Chapter 105: Why Do You Refuse to Kneel Before the Magistrate!

The next day, the three members of the Xue family left the Hu residence. Although the Hu family had treated them well, it was still living under someone else's roof, and staying any longer would inevitably invite gossip.

Ever since the time of Hu Zhong, the three of them had decided to return to the Mingshi Workshop once Xue Yuanhao secured an official post. The Xue family’s estate was originally divided between the main and second branches; it was impossible to let the main branch claim it all for themselves.

Mingshi Workshop was located in the southeast corner of the capital, quite a distance from Dashi Yong Workshop. After a long, rattling carriage ride, they finally arrived at the Xue mansion.

As Xue Yuanhao was about to descend, Xue Rui pulled him back. “Father, please wait in the carriage. I’ll go ahead and check things out. Maybe we can surprise Uncle and the others.”

Without waiting for a reply, he jumped down and knocked hard on the mansion’s gate.

Soon, a middle-aged servant opened the door. Upon seeing Xue Rui, he was momentarily stunned and stammered, “Second Young Master, what brings you here?”

This man was Wu Lao Liu, the gatekeeper of the Xue mansion, whom Xue Rui naturally recognized. Hearing the question, Xue Rui snorted angrily.

“This is my home. Do I need to report to you when I come back?”

“Pardon me, Second Young Master... Please wait a moment, I’ll inform Madam.” Wu Lao Liu quickly shut the door behind him and hurried to report to Madam Zhao, Xue Rui’s aunt.

“Did you find out why that brat came back?” Zhao asked the maid Chun Xing anxiously after hearing the news.

“Wu Lao Liu didn’t say anything, just urged Madam to go take a look,” Chun Xing replied with a shake of her head.

“Useless! He can’t even get rid of a little brat, so I have to step in myself,” Zhao said angrily, recalling the rumors circulating in the capital earlier. She stood up and ordered, “That brat’s return is definitely ill-intentioned. Go gather a few men and come with me to confront him.”

“Yes, Madam.” Chun Xing hurried away, gathering four or five male servants and following Zhao to the front courtyard.

Creak—the mansion gate opened again, and several servants wielding sticks filed out. Zhao followed, wearing a stern expression, her gaze hostile as she fixed on Xue Rui.

Seeing such a grand display, Xue Rui grinned cheekily. “Aunt, you’ve really gone all out. Are you here to welcome me back in style?”

“You wish!” Zhao snapped, hands on her hips. “Once you step out of the Xue mansion, you’re no longer family. If you had any shame, you wouldn’t even dare show your face here.”

Her tone treated Xue Rui like an unwelcome intruder.

“Aunt, that’s unfair. You forcibly expelled my mother and me that day, neither reasonable nor lawful. Now that I’ve returned, you still want to bar me from my own home? Do you really think the second branch is easy to bully?”

“I threw you out because your father broke the law and was arrested by the Jinyiwei and sent to the Zhaoyù Prison. If I hadn’t tossed you out, the whole Xue household would have been dragged down with him. How is that unreasonable?” Zhao retorted.

“You must have heard by now that my father has been safely released. That proves he didn’t break the law. So why do you still try to stop me from coming back?”

“Who knows how your father got out? Maybe he used some dishonorable method. If the court finds out, you’ll regret it!” Zhao said, recalling the rumors her husband had mentioned.

But she didn’t believe any of those slanders. After all, she had watched Xue Rui grow up and knew him well. He couldn’t even kill a chicken, let alone slaughter the Jinyiwei and forcibly rescue his father.

Her husband had told her that the court had recently conscripted all prisoners in the surrounding counties to transport grain to Tongzhou. Perhaps Xue Rui had taken advantage of this to pull strings through Hu Zhong to get his father out. If exposed, it would be a grave offense, possibly resulting in the entire family’s execution and confiscation of their property.

It was on this basis that Zhao felt confident enough to chase them away.

“Lies from your mother... filthy lies from you!” Xue Rui was about to retort when a sharp reprimand came from behind.

Turning around, he saw Lady Liu standing with her hands on her hips, glaring fiercely at her sister-in-law, eyes practically burning with fire.

Zhao looked momentarily stunned at the sight of Lady Liu. Today, Lady Liu had returned to the family wearing a new dress made from fine fabric, elevating her entire demeanor to that of a noblewoman from a high-ranking household.

Zhao had never seen such fine material before and took a long moment before withdrawing her gaze and saying coldly, “No matter what you say, I won’t let you in. You’d better go somewhere more comfortable.”

“If I insist on coming in?” Xue Rui stepped forward, eyes blazing.

“You... you dare!” Zhao was startled by the fierce light in Xue Rui’s eyes and involuntarily stepped back, shouting sharply, “Men, drive them away with sticks!”

“Yes, Madam.” Zhao had managed the household for years, so the servants knew who was in charge. They wouldn’t go easy on the homeless Xue Rui and his family.

“Let’s see who dares!” Before the men could approach Xue Rui, a sharp voice rang from the carriage.

Everyone instinctively looked toward the carriage and saw Xue Yuanhao, dressed in official robes, stepping out calmly.

No one in the Xue family had ever held office, but they recognized the official attire. Zhao gasped, her hand frozen mid-air pointing at Xue Rui. The servants’ faces went pale, and their sticks lowered involuntarily.

Though shocked, Zhao had a thought. She recalled her husband mentioning that Xue Yuanhao’s mentor was a Grade Eight official, whose green robes bore a quail embroidered on them. Even if Xue Yuanhao had secured a position, he would have started as a Grade Nine official. Now he was wearing Grade Eight robes, so he must be borrowing Hu Zhong’s official clothes to intimidate her.

“How dare you wear someone else’s official robes! That’s usurpation, punishable by death! Wait, I’ll have someone report you right now!” Zhao, who had just been frightened, now blushed with excitement, thinking she had caught Xue Yuanhao red-handed.

Xue Yuanhao snorted coldly, pulled out a seal from his sleeve, and held it up.

“Look closely. I’ve been appointed as the Chief Official of the Five Departments. This is my official seal.”

Zhao couldn’t read, but since he dared to wear the robes and produce the seal, his official status was most likely genuine.

Her heart sank instantly.

Seeing that his father had intimidated Zhao, Xue Rui stepped forward and scolded the servants, “You lowly men, when you see a court-appointed official, you don’t kneel and salute?”

Startled, the servants dropped their sticks and knelt, bowing repeatedly.

Zhao, already uneasy, was shocked to see the servants kneel. Her legs weakened slightly. If not for her pride, she might have collapsed on the spot.

She couldn’t understand how, in just one month, Xue Yuanhao had gone from a prisoner to a Grade Eight court official. She even pinched her thigh to confirm she wasn’t dreaming.

After the servants respectfully kowtowed, Xue Rui casually ordered, “Go fetch the things from the carriage and bring them inside.”

“Yes, Second Young Master.” The servants dared not refuse and hurried to comply.

Xue Yuanhao glanced at Zhao with contempt and smiled coldly before striding into the mansion.

Lady Liu walked past her sister-in-law with a proud look, ignoring her completely.

When the servants brought the belongings in, Xue Rui led Su Su into the mansion.

Zhao, who had been domineering moments ago, now stood alone at the gate, overcome with a sense of helplessness.

But Zhao was not one to give up easily. Although Xue Yuanhao’s official status had caught her off guard, she had not yet been utterly defeated and still hoped for a comeback.

With that thought, she hurried back to the inner chambers.

Meanwhile, the second branch trio, having returned to the mansion and about to settle into the side quarters, found the gate between the main house and the side courtyard sealed with blue bricks.

“What is this about?” Xue Yuanhao asked, his face dark with anger.

One bold servant explained, “After Second Master’s misfortune, Madam ordered the gate sealed that very night to distance herself.”

“She really planned this well!” Lady Liu’s teeth ground in fury. “You lot, tear down this wall!”

“Yes, Madam.” The servants quickly obeyed.

The brick gate had not been built very sturdily. A few strong men pushed it, and it crashed down with a loud rumble.

Returning to their long-missed quarters, Xue Rui felt a surge of warmth. He pushed open the main room door, ready to move their things in, only to find it empty.

Lady Liu looked around in disbelief. “Where did all the household items go?”

“They were ordered removed by Madam,” a servant explained with a bitter smile.

“Unbelievable!” Even the usually composed Xue Yuanhao was furious.

The sister-in-law had gone too far. The second branch had very few valuables to begin with, and now everything had been stripped away. How were they supposed to live here?

Lady Liu entered the bedroom and looked around. Aside from an empty bed, all bedding and blankets were gone. Even the clothes their family hadn’t taken had vanished without a trace.

“Put the things down. You may leave for now,” Xue Rui said calmly, dismissing the servants. Then he turned to his parents. “At this point, we must confront the main branch. The estate must be divided.”

This had been their plan from the start, but as the moment approached, Xue Yuanhao still felt uneasy.

“To divide the estate, we must first persuade Grandmother. Otherwise, if it turns into a quarrel, it will ruin our reputation.”

In ancient times, when a family had several sons, the father usually divided the property before his death to prevent disputes among brothers.

The Xue family was a special case.

Their grandfather had died suddenly without having divided the estate between his two sons. Moreover, the main branch wanted to use Xue Yuanhao’s exemption from corvée labor and had cunningly persuaded Grandmother Li not to allow the second branch to separate and live independently.

Xue Yuanhao couldn’t afford to fall out with his mother over property matters, so he had been tolerating the situation, which had led to the current predicament.

Now that Xue Yuanhao had an official position, he couldn’t afford a conflict with his mother either, as it would be seen as unfilial and blemish his record, hurting future promotions.

For these reasons, he reminded his son once more.

Xue Rui pounded his chest confidently. “Father, don’t worry. This time, we won’t bring up division ourselves. We’ll have Uncle and Aunt explain it to Grandmother. Also, we won’t suffer too great a loss.”

“You really have confidence?” Even Lady Liu was skeptical. The main branch had fed Grandma Li many lies to maintain control over the estate’s finances. Changing her mind would not be easy.

“Don’t worry. Leave this to me. You don’t need to say another word. For now, we should first pay respects to the matriarch to show filial piety.”

Xue Rui put his hands behind his back and strolled out like an old gentleman on a leisurely walk.

Xue Yuanhao and Lady Liu exchanged a glance but had no choice but to follow.

The Xue mansion was not as grand as the Hu residence but still a modest three-courtyard home. To please the Buddhist-devout Grandmother Li, the main branch had converted the room next to the master bedroom into a Buddhist shrine so she could chant sutras daily.

When the second branch trio arrived, Zhao was helping Grandmother Li out of the shrine.

“Mother, your son has come to see you,” Xue Yuanhao stepped forward, bowed, and greeted Li. Xue Rui and his mother did the same.

However, Li was not surprised to see them. She merely glanced casually and turned toward the main hall.

With no choice, the three followed.

After seating the matriarch and pouring water for her, Zhao stood by her side.

“Sit down. Standing in the middle of the room, are you trying to block my view?” Li finally spoke, her tone unfriendly.

It was obvious Zhao had been spreading poison behind Li’s back, hence her displeasure.

Once they all sat, Li looked at her son in official robes and asked, “I heard you’ve become an official. How did you get that position?”

“Mother, since there was a vacancy among the prison officials, the court employed talent regardless of background. I’ve done reasonably well these years, so I succeeded in filling the vacancy,” Xue Yuanhao replied.

Li’s face darkened as she scolded, “Your father entrusted the Hu family to get you admitted to the Imperial Astronomical Bureau so you could have a chance at officialdom and bring honor to the Xue family. Yet, instead of bringing glory, you offended a powerful palace figure, got yourself thrown into the Zhaoyù Prison, and nearly dragged the entire Xue family to ruin. Your eldest brother and sister-in-law had no choice but to send your wife and son away to protect everyone. Thankfully, your father watches over us from heaven, and your eldest brother’s tireless efforts secured your release. Now you have an official post, but instead of showing gratitude to them, you come back flaunting your authority and intimidating your sister-in-law. Do you really think being an official gives you the right to bully family?”

Xue Yuanhao opened his mouth to defend himself.

Xue Rui quickly interjected, “Grandmother, your words are correct. Father didn’t know what Uncle and Aunt did and may have misunderstood, which caused a rift. I apologize to Aunt on his behalf. In the future, the two branches must live harmoniously, right, Father?”

Seeing his son look at him and blink insistently, Xue Yuanhao had no choice but to agree, “That’s right. I was mistaken before.”

Hearing their words, Li’s expression softened considerably.

A month ago, when Xue Yuanhao was imprisoned, Zhao had expelled his wife and son overnight to distance herself.

She told the matriarch she had found a place to house them.

Later, when Xue Yuanhao was released, Zhao lied again, claiming her husband had pulled strings and made many connections to secure his release.

The matriarch believed these lies without question.

Just now, the daughter-in-law had come to complain that after Xue Yuanhao became an official, he shamelessly flaunted his authority in front of servants and made her kneel, humiliating her.

Li hated anyone who challenged her authority. Since Zhao managed the household on her behalf, she represented Li’s face. No matter how high her son’s rank, he had to respect the sister-in-law out of regard for her.

Now, with Xue Yuanhao returning and showing off his official status, he was openly disregarding her.

Because of this, Li showed no warmth toward her newly appointed son.

Fortunately, now that both sides had spoken openly, the conflict naturally dissipated, saving her many troubles.

Li was pleased, but eldest daughter-in-law Zhao looked disappointed. She hadn’t expected Xue Yuanhao and his son to avoid quarrelling with the matriarch, leaving her no chance to stir the pot.