Chapter 21

“E-Eldest Brother, you were looking for me?”

When Sun Ziqian was intercepted by Sun Hong, he was completely stunned. By the time he was brought before Sun Zibai, Sun Ziqian was even more panicked. Since childhood, he had been afraid of this eldest brother. He wished he could always walk around him and never be noticed by him.

Fortunately, in the past few years, Sun Zibai had liked playing outside and rarely paid attention to them, so Sun Ziqian had been beaten less.

But from the look of things today, he was probably not going to escape without losing a layer of skin. After all, it was Sun Hong, who served by Eldest Brother’s side, who had personally waited at the gate and caught him.

Sun Ziqian’s legs went weak, his eyes darting nervously, his mind full of one thought: What should he do? What should he do? He was going to be beaten to death.

Sun Zibai glanced at him carelessly while playing with something in his hand. Little did Sun Ziqian know, the more careless Sun Zibai looked, the more frightening he was.

Sun Ziqian’s heart thudded.

“I heard that for a peace talisman, you stayed at Mount Huaqing for forty-nine days?”

Sun Ziqian froze. “Y-Yes.”

That should not have interfered with Eldest Brother in any way, right?

Oh no! Did Eldest Brother want this peace talisman?

“You’re quite sincere.”

Sun Zibai smiled ambiguously.

Sun Ziqian barely pulled open his mouth. “The more sincere the heart, the more effective the peace talisman. One really can’t be careless, hehe.”

Sun Zibai raised his eyes to look at this fellow. He had to admit that the original owner’s father’s genes were still decent. Sun Ziheng and Sun Ziqian were both not bad-looking, and Sun Ziyue, who had been malnourished before, had also been nursed back somewhat over this period.

In the plot, the third young master, Sun Ziqian, was an infatuated fool. Sun Zibai had thought he would have a romantic, dissolute appearance. Unexpectedly, he was tall and thin, with slightly dark skin. Especially after returning from being an ascetic monk at Huaqing Temple for forty-nine days, his entire person looked dark and skinny.

Add to that his current fawning manner, nodding and bowing, with his eyes rolling around no matter how one looked at it, and he somehow had a… creepy look.

Sun Zibai beckoned to him.

Sun Ziqian hurriedly trotted a few steps closer.

Sun Zibai stretched out his palm toward him. Sun Ziqian thought Sun Zibai was about to hit him and immediately shrank back in fright, very skillfully raising both hands to shield his face.

Sun Zibai’s open hand froze there. His fingers were slender and fair, and the curve of them was enough to make one unable to look away. His expression was extremely speechless.

“Where’s the peace talisman?”

Sun Ziqian secretly thought, Oh no. Eldest Brother really had taken a fancy to the divine talisman he had obtained. But that was something he had gone through untold hardships to obtain for Shian.

“Does Eldest Brother want one too? Tomorrow, I’ll go to Huaqing Temple and fast and worship Buddha for forty-nine days. I’ll definitely have Master Kongxiang personally draw a peace talisman for Eldest Brother.”

Sun Ziqian spoke sincerely. If not for the fact that the sky was already growing dark, he looked as if he wished he could go right now.

Sun Hong, who stood at the side, twitched all over and could not bear to look.

The middle-aged man beside him also wore an indescribable expression.

Only then did Sun Ziqian notice that besides Sun Zibai and Sun Hong, there was also a cold-faced middle-aged man in the room.

However, since Sun Zibai had not spoken, he did not dare ask.

“Why make it so troublesome? Didn’t you just obtain one? Give it to me.”

In front of his concubine-born younger brothers, the original owner had always been this domineering. No matter the reason, as long as he wanted something, it was his. If they refused, he would beat them. After being beaten many times, they naturally did not dare resist.

Sun Ziqian looked anxious and troubled. It could be seen that this peace talisman was very important to him.

“What? You’re unwilling?”

Sun Zibai narrowed his eyes. The beautiful curve of his eyes somehow gained a dangerous air. Sun Ziqian immediately panicked terribly.

“No, no, it’s just, Eldest Brother, that talisman—eh, wait?”

Sun Ziqian anxiously tried to defend himself, but from the corner of his eye, he suddenly noticed the thing [bailiantales.com]Sun Zibai was playing with. That familiar appearance…

“Isn’t this… This—Eldest Brother, don’t you already have one?”

Sun Zibai shook the peace talisman in his hand. Was it not exactly the peace talisman sold at Wenxiang Pavilion for two hundred wen each? Moreover, the shopkeeper had insisted on giving it to him for free.

Not only that, the shopkeeper had also included a full set of Master Kongxiang’s health talismans, wealth-attracting talismans, evil-warding talismans, and had even recommended Sun Zibai the most popular peach blossom talisman. These were all five hundred wen each, more than twice the price of the two-hundred-wen peace talisman, and were also even more popular.

Sun Ziqian’s eyes went straight. “This… This must require at least a year of fasting at Huaqing Temple.”

A year…

The corner of Sun Zibai’s mouth twitched. Sun Hong immediately explained.

“Third Young Master, these are all sold at Wenxiang Pavilion. If you buy many, you even get a discount. And it’s not just Wenxiang Pavilion. The monks of Huaqing Temple sell them themselves too. You stayed at Huaqing Temple for forty-nine days. Did you really not notice that they were selling them themselves?”

The corner of Sun Ziqian’s mouth twitched, his expression awkward and his eyes drifting. He laughed dryly a few times, then defended himself.

“This… Can something bought with money be the same as something obtained through sincerity?”

“Eldest Brother, you don’t know.” Sun Ziqian seemed to have found sufficient reason for himself, and the awkwardness on his face gradually turned into certainty. “At Huaqing Temple, not only did I eat vegetarian meals and chant Buddhist scriptures with the masters every day, I also had to rise before dawn every morning to sweep the steps, clean the temple, clear the incense ashes, tend the incense burners, and wash clothes and make vegetarian meals with the masters.”

“The masters also have evening lessons. I had to follow them in chanting scriptures and reciting Buddha’s name. Every day, I copied Buddhist scriptures until very late before I could sleep.”

The more Sun Ziqian spoke, the more confident he became. “Day after day like this, bathed daily in clear fragrance and cleansed by the Buddha, only after a full forty-nine days did I obtain this peace talisman. How could this be compared to a few stinking coins?”

After Sun Ziqian finished speaking, pride had already appeared on his face. Sun Zibai listened to what he had done at Huaqing Temple and seriously suspected that his heart had not been sincere. Had he perhaps gone to the temple to do volunteer labor? No, maybe he had gone to Huaqing Temple to sponge off them for food and lodging. After all, he had eaten and stayed there for free for forty-nine days.

Sun Zibai rubbed his chin with a questioning gaze. Sun Ziqian continued.

“Eldest Brother, think about it. Suppose there is a wealthy merchant who really wants to buy a peace talisman to pray for blessings for his elderly mother. Now there are two peace talismans placed before him. One was bought from Wenxiang Pavilion for two hundred wen. The other was something I obtained after fasting, worshiping Buddha, and laboring sincerely at Huaqing Temple for a full forty-nine days. Which one do you think this wealthy merchant would choose?”

Sun Zibai’s brows relaxed. “A little interesting.”

Sun Ziqian continued his hypothesis. “Eldest Brother, think about it again. If this wealthy merchant wanted to use this peace talisman to curry favor with a powerful noble, and before him were two talismans—one from Wenxiang Pavilion that only cost two hundred wen, and the other one was this one I painstakingly and sincerely obtained. If I priced it at two hundred taels, which one do you think the wealthy merchant would choose?”

Sun Zibai glanced at him from the side, still careless.

“What powerful noble could he curry favor with for two hundred taels? You should price it at least two thousand taels.”

Sun Ziqian’s mouth fell open. He only felt that… his horizons had been broadened.

“Right, right, right. Two thousand taels. Eldest Brother, if you were this wealthy merchant, would you be willing to spend these two thousand taels to buy my peace talisman?”

Sun Zibai smiled ambiguously. “This heir would only be the powerful noble whom all the wealthy merchants under heaven compete to curry favor with.”

Sun Ziqian’s expression stiffened. Sun Hong, who was watching from the side, nearly failed to hold back his laughter. Even the cold-faced middle-aged man showed an odd expression, perhaps because he was suppressing himself so hard that his face looked slightly distorted.

“Cough, cough. In any case, that is the idea.”

Sun Zibai held back his laughter inwardly. Not bad. It seemed he had accidentally discovered something interesting.

A wicked smile suddenly appeared on Sun Zibai’s face.

“The greatest powerful noble in all of Sucheng is standing before you [unauthorized copy]right now. Do you not plan to curry favor with me?”

Sun Ziqian’s expression stiffened. “Eldest Brother, this… this… I…”

Why could he not get around this?

“Why are you stammering? What, is there someone you want to curry favor with more than me, your eldest brother?”

Seeing that Eldest Brother was angry, Sun Ziqian once again panicked and hurriedly explained, “Eldest Brother, there is no powerful noble I want to curry favor with. This peace talisman was obtained to give to the person I love.”

After Sun Ziqian finished speaking, he suddenly grew a little embarrassed. Several traces of bashfulness actually appeared on his dark face, and even his movements became coy.

“Oh?”

Sun Zibai became interested. “Who is it? Tell me. What kind of person can make you put in this much effort?”

Sun Ziqian, however, looked guarded. No way, no way. Eldest Brother could not have taken a fancy to Shian, could he? He absolutely could not let Eldest Brother meet Shian.

When Sun Zibai saw his expression, he understood what he was thinking. He directly sneered, then spoke mercilessly.

“Sun Ziheng and Sun Ziyue already started learning martial arts with their masters ten days ago. As for you, not only are you ten days behind them, you have also delayed Master Mo by ten days.”

“So from today onward, you will follow Master Mo to learn martial arts. Remember, every day, you will get up at the mao hour and begin training. Train until you cannot move. You must make up for everything you missed during this period.”

“What? Martial arts? Mao hour?”

Sun Ziqian was stunned. Why practice martial arts out of nowhere? And at the mao hour, the sky was not even bright yet, right? Was Eldest Brother trying to kill him?

Sun Ziqian’s face turned deathly pale. If he had known this, he might as well have given the peace talisman to Eldest Brother.

“I’ll give you half a day to go say goodbye to the person you love.”

“Then… Then how long do I have to train…”

If it was too long, by the time he could go out, would the person he loved not have long since been snatched away?

Sun Zibai sneered. “Of course, until I am satisfied.”

“Then what will make Eldest Brother satisfied?”

“Depends on my mood.”

Sun Zibai said casually, then impatiently waved for him to hurry up and scram.

Only after Sun Ziqian left with a mournful face did Sun Zibai turn serious and look toward Master Mo at the side.

This man was named Mo Zheng. Earlier, Sun Zibai had recruited a total of three martial arts masters, and this man was the one left over. Before Sun Ziqian returned, he had been staying in the marquis residence. This person greatly liked quiet, and was sparing with words. Hu An had observed him for a period of time and believed that his martial arts seemed to be deliberately concealed. He was probably not beneath Hu An. During these ten-odd days in the marquis residence, he had almost never left his own courtyard and had not committed any overstepping behavior. He was an extremely disciplined and dull person.

Sun Zibai had originally intended to have him properly teach Sun Ziqian, but after seeing Sun Ziqian just now, Sun Zibai had a different plan in mind.

If he could keep such a man, quiet and highly skilled in martial arts, by his side, that would be excellent.

These two days, Sun Zibai had also learned about the studies of his two concubine-born younger brothers. They could be described as a complete mess. However, seeing the complicated and hesitant expressions of the tutors, Sun Zibai was also speechless. After all, with him, the number one wastrel, serving as an example, it was only natural that those below would imitate him.

In other words, among the four people of the legitimate branch of the old Sun family, there were three poor [read the original at bailiantales.com]students and one illiterate.

Was there still any saving this? In any case, Sun Zibai did not plan to pursue literature. As a modern person, learning this would be somewhat difficult.

There should still be hope, right? According to the tutors, Little Fourth, who had just started school, was extremely intelligent. It seemed only this illiterate one could save everyone.

Cough, cough…

“What does Master Mo think of the third young master?”

Mo Zheng’s expression was calm. “The third young master is extremely clever, but he is not suited for martial arts.”

He was not martial arts material. To put it plainly, he could not have very deep achievements. Sun Zibai was not surprised. He only continued asking, “Learning some basic self-defense should be no problem, right?”

“Naturally.”

Sun Zibai’s requirements for the three of them were not high. Being able to protect themselves when they encountered danger was enough. So he had Master Mo teach him like this for now. Whether it was Sun Ziqian or Mo Zheng before him, Sun Zibai already had other plans in mind.

On the other side, Sun Ziheng, who had been [read the original at bailiantales.com]trained by Master Lu until he had lost an entire circle of weight, learned of Sun Ziqian’s situation and immediately felt much more comfortable.

Without comparison, there was no happiness. Old Third was clearly much more miserable than him.

Because of this, he even eagerly ran to Sun Zibai, pretending to display the results of his studies, but in reality, he was probing about Sun Ziqian’s situation. He wanted to know how Sun Ziqian had angered Eldest Brother, so he could use it as a reference and try his best to avoid making the same kind of mistake in the future.

Sun Zibai, however, asked if he envied Old Third. If he did, he could follow Old Third from now on.

Sun Zibai had said that from now on, he would check their learning progress every month. Little Fourth was the most self-disciplined. Even if Sun Zibai did not require it of him, he would still persist in going to the training ground before dawn every day to train. By the time his master arrived, he had already finished warming up. Because of this, his master was especially gratified.

But it was precisely because of Little Fourth’s diligence that Sun Ziheng, who had to be urged and chased by his master to train, was made to look worse by comparison. Master Lu had a straightforward personality, and his martial arts style was simple and brutal. He was broad and rugged, and he looked down on Sun Ziheng’s weak-chicken body in every possible way. Thus, every day, he changed methods to drill him. After comparing him to the much younger Little Fourth, he despised him even more, and therefore trained him even harder.

Such was the vicious cycle.

These few days, Sun Ziheng had howled like ghosts and wailed like wolves, feeling that half his life was gone. He had finally heard a piece of good news, and the moment he got smug, he ran before Sun Zibai to gloat. And now, retribution had come.

However, after striking him with a stick, Sun Zibai still threw him a sweet date.

If his performance could satisfy Sun Zibai, Sun Zibai promised that he could participate read the original at bailiantales.com in the autumn hunt one month later.

This was treatment he had never had before. In previous years, even if Sun Ziheng desperately wanted to go, he did not dare. He was afraid that if Sun Zibai saw him, he would anger him. If that really happened, Sun Zibai would not leave him any face. He would directly humiliate him in front of all the noble young masters of Sucheng. Because of this, no matter how much Sun Ziheng wanted to go, he had always endured and not dared to go.

He had never expected Sun Zibai to give such a sweet date. Sun Ziheng immediately bounced back lively and returned to continue training.

One had to say, this boy was somewhat tough. Clearly, he was trained every day until he howled like ghosts and wailed like wolves, yet by the next day, he would be full of life again.

The capital had surely already made movements. Sun Zibai believed that Sucheng would soon become lively.

The first stop where the struggle for the throne moved to the surface would inevitably be the Pingnan Marquis Residence in Sucheng. Therefore, Sun Zibai hoped these concubine-born younger brothers could stand up quickly. Otherwise, when the forces of all sides fixed their eyes on the marquis residence, this living target, Sun Zibai would not be able to take care of everyone.

Thinking of the problems he was about to face, Sun Zibai summoned the marquis residence’s chief steward, Han Bao. He had always been the old steward of the marquis residence. When Sun Zhaoyin was alive, he had followed Sun Zhaoyin and handled matters. After Sun Zhaoyin died, he had continued serving by the old madam’s side.

The current original owner was only nineteen years old. When the original owner’s father died unexpectedly ten years ago, the original owner had only been nine. Add to that the fact that he had been spoiled and domineering since childhood, naughty and difficult to teach, and had acted even more recklessly in recent years, the old madam could only continue managing all the large and small affairs of the marquis residence. And this Steward Han was the most capable person under the old madam.

After informing the old madam, Sun Zibai called the old steward to his courtyard to handle matters. Steward Han was loyal. He had been in the marquis residence for decades. Now that the heir wanted to manage affairs, he was happier than anyone. The old madam was even so happy she wiped away tears on the spot, repeatedly saying that her grandson had grown up and become sensible.

Only after Sun Zibai comforted her at length did he bring the man out.

After carefully asking about the marquis residence’s industries, Sun Zibai clicked his tongue in wonder after listening. No wonder aristocratic families ruled this world. Even the emperor’s rewards to a marquis who had risen from being a bandit were this exaggerated: fief, countless properties, residences, fields, too many to count.

One could imagine how deep the foundations of those great families that had accumulated wealth for a hundred years were. Every family was probably wealthy enough to shake the entire country.

The emperor feared them, yet he also had no choice but to rely on them.

But if this continued for too long, problems would absolutely arise. However, this was not something Sun Zibai needed to consider. He had Steward Han organize a detailed set of materials on the marquis residence’s various industries for him. Not only did he need an understanding of the situation of the marquis residence, he also had to clearly know the residence’s financial state and revenue.

“Heir, give this old servant a few days. I will definitely organize everything clearly for you.”

“Mm. Steward Han, thank you for your trouble.”

Sun Zibai knew very clearly what he was doing, but some people had fallen into unprecedented confusion.

From the day Qin Mo left the marquis residence, he had fallen into confusion. Even when he had been trapped in the marquis residence, he had clearly known what he wanted. He had to endure humiliation and bear heavy burdens. He had to endure silently and exchange his freedom and humiliation for Ah Yan’s safety. But after Sun Zibai repeatedly humiliated him with words, and then directly released him from the marquis residence, he truly became lost.

And after seeing Xiao Yiyan, he became even more lost. Not only had the heir not made things difficult for Xiao Yiyan, he had even had Xiao Yiyan work for him. Then [stolen content]what did Qin Mo’s so-called sacrifice count as? Self-moving self-pity? A joke?

He even felt that even if he never returned to the marquis residence, or directly fled far away, it would not stir even the slightest ripple in Sun Zibai’s heart, because he seemed to have become insignificant to him.

As for Xiao Yiyan, he was working for the heir, but at the same time, he was also fighting for himself.

So his efforts were not purely for Qin Mo, not like he said, for the sake of one day having the heir grant Qin Mo freedom. Then what exactly did Qin Mo count as?

Qin Mo suddenly discovered that his own existence had become insignificant, whether to the heir or to Xiao Yiyan. It was also extremely awkward. This made him feel ashamed with nowhere to hide.

However, that night, when he had impulsively raised his hand to hit someone, using the heir’s power to act like a fox borrowing a tiger’s might, it had indeed felt indescribably satisfying at the time. Moreover, something seemed to have begun growing in the depths of his heart.

But afterward, Qin Mo could not help worrying again. He feared Qin Can would retaliate. He feared that Qin Can would fail to understand the situation and run to tell the heir or Eldest Brother. He feared even more that Qin Can would retaliate afterward against Yun Xuan. Thus, during these two days in the Qin residence, Qin Mo could barely sleep well.

In fact, after being caught off guard and beaten by him, Qin Can had indeed nearly rushed impulsively to find the heir and expose him. Fortunately, in the end, he remembered Qin Mo’s words about harming the Qin family and stopped himself in time. But since childhood, not only had he been favored, when had he ever suffered this kind of loss before Qin Mo?

Qin Mo had actually dared hit him. This was simply unforgivable. The more Qin Can thought, the angrier he became. In the end, he could not hold back and ran to Yun Xuan’s courtyard to regain face.

Qin Can was not old, and his thoughts were simple. When he brought two strong young servants and swaggered arrogantly before Qin Mo, Qin Mo and Yun Xuan were eating. Without saying a word, Qin Can overturned read the original at bailiantales.com their table, then pointed at Yun Xuan’s room and ordered the servants to smash it.

“Smash everything. This young master will bear all consequences.”

Qin Mo was both panicked and furious. “What are you trying to do!”

Xiaoman directly puffed out his chest and blocked the two men. “Let me see who dares!”

“Tch, what thing are you to dare challenge us? If you dare block us, we’ll beat you too.”

Qin Can did not know Xiaoman was from the marquis residence. He only thought he was Qin Mo’s young servant and did not take him seriously at all. Naturally, his two young servants also did not place Xiaoman in their eyes.

“Stop him. Beat him for me!”

Qin Can simply wanted to vent the anger from that slap. So he directly came over to slap Qin Mo. A young servant hurried over and grabbed Qin Mo’s arm, holding him in place for Qin Can to hit.

“Qin Mo, you think that just because you married the heir, you can look down on everyone? You actually dared hit me while I was unprepared? Don’t tell me you really think you’re the heir’s madam. You’re making me laugh to death. What thing are you? Do you think you’re worthy? The heir would never like a cheap person like you.”

Xiaoman was held back by one young servant. Qin Mo was no match for that strong servant. Seeing Qin Can’s slap about to land, and with the posture of paying unauthorized copyhim back tenfold, Yun Xuan, who had been frightened at the side, suddenly rushed over and blocked him.

“Mo’er.”

With a smack, Yun Xuan took Qin Can’s slap just like that. His body was already weak, and Qin Can had used great strength in this slap. He actually slapped Yun Xuan so hard he fell to the ground.

Qin Can also froze for a moment, but he was not afraid. Yun Xuan had the least status in the Qin residence. If not for benefiting from the heir this time, he would never have been able to leave that small, broken courtyard for the rest of his life. So Qin Can was not afraid at all.

Qin Mo, however, was instantly filled with rage. He hurriedly rushed over to help Yun Xuan up, only to discover that his palm had been cut directly by the broken bowl on the ground. The vivid red blood stung Qin Mo’s eyes red.

He suddenly stood up without warning, rushed toward Qin Can, and slapped him twice.

“You… You actually still dare hit me.” Qin Can could not believe it and immediately screamed, “You two, hold him down! Today, I must slap this cheap person’s face rotten, ahhh!”

Qin Can screamed and rushed over. Qin Mo had also been severely stimulated by the blood on Yun Xuan’s hand. Countless images of being bullied flashed through his mind. Thus, the two of them began wrestling just like that.

The scene descended into chaos. The two young masters tangled together, tearing clothes, pulling hair, pinching faces…

Even the young servants were stunned by this scene, staring blankly and forgetting bailiantales.com what they were doing.

If Sun Zibai had been here, his jaw would definitely have dropped in shock as well. After all, Qin Mo was the noble protagonist shou. He was delicate and beautiful, pitiful and lovable. Every movement carried elegance. He was different from others, standing high above. How could the protagonist shou pull someone’s hair? How could he pinch faces and tear clothes?

…Truly a sight to behold.

The tearing and fighting finally ended with Qin Wancai’s furious roar.

“All of you, stop! What kind of behavior is this? What kind of behavior!”

At this moment, the scene before them was already in complete disarray. Qin Can’s clothes were disheveled, his hair was messy as straw, and two obvious slap marks on his face had already swollen slightly. He threw himself before Qin Wancai in grievance.

“Father, Father, you have to uphold justice for me. Qin Mo hit me.”

Qin Mo was not much better than him. His hair was scattered messily, and there were several scratches on his exquisite, stunning face. He looked utterly wretched, but he also felt an unprecedented sense of release. Because of this, he unconsciously raised his head.

He did not feel pain at all, nor did he feel that his miserable appearance was embarrassing. Once he completely let go and fought, he only felt satisfaction. Especially seeing the other person crying and wailing, he felt satisfied.

Extremely satisfied!