Chapter 1890: Ill-Fated Relationship
“I hope to receive senior’s guidance,” Zu An said, although he cursed silently to himself.
Would I still ask you if I knew?
“Right, may I ask what senior’s respected surname is?” Zu An asked.
“What respected surname? I’ve already long forgotten my name. Now, I’m nothing more than a nameless old fart,” the old servant said, waving his hand.
Zu An was stunned.
Nameless? Could he be some hidden great elder?
“Young master, please have a seat,” the old servant said as he set the broom aside. Then, he found a kettle and prepared some tea. He said slowly, “Even though the Great Zhou Dynasty is powerful, its foundations were mostly established during the Meng Dynasty.
“The reason why the Meng Dynasty’s world was stolen by the Zhao clan mostly lies in the fact that the lives of the second and third generation were too short. Their children weren’t too healthy and could only assume the throne in childhood, drawing a lot of doubts and skepticism from their subjects. Gradually, the Zhao clan’s people took over and seized the world from them.
“Even though the libationer was from the imperial clan of the Meng Dynasty, he ended up falling for the empress of the second generation emperor, who was his sister-in-law. That was why he was always suppressed and guarded against by the Meng Dynasty’s imperial clan. Soured by the loss of his hopes, he could only let those feelings go.”
Zu An sighed deeply as he listened to the story. Loving someone one wasn't supposed to love often ended in tragedy. When things touched upon the fundamental principles of ethics and morality, it wasn’t something the power of man could change, nor could people act like the leads of fictional novels who could follow their heart. Besides, even if they were the main character, they still had to face potential backlash from the web.
The old servant poured a cup of hot tea for Zu An, saying, “This is Sparrowtongue Silverhair, something that even the libationer was reluctant to drink. The young master is blessed with this fine drink today.”
Zu An accepted it and gave it a taste. The tea did have a simple and elegant fragrance. There was even a bit of natural ki within the drink. No wonder the libationer had treasured it so much. However, he really couldn't figure out what was that incredible about it. Even the best tea was just peony chewed in the mouth of a cow, after all.
Hm, it’s still not better than my previous world’s milk tea or fat shut-in happy water.[1]
The old servant continued, “The libationer wandered the world at the time. When he found out that the empire had been seized, even though he was unhappy, he knew that the imperial Chen clan being usurped was merely a matter of time. He thought it was the will of heaven, so he did in some way accept his fate. Together with the Zhao clan’s beneficial treatment of the libationer surpassing that of the Meng Dynasty, he just tacitly allowed it to happen.
“However, as the years passed, the libationer unexpectedly discovered that there was actually a secret plot behind the early deaths of three successive generations of emperors. It would have been one thing if that had happened to others, but the emperor who was schemed against was the son of the woman he loved. The libationer couldn't just ignore it and secretly investigated the matter since then. Eventually, he discovered that those princes had all been secretly harmed by the Zhao clan, and that was why they died prematurely.
“Even so, there are no walls without any leaks in this world. Perhaps it was out of pity or worry that they would have revenge taken against them, but the two lesser eunuchs who took care of this matter secretly replaced one of the princes and sent him out of the palace. That way, they would have some security and wouldn’t be silenced.
“All the sides lived together in harmony for many years, but because of the libationer’s investigation, this matter also came to be known by the Zhao clan. Both sides began investigating what had happened. As it turned out, that prince took a wife among the commoners and gave birth to children. However, perhaps due to the fear of what he had suffered in his earlier years, he didn’t live long either. After leaving behind a child, he died an untimely death.”
Zu An asked, “So were your people able to save that imperial grandson in the end or not?” Even though the old man downplayed it, he could imagine just how intense the slaughter and battle of wits had been.
The old servant gave him a deep look, theb said, “The libationer was a step too late. The Zhao clan’s lackeys had already found that orphan and widow. They killed that pitiful mother, but when they were about to kill the prince, in a moment of imminent peril, the libationer managed to save that imperial grandson in time. Unfortunately, the imperial grandson was already inflicted with an insidious restriction. Even if he was saved, he could no longer have any posterity, thus posing no further threat to the Zhao clan’s dynasty.” The old servant sighed.
Zu An’s expression changed. He asked, “What kind of restriction is it?”
“The Great Yin-Yang Pulse-Severing Palm,” the old servant slowly said.
Zu An was stupefied when he heard that. His expression even paled a bit.
The old servant continued, “Since the imperial grandson was still young and his body was too weak, the libationer couldn't undo this restriction. In order to deceive the Zhao clan’s lackeys, he could only falsify evidence and make it look as if the imperial grandson had already died.
“Then, he brought the imperial grandson to Brightmoon City to a household surnamed Zu to place him in their care. At first, he decided that he wouldn’t force the child to be involved in the struggles of the imperial family anymore and he would spend his life happily, but he never expected that in the end, the child would still end up coming to the capital. Not only had he undone his restriction, he even flipped the capital upside down.”
Zu An was speechless. He felt as if a stampede was trampling over his heart right now. He had only intended to watch this drama play out with popcorn in hand, but he'd ended up becoming the popcorn… He had even repeatedly asked the libationer in the secret dungeon, and the libationer had said that he wasn’t the imperial grandson!
That old fox actually schemed against me like this!
The old servant continued, “The libationer felt that all of this was fate. He felt that the Chen clan’s fate still hadn't ended. He set his resolve regarding many things he had been hesitating over before.”
Zu An remained silent. So it turned out that the attack on Violet Mountain was all because of him. That was why the libationer had made up his mind. He wondered if he was the cause of the libationer’s death.
The old servant bowed respectfully to Zu An when he reached that point, saying, “The young master should know your identity now, right? This old one pays his respects to the imperial grandson.”
Zu An’s mind was in absolute disarray. He said, “Words alone don’t mean much. The libationer clearly said that I wasn’t the imperial grandson. Do you have any proof?”
“I reckon that the libationer was worried that you wouldn’t be able to handle all of this in that moment, so that was why he set up this scenario,” the old servant slowly replied. “As for proof, unless he was there, there was no way he would have known that you had the Great Yin-Yang Pulse-Severing Palm used against you before.”
“Who knows how you guys found out about that? Is there any other proof?” Zu An asked, although he was actually fully convinced. He finally knew why even though he and the libationer had never met before, the other side had taken the initiative to help him with the crown princess scandal. Later, the libationer had been mysteriously kind to him as well.
“As for other proof,” the old servant continued slowly, stunned. He hadn’t expected to encounter someone who would refuse the identity of the imperial clan. “That… For the sake of preventing news from getting out and for your own safety, the libationer made sure to erase anything that could prove your identity.”
Zu An harrumphed. “Then that’s the same as there being no proof.” He was a proper transmigrator who wanted to live a carefree life. He didn’t want to get involved in such a complicated matter from the previous generation.
The old servant frowned. After thinking for a while, his eyes suddenly lit up. He said, “Right, the ones who schemed against the previous prince included Imperial Physician Ma An, as well as Lesser Eunuchs Little Wei and Little Mi. They should have some clues with them, but those people seem to have all gone missing.”
Zu An was shocked. Little Wei and Little Mi likely referred to Wei Dan and Old Mi, right? When he compared their ages, it did seem to match up. He hadn’t expected the two of them to have such a deep connection with him. They had left behind storage pouches back then, but he had never been able to undo their restrictions. He wondered if there were some clues inside.
That Ma An tried to harm me back then as well, and ended up getting killed instead. This really feels like something decreed by fate…
“If those people aren’t missing, they’ve died. The dead can’t testify, right?” Zu An replied, remaining unfazed as he implied that he didn’t want to accept this share of karma.
What does the matter of the Chen clan's imperial grandson have to do with me, Zu An?
The old servant said seriously, “Those people can't be found, but there is one more person alive who schemed against the imperial grandson. You can obtain intelligence from him.”
“Who?” Zu An reflexively replied.
“The Imperial Secretariat’s Right Confidential Assistant, the current crown princess’ father, Bi Qi,” the old servant slowly said.
Zu An was speechless. It really was the case that what one was most afraid of always happened in the end! He had been pitying the libationer just a moment before, feeling that he liked someone he shouldn’t have liked, thus ending up shackled by morals he couldn't surpass.
Why did the same thing suddenly happen to me?
Bi Linglong’s father is actually an enemy who slaughtered my family!
Damn it all!
Zu An suddenly got up and said, “Alright, there’s no need for you to tell me more about these things. I don’t care if what you said about the imperial grandson is true or not. I have my own life, and I'm living a happy life. I don’t want to shoulder the fate of another. If you want someone to become the imperial grandson, you can become him yourself.”
It was quite funny now that he thought about it. A ruined dynasty’s prince was worse off than a normal person. Not only would he be unable to enjoy the benefits held by any other prince, he would have to receive an indescribable duty and danger. Only an idiot would want to become one.
The old servant panicked when he saw that Zu An was about to leave. He asked, “Imperial grandson, do you know just how many ministers paid with their lives to ensure the safety of the Meng clan’s bloodline? Furthermore, who knows how many people have used up their entire lives to defend this secret?”
Zu An remained completely calm as he retorted, “What does that have to do with me?”
The old servant choked briefly. Then, he continued, “Even if you don't care about those people, you ca'ot disregard the grudges of your own parents, can you? It's because of the treachery he encountered in his youth that your father died an early death. Your mother was also killed by assassins for your sake. She still frantically protected you even in her last moments.”
Zu An frowned when he heard that. In the end, he still didn’t say anything and prepared to head down the mountain.
1. Fat shut-in happy water is soda ☜
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