"You little bastard! How dare you say that! I'm the legitimate heir, not some lowly bastard!" Lu Chengyin shouted furiously at Lu Chao.
If not for his mother's warning not to cause trouble today, he would have lunged at him already.
"Hey! Who do you think you're cursing at?!" Lu Yuanyi flared up in anger.
Just as tensions rose, a sudden shriek pierced the air.
"Ah!!"
Lu Chao turned to see Taoxiang, the maid from his mother's courtyard, pointing at Lu Chengxian with a mix of shock and fury, her face flushed red.
The young maid attending Lu Chengxian quickly explained, "The Second Young Master is just playful. Please forgive him."
Lu Chengxian stuck out his tongue and made a face, utterly unrepentant.
"Your undergarments are green! Hahahaha!"
Taoxiang covered her face in humiliation and ran off, while Lu Chengxian burst into laughter.
The maid beside him stood there expressionlessly—clearly, this wasn't his first offense.
"Grandfather truly had foresight!"
Lu Chao and Lu Yuanyi exchanged a glance, sighing in admiration.
"Hey!! You brat, what did you mean by that?! I'm the legitimate heir!"
Lu Chengyin, seeing Lu Chao ignore him, felt his pride wounded and repeated himself, waving his arms wildly.
Lu Yuanyi, never one for patience, rolled up his sleeves, ready to throw a punch.
Lu Chao was under his protection—how dare anyone bully him in his presence? Time to teach this fool a lesson!
But Lu Chao grabbed Lu Yuanyi's raised hand and whispered in his ear,
"Don’t act rashly! I have a way to deal with him."
After calming Lu Yuanyi down, Lu Chao remained unruffled.
"Mhm, Cousin, you’re the legitimate eldest son, so you must be the most favored at home, right?"
"Of course!"
Lu Chao then smiled and asked, "Cousin, does Second Uncle ever scold Chengxian for lifting girls' skirts?"
Lu Chengyin scoffed, "Why should he? What’s the big deal about looking?"
Lu Chao sighed enviously. "Ah, the youngest always gets spoiled. Unlike me—even though I’m the youngest, Father hardly cares for me. If I ever did something like that, he’d break my hands! What do you think, Cousin?"
Lu Chengyin suddenly recalled how his parents always told him to yield to his younger brother, while he was the one who got scolded the most.
Earlier that day, when they fought over the window seat in the carriage, his father had lectured him alone.
But he’d never admit defeat in front of others. Lu Chengyin lifted his chin proudly.
"Nonsense! I’m the eldest son—Father and Mother love me the most!"
Lu Chao said nothing, his expression clearly saying, I don’t believe you. Stop lying to yourself.
"Cousin, adults are all like this. They claim to love everyone equally, but when someone actually misbehaves, you see who they really favor!"
Lu Chengyin grew more agitated. His parents always went easy on Chengxian, but they were much stricter with him.
"Chengxian, why did you lift that girl’s skirt? That’s the behavior of a scoundrel! You could be arrested! I’ll tell Second Aunt later—she’ll spank your hands!"
Lu Chao spoke loudly as Lu Chengxian approached.
"Liar! My mother would never hit me! She loves me the most!"
The brothers had grown up spoiled in the countryside, where servants indulged their every whim. Second Aunt Lu, thinking them too young to discipline, had let their bratty behavior fester.
"Your brother just said he was the most favored." Lu Chao shrugged and turned away.
He muttered to Lu Yuanyi, "Honestly, how can these two even compete? Unless they dare to lift Second Aunt’s skirt—then we’ll see who’s really the favorite. If she doesn’t beat them, I’ll eat my words. No, wait—if they dare lift Second Uncle’s robes, that would make them true warriors!"
Lu Yuanyi snorted. "They’d never have the guts. They only pick on servants. If they actually did it, I’ll wash my hair upside down tonight!"
"Shh! Second Brother, stop. If they tattle and say we egged them on, we’ll be in trouble."
"Only cowards run to their parents. At school, we settle things ourselves."
Before they could finish whispering, Lady Lu and Second Aunt Lu emerged from the side garden.
"Household matters are decided by the master. Perhaps Second Brother should discuss it with him?" Lady Lu smiled faintly.
"We’re all family—why bother with formalities? I’ll speak to Eldest Brother myself. You know how my husband is—he never speaks up." Second Aunt Lu hadn’t expected Lady Lu to sidestep the issue so smoothly.
Second Master Lu had always been discontent about the family division. Would he even voice his opinion? Frustrated, Second Aunt Lu quickened her pace.
Coincidentally, Father Lu and Second Master Lu also entered the garden, deep in conversation.
Lu Chengxian’s eyes darted mischievously. He pursed his lips, then dashed to his mother’s side.
Second Aunt Lu, assuming he just wanted attention, reached out to hold his hand.
Then—in front of everyone—Lu Chengxian shot Lu Chao a defiant look and yanked up his mother’s skirt.
"Ah!"
Second Aunt Lu felt a sudden chill below her waist. Her mind went blank as she shrieked.
Lord Lu spun around in panic.
Smack!
Second Aunt Lu, furious, slapped her son hard. Lu Chengxian was too stunned to cry at first, clutching his cheek before wailing loudly.
"He’s just a child! Why hit him?!" Second Master Lu pulled his youngest close, heartbroken.
His wife was past her prime anyway, and this was a private setting—no outsiders had seen anything. Why overreact?
Lu Chao shook his head. "Wow! Second Uncle really dotes on Chengxian. Not only did he not scold him, he even comforted him!"
Lu Chengyin’s lips pressed into a thin line. Watching his father cradle his brother, jealousy flared. He charged forward—
"AHHH!!"
This time, not just Lady Lu screamed—the maids gasped too.
The women turned away in shock.
Second Master Lu’s face cycled between pale and red.
Smack!
He slapped Lu Chengyin across the face.
Lu Chengyin stared at his father in disbelief.
"WAAAAAH!!"
"They’re just children! Talk it out, talk it out!" Lord Lu and Lady Lu awkwardly tried to mediate, each holding one of the quarreling parents.
"Let’s go! Home, now!"
Second Master Lu and Second Aunt Lu straightened their clothes, faces burning with shame as they dragged their misbehaving sons away. They wouldn’t be showing their faces anytime soon!
Lu Yuanyi gave Lu Chao a thumbs-up, silently marveling. His little brother was a sneaky genius—victory without lifting a finger!
Lord Lu glanced at his own well-behaved sons and felt a rare surge of relief.
Thank heavens those aren’t my boys. Thank heavens!
He even helped steady Lady Lu. "My dear, are you alright? Those two idiots are utterly disgraceful!"
Though unharmed, Lady Lu was genuinely taken aback. "Those children are far too spoiled. Second Sister-in-law once suggested having Chengyin stay with us to study alongside Yuanyi and Chao. I refused—and now I see it was the right call. What do you think, my lord?"
Lord Lu glanced at his two well-mannered sons and decisively waved his hand.
"No, absolutely not! He cannot stay in this residence! It’s not as if they don’t have their own house in the city. If they want Lu Chengyin to focus on his studies, they should move back themselves. Dumping him here—what kind of arrangement is that?"
What if his two sons were led astray? The memory of that skirt-lifting incident resurfaced, and Father Lu’s secondhand embarrassment flared up again.
"I’m returning to my study. You should rest well."
Lady Lu let out a quiet sigh of relief and murmured an acknowledgment. Initially, she had worried that Lord Lu, concerned about appearances, might agree to let their nephew stay. This outcome was for the best.
Turning slightly, she cast a meaningful glance at Lu Yuanyi and Lu Chao behind her.
"You two, come with me to the study."
