Chapter 133: Song Sheng Returns Home

"So the master you wanted to apprentice under is my own teacher?" Li Su found this development entirely reasonable, yet he was also struck by Yun Qin's graceful mindset; it lived up to his personal ideal of a true gentleman of antiquity.

Yun Qin did not harbor any resentment toward him because of the teacher they shared.

Yun Qin nodded vigorously. "Exactly!"

Speaking of how he had been rejected when he first sought apprenticeship, Yun Qin now viewed the matter with equanimity.

"Then did you guess my teacher's identity a long time ago?" Li Su asked.

"Not exactly long ago. It was only after I arrived at the academy that I began to suspect it." Initially, when his friend praised his master as being truly extraordinary, he had simply attributed it to the loyalty of a student defending his mentor.

"It seems our judgment is quite aligned, since we both set our sights on the same master. Now, he can be considered your teacher as well, in a sense."

A flicker of light crossed Yun Qin's eyes; he loved that interpretation.

"Brother, how exactly did Master Xi come to accept you?" Yun Qin was still quite curious about that.

Li Su paused, choosing not to tell the full truth. To admit that he had essentially baited the man would be seen as rather disrespectful.

"At a poetry gathering, I recited a poem. Once the event concluded, my master sent someone to find me. After testing me, he asked if I would be willing to become his disciple."

"Master Xi sought you out personally?"

Li Su nodded. "Yes."

"I had no idea of his status at the time. I never imagined my master would turn out to be the Grand Secretary!"

The look in Yun Qin's eyes was filled with envy. Not only was his friend highly learned, but his luck was also quite remarkable. No one had expected that Master Xi would be residing in such a remote little county, and it was pure coincidence that his friend had encountered him there.

"I only learned his true identity right before coming to the academy. All things considered, I didn't find out much earlier than you did."

Yun Qin couldn't help but chuckle. "Master Xi must have intentionally kept it from you at the start."

"Brother Qianhe has been away for some time now. I wonder how he is faring," Yun Qin said after they had chatted for a while, his tone tinged with worry.

It had taken much encouragement from both him and Li Su for Brother Qianhe’s temperament to finally brighten a little. If this trip home caused him to sink back into melancholy, he would truly grow to despise the Song family.

"I believe he can resolve it himself," Li Su remarked. He felt that regardless of the outcome, it was a good thing that Song Sheng was willing to face these issues head-on. A short pain is better than a long one.

Although Song Sheng was the eldest among them, both Li Su and Yun Qin could not help but feel anxious. They were not worried about his ability to handle the situation, but rather that these family matters would weigh heavily on his heart.

***

The Song Residence.

"My lord, has there been any word from Qianhe?" Lady Song looked worried. "Why did you ever agree to let him go to Wenzhou? It isn't easy to see him at all now."

"My lady, when Qianhe begged me like that, how could I refuse?" Master Song recalled the scene; even if he were to live it over again, he felt he would still yield to his son's request.

Lady Song sighed heavily. "It’s all my fault. I didn't look after Qianhe properly, which is why he met with that accident."

"Qianhe was so bright since he was a child. If not for that disaster, he wouldn't be the way he is now."

A glint of pain flashed in Master Song's eyes. "It is also my fault for not being more discreet in those years, making too many enemies."

Ever since that incident, he had learned to follow the example of his colleagues: to stay out of matters that did not concern him and keep a low profile.

Song Rong spoke up then, "The issue now is not about assigning blame, but how to make Brother willing to come back."

Master Song glared at Song Rong. "You still have the nerve to speak? We sent you to build a rapport with your brother and cheer him up—look at the mess you made!"

"That's because you told me Brother liked orchids! You don't understand him at all; Brother said he doesn't like them anymore!" Though he wasn't sure if his brother had actually lost his taste for orchids, or if he had simply lost his taste for him.

"You..." The more Master Song looked at Song Rong, the more infuriated he became.

"Enough, both of you. Stop bickering; you're giving me a headache," Lady Song said, rubbing her temples.

These two, father and son, would start fighting at the slightest disagreement, constantly blaming each other.

Song Rong had known his brother liked orchids and had gone to great lengths to buy a prize specimen. When he happily went to present it to his brother, his brother accepted it, which made him even happier, so he blurted out that Father and Mother were right after all.

His brother had paused for a moment before saying he no longer cared for orchids.

Song Rong had felt lost, unsure of what to do. He could feel his brother's growing distance. He thought that if his brother didn't like orchids, he would throw them away—nothing his brother didn't like deserved to be in his sight—and he would buy him something else instead.

Because of the disagreement over the fate of the orchid, he and his brother had clashed. When he went to retrieve the flower, his hand slipped and he dropped it. His parents, hearing the commotion, rushed in. They explained to his brother that he had worked very hard to get it. They misunderstood, thinking his brother had smashed it, and even after he explained, they had apologized to his brother.

Not long after, his brother left for Wenzhou Prefecture alone, and no one could stop him. Since then, his brother rarely returned. Whenever he did, Song Rong wanted to draw closer, but every time he thought of how his brother seemed to dislike him, he stopped in his tracks. His brother was always a man of few words, usually just nodding, never speaking much. After moving to Wenzhou, he spoke even less each time he returned.

***

He felt that if things went on like this, his brother would never truly return home.

Lady Song spoke slowly. "If Qianhe does not return this time, I will go to Wenzhou myself and stay there. You two can keep each other company here."

Master Song and Song Rong stared in shock. Song Rong quickly interjected, "Mother, I want to go too!"

Master Song: "???" What about me?

Lady Song shook her head at Song Rong. "You and your father will stay here in the capital."

"Why?"

Lady Song replied languidly, "What do you think?"

Song Rong: "..."

Song Rong felt aggrieved; he still didn't know why his brother didn't care for him.

Master Song looked at Lady Song, wanting to say something several times but holding back. He could not leave, but it was perfectly fine for his wife to go.

"Wait for Qianhe's reply. If he is unwilling to return, then you should go, my lady." Master Song felt he had no other choice.

The child had been pampered since he was small, and there was also the lingering guilt that his own accumulation of enemies had led to his son's misfortune. As for Song Rong, he was an unexpected child conceived during those years when his wife's health was failing due to the stress over Qianhe. They hadn't discovered the pregnancy until it was too late; the doctor had warned that terminating it would be too dangerous for her. That was how Song Rong came to be, only to grow up as a rebellious son who constantly defied him. If only he and Song Rong were left in the house, they would fight countless times a day; they found each other unbearable. He truly didn't know what kind of bad karma he had accrued.

Outside the Song residence, Song Sheng stepped down from his carriage and glanced at the nameplate of the house.

The servant at the gate, upon seeing Song Sheng's face, quickly told the other servant, "Go and tell the Master and Mistress that the Young Master has returned!"

The servant ran into the estate. The one remaining at the gate hurried toward Song Sheng with a beaming smile. "Young Master!"

Song Sheng nodded at him and walked inside.

(A new month begins. Thank you, dear readers, for your persistence in following this story and accompanying me as I write it. Song Sheng: Please grant me a wave of free support to help me resolve these family issues!)