Chapter 4: 4. Chapter 4: The School

Chapter 4: The Clan School

The Dukes of Ning and Rong built their fortunes on military merit. In times of peace, they sought to ensure the family’s enduring prosperity, specifically establishing the Jia Clan School. Every year, they poured vast sums of silver into it. All male descendants of the Jia family, from the start of their education until they reached adulthood, were provided for by the two mansions and the clan, allowing them to study, eat, and drink there for free.

Because of these two benefits, there wasn't a single relative of the Jia family who didn't want to send their children there.

But who could have imagined that Jia Dairu, who managed the school, was pedantic and incompetent? He lived off the provisions of the Ning and Rong mansions and the clan’s resources, yet in several decades, he hadn't produced a single good student. Instead, he taught the Jia descendants to be worse with each passing generation.

Shen Ning frowned deeply. Replacing Jia Dairu would be incredibly difficult!

This was an era of imperial power, clan power, patriarchal power, and husband’s authority. As an awkward person who didn't even hold a formal title of honor, if she wanted to turn the tide, she seemed to have to rely on her husband and son. But her husband had become a monk, and her son was... well, not a good sort.

Moreover, Jia Dairu was considered her elder.

The carriage wheels rolled on, and before she could think of a solution, they arrived at the school in the southeast corner of the back street.

"Ah, ahhh, Mother, Grandmother, wuwuwu..."

Before she even stepped out of the carriage, Jia Rong’s heart-wrenching cries of pain could be heard from inside.

Naturally, the dull "thwack-thwack" sounds of the board hitting his buttocks were enough to make anyone’s heart tighten.

"Stop, quickly stop!"

While helping Shen Ning out of the carriage, Lady You shouted inside, "Master, the Mistress is here! The Mistress is here!"

Jia Zhen wouldn't listen to her, but as a filial son, he had to listen to his mother.

"Grandmother, Grandmother, save me!"

Hearing that his grandmother had arrived, Jia Rong struggled violently.

Judging by the strength in his cries, it seemed the person wielding the board had been holding back.

Shen Ning felt a little relieved and walked inside with a cold face.

However, what she didn't expect was that Jia Rong, who was being held down on a bench by a long-term servant, was as pale as paper, covered in sweat, and his lower garments were already soaked with blood.

Shen Ning’s vision went black, and she nearly collapsed on the spot.

She was squeamish about blood, especially blood from various wounds.

"Mother, Mother, Rong'er is fine. It’s just superficial wounds."

Jia Zhen hurried over to support her. "Please, don't be anxious, you must not be anxious."

The onlookers, seeing the mother and daughter-in-law enter, hurriedly avoided them. But Jia Dairu, being both an elder and a party involved, could not avoid them. Seeing Shen Ning about to faint and fearing something might go wrong, he hurriedly followed suit to soothe her, "Yes, yes, it’s fine. He’ll be better after resting for a few days."

"Fine? You call this fine?"

Avoiding Jia Rong’s buttocks, Shen Ning glared fiercely at Jia Zhen. "Tell me, why are you beating him like this?"

"Yesterday, he pushed Brother Rui into a ditch. Brother Rui is still running a high fever."

When Jia Zhen said this, Jia Dairu stood to the side with a cold face.

He couldn't talk to these women who only knew how to dote blindly.

His own son was gone, and Rui was his only grandson; he was counting on him to bring honor to his ancestors.

"If I hadn't gone to see Shopkeeper Chen today, I wouldn't have known about this until now."

Jia Zhen was furious.

The brat didn't even know how to pick a fight properly.

He had handed such an obvious handle to others; could he blame him for beating him?

As the clan head, he had to put on a show in front of outsiders.

Grandpa Dairu managed the clan school; if he didn't beat him now, it would be all too easy for the old man to make life difficult for a ten-year-old boy.

Thinking of this, Jia Zhen hardened his resolve. "Lady You, take Mother back. This is not a place for you to be."

Not a place for her to be?

Shen Ning panted heavily. "By rights, I shouldn't interfere with you disciplining your son." Her hands itched, and she longed to give this "good son" a slap across the face right then and there. "But since your father is not at home, I suppose I, as his mother, can manage you."

"...Mother!"

Was she going to be unreasonable?

Jia Zhen had no choice but to plead, "Son is disciplining Rong'er because I want him to bring honor to our ancestors."

"Ha! Honor to the ancestors?"

Shen Ning was almost laughed to anger by these words. Did they, the Jia family, still want to bring honor to their ancestors?

If they didn't anger their ancestors enough to lift their coffin lids and crawl out to kill them, it would only be because the King of Hell was holding them back tightly.

Shaking off Jia Zhen’s hand, she looked at Jia Dairu. "Twelfth Uncle, I don't know why my Rong'er hit Rui'er. Please explain clearly. As long as it is his fault, I will admit it. Even if you beat him to death or cripple him, I will accept it."

If he was born a bad seed, then just cripple him and keep him at home.

In any case, the Ning Mansion was still wealthy and powerful; supporting two cripples was more than enough.

If they raised him well, perhaps the one above would see their pity and let them off.

"My Rui'er came home and started running a fever, delirious and unable to speak." Jia Dairu felt sorry for his grandson and was very impatient with Shen Ning. "Now, when I ask Jia Rong, he refuses to say anything. If you can get it out of him, I would be grateful."

In any case, Jia Zhen hadn't been able to get it out of him either.

That was why he had been so ruthless as to order thirty strokes.

He only regretted that before the beating had truly begun, Jia Rong’s servant had snuck out to tip off this woman.

"Rong'er..."

Shen Ning looked at Jia Rong, who had already been wrapped in a cloak by the maidservants. "You tell me, what is going on? Why did you hit your cousin? Don't you know that if you do that, it could cost him his life?"

"Grandmother..."

Jia Rong cried.

He didn't dare say it.

"You are so daring, unfilial and unkind. How can Grandmother protect you? You..."

Shen Ning saw the blood on the board nearby, felt flustered and short of breath, and her complexion turned ghastly in an instant.

"Grandmother, Grandmother, I’ll tell you, I’ll tell you."

Seeing that his grandmother was about to collapse again, Jia Rong hurriedly cried out, "He called me a child without a mother."

"Nonsense!"

Jia Dairu was furious. "Rui'er is also a child without a mother; how could he say that to you?"

"Wuwu, he did say it."

He hadn't said it about his mother, but he had said it about his grandmother.

But those words, which were worse than curses, were things Jia Rong would never say in front of his grandmother even if he were beaten to death. "Father, I was wrong. Grandmother, Grandson was wrong. This beating... let it be finished!" After saying this, he was in pain, afraid, and aggrieved, and large tears fell down his face.

Shen Ning: "..."

She sat down on the chair Jia Zhen had moved for her, caught her breath, and ignored Jia Rong, who had already admitted his mistake. "Is it just the two of them fighting? Are there others?"

She might as well have them all beaten to a pulp.

"Brother Yun from the fifth branch didn't come to school today. I’ve already sent people to find him."

Jia Zhen was terrified that his mother would have an accident. "Mother, please drink some tea and calm down."

His mother was pregnant with his second sibling, and her current health was not what it used to be.

This child had come at such an inopportune time.

When it should have come, it didn't. Now that his parents were old and his own son was twelve, it had arrived.

Jia Zhen was extremely unhappy about this second sibling, but his mother was old and stubborn; neither his father nor he could sway her.

She insisted on giving birth, insisted on it... if something went wrong...

Jia Zhen didn't even dare to think about it.

His grandfather and father were both formidable men. From childhood to adulthood, if not for the protection of his grandmother and mother, he didn't know what he would have become.

Now that his father had become a monk, his life had become easier, and he could slowly show filial piety to his mother. Who would have expected this to happen?

"Brother Rui has Shopkeeper Chen there; he will definitely be fine. As for Rong'er, I just wanted him to learn a lesson. Please rest assured, they really are just superficial wounds."

Jia Dairu: "..."

He clenched his fists inside his sleeves again and again, finally suppressing his surging emotions.

"Shut up."

Shen Ning glanced at Jia Dairu. "Where are the servants who accompany Rong'er to school?"

She remembered who Jia Yun was.

He was a rare sensible person in the Jia family, responsible and willing to work in a down-to-earth manner.

"The young master caused trouble at school; why didn't they try to persuade him? Don't worry about Brother Yun for now; interrogate them first."