "If someone hears this, we'll all lose our heads!" The current emperor is considered wise and sagacious. The previous emperor was incompetent and tyrannical, but he saved the dynasty from collapse. He went to the battlefield at the age of sixteen and was a skilled and courageous warrior. He won half of the country on horseback.
Bai Shengqi said, "Of course I know, but that's not what I meant." He moved closer to Bai Chong and whispered to him, "Father, you saw what happened today. When I was studying at the Imperial Academy, I became friends with Prince Huo Junyan and also learned a secret..."
After Bai Shengqi finished speaking, Bai Chong was stunned for a moment.
"Can it be made true?"
“If it were fake, the wise king wouldn’t have come looking for his son today.”
Bai Chong finally smiled upon hearing this, "Alright, good things come to those who wait."
"Sooner or later, the Bai family will rise to prominence." After saying that, he looked at his son with admiration: "My son is truly capable. He even managed to befriend someone like the Wise Prince within the Imperial Academy."
Bai Shengqi laughed. He said that turning the tables was not just empty talk. One day, he would make Bai Yan pay for his mother's life!
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