Chapter 1393: Father and Daughter [Happy New Year]
"Pfft—"
Miao Ne couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Judging from the degree of her facial contortions, she was really trying very hard to hold back her laughter. While trying to suppress it, she patted Lee Wan's shoulder affectionately.
Li Wan said expressionlessly, "Laugh if you want to, but don't act like you're possessed. I know you're laughing at me."
Having received permission, Miao Ne burst into laughter.
"You've worked so hard, I had no idea you were suffering so much."
This incident is enough to qualify for workers' compensation.
Even Ning Yan felt some sympathy for Li Wan.
This is really not the child's fault. I wouldn't have been able to stand it either. Scholars study hard by hanging their heads from the rafters and pricking their thighs with awls, not to suffer humiliation. If you don't retaliate after such a great disgrace, you might develop inner demons and never make any progress in your life!
If you have to draw your sword, you have to draw it!
Li Wan pressed her tongue against her slightly burning cheek, still feeling a tightness in her chest. Even though she had slapped the man's mother once, his father twice, and then, amidst the chaos of battle, struck the man's head—claiming it was broken and nearly resulting in a fatal injury—it still didn't appease her anger. Seeing her daughter's outburst, her mother assumed she had been tortured to the point of madness in the enemy camp and wept bitterly, holding her close. Li Wan's father, feeling utterly disgraced by her, roared in fury and slapped her across the face.
Even though he's getting old, he still has a lot of strength in his hands.
The slap was loud and heavy, its echo lingering for several breaths.
Li Wan was caught off guard and stood there stunned for a moment.
The man's mother took the opportunity to leave several scratches on her face and neck. The woman was also pampered, with long nails painted with cinnabar – the juice of crushed nail polish made her nails shiny and beautiful, and also gave her magical attacks when she scratched people.
This also caused the wounds that were scratched to become red and inflamed.
This is what Miao Ne and the others saw of Li Wan.
Like a delicate and beautiful yet pitiful cat.
"...I can't exactly retaliate against my parents, so I can only try to extract more interest from that family." Li Wan shrugged, somewhat frustrated, accepting her fate. Enclaves are inherently difficult to manage, and losing one wouldn't necessarily affect her career, but beating her parents was a serious matter.
Kangguo governed the world based on "loyalty, filial piety, benevolence, and righteousness," rather than simply "governing the world with filial piety." While the emphasis on filial piety wasn't as extreme, children beating their parents was still a major challenge to social morality. If an official like Li Wan could beat his parents without punishment, wouldn't the common people follow suit?
It was just a slap; she could only watch helplessly as she was hit.
She reciprocated by giving double the amount to the man's family of three.
Oh, and she didn't even let go of that relative who tried to matchmake them.
"You unfilial daughter!" Li Wan's beating of the man's family was bad enough, but beating her own relatives completely ignited her father's rage. In a fit of anger, he reported her to the authorities, who arrested her. Li Wan and the man's family were all detained and imprisoned.
After hearing this, Miao Ne felt even more sympathetic towards Li Wanwan.
The Ministry of Personnel in Kang State conducted very thorough background checks on officials.
Not only will they examine the individual's abilities, but they will also investigate the backgrounds of their parents and grandparents—criminal records before the founding of the People's Republic of China can be disregarded, but those after the founding of the PRC will be included in the evaluation. If these six people were to impeach Li Wan, her career might truly be over. She wouldn't be eligible for promotion for ten years, and she would miss out on normal opportunities to make meritorious contributions, unless she could achieve some extraordinary feat through unconventional means.
Miao Ne was indignant when she first learned about this.
[Teacher, I have a question.]
Where is there any doubt?
This rule from the Ministry of Personnel is extremely unfair to some people.
【For example? 】
[For example, consider the children of some commoners. How could their parents possibly have the broad knowledge and experience of their successful children? But very few parents understand this; they only know the traditional father-son relationship. According to folk customs, as long as the children don't separate from the family, the head of the household always holds absolute power and will not tolerate disobedience. If these parents are instigated by unscrupulous individuals to accuse their children, wouldn't they easily ruin their children's careers? To put it more seriously, this tactic could easily remove officials from humble backgrounds. By bribing their relatives and having them, out of envy and jealousy, instigate their parents, this plan could succeed!]
The seemingly harmonious atmosphere in the Kang royal court does not mean there is no political infighting.
It's impossible to prevent your wrists from getting dirty.
Those people simply couldn't withstand the wrath of their lord and never dared to cross the line. If the lord's attitude softens even slightly, the fighting will likely rage on until the world is plunged into chaos. Just because the problems of the common people and officials in Kangguo aren't severe doesn't mean they don't exist.
The new elites and the old tycoons have always had conflicting interests.
Blocking someone's path to wealth is like killing their parents!
If this is the way to make money, what about power?
Miao Ne was worried that someone might exploit this loophole to harm others.
Luan Xin looked at the young student with a complicated expression.
Isn't that a bit too clever?
Even seasoned veterans of the political arena probably couldn't react as quickly as her. If Miao Ne used this method to eliminate her political enemies, she would be sure to succeed—dragging honest officials down with them is the least noticeable and most successful way to get rid of them.
but--
"To cultivate oneself, regulate one's family, govern the state, and bring peace to the world—if one cannot even govern one's own small family, how can one govern an entire region?" Luan Xin's tone was calm, even somewhat ruthless. "To enter officialdom in Kang, the first thing one must manage is one's own family. This is the invisible threshold of officialdom. If one cannot control one's family and is instead manipulated and led by the nose by kinship and personal relationships, bad things are bound to happen sooner or later. One day, one will be dragged into committing a heinous crime. Whether one is a minor clerk or holds a high position, one will be a scourge."
When you have the power to allocate resources, you'll be surrounded by endless temptations. Those lurking demons and monsters, drawn by the allure, will swarm like flies, meticulously searching for every crack in the eggshell! Once they find it, they'll let the egg rot and stink! Making a good egg isn't easy.
These unspoken rules aren't openly discussed; you either learn them from teachers, figure them out yourself, or get a lesson from a political enemy. Some principles can't be taught by others, but experience teaches you in one go.
Luan Xin taught Miao Ne everything he knew.
From self-cultivation and interpersonal relationships to officialdom.
He did not want Miao Ne to repeat Miao Shu's mistakes.
So, losing one's parents is actually an advantage?
[This kind of person? The Ministry of Personnel should pay even more attention to their review and assessment in private.] Luan Xin was certainly not targeting Gu Chi. Without relatives or friends in the officialdom, one is like a barefoot person. A barefoot person has nothing to fear. Such a person either doesn't become abnormal, or if he does, it's earth-shattering. One of the reasons Luan Xin was wary of Gu Chi was that this guy had been involved with the General for many years without ever making it public, which showed that he was a heartless and ungrateful scumbag.
Miao Ne: [...]
If both parents are alive, one must prevent them from being used by political enemies; if both parents are deceased, one must be wary of potential perversion by the Ministry of Personnel. The officialdom is truly chaotic.
Miao Ne murmured, "Fortunately, I only have one mother."
Is this a kind of compromise?
Li Wan was so angry he almost fainted.
How can something like this be considered "fortunate"?
Li Wan was practically her student, and Ning Yan, as his teacher, had an obligation to give him guidance. However, if she spoke too clearly, it would be suspected of interfering in other people's family affairs. She could only subtly suggest that Li Wan could stay home and rest for the time being, and resolve the family troubles before going to work.
If Li Wan can't grasp this, then there's nothing we can do.
Clearly, Li Wan is not a fool.
The fact that Ning Shizhong personally had himself removed from prison was certainly not because Li Wan was particularly important, nor could it be because he was specially comforting her after her ordeal of being trapped in the enemy camp for over a month—she didn't carry that weight. More likely, it was because he needed her for something.
It is still an important matter.
It was so important that Ning Shizhong personally intervened.
Since it's so important, it's better to do it sooner rather than later; we can't delay.
Ning Shizhong, however, told her to relax and recover from her injuries, and not to rush to the government office for her shift. Li Wan wasn't foolish enough to think this was Ning Yan's concern; if she truly thought that, she wouldn't have been one of the top performers in her class. Her mind raced as she tried to find the real reason from the subtle clues. After some thought, Li Wan secretly exhaled a sigh of relief. Ning Shizhong's hint was quite clear; if she didn't understand, she would indeed disappoint him.
Thinking of this, a harmless smile appeared on her face.
"Rest assured, Prime Minister Ning, I will handle this as soon as possible."
"Yes, take good care of your injury."
Ning Yan's words truly meant to reassure her and allow her to focus on recovering.
Li Wan raised her hand to gently touch the lingering warmth of Ning Yan's touch on her shoulder, her watery eyes instantly turning cold. Miao Ne casually remarked, "Nine out of ten commoners don't know which way the government office faces, and the remaining one only knows the surnames of local officials, let alone the decrees of the royal court. Although we don't care about those romantic reputations, it's still not a good thing if they spread too much in the streets."
As you go down the hierarchy, with each additional layer comes another person who likes to guess what the superiors want, and then, on a whim, adds their own personal touches.
How many government orders have been ruined by miscommunication?
This is how government orders are destroyed, and how rumors spread.
Compared to the dry and incomprehensible government decrees, the common people were much more interested in simple and easy-to-understand rumors, especially those involving sexual misconduct. Miao Ne worried that Li Wan might not handle this matter well, allowing her parents, relatives, and the man's family to spread the rumors about her. In that case, the common people would only know about Li Wan's "romantic encounters" in the enemy camp in her early years and would not care about how many good deeds she had done for the people.
Li Wan felt a warmth in his heart: "I know."
She had far more experience in officialdom than Miao Ne.
It was better to act sooner rather than later. Li Wan used her spiritual energy to quickly reduce the swelling and heal her wounds. Once she had adjusted her mindset, she returned home that afternoon. Her parents were angry and refused to see her, but she didn't waste any words. She had someone pack their things for them, and the two elders immediately became restless.
"You rebellious daughter, what are you doing?"
Watching the servants and maids carry their belongings out piece by piece, Li Wan's father turned ashen with anger and was about to explode again.
“Oh, Wangdu is not a good place to retire. Please, Father and Mother, return to our ancestral home. It has beautiful mountains and clear waters, and the people are kind and honest.”
The two elders' expressions changed simultaneously.
The father retorted angrily, "This family is not your place to make decisions."
Li Wan snapped his fingers, and the servants closed the doors and windows.
It was dusk, and with the doors and windows closed and no candles lit, the courtyard suddenly became dim. Li Wan's voice reached their ears clearly: "The head of a household is the one who can support the whole family, so—Father, I am the head of that household. Without me, you would still be that old landlord in the countryside, guarding that ancestral home and land, only smearing your mouth with lard every ten days or so as a treat, while Mother, with her back aching, would have to crawl on the ground tending the crops..."
"You unfilial daughter, what nonsense are you spouting!"
He was spitting as he spoke, his neck was thick and red, and his veins were bulging.
Like an old cat whose tail has been stepped on in an old house.
Li Wan used his words to prevent his voice from escaping the courtyard wall. His voice was cold and ruthless: "Father, you can speak louder. No one outside the courtyard wall will hear you. After today, you should realize that you have everything from me because of blood ties, not because of the title of 'father'! You are young and strong, and I am young and inexperienced, so I listen to you; you are old and frail, and I am young and strong, so it is reasonable for you to listen to me."
"Rebellious daughter!"
Another raised hand.
But this time, Li Wan casually grabbed his wrist.
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't budge it an inch.
This almost savage, pure power suppression caused Li Wan's father to turn red in the face, pant heavily, and have bloodshot eyes. The two seemed to be locked in a contest of strength until Li Wan's father exhausted himself, completely defeated, his face turning ashen. Li Wan's mother was too frightened to approach, and only rushed forward crying after the two had finished their struggle.
"You unfilial daughter..."
Li Wan's father's voice was low, and his eyes reddened unconsciously, filled with shame and humiliation. He couldn't understand why his daughter's personality had changed so drastically, yet he also began to feel genuine fear deep in his bones. The old alpha wolf lowered its tail before the young alpha wolf, secretly showing humility and weakness.
Seeing his expression, Li Wan felt a pang of sympathy, but she knew even better that if she didn't teach the two elders a lesson they wouldn't learn, similar incidents would only happen again and again. Wasn't their matchmaking with the clan a test of her character?
He tested the waters to confirm that his authority as the head of the household was still intact.
This kind of testing is not a one-time event, but a habitual test whenever there is unease, until the alpha wolf is truly old and has to retire, only then can this mental torment end.
The mother wiped away her tears and said, "If you don't like us old folks, just say so. Are you trying to turn the world upside down by humiliating your father like this?"
"My career was almost over."
Mother: "Wasn't it already over?"
Li Wan: "..."
She couldn't really blame her parents for being ignorant, but she could tell them: "Your daughter has a lover outside. If I were really in a hurry to get married, couldn't I just find someone I liked? Let alone the fact that I'm not involved in anything in the enemy camp, even if I were, what era are we living in? How could something like what happens under the skirt affect my career? What really affects my career is rebellion, disobedience, and corruption..."
Of course, those who engage in immoral private lives will also be caught by the Censorate.
Li Wan asked herself honestly, and she realized that she wasn't exactly immoral.
She doesn't keep several male lovers at the same time; she only keeps one.
Even if the censor catches her and exposes her, it would still be considered within the scope of normal romance. Would the censor really be able to eavesdrop under her bed?
"But reputation..."
"This kind of reputation is used to govern and rule the people."
The mother said through tears, "But this is so shameful..."
Li Wan's mouth was as venomous as if he had swallowed a bottle of arsenic: "It's even more shameful to be so poor that you have to beg for help from everyone. How could gossip about our ancestral home reach your ears in the capital? Or do you, Mother, want to go back to our ancestral home and continue living the life of old landlords?"
Her mother was speechless.
Looking at the objects in the courtyard, he was caught in a dilemma.
Li Wan continued, "If you listen to others' instigation and actually marry me off, would you still be living the life you have now? One of you would be going back to wipe your mouths with lard as if you've finally tasted meat, while the other would be lying on the ground continuing to tend to the crops?"
Her family also had some tenant farmers.
However, not all landlords lived a life of luxury. In fact, during famine years, landlords who were destined to starve would still die. Li Wan's father was lucky; he lived in a good year, and his family lived much better than ordinary people, making them small landlords in the area.
They would buy a few young, cheap girls to work for their families, raise them until they were teenagers, and then resell them to human traffickers to recoup their investment.
Afterwards, the land was confiscated and the family was divided among themselves according to the number of people in the household. Li Wan received enough salary to support her family, so she immediately rented out the land and houses cheaply, and the family lived off the rent. Her parents initially resisted to the death, but as her salary increased, the family's life improved significantly, and they hired several maids and servants to take care of their daily needs, which finally calmed them down.
Li Wan still had to put in a lot of effort to correct their bad habits as old landlords, such as their tendency to beat, scold, and sell their maids at the drop of a hat.
[This person was hired; the government has approved it.]
[You assault someone, and they immediately report you to the authorities, sending you to jail.]
Under the emperor's nose, the two elders did indeed restrain themselves considerably, but as several relatives came to seek refuge, they helped them out of a desire to show off, and their relationship grew closer over time. Li Wan was either taking up a post in an enclave or traveling to other places, which allowed others to take advantage of the situation.
This time when I came back, wow—
The elderly father started acting like the patriarch of the family when he saw her.
The mother's eyes were filled with shock.
"You think you can just abandon us after you get married?"
Li Wan: "..."
Even if she were an ox or a horse, you can't use her like that.
The mother didn't understand; she just kept crying, feeling extremely wronged.
There's a reason for this grievance.
Li Wan was not an only child; she had sisters. But in a world where failing to produce a son meant the family line would end, her parents didn't desperately try to have a male heir. Instead, after Li Wan's talent for cultivation was discovered, they devoted all their energy to her, tirelessly working on her studies, staying up all night, and even begging and pleading with local scholars to borrow books for copying. Their help, within the bounds of understanding, was truly commendable. Li Wan bent down to help her parents up, then knelt respectfully and kowtowed. The two elders remained silent, only shedding tears.
The father sighed, his heart aching.
"And what's with this hypocritical act of yours now?"
"Your daughter will earn you an official title, but she also needs to be able to establish herself in officialdom. Apart from family, no one will sincerely wish us well. They laugh at those who have nothing, hate those who have something, despise those who are poor, fear those who are rich, and wish they had the best things for them..."
Father: "Your words are so snobbish and harsh!"
The mother could only hear the words "imperial decree".
"...That was close! I almost got tricked by your aunt and uncle." She nervously clutched her handkerchief, looking anxiously at Li Wan. "Wan'er, what did your superiors say? Are they dissatisfied with you?"
"The higher-ups are doing well and understand."
Only then did the mother feel relieved, knowing that she still had the title of noblewoman.
The father understood his wife's plan perfectly well. He snorted and mocked her for being short-sighted and only thinking about such trivial matters.
What about that family?
Even after calming down, Li Wan's father also found the situation difficult.
"My daughter has a way of silencing them."
The mother exclaimed in shock, "Are you going to kill someone?"
Father: "No man is a hero without ruthlessness. What's wrong with silencing them?"
Li Wan didn't correct his father's words, lest he recall his earlier anger, and explained, "Of course it's not to silence them. The emperor's secret guards and the censorate's eyes and ears are everywhere. Who would dare to kill someone to silence them right under the nose of the capital? We're just trying to make them listen to us."
No matter what kind of rumors she hears in the future, she will consider them all spread by this family! She should at least learn to shut up.
Li Wan dislikes abusing his power, but he doesn't mind achieving his goals within the bounds of compliance. The process is unimportant; the result is what matters most.
My mother always felt that this was wrong.
She tried to speak, but her husband glared at her, shutting her down.
"Women shouldn't meddle in other people's business."
The mother retorted indignantly, "Isn't Wan'er a woman?"
The father sneered, "You two can't compare! Listen to what she just said. She's the head of the household now. Anyone who doesn't listen to her won't even get a bite to eat. We two old hags can only get a full meal by watching other people's faces—"
Li Wan listened to his sarcasm in silence.
After scolding her mother, the father sighed, then looked down at his shoes. After a long while, he wiped his face and said in a low voice, "You'll be a high-ranking official in the future. I've toiled in the fields all my life, I don't know anything about these things, and I can't teach you anything... I'm so lucky to be able to enjoy this life with you, and to be rich and powerful in my later years is a blessing from our ancestors. That blind fortune teller in the village wasn't wrong, I'm lucky to have benefactors. If you have any problems in the future, just tell us, and we'll try our best not to hold you back."
With the assurance in hand, Li Wan finally breathed a sigh of relief.
The atmosphere at home has become harmonious, yet it's different from before.
Father: "What's this about you having a lover?"
The mother also woke up with a start and exclaimed, "Wan'er just said 'it doesn't matter which one you find pleasing to the eye'? How many lovers do you have?"
How could their daughter be so indecent?
Oh no, so romantic?
Li Wan: "..."
_(:3」∠)_
Does this chapter seem a bit long?
Hehe, I originally thought I could finish by 2 o'clock, but I ended up writing until 2:30. However, I felt uncomfortable getting stuck on this part of the plot, so I decided to finish it all at once, which made it a bit longer.
Lee Wan is a typical example (besides being labeled as a woman, she also embodies the role of a 'male heir' in the old order). Her conflicts and suppression with her parents are a process of establishing hierarchy between a young alpha and an older alpha. Her parents wanted her to fulfill the role of carrying on the family line, but they didn't forget her status as a daughter. They were easily swayed and subconsciously overlooked the fact that Lee Wan's wings had already grown very strong (Lee Wan was also emotionally bound by her parents; her parents loved her, but it wasn't a wholehearted love, and their love was conditional).
The relationships between her and her parents, Wu Xian and his daughter, Zhao Feng and Zhao Wei, Yang Gong and Yang Ying, Xie Qi and his three daughters, even Qi Shan and Qi Miao, Chu Yao and Lin Feng (who could also be considered half a father and daughter?)... are all different.
(End of this chapter)
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