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Lian Wanzhen listened and repeatedly agreed, resting from an injury to muscles and bones for a hundred days would not delay the Spring Imperial Examination next year.

He suddenly remembered that he had yet to ask his elder brother how well he had done in the exams—it was such an important event that everyone had forgotten about it. So, he casually asked, "Brother, how did you do in the exams? Did you become a Juren?"

Lian Changhe felt something was amiss. As he pondered what wasn’t right, he suddenly realized and raised his voice, "What, he needs his leg broken!"

Both men spoke out simultaneously and looked toward Lian Musu, waiting for an answer.

Divine Doctor Huang raised an eyebrow and also turned towards Lian Musu. This lame lad turned out to be a scholar who participated in the examinations, and from what was said, it seemed he already had the rank of Scholar.

He thought he understood why he refused treatment—could it be that he had become a Juren and was worried about delaying next year’s examinations?

However, he couldn’t understand why someone aiming for the Imperial examination wouldn’t take more care of himself.

Appearance was highly valued in the official circles, and a person with physical deficiencies would find it exceedingly difficult to progress, a million times harder than for an ordinary person.

Lian Musu’s headache only intensified. His father and younger brother were competing, especially his father who was truly hard to cope with. Only his mother could manage him, but in this matter, he feared his mother wouldn’t support him either.

As Lian Musu was bothered by a headache, a voice sounded behind him: "Brother ranked first in Taiyuan Prefecture."

Unbeknownst to them, the courtyard door had already been opened. Lian Bao stood not far behind them, silently and unnoticed, and it was unclear how much he had heard.

Lian Musu’s heart skipped a beat. Earlier, he had been relieved that Lian Bao was not around, thinking of dealing with external matters first, soothing Divine Doctor Huang until he had vented his frustration, then asking him not to bring up this matter again.

Dealing with his father and younger brother was easier; he could slowly explain the pros and cons, telling his father and brother that treating his leg might lead to permanent damage. They would surely pity him and stop urging, understanding the situation.

Later, he would ask Miss Lih to keep it a secret.

By the time Lian Bao returned, the matter would have been settled.

But he had not expected Lian Bao to return so soon, nor did he know how much he had heard.

Lian Bao was so smart—unlike their father and brother, he couldn’t be so easily deceived.

Lian Bao looked at his elder brother, his eyes growing warm.

He had led people to gather herbs and upon reaching outside, discovered that the government had posted a notice at dawn seeking Taiyuan’s Jieyuan Lian Mu, summoning him to the Capital to be reexamined outside the Imperial Academy.

Upon seeing it, he thought to himself, "This is bad.

" The notice not only involved his elder brother but also implicated the examinees of Taiyuan Prefecture.

The written punishments were extremely severe—if his brother failed, he would be stripped of his qualifications forever, forbidden to enter the examinations for his lifetime and three generations, and his case would be thoroughly investigated.

He had no clue why his brother would be named in a government notice. He guessed that either his brother had been envied and framed for cheating, or his brother’s fake identity had been suspected.

But that shouldn’t be the case. Lian Mu was a real person, a brother of Uncle Ma, literate, and close in age to his brother with the rank of Scholar. After his family faced a disaster, leaving him the sole survivor, he had followed Uncle Ma, only to die in an accident later.

Serendipitously, as though tailored for his elder brother, the identity papers remained with Uncle Ma as a keepsake of his brother and were later given to his elder brother to use.

Even with suspicions, what could they investigate, right?

"I have to tell my eldest brother about this news, and think of a countermeasure," he thought.

He immediately handed over the prescription to the two people following him, instructing them carefully to prepare the medicine before hurriedly returning, only to hear Lian Wanzhen shouting, "Eldest brother refuses to treat."

He sensed something was amiss and approached stealthily, understanding the full situation and guessing why his brother refused to treat the condition now.

He felt heartache; his brother had already sacrificed too much for the family and for him. Although there was an opportunity to seek treatment now, he stubbornly refused.

He was usually dignified as an orchid and noble as jade, and cheerful as the bright moon—such was his brother’s nature. Yet, for his sake, his brother had become lame. Every time he recalled the incident, he was tormented with regret.

Years ago, their family’s property was seized, and they were sentenced to exile, controlled by men of Guo Neng in the Place of Exile. Guo Neng had people who monitored and tormented them daily.

Their mother and eldest brother repeatedly urged them to keep a low profile and not act rashly since they were unfamiliar with their surroundings and could not discern people’s true intentions.

He didn’t listen. Relying on his cleverness, he secretly allied with other prisoners in exile, plotting a rebellion to create chaos and seize the opportunity to escape.

To his dismay, among the inmates who vocally complained and cursed daily, there turned out to be a spy for Guo Neng. Just as they were about to initiate the plan, the spy had him and two other leaders captured.

His eldest brother, upon hearing rumors, came to save him, intimidating and tempting Guo Neng’s lackey to release him by threatening that the Lian Family would rather die than reveal their secret tea recipe.

He also promised the lackey that if he released him, he would provide information that could earn him merits in front of Guo Neng.

The lackey agreed but sinisterly suggested one condition—he could spare his life, but he would have to leave behind a leg; otherwise, it was hard to justify. If they released them unscathed, how would they handle other prisoners contemplating rebellion?

At that time, he was being held down; filled with youthful defiance, he knew the lackey was deliberately tormenting them. He chose death over submission, cursing the lackey and struggling to kill him.

That act greatly enraged the lackey, leaving no room for negotiation—he insistently demanded either his life or his leg.

At that moment, his eldest brother approached calmly, raised his right hand, and fiercely slapped him across the face, stupefying him and rendering him speechless.

At that time, he couldn’t understand why his eldest brother would hit him. His eyes reddened with rage as he bitterly resented his brother.

He had been filled with resentment, loathing his brother and their mother for their weakness and inability, only knowing how to endure.

The family was barely surviving; his younger sister was forced to wander of whom no one knew, and his whole family languished in that hellish place, humiliated to the point of being unable to raise their heads. He’d rather die than live like that.

And yet, his brother not only didn’t support his resistance but even hit him, siding with that lackey.

While he stared at his eldest brother with eyes full of hatred, he saw him approach the lackey, humbly apologizing and saying he had a way to make him suffer more than death, to mollify the lackey’s anger.

When the lackey asked what it was, he then witnessed a scene he would regret for a lifetime. His eldest brother picked up a club as thick as an arm and cleanly smashed it onto his own left leg. The club broke with a snap, and so did his brother’s leg...

Eventually, the lackey let them go, allowing his eldest brother to take him away, while the other two leaders weren’t so lucky and were killed outright.

After that incident, nobody blamed him, but he couldn’t move past it for a long time. It was only with his eldest brother’s guidance that he was able to come to terms with it.

After getting through it, he slowly started to think through the deeper meanings of his mother and brother’s actions. He realized he had been too hasty, blinded by extremism; acting recklessly without a thorough understanding had cost his brother dearly.