Chapter 305: The Xie Family Must Die

Chapter 305: The Xie Family Must Perish

Qin Silang once again deeply realized that he was redundant.

Qin Yuanqing.

Qin Yuanyu.

Qin Yuanduo.

Yes, Qin Yuanduo was him.

He seriously suspected his father was hinting that he was redundant.

Fine, he also felt redundant.

When it came to major family affairs, he was always left behind. As the folk saying went, he was always a day late and a dollar short.

While he was engrossed in cockfighting and raising crickets, the once-glorious House of Xin had suddenly crumbled to dust, and his father had risen to become the most powerful minister in Daqian, second only to the emperor.

By the time he understood the affairs between men and women and wallowed in pleasure, his eldest brother, not yet thirty, had already established himself in court, while his second brother, barely twenty, had earned military merits in bandit suppression and was praised as a young general.

Only he…

Was a good-for-nothing.

Ah, whatever.

He might as well accept being a good-for-nothing.

It was clear his father had no intention of preparing him for an official career.

“What’s that ‘oh’ for?!” Grand Tutor Qin scolded sharply.

“You can’t stand properly, can’t sit properly—just a total deadbeat! After a lifetime of valor, how did I end up with a useless son like you?”

Qin Silang knew he was just caught in the crossfire, but he couldn’t help defending himself: “But I *am* useful.”

The moment he said this, even Mrs. Qin broke into a cold sweat on his behalf.

“Eldest Brother is a monk when it comes to women. At thirty, he has only one wife, no concubines or bedmaids, and just one daughter.”

“As for Second Brother…”

Qin Silang clicked his tongue. “Well, you know how he is.”

When the coolly unhinged Empress Dowager Xie ordered a marriage, she meant it.

In other words, Qin Erlang’s only proper wife in this lifetime could only be Xiang Rongyue.

“So, Father, I can carry on the Qin family line.”

“I love women—I’ll take three wives and four concubines, fill the house (with children), and make the Qin family flourish. Then I’ll hand over my kids to Eldest Brother.”

“The Qin family will thrive for generations.”

Grand Tutor Qin rubbed his temples. “You’re a *real* blessing to this family.”

Then, pushing Qin Silang away, he helped Qin Erlang up and marched out, adding as he left, “Mrs. Qin, go ask Lady Qiao if she’s done what she was asked.”

Mrs. Qin’s face froze.

Seeing this, Qin Yuanqing patiently reassured her, "Mother, Qiao Yiniang is lowborn and only has one daughter, Wanrou. She’s no threat. Don’t waste your energy on her."

"If you’d rather not see her, I’ll send Fu Xi instead."

Mrs. Qin seemed distant and sighed softly. "Yuanqing, you don’t understand."

Qin Yuanqing frowned slightly—he truly didn’t.

He found romantic entanglements between men and women troublesome and exhausting.

That was why he had only one wife. They were civil to each other, more like roommates than a married couple.

"Mother, Father is already past fifty," Qin Yuanqing said, letting the words hang.

With one foot in the grave, yet still hung up on love and vows.

Mrs. Qin detected the coldness in Qin Yuanqing’s voice and smiled self-deprecatingly before waving her hand. "Let Fu Xi go, then."

"The household is a mess. I need to handle the aftermath."

Qin Yuanqing nodded and left without another word.

Qin Silang bit his lip, hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward and gently took Mrs. Qin’s arm. Softly, he said, "Mother, once I marry and set up my own house, I’ll bring you to live with me and take good care of you."

Mrs. Qin’s brow relaxed slightly. "Have a bunch of concubines wait on me?"

"You..."

She raised her hand and lightly tapped Qin Silang’s forehead. "Silang, I don’t need you to be exceptional. I only hope you have an easy, peaceful, happy life."

"So, Mother wants me to be a wastrel?" Qin Silang asked bluntly.

Mrs. Qin murmured, "There’s nothing wrong with being a wastrel."

Overnight, after the palace coup, the Qin family shot to power.

She knew exactly how many bodies had been trampled underfoot for this ascent.

The loyal, upright, and accomplished Xin State Duke’s household was wiped out in the purge under the weight of power struggles.

And the Qin family?

What’s coming for us?

Mrs. Qin couldn’t bear to think about it, nor even advise too much.

Her husband, puffed up with pride, no longer heeded any dissenting words.

Qin Silang’s eyes darted nervously as he muttered, "Father thinks I’m an embarrassment."

"Then how about changing fathers?" Mrs. Qin’s words were startlingly blunt.

Qin Silang jerked back, letting go of her arm and standing frozen, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"Mother, what are you saying?"

A different father?

"You want to divorce and remarry?"

"Father would never agree."

Father holds the rank of Grand Preceptor, first-grade, and Mother is a first-rank titled Lady, granted imperial privilege by His Majesty to meet the Empress without kneeling.

Under such circumstances, Father would sooner become a widower than consent to divorce or repudiation. Even if, by some remote chance, they divorced, no one in Daqian would dare take Mother as wife.

Madam Qin lowered her gaze slightly, a faint smile playing at her lips as she replied softly, "No."

"Mother intends to have you adopted into your late uncle's line."

Qin Silang grew even more astonished, exclaiming, "Mother!"

Madam Qin's expression remained unchanged. "Silang, your hands are unstained. Perhaps you should embrace a different destiny."

Qin Silang: This makes no sense. None at all.

Madam Qin continued, "Silang, ponder this carefully. If you change your mind in the future, you can always tell me. I will do my best to persuade your father."

Qin Silang murmured, "I'm content as Father's son."

Madam Qin regarded him with a sorrowful smile, her eyes filled with boundless grief.

…

The Palace.

Every detail of what transpired at the Qin family’s Winding Stream Banquet was reported verbatim to the Emperor.

"The Empress Dowager nurses grievances. Letting her vent is for the best."

"Should she suppress it, I would worry about her health."

"Are there any questionable persons around the Empress Dowager?"

"Your Majesty, none have been detected."

The Emperor frowned, lost in thought.

Could it be that the Empress Dowager's elaborate departure from the palace was merely to shame the Qin and Xiang families?

"You may withdraw."

"Continue monitoring closely. I must know every move the Empress Dowager makes."

The Emperor gently massaged his temples, leaning back in his chair with closed eyes, his gaze betraying a hint of confusion.

Does my sister-in-law also wish for me to perish without a proper burial?

He knew why the Empress Dowager targeted Minister Xiang’s eldest daughter.

The Empress Dowager’s niece—the young lady of the Xie family, who would respectfully address him as "Your Highness" and affectionately call him "cousin"—was hounded to her death by Minister Xiang’s eldest daughter.

It was never his intention that the Xie family’s young lady should die.

Yet her end came cruelly.

The blood splattered on the gray brick wall beside the petition drum faded year after year.

So faint it nearly blended into the stains.

As for the Qin family...

If given the chance, Empress Dowager Xie would not hesitate to exterminate the entire Qin family line.

A blood feud beyond reconciliation.

He understood this perfectly.

Yet he could not bring himself to move against Empress Dowager Xie.

She was both his older sister-in-law and a mother figure to him.

If only she could just stay dutiful and devoted, fully committing to her role as dowager empress during his reign—how wonderful that would be.

He would do better than Xiao Cheng.

The emperor let out a quiet sigh, his mind awash with memories of his youth, leaving him without a moment's peace.

He heard Emperor Wencheng calling him "A-Yao."

He heard Emperor Jingxiang calling him "Imperial Uncle."

He heard the Xie family members questioning him.

He had grown up under the care of Emperor Wencheng and Empress Dowager Xie.

"Take Lu Minghui into custody."