Chapter 571: Old General Su Returns to the Family (Part 2)

Chapter 571: Old General Su Returns to the Family (Part 2)

Old General Su had been estranged from his family for half his life, blaming his parents for favoring his elder brother and younger brothers.

Now, in his old age, upon returning to the family, he came to understand the truth. In his wild youth, his parents had silently borne the family’s wrath countless times on his behalf. The clan elders had berated them for lax parenting, bringing shame to the family, yet he remained unrepentant.

He’d stormed out of the house, but his parents had secretly searched for him multiple times. Only when they learned he’d built a life in Yun Lang’s vassal state, living happily with his wife, did they finally rest easy.

Because of his childish misdeeds, his parents had been humiliated within the clan. His elder brother and younger brothers were ostracized by other branches of the family, branded as stains on the clan’s pristine reputation. If not for their father’s court position, their branch would have long been expelled from the clan.

In his times of hardship, his elder brother and younger brothers never extended a helping hand—not out of indifference, but out of fear that if others in the clan discovered he had enlisted in the military of Yun Lang, he’d be scrubbed from the family records for good, leaving him utterly homeless.

That his name remained in the family register was only because his parents had knelt in the ancestral hall for three days and nights. When the clan elders still refused to relent, his father was forced to offer his resignation as a plea, begging for his son’s name to be spared.

The Su clan prided itself on its unblemished reputation, with many esteemed elders but few serving in court. Yet for a large family to survive, even if they disdained the corruption of the imperial court, they needed members in official positions to safeguard their stability.

Old General Su had never known that the resentment he harbored for half his life was misplaced—that his parents and siblings had suffered far more than he had. And the root cause of it all was none other than himself.

After decades of blame, now he was twisting the knife, demanding they bow their heads first and admit fault. Truly, he was a disgrace to his ancestors, deserving of his parents’ refusal to let his elder brother inform him of their passing, and deserving of the rage he now provoked in his third brother, who was so furious he nearly lost his mind.

Kneeling in the ancestral hall for twenty-four hours straight without rising, Old General Su remained stubborn, unyielding to all appeals.

Outside, the sycophants who’d sided with one Su branch to spite the other had lingered for that day and night, waiting. But after Su Eldest Master and Mother Su arrived at the old residence, their sons drove away all the gossiping onlookers.

Eager to ingratiate themselves with the Su family, yet the Su family was a house of noble integrity, a beacon of morality in Langjing.

At Su San’s words, they knew they’d overplayed their hand and hastily retreated with their tails between their legs.

Once the outsiders were dealt with, the grandchildren gathered outside the ancestral hall, waiting. Yet by the next day, Old General Su still refused to emerge, seemingly intent on kneeling indefinitely.

"Su Erlang, you stubborn fool! Do you plan to kneel yourself to death and bring ruin upon the family?"

Su Eldest Master’s cane slammed furiously against the ground as he coughed in fury, his frail body trembling so violently it seemed he might collapse without support.

When their parents passed away, on their deathbeds, they had refused to summon their second son for a final meeting—precisely because they knew his temper. If he ever grasped the fallout of his youthful rebellion, he’d be crushed by remorse, unable to forgive himself. They would rather not see him than condemn him to a life of remorse.

Now, if not for the family’s desperate hour and the third brother’s critical condition, even if it meant breaking down the Su family’s gates, he would never have let this stubborn fool find out.

"Grand Uncle, you must take care of yourself! Grandfather is already stubborn enough. If you anger yourself further, he’ll only dig in deeper. Don’t be upset—I’ll drag him out myself and make sure he gets a good taste of your cane!"

Su Rao, fresh from needling Third Master Su back to stability, approached with Yun Ji. Hearing Su Eldest Master’s furious, breathless shouts—his aged frame trembling, his voice thin with exhaustion—she quickly called out, fearing the elder might faint from rage. If he dropped dead from rage, all hell would break loose.

In ancient times, few lived to their seventies or eighties. Reaching sixty was already rare, and the average lifespan barely reached forty or fifty. Those who lived to old age were mostly privileged elders from wealthy families. For common folk, surviving past fifty was considered long-lived.

Old General Su, though past sixty, remained hale and hearty thanks to years of martial training. Even now, his morning ritual began with a round of martial drills in the courtyard, keeping him vigorous despite his age.

Su Eldest Master, however, was different. Older than Old General Su and a frail scholar, his longevity was due only to his family’s meticulous care.

After being provoked repeatedly by Old General Su, it was no surprise he might fall seriously ill—or worse.

Third Master Su, not yet sixty, had already collapsed from anger. Su Eldest Master, being the patriarch, shouldered the clan’s weight, which was perhaps why he hadn’t broken yet.

After her shout, Su Rao walked to the ancestral hall’s door but did not push it open—it was barred from inside. To enter, she would have to break it down, but this was an ancestral hall, and not even her own family’s. If she forced her way in, Su Eldest Master might faint from shock before Old General Su emerged.

"Grandfather, your precious granddaughter will count to three. If you don’t come out by then, I’ll kneel outside with you. We’ll rise only when you’ve made up your mind."

Without waiting for a response, she counted aloud—three swift numbers. When no movement came, she knelt immediately, back straight, offering no further persuasion.

She understood Old General Su’s guilt. She could push him once, but not endlessly. If he chose to keep kneeling, she’d kneel beside him—his treasured granddaughter, unwavering.

As Su Rao dropped to her knees, Yun Ji followed suit, and then Su's father and the others knelt one by one, including the frail Su Er.

Su Er had already stood outside the ancestral hall all night, and now, kneeling like this, even though he tried hard to suppress the cough in his throat, he ultimately failed and let out a harsh cough.

Su Er’s wife, her eyes brimming with worry, rubbed his back to ease his discomfort but did not persuade him to rise, though she thought he shouldn’t kneel if he valued his health.

Su Er’s cough came once, then again. Though he struggled to hold it back, the more one suppressed such an ailment, the worse the coughing became.

When Su Er’s face flushed red from stifling his cough, the door of the ancestral hall finally opened. Old General Su stepped out, his breathing ragged. Seeing Su Er’s frail state made it even harder for him to calm his breathing.

In his youth, he had not received much affection from his parents, so he had always favored this second son more than Su's father and Su San. Moreover, Su Er had been left with this chronic illness from an old injury, which worsened as the weather grew colder. If he hadn’t come out now, Su Er might’ve been bedridden all winter, in misery.