Chapter 34 -

Chapter 34: Chapter

Old Master Bai Tianming set his empty tea cup down on the table with a soft clatter, his strict gaze lingering on the steam rising from the ceramic. The warmth of the ginger tea was still settling in his chest, but his eyes narrowed as he looked at his eldest son, sitting straight and tall in his wheelchair.

"Your mind is as sharp as ever, Zhengyu," Old Master Bai said, his voice dropping into a heavy, serious tone. "And your wife has clearly done well to bring you out tonight. But look at you. Two years sitting in that chair while the rest of the world moves on."

The hall fell back into a hushed silence. Madame Chen’s pale face flickered with a sudden spark of hope. She subtly shifted in her seat, leaning closer to the Old Master, eager for him to tear down the Northern Courtyard once again.

Old Master Bai sighed, shaking his head with genuine frustration. "How are your legs? Have the doctors given you any real hope of recovery? If your body were whole today, you would be preparing to take the top score in the imperial examinations next month! The Bai family’s main branch would have had an imperial scholar leading the new court officials!"

Zhengyu’s expression remained entirely calm, completely unbothered by his father’s blunt words. He leaned back slightly, resting his hands gracefully on the armrests of his wheelchair.

"My health is improving day by day under my wife’s care, Father," Zhengyu answered smoothly, his dark eyes unblinking. "However, passing the imperial exams requires far more than just two working legs. It requires focus, discipline, and a clear mind—things that cannot be bought with mere medicine."

Grandma Bai nodded firmly beside them. "He speaks the truth, Tianming! A scholar writes with his brain, not his feet!"

"Speaking of the imperial exams," Second Uncle Bai Chengbang chimed in with a sudden, boisterous laugh, turning his head straight toward Madame Chen’s side of the table. "Isn’t our dear second nephew, Wenliang, also preparing to sit for the exams this spring?"

All eyes instantly shifted to Bai Wenliang.

Madame Chen’s drunkard son was currently slumping over his seat, his eyes red and unfocused, clutching a small porcelain flask of wine behind his sleeve. When he heard his name, he jumped slightly, splashing a drop of wine right onto his fine silk collar.

Third Uncle Bai Chenghao let out a dry, sarcastic chuckle. "Ah, yes! Second Brother, you must not worry! Even if Zhengyu cannot attend, Madame Chen’s son will surely bring glory to our ancestors! That is... if he can manage to stay awake long enough to pick up an ink brush!"

A wave of quiet giggles broke out among the servants and younger cousins. Bai Ruizhe sneered behind his cup, while little Meiling openly giggled into her sleeve.

Old Master Bai Tianming’s face darkened instantly. He slammed his hand onto the table, glaring bitterly at his second son. "Wenliang! Look at you! Smelling like a tavern keeper in front of your elders! Is this how you study for the empire’s most important test?"

"F-Father!" Bai Wenliang stammered, scrambling to hide the wine flask behind his back, his face flushing a deep, embarrassed red. "I... I was only drinking to clear the cold! I have been reading my classics every night until midnight!"

"Reading classics?" Second Uncle mocked loudly, fanning himself with a smirk. "Or reading wine labels? Last week, I heard you were pulled out of the Red Dragon Inn by your own servants!"

Madame Chen’s face burned with pure humiliation. Seeing her precious son publicly torn apart, she quickly grabbed Old Master Bai’s sleeve, her voice turning high and pitiful. "Husband, please! Don’t listen to Second Brother’s jokes! Wenliang works so hard every day! His tutors say his essays are full of talent. He is just nervous because the exam date is drawing close!"

Madame Bai saw her chance and did not hesitate for a single second.

Sitting up straight, her chin raised high, Madame Bai let out a soft, elegant sigh that carried clearly across the quiet hall. "Madame Chen is right, Husband. We should not be too harsh on Wenliang. After all, studying requires great peace of mind. It must be so difficult for him to concentrate on books when he spends every evening attending banquets and drinking warm wine."

Madame Bai paused, turning a calm, victorious smile toward her rival. "Unlike my Zhengyu, who quietly reads in the Northern Courtyard every night without needing a drop of alcohol to calm his nerves."

Madame Chen choked on her breath, her eyes wide with rage, but she couldn’t utter a single counter-argument without making her son look worse.

Old Master Bai Tianming sneered at Wenliang, waving his hand in utter disgust. "If you fail the preliminary test next month, Wenliang, don’t even think about calling yourself my son. You will be sent to manage the family grain warehouses in the countryside!"

Bai Wenliang shrank back into his seat, terrified and completely sobered up, while Madame Chen gripped her napkin so tightly her fake golden nails nearly snapped.

Yimei stood quietly beside Zhengyu’s chair, watching the entire spectacle unfold. She caught Zhengyu’s dark eyes shifting toward her, a faint, barely noticeable glint of dark amusement hidden in his gaze.

"Grandma, Father," Yimei spoke up smoothly, stepping forward to break the tense atmosphere. "The hot dishes are arriving from the kitchen. Please, let the feast begin."

Grandma Bai set her empty teacup down on the tray, her sharp eyes scanning the high table with a look of immense satisfaction. The spicy, sweet aroma of the ginger-jujube tea was still lingering in the air, warming the entire head table.

"Speaking of this tea," Grandma Bai said, her booming voice drawing every single eye back to her, "just before the banquet started, several noble ladies from the Capital Association visited my courtyard. They practically begged me to ask my granddaughter-in-law to deliver special batches of this ginger tea directly to their estates tomorrow morning!"