I Became the Older Brother of the Heroine in an Abusive Novel

It was the first time Jun Huailang had seen Xue Yan like this. 

Xue Yan raised his brows slightly and glanced at the instructor. There was mocking laughter in those pale eyes, but they also seemed to be full of vitality and panache. It was his youthful spirit that rarely made an appearance, emerging from his indifferent and disaffected face like a bud sprouting from a dead branch.

Jun Huailang thought to himself, perhaps this is the authentic Xue Yan from Yan Prefecture. After all these years in Chang’an, everyone killed his spirit until he finally became the person Jun Huailang saw in the previous life.

Things were going in a better direction. The corners of Jun Huailang’s lips curled up involuntarily.

The instructor walked away in embarrassment, acting as if the whole affair had not happened. The bystanders watching the excitement also looked away, one after another. They whispered among themselves and discussed how Xue Yan had split one arrow with another. 

Jun Huailang also turned away. He wanted to try shooting another arrow. At that moment, he saw Xue Yunhuan ardently staring at Xue Yan. Xue Yunhuan was still trying to keep his haughty look, the corners of his mouth were tense but the light in his eyes couldn’t be hidden.

Jun Huailang was taken aback. This is……

He watched as Xue Yunhuan walked up to Xue Yan in a controlled manner. He cleared his throat, looked at Xue Yan haughtily, and said, “Come help me find out what’s wrong with my shooting technique. I’m not accurate enough, it’s annoying.” 

Jun Huailang could see that although Xue Yunhuan looked serious and reserved, if he had a tail it would be wagging in circles. 

Jun Huailang stood aside and shook his head with a smile. Just then, Xue Yunhuan had shown off his superb archery skills, but now he completely forgot everything and only cared about asking Xue Yan for advice.

Xue Yan glanced at Xue Yunhuan. He tapped the bow in Xue Yunhuan’s hand and motioned for him to draw. Xue Yunhuan did as instructed, keeping his back straight. He looked noble and arrogant.

“There’s nothing lacking in my posture, right?” He said proudly. “I studied under— Ow!”

Xue Yan didn’t wait for him to finish speaking. Without batting an eye, Xue Yan kicked his shoulder-width feet further apart and changed his stance.

“Stand sideways,” he said shortly. Before Xue Yunhuan could recover, Xue Yan pinched his shoulder and shoved it back.

“Keep it level,” he said again. “You haven’t trained enough, your arms lack strength. Your lower body is not stable, go back and hold the horse stance[1] for two hours everyday.” 

He swatted Xue Yunhuan’s tense back and said, “Loosen up. Don’t use your strength in a useless place.”

Xue Yan’s series of movements were neat and merciless, and he didn’t hold back the strength in his hands. The string of corrections left Xue Yunhuan’s shoulders and back sore. He took a while to recover.

When he looked up, Xue Yan had his arms crossed and disdain clear on his face. “Who did you say you studied under?”

That expression made Xue Yunhuan feel like even an ordinary recruit from Yan Prefecture was better than him. 

…… Xue Yan most likely thought so as well.

Xue Yunhuan became resentful. He did not shoot and took back all his good-will. He said angrily, “As if you’d recognize them, what’s the point of telling you!”

He turned around and belligerently returned to his original spot. All the admiration and yearning he had just now, vanished like smoke in the face of Xue Yan’s disdain.

He was the sole rightful son of Dayong![2] When had he ever received such discriminatory treatment, when had he ever been so wronged! That guy[3] Xue Yan spoke softly to Jun Huailang, drew the bow for him, and helped him shoot. But when it came to Xue Yunhuan, Xue Yan humiliated him mercilessly.

Inhuman! This evil star is too inhuman!

When Jun Huailang returned to Mingluan Palace, he was called into the main hall by Consort Shu. Consort Shu’s amenities have always been the best and she loved children. Every time the kitchen fires were lit, the best were sent to Jun Huailang and Jun Linghuan.

It was getting late. Consort Shu reclined on a divan in front of the window by herself. When Jun Huailang came in, she invited him to come rest and eat pastries.

“I heard you practiced archery this afternoon?” Consort Shu asked. “It is such a nuisance. Did you hurt your hand?”

Jun Huailang smiled. “It’s not hurt, it’s just a little red. Thanks to Fifth Highness’ guidance today, this nephew was spared a lot of physical pain.”

Consort Shu hummed absently and said, “He is indeed a good boy. It is a pity the Heavens have given him such a poor lot in life.”

Jun Huailang teased her, “This is Gumu’s[4] Mingluan Palace! Who cares what the Heavens say, don’t they all need to listen to you?”

He had noticed upon arrival that Diancui was not in the palace. But Jun Huailang also knew that his aunt did not have a head for schemes; even if he discovered certain things, he had to be cautious telling her.

Consort Shu couldn’t stop laughing from his teasing. She tapped his forehead with a red painted nail and said, “Where did you learn this silver tongue?”

Jun Huailang replied with a smile, “I’m not being glib. How Fifth Highness lives depends entirely on what orders you give Diancui-gugu.”

As expected, Consort Shu smiled and said, “What orders would this consort give? You still don’t know Diancui. She grew up with me and has always been kind hearted and helpful. All the matters in the palace are handled by her, why do I need to worry about it?”

Jun Huailang paused for a moment, then said, “That’s right. But now Fifth Highness is considered Gumu’s child and must call you ‘Mother.’ If you still shirk your duties, it would be inexcusable.”

Consort Shu propped herself up and hit him. As she hit him, she smiled and said, “So you came here to petition for Xue Yan out of selflessness, suspecting that I treat him badly, is it?”

Jun Huailang also laughed with her. But although he had a smile on his face, Jun Huailang was turning things over in his mind. 

He knew his aunt well. His father’s family had several brothers but only one legitimate daughter. She grew up pampered by her older brothers and developed a temperament that was arrogant and willful but ignorant of worldly affairs. As for Diancui, she had been by his aunt’s side since she was 6 or 7 years old and followed her all the way from the Jun household to the palace. Her loyalty should have been unquestionable. 

Therefore if he told Consort Shu without any evidence, she definitely would not believe him. Even if she was skeptical, with her personality, she would definitely turn around and let Diancui know. He needed to search for a hold on Diancui by himself. His aunt could not be relied upon for such matters.

The two of them joked around for a while. Consort Shu was a little tired so she laid back on the divan. She played with a hand stove inlaid with gold filigree and said, “There is one more thing. A few days ago, during the Thousand Years Banquet, your mother asked when you two were returning.”

She smiled again and said, “Of course, I declined and said I would like to keep you for a while longer. It’s so cold, how troublesome is it to move right now? Besides, you and Linghuan haven’t accompanied me for long. Mingluan Palace is finally lively now, this consort has not had enough.” 

Jun Huailang smiled helplessly. “It’s as Gumu says.”

He also did not intend to leave at this time. Diancui was still in his aunt’s palace and it worried him. He must resolve this problem before he could feel at ease going home.

“However, your mother also said that your father will be dispatched soon. She wants you to go back earlier to bid farewell to your father,” Consort Shu said.

Jun Huailang paused. His hands tightened on his knees.

During this whole time he had been focused on the affairs of his sister’s past life, but he had never forgotten his father’s death. 

Although his father was a noble of extremely high rank, he took special care to avoid the Emperor’s notice and never touched important affairs of the state. Back in the day, he had been the number one scholar renowned throughout the capital, but nowadays, he was only a fourth ranked secretary in the Imperial College.

But in the spring of this year, his father took an important post in the Imperial College. He traveled to Jiangnan a year in advance to prepare for the imperial civil examinations. Jiangnan had always been of utmost importance to Dayong’s imperial examinations, sending him there early could be regarded as a sign of the Emperor’s favor.

The Jun family had always been prudent and cautious, associating with no group or faction. It was only because of this, that the Emperor was at ease and dared to temporarily entrust this important matter to his father.

But before the autumn exams, in the summer of the second year, the Yangtze River flooded and trapped Duke Yongning’s party in Jiangnan. The Emperor temporarily appointed Duke Yongning as the Assistant Minister of Works and entrusted him with the task of managing the flood. 

Afterwards, it was suddenly revealed that Duke Yongning embezzled the funds meant for flood control, which exacerbated the waters in Jiangnan and made them impossible to control. The refugees revolted and disturbed the nearby provinces, causing countless civilian casualties. 

This corruption case was extremely serious. The Emperor decreed that Duke Yongning be beheaded on the spot. 

At that time, the court lacked generals and the 17 year-old Xue Yan led the army. With only a thousand troops, he put down the Jiangnan uprising and exterminated a large portion of Jiangxi bandits along the way. It was this battle that made Xue Yan’s name famous and created a place in court for the renowned evil star. 

But Jun Huailang’s father remained in Jiangnan, his bones abandoned. 

Jun Huailang knew that his father would never have committed corruption and bribery. When he was young, he didn’t understand why his father’s official position was low. He only thought of his father as a wealthy idler with no ambition. 

Later, when Jun Xiaowu wanted to study martial arts, his father would not consent no matter what and even spanked him. Jun Huailang went to intercede but his father didn’t say anything. He just ordered Jun Huailang to go back and copy The Doctrine of the Mean[5] one hundred times.

After that, Jun Huailang understood what his father meant.

To walk the middle road was one’s duty. 

The Jun family was originally a powerful family. They were a founding family with a hundred years of influence and high prestige in the court. Such an aristocratic family could ease an emperor’s problems when there was no one else to turn to. But in times of peace and prosperity, with a great number of talents, the most important thing was to keep a low profile, to not attract attention, and to not arouse the emperor’s paranoia.

How could a man as cautious and proper as his father do such a rash and dangerous thing?

Even in the previous life, Jun Huailang had known that this was caused by someone’s manipulation. But at that time, the court was divided into factions, linked in countless ways. If he made any moves, people would be alerted and make it difficult to move forward. So in this life, if he wanted to save his father, he needed to be alert and find the framer in advance. In that case, he must find a way to go to Jiangnan with his father this spring.

After calculating all this, he pretended to be unaware and asked Consort Shu, “Father is getting deployed? Where is he going?” 

Consort Shu fiddled with her nails and said absently, “Your mother said he is going to Jiangnan.”

“How long will Father be gone? I’ve never been to Jiangnan. I heard it has small bridges, flowing water, and luxuriant willows. It should be very beautiful.”

As expected, Consort Shu chuckled. “What’s the problem? This consort will write to your father and ask him to take you along. It’s perfect. You can stay here until spring so you won’t have to go back early.”

With a major problem out of the way, Jun Huailang smiled and nodded.

Notes:

[1] 马步 a martial arts stance used for endurance and lower body training https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horse_stance[2] 大雍 Dayong is the name of the current dynasty/nation in the story[3] 厮 manservant or derogatory way to address a guy[4] 姑母 paternal aunt, but can also be used to address older women. In this story, most of the characters use “gumu” for blood related & “gugu” for non-blood related aunties.[5] 中庸 The Doctrine of the Mean is one of the four books of classical Chinese philosophy and a central doctrine of Confucianism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctrine_of_the_Mean