Da Ming: Father, step aside, I'll be the prime minister!

Chapter 40 Dad, you're wrong
The backyard of the Zhang residence.

The usually quiet backyard became unusually noisy.

One scream after another echoed through the Zhang residence.

Standing in the center of the courtyard, Zhang Juzheng held a bamboo whip in his hand and glared fiercely at his fourth son, Zhang Jianxiu, who was lying on the bench.

He wielded the bamboo whip at a very tricky angle, clearly demonstrating his skill through practice.

Among the onlookers, some remained silent and trembling, while others paced anxiously in circles.

The most anxious one was the eldest brother, Zhang Jingxiu. He looked around and found that he couldn't find a single helper.

He muttered to himself.

“My grandmother and mother are in our hometown in Hubei. My second and third brothers are still on duty at the Hanlin Academy. What should we do? If this continues, my fourth brother will really be beaten to death.”

After thinking it over, he realized that only You Qi could be of some use, so he grabbed a servant and said.

"Where's You Qi? Where's the steward? Quickly get him to stop Father, or Fourth Brother will really be beaten to death."

The servant shrank back, pointed outside, and said, "Perhaps the young master has returned; Steward You is looking for his help."

The eldest brother, Zhang Jingxiu, stamped his feet in frustration: "This is just making things worse! Why are we looking for Zhang Shiyuan? Isn't everything already chaotic enough? Isn't Father angry enough already?"

The last time I was beaten here was a year or two ago, when it was Zhang Yunxiu!
But Zhang Yunxiu was still young at that time, and Zhang Juzheng was just putting on an act. His mother and grandmother were there, and his brothers held him back. In the end, the boy only made a few noises, and the whip didn't even break his skin.

And today, the bamboo whip is almost stained with blood.

"Father! It's not my fault! I was really cheated out of those three thousand taels by my fifth brother. He's a heartless man."

Zhang Jianxiu, a burly man who usually practices martial arts, was lying on the bench, looking as aggrieved as a little wife.

This only made Zhang Juzheng angrier, and he spoke with a glare and a bristling beard.

“Zhang Sizhe! Your fifth brother speaks well of you in every way, yet you slander him? Shiyuan was a bit outrageous in the past, but you shouldn't always push all the blame onto him. Where did your three thousand taels of silver go? Did you send it to brothels again?”

Clearly, Zhang Jianxiu had a long history of misdeeds, and he was now unable to defend himself.

"Dad, I've really been fooled."

"You unfilial son, how dare you talk back!"

Another heart-wrenching scream erupted in the courtyard; anyone who didn't know better would have thought the Zhang family was slaughtering pigs at the start of spring.

"Fourth Young Master is foolish!"

You Qi pulled Zhang Yunxiu into the courtyard, explaining as he did so.

"He hid three thousand taels of silver. It was already too late for the truth to come out. What kind of person is the master? He knows his little tricks perfectly well."

I was just waiting for the Fourth Young Master to admit his mistake, but instead, he said, "Fifth Young Master, you cheated me out of my money! That's outrageous!"

You Qi couldn't speak ill of his master, so he just kept sighing.

Following You Qi into the courtyard, Zhang Yunxiu immediately spotted his fourth brother's backside.

It was absolutely horrific!

His heart tightened at the sight.

When the eldest brother, Zhang Jingxiu, saw Zhang Yunxiu enter, he quickly went to greet him and said, "Fifth brother, don't come and cause trouble. Father is in a bad mood!"

Over the years, Zhang Jingxiu had long been familiar with his younger brother's style of doing things. In his opinion, nothing involving his younger brother could be resolved peacefully.

This kid is a master at causing trouble.

But Zhang Yunxiu shook his head: "I can't ignore this matter."

"???" Zhang Jingxiu, the eldest brother, looked puzzled. "What...what are you up to now?"

Zhang Yunxiu said with a firm look in his eyes, "Brother, one should take responsibility for one's actions. This matter was started by me, and I cannot stand idly by!"

"Huh?" Zhang Jingxiu was a little confused.

At that moment, Zhang Jianxiu, who was lying on the bench, had already seen Zhang Yunxiu from afar and quickly shouted loudly.

"Father, don't hit him! Oh! Look, Zhang Shiyuan is here. You can ask him and find out."

Zhang Juzheng was panting heavily, his chest heaving, his court robes disheveled. He turned his head and saw Zhang Yunxiu.

Upon seeing his young son, his expression visibly softened.

"Shiyuan, you've come at the perfect time. Take a look at your good-for-nothing brother."

Zhang Yunxiu obediently stepped forward. He had intended to tease his fourth brother, but he hadn't expected his fourth brother to be so unlucky as to run into Zhang Juzheng's gun.

He didn't intend to hide it at the moment, and cupped his hands in greeting.

"Father, please spare Fourth Brother, actually..."

Before they could even begin to speak, they heard Fourth Brother Zhang Jianxiu's sorrowful accusation.

"Zhang Shiyuan, you've lied to me again, you heartless bastard! Give me back my three thousand taels! Waaaaah, what sins have I committed?!"

Zhang Jianxiu cried, cried his heart out. This dignified man was extremely aggrieved.

Zhang Juzheng, standing to the side, immediately narrowed his eyes and lashed out with his whip again. "You wretched child! Shi Yuan stood before you pleading for you, yet you show not a shred of gratitude, but instead try to frame and slander! Utterly shameless!"

"Ouch~" Zhang Jianxiu let out another miserable scream. Fortunately, he was a martial artist and his body was relatively strong, otherwise he would have really fainted.

But Zhang Juzheng said angrily, "You have lived for twenty-one years in vain, and you are not even as good as your fourteen-year-old younger brother. He has lacked parental guidance since childhood, but he was still able to turn back from the wrong path."

The newspapers they produced concerned the nation, the world, and the lives of ordinary people, enabling them to understand the hardships of the people and prompting those in power to think of ways to govern well.
Shi Yuan was absurd, but his absurdity led him to the right path.

Your absurdity, however, has found its way into brothels and theaters.

You are unworthy to be a son.

Hearing Zhang Juzheng's rapid-fire rebukes, Zhang Yunxiu was almost dumbfounded.

So, Dad, you can praise "newspapers"?
However, Zhang Yunxiu also noticed that Zhang Juzheng did not mention the matter of "keeping a low profile," which clearly indicated that the matter had been tacitly accepted as a secret between the two.

It looked like Fourth Brother was about to be knocked unconscious.

Zhang Yunxiu quickly stepped forward, grabbed his father's arm, and explained loudly.

"Father! Please stop hitting me! Fourth Brother's three thousand taels of silver are indeed with me."

“Rebellion.” Zhang Juzheng’s arm, which was wielding a whip, froze in mid-air, and he looked at his young son with some disbelief.

Zhang Yunxiu reluctantly gave a brief explanation of the plan.

"I've obtained a secret medicine recipe, so naturally I'm thinking of opening a pharmacy. Unfortunately, I don't have enough money, so I thought I'd ask my fourth brother for some. I suppose he might have some misunderstanding."

Zhang Juzheng's eyes were bloodshot as he stared intently at Zhang Yunxiu and said, "It's you?"

Zhang Yunxiu nodded: "It is indeed your son. I was naughty and played a trick on my elder brother. Please punish me, Father."

Lying on the bench, Zhang Jianxiu said in a tearful voice, "Father, I was really deceived."

"You," Zhang Juzheng took two steps back, his chest heaving again as he took a deep breath.

Zhang Shiyuan

Before he could finish speaking, Zhang Yunxiu was about to bow his head and admit his mistake: "Father, I..."

Unexpectedly, Zhang Juzheng said, "Zhang Shiyuan! Are you really going to make excuses for this rebellious son? Is your brotherly bond really that deep? Is it worth it for you to lie for him?"

"???"

Zhang Yunxiu was shocked; he hadn't expected his father to think like this.

Could it be that my conversation with Zhang Juzheng last time left too good an impression on him?

To be honest, Zhang Juzheng didn't even believe that his youngest son would do something like lying.

Is this reasonable? This doesn't make sense! Or is there something else going on?

But Zhang Yunxiu didn't have time to think. Whether Zhang Juzheng was truly impulsive or had a deeper meaning was no longer important, because he could see that his fourth brother was about to be knocked unconscious.

"You unfilial son, don't you feel ashamed?"

Fourth Brother Zhang Jianxiu kept muttering that he was wronged, but the more he did so, the harder Zhang Juzheng beat him.

Despite being a scholar, Zhang Juzheng was quite tall and imposing in his youth. Under his full strength, it was hard to say whether Zhang Jianxiu could withstand the strain.

You Qi was already making arrangements, instructing the servants beside him, "Quickly go and fetch the best trauma doctor in the capital."

To be honest, there was no way to persuade Zhang Juzheng anymore; Zhang Yunxiu could only use magic to defeat magic.

He roared, "Father, please hear me out!"

Zhang Juzheng's arm remained suspended in mid-air as he turned his head to glare at Zhang Yunxiu.

"You still want to plead for your unfilial son?"

“No!” Zhang Yunxiu said, looking directly at Zhang Juzheng. “Father, you are wrong! Even if Fourth Brother is absurd, his crime does not warrant death. You really shouldn’t have whipped him like this.”

Zhang Juzheng's pupils contracted slightly: "You're saying I made a mistake?"

“Exactly!” Zhang Yunxiu stared at Zhang Juzheng and said. “Father not only made a mistake today, but his previous teachings were also completely wrong!”

Good guy!
"Oh dear! Uncle You, you shouldn't have called him here." The eldest brother, Zhang Jingxiu, stamped his feet anxiously and said to You Qi. "I knew that Fifth Brother's interference would never bring anything good. How dare he speak to Father like that?"

You Qi said somewhat apologetically, "I...I thought the Fifth Young Master could persuade the Master."

As the saying goes, a son should not speak ill of his father.

Moreover, it was all happening in front of everyone. For a moment, the servants watching held their breath, and the eldest brother, Zhang Jingxiu, had even discussed it with You Qi.

If Zhang Juzheng were to fly into a rage and insist on killing his two rebellious sons, they would each step forward and grab one of Zhang Juzheng's legs.

We can't let someone die, can we?
As expected, Zhang Juzheng was furious upon hearing this.

He glared at Zhang Yunxiu and said, "You've fallen into your old habits again? As a son, you should be respectful and obedient. Have you forgotten about filial piety?"

Zhang Yunxiu retorted, "The Classic of Filial Piety says, 'If a father has a son who argues with him, he will not fall into injustice.' How can a father be a qualified father if he is unwilling to listen to advice?"

　Note 1: The Classic of Filial Piety says, "If a father has a son who dares to speak frankly and remonstrate, then he will not fall into an unjust situation."

　　
　
(End of this chapter)