Chapter Twenty-Five: You’re the Ones Who Are Family

Duke Kaiyang’s attendant, Eunuch Hai, relayed the imperial decree word for word.

When the Duke heard the order to "bring his head to see the Emperor," his body trembled, and he nearly collapsed to his knees in terror. The memory of the Emperor’s ruthless methods caused cold sweat to break out across his back.

Yang Suxin stood frozen, her eyes wide with shock. What was happening? This was not at all what she had anticipated. Eunuch Hai had not come for official business, but specifically because of Qin Hao. Furthermore, the Emperor’s decree made no mention of any wrongdoing by Qin Hao; instead, it laid all the blame on her—and the consequences were grave enough to warrant execution.

"This... this, Eunuch Hai, is there some sort of misunderstanding?" the Duke stammered, finally regaining his composure.

Eunuch Hai replied indifferently, "The imperial decree is as stated. As for whether there is a misunderstanding, the Duke need only ask his wife."

With a volatile expression, the Duke hurriedly rose and retrieved silver notes from his sleeve. "Eunuch Hai, thank you for your trouble. Please, accept this small token for tea."

Eunuch Hai glanced at the thick stack of silver, accepted it calmly, and said, "Your wife visited the Empress today, and His Majesty was present. Later, the Emperor and Empress visited the Grand Princess’s mansion, which is why His Majesty is so enraged. As for the rest, I do not know. You must figure it out yourself. I shall take my leave; there is no need to see me out."

With those words, Eunuch Hai turned and departed. The Duke hurriedly offered his thanks and saw him off. Then, he turned around, his eyes blazing with fury as he glared at Yang Suxin.

Yang Suxin shuddered, still unable to process the situation.

"Speak! What have you done to make the Emperor want my head?" the Duke roared, his face turning a deep, bruised purple.

Yang Suxin retreated a step, trembling. "I... I did nothing."

"Still lying? If you did nothing, why would the Emperor send Eunuch Hai to warn us? Speak, now!" The Duke’s voice rose higher. He had barely settled into his position as Minister of Revenue; he could not afford such a reprimand from the Emperor.

"I... I only said..." Yang Suxin downplayed the situation, recounting her visit to the Empress to the Duke.

"Xiaohao has already left the manor," the Duke bellowed, his face flushed. "He is no threat to your son’s inheritance! What does it matter to you where he goes? Must you drive him to his death? When he was slow-witted, you occasionally skimmed from him, and I let it slide. Now that he has established his own household, you still want to hunt him down and suppress him? Are you only happy if you earn the reputation of a wicked stepmother?"

Yang Suxin was startled. "You knew about all that?"

"I heard whispers," the Duke said coldly. "If you are worried about my title, I can tell you clearly: I will not let Qin Hao inherit it. He is unlearned and unworthy." *And were it not for the Emperor’s direct reprimand today, I would never have bothered to stand up for such a foolish son,* he thought.

Yang Suxin breathed a sigh of relief. If he only knew a little, it would be easy to handle. Her expression shifted immediately.

"You don't know the half of it! Go see what he did to Dewu! Because he relies on the Grand Princess's protection, he beat Dewu so badly he is still bedridden. You can ask the servants; they all witnessed it! If Qin Hao continues to run wild under the Grand Princess's protection, even if you disown him, you are the one who will bear the consequences of his crimes in the end!" Yang Suxin cried, her eyes red and her voice hysterical.

The Duke frowned slightly. He had not known about Dewu being beaten. He decided to go see what had happened to his son.

Shortly after, upon seeing his son lying unconscious and covered in wounds, the Duke’s fury reignited. "That beast!" He then asked Yang Suxin with a pained expression, "Why didn't you tell me all this was happening?"

"My Lord, Hao'er has already had such a difficult life. If I told you, wouldn't it look like I, his stepmother, was trying to sow discord between you and him? What would people think? I went to the Empress only to strip away his backing so he wouldn't cause trouble and implicate you. How could I live with myself otherwise? But I don't know what methods he used—my well-intentioned advice was useless, and it only led to you being reprimanded by the Emperor. This is all my fault, boo-hoo..." Yang Suxin dissolved into sobs.

"That little beast is truly lawless. I will have him brought here to apologize to you at once!" The Duke’s chest heaved with rage. A flash of triumphant malice flickered deep in Yang Suxin’s eyes.

...

Soon, Qin Hao received a message from the Duke demanding he return home. Qin Hao had nothing better to do, so he decided to go and see what new tricks his "beast of a father" was up to. It was almost certainly the work of that vile woman, Yang Suxin.

Before long, Qin Hao arrived at the Qin estate, where he was met with the Duke’s gloomy scowl and Yang Suxin’s hypocritical concern.

"You beast, kneel and apologize to your stepmother! To think you would lay such a cruel hand on your younger brother—you are utterly devoid of humanity. How could I have sired such a monster?" The Duke began shouting the moment he saw Qin Hao.

Qin Hao’s expression darkened, and he sneered, "Indeed, like father, like son."

The Duke rose in fury, pointing at Qin Hao and ordering his servants, "Seize him! Bring me the family whip!"

Qin Hao calmly pulled the jade pendant from his waist. "You can try. But if I get startled and accidentally drop the Grand Princess’s pendant, the consequences are not something the Qin family can bear."

The Duke’s momentum vanished instantly. This was the Grand Princess’s token; he dared not touch him. Yang Suxin realized with a sinking heart that the Grand Princess was indeed still protecting Qin Hao. Dealing with him would be difficult. *What flowery lies did this useless wretch use to bewitch her?*

The Duke trembled with rage but was helpless. "It seems your stepmother was right. You rely on this pendant to run wild, even harming your own brother. Tomorrow, I will petition the Emperor to strip you of your power!"

Qin Hao’s gaze sharpened. *Petition the Emperor again?* It seemed his identity had been exposed today largely because of his "beast" of a father and that vile woman.

Qin Hao looked disgusted. "If you brought me here just to say this, then I’m done. As for the violence, I didn't lay a finger on anyone, so don't slander me. Instead of accusing me, why don't you check the servants who look after your beloved son? See how many scars they bear. Then we'll see if you still have the courage to sit there and lecture me. Oh, and your dear wife surely hasn't told you that your precious Dewu is a psychological deviant with a penchant for abuse. Be careful, or one day you might find yourself dead at his hands without even knowing why."

Yang Suxin looked visibly panicked at this, though she quickly masked it. The Duke’s voice grew more agitated. "Even now, you continue to slander your brother! You are truly beyond redemption!"

"See? I told you, and you wouldn't believe me. You're wasting my time." Qin Hao turned to leave.

"Wait!" the Duke called out suddenly.

"What?" Qin Hao asked, turning back with indifference.

"I hear you are living at the Grand Princess’s mansion?" the Duke asked.

"Does that concern you?" Qin Hao replied.

"Why not move back? No matter how much you dislike this house, you are still a Qin. You can come home occasionally. Stay a while, let your father sit with you. It has been a long time since we sat down to talk as father and son." The Duke’s tone had softened significantly.

Qin Hao was baffled. Had his beast of a father developed a conscience?

Suddenly, an anxious, angry voice erupted from outside. "Father! Mother! I heard that wretch Qin Hao beat Dewu! Where is he? I’m going to kill him!" A tall, burly figure stormed into the room—Qin Kaizhi, Yang Suxin’s eldest son. He had been away and must have just returned upon hearing the news.

The moment he saw Qin Hao, he prepared to strike. Qin Hao glanced at the Duke, whose demeanor had just shifted, and curled his lips in a mocking smirk. "Duke Kaiyang, it seems you are the ones who are truly family. Since your son doesn't welcome me, I shall take my leave."

Qin Hao was not the least bit afraid of Qin Kaizhi. With the Grand Princess’s pendant, Qin Kaizhi wouldn't dare lay a hand on him even if he had ten times the courage. However, he stayed, wanting to see what the Duke’s sudden change in attitude meant.

"How dare you speak to my father like that! And you dared to hurt Dewu—I’ll crush you!"

"Stop this at once! That is your brother! How dare you be so insolent!" the Duke roared, his face black with rage.

Yang Suxin and Qin Kaizhi were both stunned. Yang Suxin felt a wave of dread; could the Duke have developed some sympathy for Qin Hao because of the Grand Princess’s protection?

Qin Hao smiled to himself, thinking, *As I suspected, there’s something going on.*

"Father, what is the meaning of this? This piece of filth beat Dewu!" Qin Kaizhi, reprimanded by his father, was blinded by rage.

Qin Hao chuckled. "You really are your father's true son. You call me filth, which makes your father the old piece of filth. And yet, he doesn't even get angry."

The Duke’s face turned ghastly. "Qin Kaizhi, have you lost all your manners?"

"Father, I didn't mean it like that! It’s him—he’s the one sowing discord between us!" Qin Kaizhi was red with fury. Yang Suxin hurriedly tried to explain, "My Lord, Kaizhi didn't mean it that way."

Qin Hao sighed and smiled. "Stop the charade. If you truly care about me, have Qin Kaizhi apologize, and I will forgive him."

"Apologize to you? In your dreams!" Qin Kaizhi sneered. He would rather eat dirt than apologize.

The Duke, however, spoke up: "Apologize to your brother."