Fourth Master Chen remained silent.
Chen Yanyun walked toward him with hands behind his back. Just now, Fourth Master Chen had ignored his words, and in a moment of anger, he had swept everything off his desk. His hand was cut by a sharp edge of the brush holder, the cut quite deep, with blood slowly seeping out.
Seeing this, Jiang Yan didn’t dare mention it, much less try to bandage it.
He only saw Third Master Chen’s blood dripping onto the floor.
“Do you know how this thing was discovered?” Chen Yanyun said, “Mother is ill. Don’t you want to go see her?”
“I’m already in this state, what difference does it make whether I see her or not?” Fourth Master Chen raised his head impatiently, “What else do you want to say?”
Chen Yanyun smiled.
“Fourth Brother, when you gave me this string of prayer beads years ago, I thought it was out of brotherly affection. And since they were consecrated by Master Juewu, I passed them on to Mother.” He sighed, “Little did I know they would nearly cost Mother her life! Since this thing was prepared for me, you must have calculated it well. Mother’s body is too weak to withstand this poison. If it were me, it wouldn’t be a problem to endure it for five or six years. Isn’t that right?”
Fourth Master Chen was stunned.
“You… passed them on to Mother?”
He closed his eyes briefly: “I wondered why Mother’s illness was so strange… It’s truly Third Master Chen’s good fortune! Even Mother can suffer in your place.”
Chen Yanyun remained silent for a long time, then asked softly: “Is that really what you think?”
Fourth Master Chen said indifferently: “I never meant to harm her. After all, I am her child. Only when you raise children do you understand parental love. Although I have grievances against her, I never had such thoughts… Isn’t this partly your fault too? If you hadn’t given the prayer beads to Mother…”
Before he could finish speaking, Third Master Chen struck him across the face with a resounding slap.
The blow was so loud that half his face went numb.
Fourth Master Chen tasted the metallic sweetness in his mouth, looking at Chen Yanyun with cold, vicious eyes. Humiliation, anger, and resentment churned within him.
“What right do you have to hit me!” he lowered his voice, breathing heavily, “Am I your subordinate or your son? You may be the master in this house, but am I not as well? Do you need to discipline me?”
“An elder brother is like a father, and I’m disciplining you on behalf of our father,” Chen Yanyun said coldly, “Besides, you’re worse than an animal—”
Fourth Master Chen stood up, slowly beginning to smile.
He touched his face and felt blood.
“You want to know whose idea it was? Then I’ll tell you—it was Minister Zhang’s idea. Third Brother, there’s no need for all this. With your years of martial arts practice, this slow poison wouldn’t kill you. Minister Zhang didn’t want to kill you, and I couldn’t bear to watch you die either… You see, didn’t Minister Zhang think of everything?”
“When you first entered the Cabinet, Minister Zhang already wanted to suppress you. Zhang Julian’s position as Grand Secretary was seized from Zeng Anhui, so he’s most wary of such things! He promised me a position… Of course, I knew Zhang Julian was using me, and his promises might not be kept. But even if I was being used, I didn’t care anymore.” Fourth Master Chen asked him, “Third Brother, when you cut off my prospects, did you ever imagine this day would come? That the brother you looked down upon would have the power to kill you?”
“Indeed, I didn’t imagine it,” Chen Yanyun also smiled, “But even if you win, do you know what the consequences would be?”
“I know I won’t have a good end after you discover this. Third Brother, if you want to kill me, then do it.” Fourth Master Chen becomes straightforward, the victor writes the history, and he doesn’t value his life at all, “Kill me and be done with it. Afterward, when word spreads that you killed your own family, who would dare provoke you?”
“I won’t kill you,” Chen Yanyun raised his head, looking at Fourth Master Chen.
“—But you will never step foot outside this room for the rest of your life!”
He wouldn’t kill him, nor did he plan to. There were far too many things more painful than death. Chen Yanwen hadn’t experienced any of them, yet he dared to say he wanted to die. He had spent half his life protecting this large family, and look at what kind of brother stood before him?
He thought everything was simple and was dissatisfied with everything. Little did he know that without his protection, Chen Yanwen would be nothing!
Let him taste this kind of life then.
Chen Yanyun took the handkerchief Jiang Yan handed him and wiped the blood from his hand. He instructed: “From now on, no one is allowed to serve Fourth Master Chen. Deliver his three meals daily. Keep him confined here, not allowed to take a single step outside. And no one is permitted to visit him—unless I approve it.”
…That was essentially house arrest.
Fourth Master Chen stared wide-eyed, but Third Master Chen didn’t want to deal with him anymore, finding that even looking at him once was excessive.
He walked out of the study. Guards immediately entered and removed all porcelain and metal objects, anything that could cause harm. Even the display shelves were removed, leaving the study feeling empty. Only the kang bed and a long table remained.
Jiang Yan personally carried a purple sandalwood Buddha statue and placed it on the long table. With a smile and clasped hands, he said: “Third Master said that if you have nothing to do, you should recite sutras and worship Buddha to pass the time!”
Fourth Master Chen just looked at him coldly.
Having said his piece, Jiang Yan left, and the door closed with a creak.
Fourth Master Chen’s courtyard and Madam Wang’s courtyard were connected by a passageway, and servants usually moved freely between them.
The servants in the courtyard were quickly cleared out, and men were stationed at the passageway. People soon noticed something was wrong, but by then it was impossible to pass through.
Madam Wang went to speak with the Old Madam, but the Old Madam didn’t pay much attention, knowing there was conflict between the brothers. She told Madam Wang to keep an eye on Fourth Master Chen and not to interfere in minor matters. When Madam Wang returned and saw the situation, with guards so strict that even she couldn’t pass through, she became anxious, wringing her handkerchief as she stood for a while. Feeling the matter was too serious, she ran back to the Old Madam.
Now the Old Madam realized the gravity of the situation. Initially, it had just been a disagreement… how had it escalated to house arrest? She had Madam Qin help her sit up and reached out her hand, saying urgently: “Quickly… find Third Son to come here!”
Speaking too hastily triggered a fit of coughing.
Third Master Chen had just gone to the front courtyard briefly and hadn’t yet had time to give instructions regarding Fourth Master Chen when the Old Madam sent someone to summon him.
He tied a handkerchief around his wounded hand, without time to treat it properly, and hurried to the Old Madam’s place.
If the Old Madam knew her son had harmed her, she would likely be heartbroken. She was already weak, and what if she became too upset? Third Master Chen wanted to wait until she was stronger before telling her. Now that the Old Madam had summoned him, someone had probably already informed her.
He would first say a few words to his mother, and she should be able to understand.
When Third Master Chen arrived at Banzhu Pan, the Old Madam was half-reclining, with a maid feeding her rock sugar stewed pear soup.
He sat beside her, casually taking the bowl from the young maid’s hand and dismissing her.
The Old Madam drank the soup spoonful by spoonful; the rock sugar taste was extremely sweet. When half the bowl remained, she shook her head to indicate she’d had enough.
Chen Yanyun stood up to adjust her bedding: “If you’re tired, you should sleep first. I’ll stay here with you.”
The Old Madam nodded but refused to rest, clutching Chen Yanyun’s sleeve and saying: “Third Son, tell me honestly… what do you intend to do with Yanwen?”