Chapter 54

Chapter 54

Xue Fu Guang organized his thoughts and succinctly conveyed the information he had learned from the old nurse to Mu Jian Shu.

Mu Jian Shu was momentarily stunned, "Master…"

Xue Fu Guang softly interrupted, "From now on, you may address me by my name in public."

Mu Jian Shu’s Adam’s apple bobbed, he opened his mouth, then closed it. He wanted to embrace Xue Fu Guang, but the blood on his hands hindered him, his voice hoarse, "Ah Ru."

"Mm, call me that from now on. My sister, my elder brother, and my father have called me that since I was a child. You may too, even in front of others," Xue Fu Guang’s voice was tender.

He felt he and Mu Jian Shu were like two rotten bones, fatefully colliding. Hidden within their marrow was the same affliction, attracting and entwining them together.

The pain he had once felt was now the empathy he held for Mu Jian Shu's suffering, a pain he felt as his own.

Mu Jian Shu’s hand rested on his face, held there by Xue Fu Guang, who lent him the strength to cradle his cheek.

Mu Jian Shu called out softly again, "Ah Ru."

Xue Fu Guang replied, "Hmm, go ahead."

He spoke the same words to Mu Jian Shu.

Yet Mu Jian Shu revealed a smile, pressing down his voice, soaked with endless emotions, but the most evident was joy: "Thank you for telling me all this."

Without waiting for Xue Fu Guang to speak, he added, "Really, thank you."

In truth, he never paid much mind to his own origins.

Whether he was a child born to a concubine clambering into bed or a noble legitimate imperial heir, to him, these were just distant years of the past, irrelevant to who he was now.

Yet Xue Fu Guang cared about these things because he cared about him.

He cared because he cherished him.

This was more significant than whether he cared about it himself.

He really wanted to embrace Xue Fu Guang, so he passed the knife to the hands of Xue Fu Guang's guard standing behind and held Xue Fu Guang tightly, pressing him into his embrace.

His crown prince, his master, his Ah Ru.

If all the trials of the past were in preparation for meeting Xue Fu Guang, Mu Jian Shu felt that even if he had been told this from the start, he would willingly walk that path again, just to meet his Ah Ru.

……

The Emperor of the Ying Dynasty failed to return to the imperial city, nor did he have the chance to lead his troops back in a counterattack.

Because Mu Jian Shu's identity had been revealed to all under heaven.

Once Xue Fu Guang could infer the course of events with reasonable accuracy, only a little corroboration from old associates was needed to fill in the gaps and convince everyone.

The remaining collateral bloodlines of the Quan family were also found by Xue Fu Guang and brought back to the Ying imperial city, to declare the truth to the world alongside Mu Jian Shu.

The Ying Emperor's deeds as a cold-blooded killer of his wife and child were thus exposed for all the world to see.

And it was Mu Jian Shu who was the legitimate heir, he who had endured hardships, and he who had the rightful claim to inherit the throne of the Ying Dynasty.

Yet, standing beside Xue Fu Guang, he decided to relinquish this imperial seat.

The Emperor of the Ying Dynasty nearly went mad, clutching his hair, "How dare he? How dare he! This monster, this bastard, the scourge of the Quan family! I should have killed him from the start! I should never have let him live until now!"

The General of Zhen Nan by his side had a hint of coldness in his eyes.

Too much time had passed, and perhaps His Majesty had forgotten that his General of Zhen Nan was once a retainer of the Quan family.

Perhaps in his own arrogant eyes, the very idea that the grand General of the South once served as a vassal to the Quan family was a mark of disgrace.

But for the General himself, it was not.

Twenty years prior, his status was insignificant; he was powerless and knew nothing.

He had fully believed that the decline of the Quan family within a few short years was due to their progeny's lack of ambition.

He also thought that the eldest Miss Quan had truly passed away due to illness following childbirth, and that the legitimate crown prince had died young due to frail health.

His loyalty to the Emperor stemmed from the Quan family's choice to support him; he trusted the Emperor's character because the eldest Miss Quan had loved and married him.

It had never crossed his mind that he had been serving the Quan family's enemy with such devotion for so many years.

A cold frost slowly formed in the depths of his eyes.

Yet the Emperor, on the verge of fury, perceived none of it.

He believed that allowing Mu Jian Shu to live was an act of grace on his part.

Nor did he see any wrong in his actions; every emperor in history had to guard against the overreach of in-laws, he had simply done it more thoroughly.

In summary, he was convinced that all his deeds were justified, that Mu Jian Shu and the entire Quan lineage were scoundrels born to oppose him. That Xue Fu Guang, the bastard, had climbed to the throne of the Yong nation and, unsatisfied, dared to covet his Yan Dynasty's realm.

He was determined to take back his imperial city and shatter these two men into ten thousand pieces, especially Mu Jian Shu!

The army marched northward.

Soon, they encountered the troops of Xue Hong Wen moving south.

The two forces stood at an impasse; before the battle even began, envoys from the opposing side came to surrender.

The Emperor of the Yan Dynasty was brought bound hand and foot to Xue Hong Wen's military tent.

With sincerity, the General of the South admitted his misjudgment in serving a treacherous leader for years, betraying the great kindness of the Quan family, and hoped Xue Hong Wen would accept his surrender so that he might see Mu Jian Shu once more.

Without seeing him, he couldn't know if Mu Jian Shu was well, and it left him restless.

Even without asking, he knew Mu Jian Shu couldn't be faring well in the Emperor's hands, but he must see him, if only to apologize.

Xue Hong Wen agreed.

The southern troops were incorporated under Xue Hong Wen's command; some returned to the borderlands to guard against the barbarians, while the General of the South accompanied Xue Hong Wen back to the Yan imperial city.

……

Mu Jian Shu was meeting with the remaining blood relatives of the Quan family's side branches.

They were once lofty nobles, each expected to accomplish great things, but more than two decades of attrition had nearly made them forget their past glory. Although the pride of the Quan family lingered in their bones, they still acted restrained in the presence of Xue Fu Guang and Mu Jian Shu.

They had been out of the privileged circle for too long, not having rubbed shoulders with royalty or the great clans.

The old and the young, having first met Xue Fu Guang and paid their respects to the emperor, were now gauging his expressions, uncertain how to address Mu Jian Shu.

Should they call him the Crown Prince?

But now, the Yan Dynasty had perished, and beside them stood the sovereign of the Yong nation.

Ultimately, it was their elderly clan leader who took the lead, saying, "We meet the young master Quan."

Compared to Mu Jian Shu, they could only be considered collateral relatives; only Mu Jian Shu was the current head of the direct line, the sole surviving direct descendant.

Mu Jian Shu did not refuse this address.

The clan elder said, "If we were to observe seniority, I should call young master Quan 'uncle.' If you do not disdain, this head of the Quan family..."

Mu Jian Shu interrupted, "There's no need."

He glanced at Xue Fu Guang.

He actually felt no particular attachment to these people.

Even if he had any sentiment for the Quan family, those who could truly be considered his kin had all perished. This branch had survived because they were so distant from the main line that they were nearly forgotten, thus spared by the emperor's hand.

By now, their blood relationship with Mu Jian Shu was probably beyond the fifth degree of kinship.

He simply needed to see that there were still living people with the Quan surname, connected to the family he had once known; that was enough.

It didn't matter if they were not faring well because, from this point on, they would be under Xue Fu Guang's protection.

Mu Jian Shu looked at Xue Fu Guang with a softened gaze and said softly, "Ah Ru, shall we return? The prince is still guarding the north."

He smiled and responded, "Then let us proceed. Tong Ying, ask them where they wish to stay; if they don’t want to remain here, we’ll take them back to the imperial city."

Now, the only imperial city was that of the Yong nation.

A drizzle fell from the sky like fine cow hair.

Mu Jian Shu carried the cloak belonging to Xue Fu Guang on his arm, shook it out, and draped it over Xue Fu Guang's shoulders before they both boarded the carriage.

Before returning to the imperial city, Xue Hong Wen hurried back.

From a distance, the General of the South saw Mu Jian Shu standing beside Xue Fu Guang and muttered with conviction, "That's the elder princess’s child, the Crown Prince."

Xue Hong Wen glanced at Mu Jian Shu and said indifferently, "Now there is but one emperor, and he is this marquis's younger brother."

The General of the South did not argue, but nodded, "Yes, what the marquis says is true."

Mu Jian Shu was no longer the Crown Prince.

Yet, standing so close to the new emperor, it was clear he had earned the new emperor's trust.

Whether or not he was a prince, it was most important that he lived well.

As they approached, they dismounted from their horses, and Xue Hong Wen dragged down the Yan emperor from his horse, throwing him at Xue Fu Guang’s feet, "How do you wish to deal with him?"

Having been hung upside down on a horse for some time, the Yan emperor’s head was blood-red, his vision blurred, darkening in waves.

Hearing Xue Hong Wen's voice, he immediately realized who was standing next to him and strained to glare up.

Especially upon seeing Mu Jian Shu, his eyes widened even further with hatred, as if he couldn't wait to devour him.

Xue Fu Guang’s gaze lowered to meet his eyes, and with a cold, low chuckle, he kicked the Yan emperor’s head, twisting it to the side, making him roll on the ground.

Xue Hong Wen also lowered his gaze and said in a gentle tone, "That's not how you kick."

With that said, he kicked the Yan emperor's shoulder.

It seemed effortless, yet the Yan emperor rolled two full circles, his face turning red, sweating coldly, uttering a pained groan.

Xue Fu Guang nodded, his gaze still lowered as he observed the Yan emperor. Mu Jian Shu explained softly at his side, "His shoulder bone is shattered. But it doesn’t matter, it won’t be fatal."

Xue Hong Wen paused, then gave Mu Jian Shu another glance.

The General of the South was spellbound by Mu Jian Shu's easy rapport with the others.

Xue Fu Guang had been aware of him for some time and had also deduced his identity.

Letting out a small sigh of relief, he paid no further attention to the Yan emperor on the ground and looked towards the General of the South, "General Qi, seeing is truly believing."

Qi Ce managed a bitter smile, "Your Majesty flatters me excessively."

Noticing Mu Jian Shu out of the corner of his eye, Xue Fu Guang inquired, "General Qi, speak freely. There's no need to mind my presence."

Mu Jian Shu also turned his gaze towards him.

In a soft voice, Qi Ce said, "You bear a striking resemblance to the elder princess. Very much so. Had I met you earlier, I would have recognized your identity at once."

Mu Jian Shu, sensing the nostalgia in his expression, asked, "Is that so?"

"Yes..." Qi Ce began, his lips moving, "In her days, the elder princess was hailed as the foremost beauty of Yan, and you are quite handsome. Only His Majesty at your side surpasses you."

Of course, this was not true; the appeal of Xue Fu Guang and Mu Jian Shu was of entirely different sorts—beyond comparison.

Qi Ce was merely paying lip service. He was unaccustomed to such flattery, but to make Xue Fu Guang even more pleased with Mu Jian Shu, he was willing to offer such praise.

Seeing Qi Ce as though he had much to say but was contemplating whether to speak,

Mu Jian Shu continued to inquire, "Did you know my mother?"

He did not refer to the former empress as "Mother Empress."

The emperor of Yan was no longer an emperor now; there was only one emperor, Xue Fu Guang.

And his mother, surely, no longer wished to be the empress of Yan.

Calling her "Mother Empress" might not be to her liking, nor was Mu Jian Shu inclined to address her as such.

Qi Ce nodded eagerly, "Yes! In those days, as a retainer for the Quan family, I languished in obscurity until your mother recognized my potential and recommended me to the Quan household. Mr. Quan held me in high regard and helped me greatly—a kindness as grand as rebirth itself!"

His expression became agitated, and he stopped, guiltily adding, "I failed to discern true character, serving a treacherous cause. I owe a great debt to Mr. Quan and the elder princess, and I am ashamed before you."

Mu Jian Shu nodded, "I understand."

Qi Ce braced himself for either accusation or forgiveness. He had a whirlwind of words trapped inside, longing to express his readiness to follow his leader for the rest of his days, to repay him...

But at Mu Jian Shu’s casually uttered "I know," all his remaining words stuck in his throat.

He looked at Mu Jian Shu, uncertain of what to do next.

Mu Jian Shu said, "Since it's all in the past, there's no need to dwell on it. Thank you, General, for your concern. If you have many things you wish to say, perhaps save them... for when you see my mother and the others, you can tell them in person."

Mu Jian Shu hadn't lived through those events; his emotions were honed to a detached calm, with his sole concern being Xue Fu Guang.

As for the rest, he neither wished to involve himself nor felt qualified to do so.

How could he know whether to harbor hatred or to offer forgiveness?

He had neither bestowed favors upon Qi Ce nor understood his mother or the Quan family's temperament – how could he know whether they would forgive or hold a grudge?

Qi Ce understood his meaning and nodded silently, lost in thought.

Xue Fu Guang knew their conversation had concluded, and ordered someone to take away the Emperor of the Ying Dynasty.

He said to Xue Hong Wen, "Big brother, I'll return to the Imperial City first. Now that matters here are settled, I wish to see our father."

Xue Hong Wen kept his gaze fixed ahead, too indolent to look at Mu Jian Shu: "Understood. I'll take care of the rest."

……

In the persistent spring rain.

Xue Fu Guang and Mu Jian Shu set out on the road back to the Imperial City.

Another spring season had arrived.

A year had passed.

Last spring, Xue Fu Guang came back to this life, and saw Mu Jian Shu—a person he had never noticed in his previous life.

And so, everything from his past life was altered by his own hands.

The author has a message to say: This concludes the main text! What follows are extras!

Ah, I really am amazing!

Good night, see you tomorrow!

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