Ashes to Crown

Chapter 46: Chapter 10: Letting Go

There was a hint of amusement in Xie Yanfang’s voice, but no one thought he was joking.

The younger kinsmen surrounding them watched Xie Yanfang not with scorn, but with admiration and fear. Even when he was just a teenager, he had accomplished things no one else in the entire Xie family could.

He could do as he pleased because he had the prowess to back it up.

The opportunities the Xie family enjoyed today were also won by him.

"I sent you from the Forbidden Guard Camp to the Posthouse Soldier Camp to give you a taste of a hard life." Xie Yanfang looked at Ah Jiu. "But I forgot—your life was already hard. This is nothing to you. Perhaps in your eyes, these days are even quite comfortable."

He let out a soft sigh.

"Yanlai, one cannot go through life seeking only one’s own comfort. Since that’s the case—"

Ah Jiu cut him off, his expression flat. "What I mean is, marriage is the most useless of affairs. It’s a task for the less capable members of the family. I, on the other hand, have no need for it."

Xie Yanfang was taken aback for a moment, then burst out laughing and gestured to the others. "Like Ah Xiao, for instance?"

Xie Xiao and the others had been listening to their conversation. Xie Xiao couldn’t stop himself from cursing, "Xie Yanlai, you motherfucker—"

"Who the fuck do you think you’re talking to?" Ah Jiu shot back, whirling around to point at Xie Xiao. "Is this how the Xie family taught you your manners? Do you have no respect for your elders?"

This only enraged Xie Xiao further. He spat a curse and started to charge forward. "What the hell are you? Who’s the one with no respect for his elders? What have you ever brought to the Xie family besides disgrace and ridicule? And you still have the nerve to call yourself capable! Who do you think you’re better than?"

The other young men started to shout in agreement.

"Enough!" Xie Yanfang rapped his fishing rod. The fish in the stream scattered, and the boisterous young men fell silent.

He looked at Ah Jiu first. "You shouldn’t speak about your family that way. A family isn’t a place to judge who is more capable than another."

He then turned to face the others.

"Not everyone in the family needs to strive for the top, to be erudite and multi-talented. Simply by being born, everyone has a right to exist. This is especially true for the sons of the Xie family. No matter what kind of person someone becomes, the family has a responsibility to ensure they never want for food or clothing. In the future, you must treat your own children the same way. This is the very meaning of a family."

The young men were both moved and delighted. Xie Yanfang was strict yet forgiving. He treated everyone with genuine sincerity and never looked down on anyone—something the other elders, who only knew how to put on airs, could never do. He was the true leader of the family in their eyes.

Xie Xiao pointed at Ah Jiu. "I, Xie Xiao, may be a good-for-nothing, but I don’t eat your food or drink your water! It’s not your place to look down on me!"

Facing the increasingly hostile glares from the young men, Ah Jiu showed not a trace of fear. He scoffed. "So you admit you’re a good-for-nothing, but you won’t allow people to look down on you?"

Just as the clamor was about to erupt again, Xie Yanfang tapped his fishing rod once more.

"That’s enough," he said. "I don’t expect you to put on a show of brotherly affection, but I am warning you."

As he spoke, his gaze swept over them all.

"Argue all you want at home. Just don’t embarrass the family out in the world."

"Don’t you worry, Third Uncle!" Xie Xiao immediately yelled, patting his round stomach. "I wouldn’t stoop to his level in public."

The others chimed in with their agreement.

For once, Ah Jiu also called out, "Third Brother, rest assured. I’ll test them in public and see if they keep their word."

’Damn it!’ Xie Xiao’s eyes widened in anger. ’What does he mean by that? Is that bastard planning to deliberately pick fights with us in public?’

Xie Yanfang looked at Ah Jiu, an amused smile breaking across his face.

"Very well. Since you’re unwilling, we’ll drop the matter," he said with a faint smile. "Then, just as you said, we’ll save you for other, more important tasks."

His smile was as gentle as a spring breeze, but the hand at Ah Jiu’s side clenched into a fist, and he averted his gaze.

"Go and get some rest. You’ll live at home from now on," Xie Yanfang said. "There’s no need to return to the Posthouse Soldier Camp. Go back to the Forbidden Guard Camp and continue to hone your skills."

Ah Jiu grunted in acknowledgment and turned to leave. A group of maids, who had been waiting at a distance among the pavilions, saw him and immediately rushed forward.

"Young Master Jiu." "Young Master Yanlai." They greeted him ecstatically. One supported his arm, another took his hand, and one who couldn’t grab anything else settled for tugging on the corner of his robe from behind. "The hot water is ready." "We’ve prepared all your favorite dishes." "Young Master, your hands have gotten so rough! Quick, let me rub some balm on them for you."

Chattering excitedly, they formed a bustling crowd around Ah Jiu as they led him away.

The other young men were filled with anger and jealousy. They had pretty maids too, and their maids were just as obedient and submissive, but they were somehow completely different from Xie Yanlai’s.

That genuine joy of theirs was poured out so freely, without the slightest reservation.

"Pah," Xie Xiao spat resentfully. "He only gets by on that pretty face of his."

"What’s the use of just a pretty face," another spat. "Take away his status as a Young Master of the Xie family, and I refuse to believe anyone would still be dying to follow him."

But one of them disagreed. He looked back at Xie Yanfang, who was sitting in the pavilion—a gentleman in simple robes, his hair as black as ink, his skin as fair as jade, his bearing as graceful as a soaring swan.

Xie Yanfang might have been a fraction less handsome than Xie Yanlai, but in terms of disposition and moral character, even ten Ah Jius couldn’t compare.

He said with conviction, "Even if Third Brother didn’t have the status of a Young Master of the Xie family, women would still be falling all over themselves to be with him."

The young men immediately chimed in with their agreement, with Xie Xiao shouting the loudest, "My wife often says she only agreed to marry into the family so she could see Third Uncle more often!"

Exasperated, Xie Yanfang shooed them away, telling them to stop spouting such nonsense.

The younger kinsmen retreated, and quiet returned to the bank of the stream.

An old servant emerged from behind the crowd. "Young Master," he asked, "about the marriage with the Liang Family, shall we select someone else for it?"

Xie Yanfang shook his head. "No. To switch the person now wouldn’t be forming an alliance, it would be making an enemy. The marriage would lose all meaning."

The old servant’s brow furrowed in complaint. "Then what is to be done? Young Master, you shouldn’t indulge him so. He acts as if he’s always been a young master."

"It’s of no concern. If he is unwilling, then so be it. Some people appear wild and untamable, but they are exceedingly particular when it comes to choosing a lifelong partner," Xie Yanfang said. "He’s likely the type who does not give his heart away easily, but once he does, he will never let go, not even in death."

The old servant couldn’t help but chuckle. "That’s quite a funny notion."

’As if people could ever be inseparable, even in death.’

"Don’t laugh," Xie Yanfang said, a wistful look on his face. "You and I are not that kind of person, so we cannot understand it. That, in itself, is a kind of regret."

The old servant found this even more amusing and laughed heartily. "Young Master, you must be joking."

Xie Yanfang simply smiled.

"Even if he’s disobedient, he has his uses," he said. "Besides, Liang Siqing just angered His Majesty and had tea thrown in his face. I originally thought he could hold on for another two years, but now it seems he might not even last one. This marriage is no longer suitable."

The old servant was astonished. He was based in the Capital City and hadn’t heard a thing, yet his master knew the moment he arrived. His surprise gave way to shame. "This old servant is useless. I failed to learn of this."

Xie Yanfang shook his head. "You are in the Capital City by the Crown Princess Consort’s side. It’s understandable that you wouldn’t be privy to every matter within the palace."

The old servant agreed. Thinking of Liang Siqing, he added, "Liang Siqing was reprimanded because of Chu Ling’s daughter."

He recounted the incident from a few days prior when Miss Chu and Miss Liang had gotten into a fight.

It had seemed like a minor affair at the time, so he hadn’t paid it much mind. He never expected that Liang Siqing would be the one to be punished in the end.

He looked at Xie Yanfang again, his gaze filled with unconcealable admiration. "Chu Ling truly holds a special place in His Majesty’s eyes. I wonder how he will respond to the letter you sent him, Young Master."

"I have expressed the Xie family’s goodwill. How he chooses to respond is entirely up to General Chu," Xie Yanfang said.

The old servant nodded in understanding, then asked, "And what of Miss Chu Zhao? Should we learn more about her?"

Xie Yanfang shook his head. "There’s no need. The girl is merely Chu Ling’s daughter."

The person he wanted to form ties with was Chu Ling. A young girl was not yet worthy of his concern.

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