“Second Brother. Are we just letting that bastard go?”

Ning Mao stared at Ning Chen’s back and said it with real venom.

Ning Xing said, “Something’s been wrong with Father lately. His attitude toward Ning Chen has turned right around out of nowhere. If we injure Ning Chen, there’s no telling whether Father comes down on us for it.”

“And the important thing is that Big Brother sits the palace examination tomorrow. Don’t do anything that affects him.”

Ning Mao nodded, running a hand over the cloak on his shoulders, and said, puzzled, “Where do you suppose that bastard got this cloak? This collar has to be throat fur.”

Throat fur is the small patch under a fox’s neck — the warmest part, and rare enough to be worth a great deal.

Ning Xing snorted. “He stole it from somebody, obviously. A bastard is a bastard. No upbringing. He lived by begging before we brought him back. Petty thieving comes naturally to him.”

Elsewhere, Ning Chen walked Uncle Chai to the estate gate.

He quietly pressed four taels of silver into the old man’s hand, keeping one back for himself just in case.

“Fourth Young Master, I— I can’t take this.”

“Take it. If you don’t, I’ll be angry.”

Uncle Chai refused several times, and in the end he couldn’t win against Ning Chen and had to accept it.

“Fourth Young Master, with this old servant gone you have to protect yourself. Don’t get into conflicts with them. You won’t come out ahead.”

Ning Chen nodded. “I know. Set your mind at ease, Uncle Chai. When I’m out of the Ning estate and have a place of my own, I’ll ask you back.”

“Good. This old servant will wait for the Fourth Young Master. I’ll serve you again.”

Uncle Chai left, looking back three times for every step, unwilling to go.

Ning Chen went back into the Ning estate feeling hollowed out.

At the same time, Ning Ziming was coming out of the palace.

His face was chalk white and he was cold all over.

The one mercy was that the Xuan Emperor had only berated him. There had been no real punishment.

The carriage was waiting not far from the palace gate.

Steward Wu saw him come out and hurried over, all eagerness. Then he saw the look on his master’s face and asked, worried, “Master, are you all right?”

Ning Ziming didn’t answer. He got into the carriage and told Steward Wu to get home quickly.

He was still shaking. His legs were water and the cold had gone right through him.

At the Ning estate, Ning Mao was showing Chang Ruyue the cloak.

Chang Ruyue was delighted and couldn’t help praising him. “It suits you. It suits you beautifully. My son gets finer by the day.”

“Your father has given instructions not to make trouble for Ning Chen. But that bastard cannot be allowed to stay. The Ning family belongs to the three of you.”

“So from now on, dealing with Ning Chen means using your heads. No brute force. You did well this time.”

Ning Mao looked more pleased with himself than ever.

Just then a servant came to report that Ning Ziming was back.

Chang Ruyue rose quickly and went to the door to meet him.

Ning Ziming was already in the courtyard.

Only after he came inside did Chang Ruyue notice how white his face was, and how frightened his eyes were.

“Master, are you all right?”

She poured him a cup of tea as she said it.

Home again, Ning Ziming felt a little steadier.

“Has Ning Chen come back?”

Ning Ziming had asked about Ning Chen the moment he walked in, and something dark went across Chang Ruyue’s eyes.

The master cares more about Ning Chen by the day, and he won’t say why. If this goes on, what room will be left in the Ning estate for me and my sons? There has to be a way to be rid of Ning Chen. Chang Ruyue thought it viciously.

But nothing showed on her face, and her voice was perfectly gentle. “Set your mind at ease, Master. He’s back. I’ve just had chicken soup stewed and sent over to him.”

Ning Ziming nodded, satisfied. Chang Ruyue really was a good wife to him.

“One more thing. From tomorrow, move Uncle Chai over to look after Ning Chen.”

Chang Ruyue and her sons all changed color.

Something flickered in Chang Ruyue’s eyes. “Master, Uncle Chai has already left the Ning estate.”

“What? When? Why don’t I know about it?”

“Master, don’t be alarmed. Uncle Chai wanted to go himself. He’s old, and his leg makes it hard for him. He wanted to leave and I couldn’t very well stop him. All I could do was let him go. He went this afternoon.”

Ning Ziming’s brow furrowed hard. “You didn’t drive him out?”

Ning Mao said quickly, “Father, Uncle Chai really did want to go. Mother tried to keep him. He insisted on leaving.”

“Before he went, Mother even gave him extra money.”

Ning Ziming glanced at Ning Mao, sighed, lowered his head, and took a sip of tea. Then his hand froze and his head came up sharply.

The cloak on Ning Mao’s shoulders. Why does it look so familiar?

Ning Ziming worked at it. Where have I seen that cloak before?

All at once his face went paper white and his whole body started shaking. His hand shook so badly that the teacup fell and shattered on the floor.

He shot to his feet, staring at Ning Mao. “Where did you get that cloak?”

Ning Mao went cold with guilt and looked quickly at Chang Ruyue.

Chang Ruyue said, smiling, “Master, what’s the matter with you? You’ve frightened Mao’er. It’s turned cold. I had that cloak made for him.”

Ning Ziming worked to steady himself.

He stared at Ning Mao. “Come here.”

Ning Mao came, a little afraid.

Ning Ziming fixed on the cloak, and the longer he looked the whiter he got, until there wasn’t a trace of blood left in his face.

He knew this cloak. The Minister of War had presented it to His Majesty. The man had said it took a hundred embroiderers working day and night for a month to make it.

The Minister of War had shown it off to him at the time.

And he had seen the Xuan Emperor wearing it only days ago.

And now that cloak was on his son’s back.

Unless it had been given by the emperor himself, wearing the sovereign’s clothing was the same as rebellion.

Ning Ziming was frightened almost out of his body.

“Take it off. Now.”

Cold sweat stood on his forehead. He rasped it in a low voice.

At the same time he strode over, cleared every servant out of the courtyard, and shut the door. Ning Mao was terrified by all of it and pulled the cloak off fast.

Ning Ziming came back, the veins standing out at his temple. “Kneel.”

Ning Mao dropped to his knees with a thud.

Ning Ziming looked at Ning Xing. “You kneel too.”

Ning Xing’s face was all injury. He looked at Chang Ruyue.

Chang Ruyue didn’t understand any of it, but she could see Ning Ziming was in a rage, so she signaled Ning Xing to kneel as well.

Once he was down, Ning Ziming held the cloak in both hands and asked, word by word and with absolute seriousness, “Tell me. Where did this cloak come from?”

Ning Mao and Ning Xing looked at Chang Ruyue, begging with their eyes.

“Master, what’s come over you? This cloak is one I had—”

“Shut your mouth. Still lying. You ignorant woman, do you have any idea how serious this is?”

Chang Ruyue was stunned by the shouting. Her eyes reddened at once. It was her usual move.

“Master, I don’t know what my sons and I have done wrong. You come home and you can’t stand the sight of us. Is there truly no room in this house for me and my boys?”

Ning Ziming’s chest heaved with rage. He could only roar it in a low voice. “Ignorant woman. What do you understand? This concerns the safety of the whole Ning house. Tell me. If you won’t tell me the truth, don’t blame me for putting duty above blood and handing the pair of them to the capital magistrate for questioning.”

(End of Chapter 17)