Chapter 56: Family Feuds

  "Xie family of Yangxia, Chen Prefecture!"

  Xia Jiang was shocked, but in fact he had no idea what the Chen Jun Yang Xia Xie family was all about. Xiao Jing Tang's face was flushed with excitement, and anyone who wasn't blind could tell that this family must be very influential. He had to play along.

  Xiao Jing Tang said with great reverence: "That's right, Chen Jun Yang Xia Xie Shi! The first family in Wuyi Lane, the Xie family of Chen Jun Yang Xia, produced many famous scholars such as Xie An, Xie Shi, Xie Xuan, Xie Yan, Xie Lingyun, and Xie Daoyun... Although the Xie family has declined since the end of the Sui Dynasty, their identity is that of a noble family with a thousand-year history, and their high birth is something that cannot be bought with money."

  "Has it been declining since the end of Sui?"

  Xia Zhen really couldn't understand, since that's the case, what else did Xiao Guan Shi have to brag about? He didn't know that in ancient times, people had almost no concept of time when it came to inheriting and continuing history. Thousands of years of tradition seemed like just yesterday.

  Just like in modern times, in the early 1980s, a foreign professor wrote a travelogue about China. In it, he mentioned that when he arrived at a remote mountain village, the locals were so curious that they all came to see this blond-haired and blue-eyed freak. He smiled and asked the villagers: "Is this the first time you've seen someone like me?"

  Who would have thought that the old man in the village would answer: "No, there were people with golden hair and blue eyes who came to our village before." The professor asked curiously, and the old man replied naturally: "During the Yuan Dynasty, there were people like you who came here." The professor was suddenly speechless. The old man's answer was so matter-of-fact that events over a thousand years ago seemed like yesterday for this ancient country with its long history, and for this small village where stories are passed down from generation to generation.

  Apart from this reason, a more important reason is that at that time, people had just restored the Han Chinese regime after being ruled by ethnic minorities for over a hundred years. From a psychological perspective, there was an urgent desire to reconnect with their ancestors. Even today, when the emperor compiles his family tree, a group of ministers will scrutinize and study it carefully, drawing conclusions that Zhu Yuanzhang is a descendant of Zhu Xi, not only to flatter the emperor but also due to this psychological factor.

  If it weren't for Zhu Yuanzhang's denial, the family tree of the old Zhu family would have started from Zhu Xi of the Song Dynasty. Those sycophantic ministers underestimated Zhu Yuanzhang's temperament and broad-mindedness. Zhu Yuanzhang didn't want to acknowledge any illustrious ancestors; he was just a poor cowherd, a humble commoner from Huai'an, with no noble bloodline or legendary stories about slaying white snakes. He never thought that winning others' respect depended on his ancestry, but rather on his actions and achievements.

  But how many people in the world have Zhu Yuanzhang's confidence and courage? Xia Yu may not think so, but when it comes to the Xie family of Yangxia, Chen Prefecture, the aristocratic families at that time still had a strong admiration for them, especially in the Ying Tianfu area, where the influence of the Xie family was even greater. Nowadays, if people go to Jinling, how many don't go to take a look at Wuyi Lane? As long as they go to Wuyi Lane, who doesn't recite a sentence "Yesterday's royal court, today's ordinary people's home" to mourn the first aristocratic family of the past?

  Xiao Guan Shi said with a self-satisfied smile: "To think about it, it's all because Master saved the father of this young lady when he was on a business trip. To repay the kindness of saving his life, they agreed to marry into our family. Otherwise, given our family's appearance at that time, we wouldn't have been worthy of them. If the Shes just revealed their family name, who knows how many noble and wealthy families would be willing to form an alliance with the Shes?"

  Xia Yu thought that his cheap wife would be a daughter of an ordinary family, because the Yang family more than ten years ago was not considered to be a particularly good family. In this era, people pay attention to matching doors and households, so it's natural that the other party's family background should be similar. Unexpectedly, she turned out to be from a prestigious family, and he couldn't help but feel a little curious.

  Since he wants to replace Yang Wenxuan's identity and use this as an excuse to return to Jiangnan, this Xie girl must be married. Divorce is troublesome, without a good reason, it's impossible to divorce someone, unless she has committed one of the seven outs or she doesn't want to marry him either, they can negotiate a solution. In his opinion, if this wife-to-be wasn't so repulsive and had a decent temperament, he could still consider marrying her, but he didn't expect that this fiancée would have such an impressive background, leaving him momentarily stunned.

  Xiao Jing Tang only said that his young master was delighted to forget, and then he happily told a story about the situation of Xie's family that he had heard. He then talked about the grudges between his own master and the Yang family. As soon as he mentioned the Yang family, Xiao Guan Shi's mood immediately fell.

  Originally, Yang Xu's hometown was in Ying Tianfu Rongling Town, together with Jiangning Town and Jinling Town, known as the three towns of Jinling. The town is located at the intersection of traffic, and the market is prosperous. The Yang family is the first big family in Rongling Town, and the family makes a living by farming. Yang Xu's father, Yang Dingkun, was just a small figure in the family because his ancestors were a branch of the Yang family that had been separated for several generations, so he did not have a high status in the family.

  However, Muling Town is located at the intersection of transportation, and there are often travelers passing by from south to north. Therefore, Yang Dingkun has seen a lot since he was young, he has read books, his mind is agile, and he gradually became dissatisfied with those few thin fields. He realized that guarding these fields would not starve him to death, but it would be difficult to become rich and noble. With the local conditions, if he could open an inn or do some transportation and sales business along the river, he would definitely make a lot of money, so he wanted to abandon farming and engage in commerce.

  His actions immediately caused strong dissatisfaction from the head of the Yang family, Yang Rong. To know that doing business is a lowly occupation, and the Yang family is the number one big family in Xunling Town, they are local landlords who have always engaged in farming and reading. If you read well, you will take office, if you don't read well, you will be a decent country gentleman. The head of the clan, Yang Rong, holds the most land in the Yang family, he is not short of money, and if Yang Dingkun goes into business, it would undoubtedly be a slap in the face for him. He is more worried that other young men from various branches will follow suit, ultimately causing him to lose control over the family as the head of the clan.

  Yang Guang strongly opposed it and exerted great pressure on him through the family's power, but Yang Dingkun was a man of very strong will. He ignored the family's obstruction and insisted on doing business. As a result, he, who was already relatively ostracized in the family, became even more embarrassed. The clan leader didn't like him, so how could the clansmen not bully him?

  Those are the kinds of trivial things in life that cannot be specifically listed, not even Xiao Guan can explain them clearly. However, the accumulated bullying and harm caused by these things to a family is a kind of endless torture, this kind of spiritual torment is very hurtful.

  As Yang Dingkun's relationship with the whole family became increasingly tense, the younger children in the clan also began to learn from the adults and bully Yang Xu. Every time Yang Xu went out, he would be beaten back by his older cousins, and when his mother went to reason with her sisters-in-law, she would often return with a pale face after being scolded.

  Later, Yang Dingkun was in the midst of starting his own business and had to frequently go out, so the most vicious attack method that rural people loved to use came out. Rumors about Yang's daughter gradually spread throughout the town. This is the most unbearable thing that cannot be tolerated, but it is also impossible to defend against. This weak woman, with her own strength, endured the humiliation and bullying inflicted on her by the entire family, tolerating their cold ridicule, hot mockery, filthy words, and foul language. Finally, one day, she could no longer bear it, and she jumped into a well.

  Yang Dingkun was heartbroken, in the few years of doing business, in order to mend the rift with his family, his brothers excluded him, he endured humiliation; when the family wanted to build an ancestral hall, he donated the most money; when several family members went to school, he bore all the expenses. He had made his greatest efforts, but all his efforts could not win their kindness, and his wife was driven to death by their spittle.

  Yang Dingkun cried bitterly, buried his wife, and then left his hometown with his young son and the only loyal servant Xiao Jing Tang. He sold his newly thriving store, leaving only the ancestral mansion that had been passed down through generations. For the last time, he lit incense for his parents' memorial tablets, and for the first time, he lit incense for his wife. With his own hands, he locked the gate and vowed that one day he would return to his hometown with great power and prestige, surpassing all members of his family... Xiao Jing Tang recounted that unbearable experience with tears in his eyes, and Xia Zhen listened with indignation. Although he was not Yang Wenyu, he felt a deep sense of sympathy, and he could imagine how despicable those people were, with what kind of ugly faces they had bullied the kind and weak family.

  "I'll take Yang Xu's responsibility for him!"

  Xia Liu's eyebrows gradually rose, and he solemnly said to Xiao Jing Tang: "Uncle Xiao, don't be sad, we will return, we will wear brocade and return to our hometown, we will rebuild the old house, we will make those narrow-minded and short-sighted people look up to us from now on, they won't even have the qualifications to speak ill of us!"

  Xiao Jing Tang nodded with a smile: "Old Xiao believes that Young Master will certainly make Old Master and Madame smile in their graves."

  "And Yang Xu!" Xia Jiu secretly added in his heart.

  Outside the window, Xiao Di and Peng Qi Xi were crouching quietly under the grape trellis. The two of them had originally come to eavesdrop on the future young mistress of the Yang family out of curiosity, but unexpectedly heard such a story. Xiao Di's hands were propping up her chin, her eyes shining brightly as she blinked repeatedly, lost in thought. Peng Qi Xi's face wore an odd expression, and it wasn't until after a long while that she made a hand gesture to Xiao Di, and the two of them quietly slipped away.

  It's late at night, and tonight is a full moon night.

  The bright moon is in the sky, the ground is covered with frost, and the insects are chirping in the grass.

  Xia Liu slowly strolled over the grape arbor, stopped at the railing of the pavilion, and gazed down at the dark, shiny pool water. His reflection was in the water, but his appearance couldn't be seen clearly.

  A figure slowly emerged from beside the grape arbor, standing lightly not far away, gazing at him quietly for a moment before suddenly saying: "In this world, nothing is more unpredictable than human hearts. Objects have their limitations, people have their wisdom and foolishness. Some people can't be moved by emotions or morality, so your father used the wrong method; with such petty people, using wealth and power will only make them envious, but what follows envy is even more jealousy and slander. To make them submit obediently, you must put on a domineering face; those petty people only respect fists!"

  Xia Fu didn't turn around, just smiled and looked at his own reflection rippling gently in the water. "Can it be like this?" he said. "You also come from a large family, you should know that no matter what a family does, its children find it very hard to resist because once they want to resist, they will have to confront not just the power of one family but the entire secular world's unyielding forces of loyalty, filial piety, benevolence and righteousness."

  "Alas, the closest relatives are the first to be blamed, and the most respected ruler is also the first to be blamed. The ruler and father are one body, so loyalty and filial piety are combined as one, becoming the standard by which the whole world evaluates a person. When the clan expands and becomes widespread, it becomes the state. Therefore, those who offend their families and disregard seniority and hierarchy are no different from traitors to the country. They will be pointed at by thousands of people and die without illness..."

  "Peng Ziqi sneered, 'As long as one has enough power, what can't be done? If the country can't be changed, then it would still be the Great Xia Dynasty now. Where did the Great Ming Empire come from? If a country can be changed, is a single family being great something to brag about? I've heard that having a reputation that fills the sky and criticism that fills the sky means no one can make everyone praise you. If someone praises you, then there must be someone who criticizes you. Those without criticism or praise are definitely mediocre to the extreme, and others don't even bother to evaluate you.'"

  "Oh?" Xia Yu smiled somewhat unexpectedly: "Young Master Peng is a martial artist, I didn't expect you to say something so reasonable."

  Peng Ziqi said with a bad temper: "Do you think I'm an unrefined person? Who told you that martial artists don't study literature? Can those who don't study literature achieve superior martial arts skills? I just didn't bother to delve into the trivialities of the Four Books and Five Classics, poetry, songs, and essays!"

  Xia Yu smiled: "That's also true, but as soon as I see that dagger of yours that never leaves your side, I forget that you're also a literate person. Hehe, when something happens, your instinctive reaction is to draw your dagger. However... what you said seems very reasonable, when it's time to draw the dagger, one must draw the dagger, and when it's time to be strong, one absolutely cannot show weakness!"

  "This is right!" Peng Qi smiled: "The child can be taught also!"

  Her feet unconsciously rubbed against each other, and her voice suddenly dropped: "I... uh..., the third month is almost here."

  Xia Liu was reminded by her, and only then did she remember the appointment with Feng Xihui during their three-month period. A feeling of reluctance suddenly arose in her heart, and she lightly responded with a "yes", but didn't know what to say next.

  He refused to speak, so Peng Ziqi plucked up the courage and said: "The assassin who attempted to kill you is still at large."

  Xia Fu hastily said: "Yes, this person is too cunning. He doesn't take action, and wants to dig out his foundation, it's really as difficult as ascending to heaven."

  Peng Ziqi hesitated for a moment, then suddenly smiled and said: "Since that's the case, why don't you offer a large sum of money to my family and discuss with them about hiring me to escort you back home?"

  Xia Liu somewhat unexpectedly said: "You're going back to our hometown with me?"

  Peng Ziqi felt a bit uneasy, she didn't expect her husband to be a world-renowned hero, but he absolutely couldn't be someone like Yang Wenyuan with serious moral flaws. She knew clearly that she wouldn't have any outcome with the man in front of her, yet she couldn't help herself, she was indignant and wanted to know what made that Xie family's girl so special.

  She's saying that Xie family's pen is mightier than Peng family's sword!

  She had an impulse and wanted to see the woman who was destined to be Yang Wenxuan's wife since birth.

  But Xia Yu asked, and she became flustered again. Under the cover of night, her face showed a hint of embarrassment and dishevelment. She struggled to appear nonchalant, saying: "Yes, after all, I protected you for three months, I wouldn't want you to end up getting killed in the end. Besides, I've never been to Jinling, the prosperous land of the six dynasties, I really want to go and experience it."

  "She's a maiden, actually she already knew I knew her identity, why is she willing..."

  The moon was white and the wind was clear. In the summer, Yang looked at the person under the moonlight with a gaze that gradually revealed a hint of understanding and emotion. Peng Ziqi was taken aback by his gaze, she held a knife in her hand, originally fearless, but now facing Yang, such a weak scholar, she had an unstoppable feeling, she suddenly let out a "ha" sound, pretending to be relaxed, saying: "I'm just joking, you actually believed it? It's late, go to sleep."

  Peng Ziqi said, flashing left and right, had quickly disappeared from Xia Xun's line of sight. Xia Xun looked at the swaying flower branches where she had disappeared, murmuring: "Women, really are a strange kind of creature..."