RPAGF Chapter 303 Wan Cheng's Home
Chapter 303 Wan Cheng's Home
The girl led her second sister and maid to Wan Cheng's house. Her second sister gave her a packet of malt candy, and she skipped away.
No one was home at Wancheng's house. The small courtyard was simply furnished but kept clean. Coarse grains and dried goods were drying on one side, while a shed had been erected on the other side, under which were repaired tables and chairs, with a teapot on them.
The maid looked around, took a handkerchief and wiped the bench, then helped her second sister sit down.
"This... is Young Master Wan's home?"
Despite being a prince's study companion, his home was in such a state.
Not long after, Wan Cheng's parents received news of the girl, saying that a distinguished person had come to visit, so they hurriedly returned. Behind them was another girl, also about ten years old, who was a bit plumper than the girl from before.
This must be the Rong-jie that the girl was talking about.
The second sister stood up and greeted them: "May I ask if you are Wan Cheng's parents?"
The two men were honest and simple. When they saw the woman in front of them, who looked like an angel and whose clothes exuded wealth, they didn't even dare to raise their heads.
Rongjie was clever. Her eyes darted around, and she went inside to bring over a chair. She even wiped the chair clean from top to bottom with her sleeve before timidly looking at her second sister.
The second sister didn't sit down, but said, "You don't need to be so reserved. My brother is... Wan Cheng's good friend, Si Jing'an. He's the one who saved this time."
When the two women heard what the second sister said, and thought of their son's death, their eyes involuntarily reddened.
The second sister felt a pang of sadness and bowed to the two of them, saying, "The case is still unclear, and my brother is still in custody. I have come on his behalf to thank Wancheng for his righteous act. Our Si family will never forget this great kindness!"
Unable to hold back any longer, Wan's mother covered her face and began to cry.
Mr. Wan said, "You're too kind, sir. That boy Wan Cheng... since he was willing to risk his life to save you, it's clear he truly considers your brother a brother."
The second sister gestured to the maid, who then went out and soon returned with guards carrying various gifts.
Mother Wan had never seen anything like this before, and hurriedly waved her hands, saying, "This is too precious... this... I can't accept it..."
"Compared to the kindness of Wan Cheng risking his life to save me, this repayment is nothing."
The second sister explained, looking at the two of them with tears of gratitude, and was quite curious.
"Uncle Wan, Aunt Wan, we didn't know which branch of the Wan family Wan Cheng belonged to before, but after the incident, we immediately sent a thank-you gift to Wan Hanlin's family and asked them to pass it on. Haven't they come yet?"
The father and mother exchanged a glance but said nothing.
Rong-jie, who was standing nearby, spoke up: "They only send people to collect things and money. If they get something good, why would they ever return it?"
What does it mean?
The second sister looked at Rongjie with suspicion, but after Rongjie finished speaking, she was scolded by Wan's father and then pouted and refused to speak anymore.
Even when offered candy as a lure, Rongjie only lowered her head.
The second sister ordered the maids and guards to stand guard outside before speaking seriously.
“I have come today not only to express my gratitude, but also to ask you for a favor.”
Mr. Wan quickly replied, "Please speak, sir."
The second sister, fearing they might not know, then recounted how Wan Cheng and her younger brother had jointly accused the Third Prince of abusing and murdering someone, saying, "Wan Cheng's accident was caused by another of the Third Prince's attendants, Tang Yansen, who ruthlessly killed him. I don't believe that Tang Yansen alone has such great abilities that he would dare to go to a heavily guarded prison and kill someone."
The eyes of the father and mother were filled with sorrow. They sighed and remained silent.
The second sister continued, "Wan Cheng is gone, and I know that we won't find anything by investigating further. But I think that suing the Third Prince was his last wish, and even though he's gone, I want to fulfill that wish for him."
Before they could speak, the second sister explained, "Of course, investigating this case is also to rescue my brother, which does not conflict with Wan Cheng's last wish."
Upon hearing this, Mr. Wan sighed deeply: "My lord, to be honest, we know absolutely nothing about those matters."
He recounted the entire situation in detail.
It turns out that the Wan family had four members who were all members of the Hanlin Academy, and one even served as an imperial tutor, making their status truly remarkable. However, the Wan family's family motto for generations was to be incorruptible.
This resulted in the Wan family's direct descendants having a wide network of connections, but the adults' salaries alone were not enough to support such a large household.
Therefore, starting from the ancestors, only the collateral branches beyond five generations need to be separated, while the collateral branches within five generations all need to work hard to support the main branch.
Unfortunately, the Wan family is known for its integrity and excellent reputation, making it absolutely impossible for them to do business with anyone.
Therefore, apart from farming, the collateral branches had no other way out. Every year, they could only keep enough to barely make ends meet, and the rest had to be handed over to the state.
Hearing this, the second sister found it unbelievable: "Even ordinary farming households whose members haven't passed the imperial examinations only pay 10% in taxes. Are you saying that you have to hand over more than 60% of your income?"
Instead of handing it over to the national treasury, it was given to the many households in Kyoto.
"Yes, it's not just us, everyone here is like this."
Mr. Wan continued speaking.
"However, the main branch is not entirely inactive. They set up schools in the countryside, and all boys were sent there to begin their education at the age of five for three years. Those with talent were sent to the capital to study with the main branch's nephews and nieces."
When Wan Cheng was eight years old, his teacher praised him highly, saying that he was very talented, so he was sent to the capital.
The second sister nodded. This is normal; the entanglements between the direct and collateral branches of aristocratic families are just like that.
Mr. Wan said, "Before Chengcheng, no one had been selected by the main branch for many years. His ability to go to the capital is the hope of all of us."
He spoke with exceptional pride, because his son deserved such pride.
But Rongjie, who was standing next to her, was unhappy. She said, "But my brother is not having a good time there. They all bully him. They look down on him because he comes from the countryside and treat him like a slave."
"Is that so? Haven't you thought about bringing him back?" the second sister asked.
Upon hearing this, Wan's father broke down in tears: "I shouldn't have listened to him. I thought it was okay for him to suffer like that. If I hadn't listened to him and had just lived a good life at home, things wouldn't have come to this...it wouldn't have come to this..."
Wan's mother supported Wan's father and gently patted his back.
The following words were spoken by Rong-jie.
“My brother went to study at the main branch of the family, but they didn’t treat him like a human being. After two years of study, he didn’t seem to have made much progress in his studies, and he became increasingly thin and weak. My parents felt sorry for him and wanted to talk to the clan chief to bring him back.”
“But my brother himself was not willing. He said that only by enduring hardship can one become a superior person. He was fine with suffering, as he could learn more.”
“Actually, I know he did it for us. Because he stayed in Kyoto, the clan valued us highly. They handed over 60% of their grain every year, while we only had to hand over 50%. My brother wanted... for our parents and me to have enough to eat.”