Chapter 6: Fight

Shen Ning woke up with a bitter taste in her mouth, and both her philtrum and fingers were throbbing with pain.

"Madam, is there anywhere else you feel uncomfortable?"

Shopkeeper Chen looked at her nervously.

"Mother!"

"Grandmother!"

"Madam...!"

The voices in her ears were chaotic and urgent. Shen Ning slowly turned her head to look at her "great son," who was wearing an expression of extreme agitation. Jia Zhen hurriedly knelt before her. "Mother, you scared your son to death."

He was so anxious he had even cried.

At this moment, her entire body felt soft and weak, devoid of any strength.

"Let's return to the manor; I will find an imperial physician for you."

His tears fell with genuine sincerity, but the more Shen Ning heard, the angrier she became.

Her life had just been snatched back from the brink by Shopkeeper Chen, yet this fool was demanding an imperial physician right in front of the man.

"I would be much happier if you brought me a rope instead."

Her voice was slow, but every word was enunciated with biting clarity. "Go on, get a rope and strangle me to death so you can be lovey-dovey with your godfather Jia Dairu. Then, beat Rong'er to death, adopt Jia Rui as your good brother, and when you die, let him inherit our Ning Manor's title. Wouldn't that be better?"

"..."

"..."

In an instant, the small gatehouse became so quiet that a pin drop could be heard.

Kneeling on the ground, Jia Zhen stared with bloodshot eyes, filled with shame and embarrassment. He could hardly believe these words had come from his mother's mouth.

In the past, when his mother was angry, she would scold or hit people, but she always maintained his father's and his own face in front of outsiders.

But now...

Outside, when everyone looked toward him, Jia Dairu’s face turned purple. A bead of sweat slid silently down in the cold wind and splashed onto the ground.

He knew things were bad; he had to do something, but the more anxious he became, the less he could think of a solution.

"Jia Zhen!"

After a sharp shout, Shen Ning gasped for air. She was truly furious at this moment—furious at her own poor health, which prevented her from dealing with this herself. "If you are still my son and want me to live, pick up the board you used to hit Rong'er and beat those bastards who gossip behind our backs, eat our food, drink our wine, and curse your mother to death. If you don't beat them, you are stabbing a knife into my chest. You..."

"Madam Shen, have you lost your mind?" Jia Dairu dared not let her continue. "What are you all standing there for? Your mistress is ill; hurry and take her back..."

"You old scoundrel!"

Shen Ning was so angered by him that she sat up. "You truly have the heart of a wolf; you want to seize our Ning Manor. My muddled son isn't dead yet, and my grandson is still here, yet you want to manage my family's affairs?"

Jia Dairu: "..."

He was both angry and anxious. Was that what he meant?

She was being completely unreasonable!

Truly, women and small-minded men are the hardest to deal with.

"Hah~"

She shook off Jia Zhen's hand and leaned against You Shi. "Rong'er, you don't need to hide it anymore. Tell me exactly what happened that day, from beginning to end. Don't worry, your grandmother didn't die just now, and I won't be dying anytime soon."

"Grandmother~"

Jia Rong cried. "It was Uncle Rui—no, Jia Rui. Yesterday, I recited my book better than him, and he was... he was scolded by the teacher." He almost called Jia Dairu 'Grandfather' again. "Then he got angry. On the surface, he did it behind people's backs, but in reality, it was as if he said it right to my face. He said our Ning Manor’s ancestors committed such grave sins that our main branch only has one heir per generation. My great-uncle died at nine, and you... the little uncle (or aunt) in your belly is here to seek revenge. He (or she) wants to kill you first, and he (or she) won't live long either."

"...Did you hear that, Master Jia?"

Shen Ning took a long breath in and out. "Jia Rui is your grandson, isn't he? Didn't you teach him? He gossips behind people's backs, curses the elders of the clan, suppresses his peers, and corrupts them—do you have no responsibility? You have managed the Jia clan school for so many years; taking all the money and resources, how many scholars have you produced? How many provincial graduates?"

Shen Ning signaled for Qingzhu to open the window, otherwise, she couldn't catch her breath. "Are you worthy of the clansmen who trusted you and sent their children to your school? Are you worthy of the children who followed you to study, hoping to get ahead? What have you taught them? Gossiping? Or lining your own pockets and bullying the weak?

And you say my great-grandfather and father-in-law committed grave sins? Without them winning glory and merit, what are you people? They were worthy of heaven and earth. Their hands were covered in the blood of enemies, but did they kill their own people? They followed the founding emperor to restore the nation; they were upright men. What are you? You are worse than beasts."

"..."

Jia Dairu retreated three steps, but as if unable to bear the weight, he sat hard on the ground.

Fortunately, Jia Yun was kneeling there and inadvertently blocked him, preventing his old bones from breaking on the spot.

"Jia Zhen, do you still acknowledge me as your mother?"

"Son, son was wrong." Jia Zhen grabbed his mother's hands—hands that had once brought him endless warmth were now ice-cold, with blood on the fingertips that stung his eyes and broke his heart. "Mother, just wait. Your son will get revenge for you, for Great-grandfather, and for Grandfather."

Daring to curse his mother and shifting the blame onto his ancestors?

At this moment, the blood in Jia Zhen's body was burning. He stood up and strode toward the door. "Someone!"

"The servant is here."

Xing'er and several young servants, huddled under the eaves outside the school, hurried over.

"Summon Jiao Da and call the manor guards."

"Yes!"

Seeing Xing'er run off in a hurry, Jia Zhen turned to his own son. "Rong'er, you remember all the bastards who agreed with Jia Rui yesterday, right?"

"...Son remembers."

How could Jia Rong forget?

It was just that there were too many of them.

He was young and weak, and Tang Fu and the others were servants who couldn't strike at the masters of the Jia family, so he could only grab Jia Rui and beat him.

But in truth, he couldn't beat Jia Rui. If it hadn't been for Brother Yun's help, he would have been the one being beaten.

Although Jia Rui didn't dare to hurt him too badly, those words cursing his grandmother hurt him more than any blow.

"Good! Tang Fu, Tang Gui, hold your young master."

Jia Zhen waved at the servants. "Bring this 'Master' inside with me. Tie them up and beat them!"

"Yes!"

The three servants grabbed Jia Dairu none too gently, practically dragging him toward the middle courtyard.

At this moment, the Jia clan disciples, who had been avoiding Shen Ning and her daughter-in-law and hiding in the middle courtyard to watch the commotion, all knew things were bad. However, the back gate was locked, and they couldn't escape even if they wanted to.

Before long, the sounds of wailing and howling drifted from within.

Shen Ning felt refreshed.

Not one of these Jia clan disciples in the school had any promise.

"Shopkeeper Chen, I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you for more medicinal salves."

"No trouble, no trouble at all!"

She was truly the daughter of Grand Scholar Shen.

A single mouth could kill.

Shopkeeper Chen wanted to wipe his sweat, but upon hearing this, he bowed and retreated to fetch the medicine.

He knew that the Jia family was about to be turned upside down.

In any case, from what he had heard, there were plenty of people gossiping behind backs.

The school couldn't escape it, and those two manors...

Exiting the school, he carried his medicine chest and headed straight for the carriage he had arrived in.

"Brother Yun, get up."

Shen Ning beckoned to Jia Yun, who was shivering from the cold. "Good boy, don't be afraid. Thank you for helping Brother Rong yesterday. This clan school... sometimes you have to break things to build them anew. You Shi, take one hundred taels of silver and have someone send him home safely. From now on, whatever Rong'er studies, he shall study as well."