When Eldest Son Xiao heard his question, he puffed out his chest.
With an arrogant look on his face, he said. “I am the big brother of General Weiyuan. Capture me if you can. Let’s see who will end up in prison.”
The guard looked at him and sneered. “Don’t be ridiculous. Does General Weiyuan have a brother who is a beggar?”
His words hit the Xiao family’s lungs, “We were robbed by bandits on the way here, that’s why we look like beggars.
“But we are indeed General Weiyuan’s relatives. If you don’t believe me, you can ask him to come to the capital gate.”
Eldest Son Xiao turned around and assisted Old Master Xiao, “This is his father. If he dares to disown his parents, it would be unfilial.”
Eldest Grandson Xiao, who was standing at the side, pointed at the road guide. “I am the nephew of General Weiyuan. You can ask around. This is the place where my second uncle was born.”
The guard looked at this group of beggar-looking people who still portrayed themselves confidently.
He could not make up his mind.
If they were really General Weiyuan’s relatives, it wouldn’t be good if they stopped them from entering the capital and offended those in the general’s residence.
But if they were lying and came to the capital to beg, it wouldn’t be good either.
Thus, the two of them discussed softly.
One of them looked at the people from the old Xiao family and said, “Do you know where General Weiyuan’s residence is?”
Eldest Son Xiao shook his head. “We don’t know. This is our first time in the capital.”
“Didn’t you ask General Xiao to send someone to pick you up? Or at least agreed on a time to meet at the capital gate?” One of them questioned.
Eldest Son Xiao scolded his younger brother in his heart. How could that bastard be so kind as to pick them up?
If he knew that they wanted to go to the capital, he would have prevented them directly.
But of course, he couldn’t say this out loud. “We had already written a letter before we set off. Who knew that we would encounter bandits on the way? This delayed us for a few days.”
Someone stood out and said, “Alright, then I’ll bring you to the general’s residence.”
If these people were really the family members of the general’s residence, he would be doing a favour by bringing them along.
If not, he would throw them into prison for a few days.
The guards remembered how these people had scolded them for being blind just now.
Old Master Xiao coughed lightly. “Then I’ll have to trouble you, capital guards.”
Right now, it was more important to find the general’s residence first.
Thus, under the lead of the gatekeeper, the whole group of people walked to the capital’s South Main Street.
South Main Street was the residence of the nobles who had risen in recent years.
The capital gate wasn’t close to South Main Street, and they had to walk for nearly an hour.
The people from the old Xiao family were all dressed in rags.
In total there were more than a dozen of them across all ages, including a few children who couldn’t walk anymore and were crying.
Because of this, wherever they went, they became a scenic spot.
Some would ask out of curiosity, and the people of the old Xiao family would proudly say that they were the family members of General Weiyuan.
Especially when the old lady met people who asked about it, she would cry and complain.
Her words implied that once her second son became rich, he only thought about his lovely wife and ignored his family members in the village.
This was what Shi Qingluo had taught her.
After arriving in the capital, they would first intentionally or unintentionally publicise Second Son Xiao’s unfilial behaviour.
She said that they should put some social pressure on Second Son Xiao in order to make a preemptive strike.
As long as he did not want to be judged unfilial by the imperial court, he had to put up a show to others.
He would not dare to chase them away, at least on the surface.
However, if they reached the capital discreetly, and no one knew that the bastard Second Son Xiao had secretly sent them away, they couldn’t do much about it.
Originally, Old Lady Xiao felt that it was a little unfair to implicate her second son for being unfilial.
However, after encountering the bandits on the mountain, she suffered the worst she had in her entire life.
She held a bellyful of anger, and also had to withstand other people’s strange gazes.
She could not stand this injustice anymore.
Hence, she couldn’t help but use Shi Qingluo’s teachings to pour salt in his wound.
Second Son Xiao was an unfilial animal. It was right to scold him.
Indeed, all the passers-by were shocked.
They did not expect that they were General Weiyuan’s relatives.
Moreover, General Xiao was indeed unfilial.
If not, how could he allow his parents to beg along the way to the capital.
When they were about to arrive, a few youths dressed in brocade robes brought their servants to stroll around the streets.
They saw a group of beggars walking towards South Main Street.
One of them smacked his nose in disdain. “Where did these stinking beggars come from? South Main Street isn’t a place for you to beg for food. Get lost.”
The other passers-by also looked on in disdain.
The old Xiao family found it extremely frustrating to be treated like beggars once again.
Eldest Grandson Xiao was on the verge of breaking down.
Thinking back to what Shi Qingluo had told them, his second uncle was a newly promoted noble general deeply favoured by the emperor.
As his family members, they didn’t need to be afraid of anyone when they encountered any trouble, else they would be disgracing the general.
Hence, he bluffed and glared at the youths. “We are the family members of General Weiyuan, so you aren’t allowed to slander us.
“Believe it or not, I will let my second uncle send all of you to jail.”
He was mimicking what the guards had said earlier.
When the youths heard this, their expressions changed.
It wasn’t that they were afraid of going to jail, but that they could not stand this insult.
One of the youths sneered, “What an arrogant general. Let’s see if Senior General Weiyuan dares to send us to jail.”
Their families were either newly-promoted nobles or were already high-ranking aristocratic families.
They weren’t inferior to a senior general.
Their elders were definitely not to be trifled with.
The leading youth sneered, “That’s right, he’s just a senior general given the title of a Weiyuan. Is he thinking too highly of himself?”
He was a descendant of a famous aristocratic family from East Street, the heir of the high duke’s public administration house.
When Eldest Grandson Xiao heard him humiliating his second uncle, he said, “Don’t be too arrogant. Just wait, I’ll get my second uncle to teach you a lesson and make you suffer.”
He was habitually overbearing in the village.
Furthermore, people in the old Xiao family spoiled him.
Ever since Second Son Xiao became a general, many people in the county also stood by his side.
This young man was angry, and he had suffered so much along the way, so he exploded.
Anyway, Shi Qingluo had said that if they caused any trouble, his second uncle would clean up the mess.
That young man was also angry. “I’ll make you suffer now.”
Thus, he waved his hand and ordered his servant to beat him up.
As a well-known dandy in the capital who had a great-aunt as the empress’ dowager, he had always been unruly in the capital.
When he met a beggar who was even more arrogant than him, he could not tolerate it.
Thus, his servant rushed up without hesitation and gave Eldest Grandson Xiao a beating.
When Old Master Xiao and Old Lady Xiao saw their precious grandson being beaten up, their hearts ached to death.
Old Master Xiao got his two sons and other grandsons to help, while Old Lady Xiao also asked her servants to fight with that dandy’s servant.
Very quickly, the scene turned chaotic.
Second Grandson Xiao rushed up to give this leading youth a punch while everyone was caught off guard.
Although he hadn’t eaten enough recently and this punch wasn’t heavy, this leading youth didn’t want to let go of this matter.
So he brought a group of youths and servants to directly stage a fight.
He even brought some people from yamen along.
Too bad, he was the duke’s public administration house’s most favoured profligate young master.
In General Weiyuan’s manor.
Xiao Yuanshi had already returned home and was talking to his lovely wife.
Suddenly, the housekeeper came to report.
“General, the people from the capital came to report something.”
