In My Youth I Betray the Blooming Years

People grow old weighed down by sorrow, while flowers age without a care. Whether young or old, it matters little—let poetry and wine intoxicate us before the blossoms.

William Wang Jinling never expected such an unpleasant scene at his coming-of-age ceremony. But what’s done is done—resentment and anger are useless now.

With the ceremony interrupted, William Wang Jinling didn’t care. A coming-of-age rite meant little to him; he never put much stock in it anyway.

After sending off all the guests, William finally had time to sit down with his father and talk things through, making sure to clear up the situation and avoid internal chaos or public mockery of the Wang Clan.

William knew that no matter how he explained, his father would be hurt by what happened. Even if everything was clear, there’d still be a rift between them—but that wasn’t a reason to avoid explaining and let things fester.

He only asked to act with a clear conscience. Whether his father believed him or not wasn’t his problem; he’d done what he should and fulfilled his duty as a Wang son.

After explaining to his father, William didn’t worry about what the patriarch thought. The next day, he packed his things, saying that his knowledge and experience weren’t enough and that he didn’t understand the Wang Clan’s businesses. To become a qualified future head, he needed to inspect the family’s enterprises across the land…

That excuse?

Even though everyone knew the real reason, no one could find fault with it.

The few who’d led the disruption at the ceremony soon felt guilty seeing how things turned out. They went to the patriarch to explain that it was all their own doing, and the Grand Heir knew nothing…

The patriarch was already feeling guilty because of William’s understanding, and now, hearing the clansmen’s explanation, he felt even more ashamed for having misjudged the Grand Heir. But…

As a father, he had to maintain his dignity. He hadn’t openly said anything to the Grand Heir, so rushing to explain would only make things worse. He could only compensate William quietly behind the scenes.

After speaking with the patriarch, the group went to William Wang Jinling to admit their fault.

They hadn’t understood before, but now, after the fact, how could they not see what was really going on?

Someone had deliberately tried to split the Wang Clan.

But their apology didn’t earn William’s forgiveness. He gave them strict punishment and warned everyone not to act in his name or claim it was for his own good without his consent.

Some were unconvinced, insisting everything they’d done was for William and for the Wang Clan—even if they hadn’t achieved much, they’d at least put in the effort.

William didn’t argue. He left them with a single line: “If you think you did nothing wrong, you don’t need to accept punishment.” Which basically meant he’d given up on them.

“Intelligence is good, but being too clever is a weakness—the Wang Clan must never fall into internal chaos.” That was his advice to the younger generation. Whether anyone listened was up to them…

William had barely returned to the Wang estate before he was leaving again. The Wang Clan and the people of the Capital were certainly reluctant to see him go, but no amount of regret could make the Grand Heir stay.

The Grand Heir rarely changed his decisions for anyone.

On the day he left, the streets of the Capital were packed with people coming to see him off. Noble ladies and gentlemen, sons and daughters from ordinary families—some were so emotional they cried and begged the Grand Heir not to go, but…

No matter how many people wanted him to stay, they couldn’t keep the Grand Heir from leaving.

Some said the warm, jade-like Grand Heir was actually heartless—that his heart belonged to no one.

That remark sparked a flood of rebuttals!

Who said the Grand Heir had no heart?

The Grand Heir does have a heart—you just can’t feel it. He’s sincere, kind, always thinking of others…

In short, the Grand Heir had countless virtues, and they wouldn’t allow anyone to speak ill of him.

William Wang Jinling left under the pretext of inspecting the Wang Clan’s businesses. Whether he wanted to or not, he had to go see them for himself.

The patriarch felt deep guilt for having misjudged the Grand Heir, so when William came to inspect, he made everything as convenient as possible. Even if William wasn’t truly interested, he soon knew the family businesses inside out.

The rulers of the Four Kingdoms and Nine Cities saw all this and couldn’t help but sigh: their scheme had failed. William Wang Jinling wouldn’t take the bait, and there’d be no father-son feud in the Wang Clan.

Of course, those were just the emperors’ private thoughts—they’d never show it. Even if they still wanted to split the Wang Clan, they gave William every courtesy on the surface.

If they couldn’t provoke internal strife, they’d just try to win over William Wang Jinling as the new head of house.

Wherever William went, he was lavishly received. Famous doctors in every region were summoned to treat his blindness.

William was good-natured, but that didn’t mean he accepted everything. There were just too many such incidents, and refusing each one was a hassle. Just as he was wondering how to escape, news arrived from the Wang estate: Lady Warren had passed away.

When it came to his mother, William couldn’t say whether he felt close or distant. Since he was little, he’d always been at his grandfather’s side—and his earliest memories came sooner than most children’s.

His mother was family, and he respected her, but he was never as close to her as to his grandfather. When he received word of her death, William froze for a moment before immediately heading back to the Wang estate in the Capital…

The Wang estate was draped in white, the mourning hall set up in the main hall, and the patriarch looked much thinner.

The patriarch and Lady Warren had a strong bond. Their marriage began as a union of equals and interests, but the Wang Clan had plenty of choices—he’d picked Lady Warren himself.

Lady Warren’s death hit the patriarch hard. The younger son and daughter, though not little anymore, had always been sheltered. With their mother gone, they were just as heartbroken as their father, unable to help him and needing his care instead. But…

William was different.

Though the patriarch wouldn’t admit it, he knew William was the pillar of the Wang Clan. With William back, he finally felt grounded.

“Dalong, it’s good you’re back. It’s good you’re home.” The patriarch clapped William on the shoulder, fighting to hold back his tears.

William had ridden through the night, losing weight and looking utterly exhausted, but his arrival brought relief to everyone in the Wang Clan.

“How did Mother die?” William asked as soon as he entered, skipping all pleasantries. He wasn’t close to his mother, but he knew she’d always been healthy—there was no way something could’ve happened to her.

He still regretted not being at his grandfather’s side when he died; that was his greatest sorrow. Determined not to repeat such regrets, he’d always kept an eye on his parents’ health. His mother was young—how could she suddenly die?

“It was an accident. Your mother fell while walking and hit her head on a stone.” The patriarch choked out the cause of his wife’s death.

He’d never imagined his wife would die so suddenly…

William listened in stunned silence, a wave of grief rising in his heart. But…

Seeing his devastated father and bewildered younger siblings, William had no choice but to set aside his sorrow, take charge of his mother’s funeral, and handle the Wang Clan’s affairs for his father…

Everyone else could collapse—but William could not.