AD (QT) Chapter 140

Han Xingwang’s broken leg was quite severe, but after nearly half a year of healing, it should have mended by now if treated properly. However, his leg remained useless, and he still couldn’t walk, indicating a lack of appropriate medical care.

Seeing Liu Jiahua able to walk again made him increasingly anxious. He had a sinking feeling that if his leg didn’t recover soon, he would be paralyzed. He was only in his fifties; how could he be content spending the rest of his life in bed?

Summoning his sons, he said expressionlessly, “I need medical treatment. The village herbalist’s skills are too poor to heal me. Go to town and hire a doctor to treat my leg.”

Han Chengming and his brothers looked troubled. Hiring a doctor was one thing, but where would the silver come from?

Han Xingwang sneered, “What? Unwilling?”

The second son, Han Chengzong, said, “Dad, Big Brother is already married with children, but the marriages for Chengnu and me are still unsettled. We’ve done almost all the heavy work in this house, yet now we don’t even have the silver to marry…”

He glanced at Han Chengnu, who stepped forward. “Dad, we know you cherish Big Brother and the nephews, but please cherish Second Brother and me too. At least let us take wives.”

After speaking, he lowered his head dejectedly.

“Do you mean to say you intend to ignore your father’s life and death?” Han Xingwang knew these two younger sons had no silver, but they were young and strong; could they not go out and earn it?

Han Chengzong replied, “We aren’t ignoring you. Let Big Brother handle your treatment for now. Once we have wives, we will naturally provide for you in your old age.”

Han Chengnu nodded in agreement. “Dad has three sons; the cost of the treatment should be split equally.”

Han Chengming’s face darkened. There are three sons, yet in the end, I’m the only one expected to pay? What logic is this?

Han Chengzong looked at him. “The silver we earned is all with Mom. If Mom wants to take it out to treat Dad, I have nothing to say.”

Han Chengnu added, “I have nothing to say either.”

Han Chengming gritted his teeth in hatred. Their parents had been treating their injuries for so long; there wasn’t a copper left.

Chengzong and Chengnu wore mocking smiles. For years, almost all the family’s money had been spent on the eldest branch. Back then, Han Ze was supplementing them, and they were too young to marry, so they said nothing. But in the last two years, Han Ze had cut them off and taken back the land, causing the family income to plummet.

Jixue and Jiwen’s schooling was the biggest drain on their silver. With less income and more expenses, they had been losing money every year, surviving only on their savings. They knew those savings were split: one part for the parents’ retirement and one part for their marriages.

Now, because of the brothers’ fighting, the parents were injured, and more than half the savings were gone. The parents refused to take out the rest, and the sons didn’t press them. As for marriage, they knew they couldn’t rely on their ailing parents; they had hands and feet and could earn the silver themselves.

However, being asked to earn silver specifically for the old man’s leg made them feel indignant. The family’s money had been spent on the eldest branch; now that it was gone, why should they be the ones to work to pay for the treatment?

…

Han Xingwang looked expectantly at his eldest son. He didn’t care who paid, as long as his leg was treated.

Han Chengming braced himself. “Dad, I have no silver. You know Jixue and Jiwen need to study…”

As soon as Han Xingwang heard this evasion, his face fell. He hissed, “So you all intend to abandon me?”

Han Chengming felt bitter. He wanted to help, but his strength didn’t match his will. How could he?

Liu Jiahua listened for a long while. Seeing that father and sons were about to turn against each other, she hurriedly said, “Go to town and get a doctor first. We’ll do as much as we can. We can’t let your father lie in bed like this forever. As for the silver, I still have a little left. Once it’s gone, it’s gone. After that, your father and I will rely on you.”

Inwardly, she was also full of bitterness. She never thought she’d spend her whole life in comfort only to end up destitute in her old age.

Han Chengming was relieved. “Don’t worry, Mom. With us three brothers, we won’t let you suffer.”

Chengzong and Chengnu just smiled mockingly. Mom is still biased toward the eldest after all.

However, after the doctor from town examined him, he only shook his head and sighed. There had been hope for the leg, but the best time for treatment had passed. The condition had worsened; it would require a combination of acupuncture, medicine, and massage, which would cost a fortune—and even then, a full recovery wasn’t guaranteed.

Han Xingwang’s heart turned cold. He began to hate his sons and stopped caring for their future. He snapped, “I want the treatment. Even a little improvement is better than this!”

Liu Jiahua had no choice but to buy the medicine. But even with her remaining savings, it only covered half a month of herbs. There was no silver left.

After half a month of acupuncture and medicine, Han Xingwang felt sensation returning to his leg. He saw hope. This doctor truly was capable! If he continued, he would surely walk again. He said excitedly to his sons, “I have feeling in my leg! The medicine is out—hurry and get the silver to continue!”

Han Chengming frowned. “Dad, one dose costs a tael of silver. Where are we supposed to get that kind of money?”

Han Xingwang’s joy vanished. “Are you just going to watch me stay paralyzed?”

Han Chengming’s lips moved, but he was overwhelmed with worry.

Han Xingwang stared at them. Seeing they were unwilling to pay, he felt a surge of coldness. He had raised these sons for nothing. He said darkly, “Fine, fine. Truly my ‘good’ sons. Since you are unfilial, don’t blame me for what I do next.”

Han Chengming looked up in alarm. “Dad, what do you mean?”

Han Xingwang sneered. “What do I mean? If I can’t control you, someone else will.”

Han Chengzong said in disbelief, “Do you mean to sue us for being unfilial?”

Han Xingwang only gave a cold smile. His expression made it clear: if they didn’t treat him, he would sue them.

Han Chengnu panicked. If his father sued them, who would ever marry their daughter to him? He said hurriedly, “Big Brother, how much silver do you have left? Take it out! All the family’s money was spent on you; it’s time you did your part!”

Han Chengzong added, “If you’re so afraid of being sued, and you want Jixue and Jiwen to be able to take the exams in the future, then you’d better stop letting your silver rot in your pocket.”

To protect his reputation, Han Chengming was forced to surrender his last twenty taels. Han Xingwang didn’t feel happy when he saw the silver; he only felt disappointment and rage. Didn’t this son say he had no silver? Where did this come from?

Facing the strange looks from his family, Chengming growled, “This is all of it. If you ask for more, there is none.”

Han Xingwang didn’t care. He was a selfish man who had seen the coldness of his sons. He took the silver and had Liu Jiahua take him to town for acupuncture.

…

Twenty taels was a lot for a farm family, enough to buy several mu of land, but for medical treatment, it was only fifteen days’ worth. A full recovery would take hundreds of taels. With no silver left, what could they do? Even if the sons worked now, they couldn’t earn enough for the medicine.

Seeing the treatment working, Han Xingwang refused to give up. He grabbed Liu Jiahua’s arm. “Go beg Han Ze. Beg him to lend us some silver, alright?”

Liu Jiahua pulled her arm away. “You know how cold-hearted he is. Why would he lend us anything?”

Han Xingwang snorted. “You just don’t want to go. He’s your son. If you just throw away your pride and make a scene, can he really ignore you? Even if he doesn’t care for you, he has to care for his own son’s reputation. As long as he wants Han Shubuo to be a scholar, he can’t ignore his own mother.”

Liu Jiahua thought to herself: If I did that, Han Ze would hate me to death. I’d never even get my half-bowl of meat again.

After everything, she realized she couldn’t count on Chengming and his brothers. If she didn’t want to starve, she had to rely on Han Ze. She couldn’t afford to offend him for the old man’s sake.

Han Xingwang’s face darkened. “You’re unwilling?”

Liu Jiahua looked at him and said bluntly, “I am. Your leg was broken by Chengming and the others. They are the ones who are useless; why should Han Ze be blamed?”

Han Xingwang was stunned, then gave a mocking laugh. “Now you remember Han Ze isn’t my son? Why didn’t you think of that when you were plotting against him?”

Exposed, Liu Jiahua said angrily, “No matter how I plotted, I’m his mother! What does that have to do with you? If you want to blame someone, blame your family’s ancestors for being bad luck to their descendants!”

She left him and ran off. Han Xingwang lay in bed, unable to believe she had just abandoned him. He pounded the bed in rage. All of them… white-eyed wolves!

…

Without silver, Han Xingwang couldn’t get treatment, and Jixue and Jiwen couldn’t pay their tuition. Chengzong and Chengnu couldn’t get wives. Yet, Liu Jiahua still got her half-bowl of meat every day.

In the past, she would have shared some with her grandsons, but after the recent cold treatment from the family, her heart had hardened. She wouldn’t give a single piece to anyone, not even her favorites. The atmosphere at home was freezing; everyone had their own schemes.

Han Jixue had tricked Jiwen into missing the Departmental Exams, thinking he could spend two years studying until he became a tongsheng. Now he couldn’t even go to school because of the old man’s leg. He went to find Han Chengming. “Dad, have you thought about splitting the family?”

Han Chengming’s eyes flashed, but then he shook his head dejectedly. “Your grandfather won’t agree.”

Han Jixue knew the old man wouldn’t agree, but there was always a way.

Han Jiwen said from the side, “Dad, I plan to earn silver by copying books. If I can earn enough for tuition, can I keep studying?” He knew he couldn’t rely on his parents; he had to find his own way. He didn’t dream of being a juren, but he wanted to at least be a xiucai so he could be a teacher in town.

Han Chengming’s eyes lit up. “Is that possible?”

Han Jiwen nodded. “Many students at the academy copy books to earn copper coins.”

Han Chengming was satisfied; he was starting to really like this son. He looked at Jixue. “And you? What’s your plan?”

Han Jixue felt a surge of secret hatred. He had actually been copying books for a long time and had saved several taels, but he hadn’t expected the “dunce” Jiwen to reveal the secret. He could only say, “I can copy books too, Dad.”

Han Chengming smiled. “Fine. If you earn the tuition, you can study. I’ll find a way for the exam fees.”

Han Jixue reminded him, “We should split the family first, or Grandpa will just take our silver for his leg.”

Han Shubuo was already a scholar, and Jixue was many steps behind. He felt that if he didn’t catch up soon, he would live in Shubuo’s shadow forever once the boy became a juren. How could he be content being suppressed by a little fool?

But Big Uncle’s family had moved to the county seat. Even if Jixue wanted to act, he was too young and had no money. He could only plot against his own family first until he became a scholar himself and had some power.

Han Chengming stiffened. “Right. We must split the family.”

…

However, splitting was easier said than done. Not only did Han Xingwang refuse, but Liu Jiahua did too. Without splitting, the sons were laborers; they did all the field work and Liu Jiahua didn’t have to lift a finger.

Once they split, since the old man was crippled, the sons wouldn’t help her, so she would have to do the farming herself. She used the excuse that the two younger sons weren’t married yet to insist on staying together.

But Chengzong and Chengnu knew the family silver was going to the old man’s leg. They didn’t even expect the family to pay for their weddings anymore. They were eager to split; with a few mu of land and jobs in town, they could save enough for wives in two years. Besides, as unmarried men with their own land, they would be more attractive to potential brides.

When the parents refused to budge, the sons’ resentment grew. They treated the elders poorly and complained constantly. The family no longer looked like relatives but like enemies, with endless arguments and friction.

The conflict peaked when Han Jiwen earned two taels from copying books, paid his tuition, and returned to the academy. Chengzong and Chengnu assumed the parents had secretly paid for the eldest branch again and grew even more resentful. Han Xingwang, meanwhile, was furious that his son had silver but wouldn’t give it for his leg. Under Han Jixue’s subtle instigation, the entire family broke into another fight.

After the fight, Chengzong and Chengnu were completely disillusioned. Without a formal split, they simply left for town to find work and didn’t return for an entire year. They saved several taels and decided they were better off never going home.

Han Jixue had successfully driven off his two uncles, but he soon found out he still had to pay his own way. His grandfather was so bitter toward his sons that he no longer trusted his grandsons. Every harvest, he took all the silver from the grain sales to treat his leg.

Seeing his hopes fading, Han Jixue began to look at the old man with a bone-chilling coldness.

Han Jiwen accidentally caught that look and was terrified. He became even more silent, copying books in every spare moment while secretly watching his brother. He eventually realized Jixue was poisoning their grandfather. He didn’t know what the medicine was, but he saw the old man’s spirit withering day by day. His heart almost hammered out of his chest with fear.

…

Having moved to the county, Han Ze’s family stopped paying attention to Han Xingwang. After six months at the government school, Han Shubuo went on a study tour with his classmates and didn’t return until two years later. By then, both Han Shuxin and Han Shuqing were engaged.

Shuxin’s fiancé was Liu Yu, Shubuo’s classmate who had also become a scholar. He was six years older than Shubuo. After Han Ze moved to the county, Shubuo often invited Liu Yu over. Liu Yu was moved by Shuxin’s gentle and virtuous nature, and finding out she had also studied with Han Ze, he felt she was his perfect match. He asked his family to propose.

Han Ze liked Liu Yu; the boy didn’t have Shubuo’s genius, but with hard work, he could become a juren. With a good teacher, even a jinshi title was possible in ten years. Most importantly, he was sincere and kind, a perfect match for the gentle Shuxin.

As for Han Shuqing, she was a girl with her own ideas. She didn’t want to marry into a scholarly family with too many rules, nor did she want a man who was “too smart” and might scheme against her. She wanted someone simple and a comfortable life. Han Ze couldn’t bear to let her marry a peasant.

As luck would have it, the third son of a wealthy family in the prefectural city, Wang Yun, caught sight of her. He was a kind and simple man, though slightly frail. His family didn’t expect him to achieve greatness; they just wanted him to have a peaceful life. He had no interest in fame and spent his days traveling and enjoying life. He sent a matchmaker to propose.

Han Ze was surprised—how did the Wang family from the prefectural city even know them? It turned out Shuqing and her mother had helped the Wang elders while at a temple the previous month.

Han Ze was gratified. His children were no longer cowardly or timid; they were resilient and kind, with their own views. He didn’t have to worry about them after marriage.

…

Han Ze provided lavish dowries for both daughters: manors, land, courtyards, shops, jewelry, silks, and books. He spent nearly ten thousand taels on each, and gave them an extra five thousand taels of silver privately. The total cost for the two weddings was nearly thirty thousand taels.

Han Maode, Wang Lanhua, and the visiting villagers were all speechless.

The Wang family, being wealthy, thought nothing of it, but the Liu family was stunned and didn’t dare to look down on their new daughter-in-law.

Han Shubuo was thirteen now. He had skipped the juren exams the previous year but planned to try in two years. He spent another year traveling and even wrote a book about his journey, which he sent to Han Ze. During his travels, he was accepted as a student by a great master in the south who was famous for producing jinshi and even Top Scorers.

Reading his son’s letter, Han Ze sighed. Talent, luck, and family background—it was rare to have even one, yet his son seemed to have them all.

Half a year later, Shubuo returned, studied for a few months, and headed to the prefectural city for the exams. He passed as the Jiejuan¹Top Scorer of the Provincial Exam, becoming a juren.

…

The family had been in the county for five years, only returning to the village for ancestral rites. Now that the grandson was a juren, Han Maode planned to return for a formal sacrifice.

But as soon as they arrived, Han Chengming came wailing to announce that Han Xingwang and Liu Jiahua had both died in their room.

Han Maode was shocked, then cursed them in his heart for being “bad luck.” His grandson was a juren and had finally returned, only to be met with this. Liu Jiahua had been a nuisance her whole life, and she even managed to disgust them in death.

Han Ze remained calm. He looked at Han Shubuo. “She was your grandmother; go and see her one last time.”

Shubuo nodded with a bitter smile. He had no feelings for her, but he had to observe the mourning period. He had planned to take the Metropolitan Exams next year, but that was impossible now. No matter; in three years, he would be even more prepared to take the Top Scorer title.

Han Ze patted his shoulder. “Let nature take its course. You’re only fifteen; a few years of tempering will make you even more convincing when you enter officialdom.”

Han Xingwang and Liu Jiahua had died suddenly. Chengzong, who was a son-in-law in a different town, and Chengnu, who lived in town, only returned once they heard the news.

When Han Chengming saw Han Ze, he treated him like his savior. “Big Brother, I’ll do whatever you say regarding Mom’s funeral.”

Han Ze frowned. “She was part of your family; do as you should. Tell me if you need anything.”

Han Chengming was relieved; as long as Han Ze paid, it was fine. He then turned to his brothers to discuss the old man’s funeral. Chengzong tried to back out since he was a “marrying out” son-in-law, but the brothers insisted he do his part.

With Han Ze’s help, Liu Jiahua’s funeral was decent. Han Xingwang’s was less so; the quality of their coffins was noticeably different. Regardless, they were both buried.

Han Jiwen no longer felt close to his brother Jixue. He knew Jixue had killed their grandparents, but he didn’t dare speak. He wanted his own future, and having a murderer for a brother would ruin his chances.

Han Chengming also suspected the truth, but he valued his son over his troublesome parents. Even if he knew the truth, he pretended not to, but he felt a chill whenever he looked at his eldest son. If he could be this heartless toward the grandparents who loved him, what about me? His favor shifted toward his younger sons.

…

Back at the manor, Han Shubuo and Han Ze were in the study. Shubuo frowned. “Dad, the deaths of Grandma and Han Xingwang were suspicious.”

Han Ze gave a cold laugh. He had noticed too.

Shubuo asked tentatively, “Dad, you…” How do you feel? She was your mother—can you really just let her be murdered without a word?

Han Ze looked at him. “We have no evidence.”

Shubuo slumped in disappointment.

Han Ze added, “Han Chengming is selfish but not murderous toward his parents. Han Jiwen is shallow and easily angered but lacks the courage. Only Han Jixue is dark, ruthless, and disregards family ties. Nine times out of ten, it was him.”

Shubuo’s eyes widened. “Why would he kill them?”

Han Ze snorted. “Because Han Xingwang’s leg required a fortune, which blocked his path to the exams. As for Liu Jiahua, she likely discovered what he was doing.”

Shubuo was enraged. “Are we just going to let him go free?”

Han Ze looked at him. “Just focus on your studies. A man who commits such evil will eventually be punished by others.”

Shubuo sighed. Without evidence, he could only let it go.