Chapter 34
Chapter 34
The Count took the fifty-thousand-character book of family precepts and glanced at the whip tucked into his belt. Even if he considered Shen Lang like a son, this was a slightly different matter. But if Shen Lang was truly so immature as to spout nonsense without a second thought in his presence, he was prepared to teach him a lesson, even if it meant using the whip.
Not memorizing it all wasn't the issue. Even being lazy and neglecting the book wasn't a major offense. A live-in son-in-law wasn't expected to bear great responsibilities, after all. But lying was a serious problem. The Count said coldly.
"Shen Lang, since you have joined our family as a live-in son-in-law, you are as good as half a son to me. When it comes to discipline, I do not hesitate to strike even my own children, and you will be no different. I will pick a few chapters and question you. If you fail to recite them, do not blame me for punishing you according to our family's rules."
Just then, the Countess rushed in and said.
"My lord, if he can't recite it, he can't recite it. Is there any need to resort to family punishment? Our son-in-law has never been one for studying. This is too harsh a lesson. There are other ways to teach him without resorting to flogging. If he is seriously injured, how could we face Mulan and his parents?"
The Count shook his head firmly and replied.
"No, not being able to recite it is not the issue. But spouting nonsense in front of one's elders must be punished. Shen Lang's parents are reasonable people; I am sure they will understand."
Intent on punishing Shen Lang with the family rule the moment he failed, the Count drew the whip from his belt.
"Lang'er, apologize to your father-in-law right now."
At the Countess's worried voice, Shen Lang smiled calmly and replied.
"Mother-in-law, please don't worry. I will not disappoint you or Father-in-law."
The Count flipped to a random page and said.
"Recite the contents of Chapter Five of the *Jin Family Precepts*. If you cannot, your skin will be torn to shreds today, and you will experience a pain you have never known."
The whip in the Count's hand seemed to squirm. Just then, Jin Mulan rushed into the room.
"Father, please don't be angry. Shen Lang is my husband. If he has done something wrong, I will apologize on his behalf."
At that moment, Shen Lang began to recite, word for word.
"Chapter Five of the *Jin Family Precepts*, the Section on Conduct. The *Book of Rites* says, 'Upon seeing someone who resembles a deceased parent, one's eyes start; upon hearing their name, one's heart stirs.' This is because the heart and eyes are moved by longing and sorrow. If one lives a quiet, ordinary life, they may fortunately indulge in their yearning for their parents. But in unavoidable circumstances, they must endure it. For example, if an uncle or a brother greatly resembles one's late father, can one sever ties with them simply because seeing them brings lifelong grief? The *Book of Rites* also states, 'When composing text, do not avoid the taboo names of one's parents; in the ancestral temple, do not avoid them; and before the sovereign, do not privately avoid them.' This means that when one hears their parents' names..."
Shen Lang recited the entirety of Chapter Five, word for word, flawlessly. He didn't even mispronounce a single character. His pronunciation was clear, and his recitation had a certain rhythm. The Count, the Countess, and Jin Mulan were momentarily stunned, unable to believe their ears. How was this possible?
However, the Count believed Shen Lang had simply gotten lucky, that he had happened to pick the one chapter Shen Lang had memorized. He didn't believe he had memorized the entire book. Soon, he flipped through the book again and said.
"Then recite all of Chapter Sixteen."
Without a moment's hesitation, Shen Lang began to recite.
"The Inner Teachings (Buddhism) and the Outer Teachings (Confucianism) were originally one, but differences gradually arose, and their depths diverged. The five prohibitions set in the elementary stages of Buddhist scriptures all correspond to the five Confucian virtues of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness. Benevolence is the prohibition against killing; righteousness is the prohibition against stealing; propriety is the prohibition against wickedness; wisdom is the prohibition against drinking alcohol; and trustworthiness is the prohibition against acting recklessly..."
In just three minutes, Shen Lang had once again answered without a single pause. Still, not a single word was out of place. Still in disbelief, the Count picked a few more chapters to question him on, and each time, Shen Lang recited them perfectly, as if flowing water. After that, the Count didn't even name a chapter, instead reading a random passage and asking Shen Lang to continue from where he left off.
This was, in fact, the Count's trump card. When the Count himself had memorized the precepts, he had been greatly troubled by this very method. He couldn't remember how many times he had failed at this stage in his youth. But Shen Lang remained completely unfazed by the Count's decisive blow, continuing to speak as fluently as a flowing river. It felt less like he was reciting the book and more like he had written the entire thing himself. After reciting it to the end, he even enthusiastically interpreted the meaning of the passage and shared his own personal reflections.
It was a truly perfect answer! The three masters of the Count's estate were so utterly astonished they couldn't even blink.
'This... this is unimaginable. It defies all common sense.'
Mulan, who was naturally brilliant, had taken twenty-three days to memorize it. Yet Shen Lang had memorized all fifty thousand characters in a single night.
Jin Mulan's beautiful eyes widened as she stared intently at Shen Lang's face.
'What in the world is going on? Is this really my husband, Shen Lang, the one rumored to be intellectually challenged?'
The Countess recovered her composure very quickly. This was, after all, truly wonderful news for her.
"Lang'er, you are truly amazing. You did so well. Thanks to you, your mother here has not been disgraced."
The look in the Countess's eyes as she gazed at Shen Lang was full of affection. Then, she turned to the Count with a serious expression and said.
"My lord, I've won. That makes twenty-nine times in total!"
Twenty-nine times for what? Both Shen Lang and Mulan were curious. Was there some secret deal between their father-in-law and mother-in-law? The Count's face flushed slightly as he waved his hand and said.
"Enough. Wife, take Mulan and leave us. I have something to discuss with Shen Lang."
The Countess's expression was a mixture of joy and slight annoyance as she walked out.
"Wife, where are you going?"
"To discipline my foolish son."
At that moment, a certain chubby young man in the Count's estate felt his ears burn and involuntarily flinched.
'I haven't done anything wrong today, so surely I won't suffer some unexpected disaster, right?'
***
The Count wondered if Shen Lang had perhaps memorized the Jin Family Precepts before. But he quickly had to dismiss the thought. These precepts were only for the family's descendants to memorize and would never have been leaked outside. Besides, it wasn't a secret martial arts manual; no outsider would treat it like a treasure.
"Lang'er, how on earth did you memorize this?"
"At the end of this summer, when the heat had not yet fully subsided, the pagoda tree fruits were harvested, and the second crop of rice seedlings had just been planted in the paddies..."
The Count frowned slightly and said.
"Answer me plainly."
"Four days ago, I fell gravely ill in the study and nearly died. You could say that I did, in fact, die once. When I came back to life, my mind became exceptionally sharp, and my memory improved so much that I never forget what I see."
"You nearly died and came back to life?"
"Yes, I crossed the threshold between life and death, so you could put it that way."
The Count thought deeply for a moment before speaking.
"Hmm, it is exceedingly rare, but not unheard of. One hundred and eighty years ago, an ancestor of our Jin family was on the verge of death when he revived and his talents blossomed. He went from being incompetent to a martial arts genius and rendered great service to our family. The king wished to elevate his title, but he declined the favor and requested a new fief instead. Under his stewardship, our family's fiefdom reached its zenith. Now, not even a third of it remains. Ah, but of course, that is not the point."
Then, the Count said gravely.
"In the end, this is your good fortune, so you must be all the more prudent and humble. Your transformation is undoubtedly a joyous occasion, but not everyone will see it that way. Therefore, you must not become arrogant and act condescendingly because of it. Do you understand?"
Shen Lang replied.
"I will keep it in mind."
"In the past, you studied for ten years and couldn't even graduate from a single academy, but now your mind is sharper and more brilliant than ever. You must not abandon your studies and must continue to strive forward."
"Yes, I understand."
Studying? In his previous life, Shen Lang had studied for over a decade and was thoroughly sick of it. But whatever his father-in-law said, he obediently agreed. After a long while, the Count's lecture finally ended.
Shen Lang, who had been waiting for his moment, quickly interjected.
"In that case, Father-in-law, I believe it's time for you to keep your promise."
'So this is what you were waiting for?'
The Count took a deep breath. He finally realized that the son-in-law before him was no simple man. Or rather, it seemed he didn't take his words with much weight. He was also incredibly brazen. The Count truly wanted to refuse, but given his station, he could not break a promise he himself had made. A promise made must be kept.
"Very well. I will lift your confinement."
The Count said this, but inwardly, he was very reluctant. This might have been the shortest confinement order in the family's history.
"Do you still intend to confront Tian Heng?"
Shen Lang nodded and said.
"Yes. I believe Tian Heng and his men must be properly punished. Therefore, I will make Tian Heng personally break the legs of his subordinate, Thirteen, and cause his prestige and honor to plummet. It is said that a man must keep his word. And I intend to uphold that maxim."
The Count's gaze softened, and he spoke in an earnest and meaningful tone.
"Lang'er, I understand your feelings completely, but you will not be able to succeed. Times have changed. Since the city prefectures began to govern independently, old, established noble families like ours have been in a precarious position. We are reduced to worrying about making a single misstep that could be used against us. In the last three years, three noble families have had their fiefs confiscated and their titles revoked. Some have even lost their lives."
As he said this, a sorrowful expression crossed the Count's face.
"If it were the old days, I could have dealt with someone like Tian Heng easily. But now, even I would find it difficult to handle him, let alone you. He holds an official post under the imperial court, and nobles are forbidden from interfering in local governance. If we break that rule, I cannot guarantee what the consequences will be."
At that moment, Shen Lang deeply felt the Count's regret. And he empathized with him completely.
Regardless of whether it was good or bad for the State of Yue to have officials dispatched from the central government to administer regions independently, Shen Lang currently disliked it because it went against his own interests.
The Count said seriously.
"Lang'er, I promise you. Within half a year at most, I will take care of Tian Heng and avenge your grievances! So, can you not endure this for today?"
With the Count's power, getting rid of Tian Heng was, of course, not difficult. The difficulty lay in doing so in a way that complied with the law and left no openings for others to exploit. Yet, the Count still promised Shen Lang he would do it. This meant that Shen Lang was becoming an increasingly important figure to the Count.