Chapter 58: Drawing Hatred
Although a large family is immense, like a great tree, it also has many diseased parts. Uprooting it is not easy, but if it’s already rotten on the inside, a single spark is all it takes. It will serve as its own kindling and burn itself to death.
And that spark was something Xiao Li clearly couldn’t provide.
Third-class aristocratic families were numerous, and second-class ones were not few, but first-class families were as rare as a phoenix feather, countable on one hand.
The Lu family was one, followed by the great families of Wang, Shangguan, Xue, Qin, and Feng.
That’s right, Young Master Feng’s Feng Family was also a first-class family.
The young master was an only son, but it was only the direct line of the Feng Family that was sparse and dwindling. The branch families were numerous. Moreover, Imperial Tutor Feng had countless students. Coupled with the family’s vast and wealthy foundation, it was no surprise they barely scraped by to become a first-class family.
And Young Master Feng was the future Family Head of the Feng Family.
The thought of that baby-faced boy becoming the head of a family was suddenly amusing.
Ahem, I’m getting sidetracked.
Xiao Li was studying these aristocratic families to find one that could topple the Lu family and also held a grudge against them.
Upon careful consideration, there really weren’t any who had a life-or-death feud with the Lu family. After all, the Lu family prided themselves on being the foremost scholarly aristocratic family, valuing their reputation and guarding it jealously. While all the great families had friction over resources, there were none with an irreconcilable, undying hatred.
But Xiao Li wasn’t discouraged. As long as there was competition and friction, there was room for exploitation.
A single spark can start a prairie fire.
If there are no enemies, you can create them. Forging a marriage alliance is difficult, but is forging a feud not easy?
Old Master Fang had been very troubled lately because of his good-for-nothing sons and grandsons.
The Fang family was a second-class aristocratic family. Their ancestors had been founding heroes of the dynasty, and the family had once been illustrious. But each generation was worse than the last. By his time, it seemed their luck was running out, with each son and grandson more useless than the one before.
His eldest son was loyal and honest, and reasonably obedient. With his help, he had managed to secure the position of a Fourth-rank Minister of the Ministry of Rites. Although the Ministry of Rites didn’t hold much power, it was at least a respectable office.
His second son was an idle loafer. He had to call in favors just to stuff him into a minor seventh-rank compiler position.
The second generation was a failure, and judging by their academic performance, the futures of his eldest and second grandsons in the third generation also looked grim.
Perhaps even the ancestors couldn’t bear to watch any longer, as his third grandson showed some promise. He was clever with his studies, quick-witted, and had been cunning since he was a child.
He felt he had finally seen hope for the Fang family’s rise, but he never expected his third grandson to get into a bet with someone. The boy used a petty trick to win but was found out and had his leg broken as a result.
The other party’s family paid compensation, but the incident was recorded by his teacher. That teacher was the second master of the Feng Family, a clan brother of the Imperial Tutor, and the vice-chancellor of the Imperial College. He controlled the evaluations of the noble family’s sons, and these evaluations would determine whether they could become court officials in the future.
He had gone to great lengths to get his most intelligent grandson accepted as this man’s student. Now, after this incident, the boy had left the impression of being a scheming, petty trickster. He feared it would be difficult to win his teacher’s favor in the future.
Outsmarted by his own cleverness.
Fang Xiaolin was still worrying about his good-for-nothing grandson, unaware that an even greater trouble was already on its way.
"Master, this is bad..."
The old butler rushed in to report, his face grave. "The Eldest Master has been dismissed from his post."
Fang Xiaolin’s expression changed drastically. "What happened?"
’My eldest son is the heir to the Fang Family Head. His position in the Ministry of Rites is his public face. I was even thinking he might get promoted to Assistant Minister or something in the future. How could he have been dismissed so suddenly?’
The old butler said, "At the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, the lion that was presented escaped its cage and injured someone. His Majesty held the Ministry of Rites accountable. After all the inquiries, the blame somehow fell on the Eldest Master’s head. They say he was derelict in his duty and negligent in his inspections, so he’s been temporarily dismissed pending investigation."
"And that’s not all. I’ve heard rumors that the lion was intentionally released by someone aiming to harm His Majesty and the Empress Dowager. If the Eldest Master is truly made to bear the blame for this, it won’t be a simple matter of dismissal. He’ll be charged with colluding with traitors and committing treason."
Colluding with traitors, committing treason.
BOOM!
Fang Xiaolin felt as if he’d been struck with a heavy club, his mind ringing.
Just moments ago, he had been worrying about his grandson’s future. Now, in the blink of an eye, the sky was falling.
’The crime of treason means the confiscation of property and the extermination of our entire clan. The family will be annihilated. What future is there to speak of?’
"Go and find out more. Don’t miss a single piece of information."
Fang Xiaolin didn’t dare to despair. At a time like this, he, the pillar of the family, could not collapse. He had to find a way to save his eldest son, or the Fang family was finished.
Fang Xiaolin visited several friends in succession but was met with closed doors every time. Clearly, everyone had heard the news. Who would dare get involved in a crime of treason?
Just as he was at his wit’s end, someone anonymously sent him a letter.
It said the incident at the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet was a warning to the Emperor from the Lu family. Their most outstanding second young master had been tortured by the Princess and nearly died, yet the culprit still hadn’t been found. That’s why the lion was let out—it wouldn’t actually harm the Emperor or the Empress Dowager. It was all calculated by them, for the sole purpose of ruining the birthday banquet and making a show of force against the Emperor.
This was obvious rabble-rousing. Fang Xiaolin was nearly sixty years old; how could he so easily believe this message of unknown origin? The content that followed, in particular, made him feel more and more like it was a scam.
The person claimed to have a mortal, irreconcilable feud with the Lu family and was only sharing this information because they couldn’t stand to see someone take the fall for the Lu family while the Lu Family themselves went scot-free.
At the same time, this person claimed they could get his son out of this mess. Not only would his official position be restored, but he might even be promoted a rank. But there’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world. What they could get would depend on what they were willing to give.
"Utter nonsense! Empty words! Sowing discord, devious schemes... Their intentions are venomous!"
Fang Xiaolin slammed the table and cursed resentfully.
"Father!"
His second son, Fang Chaosheng, returned, his face pale. "Father, Big Brother has been thrown into the Heavenly Prison! The government officers from the Ministry of Criminal Justice are heading for our house!"
Fang Xiaolin closed his eyes in anguish, but the suffering was far from over.
After Zhang De was investigated, the newly appointed Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice was a man named Li Xing. Coincidentally, the one who had broken Fang Xiaolin’s young grandson’s leg was this very Li Xing’s own nephew.
That boy was close to Li Xing and had a strong talent for investigation, which was why his clever-by-half grandson had taken a fall.
His grandson’s leg hadn’t even healed, and now his son had fallen into the hands of the Li family.
This was simply going too far!
When a person has no other path to take, even if they know it might be a trap, they will inevitably grasp at that last life-saving straw.
"Chaosheng, come with me."
Fang Xiaolin led his son into an inner room and took out the unexpected letter, handing it to him. "Take a look at this first."
Fang Chaosheng took it, and after reading it, declared, "This is a scam. There’s definitely a conspiracy."
How could Fang Xiaolin not know? But what choice did they have?
"Right now, we’re not just trying to save your big brother. This was supposed to be a crime of slander, but if the charge of treason is confirmed, it will be a catastrophe for the Fang family."
"We have to treat a dead horse as if it were still alive. If it truly comes to an irreversible point, dragging the Lu family down with us might be our only sliver of hope."
’The Assistant Minister of Rites, Lu Ye, is Chief Minister Lu’s son. The Minister of Rites, Xue Heng, is Master Xue’s younger brother. They’re the ones in charge of the Ministry of Rites, so on what grounds should my son be the one to take the blame?’
’Just because the Lu family and the Xue Family are first-class families, our Fang family should be sacrificed?’
’By what right!?’