Chapter 119.1
Editor: Sahloknir
Outside, Shi Qing’s mother was still ranting in the courtyard.
Her voice was melodic and moving, with every word slowly and softly enunciated. It was like she was being coquettish.
“Which family doesn’t cherish and coddle their young masters like treasures? Is that Jiang family young master any more precious than the one from our Shi family? Besides, my Qing-er is the only son in this household. How dare they only send over a concubine-born son as compensation from pushing him into that icy cold lake! They must be dreaming if they think this is over!”
Then some maidservants with equally soft accents tried to persuade her, “Furen, it’s not good for your health to be so angry. Our family will definitely see this matter through, but the other party is our Shi family’s son-in-law… It’s inconvenient to ask for him directly.”
“Pei!” Shi-furen spat in a delicate way. “I don’t know what my husband saw in him back then. Hmph, what son-in-law. Instead of behaving himself after marrying my Xi-er, he made her share a bed with those wenches from that brothel! As expected of a military household like the Jiangs, they’re all brutes! What kind of son-in-law is he if he can’t cherish my Xi-er!!”
However, despite her furious tone, Shi-furen spoke no more about demanding an explanation.
After all, although military households didn’t have too high of a status in the past, they were in chaotic times where ‘might meant right’. The Shi family was a merchant household. Under the previous dynasty, merchants were looked down upon no matter how much money they had. Only amidst the present chaos could the Shi family rise to prominence with their ample supply of goods.
But no matter how prominent they were, their daughter had already been married off to another family. If the Shi family stirred up trouble, that unruly ingrate might take it out on her daughter.
Shi Qing had just about heard enough. He hollered at the people outside, “Servants!”
Almost immediately, someone lifted the curtains draped around his bed. A cleanly dressed and comely maidservant beamed as she came in. She carefully examined Shi Qing’s expression, only relaxing when she was sure he wasn’t in pain.
She whispered, “Qing-er, don’t get into any more fights with that person. Their Jiang family was once a military household, so how can our Qing-er beat them? You gave all of us a good scare. Especially Furen, she’s been crying nonstop.”
Shi-furen also heard the commotion inside. Ecstatic, she turned and entered with quick, small steps. Tears ran down her cheeks when she saw her son sitting up in bed in one piece.
“Oh my Qing-er, you truly scared Mother. If something happened to you, Mother would have nothing to live for anymore.”
Her acting like the sky was falling down made Shi Qing think he’d been diagnosed with an incurable illness instead of, ‘being carried home after catching a cold from whipping someone after being fished out of the river’.
No wonder the original host was an overbearing and spoiled brat. Everyone in the room looked at him like he was an adorable baby.
Only after crying softly for a while did Shi-furen dab at her face with her handkerchief. She tenderly tucked Shi Qing in.
“My son, rest soundly at home for now, alright? Don’t go anywhere before you’re healed. Mother knows you did that because you care about your sister, but a child like you shouldn’t meddle with this. That Jiang family are nothing but brutes. They’ll hurt you again.”
Shi Qing obediently nodded like he was a sensible child. He chirped, “Don’t worry Mother. I won’t go.”
Shi-furen looked at him doubtfully. She dabbed at her red-rimmed eyes again. “I don’t trust you one bit. That mouth of your is filled with nothing but lies. You said before that men had a right to take in many wives and concubines, but you snuck out to avenge your sister in the next breath.”
Although Shi-furen was admonishing him on the surface, there were traces of pride in her words.
Naturally, she didn’t only care for her son. Her daughter was also dear to her heart. She felt very proud that her son stood up for his sister.
But Shi Qing knew that the original host had meant what he said.
He had the personality of a tyrant after being pampered by everyone growing up. If he wanted something, he just had to say the word and everyone would scramble to give it to him.
Shi Xi may be his full-blooded older sister, but the ratio of men and women were heavily skewed due to the ongoing wars. This didn’t have an impact on rich people marrying more wives.
Women were seen as less than men in the current era, so to the original host, this older sister of his was no different than any of his concubine-born sisters.
So what if this sister doted on him? That was the least she could do.
To him, his brother-in-law playing around and indulging in prost.i.tutes after marriage wasn’t a big deal. He was a man after all. It was perfectly natural for him to have multiple wives and concubines. What made the original host furious was that the Jiang family’s young master had compared his sister to a prost.i.tute.
Since she was his twin sister from the same mother, wasn’t that indirectly comparing him to a prost.i.tute?
Little Master Shi, who had never been so insulted in his life, immediately flipped the table and lunged over. Unfortunately, he neglected to take into account his pampered and delicate body and was counterattacked.
Shi Qing still vaguely remembered that, in the original plotline, Jiang family seemed to find someone to sculpt a jade cricket the size of an arm and offered it to him as compensation. The original host accepted the gift, putting an end to the matter on the surface.
As for how his blood-related sister was suffering in the Jiang family…that wasn’t his problem.
Shi-furen, on the other hand, was anguished. Even though the Shi family was quite influential now, there was nothing she could do to help her married daughter because of the laws set by their ancestors.
In the original plotline, Shi Xi, the twin sister of the original host, perished in less than five years.
The original host didn’t even bat an eye at her demise.
Shi Qing plotted in his mind as Shi-furen softly prattled on about how he should be a good boy and rest in the manor instead of fighting with people outside. If he was bored, he could send invitations to other young masters and have them visit. But under no circ.u.mstances was he to go out himself.
Shi Qing perfunctorily hummed and nodded.
This wasn’t the first time he’d risked his wellbeing, so Shi-furen was used to it. Just as she thought about giving orders to those maidservants instead, she heard her son ask,
“Mother, where’s Jiang Bieyu?”
“Jiang Bieyu? Who’s that?” Shi-furen didn’t react at first.
Shi Qing, “The person I brought back. The Jiang family gave him to me as compensation.”
Fury immediately surfaced on Shi-furen’s face once she learned which family he came from. “I heard from your servant that he was the one who pushed you into the water, so I had people throw him into the woodshed.”
She was very angry. Just the thought of never seeing her son again if he had been pulled out a moment later made her heart ache.
“I really want to know where he gets his guts from. How dare a concubine-born son like him push our Shi family’s young master into the lake.”
Shi Qing didn’t say anything about her haughty tone.
She was the matriarch of the family after all. In the current era, if the man of the household allowed it, most people wouldn’t interfere even if she beat concubine-born children to death. They would comment on her cruelty in private at most.
In a household, the matriarch and the concubine-born children were natural enemies.
Not to mention this concubine-born son was the one who hurt her son. If he wasn’t a member of the Jiang family and therefore difficult to dispose of, she would’ve liked nothing more than to toss him out to die of hypothermia.
Looking at the time, Jiang Bieyu would croak after an hour more.
Who knew what his cause of death would be? Hypothermia, shock from blood loss, or starvation were all top contenders.
After all, in the original plotline after being summoned onboard the boat as a servant, Jiang Bieyu was imprisoned and starved for three days because of Jiang Liye’s schemes.
Shi Qing asked his mother, “Mother, have someone bring him over. I have some questions for him.”
Shi-furen truly detested the culprit who ‘harmed her son’. She tried to dissuade Shi Qing,
“Be good Qing-er. He’s covered in blood and filth. What if he gets your room dirty? Besides, Mother had a look at him before. He’s injured, but also naturally tall and st.u.r.dy. What if he suddenly acts up and injures you?”
Shi-furen was right to worry about such a thing. She was born small and delicate, so people that tall and strong made her wary.
In addition, Shi Qing inherited her slight build. Although he was only a bit shorter than other people his age, his bones were slender, making him appear very delicate. This fed into Shi-furen’s misconception that her son was still a child who needed constant protection.
She suggested, “How about this? Tell a servant what you want to ask him and they’ll go question him.”
Shi Qing pretended to not notice her speaking to him like a child who needed to be coaxed. He reached out and tugged on her sleeve, saying coquettishly,
“The less people that know the better. Mother, just bring him here. It’ll be fine if you have a few more servants watch him.”
She knew her son was good at bending others to his will, but Shi-furen still melted when Shi Qing acted so soft around her. She had people escort Jiang Bieyu over.
Jiang Bieyu was quickly brought over by the servants.
They all knew that this was the guy who tossed their little master in the water, so they were particularly heavy handed. Rather than saying they ‘escorted’ him into the room, it was more like they tossed him in.
Despite being quite tall and robust, even Jiang Bieyu seemed somewhat pitiful after being thrown inside—considering his b.l.o.o.d.y and bedraggled appearance.
Shi Qing ignored his mother’s hand trying to stop him. He flipped open the blankets and got out of bed.
There were no socks on his fair feet, but they didn’t feel cold because the floor was covered in thick, luxuriously soft carpet and the furnace was burning away.
However, the room grew lively due to his actions.
Shi-furen immediately issued orders, “What are you all standing around for? Hurry up and close the windows before my Qing-er catches a cold!”
One maidservant quickly brought a warm cloak and draped it over Shi Qing’s shoulders. Another retrieved the small and intricate hand stove from the bed and carefully handed it to him.
So by the time Shi Qing crouched down in front of Jiang Bieyu, he had a warm cloak draped over his body and an intricate hand stove in his hands, looking every bit like a cherished child shielded from even the slightest bit of cold.
There was even a maidservant behind him holding onto soft, white cotton socks specially brought from Jiangnan. She softly pleaded,
“Little Shi, please put these on. Your feet might become cold.”
“I won’t wear those.”
Shi Qing crisply refused and dismissed her with a wave. Worry flashed by the girl’s face, but she didn’t dare to disobey his command. She bit her lip and carefully retreated.
This string of events was more than enough to demonstrate his position in the Shi family.
Jiang Bieyu refused to prostrate himself, despite being tossed on the floor. He struggled to prop himself up. Because he was next to Shi Qing, who was spoiled to high heaven, his figure seemed even more pitiful.
His pale face was covered with blood and grime. After being whipped, the back of his clothes had all but disintegrated. His wounds were crisscrossed and inflamed. Some were still oozing blood. Shi Qing couldn’t see his face because his head was lowered.
The little master who’d always gotten everything he wanted held his hand stove while disdainfully poking the back of Jiang Bieyu’s relatively clean hand with one of his fair feet.
“Raise your head.”
Jiang Bieyu didn’t struggle or shy away. He just silently looked up.
Once they saw his face, the maidservants standing nearby shrieked.