Chapter 17: Quibbling
Translator: DavidT Editor: celllll
Mister Qin then walked out with his sleeves fluttering. The direction he was going was obviously to lodge a complaint against Duke Ling.
Ling Tian then sat on the chair which originally belonged to Mister Qin and crossed his legs. He then placed his hands on his chin, thinking what he should do next.
Ling Zhen lay on the floor, moaning in pain with blood all over his face, unable to get up.
Ling Tian laughed in his heart: You want to lie down here so you can frame me? No worries! Ling Tian was extremely clear about how much strength he used. This brat would suffer from some superficial injuries at the very most and there would not be any serious injuries. The only reason he was still lying there was obviously to wait for Ling Zhan to come over so he could lodge a good complaint against Ling Tian!
Hehe, what a pity. Although that plan of yours isn’t too bad, you will never imagine that I just need you to add fuel to the fire. If not, how would I be able to have an excuse to chase all of these teachers out? Don’t tell me I will have to let them stay here to waste my precious time? However, it really does feel good to beat this brat up!
"Bold little scum!" Ling Zhan came with a chilly wind with exasperation! The first thing he saw was the indifferent looking Ling Tian seated on the teacher’s chair with his legs crossed and Ling Zhen bleeding on the floor. In that instant, he exploded in anger! Without saying anything else, he picked Ling Tian up, turned his body around and pressed his small body against his knee. "Pa! Pa! Pa!" Three loud slaps then sounded.
These three slaps were not light at all. As Ling Tian did not circulate his inner Qi to protect himself, his fair white butt immediately began to swell. Ling Zhan then hugged Ling Zhen from the floor and took a look at his injuries.
Outside, a commotion sounded as Ling Xiao rushed in with an ashen face! Behind him, Chu Ting’er was jogging over breathlessly.
A while later, old madam Ling, Ling Kong, Sir Qin and the others all arrived. The moment they saw the scene, they were all dumbfounded.
"Zhen’er!" As Ling Kong saw the state that his son was in, his face began to cramp up as he hugged his son in his bosom. Then, he hurriedly called for the maids to bring his son away to get his injuries tended to. After his son left, he looked towards Ling Tian with a violent look in his eyes, as though he wanted to swallow Ling Tian in a single gulp.
No one expected that the first lesson from the teachers who stayed in the mansion would end up in a fight! Looking at the mess in the study, everyone had unbelievable expressions on their faces! Chu Ting’er cried out softly before quickly covering her mouth with her hands, with a flustered look in her eyes.
"You’re going to anger this old man to death! Bastard! Kneel down!" Ling Zhan shouted out with a thunderous voice, causing the snow collected on the bamboo leaves outside to fall from the tremors.
Ling Tian pouted and slowly got up from the teacher’s chair, kneeling down unwillingly.
"Father, Tian’er is still young and ignorant. This is the first time he has been restricted like this; he still has not gotten used to it yet. Please…" Chu Ting’er quickly stepped forward to plead for her son. But before she finished her sentence, she was interrupted by Ling Zhan.
"Ever since the ancient times, a doting mother has always been the downfall of many children. Ting’er, Tian’er is only five! He actually attacked his cousin during class! Furthermore, he was even rude to the teacher! Tian’er has already shown how mischievous and naughty he is today. If we were to let him off lightly, the lives of everyone in the Ling family will be ruined in his hands! You do not need to plead for him today!" Ling Zhan did not want to give an explanation at all. However, he couldn’t ignore the fact that his daughter-in-law was pleading for his grandson. If his daughter-in-law couldn’t see the gravity of this matter and continued to pamper her son, this grandson of his would definitely be ruined!
Tears rolled down Chu Ting’er’s face as she looked at her son who was kneeling on the floor. She stretched out her hands but did not dare to hug him.
Ling Xiao then grunted, "Such a naughty child! How will he become someone great if he’s not taught a lesson? It’s all because you dote on him too much!"
As Ling Xiao said that, old madam Ling retorted, "As the saying goes, if a child is not taught properly, it is the fault of the father. Ling Xiao, as the father of Tian’er, you are responsible for at least half of the matter which happened today. How can you blame it on Ting’er?" As she said that, she pulled Ting’er over and said, "Ting’er, don’t worry. Nothing will go wrong." She then glared at Ling Zhan with a look of warning. It was obvious that she was trying to say: "Old thing, if you are going to injure my grandson today, I will definitely teach you a lesson."
Ling Tian naturally took note of all this and laughed to himself. As he knelt down on the floor, he raised his neck and said, "Grandfather, grandson has something to say."
After a few heavy breaths, Ling Zhan’s face finally turned gentler as he said, "Speak!"
Ling Tian then said, "Today’s incident can’t be blamed on me!"
Ling Zhan then scolded, "You have beaten your brother Ling Zhen to such an extent and it is not your fault?" He then laughed in anger, "Then when would it be your fault? Don’t tell me it will only be your fault when he dies? Vile creature!"
Ling Tian then retorted, "Grandfather, I naturally have my own faults! But since this matter happened, there must be a reason behind it! If there isn’t any reason, why would I beat him up for nothing?"
As Ling Zhan and Ling Xiao were burly men, they did not find anything strange about that statement. But Ling Kong who was by the side looked towards Ling Tian with a solemn expression. Old madam Ling and Chu Ting’er also looked at each other with faces full of doubt! If those words were spoken out of a grown man’s mouth, or even from Ling Zhen, they would not find it too strange. But Ling Tian was only a five-year-old after all. Facing the reprimanding of his grandfather, he was actually not afraid in the slightest manner. The words he spoke were so logical, showing how something was strange!
Ling Zhan then snorted, "Continue!" Actually, Ling Zhan also found this matter to be extremely strange. Although his own grandson was a little playful, he had never ill-treated the maids in the mansion. Instead, he took care of all the maids in the mansion. Why would he beat his cousin up for nothing? However, what he did not know was that the incident was all planned by Ling Tian so that he could avoid suffering from the force-feeding education which his grandfather wanted to give him. As for Ling Zhen, he was Ling Tian’s unlucky chess piece.
Ling Tian’s face showed no trace of fear as he said with composure, "I definitely made my own mistakes. Today, after finding out I was going to have so many teachers, grandson felt extremely depressed. Right at the moment, Ling Zhen smiled at me. I thought that he was mocking me and so I gave him a kick. This was my mistake, and my only mistake. The things which happened after was just something Ling Zhen deserved and I have no guilt in my heart."
Ling Zhan was enraged, "Oh? Little bastard! You beat your cousin up to such an extent and you still sound as though you are right? Besides, Ling Zhen is your elder cousin, son of your second uncle. It is disrespectful for you to call his name directly!"
Ling Tian then replied calmly, "First, when Ling Zhen came here, second uncle said that Ling Zhen is my study attendant. Grandfather, grandmother, father, mother and second uncle can all be the witness to this! Since he is my study attendant, he is a subordinate. Being a young master, what is wrong with punishing my subordinate?"
"You! Vile creature! You’re just quibbling!" Ling Zhan was fuming! But he had nothing to say. After all, the arrangement of Ling Zhen being a study attendant was something Ling Kong insisted on to ensure that the statuses of Ling Tian and Ling Zhen were rightfully arranged. Everyone present heard Ling Kong say that. Although he knew that Ling Tian was just quibbling, Ling Zhan had nothing to retort.
Ling Tian then continued, "Second, I could not control my emotions and kicked Ling Zhen once. I was sincerely extremely regretful and wanted to help him up. But at that very moment, Ling Zhen scolded me. Furthermore, the words he used were just too ugly. Being a child in the Ling family, I cannot endure this scolding which relates to my parents and ancestors. Thus, I beat him up in anger."
Everyone’s face then turned black. Extremely ugly? Related to his parents and ancestors? Ling Kong felt that things were going wrong! If this brat were to continue talking, then won’t my son be beaten up for nothing? Instead, he may even end up being in the wrong!
Before Ling Kong had a chance to stop Ling Tian, Ling Tian’s crisp voice had already sounded, "When Ling Tian was trying to get up, he scolded, ‘Son of a bitch! You dare to hit me!’" Ling Tian actually imitated the vicious look on Ling Zhen’s face when he said it with perfection. "Mister Qin can be the witness to this matter!"