It's understandable that the young emperor, burdened with such heavy pressure, wanted to find a place to escape temporarily. But now he's no longer a child. As the ruler of a country, Wei Yutang is essentially standing behind him, pushing him to the forefront.
Force the young emperor to face reality and make him realize all of this early on.
After the young emperor calmed down, he took a deep breath, and the smile on his lips was somewhat bitter.
"Sir, you really are still the same as before."
"Your Majesty flatters me."
"How many days will you be able to stay in the capital this time, sir?"
"My wife is still waiting for me at home. She will leave in three days."
"Your general's mansion in the capital is always kept clean, and you are always welcome to return."
The young emperor ordered someone to take Wei Yutang to the residence where he had previously lived to rest, and he spent the entire night reviewing memorials by himself.
He knew that what the gentleman said was true, and he also knew the purpose behind the gentleman's actions.
The man seemed to be trying to teach him that no matter who it is, in the end everyone will leave and there is a risk of betrayal.
But the master is still not ruthless enough. If the master betrays him, he will definitely grow into the kind of person the master most wants to see.
But the teacher didn't; the teacher just kept teaching him repeatedly.
After reviewing the memorials, the young emperor walked to his bedside and happened to see the sky turning a dark blue, indicating that he would soon be attending court.
The more the gentleman said that, the more he trusted him.
As an emperor, he was willing to place all his limited trust in the gentleman.
Wei Yutang did not ask His Majesty for anything; he simply took some of the gold and silver he had accumulated and left without even saying goodbye to His Majesty, departing one morning.
Perhaps one day in the future, when the little emperor has truly grown into the person he hoped to see, he will return with Chu Qing and Xia Xia.
...
The county magistrate's investigation was very swift, and he quickly uncovered the truth. Such matters could not be tolerated, and the final result was roughly what Chu Qing had guessed.
After the protagonist's parents were exiled, she was raised in her older brother and sister-in-law's home.
The older brother watched his younger sister grow up and could completely understand his parents' favoritism towards her. Sometimes he just couldn't tell the difference and felt that since his sister was younger and his parents liked her, it was normal for them to be slightly biased.
But my sister-in-law is different. She only agreed to marry Brother Chu because she thought he was an honest and reliable person.
To the sister-in-law, her younger sister was just a younger sister. Taking care of her a little bit was no problem; it was something she should do as a sister-in-law.
No matter what, the younger sister can't possibly overlook her own child.
In ordinary farming families, unless there is special favoritism, life is just getting by. For the protagonist, who had always been favored and pampered, it was like falling from heaven to earth in an instant.
Chu Qing often saw the protagonist come out and do some things, even though he was used to being kept at home and even had his food handed to him.
He found it really hard to feel any sympathy for the protagonist. After telling Xiaxia not to play with her, he didn't pay any more attention to that side.
Because Chu Qing had asked that aunt to help take care of Xia Xia for a while, her relationship with that aunt had recently become quite good.
That auntie is very hardworking. Even if Chu Qing doesn't mention it, she will take the initiative to come over and ask her child to play with Xiaxia.
Wei Yutang returned earlier than he had told Chu Qing. He bought a carriage in the prefectural city, thinking that it would be convenient to take Chu Qing and Xia Xia anywhere in the future.
Xiaxia saw her father from afar, but instead of rushing to greet him, she quickly turned around and went home, wanting to tell him the good news.
Wei Yutang did not return alone; he brought along a doctor who had been by his side.
Old Qi had already found a place to retire, but who would have thought he would be captured by the general again? He had no children and was taken in by the general when he was still a beggar.
Now that he's thinking about retiring, he's fine with anything as long as it's quiet.
On the surface, he was very dissatisfied with the general taking him away, but in reality, Lao Qi didn't have that many thoughts.
He would be quite happy if he could really live with the general in the future, unlike before when he was lonely. He couldn't ask for more.
Moreover, on the way here, he heard from the general that there was now a young master, and Old Qi couldn't wait just thinking about it.
The carriage stopped at the entrance of the courtyard. Wei Yutang glanced into the courtyard as he jumped down.
He had seen his son from afar at the village entrance, and Xiaxia must have run back to tell Chu Qing.
Absence makes the heart grow fonder, and Wei Yutang was unusually nervous during their brief separation.
He went back to the capital, tidied himself up a bit, and shaved off his beard, which he had been growing for a long time.
Xiaxia couldn't find her father inside the house and guessed that he might have gone up the mountain, so she decided to run out and check on him first.
He hadn't seen his father for so long, and he still missed him dearly.
Walking into the courtyard, Xia Xia saw the tall man standing there. He seemed both unfamiliar and somewhat familiar, which made her look a little confused.
Where is his father?
Earlier at the village entrance, he had seen his father return as well. Could it be that his father hadn't arrived yet?
Wei Yutang watched helplessly as Xia Xia ran past him and headed out, and couldn't help but ask:
"Xiaxia, where are we going?"
The little guy, who was running, heard someone call his name and turned his head to look at him worriedly.
"I...I'm going to find my father."
Old Qi, sitting inside the carriage, couldn't help but laugh when he heard this. Wei Yutang's face darkened upon hearing the laughter.
"Aren't I right here?"
Xiaxia heard this and ran back, stood in front of Wei Yutang and looked at him carefully, then frowned and shook her head.
"No, you are not my father. My father is not this white-haired, nor does he have such a sparse beard."
Before, when others said that his father was not good-looking, Xiaxia was good at comforting herself, saying that his father had a full beard and looked scary.
If he ever wants to find his father, he can just say he's the one with the full beard, and people will recognize him at a glance.
"Xiaxia, you are truly a father."
Because this was his own son, no matter how angry Wei Yutang was, he could only coax him. He squatted down in front of Xia Xia to look him in the eye and gently rubbed his head, just like he had done with Xia Xia before.
This familiar gesture did not convince Xia Xia that Wei Yutang was her father; instead, it made her even more wary.
I don't believe it.
"Where did you see my father? Why are you imitating my father?"
Seeing the little guy's serious expression, which didn't seem like he was faking it, Wei Yutang rubbed his temples helplessly and simply picked him up.
He had made up his mind that he would never leave Xiaxia again unless absolutely necessary.
In just a few months, Xiaxia no longer recognized his father. If it had been any longer, he might have completely forgotten about his father.
Just then, Chu Qing returned from digging for medicinal herbs on the mountain. He saw the carriage parked at the gate of the courtyard from afar. The aunt told him that it must be Wei Yutang returning. He almost ran all the way to the gate of the courtyard.
Chu Qing stood there, carrying a basket on her back and holding tools for digging herbs in her hands, adjusting her breathing.
Today, Wei Yutang was dressed in a dark blue outfit, his beard was clean-shaven, and he was holding Xiaxia in his arms. The little girl kept twisting her body in resistance, her face full of reluctance.
"Father, we don't know who this person is."
Xiaxia felt wronged when she saw her father. She used all her strength to pull him as far away from Wei Yutang as possible.
In Xia Xia's memory, his father always had a big beard. He had never seen Wei Yutang with his beard shaved off. In his mind, this man was simply pretending to look like his father to deceive him.
But Chu Qing was different. As an adult, he could recognize him at a glance. This was Wei Yutang.
"You're back?"
"Yes, I'm back."
After Wei Yutang shaved off his full beard, although it did not conform to the current aesthetic, his powerful and handsome appearance was still eye-catching.
Xiaxia was reluctant to believe that this wasn't her father with the big beard, but she still trusted him completely. Looking at her father's current state and then at the man holding her, she was quite taken aback.
If you look closely, there are indeed some similarities between him and his father.
Xia Xia hugged Wei Yutang's neck, forcing him to look directly at her, and gently shook his head, asking in a suspicious tone:
"Are you really my father? Or are you an imposter?"
"Of course, I also brought you some things."
Wei Yutang had been traveling for a long time on his way back. Even though he was exhausted, he still remembered his promise to bring some steamed buns for the little darling before he left.
The meat buns had cooled down a bit, and after seeing the familiar meat buns, Xiaxia finally believed that these were her father.
"Father, when you left, they tried to bully you again!"
Even though so much time has passed, Xiaxia still vividly remembers the scene when her father was taken away by those soldiers and she could only stand there and watch.
Now that her father has just returned, he immediately starts complaining.
"Um?"
Wei Yutang carried Xiaxia into the inner room. Old Qi wasn't a guest, so he started helping to move the things, his eyes constantly sizing up the woman the general had married.
Chu Qing tidied up the medicinal herbs he had dug up. Even in his simple coarse linen clothes, he couldn't hide his extraordinary temperament, like a secluded orchid growing deep in the mountains.
Old Qi nodded silently to himself. Although the general wasn't very good-looking, his eye for people was impeccable.
Chapter 116
Chu Qing saw the old man leaning against the carriage and nodded politely to him.
"Hello, Madam. You can just call me Lao Qi."
This address startled Chu Qing, and it took her a while to realize that he was calling her.
Wei Yutang stood there holding Xiaxia, a hint of a smile in his eyes as he looked at Chu Qing's stunned expression.
"Old Qi, just call him Chu Qing."
After leaving the capital, he was just an ordinary hunter. If he were to maintain the strict hierarchy as before, Wei Yutang himself would feel uncomfortable.
Chu Qing nodded slightly. The title "Madam" wasn't entirely wrong, but it still felt a little awkward to him.
When Wei Yutang first settled in this place, he considered the possibility that some of his former subordinates might come looking for him, so he built a very large house. The house on the east side was still vacant, which was perfect for Lao Qi to live in.