"General, please take care."
"That's natural."
In the palace, the young emperor was overjoyed to hear the news of his teacher's return, but upon learning that the teacher was kneeling outside, he immediately became restless and hurriedly stood up, giving the order:
"Who among you dares to let the master kneel there? Are you just going to stand by and watch? Hurry up and invite the master in!"
The young emperor grew up in a very complicated environment. Under his teacher's guidance, he knew he had to be wary of everyone around him. His teacher was both a mentor and a friend to him, someone he could trust unconditionally without having to think about it.
"The General said he has something to say to His Majesty."
"Come in and speak."
The servants' troubled expressions made the young emperor realize that this matter was probably serious, so he simply ran out himself. He saw the tall man kneeling there in the distance, lifted his dragon robe, and ran away as fast as he had when he was a child.
"Sir, sir, please rise."
Upon approaching, the young emperor noticed that there was another person beside the gentleman, who must have been the wife the gentleman had mentioned to him.
"Your Majesty, I have something to report."
Immersed in the joy of his master's return, the young emperor failed to notice anything amiss in his master's words and continued smiling as he spoke:
"Sir, please come inside. I have already instructed people to prepare your favorite pastries and the tea you mentioned last time."
After sitting down in the hall, Wei Yutang recounted that past event, leaving the young emperor stunned for a moment.
He was still young and unaware of many of the things his teacher had experienced at the border. His teacher returned to the capital shortly after his father left and never went to the border again.
The assassin's house also contained many letters. The reason his father never mentioned them was because the enemy had captured his mother.
If he admitted that he was just faking it, his mother would be gone. He never mentioned her until his death.
Fortunately, even after Wei Yutang learned of the news, he acted cautiously because the news was suspicious and the enemy did not notice anything unusual. His mother lived a peaceful life until her death.
"This matter was indeed handled improperly by this subject, and I beg Your Majesty for punishment."
After listening, the young emperor picked up his teacup and took a sip of tea.
Perhaps because he was already quite old, he no longer needed his teacher's guidance in handling court affairs as he had in the past. The young emperor, who had his own opinions, did not think that the fault lay with his teacher.
Or perhaps it was because he favored his husband and couldn't bear to punish him.
"Sir... this matter is not your fault. Since there is evidence to prove that he did not treason, I will issue an imperial edict to clear his name and grant him the title of Marquis as compensation, which will be inherited by his son and passed down for three generations."
After saying all this, the young emperor felt that he had said enough. He knew that his master always cared about his subordinates and would probably be very sad after learning about this. He even thought about giving his master some compensation so that his master wouldn't be so sad.
Wei Yutang told His Majesty so much in the hope that His Majesty would punish him after he found out, but judging from His Majesty's current appearance, he clearly intends to let it go.
"Your Majesty, that guilty subject..."
"Sir, the fault does not lie with you. No one else would have been able to see through it. This must be Doctor Chu, right?"
Fearing that his teacher might say something that would put him in a difficult position, the young emperor quickly changed the subject, resting his chin on his hand and staring at his teacher's wife.
Today, Chu Qing was dressed in a light blue outfit. He never liked anything too complicated, so his clothes were plain, and all his hair was tied up with a wooden hairpin that Wei Yutang had personally prepared for him.
Compared to the currently popular sickly scholarly air, Chu Qing possessed a more otherworldly quality, as if untouched by worldly affairs.
After meeting Chu Qing, the young emperor became even more curious about the teacher's child.
"Sir, I've heard that your son is quite grown up now. Why don't you bring him over so I can see him?"
"I didn't bring it with me today because of this matter."
"Then you must bring him over another day so I can see him. I did mention it to you before."
"good."
...
The young emperor originally intended to let the matter rest there. After hearing the whole story, he genuinely didn't think the teacher had done anything wrong. He could only say that it was a series of unforeseen events that led to this outcome.
During the march, everything was dealt with hastily. Those who colluded with the enemy or betrayed the country were usually executed on the spot. At first, the master did not believe that he would do such a thing, so he imprisoned him for a few days and gave him a chance to explain.
He himself had too many concerns to speak up, so how could he push all the responsibility onto his husband?
In addition, the gentleman left behind a bloodline for him, which has now grown into an adult.
The young emperor decided to let bygones be bygones regarding the assassination attempt on the teacher, and the matter was considered closed. Unfortunately, Wei Yutang's attitude was too firm, and he insisted that the young emperor punish him.
In the end, the young emperor didn't want to talk too much about this topic with his teacher, so he simply fined the teacher a year's salary and then rewarded the teacher's children with many things.
Chu Qing went to the back with Wei Yutang to see the assassin. He and his wife had changed their clothes and were sitting there. When they saw them coming, he was clearly not very welcoming.
At the time, all he knew was that his father had not colluded with the enemy and betrayed the country, but was executed for the crime. He didn't know much else.
Now that I know the whole story, I understand that not all the blame lies with Wei Yutang. It's just that because of what happened back then, it's still difficult to reconcile.
Wei Yutang brought all the things he had collected that were related to his father, and personally handed them to his son, then took one last look at his child.
She was about the same age as Xiaxia, and seemed to be a quiet and introverted child. She hid next to her mother and only dared to stare at them with timid eyes.
Wei Yutang originally thought that their interactions would end there, but unexpectedly, just a few days later, he heard from the steward of the mansion that they had come to visit him.
At that time, Wei Yutang was helping Chu Qing sort out medicinal herbs. Some of the rarer herbs had been brought to the capital by Chu Qing and needed to be dried from time to time.
These small tasks could have been left to the servants in the mansion, but Wei Yutang particularly preferred the feeling of doing these small tasks with Chu Qing, and he did everything himself.
After listening, Chu Qing put down what she was holding, turned her head, and asked:
"Do you want to see him?"
"Let's meet."
Wei Yutang turned and walked out, but when he noticed that Chu Qing was following him, he subtly slowed down.
No matter what their purpose is in coming to him, he is willing to meet them. If they encounter any problems that are truly unsolvable, he is also willing to lend a hand.
The butler ordered the finest tea to be served, and the family of three waited there. As soon as Wei Yutang walked in, the assassins who had tried to kill them knelt before him.
Chapter 127
Wei Yutang and Chu Qing were both startled by his sudden movement. After regaining their senses, Chu Qing quickly helped him up.
“If anything happens, you can tell me. There’s no need to do this.”
The assassin's name was Li Liqing. When he knelt before Wei Yutang, he felt ashamed to even lift his head.
When Wei Yutang packed up his father's belongings, it was just a subconscious desire to leave himself a memento. At the time, the person least willing to believe that his father would actually betray the country was Wei Yutang himself.
Li Liqing's father was someone who had been by Wei Yutang's side since the beginning, when Wei Yutang was still young and full of vigor.
His father's approach to handling matters was more cautious, which balanced out Wei Yutang's initial approach.
Li Liqing initially didn't dare to look at his father's belongings, fearing that his father felt he, as a son, was not filial enough, and that it had taken so long to clear his name.
Even though he had now obtained the title of Marquis through his father's influence, Li Liqing was not happy at all. Only by completely clearing his father's name could he be satisfied.
Originally, Li Liqing wanted Wei Yutang to pay the price. He always felt that if Wei Yutang hadn't handled things poorly, his father wouldn't have left so early.
Among the belongings that Wei Yutang sent over was a letter left to him by his father.
The text details his reasons for doing so, and states that if Li Liqing were to meet the general, he should stay by the general's side, as the general is a person worth following.
He also explained in detail to Wei Yutang that the circumstances at that time did not cause him to lose his life because Wei Yutang deliberately did something.
On the contrary, he felt that the general would give him many opportunities after learning about this matter, but unfortunately he did not consider things carefully before doing it.
He overlooked such a crucial matter, and the enemy had leverage over him, leaving him no choice but to compromise.
Even if he were to die, as long as he brought that victory to the general, he felt that he had died a worthy death.
He didn't care whether he died in obscurity or was burdened with infamy.
Li Liqing had only wanted the general to pay the price, even willing to sacrifice everything for that reason. But after reading the letter his own father left him, he inexplicably felt that many of his thoughts were simply embarrassing his father.
If his father knew that the general he had served so loyally was almost killed by his son, Li Liqing felt that his father might jump out of his grave and slap him.
"General, I was indeed overthinking things before. Please forgive me. My son is not very capable, but I am willing to stay by your side and serve you."
As Li Liqing spoke, he pulled out the son beside him. While Wei Yutang was surprised by his tremendous change, Chu Qing was secretly observing the child.
He seems a little introverted, and his health isn't very good; he's a bit thin. If he were with him, he and Lao Qi could probably help him recover.
"Father..."
The child had already heard his father say all this before he arrived, but now, when he was pushed in front of Wei Yutang and saw the ugly scar on his face, he was still a little scared and subconsciously wanted to back away.
Li Liqing's wife reached out and supported his back, gently shaking her head at her son.
"General, please accept me as your servant."
After being stopped by his mother, the child's eyes immediately reddened. He sniffed and knelt down in front of Wei Yutang, just as his parents had told him to.
"Is the child not feeling well?"
Li Liqing was slightly taken aback when she heard Chu Qing's words, then realized his identity and nodded gently.
He had just learned about the matter when his wife was pregnant and was eager to find out the truth, so he was not by his wife's side. Due to the accident, his wife gave birth prematurely.
Although there was nothing seriously wrong, his body was still slightly weaker than that of other children.
At first, Li Liqing did not know what he meant by those words. He thought that Chu Qing was doubting that his son was in poor health and was not suitable to stay by the general's side.
"Don't worry, although his health isn't as good as most people's, my son is hardworking. If you don't like him, you can keep him around as a servant."
Li Liqing always believed that his father was the most outstanding person, so he was willing to believe whatever his father said.
His father wanted him to serve the general, and he originally intended to do so. However, after his wife reminded him of their past attempt to assassinate the general, he suddenly became hesitant.
If it were him, he certainly wouldn't feel comfortable letting someone who had once tried to assassinate him work by his side.
He couldn't be with his wife, but their son, Mu Mu, was still young and didn't understand anything, so it was just right for him.
Realizing he had misunderstood her meaning, Chu Qing squatted down in front of the child, patted his shoulder, smiled when she met his uneasy gaze, and explained:
"I just felt that if he wasn't in good health, it wouldn't be suitable for him to go to the battlefield. It would be better for him to stay by my side and learn medicine."
He didn't know why the thought suddenly popped into his head, but he felt that this child was very suitable to be his disciple. It was an inexplicable fate.
"That would be great."
Before Li Liqing could answer, his wife eagerly agreed.