Бессмертие, Бессмертие - Глава 5
"Holy Incense..." Zhao Pu said slowly, "For over twenty years, although I've been disappointed in you, I've never truly stopped you from doing anything... Look at your eldest and second brothers, they don't study, and I had their legs broken by their master... If they dared to go to a brothel, I would definitely kick them out. But I've always indulged you. Even your second brother has repeatedly asked me if he's really my biological son? Why am I so biased towards you?" His voice trembled slightly, "Until your eldest brother led troops to the border, and your second brother was seriously wounded in the Battle of Gaoliang River... they still resented me to some extent, resenting my favoritism. Your second brother even swore he would never come back because of this, do you remember?"
Shengxiang lowered his head, bit his lip, frowned, and slowly exhaled. He gently fanned himself a few times with his fan, saying nothing.
“Your poor health is certainly one reason, but I’m not indulging you for that reason…” Zhao Pu said slowly.
“Father did this because he felt he had wronged me,” Shengxiang interjected.
Zhao Pu remained silent, then said softly, "You...know?"
"I don't know." Shengxiang slowly closed his folding fan. "No one has ever told me. I'm just guessing." The corners of his mouth were still turned up, carrying a kind of smile, a smile of indifference, tranquility, and undisturbed peace. "Father, answer me honestly, am I really your biological son?"
The pain in Zhao Pu's eyes intensified. "No."
"Then—" Shengxiang closed her fan, stood tall, and slowly closed the door behind her, smiling faintly, "Which emperor's son am I?"
Zhao Pu was startled and stared at Sheng Xiang with wide eyes.
“Besides the Emperor, who could inflict more than twenty years of suffering on you…” Shengxiang said slowly, then stuck out her tongue. “Father, don’t be so nervous. If I were a prince, I would be so powerful. I’m not afraid of anything, so what are you afraid of?”
At this moment, Zhao Pu finally distinguished for the first time when his "son," whom he had raised for over twenty years, was genuinely smiling and when he was faking it. Looking at Sheng Xiang's beaming face, he knew he would never truly understand the pain and struggle hidden beneath that smile, until it finally materialized. He slowly reached out and patted Sheng Xiang's head, just like when he was a child. "You... should call the current emperor 'uncle'."
He was the son of the late Emperor Taizu? Shengxiang blinked. "Then I must look like my mother."
Zhao Pu was taken aback, frowned, and sighed. "Indeed, you look like your mother." He waved his hand to interrupt Sheng Xiang's ramblings. "Your mother... was a woman no man could resist. Back then, the late emperor had a falling out with Consort Yu in the palace, and Father accompanied him out of the palace to clear his head. They saw a group of yamen runners harassing a young woman in front of the Yuxian Tower. The late emperor intervened to save her, and I was watching from the side. I still remember the look on that young woman's face when she looked up." His eyes were filled with sorrow. "Not to mention me, of all the women in the late emperor's harem, none had ever seen such a charming and lovely woman. Her smile was enough to drive anyone mad. The late emperor fell in love with your mother at first sight and forcibly brought her into the palace..." He closed his eyes, propped his forehead up, and couldn't continue.
Sheng Xiang's eyes were completely still. She closed them briefly, then laughed loudly, "And then?"
“He raped your mother,” Zhao Pu said softly. “That…that’s to be expected. What can’t your father get? But—” He hesitated, unsure how to begin.
“But I discovered that my mother was not a virgin.” Shengxiang smiled.
“Indeed.” Zhao Pu said sadly, “Your father naturally wouldn’t allow his woman to be touched by others, so he ordered a manhunt. Within half a year, all the men who had feelings for your mother died at the hands of the palace guards. But I never expected… I never expected…” He shook his head, supporting his forehead, and said softly, “Your mother’s smile was so beautiful that it was unparalleled in the world. Your uncle also fell in love with your mother, which caused a rift between the brothers. During that time, everyone in the palace was in danger, and the late emperor’s temper was so bad that it was almost on the verge of exploding.”
"And then the Emperor killed my father?" Shengxiang asked without blinking.
“No,” Zhao Pu exhaled a long breath, “At that time, your mother was pregnant with you.” The desolation in his eyes turned into misery. “Your mother… your mother… after your mother became pregnant, she was weak and fainted once. When the imperial physician examined her, he found that she had taken abortifacients and was secretly trying to have an abortion. Your father was furious. It turned out that although your mother had been abducted into the palace and outwardly obeyed the emperor, she had never truly loved your father… Your father investigated thoroughly and discovered that your mother was an assassin from the Northern Han Dynasty. She had infiltrated the capital to assassinate our army in order to prevent them from advancing south. The day your father rescued you was actually your mother deliberately provoking the yamen runners, putting on a show for your father… She never loved your father.”
Shengxiang sighed, "Mother has really had a hard time, Father has really been unlucky, and then what?"
"Your mother fell out of favor, her plot was exposed, and knowing that the assassination was no longer possible, she committed suicide with a sword after giving birth to you..." Zhao Pu's eyes were filled with tears, "and was buried right beneath this study!"
Shengxiang shuddered, gripping the handle of his folding fan tightly. After a moment, he asked, "Father—you actually like my mother a lot too, don't you?"
Zhao Pu remained silent. "Your mother—no man could dislike her."
"Then my father sent me here, and I became his son?" Shengxiang asked. "Because my mother was neither granted a title nor was she an assassin, which was a scandal for my father, so... I became his son?"
“Your father feels he has wronged you,” Zhao Pu said slowly. “He gave birth to you, but he can’t give you anything.”
Shengxiang smiled. "What about Father? Does Father also feel sorry for me?"
“Of course… Shengxiang, don’t you think you’ve had a hard life?” Zhao Pu stroked his head. “Your mother doesn’t love you, your father doesn’t want you.” His eyes were filled with tenderness. “But you’re a good child…”
"Misfortune?" Shengxiang asked in surprise, pointing to his nose. "I'm really that unfortunate?" He stared wide-eyed at Zhao Pu. "Father, are you joking?"
Zhao Pu stared at his wide-eyed man, recalling his mischievous and playful behavior since childhood, and how he was still so childish now. He couldn't help but smirk and slapped him. "Shengxiang, Qiu Han is investigating the late emperor's secret history. You know very well what the consequences will be."
Shengxiang didn't answer, but pondered for a while, "He—must have a reason why he can't not investigate."
“I know,” Zhao Pu said slowly. “Your father summoned you today not to stop him, but…” He said, enunciating each word clearly, “The matter of your mother and father is a knot in the Emperor’s heart, a scandal for the Song Dynasty, and even involves the remnants of the Northern Han rebellion. This is a matter of great importance and cannot be provoked. The notices posted on the streets these past few days have already reached the Emperor, and the Emperor said…” Zhao Pu said grimly, “Anyone who mentions the late Emperor even once will be executed without mercy!”
Shengxiang blinked slowly. "Father's meaning—"
“Father doesn’t mean you shouldn’t help Qiu Han. Qiu Han is a good child. Father wants you to help him, to help him find out, do you understand?” Zhao Pu said slowly.
Shengxiang tilted her head and looked at her father, then snapped open his gold-rimmed folding fan. "Good!"
"I'm sorry to have troubled you," Zhao Pu said in a low voice.
Shengxiang just smiled. Suddenly, a dark cloud descended outside the study, obscuring the sun. The light inside the study was dim, and Zhao Pu couldn't see Shengxiang's gaze clearly.
For over twenty years, he had always known that Shengxiang was a good child. Apart from that, he knew nothing about the child.
Chapter Three: How could you possibly know the ways of our generation?
When he returned to the garden, it was quiet. It was nearing evening and no one was around except for the incredibly fat rabbit that peeked out from the grass to look at him. Shengxiang crouched down and gently stroked its head.
After a while, he heard a slight rustling of grass and trees behind him, and a slight smile appeared on his lips. "Little Bi?"
Bi Qiuhan had clearly rushed back, covered in dust and looking very tired. He didn't say anything, just shook his head.
“Bi Qiuhan comes from…” Shengxiang called out, drawing out her voice, when he didn’t answer.
"If you have something to say, just say it." Bi Qiuhan seemed genuinely tired, and wasn't angry at Sheng Xiang's antics, simply saying calmly.
"Where did you go?" Shengxiang turned around with a bright smile. "To meet a beauty in secret?"
Bi Qiuhan's face was frosty, and he solemnly shook his head. "I went to Luoyang."
"Luoyang?" Shengxiang's eyes widened. "Flying there?"
"Ten fine horses died on the round trip, and I traveled over fifty miles." Bi Qiuhan's eyes were heavy with weariness. "Do you know why I investigated Xiao Ji's matter?"
Shengxiang looked at him with a smile, "I don't know."
“Leng, Ye, Li, and Nan each have descendants. These four predecessors died in their prime. Thirty years have passed, and their descendants are now in their thirties,” Bi Qiuhan said coldly. “Li Chenglou’s descendant, Li Lingyan, has recruited soldiers, claiming to avenge his father. He runs rampant in the martial arts world, accusing anyone he dislikes of murdering their father. In the past six months, seven families have been wiped out without cause. Leng Yuqiu’s descendant, Leng Zhuoyu, uses her beauty to gather a large number of ignorant youths to support Li Lingyan. Ye Xianchou’s adopted son, Tang Tianshu, is skilled in formations and numerology. Rumor has it that he has found the treasure left by Leshan Weng and gave it to Li…” Li Lingyan's wickedness has been amplified. Of the four families' descendants, only Nan Bibi's son, Nan Ge, has not yet joined Li Lingyan's revenge plan. If these four families' true enemies cannot be found in the short term, it is feared that once Li Lingyan gains power, his ambitions will extend far beyond mere revenge. He let out a long sigh. "I was entrusted by the Palace Master and Miss Li to stop Li Lingyan's revenge. Today, I received a message from the Palace Master via carrier pigeon and rushed to Luoyang to attend the 'Revenge Resolution Conference.' Today, Li Lingyan publicly broke ties with the senior figures of the martial arts world, declaring that he would not accept any mediation, establishing his own 'Blood Sacrifice Society,' and vowing to slaughter the entire family of anyone involved in the events of that year..."