Chapter 7: Teaching Him a Lesson

“Looking at that useless boy, I doubt he’ll pass the exam,” Wei Ruyan remarked. “Even if he gets lucky and passes, he’d have to go to the capital for the imperial examination. He won’t be staying at our house for long anyway. So there’s no need to give him much of an allowance anymore.”

“I think one tael of silver a month… or even half a string of coins would suffice,” Wei Ruyan continued. “That should be enough for his paper and brushes, right?”

The high cost of quality writing materials and travel expenses to the capital were beyond Wei Ruyan’s consideration.

“If we save on his allowance, Mother, you won’t need to give me much extra. It’ll be enough for my hairpins.”

Madam Wei pondered for a moment. There was no need to compromise her daughter’s needs for an outsider.

Besides, Shen Shilang didn’t spend much usually, so he must have saved up quite a bit from his allowance.

Moreover, Wei Ruyan had a point. Shen Shilang was a grown man now; why should the Wei family still support him?

“I understand,” Madam Wei said. “I’ll think it over.”

Shen Shilang and Wei Jianming accompanied Wei Zhaoxian to the study.

Although Wei Zhaoxian was a military officer, he was also well-educated. He casually posed some questions to the two.

For questions Wei Jianming couldn’t answer, Shen Shilang also lowered his head and claimed ignorance.

When Wei Jianming could answer, Shen Shilang would stumble through most of the answer, leaving some parts unanswered.

On questions about current affairs that required personal opinions, Shen Shilang gave mediocre responses.

Wei Zhaoxian gazed at Shen Shilang for a long time.

Shen Shilang slightly lowered his eyes, avoiding Wei Zhaoxian’s gaze.

“Jianming, you may go now,” Wei Zhaoxian said.

Wei Jianming was surprised. He hadn’t answered some questions well, yet Wei Zhaoxian wasn’t punishing him?

“Yes, sir,” Wei Jianming glanced at Shen Shilang before quickly leaving.

“Come, let me see if you’ve been slacking in your martial arts training,” Wei Zhaoxian said, leading Shen Shilang to the courtyard.

But Shen Shilang’s body was covered in unhealed injuries; how could he engage in combat?

Wei Zhaoxian picked up a sword and tossed it to Shen Shilang.

Shen Shilang winced as he caught the sword. In that moment of pain, Wei Zhaoxian had already attacked.

Shen Shilang could only endure the pain and parry, but his whole body ached as his wounds were aggravated. Wei Zhaoxian’s attacks were forceful.

Shen Shilang could feel his wounds reopening.

In the next few moves, he barely managed to defend himself, his actions weak and powerless.

Wei Zhaoxian stopped, his face dark with anger. He shouted, “Kneel!”

Without a word, Shen Shilang knelt, facing the direction of the capital.

The bodies of the Shen family were nowhere to be found. To conceal Shen Shilang’s identity, Wei Zhaoxian didn’t dare set up memorial tablets for the Shen family in his home.

Since childhood, when punishing Shen Shilang, he would make him kneel facing the direction of the capital.

He was kneeling to the wronged souls of the Shen family in the capital.

“When I’m not home, you slack off,” Wei Zhaoxian scolded. “You can’t do well in your studies or martial arts. How can you face the Shen family like this!”

“I don’t expect you to seek revenge, but at least don’t be so mediocre. You should strive to achieve something, not tarnish the Shen family name!”

Shen Shilang remained silent, gazing towards the capital.

Wei Zhaoxian continued angrily, “If you can’t even do this much, how do you expect to seek revenge? At this rate, you might not even pass the provincial examination!”

“Only by passing the imperial examination and truly entering officialdom can you take the first step towards revenge.”

“Even if you pass, you’ll only start as a minor official. To reach the upper echelons, you’ll need to rely on your abilities and learning. But now…”

“But now, you can’t even answer these questions well. You can’t even cross the threshold for revenge, let alone think about the future.”

“Your father was such a brilliant man in his day. The whole capital praised the Shen family for having such a gem.”

Shen Shilang resembled his mother more, though.

Wei Zhaoxian’s gaze seemed to return to a time twenty-five years ago.

Back then, Shen Liangyu had entered the imperial cabinet at a young age, making a name for himself in the capital.

He investigated corruption and implemented reforms.

When the Turkic people invaded, Shen Liangyu single-handedly withstood immense pressure to allocate military funds, ensuring weapons and provisions for the army.

When Wei Zhaoxian requested reinforcements, Shen Liangyu personally supervised and forced General Lu to arrive on time.

It could be said that Wei Zhaoxian owed his life to Shen Liangyu.

If not for Shen Liangyu, he would have died on the battlefield long ago.

But such a good man was imprisoned for such a ridiculous reason and died mysteriously in jail.

The loyal Shen family, massacred entirely!

The more exceptional Shen Liangyu had been, the more disappointing it was to see Shen Shilang so mediocre now.

“If you only want to live peacefully and don’t care about anything else, then go back and rest now. Don’t bother with the imperial examinations in the future,” Wei Zhaoxian said coldly. “You can stay in the Wei mansion, and I can support you for life.”

“But if you still have some ambition, then kneel here!” With that, Wei Zhaoxian left in a huff.

Wei Zhaoxian returned to the main hall, the anger still visible on his face.

Wei Jianming had already hidden away, avoiding being seen by Wei Zhaoxian lest it remind him to get angry again.

Seeing Wei Zhaoxian like this, Madam Wei asked, “Is it because Jianming’s studies aren’t good enough?”

“He’s always been like that,” Wei Zhaoxian replied. He didn’t have high expectations for Wei Jianming.

Besides, Wei Jianming was too impulsive; he would easily cause trouble if he entered officialdom.

“Then what has made you so unhappy?” Madam Wei asked carefully.

Wei Zhaoxian sighed and asked, “How is Shilang doing in the mansion? Is he diligent in his studies and martial arts?”

Hearing this was about Shen Shilang, Madam Wei felt even more upset.

Wei Zhaoxian didn’t even care this much about Wei Jianming.

No wonder Wei Jianming and Wei Ruyan disliked Shen Shilang so much.

Madam Wei observed Wei Zhaoxian’s reaction, “Did Shilang’s performance disappoint you today when you tested him?”

“His answers were mediocre, and when I tested his martial arts, his moves were weak and powerless. He’s truly incompetent in both literary and martial pursuits!” Wei Zhaoxian said angrily.

Madam Wei knew that Shen Shilang had just been whipped, and she became nervous, fearing that Wei Zhaoxian might notice Shen Shilang’s injuries. “So… has he gone back now?”

“Gone back? He’s kneeling in the courtyard of my study,” Wei Zhaoxian replied. Although he had given Shen Shilang a choice, he knew Shen Shilang would continue kneeling.

Madam Wei feared that if Shen Shilang knelt for too long, Wei Zhaoxian might discover his injuries. She quickly said, “He’s usually quite good. It’s just that studying every day can be tiring. Look at how hot it is now; if he kneels until he gets sick, how will he handle the upcoming provincial examination?”

“Besides, he’s been kneeling for a while now, hasn’t he? He must have realized his mistake by now,” Madam Wei continued. “Shilang is a good child.”

Wei Zhaoxian felt sympathetic too. Hearing Madam Wei’s words, he took the opportunity to say, “Alright, tell him to get up.”

Madam Wei quickly signaled to her maid, Liu Mama, “Hurry and tell Shilang to go back and rest.”

She didn’t want Shen Shilang to come over and risk Wei Zhaoxian discovering his injuries.