The life of the Xianyu family through books

Chapter 919 The Duke of Peng's Mansion
"vomit!"

"Ugh... cough cough..."

The sounds of vomiting could be heard coming from inside the room, and a maid was carrying a basin of water in and out.

"You little bastard, how could I have given birth to such a wicked creature! What can you do all day besides causing trouble, getting cornered at your doorstep... Humph! You've completely disgraced my old face!"

If it weren't for your lack of ambition, your pride in being dissolute, and your boasting upon your return, how could such an obedient child like Xiao Liu have abandoned the servants and acted alone?

"This beating isn't for anything else, but because you, as the elder brother, have led your younger brother astray. I ask you, do you accept this beating?"

Duke Peng was furious and extremely irritable.

He paced back and forth in front of the door, holding a rattan cane, his fierce gaze frequently glancing towards the door, as if he wished he could rush in and whip the wicked creature inside to death.

“Master, Xiao Si has suffered a great injustice. He has learned his lesson, so we'll postpone the beating for now. The most urgent thing right now is to find Xiao Liu. No one in the manor has seen Xiao Liu. He must have run away from the manor. He must have. Xiao Liu is still so young. He doesn't know how vicious people are outside. If something happens to him, how can I live?”

"Waaaaah! Master, let's go to the palace and beg the Empress and His Majesty to send troops to help us find him! Master! Let's go to the palace! Waaaaah!"

Madam Peng cried and begged, completely losing the composure of a noblewoman. The two maids on either side barely managed to support her so she wouldn't fall. Her legs seemed to have no support, and her body was as limp as a noodle. She looked extremely pitiful.

"Father! I'll hold off on this beating for now. Wait until I vomit... then I'll go find Xiao Liu! I'll definitely bring Xiao Liu back safely. In the whole capital, anyone who's made a name for themselves will give me some face. I'll personally go and ask them for favors. Father! You can beat me after I bring Xiao Liu back. At that time, you can beat me as hard as you want! Cough cough! Right now, Father and Mother, please allow me a moment. Ugh! I'll take a bath to clean myself."

Mrs. Peng's tears flowed even faster.

"My son, are you alright? You, you, don't take it to heart. I've already sent someone to fetch your eldest and third brothers..."

"Why did you call the eldest and third sons back!" Duke Peng roared at his wife.

"Why shouldn't I shout? Their younger brother is missing, what's the point of being an older brother? There's nothing more important than finding my little sixth brother!"

"The eldest brother is the deputy commander of the Imperial Guard, guarding the capital and protecting His Majesty's safety. He is on duty during the day. Even if his father dies, he can only come back to see his father one last time if His Majesty gives the order. The third brother is a scholar who has always been self-disciplined. His two or three friends are all literati. They are not good at carrying heavy loads and are all employed in low-ranking, poor government positions. They can barely take care of themselves, so how can they have the manpower to help find the sixth brother?"

"The only redeeming quality of this troublemaker inside is his wide circle of scoundrels. Now that we need him, he's utterly useless! Don't stop me. When he gets out, I'll give him a good beating, make him suffer, and send him to find his brother with these injuries!"

Madam Peng cried out in anguish, "Master!"

Before he could say anything, the door was suddenly pushed open.

Peng Si, pale-faced and wearing only a thin shirt, rushed out and knelt before Duke Peng.

"Father, go ahead and hit him!"

He kept his head down, the moisture on his body not yet completely dissipated.

Those few steps he took were so unsteady, he was practically swaying.

Duke Peng slapped him hard.

They were extremely ruthless and incredibly fast.

Madam Peng tried to stop her but couldn't.

He broke free from the people on either side and pounced on them.

"Go ahead and hit us, beat us to death, so you can make room for your precious children. I only have two kids, Xiao Si and Xiao Liu. One is lost, and the other is being beaten to death by his father. You want to take the lives of the three of us!"
The eldest son is in the Imperial Guard, with the Empress looking after him closely; he has a bright future ahead of him.

The third son is a refined scholar, like a lotus flower, rising from the mud unsullied.

We, the three of us, are all rotten fish and shrimp from the mud!
My poor child! What was the point of you being born into my womb? You are not as well-loved as those concubines who are loved by your father!

"I don't want to live anymore! I don't want to live anymore! Kill me first, then kill him. If Xiao Liu is ever found, strangle him too, and bury the three of us far away so he won't get in your way!"

"You! You!" Duke Peng was so angry that he couldn't utter a complete sentence.

He took a deep breath and slammed the rattan cane in his hand onto the ground.

Madam Peng's expression changed rapidly. She wiped away her tears and asked with concern and anxiety, "My son, does it hurt? Let me apply some medicine for you."

"Quickly, bring the medicine!" The servants, well-trained and as if they had been waiting for a long time, brought the medicine in the blink of an eye.

After many years of marriage, Duke Peng had long since experienced his wife's unreasonable and irrational behavior.

"Why are you talking about death? You're anxious because your child is lost, but I'm not? I'm not trying to criticize you, but you never keep your mouth shut. You're feeling good now, but why don't you think about leaving some blessings for your child?"

Duke Peng closed his eyes and softened his tone: "Let's go, into the palace."

Madam Peng looked up at her, her eyes seeming to light up.

Then he whispered, "Little Si, take good care of the medicine. Endure the pain and go out of the manor to find your brother. I'll have the second steward accompany you. Everyone who has dealings with our family, whether close or distant, relatives or grandparents, students or guests, as long as they can breathe, will help you find your brother."

You two are my only children. Each of you takes up half of my life, so neither of you is allowed to get into trouble.

"Search every inch of the capital, and we will find your brother."

"My son knows, he will definitely bring Xiao Liu back."

"I am but a woman, and there is only so much I can do. Although you are young, you are my elder brother, and I can only entrust you with my care." Madam Peng squeezed her son's arm, her eyes brimming with tears.

Madam Peng was a second wife.

Although he had two sons, they were not trusted by the Duke of Peng.

It's a good thing that the first wife has no children.

Unfortunately, the two illegitimate sons were much older and more ambitious.

The eldest and third sons were tutored by renowned teachers from a young age. The third son was a bit frail, so he pursued a purely academic path. The eldest son was less academically gifted, but he was still slightly less talented than the eldest son in martial arts. Everyone knew that the eldest son of the Duke of Peng's mansion was a man of both literary and martial talents, and he had also joined the Imperial Guard, where he was highly regarded by the Imperial Concubine.

Madam Peng's family was also powerful.

Unfortunately, he took the wrong position in his father's generation and was sidelined by the current emperor.

Otherwise, given her family's social standing, why would she have married into the Duke's mansion as his second wife?

After his elder brother took care of the household affairs, the family gradually recovered.

Unexpectedly, he was disliked by His Majesty because of his association with the prince of the rebel king.

Madam Peng also knew that it was inappropriate for Xiao Si to leave the mansion at this time.

His father had warned him long ago that the youngest son of the Duke of Dingguo had just returned to the capital, a time when His Majesty was bestowing favors upon him. The reason why the Pan family boy could act so recklessly was because the Duke of Dingguo's campaign to quell the rebellion was swift and unexpected, which had shattered the rebel faction and left them in disarray.

His Majesty is delighted!

Even if that Pan family brat causes trouble again, His Majesty will just laugh it off.

My own son has really lost his mind this time, actually going to provoke the Pan family.

The Duke of Peng was also reluctant to seek help from the palace for this reason.

Madam Peng understood everything, but that was Xiao Liu, her precious child. She had searched the entire mansion, but he wasn't there. He must have run away outside.

Several hours had passed since Xiao Liu disappeared, and there had been no movement outside the mansion for so long. It was hard for her not to think the worst.

Although their family was indeed a Duke's mansion, they were granted the title only because of the favor of the Imperial Concubine, and their status was far inferior to that of the Duke of Dingguo.

The eldest son of the Duke of Dingguo's mansion, who was in charge of the Five Cities Military Command, wanted to find a child. With a single order, countless soldiers were dispatched.

But what use is the eldest brother's position as deputy commander of the Imperial Guards!

Besides the servants in his household, how many people could he possibly bring back to help?
We still have to rely on her fourth lover.

I made a few minor changes~ Refresh~