Golden Branch

"You little bastard, stop playing tricks on Yeye!"

Lou Jin ignored what Lou Yu said about "adoption".

As a typical feudal patriarch, Lou Jin believes that his wife and children are his property.

Since he gave Dalang life, he has the right to decide everything about Dalang.

His life and death, his fate...even if he wants to be adopted, it should be decided by him as his father.

Moreover, Lou Jin did not think that Lou Yu was really willing to be adopted out.

Once adopted, Lou Yu would no longer be Lou Jin's son, and would no longer be as rich and free as before.

Humph, this little beast is just naughty, not stupid!

Oh no, not only is he not stupid, he has even learned how to play tricks on his elders.

What? Are you trying to retreat in order to advance, pretending to be pitiful, just to cover up the matter of Lou Rang?

Lou Jin doesn't think highly of Lou Rang, but Lou Rang is his younger brother and Lou Yu's elder after all.

Especially in the latter relationship, where they are legitimate uncle and nephew, if there is a scandal of the nephew murdering his uncle, Lou Yu will become a very unfilial person who "beats his relatives".

This is even worse than what Lou Yu did before, causing Cui to have a miscarriage, and is even more unacceptable to the world.

This little beast is only seven, oh no, only eight years old.

It would have been fine if he had just beaten and scolded the slaves and plotted against outsiders, but he even tried to murder his own uncle.

If he is not strictly disciplined, will he dare to harm his siblings, kill his mother and father in the future?

Lou Rang's fall from his horse sounded the alarm in Lou Jin's heart - Dalang's character was bad and he must be strictly disciplined.

"I'm just asking you, was it you who did what happened to Lou Rang?"

Lou Jin, holding a horsewhip, approached Lou Yu step by step.

A dark glint flashed in Lou Yu's eyes, and then a puzzled expression appeared, "Lou Rang? What happened to him?"

Lou Jin: ...

You little bastard! How dare you act in front of Ye Ye?

As a fierce general, Lou Jin is really not a good-tempered person.

Adhering to the principle of "preferring action to words" he simply raised his hand.

Snapped!

The horsewhip hit the desk hard, the papers flew away and the inkstone rolled to the ground.

The tip of the whip brushed against Lou Yu's right hand, leaving a small red mark on the back of his hand.

It doesn't hurt, but it's a warning.

Lou Yu knew that his father was reminding him: Tell the truth!

If he dared to act stupid or fool around again, his father would not only warn him but also whip him directly.

"What a loving father! He even gave a 'warning' before taking action!"

Lou Yu sneered secretly: Kindness? If mother hadn't come back, and he was the only one favored, father wouldn't even have given a 'warning'.

All I can say is that a "stand-in" is just a stand-in. Once the real person appears, he will be discarded.

"Father, why did you hit me? Lou Rang is far away in Yizhou, and I study all day at the manor. I really don't know what he's doing!"

Lou Yu raised his head, and on his still childish face, there was confusion and a hint of grievance.

He is a good boy now. He has never made trouble since the first month of the year.

He stayed in the manor obediently, listened to his mother and teacher, and studied hard... There was no other good son in the Lou family who was as obedient and gentle as him!

Lou Jin was stunned for a moment. It turned out that Dalang had indeed been much more well-behaved in recent months.

The secret letter sent by the secret guard to Yizhou contained news about Dalang.

Since the first day of the Lunar New Year, Dalang seemed like a different person.

He accepted the name "Lou Yu" and began to study seriously.

Instead of getting angry and leaving the teacher, I showed him great respect.

...Even when it came to Lou Rang, Lou Yu did not retaliate immediately.

This guy has a very violent temper. He will take revenge on the same day and will not let it go overnight.

He also likes to "retaliate in kind". If Lou Rang uses snakes, insects, rats and ants to plot against him, he will also make Lou Rang be surrounded by snakes, insects, rats and ants.

But, no.

Although Lou Rang was hurriedly sent to Yizhou by Mrs. Cui, he was not sent away immediately, but stayed in the manor for half a month.

During this period of time, Lou Yu did not take any action.

Or maybe Lou Yu learned his lesson, realized he was not qualified to act lawless, and started to learn his lesson;

Or, this guy is plotting something bad, secretly waiting for the critical moment to make his big move!

Lou Jin raised his son by himself until he was seven or eight years old, so he naturally knew what kind of person Lou Yu was.

However, in recent months, Lou Yu has experienced too many ups and downs. Perhaps he knows his situation and dares not to show off anymore. It is also possible!

Lou Jin looked at Lou Yu steadily, especially his eyes. Lou Jin tried to see the guilt and evasion in Lou Yu's eyes.

Lou Jin was a military general who fought in many battles all year round, experiencing life and death in the most brutal battlefields.

The number of enemies who died at his hands is not countless, but it is not a small number either.

He has a murderous aura, but usually at home, in front of his loved ones, Lou Jin would restrain himself.

At this moment, Lou Jin's aura was very strong.

The terrifying momentum, like a sky full of dark clouds, directly pressed down on Lou Yu's head.

Waves of invisible force, almost turning into substance, oppressed Lou Yu's mind.

Lou Yu instinctively took two steps back, and fine beads of cold sweat oozed out of his fair forehead.

terrible!

This is the evil star that walked out of the sea of ​​blood and corpses.

No matter how smart or evil Lou Yu is, he is still just a child.

He bit his lower lip hard and clenched his hands, trying to resist the powerful momentum.

Lou Yu's face showed fear, shame, and unwillingness, but there was no guilt.

Lou Jin took in all of Lou Yu's reactions, especially his mood changes—

hiss~

Faced with such a terrifying momentum, it is normal for Lou Yu to be afraid and unwilling.

Lou Jin knew that this little cub of his was a wolf, not a dog, so even though he was young, he was not a timid coward.

Being scared is instinctive.

Feeling humiliated after being frightened was the pride he should have as the son of Lou Jin.

Faced with such high pressure, Lou Yu only felt instinctive fear, belated shame and resentment, but he did not show any guilt or panic at all.

Could it be that Lou Yu was not lying and he really didn't know that Lou Rang fell off his horse?

Lou Rang’s “accident” wasn’t caused by Lou Yu?

Lou Jin was shaken. Seeing that Lou Yu's small figure was shaky under his powerful aura, he withdrew.

The dark clouds in the sky dispersed, and the oppressive force on people's hearts also disappeared. Lou Yu couldn't help but breathe heavily.

Is this the momentum of a powerful general commanding a large army?

Is this the power of power?

After surviving the disaster, Lou Yu gained a more intuitive and profound understanding of strength and power.

A seed that had been quietly planted long ago is now growing wildly.

"...Lou Rang was on his way back to Hedong when his horse got spooked and he fell off! He broke his leg!"

Lou Jin continued to stare into Lou Yu's eyes and slowly stated the facts.

Lou Yu was startled at first when he heard this, but then his eyes were filled with joy: Good drop! Great break!

Then, Lou Yu sighed again: "Damn it! He got his comeuppance before I even had time to do it myself!"

Lou Jin saw all the changes in Lou Yu's expression.

He became more and more hesitant: Could it be that it really isn't Dalang?

Was what happened to Lou Rang just an accident?

Lou Yu had already completed the standard emotional progression, and his final reaction was: sudden realization.

He suddenly looked at Lou Jin, "Father, do you suspect that I was responsible for Lou Rang falling off his horse?"

There was a hint of sadness and anger in Lou Yu's tone, and even a sense of resignation.

"I knew it! Haha, I knew it would be like this!"

"It's not me who did it, but it's me who did it!"

Lou Yu murmured in a dazed voice.

After a moment, he seemed to have thought of something and made up his mind.

He said again solemnly: "Father, you'd better adopt me out!"

Lou Jin frowned. This guy is being pretentious?

Isn't it just a misunderstanding?

Just start saying some disobedient and unfilial nonsense?

Actively request adoption?

You are a bastard yourself, and yet you dare to despise your parents?

Lou Jin's face was once again stained with a dark aura. He was about to lose his temper when he heard Lou Yu say slowly, "My father just came in and called me a 'little bastard' as soon as he entered the room. I thought something had happened to my mother!"

"So it was Lou Rang... But even Lou Rang made me realize that I can no longer be my father's son!"

Lou Yu wasn't afraid of Lou Jin's sullen face at all. He seemed to have truly figured it out and accepted his fate. He chuckled to himself, "Ha! A bastard's eldest son?"

"Father, these past few months, I've been reading history books with my teacher. Although he hasn't explicitly stated it, I know that having an eldest son born out of wedlock is the source of family chaos."

"I was still resentful before. Why? Why did you say I was the source of the family's chaos? I have changed. I am no longer Lou Xiao, but Lou Yu. I, I——"

Having said this, Lou Yu couldn't continue.

This time, he didn't pretend to feel wronged, but he really felt wronged and unwilling to accept it.

He has already backed down, but why are those bastards from Lou Rang still refusing to let him go?

Framed him, forced him to kneel... The wound on his knee had long since healed, but a scar remained forever in Lou Yu's heart.

His eyes were filled with tears. "Father, I know that even if Mother gave birth to brothers and sisters, you would still love me and cherish me."

"And my mother, although she's not my biological mother, only my stepmother, I just feel inexplicably close to her."

Lou Yu's eyes were filled with tears, covering up the brilliance in his eyes.

Until now, Lou Yu still pretended that he didn't know Dugu's true identity.

Lou Yu decided that he would never break this window paper in his lifetime.

Exposing the truth and clarifying his identity would not bring him any benefits.

It would be better for him to be a bastard whose biological mother is missing. He would respect Dugu as his legal mother, and this would earn him guilt and compensation from Dugu.

Lou Jin was cautious because Dugu loved him.

And he, Lou Yu, can gain more benefits.

Over the past few months, after one incident after another, Lou Yu has become evil, smarter, more scheming, and more paranoid!

Since he was not his parents' only child and could not get all their love, he simply replaced his parents!

It’s not that his parents don’t want him, but that he doesn’t want his parents.

Although he was furious in his heart, Lou Yu's young face showed admiration: "Mother is good to me, and I respect and love her too."

"Although we are not biological mother and son, we have a mother-son bond."

"I will be a good son, listen to my mother, study hard, and work hard to make progress."

"I will also be a good brother and take care of my younger brothers and sisters."

Lou Yu spoke emotionally, tears quietly sliding down his face.

He sniffed and changed the subject, "But even if the tree wants to be still, the wind will not stop. Father, my mother doesn't care about my status as the eldest son, but 'others' do!"

"Did Lou Rang just want to take revenge on me and frame me on New Year's Day? No, the one he really wanted to target was my mother! The relationship between me and my mother!"

"Thankfully, Mom was just frightened and fainted, and the baby in her belly wasn't hurt. If anything had happened, even if Mom believed me, this incident would have always left a grudge in her heart!"

"It's just that this kind of thing doesn't happen just once."

"You may be lucky once, but you won't be lucky every time. There are only thieves who can steal for a thousand days, but no one can guard against thieves for a thousand days."

"Father, they won't give up."

"My status as the eldest son of a concubine makes me a sitting duck. They'll take advantage of this whenever they want to cause trouble."

"My father loves me, my mother dotes on me, and our family could have been happy and harmonious, but outsiders don't agree."

"Last time it was Lou Rang, what about next time? When my mother gave birth, it was an 'opportunity'. When my mother gave birth to my younger siblings, and they were still young, it was also an 'opportunity'!"

"And it's not just Old Lady Cui and the others. There are also people outside, my father's enemies, and even my father's allies. As long as they need to, they will plot and frame us!"

"Father, for Mother's sake and for the sake of family harmony, please give me up as an adoptive child."

"I am no longer the illegitimate eldest son who is an eyesore to others, nor am I a weak point for you and mother. The Lou family is now at peace!"

Lou Yu's words were sincere and reasonable.

Lou Jin's originally gloomy face turned bright.

A pair of tightly furrowed eyebrows were slowly ironed smooth.

He even began to think about what Lou Yu had said: if one puts aside the fact that he "actively requested to be adopted, which seemed to indicate that he despised his parents", what this little beast said actually made some sense.

In fact, the main reason why Lou Jin was so angry this time was not only because Lou Yu shouldn't have murdered his parents, but also because Dugu's frightened premature birth was the main reason.

Deep down in his heart, he couldn't help but worry: Dalang is naughty, will he resent his biological mother Dugu and be jealous of his legitimate brothers and sisters?

In order to maintain his status as the Lou family's little overlord, will Dalang...

You know, Lou Dalang has a criminal record.

The Cui family incident happened just last year, and Lou Jin successfully cooperated with Wang Lin because of this incident.

When he thought of this, Lou Jin couldn't help but feel scared.

He would use the incident of Lou Rang falling off the horse to try to teach Lou Yu a lesson and punish him, hoping to scare him and let him know the seriousness of the matter.

But, as Lou Yu said, "The tree wants to be still but the wind does not stop." Lou Yu has learned his lesson, but outsiders will not stop.

Whenever there is a conflict of interest, there will be secret calculations.

Lou Jin's biggest weakness is the Dugu family, and the person that the Dugu family is most troubled by is Lou Yu.

"...Father, even if you give me away, the bloodline won't be cut off. I'm still your son. Does that mean you and mother won't love me anymore just because I've lost my status?"

Seeing that Lou Jin was silent, Lou Yu delivered the final blow.

Lou Jin: ...Yeah! Even if he's not their son in name only, as long as he and Jiaojiao care about Dalang, he's still their son!

PS: Regarding the scumbag father and mother, Rong Mousa has a sophistry: In ancient times, parents treated their children as private property, and the father-son relationship was not the same as the modern parent-child relationship. Also, the male protagonist is not a poor little thing, but a paranoid, black-bellied wolf cub who even calculates and exploits his parents!