The Rebellious Young Master Always Needs Discipline

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Sharp-tongued, ruthless, stern head-of-household top x spoiled, willful, proud young master bottom

Qin Lian is cold-faced and sharp-tongued, impartial and unyielding. He has earned the emperor's favor and, at a young age, already serves as Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review.

When he was twenty-six, his grandmother entrusted a young master from the family of an old friend in Jiangnan to his care on her deathbed. He had no choice but to take him in.

To make their relationship seem proper and avoid unnecessary trouble, Qin Lian pressed his fingers to his brow and told the young master to call him “Elder Brother,” letting him pose as a young master of the Qin household.

The young master had snow-white skin, dark hair, and a bright red beauty mark beneath the corner of his eye. His voice was soft, and when he called Qin Lian “Elder Brother,” it was as sweet as honey. But he had been pampered until he was delicate and precious: even a touch made him cry out in pain, and the slightest displeasure brought on headaches and fever.

Qin Lian considered himself an elder brother who ought to be tolerant of his family, so he indulged and humored him at every turn.

Until one day at court, Qin Lian's sworn enemy smugly impeached him, accusing him of “allowing improper conduct in his household.”

Only then did Qin Lian discover that the young master had a whole host of bad habits. He was good at pretending to be obedient, greedy, lecherous, lazy, and fond of fighting crickets and chasing dogs... He did everything he could to be rebellious.

It was the first time in his life Qin Lian had been humiliated in public. He returned home with a dark expression and went looking for the young master. When he couldn't find him, he asked around and learned that he was at a brothel.

That night, the Court of Judicial Review shut down the pleasure houses on Shili Street. Qin Lian stood at the back entrance, ruler in hand, and caught the young master as he realized something was wrong and tried to flee. He hauled him into a carriage, laid him across his knees, and personally disciplined him.

How could a pampered young master ever escape? He could only sob as the ruler struck him, leaving his backside swollen and raised. He couldn't just forget about visiting a brothel for fun; even sitting down made him cry.

From then on, the two completely dropped the pretense of “brotherly affection” and began clashing at every turn.

*

“My lord, the young master flooded the flowers in the garden!”

“My lord, the young master nearly set the study on fire!”

“My lord...”

The young master was always jumping about, but Qin Lian remained calm. No matter where the young master hid after getting into trouble, Qin Lian could always catch him and teach him carefully by whatever means necessary.

Besides correcting the young master's bad habits, Qin Lian took full responsibility for him and helped resolve problems the young master could not handle himself:

When someone gave him a hard time at a banquet, Qin Lian put aside his official duties and came to his aid in time.

When an uncle seized his farmland, homes, and shops, Qin Lian personally sent people to settle the accounts and reclaim them one by one.

When an old injury in his right hand flared up, Qin Lian spent a fortune finding a physician to treat him...

Watching the young master regain his color and lose his sickly look, and seeing him recently become determined to study hard and practice his calligraphy, Qin Lian felt deeply gratified.

He had always been fair with rewards and punishments. Knowing the young master's birthday was approaching, he had prepared a birthday gift especially for him.

But the young master was nowhere to be seen, even at the third watch of the night. Qin Lian's brow twitched with a bad feeling, and he went straight to the restaurant to catch him.

As it happened, through a folding screen, he heard the young master speak in a proud voice: “Who said I wanted him to control me...? You don't understand. I never, ever thought of him as my elder brother! One of these days...”

Qin Lian gave a cold laugh and, unwilling to hear any more, turned and walked away.

Another point of view:

Ming Zhao stared at himself in the mirror, suspecting that some ghost had possessed him lately.

Otherwise, why could his eyes see only Qin Lian, his ears hear only Qin Lian's voice, and his thoughts focus only on making Qin Lian happy, no matter how much his friends called to him?

The young master was completely baffled. When he heard Qin Lian had to leave on official business, his heart inexplicably sank, so he went out to clear his head.

After a night of debauchery, Ming Zhao happened to run into Qin Lian in the courtyard, fresh from his bath and waiting for him. In his hand was a keepsake of Ming Zhao's mother that he had specially recovered for him.

It turned out Qin Lian had traveled over mountains and rivers just to find an old keepsake Ming Zhao had once mentioned in his sleep.

That night, Ming Zhao bit down on his sleeve as usual and lay across Qin Lian's knees to take his punishment with the ruler. But as he breathed in the crisp scent of pine on his elder brother, his face gradually grew hot, his waist went limp, and his legs grew weak...

The young master understood.

It seemed he had developed feelings he shouldn't have for the “Elder Brother” he had secretly cursed a thousand times over.

Also known as:

[Has the Young Master Finally Admitted Defeat Today?] [Does the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review Also Do the Raising?] [Elder Brother Punishes Me Because He Likes Me!] [A Guide to Reforming a Delinquent Youth]

Theme: Love helps you become a better version of yourself.