Chapter 256: Wei Mingting's Punishment_l
Madam Yun was infuriated by Wei Ruo’s attitude and response, her chest heaving with tumultuous breath. It seemed as though she was going to flare up, but at the last second, she managed to contain herself.
This was because Wei Mingting was right there by her side. With his wounds still not fully recovered, she didn’t dare to fuel the fire and escalate matters, fearing that any further commotion would upset her husband and potentially worsen his injuries.
Wei Qingwan didn’t respond to Wei Ruo’s words. Wei Ruo then turned towards the sickbed where Wei Mingting lay, bowed respectfully, and said, “I apologize for my rashness and for disturbing my father’s rest today. If I am to be punished, I will accept it willingly. No matter how many times I must endure it or what the punishment entails, I will always fight for my justice.
Wei Mingting spoke, “I am not angered at you. Go back to your room and rest
for today. We’ll discuss the matter further once I feel better.”
Wei Mingting didn’t reprimand Wei Ruo for her actions today and suggested that she go back.
Wei Mingting’s attitude took everyone by surprise, especially Wei Qingwan.
Her father was usually strict, and given Wei Ruo was causing such a ruckus, he should have reprimanded her. However, he did not say a single harsh word to
Wei Ruo.
“I shall take my leave,” Wei Ruo bowed again, and without looking back, turned around and left.
After Wei Ruo left, Wei Mingting said to Wei Yichen, “Yichen, as the eldest son, it’s only right that you guide and teach your siblings. But what you did wrong today was that you struck Ruoruo without seeking the truth. So many people witnessed it. If you had asked around, you wouldn’t have made this mistake.
“I realize my mistake,” Wei Yichen admitted his fault.
However, he felt that the error was on his part, not Wanwan’s. Wanwan’s slap was unjust.
“I am punishing you to copy the house rules twenty times. Do you have any objections?” Wei Mingting asked.
“I have no objections,” Wei Yichen responded.
Wei Mingting’s gaze then fell on Wei Qingwan, “Your sister’s slap was indeed a bit heavy, but she did have some valid points. You failed to fully explain the situation, you need to be more mindful of that next time.
Wei Qingwan couldn’t believe that her father was implying that the slap she took was justified!
She was so wronged that her body started trembling uncontrollably, feeling as if her chest had been pounded by a hammer.
Biting her lip, Wei Qingwan swallowed her sense of injustice and responded, “I understand my mistake…”
“You all may leave now,” Wei Mingting said to his three children in front of
him.
“Yes, sir.”
Both Wei Yichen and Wei Qingwan excused themselves. Wei Yihn looked at Wei Mingting for a moment, exhibiting a conflicted expression, but he obediently left the room.
Madam Yun, the only one left, rushed forward and asked, “Is anything bothering you, dear?”
She was worried that Wei Ruo’s ruckus would have upset Wei Mingting and delayed the recovery of his injuries.
“I am fine. I am not made of paper. Such a small matter won’t harm me,” Wei Mingting said.
WeiTing, a veteran in the military, had a temperament that the reserved Madam Yun couldn’t match. While the conflicts between their children were not to be taken lightly, they weren’t enough to anger him.
Hearing Wei Mingting’s words, Madam Yun sighed with relief and then cautiously asked Wei Mingting, “Are you truly not angry with your daughter?
She was quite…”
“She shares some similarities with me when I was young, she can’t stand being wronged or blamed unfairly. What’s more, Yichen did indeed make the first mistake. It’s unfair to blame her impulsiveness,” Wei Mingting responded.
“But Yichen is the eldest son. Even if he was mistaken, she shouldn’t have . She shouldn’t have directed that slap at Wanwan. Dear, you saw it too. Half of Wanwan’s face was swollen by that slap.”
Madam Yun felt that it was unfair for Wei Qingwan to have received that slap. “That’s right. If you think it was justified for Yichen to hit Ruo, then it was justified for Ruo to hit Wanwan. There’s no difference between the two scenarios,” Wei Mingting said slowly.
“How could the two situations be the same? Yichen made an innocent mistake, and he only acted like that because of a misunderstanding. But Ruo knew that Yichen had misunderstood Wanwan’s words, and since she couldn’t hit Yichen, she slapped Wanwan instead…”
“Madam, both situations are the same. Either you think it was right for them both to have been slapped, or you believe they both should not have been slapped. You can’t hold differing opinions for both situations,” Wei Mingting commented.
At those words, Madam Yun was left speechless.
Wei Mingting continued, “Furthermore, Ruo also made some valid points. Ruo repeatedly questioned Wanwan, yet Wanwan failed to clarify the situation every single time. If such an incident had occurred within the military, it would have been dealt with by military law.”
Despite his frailty, Wei Mingting’s hearing was sharp, and he had clearly heard everything.
The statements made by Wei Qingwan, which had caused a misunderstanding in Wei Yichen, were said right in front of him, and when he first heard her responses, he felt the same disappointment as his son, thinking that his eldest daughter did not care for him.
He did feel a slight sense of loss at that time, but unlike his eldest son, he did not get angry. Instead, he reasoned that his eldest daughter must have had her reasons.
As a soldier, Wei Mingting knew that whether it was a subordinate reporting to a superior or a superior giving orders to a subordinate in the army, the commands had to be simple, clear, and understandable. An ambiguous reply, one that could be easily misunderstood, could cause chaos and disruption.
So in Wei Mingting’s view, there was indeed something wrong with such a response.
Hearing Wei Mingting’s dissatisfaction regarding Wei Qingwan in his tone, Madam Yun hesitated to speak on Wei Qingwan’s behalf. Her husband’s perspective on some matters was indeed different from hers.
“I understand.”
Madam Yun still respected Wei Mingting’s judgment above all. If Wei Mingting believed something was right, then she would believe it to be right as well.
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After Wei Qingwan left Cangyun Garden, her eyes turned red. Before she could reach Wangmei Garden, tears started falling like pearls off a broken necklace. Wei Yichen, who had caught up with her, saw her in this state and apologized guiltily, “I’m sorry, Wanwan. It’s my fault.”
Wei Yichen knew his kind-hearted sister would never intentionally create such a situation. She hadn’t clarified the matter, which led to his misunderstanding, but that wasn’t her intention.
Therefore, Wei Yichen felt the fault was his. It was his hasty actions that ended up hurting both his sisters.
Wei Qingwan shook her head. “It’s not your fault, elder brother. Sister was right It was my fault. I didn’t clarify things and caused a misunderstanding between you and sister. It’s my fault, and both sister and father were right to reprimand me.”
“Don’t say that, I know you didn’t do it intentionally,” Wei Yichen said sympathetically, then looked at Wei Qingwan’s swollen face, and added. “Taking the slap was my responsibility to bear, I owe you this.
Wei Qingwan shook her head again, “No, sister was right to slap me. Elder brother, there’s no need for self-blame.”
Then Wei Qingwan bit her lower lip and said, “If the slap I took today can soothe sister’s anger and restore harmony in the family, then it’s all worth it..’