Chapter 64 Slapping
Wang stood up abruptly, her finger almost poking Xie Sangning's nose, her voice shrill enough to pierce eardrums: "You! Xie Sangning! How dare you! You mere..."
"Wu Lu earned his academic title through the real exams! It's a glory that brings good fortune to our Xie family's ancestral graves! What do you mean by 'merely'? If you're so capable, let your good-for-nothing brother Xie Sangyu, who only knows how to fight cocks and ride horses, take the exam!"
"What makes him worthy of being compared to my son, Wulu?! He can't even get past the threshold of the Imperial Examination Hall!"
Xie Sangning didn't even lift his eyelids. If his elder brother really participated, with his talent, he would have been more than just a second-class scholar. It's just that he was focused on the battlefield and regarded fame and fortune as dirt.
"Second Aunt," Xie Sangning's voice was icy, "you've finally raised your head high, daring to slander and insult the eldest son. According to the Xie family rules, what should your punishment be?"
"Family rules?! Family rules?!"
As if burned by those two words, Madam Wang completely tore off her disguise, her face contorted as she screamed, "This is about the future of the General's Mansion! This is about a century-old foundation being ruined in the hands of your eldest son's family!"
"Xie Sangning! Don't think you can act recklessly just because your father dotes on you! The adoption of Wulu was personally decided by the old lady! It's for the good of the entire Xie family! You're just a little girl, you have no right to interfere here!"
Xie Wulu stepped forward at the opportune moment, knelt down in front of the old lady with a thud, his posture extremely humble, his voice deliberately choked with sobs and filled with grievance.
“Grandmother! I know that my eldest sister has always disliked our second branch of the family. She thinks we are of humble origin and not worthy of being compared with the direct descendants…”
He raised his head, his eyes perfectly reddened, tears welling up in his eyes, vividly portraying the image of a talented man who was not appreciated and was suppressed by the direct line of succession.
"But I swear to Heaven!" He raised his right hand, his expression solemn and earnest. "If my grandmother and uncle have the mercy to grant me adoption into your family, I will regard you as my father, visit you morning and evening, and be filial and fraternal to you without fail!"
"I regard Brother Sang Yu as my own brother, serve him with utmost respect and without any disloyalty! I regard Sister Sang Ning as my own sister, obey her in everything, and dare not disobey her!"
"I will do my utmost to bring glory to the Xie family. If I have any selfish intentions, may I be struck by lightning!" He kowtowed deeply, his forehead touching the ground.
"Could it be...could it be that just because I am born to the second wife, I am destined to be inferior and forever unworthy to share the burdens of the Xie family, or to do my part for my grandmother and uncle? Grandmother, please see the truth!"
The last sound, tinged with sobs, was extremely moving.
The old lady was completely moved by these sincere words, and her gaze toward Xie Sangning was filled with stern reproach and disappointment.
“Sang Ning! Listen to this! Wu Lu’s heart is pure and sincere, heaven and earth can bear witness! As the eldest daughter, how can you be so narrow-minded? You have no tolerance for others at all! Does the General’s Mansion really rely on your brother for the future?!”
Xie Sangning sneered: "Ha, inferior to others?"
"You keep saying you're inferior, are you blaming your parents for not working hard enough to give you the status of a legitimate son? So you're so 'ambitious' and so eager to make up for this deficiency for your parents?"
She leaned forward slightly: "So, in your heart, being your parents' son is a disgrace, a sign of inferiority? Truly... a filial piety that moves heaven and earth."
"You! What nonsense are you spouting!"
Xie Chengzong's face turned ashen, and he slammed his fist on the table. This was an insult!
Wu Lu would certainly not think that way!
Wang was so angry that her lips trembled, and she pointed at Xie Sangning, stammering "You you you..." for a long time without being able to utter a complete sentence.
Xie Wulu's face turned deathly pale instantly, and a hint of panic flashed in his eyes.
Xie Sangning walked up to Xie Wulu, who was kneeling, and said, "You are right about one thing: you are indeed not worthy of being compared with the direct descendants."
"What makes you think you can be compared to the direct descendants? This vast general's mansion, this Xie family clan, wasn't it all won by my father through countless battles? What does it have to do with your second branch?"
"Everything you eat, wear, and use, wasn't earned by my father? It's one thing to be ungrateful and think it's all your due, but now you open your mouth and expect the son of Xie Wulu, a great contributor to the Xie family, to step down?"
Xie Sangning suddenly burst out laughing: "What a delusional fool..."
After saying this, Xie Wulu trembled all over.
The immense humiliation nearly made him faint, but this matter had to be accomplished today!
Before my uncle returns to Beijing, my grandmother must finalize this matter!
He has to endure it!
Xie Sangning slowly walked up to the old lady, her plain brocade dress making her figure stand tall and straight like a bamboo in the cold.
She curtsied and performed a perfectly proper curtsy to the matriarch at the head of the table, her posture respectful and submissive.
“Grandmother, we can discuss other matters later. Right now, there is an important family rule that we must deal with first.”
She slightly raised her eyes, her gaze landing precisely on Wang Shi, and from an angle where the old lady couldn't see, she revealed a provocative smile.
"Madam Wang, as the second wife of the Xie family and the temporary manager of the General's Mansion, does not think about cultivating her character and virtue. Instead, she has repeatedly slandered and humiliated her eldest son, Xie Sangyu, in public."
"His words were vicious and unbearable to hear. Such behavior shows no regard for family rules and disregards the dignity of the direct line. His heart deserves to be condemned!"
Xie Sangning paused, her gaze sweeping over Wang Shi, whose eyes were wide open like saucers, before continuing:
"According to the Xie family rules, slandering the direct line is an act of insubordination and deserves punishment! The lightest punishment is slapping and confinement, while the heaviest is caning, as a warning to others! Considering that Second Aunt is an elder, I dare to ask Grandmother to handle this matter impartially and order her to receive the family punishment, including twenty slaps, to set an example!"
"What?!"
Wang suddenly jumped up from her chair, screaming in disbelief, her face filled with horrified disbelief and resentment.
"Xie Sangning! How dare you! I am your second aunt! How dare you have someone slap me?! You've gone too far! Mother! Mother, look at her! She's going to beat me to death!"
The old lady's face turned ashen. She took a deep breath, suppressing her anger, and was about to reprimand Xie Sangning for making a mountain out of a molehill and disregarding the dignity of an elder, but Xie Sangning beat her to it, stopping her from uttering the rebuke.
"Grandmother, please calm down and let me finish speaking."
"My granddaughter did not intend to make things difficult for her second aunt, nor would she dare to be disrespectful in front of her grandmother. It's just... family rules are the foundation of our clan, how can they be taken lightly?"
"Today, Second Aunt was able to so brazenly humiliate the eldest son in front of you and your granddaughter. If no one restrains or punishes her, and this gets out, how will outsiders view our Xie family? How will the other branches of the family and the servants in the mansion view the dignity of the eldest son?"
She paused slightly, and her words struck the old lady's heart like a heavy hammer: "Father is far away on the frontier, fighting bloody battles to protect our country. What he cares about most, besides national affairs, is the peace and tranquility of our home and the harmony among our brothers."
"If he knew that his only legitimate son was so humiliated and disgraced by his second aunt in his own residence, and that you, Grandmother... did nothing about it and stood by and did nothing..."
"What will Father think? Will he think that Second Aunt is being arrogant and rude? Or will he think that...Grandmother...tacitly approved or even condoned this kind of behavior that undermines the foundation of the hierarchy between legitimate and illegitimate children?!"
“Grandmother! If a family cannot even maintain the most basic principles of hierarchy and respect, if it cannot even protect the dignity of the direct descendant heir, and allows the collateral branches to trample on it like this…”
"That means the family is rotten to the core! If they can humiliate the eldest son today, will they covet the position of family head tomorrow? If this continues, people's hearts will be scattered, and the family will cease to be a family! This trend must not be allowed to continue! Otherwise, it will shake the very foundation of the Xie family!"
She looked at the old lady's suddenly contracted pupils and slightly trembling hands, and smiled with satisfaction:
“Grandmother, you are the pillar of the Xie family, the one who holds the family’s honor and glory in the helm. This slap is not just a blow to Second Aunt’s skin, but a blow to those restless, presumptuous thoughts that try to overstep their bounds!”
"This is a strike to uphold the ironclad rules of family hierarchy and the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children! It's also a strike to show Father, to the entire household, and to the whole capital—the rules of the Xie family still stand! The legitimate line of the Xie family cannot be insulted!"
She bowed again, her posture extremely humble, yet her tone left no room for argument:
"This is not just my request; it is for the sake of the entire Xie family's century-long legacy! I urge Grandmother to think carefully before acting!"
Dead silence!
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