My cultivation disguise has been exposed by Xiao Sizi.

"Splash—"

The pages of the book were turned rapidly.

The pages froze. Golden light transformed into rows of large characters.

First, there was Cheng Yaojin himself. He was a meritorious official of the Wagang Uprising and the Lingyan Pavilion, lived to a ripe old age, and died peacefully.

After reading it, Cheng Yaojin grinned widely. He turned and patted Qin Qiong on the shoulder: "Old Qin, did you see that! A peaceful end! Good!"

The pages turn again. It's the sons' turn.

The eldest son, Cheng Chumo, inherited the title and lived a peaceful life without major mistakes. The second son, Cheng Chuliang, was appointed Imperial Son-in-Law and was law-abiding. The youngest son, Cheng Chubi…

Everyone was safe and sound; they had neither made any great contributions nor committed any major offenses.

"Hahahaha!" Cheng Yaojin slapped his thigh, laughing so hard his beard trembled. He walked to the stone table, grabbed the teapot, and drank water straight from it. "Old Qin! I, Cheng, am a rough man, and I'm always afraid of having a few spendthrift brats. But now, I'm relieved! They're all like me! They'll keep the family business!"

Qin Qiong nodded in agreement: "That's right."

Li Chen reached out and picked up a peanut from the plate, peeled it, and popped it into his mouth, chewing it twice.

Are you sure?

Three words.

The laughter in the courtyard stopped abruptly.

Cheng Yaojin's hand, which was wiping his beard, froze in mid-air. He turned around and looked at Li Chen. "Your Highness... what do you mean by that?"

Li Chen pointed to the air. "Read the next page."

The pages of the book slowly turned.

Grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

The large characters in the first line are glaringly obvious.

Sun Chengqianli, son of Chu Liang, commanded a large army, betrayed the Tang Dynasty, and defected to the enemy. He was executed in the marketplace.

Cheng Yaojin's smile froze. His mouth opened slightly, but no sound came out.

The handwriting continued to emerge.

Sun Chengbo, son of Chu Bi, was insatiably greedy and sought to curry favor with the powerful.

"Great-grandsons Cheng Ruobing and Cheng Ruoshui, relying on the legacy of their ancestors, colluded with merchants to monopolize the grain transport, engage in usury, hoard grain to drive up prices, and exploit the local people."

The golden light gradually dimmed.

The courtyard was deathly silent. Only the occasional soft crackling of the embers in the small red clay stove could be heard.

Qin Qiong leaned forward, staring at the few lines of text twice. His brows furrowed deeply. He turned to look at Cheng Yaojin.

Cheng Yaojin stood still, like a wooden pillar.

His chest began to heave violently, up and down. Heavy white breaths escaped from his nostrils. His eyes slowly became bloodshot, turning a deep red.

He gripped the edge of the bluestone table with his right hand. His knuckles turned white.

"Old Cheng," Qin Qiong called him softly.

Cheng Yaojin ignored him. He stared intently at the words "betrayed the Tang Dynasty" and "executed in the marketplace."

Li Chen spat out the peanut skins. The skins fell onto the stone slab.

"Finished watching?" Li Chen asked.

Cheng Yaojin blinked. His eyes were red-rimmed. He turned his neck to look at Li Chen, his voice like sandpaper rubbing tree bark.

"Your Highness. Is this celestial book... real?"

Li Chen didn't speak. He just looked at him.

Cheng Yaojin understood. His Highness the King of Qin would never joke about such things.

Qin Qiong sighed. He reached out and patted Cheng Yaojin on the shoulder. "Treason. A capital offense punishable by death, confiscation of property, and extermination of the entire family. Old Cheng, your descendants have really gone too far."

Cheng Yaojin's facial muscles twitched.

He turned around abruptly. He didn't bow, nor did he say goodbye.

He tripped over a stone bench and kicked it away roughly. "Old Qin, Your Highness, I'm back."

He walked extremely fast. Finally, he started running, his heavy leather boots making a "thump-thump" sound on the bluestone slabs.

They rushed out of the Qin Prince's Mansion.

His black horse was tied outside the door. He didn't step into the stirrups, but leaped onto its back.

"drive!"

A whip lashed the horse's rump. The black horse neighed in pain, reared up, and galloped wildly down the street. Mud and snow splattered everywhere. Passersby screamed and scattered.

Cheng Yaojin rode on his horse, the cold wind carrying snowflakes cutting his face like blades. He didn't feel the cold. Only those few words occupied his mind.

Treason. Usury. Exploiting the local people.

He risked his life to earn the Duke's plaque. He protected the Duke of Lu's mansion by shielding Li Shimin from a knife.

He'll be trampled into a cesspool by his unborn grandchildren.

The gates of the Duke of Lu's mansion were wide open.

Cheng Yaojin rode his horse straight up the steps, the horse's hooves crossing the threshold. Before the horse had come to a complete stop, he jumped down.

"Close the door!" he roared at the gatekeepers on both sides.

The gatekeeper was startled: "Sir, it's not dark yet..."

"Lock the door! Anyone who dares to let a single person out today, I'll chop them to pieces!" Cheng Yaojin's eyes widened as if he wanted to devour someone.

The gate slammed shut. A thick wooden bolt jammed it shut.

"Go! Go to the backyard!" Cheng Yaojin grabbed the steward by the collar. "Tie up those three little beasts, Chu Mo, Chu Liang, and Chu Bi, and bring them to the main hall! Now!"

The housekeeper was so frightened that he scrambled to the backyard.

Cheng Yaojin strode to the weapon rack in the courtyard. He didn't take the Xuanhua axe. Instead, he pulled out a thick cowhide whip that he usually used to tame wild horses.

He held it in his hand and gave it a hard shake. "Snap!" A crisp sound burst out in the air.

Main hall.

Cheng Chumo was munching on an apple. Cheng Chuliang was carrying a birdcage. Cheng Chubi was holding half a scroll of military strategy.

The three brothers were pushed and shoved into the hall by the servants.

"Dad, what's wrong with you?" Cheng Chumo asked, chewing on an apple.

Cheng Yaojin sat upright in his armchair. A leather whip rested across his knee. His eyes were bloodshot.

"Kneel down."

The sound was faint, but it carried a deathly quality.

The three brothers exchanged a glance, bent their knees, and obediently knelt in a row.

"Father, what happened? Did the third son go drinking in Pingkangfang again and not pay?" Cheng Chuliang asked, clutching the birdcage in his arms.

Cheng Yaojin stood up, walked down the steps, and stopped in front of Cheng Chuliang.

He suddenly raised his leather boots.

He kicked Cheng Chuliang in the stomach.

Cheng Chuliang screamed in agony as he and the birdcage rolled three steps away. The birdcage fell apart, and the thrush flapped its wings and flew away wildly.

"Ouch! Dad, what are you doing!" Cheng Chuliang clutched his stomach and rolled on the ground.

Cheng Yaojin raised his leather whip.

"Snapped!"

A whip lashed across Cheng Chuliang's back. The thick winter coat ripped open, revealing a bloody welt.

"Ah!" Cheng Chuliang screamed in agony.

"Snapped!"

Another lash. It struck Cheng Chumo's shoulder. Cheng Chumo gasped in pain and hurriedly tried to block it with his hand. The skin broke, and beads of blood oozed out.

"Snapped!"

Cheng Chubi was whipped on the leg.

"Dad! There has to be an explanation for hitting someone!" Cheng Chumo scrambled up and hid behind a pillar.

"An explanation?" Cheng Yaojin gritted his teeth. "I'll beat you all to death today, and then it'll be as if you beasts were never born!"

He strode forward. His whip rained down like raindrops. Headless and faceless.

The three brothers rolled around on the ground. Their screams shook the roof, causing dust to fall. Blood splattered on the wooden floor.

"Treason!"

Snapped!

"Seize the grain transport!"

Snapped!

"Loan sharking!"

Snapped!

Cheng Yaojin would utter a curse with each lash of his whip.

Cheng Chuliang clutched his head, crying and protesting, "Father! I'm innocent! I've been at home all day playing with the birds, how could I have any military power or committed treason!"

"You didn't betray us! Your good son betrayed us!" Cheng Yaojin roared.

"My son?" Cheng Chuliang was stunned, forgetting the pain. "My wife isn't even pregnant yet!"

"So I'm going to start hitting you now! It'll be too late once you're born! I'll break your legs before you're even born!"

The whip was raised again, accompanied by the whistling of the wind.