The gazes of those tribesmen swept toward Cui Lang silently, as if mountains were weighing down heavily.
No one cares whether he agrees or not, his words have no meaning.
Normally, in such an atmosphere, he would have been so frightened that his legs would have trembled, and he would have knelt down faster than anyone else, and then apologized with a playful smile to confuse the public. Before the tribesmen could convict him, he would have fled away.
.
But this time, Cui Lang didn't.
He didn't know where the courage came from, and he dared to look directly into those cold and deep eyes, and said again: "Eldest brother, what's wrong? If it weren't for the eldest brother here, the Zheng family members would have been like those at the beginning.
Just like the Luoyang nobles, I don’t know how many times they have been unjustly killed... Even if they die just like that, it is not impossible!"
"Shut up!" Cui Tao stood up with a slap on the table, his face was extremely cold: "Who allows you to say such treacherous words here!"
"I'll tell you what's right and wrong!" Cui Lang clenched his fists and his eyes turned red: "It's just that those people don't know the eldest brother. Don't the Cui family also know the eldest brother?"
As he spoke, a look of grievance suddenly appeared in his eyes. This grievance was not for himself.
He looked at the old man sitting at the top, his voice was hoarse and choked with sobs: "Doesn't my grandfather also know about my elder brother?!"
Cui Ju looked at his grandson who was standing in front of the Cui clan in such an attitude for the first time and looked at him with such a determined expression.
"Very good." The old man's voice was as deep as an ancient well: "I'm going to the Imperial College. You really learned well."
This seems to be a sign that the owner is angry and a storm is coming.
Cui Ai immediately scolded him in a deep voice: "You dare to ignore the clan rules and disobey your parents... Come here, take this son down and deal with him according to the family law!"
Cui Lang still refused to accept the word "family law" that he was most afraid of in the past, and he still had questions in his mouth, but he was soon forcibly dragged away from here.
Despite the harsh family laws, he still showed no sign of "repentance" and did not find any way to escape like before. He simply accepted the harsh family laws.
Cui Lang gritted his teeth, tears of pain rolling down his face.
This is the first time he has defied the clan and defied clan rules, and the price has been heavy.
On this day, he made what he considered to be the most courageous voice in his life: "...Keep beating me, if you dare, beat me to death!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he rolled his eyes and fainted from the pain.
However, because he had no attitude of admitting his mistake, the treatment was not over yet. He was thrown into a ancestral hall to reflect while he was unconscious.
Cui Ai put down his words and wanted to imprison him until he admitted his mistake.
Under Lu's instruction, Cui Tang went to plead for his brother, but was also thrown into the ancestral hall.
Seeing his second brother lying half-dead on the futon with his skin torn apart after being beaten, Cui Tang took out the medicine he had secretly brought and poured it on Cui Lang with tears.
Cui Lang let out an inarticulate cry of pain.
"Now I know it hurts!"
Cui Lang's voice was weak and aggrieved: "Didn't you ask me to come back..."
"That doesn't mean you should contradict grandpa!" Cui Tang cried out: "...You are the most useless person on weekdays. Where did you get the courage today?"
Cui Lang: "I borrowed it from Dahuang..."
Cui Tang gritted his teeth and sprinkled a whole bottle of medicine powder on his back.
Cui Lang howled in pain, like a dog whose tail was caught, and howled miserably.
Finally, Cui Lang breathed in the cold air, thinking that the servants outside the ancestral hall must have heard his screams. It was extremely difficult for him to be brave today, and the reputation he had gained through risking his life was ruined by the barking of dogs just now.
He couldn't help complaining: "Cui Tang, you don't want me to be in the limelight, so you deliberately try to embarrass me, right?"
Cui Tang took his coat and covered him. It was rare that he didn't quarrel with him. With tears in his eyes, he whispered: "You are not embarrassed this time... I almost don't recognize you."
Cui Lang lay there helplessly and laughed "Hey": "Then do you think that if the eldest brother knew about it, would he think more highly of me..."
Cui Tang couldn't help but choked him: "What do you think of you so highly that you get beaten up in a hurry?"
"What do you know? I just want my eldest brother to know... No matter what those people are like..." Cui Lang's voice became weaker and weaker: "But my eldest brother and I are in the same group."
Cui Tang wiped his tears and said angrily: "According to this, this beating is your surrender?"
"More than that, this is a gold medal to avoid death... maybe it can keep the three of us safe and prosperous in the future."
There was a dazed smile hanging on the corner of Cui Lang's pale mouth.
Ever since he was a child, he has always subconsciously wanted to get the approval of his eldest brother, and always wanted to get closer to his eldest brother. But before, he was just thinking about it, but today, he has barely put it into action, right?
He gradually couldn't hear Cui Tang's voice clearly. Before he fell into coma, a clean and fresh shadow like a green lotus suddenly flashed in front of his eyes, and he said in a distracted manner: "If she knew what I did today... she wouldn't do it..."
Do you think I'm just a useless playboy who runs away when trouble comes?"
But he must be looking extremely miserable right now, and not at all graceful, so it's better not to let her know.
Seeing his second brother's slightly crazy expression, Cui Tang curiously asked: "Who is he (she)?"
"I won't tell you..."
The voice that concealed the young man's secret thoughts disappeared, and Cui Lang closed his eyes weakly.
…
"Lang'er is really out of character today. I hope my father doesn't have the same experience as him..."
In the study room of father and son, Cui Ai stood in front of his father, apologizing for his second son.
Cui Ju sat behind the desk and shook his head when he heard this: "It's a good thing that Liu Lang is making progress."
Cui Ai was stunned when he heard this. His words and deeds were rebellious and he had no respect for his elders. This is called progress? He felt that he was getting closer to the rebellious son.
"When Liulang is well enough, we will send him back to Qinghe in the name of punishment."
Cui Wei was even more surprised: "Father..."
Cui Ju interrupted him: "From now on, he will be the eldest grandson of the direct line eldest son of the Cui family in Qinghe."
Cui Wei suddenly clenched his fingers, his eyes uncertain.
"I will personally select twenty disciples of his age from the clan and return to Qinghe with him to accompany him and urge him to study and learn."
There was no room for discussion or change in the old man's words.
Cui Ai's thoughts went back and forth for a long time before he said: "Yes, my son understands."
He knew his father's painstaking efforts, and he also suddenly understood why his father had suddenly thought of cultivating Lang'er, sending Lang'er to the Imperial Academy, and letting Lang'er "contaminate" the habits of those outside the noble family and make friends with the children of poor families.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Lang'er's rebellious behavior today is inseparable from the experience of this year.
Therefore, my father had prepared for this day.
But……
Thinking of what the clan had agreed upon today, Cui Hao hesitated again and again, and finally spoke: "Then the matter of treason...does it have to be like this?"
He could hear that the dissatisfaction of those tribesmen was originally just to let his father put pressure on the traitorous son, but his father directly made such a decisive decision.
Hearing this "rebellious son", Cui Ju looked at his son and asked with mixed emotions: "Isn't this exactly what you want to see?"
——"As a father, aren't your every move over the years pushing him away step by step?"
Cui Ai didn't know how he left. His steps were slow and everything was quiet. Only his father's voice echoed in his mind from time to time.
He looked up at the towering courtyard walls. The mansion was submerged in the night, and it was difficult to see the end at a glance. In the past, he thought that Cui's Xuanhe had no end. But at this moment, when he looked at this boundless heritage, he could only see the end.
The confusion of the unknown.
Who can keep them?
The stars and moon gradually fade away, and the morning sun rises slowly.
In the residence where Qiao Jijiu was staying in the Imperial Academy, the few servants and maids all had smiles on their faces, which was even more festive than the New Year.
This morning, Qiao Jijiu walked out of his son's room.
Last night, my wife held her daughter and cried hard all night. She thought he was in the way and kicked him out. Even though she was kicked out, she was still happy.
The four members of the Qiao family had breakfast together. One of Qiao Jijiu and Qiao Yubai went to work, while the other went to class. Soon the good news about their family spread throughout the Imperial College.
Qiao Yumian went to the study to write letters. Although she had not written any poems over the years, she had never written with a pen. She was unfamiliar with writing, and the things she wrote made her laugh at first.
"If Ning Ning saw this, she wouldn't know how to laugh at me."
Xiaoqiu said from the side: "No way, Mrs. Chang will only be happy for the girl."
Qiao Yumian smiled after hearing this, picked up the pen again, and continued to write: "That's all, it would be good if I could really make Ning Ning smile."
Her first letter after recovering from her eye disease was destined to be dedicated to Ning Ning, to wrong Ning Ning's eyes.
Qiao Yumian wrote two letters seriously and as soon as she put them into the envelope, she heard a message coming from her servant, saying that a visitor was coming to her door.
A group of little girls came. Qiao Yumian went to the front hall to meet the guests. When she looked at them, she felt hundreds of flowers blooming in front of her face.
The girls gathered around and happily congratulated her on her recovery from the eye disease.
"Sister Qiao, guess who I am?" a girl asked with bright eyes.
Qiao Yumian smiled and replied: "Of course it's sister Axia."
"Sister Qiao must have heard my voice!" Yao Xia pulled another girl in front of him and asked Qiao Yumian to guess.
Qiao Yumian looked at the calm and elegant girl in front of her and said, "This must be Sister Chunbai."
Yao Xia refused to admit defeat and grabbed another one: "What about this one?"
"It must be Sister Miaoqing from Duke Zheng's mansion."
Upon being recognized at the first sight, Wei Miaoqing was filled with emotion - now that Mrs. Chang is not in the capital, she is the most beautiful girl in the capital, and of course the most recognizable among the crowd.
Yao Xia refused to give up and asked Qiao Yumian to continue guessing until Qiao Yumian guessed wrong, and the recognition game ended.
The hall was filled with chatter and laughter, and Mrs. Wang personally brought tea and snacks to entertain them.
In the next two days, guests or relatives who learned about the incident came to visit one after another.
On the third day, it was the day off for the Imperial College. Xiaoqiu came back from outside and said with a smile: "Girl, the husband's friends and classmates are also here to visit the girl today. The husband of the Hu family is here!"
So is he here too?
Qiao Yumian had not seen Cui Lang for several days. She wanted to ask but was not embarrassed to ask, so she asked Xiao Qiu to change her clothes and personally selected the pearl and flower jewelry.
She went to the front hall in a hurry, but when she approached the front hall, she slowed down again, straightened her clothes nervously, and asked Xiaoqiu in a low voice: "...Is there anything wrong?"
Xiaoqiu smiled and shook her head: "No, no, girls are good everywhere!"
Qiao Yumian slightly curved the corners of her mouth, and quietly took two long breaths before walking into the hall.
There were many people in the hall, and apart from her father and brother, most of them had young faces. After Qiao Yumian bowed, she looked at the young supervisors, and when she met their smiling eyes, she gradually felt doubtful in her heart.
It seems that he is not here.
Seeing her expression, Hu Huan took the lead and said: "Ms. Qiao, I am Hu Huan!"
The remaining supervising students also reported their names. Qiao Yumian nodded to them one by one. They were all names she had heard before. Most of them were friends with her brother who called her junior sister and took care of her as his younger sister.
people.
But why was he the only one who didn't come?
Why didn't the person who took care of her the most and always followed her quietly to protect her never come?
Rather than being disappointed, what first appeared in Qiao Yumian's heart was a hint of worry.
Not long after, rapid footsteps suddenly came from outside the hall behind her.
Qiao Yumian almost immediately turned around to look.
A young man in brocade clothes came, panting: "We have news!"
The person who came was still not him, but he brought news about him.
"Cui Liulang suffered a family injury three days ago. He was seriously injured. I heard that he is about to die!" This young man was friends with Cui Lang and he was also a man of no stinginess.
Everyone was shocked when they heard this.
"How could it be so serious!"
"What kind of rule has Cui Liulang committed?"
"Let's go see him quickly!" Hu Huan was so frightened that if he really died, he would have to see him one last time, right?
"He can't be seen..." the young man said out of breath, "The Cui family has locked him up and no one is allowed to see him!"
"Then... what about climbing over the wall and sneaking there at night?"
Although Qiao Yubai was in an anxious mood, he did not forget to remind him: "... if you break into someone else's house without any reason, the owner can kill you on the spot according to the law."
The Cui family protected the courtyard at every level, fearing that they would be beaten to death first if Cui Liulang was still alive.
"What to do!"
The free-spirited young man almost cried: "What should I do? The worst result can only be to do it in a glamorous way..."
Hu Huan kicked him hard: "Wang Zeyu, stop saying such bad things!"
Amid the noise, Qiao Yumian tightened her sleeves.
In the end, Qiao Jijiu's envoy came forward and went to Cui's house to inquire about the news. Cui Lang was a supervisor of the Imperial College, so as a Jijiujiu, he naturally had the position to intervene.
The Cui family's response was that Cui Lang was fine, but he had violated clan rules and would be sent back to his old residence in Qinghe to reflect. As for the Imperial College, he would not go there again in the future.
After Qiao Yubai and others heard the news, they were glad that Cui Lang was safe and sound, but they couldn't help but feel a little depressed.
…
Before the disaster relief imperial envoy Zhan Shilang and his entourage arrived in Heluo, the Cui family arrived in Xingyang the day before and found Cui Jing.
They came with the order of the head of the family. The old man who headed them had served as prime minister in two dynasties and was very prestigious in the clan. The next day, they opened a ancestral hall in a house of the Cui family in Xingyang, invited the clan members to witness
, displaying Cui Jing’s faults.
He was disobedient and unfilial, violated family rules, insulted the Cui family tradition, and refused to change despite repeated admonitions. All of them were listed in detail. Even when he was over 20 years old, he was unwilling to start a family and continue the family life, which became evidence of his unfilial piety——
No one mentioned anything about the Zheng family explicitly, but everyone knew why all this happened.
Finally, the old man's voice was hoarse and majestic: "Da Lang, do you have anything to say?"
Faced with all these "evidences," the young man standing at the bottom of the stone steps lowered his eyes: "Cui Jing, I have nothing to say."
