Chapter 1635 – The Side Story of Caution
Before being imprisoned before the imperial tomb’s back mountain, Wei Cong was once a sharply dressed and spirited young man.
He still remembers those years when the mountain flowers bloomed vibrantly, and the young boys and girls laughed and chatted, whether at an Elegant Gathering or joking around, showcasing their youthful spirit.
The night wind rustled, making the curtains flutter.
Leaning against the table, Wei Cong dozed off and gradually fell into a deep sleep, his dream unusually colorful and vivid.
He gazed at the scenes within the dream, vaguely recalling it was the Golden Scales Academy.
His eyes fell upon the water pavilion, where a group of boys in blue and white uniforms gathered, chatting and laughing. A subtle smile crept onto his lips.
Wei Cong remembered—it was that day.
What day, you ask?
Naturally, it was the day when the Young Master of the Ministry of Works was dragged out by his mother, who brutally broke both his legs.
Unable to resist, Wei Cong leaned closer, trying to catch the conversation more clearly.
At that moment, a familiar-faced young man laughed and said, “Tsk, do you think that the Minister of Works is actually Shi Yu’s mother? She just barged into the academy with such a thick stick, dragging her son out to break his legs! Scared me to death!”
The boy was also the son of a court official, sharing a table with the Minister’s son, Shi Yu.
When that Minister stormed in, grabbing her son’s collar and dragging him out, he was quite frightened.
“Whether she’s the mother or not is uncertain, but whether Shi Yu is her son can be questioned. Look at him! The Minister is such a talented person, how could she produce such an unworthy son? In my opinion, it’s already a mercy that she only broke both of his legs! If it were me, I would have ended his life right there, all in the name of blood ties.”
Shi Yu is the son of the Minister of Works, Bai Yuexia, and her husband, Shi Zhong.
Being the only son in the family, Shi Yu was pampered by his father and grandmother, running wild and bullying ordinary students from the academy. Wei Cong, just the bastard son of the Grand Tutor, had naturally faced Shi Yu’s bullying in the past, harboring resentment in his heart.
A few young boys were curious at his words.
“Wei Cong, do you know the inside story of why Shi Yu got beat up?”
Everyone was shocked that notorious bully Shi Yu would actually get his legs broken by his own support—talk about the news of the year!
That wooden stick Bai Yuexia used to break her son’s legs was as thick as a strong man’s arm!
How could the little bully be so arrogant, if not because he had a Minister of Works as his mother?
What about Shi Yu’s father?
Heh, the couple had been divorced for eight hundred years; Shi Zhong, his father, was nothing but dead weight.
“I do know a bit about it. This whole matter is purely Shi Yu’s own fault,” one boy said. “Shi Yu has an ordinary appearance, average talent, and mediocre skills. By rights, he shouldn’t be liked, but he does have his family background. The Minister tried to correct him, but it’s tough being a strict mother. Shi Yu got led astray by his family and grew to resent his own mother, which eventually led to grave mistakes. Even a roast pork bun is better than him!”
Wei Cong continued, “A few days ago, an official reported the Minister of Works for not educating her child properly, turning a blind eye to her son forcing good people into prostitution, committing violent acts in the streets, dragging people while riding horses. The Minister went back to check and found the reports true; in a rage, she used her stick to discipline her son.”
“How do you know that?”
Wei Cong replied, “Secrets of heaven should not be leaked; I have my ways of knowing.”
Watching his younger self in the dream with the unique naive and schadenfreude grin, a tinge of bitterness crept at the corner of Wei Cong’s mouth.
He remembered clearly that because of this matter, his younger self was punished by his father.
Upon hearing him gossiping and speaking ill of others, his father firmly stated that such actions were unworthy of a gentleman and made him copy books as punishment.
During his rebellious phase, young Wei Cong felt very indignant at that punitive action.
It wasn’t that he wanted to go against Shi Yu!
It was clearly Shi Yu, the little bully, who humiliated Wei Cong in private.
How did he humiliate him?
He openly insulted him as the son of a concubine, said he was of lowly status and unworthy to converse with well-born academy students.
Not only did he mock his background and belittle his mother, but he also ridiculed how his father had been criticized and defeated in court years ago.
Wei Cong had been cornered by this little tyrant multiple times in secluded corners of the academy.
Through these grievances, he didn’t dare to tell his father. Even though Shi Yu’s words were harsh, there was some truth: his father was just a Grand Tutor, and he was merely the son of a concubine. If his father were to seek justice from the Minister of Works, it would only bring trouble to his already precarious career.
As the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together; little tyrant Shi Yu was a good-for-nothing, and his companions weren’t exactly gems either.
Wei Cong, who came from a humble background but was academically successful, was often used by teachers to point out the flaws of the poor students, stirring much hate against him.
They knew Wei Cong was an easy target to bully, lacking support. When they teamed up, they often embarrassed him, their verbal insults barely scratching the surface.
On a few occasions, conflicts arose, but alone Wei Cong was outnumbered and had been punched a few times.
The beatings took place in obscurity, and since they were careful, they left no evidence; only anger and hatred remained within Wei Cong.
Every time it happened, he couldn’t help but resent his background, but there was nothing he could do; he’d swallow the bitterness all by himself.
He didn’t dare bring his grievances to his father, fearing it would cause trouble for him.
Fortunately, there were a few friends his age, who became his only outlet for venting.
These friends were none other than the sons of his father’s brothers from the Wei lineage.
In terms of age, Wei Cong was similar to them.
In terms of generation, Wei Cong was their uncle.
Looking back now, it was these “friends’” care and persuasion that gradually led young Wei Cong to distance himself from his father. The young Wei Cong observed the dream world flashing by with scenes that once stirred his anger and hatred, but now evoked no emotion.
The young Wei Cong saw himself locked away in a room, copying books, a full twenty times!
Stubborn as he was, he refused to soften up to his father, stubbornly dragging on from day to night until he eventually fell into a deep sleep.
“Tsk, this temper is quite like mine, so very stubborn.”
The youth Wei Cong was surprised, his pupils constricting. He saw the door quietly open, as if afraid to disturb those inside. A tall woman stood outside, time had hardly marked her face, but her aura had become even more restrained with the passing years.
“It’s my failure to teach…”
The youth Wei Cong watched his long-lost father, dressed in a green robe, enter the room behind the woman, his words tinged with sentiment.
“Stop always apologizing; I’ve seen too many apologies in a day, and you don’t need to join the party,” the woman said in a reproachful yet gentle tone, as she bent down to lift the young Wei Cong, placing him gently on the bed, gazing tenderly at his brows and eyes, “In the end, it still comes down to my inadequacy as a mother, not realizing that academy students would act so boldly.”
“If the Emperor is saying this, then shouldn’t I take my punishment by death?”
The man’s eyes were full of regret and self-blame. For all these years, Wei Cong had been under his care, but he hadn’t noticed how much his child had suffered at the Golden Scales Academy. If not for this coincidence, he wouldn’t know how long the truth would be hidden; now wanting to make amends, he didn’t know where to begin.
The woman replied, “Both of us are at fault.”
“The fault doesn’t lie with the Empress; you have an empire to manage, where eight to nine hours a day are taken up with governing affairs. How can there be extra energy to oversee the child’s matters at the academy?” The man gently adjusted the young Wei Cong’s blanket, speaking softly, “About the Minister of Works’ incident…”
“Her son has done so many wrongs; not killing that little beast is already showing mercy.” The woman sneered, “Is my son that little beast who may be insulted at will? If Bai Yuexia hadn’t broken his legs, I would have plunged a sword into his skull!”
Bai Yuexia had publicly broken her son’s legs as a punishment, ostensibly to discipline him, but in reality, it was the woman’s intention.
Day after day, officials reported to Bai Yuexia about Shi Yu, indicating the woman had a mind to deal strictly.
As wise as Bai Yuexia was, she certainly knew how to handle the situation.
Ultimately, it’s severe for a mother to break her son’s legs, but far more severe for the Emperor to be furious enough to take one’s life—choose your poison!
Though Bai Yuexia didn’t know about Wei Cong’s background, she had followed the Emperor for many years and understood that he was serious!
The man sighed, gently tucking away the stray hairs from young Wei Cong’s forehead.
The woman said, “The Golden Scales Academy needs a thorough overhaul; if similar incidents happen again, I will take down their parents along with them.”
Originally a place for students to study, the Golden Scales Academy, having been established for only a decade or so, exploded with such bullying scandals—bullied right onto Wei Cong’s head! How could one be so reckless! The woman’s intent to reform the academy would certainly turn it upside down.
“In that case, I’ll have mercy and seek out Fushou for a good talk to enlighten him.”
The woman nodded, “Mm.”
The young Wei Cong watched everything unfold in his dream, his eyes stinging as tears rolled down his cheeks.
So it was like this.
In his youth, Wei Cong was bullied by the little tyrant in his class. However, after Bai Yuexia personally broke Shi Yu’s legs, those rascals became obedient, no longer bothering Wei Cong. At that time, Wei Cong naively thought it was Bai Yuexia’s actions that had a deterrent effect, but in truth…
The truth was indeed like this!
His mother, with countless affairs, still managed to find time to relieve his grievances, and his father had tried to converse and reason with him!
Unfortunately, young Wei Cong was headstrong and rebellious, having already been stirred by others, completely deaf to his father’s lectures and lessons.
If only time could turn back, he would never have said those hurtful words to Eldest Sister, nor would he have been incited to hurt his parents.
Faintly, Wei Cong heard a familiar call in the distance.
Struggling to open his eyes, he found Wan Yue kneeling beside him, looking at him with concern.
“Wan Yue? What happened…”
Wei Cong heard his own voice hoarse, his face soaked with tears.
“Did you just have a nightmare, Young Master?”
Wan Yue wiped the tears from his face with a napkin.
Wei Cong leaned against her shoulder, the candlelight casting their intertwined shadows long.
His voice choked slightly, “Maybe it wasn’t a nightmare; it could have been a beautiful dream.”
