"Since the sudden death of old Family Head of Mingpei Hall and his wife several decades ago, things have been unstable there. I have heard in private that if you hadn't helped Shen Xuan at that critical moment, Shen Xuan and Shen Zhou couldn't have made the people from the collateral branches obey so quickly. Now there are many heirs in Mingpei Hall and many of them are known to be talented in the capital, like Shen Cangfeng. A lot of them are married to people from the other gentlefolks. So, how could His Majesty not worry?"

Wei Xinyong said blandly, "As for us, the Wei Family in Fengzhou, with all due respect, unrelated people don't know the real reason why you and Wei Qi both resigned, but His Majesty must have known it. My Family Head, after you resigned, I guess you unwillingly recommended Wei Qi to take over the vice-premier position as that was secretly suggested by His Majesty, right? His Majesty has trusted and thought highly of Wei Qi, but do you believe it is only because His Majesty appreciates him? What His Majesty really likes about him is his design on the Family Head position of the clan in Zhiben Hall! The year before last, Wei Qi submitted a letter of resignation. If His Majesty had truly valued Wei Qi and thought that the Great Vi must not lose a talent like him, why did His Majesty only casually try to persuade him to stay a few times and then approve it?"

Wei Huan stroked his beard for a moment, saying, "You are my nephew. I won't hide this inside information from you. You are right."

"My Family Head, you and Wei Qi both resigned and have been 'resting' in Fengzhou for a year or two, but no one has been summoned back by His Majesty." Wei Xinyong calmly said, "People who know the real reason why you both resigned would guess that as you and Wei Qi fight on an equal footing, even though you have both suffered great loss, you are balanced in power again now. Therefore, you are in a stalemate and have to stay in Fengzhou."

Wei Huan sighed and said, "I'm old. Neither is Wei Qi in his prime. There hasn't been any resolution for years. Even if there is an outcome in the future, it will be pointless."

Wei Xinyong ignored his seemingly genuinely emotional words about his old age, which made people suspect that he couldn't achieve any advance in the future. He continued, "Especially in the first month of this year, my sister-in-law, Mrs. Duanmu, died from an illness. It sounds as if it was an accident. However, Ji Qubing and his disciple had never visited her. I guess it is probably related to you or the Old Madam, isn't it?"

"It's a family scandal. Please excuse us." Having said this, Wei Huan frowned slightly. Back then, he had actually disagreed with forcing their second daughter-in-law into death under the circumstances of the time. However, his wife, who loved her lineal granddaughter and had been determined to teach the second branch a hard lesson for Wei Changying, had caught Mrs. Duanmu's slip of the tongue, where she had insulted her, and had wanted them to pay for it. As Wei Huan knew that his wife had suffered a lot because of his mother since she married him and that both of them had been of one heart and mind so as to get to where they had been today, he had been so hesitant that Old Madam Song had already taken preemptive measures.

Not long after that, there had been the imperial edict for Wei Changfeng from the capital, and Old Madam Song could bite her tongue off.

Having heard Wei Huan's simple response, Wei Xinyong understood what had happened. He didn't ask why, only saying, "His Majesty probably knew the problems in Ruiyu Hall. My nephew Changfeng is the favorite disciple of the head of Zhijiao House and has been taught by you personally. He is therefore extraordinary and will have a promising future! Sadly, he was born a few years too late, so he will be too young to rule the family. As for Shengyi, he is at the right age. It is no wonder that you have been conflicted, but since his wife has passed away, I think you must have already made the decision, My Family Head."

If their second daughter-in-law had not died, Wei Huan could still have believed that Wei Shengyi would not harm Wei Changfeng after Ruiyu Hall became his because of their relationship as uncle and nephew. However, his wife had already had their second daughter-in-law killed. Even if Wei Shengyi could let things go, after him, Wei Changfeng would never become the Family Head. Whether it was Wei Changyun or Wei Changsui, they were both the second daughter-in-law's own flesh and blood. The hatred caused by their mother's death... Even if she wasn't killed by Wei Changfeng, Wei Changfeng was somehow involved. How could they not avenge their mother's death?

Even if the children of this branch swore to the gods, Wei Huan would never believe them. Now if Wei Huan wanted to stop the children of the family from killing each other, he had to help Wei Changfeng.

After all, Wei Changfeng hadn't suffered because of the second branch. Thus, after he was in charge of the family, as long as Wei Shengyi's branch didn't cause trouble, to protect their reputation and to obey their grandfather's instructions, the second branch would still have a way to survive.

"Changfeng is so young!" Wei Huan sighed softly.

"But His Majesty can't wait any longer." Wei Xinyong smiled slightly, saying, "Mrs. Duanmu has passed away from an illness. My Family Head, you don't want the children of the family to kill each other in the future, so you can only choose my nephew Changfeng. Mrs. Duanmu was a daughter of the Duanmu Family in Jinxiu County, so her old family is no weaker than the Wei Family. Before her illness, the Song Family had just dismissed her niece. Mrs. Duanmu's death was right after that event. The key point is that Song Yuwang is my nephew Changfeng's uncle."

An uncle would always help a nephew though there were sometimes exceptions. Madam Song held no grudges against Song Yuwang or his sister. Even if she had never known how well they got along with each other at home, she would have been able to tell that they had a good relationship with each other from the occasion when Song Yuwang's only daughter had gone from Jiangnan to the capital, they had stayed in her aunt's home in Fengzhou for several months.

In addition, Song Zaijiang, Song Yuwang's second son, Wei Changfeng's lineal cousin, had dismissed his wife Duanmu Wuse. A few months later, at the beginning of the first month of this year, Wei Changfeng's second aunt, who also came from the Duanmu Family, had suddenly suffered an intestinal disease. Meanwhile, the two most trusted doctors anywhere in the country "had happened to" be absent, and therefore, she had died in agonizing pain!

Observant people would have probably thought that even if Song Zaijiang's wife, Duanmu Wuse, had misbehaved as a wife, the Song Family would have tacitly allowed some decency to the Duanmu Family though they hadn't wanted their daughter-in-law. They would have spoken of what Duanmu Wuse had done wrongly to her old family so that her old family could have sent someone over to try to persuade Duanmu Wuse to behave. They could have tried doing that until she finally behaved or died in an accident or from an "illness".

At that time, the Duanmu Family had actually sent people over to try to make peace and must have privately suggested such a solution. However, the Song Family had insisted on dismissing this wife. Knowing Song Yuwang's personality and status, people knew he wasn't the kind of person who would easily start a feud with the Duanmu Family in Jinxiu County just because of a daughter-in-law.

Since he wasn't a person like that but still he had done so, there must be a reason behind it. Knowing that Duanmu Wuse had been dismissed, every family in the capital had held doubts about Song Yuwang's action. There had been friends of the Song Family who had come to visit to speak for the Duanmu Family and who had come to try to persuade Song Yuwang not to offend a family who had a similar status to his own because of something trivial. In the end, none of these people had succeeded in changing Song Yuwang's mind.

Just when Wei Changfeng's second aunt died, many people had finally understood him. Song Yuwang had forced his second son to dismiss his wife because he had wanted to make what the Wei Family would do look natural. Or, he had just wanted to sound out the Duanmu Family for his nephew.

Duanmu Wuse had been dismissed. The news had spread quickly across the capital. Many women from the same family, like Duanmu Yanyu, had been bullied by their husbands' families because of Duanmu Wuse. Surprisingly, the Duanmu Family in Jinxiu County had eaten their humble pie.

Immediately after that, another woman from the Duanmu Family had died from an illness. The direct impact was that Wei Changfeng, without any action, became his second uncle's family's eternal enemy. Apparently, his two cousins from that family would seek to avenge their mother's death upon him.

In order to protect his only lineal grandson, Wei Huan could only choose Wei Changfeng to take over the Ruiyu Hall!

All Old Madam Song's intentions were clear as daylight!

In the Emperor's view, these things demonstrated that: First, the infighting within Ruiyu Hall was intense and even more intense than that of Ranli Hall. Second, Old Madam Song was determined to support her descendants and had even gained the help of Song Yuwang, who was both her nephew and Wei Changfeng's lineal uncle.

The most important was the third point. All of this showed that Wei Huan was too old to stop the infighting within the family, which had led to the death of his second daughter-in-law, and the commencement of that feud amongst his children. Wei Huan had to make his lineal grandson the Family Head!

Wei Huan clearly knew Wei Xinyong could see through all of that. He stroked his beard, saying with a faint smile, "His Majesty has always thought that the countryisn’t peaceful and it’s not tranquil on the borders because gentlefolks and aristocratic families hold high positions but do nothing useful. He has always wanted to eliminate the grand families! However, each of those families is deeply rooted. Although His Majesty has ambitions, he also knows that there is not much he can do and he won't do anything in a rush. Since my Ruiyu Hall is so weak at the moment, His Majesty naturally thinks this is a great opportunity."

"Dowager Duchess Ji died in the first month in the capital, so Duke Ji had requested to stand guard over the mausoleum for three years to fulfill his filial duty." Wei Xinyong smiled, saying, "However, having been standing guard for less than ten days, he fainted in Anling because he had made things too harsh on himself. His men then brought him into the capital to seek medical treatment with the greatest urgency. Until now, he has been 'resting' in his mansion. Even so, Duke Ji still cries for his mother several times a day. He was in such deep sorrow that his health has become worse. Whoever sees him or hears him feels sorry for him! His filial action has probably become known throughout the country!"

Wei Huan smiled a little, saying, "Don't worry about this. Shen Xuan is not stupid. Since Duke Ji is sick, Shen Xuan will keep him sick."

Wei Xinyong said with a smile, "His Majesty is old, but the Crown Prince is useless and stupid. My Family Head, do you think Shen Xuan will keep Duke Ji sick or let him recover at the right moment?"

"Xinyong, you don't know Shen Xuan." Wei Huan smiled faintly and said gently, "You don't need to fish for information from me. If I say so, I'm sure that Shen Xuan will not be on Duke Ji's side because of his lineal daughter, Duchess Ji!"

Wei Xinyong's plan was exposed, but he was not embarrassed, calmly carrying on speaking, "My Family Head, since you have said so, I will accept this for now! Even if Shen Xuan does not want to be dragged through the mud by Duke Ji, His Majesty may not believe that. Otherwise, why did His Majesty deliberately summon Duke Ji at the end of last year?"

Wei Huan said with a faint smile, "That is the Shen Family's own business. We are both surnamed Wei. Let's talk about our Wei Family's family affairs. You don't think that Changfeng is as fortunate as Changying, so do you have any solution to offer?"

"By giving this marriage, His Majesty wanted to see if our Wei Family was truly weak, in allowing the royal family to decide the marriages of the family's lineal children as they wish. Hearsay suggests that it was decided when Miao Jieyu and Honored Consort Deng were with His Majesty, coaxing him into doing so." Wei Xinyong smiled, saying, "It is always the parents' job to make the decisions over their children's marriages. Even if there was someone outside of the family, acting as if he or she was a close family member, the person shouldn't suggest anything. Although His Majesty is the son of Heaven, he didn't receive any requests from either of the families. He didn't discuss it with either of us and only listened to his concubines' words when making his decision. He gave the marriage as if he had been treating my nephew and the daughter of the Su Family as servants. How can our Wei Family accept such humiliation?"

Wei Huan slowly said, "Xinyong, do you understand the consequence of not accepting it?"

"Wei Yu from a collateral branch of the clan in Ruiyu Hall is a vice-premier. His eldest daughter is the Queen Run. Although he doesn't have outstanding descendants, Wei Yu is younger than you, My Family Head." Wei Xinyong said, "You recommended him to become the vice-premier. I guess the reason why you chose him was that his descendants were not talented. If you liked that about him, how would His Majesty dislike it?"

"There is also the Duke Jingping's family." Wei Xinyong continued, "The royal heir of Duke Jingping was a famous scholar when alive. He died at the hands of the northern Rong tribe. His sons have a reputation for being filial, so it is natural that His Majesty might give them rewards or even summon them back to their posts though they haven't finished mourning. Besides, Shengyi is in the capital. He is now a vice minister of the second official rank. If His Majesty nods, it won't be long before he becomes a first rank official."

"Aren't Liu Sihuai, the Military Officer, and Liu Sijing, the Duke Weiyuan, cousins from Ranli Hall? Anyway, since Liu Sihuai became an official, he has rapidly gone up in the world. Now he has the ability to compete for the Family Head position in his branch. He is already an exemplar. Thus, if my nephew Changfeng can have your and the Old Madam's support, Shengyi can have His Majesty's."

Wei Xinyong sipped his tea, smiling and saying, "Otherwise, why did you accept the marriage?"

"That's right. I did politely see the messenger off." Wei Huan squinted, saying, "It seems that you also agree that I should give in?"

"You can give in once but not for a lifetime." Wei Xinyong smiled, saying, "His Majesty wants to eliminate gentlefolks like us and aristocratic families, but he is also afraid of us. Since His Majesty is caught in a dilemma, he is always suspicious. My nephew is your only lineal grandson and the next Family Head who you must help. However, the decision over his marriage was so hasty. Even though Ruiyu Hall is in decline, you are still here. How could you allow your grandson to be humiliated like this? Nevertheless, you have given in, so His Majesty is probably again wondering why and doesn't know what to do."

Wei Huan said gently, "I'm a man who has one foot in the grave. I could only put up a bluff, which is better than nothing."

"My Family Head, since you are still here, how can Ruiyu Hall be weak?" Wei Xinyong smiled nicely, "As long as you are here, Ruiyu Hall should be strong as a rock, which His Majesty may or may not know. But I thought the six families of gentlefolks must have started thinking about how to deal with the situation. There is discord among the six families, but if His Majesty decides to get rid of the Wei Family today, whose turn will it be next?"

After getting rid of Ruiyu Hall, Hu Nu was puzzled, asking Wei Xinyong, "My young master, since His Majesty can't figure out the situation in Ruiyu Hall, why did he issue the imperial edict? If Duke Changshan had rejected it, the royal family would have lost face, wouldn't they?"

"Since His Majesty had already 'believed' Empress Qian's words and had dismissed the Eldest Prince, and had 'listened' to Empress Gu and Honored Consort Deng and had dismissed Empress Qian and the Fourth Prince, why was it strange that he 'listened' to his concubines and rashly made a decision on a marriage for a family among the gentlefolks?" Wei Xinyong smiled, saying, "His Majesty is not interested in managing the government and always prefers to stay with his harem. This is not the first time he has listened to the words of the women of his harem and done things at will. Anyway, His Majesty pretended to be stupid and did what he wanted to do, which also proves that His Majesty is scared of gentlefolks like us and doesn't want a confrontation that alarms all the six gentlefolk families of the country!"

Hu Nu finally understood, saying, "My young master, this is why you only did what you needed to do and then went there when you heard the news of Dowager Duchess Ji's death. However, having heard that Wei Changfeng was being given a marriage, you immediately started to deal with the affairs in the county day and night to finish them quickly so that you could come here as soon as possible!"

"If we had delayed, wouldn't we have lost such a good opportunity?" Wei Xinyong said, smiling, "Wei Huan is now in trouble because of the infighting within Ruiyu Hall. Even if he has trapped Wei Qi in Fengzhou, he won't be able to do anything to him. I hope that I may sacrifice the whole of Zhiben Hall to pay respects to my father and my elder sister. Why would I want to spend my life shutting myself up in such a small place like Chaoyun County? If it hadn't been for the circumstances at the time..."

He shook his head, looking at the crowd that was getting denser outside the carriage. He cautiously stopped talking. He gave an order in a low voice, "Go to the place where we reserved to get changed. Do you know the mansion of Chen Ruping's son?"

Hu Nu nodded, "I know the rough location. I think it will be easy to find."

"That's good. Try not to ask for directions, so as not to attract unnecessary trouble and attention." Wei Xinyong murmured, "Wei Huan has almost agreed to my request. Old Madam Song... She is so protective of her lineal children. I hope she can give me some surprises!"

Hu Nu smiled, saying, "My young master, you have a perfect plan. You will be able to convince Old Madam Song and achieve what you want!"

Wei Xinyong laughed at himself, saying, "A perfect plan? A man is not a god. Who can do everything perfectly? I'm just doing my best."

He lifted the carriage's curtain slightly to look outside. His eyes showed the reflection of the bustling street. But deep down in those eyes, there was only coldness as if it had been the everlasting snow on a remote mountain.