Chapter 59: The Son Succeeds the Father
Chapter 59: Chapter 59: The Son Succeeds the Father
Twenty-five years ago, Chen Yongxiao became a Scholar at just nineteen years old.
In truth, Chen Xingjia never expected his youngest son to achieve the highest honors in the imperial examinations, rise through the ranks to become one of the Cabinet Ministers, and bring glory to their ancestors.
But if Chen Yongxiao could just pass the examination to become a Scholar, the family would be exempt from corvée labor and the Land Tax.
After that, even if he failed the metropolitan examinations, the Chen Family would have been perfectly content to wait a few years, spend some silver, and secure him a position as a Civil Assistant Officer—something like a Chief Clerk to an Eighth or Ninth Grade County Magistrate.
To this end, Chen Xingjia spent a small fortune to send Chen Yongxiao to Woniushuyuan Academy, the most famous in Jiangzhou, hoping he would achieve official rank and bring glory to the family.
At the academy, Chen Yongxiao befriended a fellow student named Cao Jin.
Cao Jin had delicate features and was exceptionally talented. They hit it off instantly, feeling like old friends from their very first meeting. The two often discussed the classics together, and their bond grew deeper by the day.
Then, by a twist of fate, he discovered that Cao Jin was, in fact, a woman disguised as a man.
As it turned out, the Cao Family was one of Jiangzhou’s renowned Noble Families. But when it came to Cao Jin’s generation, the Patriarch—Cao Jin’s father—had sired nine children, every single one of them a daughter.
The matter became such a fixation for him that when his youngest daughter, Cao Jin, was born, he immediately declared to the world that she was a boy.
From that day on, she was raised as a boy.
With the secret out in the open, the romance between them quickly blossomed.
But the Cao Family was one of the Noble Families. Their youngest daughter, disguised as a man, was burdened with the hope of inheriting the family enterprise. How could they possibly marry her off?
Especially not to the son of some provincial landowner.
Chen Xingjia, for his part, also disapproved.
A mismatch in social standing could never lead to a good marriage.
But the young, hot-blooded Chen Yongxiao, madly in love, felt that family constraints were trivial compared to his love and his lady. Completely disregarding his family’s wishes, he wrote a letter severing all ties and married into the Cao Family.
The news made Chen Xingjia so furious he coughed up blood and fell gravely ill for some time.
He immediately threatened to strike his son’s name from the family records, but for some unknown reason, he never went through with it.
Only after marrying into the family did Chen Yongxiao realize he hadn’t married Cao Jin, but one of her older sisters.
Cao Jin remained the Cao Family’s "young master."
However, Cao Jin would also come to his chambers at night.
With a sister in each arm, he lived a blissful life for a time.
But the good times didn’t last. After both his "wives" became pregnant and gave birth to sons, Chen Yongxiao’s life became increasingly difficult.
He was no longer allowed to see his wife or children, and even the household servants began to treat him with contempt, going so far as to dock his allowance.
After one heated argument, Chen Yongxiao stormed out of the Cao Family estate.
But once he left the Cao Family, he had nowhere to go.
A man who had been waited on hand and foot his entire life had no way of earning a living.
Left with no choice, he ended up in the market towns around Mirror Mountain, writing letters and documents for others and tutoring a few young children just to scrape by.
Later, someone from Lingxi ran into him and reported his situation back to Chen Xingjia.
Though Chen Xingjia never mentioned it, he would visit his son from time to time, leaving him a bit of money.
But pride prevented him from ever asking his son to return home.
"I regret it! Brother Li, I regret it so much!"
Chen Yongxiao grabbed Chen Li’s sleeve, his voice choked with emotion. "I have nothing now—not even a home. With Zhengping and Zhengtong both gone, shouldn’t I have a share of the family’s land and property, according to the rules?"
When Chen Li lowered his head in silence, Chen Yongxiao hurriedly added, "Brother Li, you’re part of the Chen Family too. You know my sister-in-law’s temperament. If everything is left in her hands and Zhengping doesn’t return, it will all end up belonging to the Wang Family! We can’t just let the Wang Family profit from this!"
"And another thing!" Chen Yongxiao gritted his teeth, as if making a monumental decision, and played his trump card. "Brother Li, if you’re willing to uphold the clan rules, ensure justice is served, and let me inherit the family estate... I... I will immediately return the two hundred mu of paddy fields your family sold to my father—at no cost! I know it was the fruit of your family’s labor for generations!"
Chen Li watched the distraught middle-aged man in silence.
’How much of what he’s saying is true, and how much is a lie?’
’Perhaps he doesn’t regret his past actions or hasn’t come to his senses at all. He just knows he now has a chance to inherit the estate.’
’Still, whatever his motives, Chen Yongxiao’s offer was certainly tempting.’
’He very much wanted those two hundred mu of prime farmland.’
From this year’s autumn harvest, Chen Li’s family had collected 3,270 dan of grain from their 620 mu of fertile land.
After deducting the Land Tax and wages for long-term laborers and other staff, their net income was around two thousand taels of silver.
The upcoming rapeseed harvest would bring in another thousand-some taels, putting their total annual income at around three thousand taels.
The medicinal herbs required for his, Shouheng’s, and Shouye’s training cost upwards of one thousand taels if they were to use them without restriction.
The family was struggling just to break even.
If not for the generous "sponsorship" from the Unpredictable Three Fierce and Manu, they would have had to cut back on spending.
Once his third daughter, Shouyue, achieved an entry-level mastery of her Inner Strength, her training would require roughly another thousand taels.
His wife, Song Ying, had also been practicing her Inner Qi alongside Shouyue for several months. Although she hadn’t made much progress, he definitely needed to budget for her needs as well.
Chen Li even found himself feeling a bit nostalgic for Roving Bandits like the Unpredictable Three Fierce, who specialized in plundering wealthy provincial landowners.
’If only they could come around more often!’
’Now, Chen Yongxiao’s offer to return the two hundred mu of land would be just enough to cover some of the shortfall.’
But this wasn’t a matter he could decide on his own. "Uncle Yongxiao," he said, "I understand what you’re proposing, but it’s not that simple. We will need the support of the other clan elders."
"Don’t worry. I will make them support me."
Chen Yongxiao gritted his teeth. He was clinging to this lifeline and refused to let it go so easily.
The candlelight in the mourning hall flickered, casting shifting shadows across his face.
...
「The next day.」
Amid the low, mournful drone of suonas, shovelful after shovelful of yellow earth fell, and Chen Xingjia’s coffin was interred.
The air was thick with the distinct, acrid smell of burning incense and paper money.
The funeral was halfway through. Just as the mourners were preparing to pay their final respects...
THUMP-THUMP-THUMP... THUMP-THUMP-THUMP-THUMP!
A sudden, urgent, and violent clatter of hooves, like a torrential downpour, exploded from the distance without warning, rapidly drawing nearer.
The mourners instinctively froze, turning toward the sound with expressions of shock and uncertainty.
Two riders on fast horses charged toward the Chen Family’s ancestral graves like a whirlwind.
As they charged closer, the lead rider abruptly reined in his horse!
The man leaped nimbly from the saddle before the horse had even come to a complete stop.
He was dressed in dark, tight-fitting attire and covered in the dust of a long journey. A grim, ruthless aura clung to him, and his eyes were frighteningly bloodshot. His expression was as dark as a thundercloud.
It was the eldest grandson of the Chen Family, who had long been gone without a word.
Chen Zhengping.
The person behind him wore an outfit of brocade, covered by a cloak. The hood was pulled down low, obscuring their face.
"Zhengping?" someone exclaimed in surprise.
Chen Zhengping paid the crowd no mind. He strode to the altar, lit some incense, and bowed three times to the new grave.
His movements were charged with a suppressed ferocity.
The moment Chen Yongxiao saw Chen Zhengping, all the color drained from his face.
’His worst fear had come to pass.’
’Chen Zhengping was back!’
’Could his scheme possibly succeed now?’
Chen Yongxiao instinctively glanced at the clan elders who had accepted his bribes. When he saw the looks of shock and unease on their faces, his own heart began to pound with anxiety.
The yellow earth covered the coffin, and the burial was complete.