Chapter 41: The Minister’s Mansion, Meeting the Eldest Brother

Chapter 41: The Minister's Residence, Meeting the Eldest Brother

When it came to his eldest brother, Ning Xishi suddenly went blank.

He stared fixedly at the books, and at his eldest brother's bold, vigorous handwriting crammed across the pages, as if he feared his little brother wouldn't understand.

Dongshuang was still turned away from Ning Xishi, having set out a ring of book chests in the courtyard, flipping through them one by one, letting each page catch the sunlight.

He didn't notice his young master suddenly squatting down behind him.

Meanwhile, this scene was witnessed by Xie Jingxing, who just happened to show up with Ning Xishi's breakfast.

He waved off the attendant who was about to announce his arrival, motioned for the people behind him to keep quiet, and made his way along the wall with the latticed windows toward the door.

Just as he reached the entrance, he heard Dongshuang's alarmed shout: "Young master, young master, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell? Did the trip wear you out?"

Ning Xishi still had his head down, face buried in his knees, his voice a bit muffled.

"I'm okay."

"Well, how about we head inside and rest? It's cold out here, and you can't risk catching a chill..."

Ning Xishi's voice stayed muffled: "I miss my big brother."

Dongshuang went quiet, opening his mouth but no words of comfort came out.

Back in the old days, before the young master got married, after he returned to Shaozhou, letters from home would come flying in like snowflakes. His young master would often be too caught up in fun to read them right away, but he'd always carve out a few days to reply to every single letter before sending them back.

This trip to Jiangnan had indeed been a life-or-death matter he'd had to deal with, but during those days back in Shaozhou, he hadn't received a single letter from home.

For ordinary couples, going to visit family was totally normal.

But for members of the imperial family, travel was governed by extremely strict rules. Even the Empress herself needed an excuse to meet her older and younger relatives.

The Ning family hadn't sent him letters, worried that it might cause trouble for him.

Ning Xishi understood these rules, and that's exactly why he was so upset.

His beloved mother, father, and big brother—he couldn't just go see them and mess around like before.

"What's the big deal? I'm actually heading to the military camp outside the city today, and I'll probably pass by the Ning place. If you don't mind, I'll drop you off and pick you up on my way back in the evening."

Xie Jingxing's voice came through. The second he processed what he heard, Ning Xishi's head shot up.

Xie Jingxing had just stepped through the doorway at that moment and immediately caught sight of Ning Xishi's reddened eyes.

He was shocked—in all this time, he'd never seen Ning Xishi cry. He was actually tearing up.

Xie Jingxing said, "There's no need to be upset over this. Those empty formalities of the imperial family—why bother with them?"

His voice was soft, but the words themselves were pure audacity.

Ning Xishi didn't have time to keep moping. He hurried back inside to change into his outdoor clothes and boarded the carriage with Xie Jingxing.

When the carriage arrived at the Ning residence, the servants at the gate were taken aback. Seeing the Second Young Master return, they immediately rushed inside, overjoyed, to report the news.

The carriage remained at the gate until the eldest young master came out and brought Ning Xishi inside. Only then did Xie Jingxing hand over a name card as a gesture of apology.

"Sorry for the sudden intrusion, please excuse me."

The Nings had little to say to Xie Jingxing, and he felt the same way. After exchanging a few empty pleasantries, his carriage continued on toward the military camp outside the city.

Meanwhile, the imperial spies lurking in the shadows saw everything and reported it to the Emperor that very night.

"General Xie and Second Young Master Ning pretended to be all lovey-dovey, going out together, but really they just dropped him off at the Ning residence and left. There was no intention of taking a romantic stroll together."

The Emperor's face darkened even more after reading the report. "It seems the palace has spies from the General's residence. Knowing I was investigating them, they deliberately faked being in love."

He paused, then sneered, "But they don't know that real love can't be faked."

If Xie Jingxing knew what his brother-in-law was thinking, his perpetually cold face would probably crack from pure rage.

Yes, real love can't be faked—but unrequited love is painfully obvious.

·

When Ning Xishi suddenly showed up at home, his mother immediately pulled him into a hug, squeezing his cheeks and arms. "You've gotten skinny."

Ning Xishi shot back, "I haven't gotten thin at all—I've even grown taller."

Ning Lanzhi, who usually kept quiet on such occasions, actually spoke up: "He has indeed lost weight."

At those words, his mother, who had been ready to let Ning Xishi off the hook, couldn't sit still anymore. She hurried off to the kitchen to stir-fry a couple of dishes and simmer a chicken soup to nourish him.

Once his mother was gone, only Ning Xishi and his big brother were left in the room.

Ning Xishi, who had almost cried that morning from missing his big brother: "..."

He couldn't help but want to make a break for the door.

Ning Lanzhi cast a pair of cold, phoenix-like eyes over, and Ning Xishi had no choice but to sit there obediently, muttering, "Big brother."

Ning Lanzhi thought to himself, here we go again—when it came to acting cute and playing pitiful, no one could beat his little brother.

But some things, even if Ning Xishi didn't want to hear them, had to be said.

"What are your plans for the future?"

"Ah?" Ning Xishi looked up. Six months ago, back in June, his only plan had been to survive. But after everything that happened in Ningzhou, Ning Xishi discovered that not only could he survive, but his status in the martial arts world had also been officially recognized by General Xie. It seemed like he could live however he wanted now.

So what did his big brother mean by that?

Ning Lanzhi's gaze was more serious than ever before: "A Xi, it's time for you to buckle down and study."

That sounded vaguely familiar.

Ning Xishi felt like he'd heard that from someone else recently.

He paused for a moment, thinking of Wang Qifeng, who had just passed the provincial-level exam in Shaozhou. He'd also told him it was time to study and sit for the imperial exams.

Ning Xishi really felt a headache coming.

Whether it was his big brother or Wang Qifeng, they both looked like textbook scholars at first glance. He was nothing like a scholar.

"I want to take the exams too, but it's not like I can just pass them because I say so, right?"

Ning Lanzhi looked at Ning Xishi, who had his head down. Whenever his younger brother didn't want to do something, this was exactly how he acted—all whiny and stubborn.

In the past, he would've just let it slide with a casual comment.

But not this time.

"When you were a child, you could memorize anything after reading it once—that's your gift," Ning Lanzhi said.

Ning Xishi clutched his head in pain. His proportions were impeccable—long legs and a slender waist—so the move came off less like he was in pain and more like he was posing.

But Ning Lanzhi wasn't exactly the type to stop and admire the view.

Ning Xishi thought to himself, back then, the only reason he'd memorized stuff so fast was because he had an adult's soul. He'd just wanted to one-up his big brother, so he'd busted his ass to read and study, faking the whole photographic memory thing.

He'd only pulled that off once.

And yet his big brother had remembered it all this time.

Ning Xishi rubbed his head and finally peeked out: "Big brother, I'm a total lost cause."

"Big brother believes in you. As long as you're willing to put in the work, you'll definitely pass the imperial exam," Ning Lanzhi said.

Ning Xishi: "..."

For some reason, he actually felt encouraged.

He almost agreed, feeling a surge of boldness.

But the second he opened his mouth, the thought of those practically incomprehensible Four Books and Five Classics made him swallow that surge right back down.

"Big brother, I'm seriously useless."

Ning Lanzhi knew his little brother's temperament all too well. Usually, he saw no need to push him to study—he could shoulder the family's burdens himself, and it was perfectly fine that his brother got along so well with their maternal grandfather in Shaozhou.

But now, given his brother's special situation, he had no choice but to push him.

A hint of expectation crept into Ning Lanzhi's eyes: "Big brother believes A Xi is a genius."

It was the first time Ning Xishi had ever seen his brother look at him like that, and he felt almost lightheaded.

So this was how his big brother saw him!

But—the imperial exam. Legend had it that candidates had to stay in tiny exam cells less than two square meters for nine days, with every bodily function under surveillance.

Ning Xishi deflated again: "Big brother, I really can't study. When I read for too long, the characters start to look like they're moving, and I can't recognize them anymore."

Ning Lanzhi insisted: "A Xi was just too playful before. Now that you're older, and you're an undeniable genius, it'd be a shame not to take the exam."

Ning Xishi: "..."

By the time his mother came back with dinner, Ning Xishi had already been talked into agreeing to study hard and take the imperial exam.

Only then did it hit him that he'd been tricked. But the person he'd promised was his big brother, and Ning Xishi could weasel out of anything with anyone—except the one brother he'd always looked up to.

So that evening, when Xie Jingxing came to pick up Ning Xishi, he found that his companion—who had arrived carrying only Shaozhou specialties—was now hauling box after box of luggage on the way back.

Xie Jingxing asked Ning Xishi: "What are all these?"

Ning Xishi, who'd been sighing all day, replied: "My sins."

Xie Jingxing: "?"

Dongshuang answered with a smile, speaking for his master: "Reporting to the general, these are all books the eldest young master sent over for the young master. As long as he promises to read and memorize them, and practices his calligraphy diligently, he's sure to pass the county exam."

Xie Jingxing: "..."

It only took him a second to figure out Ning Lanzhi's intentions.

It was no different from that Wang Qifeng—worrying that Young Master Ning might come to harm and end up with no one to rely on.

Xie Jingxing didn't know how Ning Lanzhi had spun it to Ning Xishi, or whether he'd planted seeds of doubt like Wang Qifeng had.

But he figured Ning Lanzhi, with his refined and upright bearing, wasn't the type to badmouth others behind their backs.

Yet getting Ning Xishi to agree to study showed just how much sway Ning Lanzhi had over his little brother.

Xie Jingxing looked up, meeting the eyes of the young man standing at the gate of the Ning residence. Two pairs of equally proud, heaven-favored eyes met in midair, neither side giving an inch.

==========Author's Note:==========

Good night~