flstandardbreds Chapter 116 Blood Feud That Cannot Be Reconciled
Chapter 116 Blood Feud That Cannot Be Reconciled
"This old minister knows that he has failed in his duty of education and is guilty of a grave sin. I beg Your Majesty to spare my family, for the sake of the Lin family’s generations of loyalty and virtue."
Inside the Hall of Literary Glory, Lin Xiangdong raised the box in his hand and slammed his head heavily against the gold bricks.
The summer heat did not reach the palace. In the cool hall, the old general felt a chill in his heart from the cold gold bricks beneath his knees.
He never expected his usually obedient daughter to be so rebellious, and he never expected that Emperor Hua would be able to tolerate it for so many years even though he knew all this.
He used to think he knew the ruler at some point.
He accompanied Hua Di through thick and thin, and countless times he stood in front of Hua Di, risking his life for him.
Emperor Hua was a pragmatic ruler who disliked lies. He once said that as long as they fulfilled their duties as subjects, he would never treat them unfairly...
He once thought that he and Emperor Hua would leave behind a legendary tale of a ruler and his minister that would be remembered for generations.
With a loud thud, Lin Xiangdong's head slammed heavily onto the floor again.
After a long while, a sigh came from the head of the table. The old emperor's voice was low and hoarse, as if he too felt a great deal of helplessness.
"Ah, get up, old friend. I have never blamed you for what happened to Consort De."
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty!"
Upon hearing Emperor Hua's words, Lin Xiangdong was overcome with emotion, tears streaming down his face. He was filled with indescribable guilt and remorse. How could he have been without ulterior motives in marrying his daughter to Emperor Hua, who was the same age as him? However, he never imagined things would turn out this way.
"Although Your Majesty has no complaints, I dare not rest easy. I have been paid by the people and should have served them faithfully. My daughter failed to do so, and my grandson has been even more rebellious. But the root of the problem lies with me. Your Majesty, I am no longer ashamed to be a loyal and brave general. I beg Your Majesty to take back everything that has been bestowed upon me. I am willing to resign from my post to repay Your Majesty's great kindness."
"...Why did you go to such lengths?"
"Your Majesty, please grant my request!"
The emperor and his minister looked at each other. Emperor Hua, who rarely showed his emotions after becoming emperor, suddenly had tears in his eyes and stepped forward to help General Lin up.
……
After General Lin left, Emperor Hua put away the sorrowful look on his face and fiddled with the tiger tally that Lin Xiangdong had handed over.
His face was stern, and his eyes were fierce. Even the eunuch Hai, who was serving him, had no way of guessing what Emperor Hua was really thinking at this moment.
Suddenly, a figure appeared in the hall and knelt before Emperor Hua.
"Has the palace been completely cleared out?"
"Under the pretext of preparing for the Emperor's birthday celebration, Consort De sent Zhu Yiyang to plant assassins in the palace. Apart from the 29 who have already died, the remaining 33 who confessed have all been verified and imprisoned by me."
"Good! Has there been any news from the Spirit Hall?"
"That ship was originally built by Madam Yuan to facilitate the use of various resources by people in the martial arts world. After Madam Yuan disappeared, the ship was taken over by Elder Qiu of the Peach Blossom Sect. Later, when the great hero Yuan retired, Elder Qiu directly claimed to be the new owner of the ship. Currently, everything on the ship is controlled by the Spirit Hall and Lord Yu, and Elder Qiu of the Peach Blossom Sect seems to have received advance notice and disappeared a week ago."
"...If I remember correctly, Elder Qiu was your former master?"
Cui Chou looked up and saw Emperor Hua's thoughtful gaze. He replied expressionlessly:
"I have a blood feud with this man that is irreconcilable."
Looking into his calm yet resolute gaze, Hua Di couldn't help but recall the first time he met the man before him, when the man was not yet twenty years old.
Covered in blood, his eyes held an arrogant indifference, as if the whole world had abandoned him, leaving only endless killing and hatred.
But this person, whose mind seemed to be consumed by hatred, actually kept his vow and never set foot in the Peach Blossom Spring Sect again.
The knife that could be used by him—Hua Di withdrew the scrutinizing look from his eyes.
"I'm sorry you had to go through this. What reward would you like?"
"Your Majesty, I have only one wish. I hope Your Majesty will grant me the Red Pearl Begi."
"Huh? How dare you!" Emperor Hua was so angry that he pointed at the person below him and paced back and forth.
"Do you know how much silver the envoys from the northern deserts offered me yesterday, when they sent an urgent message from Ninghai City, asking how much silver they would pay to redeem their Bieji?"
"I can afford it!"
Is this the problem?!
As a fellow man, Vatti naturally understood his subordinate's only hobby.
"If you fancy those twelve flower fairies, I can bestow a few upon you. But this Bieji from the northern desert is not something you can covet."
"I only want her, and I beg Your Majesty to grant my request!"
The ministers below showed no respect, and Emperor Hua, enraged, threw a memorial from his desk at their faces.
"roll!"
Picking up the memorial from the ground, Cui Chou bowed and withdrew.
Cui Chou had just stepped out of the Huagai Hall and descended the imperial road into the Yin-Yang Path when he saw a beautiful woman in palace attire waiting for him on his usual route out of the palace.
*
The Moon-Gazing Pavilion in the Imperial Garden is a place where palace maids and eunuchs would come to gaze at the full moon and reminisce about the days when their families were reunited, when they could no longer bear the pain of homesickness.
A major incident has just occurred in the palace; people have been taken away and never returned. Therefore, these past few days, palace maids and eunuchs have returned to their quarters after finishing their duties, and no one dares to go out at this time.
The Moon-Viewing Pavilion, which is usually deserted, has been especially quiet these past few days, but today it received two visitors.
Princess Huayang gazed at the man beside her with a look that was half resentful and half affectionate.
"I regret it."
"Princess?"
“I used to think that if I were to get married, I would marry one of the best men in the world.”
“Prince Tian was chosen by His Majesty from among many candidates for the princess, so he is naturally one of the best.”
"Why pretend to be confused and say nice things to coax me? How could you not know that the person I love has always been you?"
The blunt words left Cui Chou momentarily speechless.
Seemingly never having seen such an embarrassed expression on this person's face before, Princess Huayang couldn't help but chuckle, a smile appearing on her worried face.
“Lord Cui, liking someone is never a bad thing. Although I hate you, I am even more grateful to you. Your ruthlessness has made me see many things clearly.”
Her delicate face seemed to show reluctance, "Princess, this humble subject is not worthy of your troubles."
Not wanting to respond to the words of the person she admired, Princess Huayang turned around and looked out of the pavilion, changing the subject.
“Lord Cui, I do not wish to be like my mother, trapped in this small cage for the rest of my life. These past few days, my mother has been crying and saying that she is the one who harmed my sister, but I do not believe that.”
"..."
Looking up into his eyes, I saw a glint that no one could hide.
But what good would seeing the truth do? Cui Chou couldn't bear it and silently waited for the other party to finish speaking.
"Lan'er is a bit spoiled, and she really spoke without thinking that day. Mother always felt that if her younger sister were more obedient, she wouldn't have brought this disaster upon herself."
"But Mother is wrong. A person who wants to kill will not refrain from killing someone just because the person they have captured has a good personality. The other party wanted to kill, and my sister just happened to fall into his hands. That is the real cause of my sister's death."
"The princess is safe and sound now, and everything is over."
A hoarse voice tried to comfort the woman beside him, but Princess Huayang suddenly smiled with relief.
“Lord Cui, do you know how much I envy my sister? My father made me marry, so I married; he betrothed me to whomever he wanted, and I became their wife. But I never really tried to achieve what I wanted. Do you know what I was thinking before I almost died that day? I think I still envy my sister; at least she cursed the person who killed her before she died.”
"Lord Cui, I regret it so much. If I had really tried, do you think you would have married me? Did you really never have even the slightest feeling for me?"
A gentle breeze blew through the Imperial Garden, causing the petals to tremble and the sleeves to rustle softly. Everything was so fast it seemed like an illusion.
"I'm leaving... Father promised me... The scenery of Jiangnan is truly beautiful..."
The beautiful woman in palace attire left with the palace maid who had been keeping watch for her under the artificial hill.
At the Moon-Gazing Pavilion on the artificial hill, Cui Chou stood alone, touching his lips in deep thought.
Her delicate face was now framed by a sharp gaze, showing none of the tenderness she had displayed when facing the dignitary just moments before.
The hardest thing to bear is the kindness of a beautiful woman. She hates him, but she also wants him to remember her, so she tries to disturb his mind before leaving.
It's both pathetic and laughable...
This wasn't the first time he'd dealt with such a noblewoman; after all, his former master had given him the most valuable lesson.
Now that person dares to come out of the Peach Blossom Spring Sect, he should settle old scores with him.
But before that, there was something he needed to take care of first.
*
A few days later, inside the Zhenfu Division, a female prisoner suddenly fell ill and died.
That night, the female prisoner's body was disposed of without anyone noticing.
The next day, a delicate-looking woman from Jiangnan arrived at the governor's mansion. She was said to be the cousin of the mansion's owner, Lord Cui, from his hometown.