Chapter 294: Is It Because I Didn’t Want To?

Chapter 294: Is It Because I Didn’t Want To?

"Beiqin was relatively fortunate. Back when that person was executed, the Emperor and I could only secretly mourn in the royal residence, because the previous Emperor wasn’t as lenient with his children as the current one."

"The body was thrown into a mass grave. Later, when the Emperor ascended the throne, all the honors and posthumous titles could only be given to a cenotaph."

"If you really feel guilty, go back and quietly burn some paper money and light a lamp."

Xu Chengzhou bowed with his hands clasped: "Thank you, Father."

But Xu Chengzhou’s mood didn’t get better. He was listless for days on end, and his wife grew worried.

She complained to Xu Lanqi: "Our eldest son has been so down lately, and today, he didn’t even touch his food."

"I took food to his room. He ate, but barely touched it."

"I tried to talk to him, but it didn’t help. You go and see."

"Let’s not end up with the joke of starving our own child."

Xu Lanqi knocked on his son’s room door.

A faint voice answered from inside: "Come in."

He opened the door to find his son staring out the window, lost in thought.

Xu Lanqi walked over and advised: "It’s okay to grieve, but you still have to eat."

"Don’t let your health fail—are you planning to join him in death?"

Xu Chengzhou snapped out of his trance.

"Father, it just feels so sudden."

"Before, seeing how the common people suffered, I always felt sorry for their fragile lives."

"And I was thankful for my privileged upbringing."

"Beiqin was also noble-born, highly talented, and well-respected."

"Yet, he was swept up in events beyond his control, and one misstep led to his downfall."

"It happened so suddenly—I was wondering, could I also be caught unprepared and..."

He got slapped across the mouth.

"What are you talking about? Do I seem like someone who lacks judgment?"

Xu Chengzhou muttered softly: "What if someone in the nine clans lacks judgment?"

"There are so many people, I don’t even know them, let alone remember their names."

Xu Lanqi: ...

"Even further out, the ten clans could be dragged in."

"You have so many students, Father, you probably can’t even remember the number."

Xu Lanqi: ...

He directly gave his son a slap on the face.

"You little brat, what are you doing being such a downer here? Pah pah pah!"

After receiving the slap, Xu Chengzhou obediently shut up, but he was still worried about another issue: "Father, the Emperor is so angry with the crown prince this time."

"Will she be in trouble?"

"After all, placing the heir under house arrest is a big deal."

"In history books, it seems that when the heir is placed under house arrest, it signifies a rift between father and son."

He drummed his fingers on the windowsill, hoping for a reassuring answer.

Fortunately, his father provided a positive answer: "Although I can't be certain, based on my understanding of the Emperor, he just wants the child to think about what he's done."

"It's not as big a deal as people make it out to be."

"However..."

Xu Lanqi pressed his son's shoulder and asked in confusion: "I told you to win over the crown prince, but how come you haven't made any progress yet?"

"If you haven't made any progress, why are you so concerned? It won't affect you."

Xu Chengzhou retorted in a low voice: "It's not like I'm not trying, you know?"

In the palace, Bei Jingchu, after pulling herself together, went to Xuanshi Hall to show her respects. The Emperor didn't say much, simply had dinner with her in the hall as he did when she was a child.

Her third brother was also there and stayed behind. Unlike his usual self, the young girl wasn't focused on eating but kept her eyes glued to her.