Chapter 19: Is it a mistake?
“What!” Ying Hongliang shot up from his chair, his expression darkening, and his wife and the others quickly grew anxious.
“Steward, what’s going on? Why would the main family refuse our children? It was agreed they would go to study after the fall!” Ying Hongliang’s wife asked, panic clear in her voice.
Her children were exceptional, far too talented to be confined to a small place like Jinghai City.
The resources at the main family’s disposal far exceeded anything they had. Ying Hongliang’s wife was confident that once her sons arrived, they would be recognized and valued by the main family.
As for her youngest daughter, while Ying Li’s talent in cultivation wasn’t as strong as her brothers’, she was blessed with a kind and compassionate heart.
Over the years, under Ying Hongliang’s subtle influence, his wife had grown more partial to their youngest daughter, Ying Li, than to anyone else.
In her eyes, although her youngest daughter lacked talent, she was kind-hearted. Besides, talent didn’t mean everything to the main family. If someone’s natural talent wasn’t great, they could always use rare treasures to enhance it.
But why had things suddenly changed when everything had been agreed upon?
Not only that, the main family had also cut off supplies to Jinghai City, which clearly signaled that they intended to expel their family from the Ying clan.
Realizing the gravity of the situation, Ying Hongliang’s calm demeanor disappeared. He asked the steward anxiously, “Did the main family give any reason?”
The steward shook his head bitterly. “They didn’t specify a reason, but judging from their attitude, it seems this decision was made by a high-ranking member of the Ying family.”
As to which high-ranking member was responsible, that was unknown.
The Ying family was like a towering tree, with extensive roots and countless flourishing branches. Families like theirs were numerous.
Every day, talented juniors were selected and sent to the main family for cultivation.
In most cases, unless someone had truly extraordinary talent, the high-ranking members of the Ying family wouldn’t pay attention to the children of these branches until they had arrived at the main house and shown their potential.
Although Ying Hongliang was confident that his children were exceptional and would be prioritized for cultivation once they reached the main family, now they had been rejected before even being sent there.
“Father, what should we do?” Ying Li clung to Ying Hongliang’s hand, her eyes brimming with tears.
Ying Lan, Ying Hao, and Ying Che, the three brothers, said nothing, but their dazed expressions revealed how deeply this incident had shaken them. They hadn’t yet recovered from the shock.
Looking at his tearful youngest daughter, Ying Hongliang took a deep breath, his rationality returning. He said, “The main family wouldn’t make this decision without reason. There must be an explanation. Have any of you done something recently?”
Ying Hongliang gazed at his four children. He had heard about their actions from time to time, but since they hadn’t suffered any consequences, he had turned a blind eye. Could it really be because of these minor issues?
Ying Lan and his siblings thought hard after hearing their father’s words, but no matter how much they reflected, they couldn’t figure out what they had done to warrant such severe punishment from the main family.
As for those they had bullied, they believed that those people had provoked them first out of jealousy toward Ying Li, so why shouldn’t they retaliate? In their minds, those incidents weren’t even worth considering.
Moreover, they were convinced the main family wouldn’t abandon juniors as talented as they were over such trivial matters.
If Ying Tong had been present, she would have quickly shattered their illusions. To the Ying family, talent wasn’t in short supply. The main family alone produced countless talented members each year.
Even if they thought of themselves as gold, the Ying family was built entirely of gold—brilliant and abundant everywhere. The saying “gold shines wherever it goes” simply didn’t apply here.
In the end, the family of six couldn’t come up with a reasonable explanation.
“Father, brothers, do you think maybe the main family made a mistake?” Ying Li asked innocently.
“Look, we’re in J ì nghai City, but there’s also J ī nghai City nearby. Could it be that the main family confused J ī nghai City with J ì nghai City?”
The more Ying Li thought about it, the more it made sense to her. If that were the case, then they were just innocent victims of a mix-up, and perhaps they could even demand compensation from the main family.
The steward standing nearby hesitated. Even if city names could be confused, personal names couldn’t. However, knowing that the master, mistress, and the young masters always believed whatever Miss Li said, he didn’t dare point this out.
Sure enough, after hearing Ying Li’s suggestion, Ying Hongliang and the others found it quite reasonable.
If there hadn’t been a mistake, they would be finished. Without the protection of the main family, their entire family might be expelled from Jinghai City.
Faced with the choice between a dire outcome and the hope of a misunderstanding, they unhesitatingly chose the latter. They preferred to believe that the main family had simply mixed up the names, though deep down they knew the chances were slim.
“Steward, contact the main family again and confirm that we are in J ì nghai City, not J ī nghai City, and ask if they made a mistake,” Ying Hongliang ordered.
The steward smiled wryly inside, but outwardly he remained respectful. “Yes, sir.”
In his heart, however, he had already begun thinking about his own escape plan.
The steward returned very quickly this time.
“How is it, Uncle Steward? Did the main family mess up? Was it J ī nghai City, not J ì nghai City?” Ying Li asked eagerly.
She had already bragged to her friends about going to the main family, and if it didn’t happen, she’d be a laughingstock.
But under her expectant gaze, the steward shook his head.
“Master, they said that no one can hide their deeds forever, and you know what you did back then. Also, they asked me to pass along a message to the young masters: The Ying family has no need for juniors who are blind in both eyes and heart, who believe only what they want to believe.”
Upon hearing the steward’s words, Ying Hongliang’s face turned pale. How could the main family know about what happened back then?
No, why would the main family even pay attention to it?
Suddenly, Ying Hongliang realized a possibility—it had to be that rebellious daughter. She wasn’t dead; she had gone to the main family. Everything happening now must be her doing!
*
Meanwhile, Ying Li, who was still eating, suddenly sneezed.
She casually rubbed her itchy nose and continued devouring her food. This meal was so delicious that she wanted to eat as much as possible—who knew when she’d get to eat like this again?
