This time I will rely on others

The next day, after the greetings to her grandmother Ming Shu followed her Mother back to her courtyard.

"Mother yesterday I talked to Father and asked him to make the second sister my study partner"

"Shu'er are you sure you want her to be your study partner? If you want a friend Mother can ask for some daughters from other families to accompany you"

"No, Mom. I believe that sister didn't do the previous incident in bad intend. Actually, I think that it was ordered by Lady Ye."

"Why would you think so?"

'Although I don't want to lie to Mother sometimes is necessary'

"Yesterday when I went to Lady's Ye courtyard I overheard she saying that everything that Mom has should belong to her and that sister should try to always surpass me"

'Is true that I overheard it, it was just not yesterday'

Sighing, Madam Ming massaged her eyebrows. She wondered how someone could be so filled with envy that could create an illusion to fit their obsession.

"Mom, what should we do about her? She clearly wants your position. What if we ask Father to give her the position of the second wife?"

"Shu'er what are you talking about?! How can we give any position to that snake?"

"Mom, if we give her the position of the second wife, she can't be the main wife, otherwise Father will think she is too greedy. And the position should calm things down for a time. If I have a piece of cake, if I want another one when I didn't finish first, won't Mother scold me? It's the same, no?"

Madam Ming looked doubtful to her daughter. Since the incident, her daughter seemed smarter. But whatever happened Shu'er is still Shu'er, as long it's her daughter she accepts even if she becomes a demon. But leaving her daughter's change aside, Madam Ming had to agree that the idea of giving that poisonous woman the second wife position could work, even if it was a short time solution.

"But what if she takes this opportunity to control the house's finance?"

"We should give her just the annoying and hard part so that she doesn't have time to manage the rest, and if she complains to Father, she will look ungrateful"

"Shu'er is truly the smartest. I will discuss with your Father later. You should try to be friendly to your sister... because she doesn't have a good example, maybe sometimes she will have bad behaviors, but as her big sister you should help her improve, do you know Shu'er?"

"This Daughter knows Mother. I will help sister so that she doesn't grow like her Mother"

Suddenly, one of the maids from Madam Ming's courtyard entered the room. She was so despaired that she didn't pay attention to the ceremony.

"Madam is urgent!"

"Say at once what happened"

"Young Master was found passed out in the Red District and the Master discover about it. And now Young Master is being punished with lashes"

"sigh. He should deal with the consequences of his actions"

"Mother we should go at least look. Even if we don't plead for mercy if we don't even go to brother won't he think that we don't love him?"

'Because Mother grew in a General's house, she is very strict to Brother. Lady Ye took advantage of this gap in their relationship to play the 'good' mother who would spoil him, the result was that when he was 20 his was known to be trash all over the capital. Father was utterly disappointed with him and made Lady Ye's son the heir'

"You think too much Shu'er, your brother is already an adult, he doesn't need Mother pampering him anymore."

"Mother how can you say that? Don't you see that even Grandmother spoils Father sometimes? Come We are going to see Brother. Hongyu bring the bandages and the medicine for Brother"

Taking her Mother's hand, Ming Shu dragged her to where her brother was accepting his punishment.

When they arrived, they saw a thin boy already passed out covered in blood. In front of him was Ming Peizi sighing and shaking his head. Running to her Father, she took her head and made an effort to look cute.

"Father, did the punishment of Brother already finish?"

"Aye, this useless boy passed out in the 5th slash. How could I give birth to such a weak son"

"Can we take him to treat?"

"Yes, take him out of my sight quickly."

"Mother, Father said that we can take brother. Hongyu, ask the male servants to take the Young Master to his bedroom and Mom will apply the medicine, right Mother?"

"Sigh. Yes. Are you coming with me Shu'er?"

"No, I'm going with Father to his study"

Trying her best to walk quickly, Ming Shu followed her Father who had already gone.

Reaching to her Father's hand, she tried to sell her cuteness again

"Father, Daughter has a suggestion don't know if Father wants to hear"

Because his daughter appears to have a big change, Peizi decided to indulge on her a bit.

"What is it?"

"Father, Daughter heard that Brother doesn't want to learn the four arts and that his results are very bad"

Peizi looked at his daughter encouraging her to continue.

"My suggestion has two parts. The first part is to show Brother what happens when people fail the imperial exam and indulge in alcohol and beauty. Father should tell him that he is not the only choice for the heir position. I think Brother thinks that whatever he does can be forgiven because he is sure that he will be the heir."

Ming Shu looked to her Father to see if he agreed with her suggestion

"It could work. What you said makes sense Shu'er. Father will take that useless boy tomorrow to see the rash reality. What is the second part of the suggestion?"

"The second part, Father must be patient and listen to me until the end, ok?"

"En"

"After Father shock Brother with the reality, he should send him to the barracks. Father can choose which barrack to put Brother in, but Shu'er recommends Father to put Brother in Grandfather barracks, as Grandfather is known to be more strict to his family members, than to his soldiers. This way, when Brother comes back, he will study diligently the four arts because he won't want to go back to the barracks what Father's think?"

Ming Peizi indulges on the idea a bit. It's true that the best choice of the barrack was General Li's, but he disliked the idea of relying on his in-laws. But think on his son situation right now, he decided to compromise.