Do you know: I am Qi Heng

"snort!"

Princess Pingning sneered, "He still knows how to come back!"

"Madam, it's so late. Let's talk less and discuss it tomorrow," Qi Xuan advised.

Princess Pingning did not speak, but looked coldly toward the screen.

Qi Heng arrived at the main hall, and the maid guarding the door quickly pulled back the thick curtain.

Once inside, there's another curtain. The curtain is there to maintain the room temperature.

The reason for having two layers is that when people enter or leave, lifting the curtain will allow cold air to enter.

Lowering the outer curtain after entering the room, and then lifting the inner one, can avoid this situation.

Qi Heng, however, was filled with anger. Before the maid could lower the outer curtain, he lifted the inner curtain and went inside.

Qi Heng, expressionless, walked to the center of the hall and bowed to Qi Xuan and Princess Pingning at the head of the table: "Your son greets Father and Mother!"

"Do you even care about me and your father?"

Princess Pingning said coldly, "It's snowing heavily outside. You went out at night, making your parents worry. Have you wasted your time studying the classics?"

"This is my fault. I will kneel in the ancestral hall later."

Qi Heng said in a deep voice, "But there is something I don't understand, and I would like to ask Mother for clarification!"

"Are you threatening me?" Princess Pingning shouted angrily.

Qi Heng asked himself, "Can a servant disobey his master's orders?"

Princess Pingning sneered, "Are you trying to say that the two gatekeepers let you out because you are the master and they are the servants, and therefore dared not disobey?"

"That's right!"

Qi Heng looked up and said, "If I have made a mistake, Mother, please punish me. They have done their duty and even tried to dissuade me when I went out."

The child insisted on going out, and they dared not disobey, so they opened the door. What wrong had they done?

"Since you know your actions will lead to their punishment, why did you still go out?" Princess Pingning said coldly.

Qi Heng knew he had guessed correctly. Part of the reason the original owner was obedient and compliant was because he knew that some of his actions would cause his servants to be punished.

Princess Pingning was aware of this as well. She treated the servants in Qi Heng's courtyard strictly, not only to intimidate others and make them behave properly, but also to restrain Qi Heng.

Qi Heng is kind-hearted and knows that if he makes a mistake, it will implicate those around him and lead to punishment. Therefore, he naturally restrains his temper and strictly follows Princess Pingning's words in everything.

"Last year, my mother gave me the courtesy name Yuanruo, hoping that I would always remain consistent and upright."

"Children receive instruction from their parents and are taught by their mothers. Parents are the best teachers for their children, but is this how a mother teaches her children through words and deeds?"

"presumptuous!"

Princess Pingning's face turned ashen. She slammed her hand on the table and stood up, pointing angrily at Qi Heng: "How dare you reprimand me?"

"Heng'er, your mother is only doing this for your own good. You've just recovered from a serious illness, and you're still going out so late. You have no idea how worried she is about you!"

Qi Xuan quickly urged, "Quickly apologize to your mother!"

Qi Heng took a deep breath, bowed, and said, "According to the Classic of Filial Piety, it is disobedient and unfilial for a child to talk back to his mother. I will go to the ancestral hall and kneel before the ancestral tablets!"

After saying that, Qi Heng turned and left.

"You...you...unfilial son!"

Pingning's face turned pale and then red with anger, her chest heaving violently, and she could barely speak.

What does it mean that, according to the Classic of Filial Piety, he is considered disobedient and unfilial?

It means that he was not wrong, but only because it is written in the Classic of Filial Piety that he had to admit that he was disobedient and unfilial.

"Madam, please calm down!"

Qi Xuan advised, "Heng'er is kind-hearted. She was upset because he implicated the gatekeeper, which caused her to lose her temper. You..."

"He's kind-hearted, so I'm malicious? Is that it?" Princess Pingning glared at Qi Xuan.

"..."

Qi Xuan realized he had misspoke and quickly explained, "I didn't mean that. You did nothing wrong. It's just that Heng'er has always been soft-hearted, which is why he's angry with you. I'll have someone call him back right away to apologize to you."

"No need!"

Princess Pingning sneered, "If he likes to kneel, then let him kneel!"

"But Heng'er has just recovered from a serious illness, and the ancestral hall is cold. What if he gets frostbite?" Qi Xuan said worriedly.

"He doesn't even take care of his own health, how can he blame me?"

Princess Pingning lifted her foot and walked out, saying, "I'm tired, I'm going back to my room to rest!"

.........

Qi Family Ancestral Hall.

Qi Heng knelt on the prayer mat, somewhat lost in thought.

From the perspective of feudal society, Princess Pingning's actions today were not necessarily wrong.

It was very common for the upper classes to punish their servants when they believed their children had made mistakes.

He remembered that after Wei Xiaoniang died, Sheng Hong scolded Wang Daniangzi and punished Lin Xiaoniang.

However, he sold many of his servants.

The so-called "selling" does not mean treating servants as commodities and selling them to brokers when they are no longer useful.

Instead, they sold them at low prices to human traffickers, who then used their channels to sell them to remote areas.

The servants who usually worked as human traffickers were all from the local area.

Even if you were a slave or maid in a wealthy family, you could still see your parents and family members someday.

The servants who were sold off never saw their families again, and their families didn't even know where they had been sold to.

Later, Mo Lan had an affair, and Ru Lan had a secret meeting with Wen Yan Jing. Although they were punished, one of their servants was beaten to death, and the other was almost beaten to death.

Including Qi Heng himself, wasn't he later beaten to death?

In the minds of the upper class, servants were not considered human beings at all.

After Wei Xiaoniang died, the Sheng family only sold off their servants; it wasn't that Sheng Hong was soft-hearted.

Instead, Old Madam Sheng said that Sheng Hong was about to be promoted, and killing so many servants at this time would have an impact on him.

The reason for the sale could be said to be that they were going to Bianjing (Kaifeng), and the servants were going with them. They would not see their families again after that, so they were being released to go home.

Princess Pingning's actions were simply in line with the ideology and values ​​of the upper class in that era.

But Qi Heng couldn't accept it.

Although Qi Heng knew he couldn't change this mindset, he wasn't so noble as to try to change it.

But he never expected to see these things happen before his eyes.

Moreover, this time he wasn't just after those two gatekeepers; he also wanted to change Princess Pingning's morbid desire for control.

Just then, footsteps came from outside, interrupting his thoughts.

Qi Xuan went to the incense table, picked up a stick of incense, held it up to the candle flame, and said, "Your mother is angry, why are you arguing with her?"

"It's not that I wanted to talk back to you, Mother. I know that going out tonight has caused you and Mother worry. It was my fault."

Qi Heng said, "Mother, I have no complaints if you want to punish me. But Father, do you think it's right for Mother to discipline me by punishing servants?"

Qi Xuan bowed to the ancestral tablet, inserted incense into the incense burner, and turned around to say, "There are no parents who are wrong. Your mother was only doing it for your own good."

"From childhood to adulthood, my mother always did things her way and never asked for my thoughts or considered my feelings."

Qi Heng said softly, "I know she means well, and I have always obeyed her. But this kind of kindness is not what I want."

My heart is heavy with bitterness and I feel very depressed. A few days ago, when I caught a cold and fell into a coma, I was actually somewhat conscious in my delirium.

The child thought he was going to die, but instead of being afraid, he felt a sense of relief!