Jingchen Courtyard, Minister Qin had already changed into his casual clothes and was sitting in the upper part of the main hall.
Today when he left the court, Lord Zhou of the Ministry of Revenue secretly approached him and asked if the marriage alliance between the Qin and Zhou families would be dissolved.
Then at the front gate he ran into the Zhou family's people who wanted to take Aqin the maid back home to attend her husband's wedding as he was taking in a concubine.
"Father." "Minister Qin." Gong Xiaohua was a step slower in paying respects.
"It seems you are quite self-aware, and also quite gutsy. You just married into our Qin family, yet you dare to get into a fight with my people. Is this the etiquette taught in your small commoner households? No respect for elders?" Minister Qin severely reprimanded.
"May I ask Sir, when seniors fail to distinguish right from wrong, is this the etiquette in your great households?"
"Such a sharp tongue. The affairs of the Qin family are none of your meddling as an inferior."
"The affairs of the Qin family are naturally none of my business, but I married into the third branch of the Qin family, and Qin is Sister-in-law to my husband, so she is also my sister-in-law. Her affairs are family affairs, so why can I not get involved? Also, may I ask Minister Qin, in your eyes, are juniors merely tools for you to seek profits?"
"Insolent. Don't think that just because you were bestowed by His Majesty in marriage, I won't dare do anything to you."
"You certainly dare. You are the minister. You can use the power in your hands to threaten others and force them to fear you. But I feel that you are particularly miserable. For the Qin family's interests, you sacrifice your own kin, so I want to ask, if you can't even protect your own family, isn't the power you possess just a joke?"
"What do you understand? For a family clan to achieve lasting prosperity, there must be sacrifice."
"Needing to sacrifice one's own kin just to obtain profits means you are still not strong enough."
Bang. A teacup was hurtled at Gong Xiaohua, but she nimbly dodged it, and this action further angered the other party.
"Guards, give the Fifth Young Madam twenty strokes of the rod."
"Sir." Several guards walked in from outside.
"Take her away."
"Yes."
"Father, for a young lady to be flogged until her flesh flies, how can she continue to live her life after this disgrace that will become a joke in distinguished households? Please spare Xiaohua this once." Qin fujin anxiously pleaded.
Turning to face Minister Qin, Qin Chuqin cried, "Grandfather, I'm willing to return to the Zhou family, so please spare Xiaohua this once."
"May I ask Minister why I have offended?"
"Daye governs the country filially. Anyone who defies elders is considered greatly disrespectful and punished with twenty strokes of the rod, to encourage moral excellence." Said Minister Qin.
Gong Xiaohua: There's this policy too?! I have blundered!
"There is no need for you to lay hands on me, I will go myself."
"Xiaohua, don't be silly. For a young lady to be beaten until her flesh and blood flies in public will be a loss of feminine virtue and become a joke in distinguished households." Qin Chuqin grabbed Gong Xiaohua to stop her.
Gong Xiaohua: Ah?!
She immediately turned to Minister Qin and cried, "Grandfather, if you want to beat someone, then beat me. This is all because of me."
"Very well. Then you will both be punished with twenty strokes of the rod."
"Father, are you insisting on killing off my third branch? What Xiaohua said was right. We are merely tools for you to sacrifice in exchange for benefits. If you had but a shred of human decency, you would not force us like this."
"I have no human decency? Do you think the life of luxury and wealth you lead today with hordes of servants happened out of nowhere?! Distinguished households have complex entanglements through marriage alliances. Can it be you do not understand these things?"
"But Qin fell off my body. How can I bear to watch her fall into a fiery pit and act like I do not see anything?"
"Grandfather." A shout came from outside the room, then Qin Chuyuan walked in from outside.
The moment Gong Xiaohua and company were called to Jingchen Courtyard, Zhao Rou had promptly informed the housekeeper to summon Qin Chuyuan back from where he was working.
"Regardless of whether you agree, the marriage alliance between the Qin and Zhou families hereby ends on account of my sister. As for whether you want to marry someone else off, it is not my place to interfere. Also, Xiaohua offended you, so I as her husband will bear this responsibility."
"Little Brother."
"Qin Chuyuan, I did this. There is no need for you to bear responsibility."
"Watching my own wife be beaten, what kind of a man would I be? Moreover, this matter arose because of us. Don't worry, I can certainly endure twenty strokes of the rod."
"Good, very good. Drag him out and beat him hard."
"Fifth young master, please forgive me. This way, please."
Qin Chuyuan endured twenty brutal strokes of the rod without making a sound.
His back and buttocks were a bloody mess by the time he was carried back to Bietao Courtyard, and the house physician was already waiting there.
"Luckily there is no damage to the ligaments and bones." The house physician cleaned the wounds one by one before inspecting them and said.
"Fifth young madam, I'll have to trouble you to apply medicine for the young fifth master."
"Mm." Gong Xiaohua did not refuse as she took over the medicine bottle.
"Change the medicine daily until the wounds have healed."
"Mm."
Seeing that the house physician was still rambling on, Qin Chuyuan secretly signaled his sister-in-law with his eyes.
Qin Chuqin understood. "Mother, let's all leave. Little Brother needs to recuperate in peace. Just leave Xiaohua here to apply medicine for him and attend to him."
"Mm, you may all leave."
Holding onto the medicine bottle, Gong Xiaohua sat by the bedside looking at the interlaced old and new scars on Qin Chuyuan's body. It seems the young masters of distinguished households do not live as glamorously and splendidly on the surface as it appears.
"Thank you for today's matter." Said Qin Chuyuan.
"No need. I just cannot stand watching." Replied Gong Xiaohua blandly.
Qin Chuyuan: ???
That night in Fuyun Courtyard.
"I really didn't expect Xiaohua to offend Father today for Qin's sake."
"My lady, although the young madam comes from a commoner family, she did not fear your imposing Father, and was able to stand up to him. Currently, aside from our Young Master Qin, there is now Young Madam."
"Seeing her usual cold and reticent manner, she can actually be so gutsy and firm when confronting others."
"That's right. Didn't you notice, in the end your father could not overcome the young madam?"
"Based on how she treats Lady Qin, order everyone that from now on, accommodate the needs of the young madam wholeheartedly."
"Yes. After this incident, I suppose no one would dare offend the young madam again."
In the main branch.
"This Gong Xiaohua is quite formidable to actually dare confront grandfather." Said Qin Chuhan.
Just seeing grandfather frightens me, let alone talking back.
"A tough nut. The third branch will be even harder to deal with from now on."
"What should we do then?"
"There are many shady dealings behind these distinguished households. If we can't manage overtly, why can't we resort to other underhanded means? Let's wait and see."
In his study, Minister Qin sat.
"Old Zheng, you've been by my side for decades. Am I getting old? Today, I was rendered speechless by a young lass."
"The minister is in the prime of life, how can old age be mentioned?"
"Enough with the equivocating. Just say it directly."
"What the fifth young madam said was right. Not being able to protect one's own family, how can the clan's reputation not become a joke with priorities reversed?"
"This old slave has spoken out of turn. Please punish me, minister." The housekeeper promptly pleaded guilty when he realized he had overstepped.
Minister Qin waved his hand to indicate for the other party to withdraw.
