Chapter 31: Lu Feng’s Background

Chapter 31: Lu Feng's Background

"It’s been more than twenty years now."

The emperor's tall figure leaned against the dragon throne, his voice tinged with weariness. "Jun Chi, after we deal with Prince Chen, I want to recognize—"

"Your Majesty, my surname is Lu."

Lu Feng spoke indifferently, "My father raised me, shielded me. As the eldest son, it’s my duty to honor him with incense and manage his legacy."

"He has his own sons! Why should it fall to you?"

The emperor snapped in a low voice, his tiger-like eyes widening. All the attendants in the hall instantly dropped to their knees in silence. The emperor, annoyed, flicked his sleeve, "Leave."

"Wait—prepare a seat for Commander Lu."

The emperor’s moods were hard to read. The attendants tiptoed out, not daring to make a sound. When only the two of them remained in the hall, the emperor sat high on the throne, looking down at Lu Feng below.

He stood composed, his sharp features split by the hall’s light—half in shadow, half in light.

Everyone knew the emperor held Commander Lu in the highest regard. He dared to defy the emperor, did not wear his official robes, and even carried a sword in the imperial presence. No favored minister in history had ever been trusted so deeply.

Lu Feng’s tactics were merciless. To the discerning eye, he was the emperor's sharp blade. Such men, though powerful for a while, seldom met a peaceful end. Either they were cast aside or made examples for the next ruler.

Countless families had been wiped out by his actions. Many watched, waiting to see what would become of the infamous Commander Lu. Would the old tortures he brought back come back to haunt him? Would he face retribution?

Only the emperor knew that day would never come.

How could he stand it? Jun Chi was a good boy, the one he felt most guilty about, and the one who looked most like him... his own son.

The emperor's thoughts drifted far away.

...

Over twenty years ago, the emperor was still the Prince of Youzhou. He had just fought a bloody battle against the Prince of Lu in Qizhou, winning at great cost. Seizing the moment, Prince Chen from the south sailed to the capital, quickly taking it and proclaiming himself emperor.

The first thing Prince Chen did after ascending the throne was to send envoys to the Prince of Youzhou, proposing a division of the empire, with two emperors ruling jointly.

It was a delaying tactic, and the Prince of Youzhou didn’t buy it. However, after the battle with the Prince of Lu, he was severely weakened and in desperate need of recovery. Both sides had their own schemes.

He never imagined Prince Chen could be so cruel!

On the road to signing the treaty, Prince Chen sent men to raid the Prince of Youzhou's residence, intending to take his family hostage. At the time, the old Youzhou estate housed his seventy-year-old mother and a three-year-old child—all weak and vulnerable. As they fled, one of his concubines and his son were seized by Prince Chen’s men.

He raced back at full gallop. The concubine, upon seeing him, shed two streams of tears and cried out in desperation, "My lord, I beg you, save our child."

"He just started speaking. Yesterday, he called you 'Father.' He is clever, quick-witted, my lord, my lord—"

With that, the concubine threw herself onto the blade of a soldier beside her.

Crimson blood dripped down the cold blade. The battle erupted, and chaos ensued. His deputy, Lu Changyuan, sharp and battle-hardened, snatched the child and raced back, only to be ambushed by Chen’s troops.

Prince Chen wanted them all dead here.

They had only brought a small elite force back to Youzhou, outnumbered and outmatched. Even now, the emperor couldn’t bear to remember that battle—it was nothing but blood. His subordinates, his deputy, his sworn brothers—just yesterday, they had drunk and feasted together, joking about how they would become mighty generals once the prince ascended the throne.

That day would never come.

Youzhou was where he began his rise. In the more than twenty years since the emperor ascended the throne, he had never set foot in Youzhou again. To him, it was no longer the place that had nurtured him; it was the burial ground of his brothers!

The ground was strewn with severed limbs and shattered bodies. As they gathered the remains, it was impossible to tell whose arm or whose leg belonged to whom. Even now, the memory of it pierces his heart.

So many had died, yet ironically, he survived, and so did his child. His brothers had died protecting him, and their children had died in place of his own.

The troops of Prince Chen pursued relentlessly. Lu Changyuan fled to his ancestral home in Youzhou, where he swapped the clothes of his own son, who was of similar age, with the son of the Prince of Youzhou to divert the pursuers. Amid the chaos, he took the prince's son and fled northward.

That child was hacked to pieces by the enemy's swords.

The Prince of Youzhou was consumed by grief. Upon returning to his base, he tore up the peace treaty that same night and declared war on Prince Chen.

In war, life hangs by a thread, and no one knows when fate will take it. On the eve of the great battle, the Prince of Youzhou took the child and visited Lu Changyuan's camp.

He said, "Brother, I am the prince, and you are my lieutenant. Though our titles differ in rank, you know I have always regarded you as my own brother."

"If I had known it would come to this... I would never have allowed you to do this."

Lu Changyuan stayed silent. Since ancient times, loyalty and righteousness have been difficult to reconcile. That was his flesh and blood, and it pained him too.

The Prince of Youzhou sighed, "Changyuan, you lost a son, and I will give you a son. Don't panic yet, listen to me—"

"Prince Chen and I are mortal enemies. Only by grinding his bones to dust can I quench the hatred in my heart! But while man proposes, heaven decides. I... don't know if I can win."

"You have only this one heir left. To put it bluntly, if I die on the battlefield one day, who will mourn you and carry your coffin? Rest assured, my word is my bond. Once I give this child to you, he will have no further ties to me."

"No matter what happens in the future, he will always be your son, Lu Changyuan."

...

Recalling the past, a trace of sorrow flickered in the emperor's stern eyes.

Those brothers who survived, he had treated them all well, granting them titles, enriching their families, and ensuring at least three generations of wealth and prosperity.

Changyuan was enfeoffed as the Duke of Lu, with the title hereditary. He now lived a good life, with wives and concubines. His principal wife had borne him two more sons, and his beautiful concubine had given him a daughter. With sons and daughters, high rank, and wealth, he had reached the pinnacle of his life. After death, he would enter the Temple of Loyalty and Valor, sharing eternal incense offerings with the emperor.

The emperor believed he had done right by him.

He couldn't help but pay attention to Lu Feng.

He had been raised well, handsome and accomplished in both literature and martial arts. The emperor entrusted the Youzhou army to him. On his first battlefield, he single-handedly charged into the enemy camp on horseback and took down the head of the enemy general.

Among his many children, it was this son who had been sent away who resembled him the most.

Perhaps he was getting old, for he often thought of the past. He had many women in his life, but that ill-fated concubine was not the most beautiful. He couldn't even remember the shape of her nose or eyes, but he often recalled the crimson blood that day and her desperate cries.

She had used her life to buy them a chance at survival, begging him to save their son.

The emperor once held a banquet in the Culture Hall. He did not wear his imperial robes but dressed in plain clothes, personally pouring wine for the Duke of Lu.

He said, "Changyuan, more than twenty years have passed in the blink of an eye. Times have changed, but I often dream of the past. Those brothers who died—Youlin, Qingsong, Lingfeng... they were all men of iron will. By now, they should have been at the age to marry and have children."

The Duke of Lu, as taciturn as he had been many years ago, raised his cup and said, "Your Majesty, the past cannot be changed. Please do not grieve."

"Yes, it's all in the past."

The emperor sighed, "Back then, our brothers fought with blood and tears to bring us to where we are today. I... have never dared to forget the support you all gave me."

The Duke of Lu said, "Your Majesty has shown us immense kindness, and I too have never forgotten your grace."

"In that case," the emperor looked at the Duke of Lu with earnest eyes, "I’ve always treated you well, Changyuan. You have both sons and daughters, enjoying family life. So, could you—could you give my son back to me?"

The emperor's eyes were filled with tears, while the Duke of Lu silently drank his wine. They parted on bad terms.

The emperor’s thoughts spiraled out of control. He thought he would compensate Changyuan generously—granting him the title of a prince, a golden pardon, and an iron-clad decree of immunity. He was willing to give anything. As the Son of Heaven, he ruled all under heaven. There was nothing he couldn't afford.

But he never imagined Changyuan would be gone—taken by a sudden illness. By the time the imperial physicians arrived, his body had already stiffened.

The emperor looked at Lu Feng, clad in mourning before the coffin. He stammered but couldn’t bring himself to speak.

Another of his brothers from those days was gone. No wonder the emperor called himself "the Lonely One." Truly, he had become a lonely figure.

Under that desolate full moon years ago, he had said that this child would mourn for Changyuan and break the funeral bowl. Little did he know, those words would prove prophetic.

Too many things had happened since then. Lu Feng had lost his leg and his temperament changed drastically. He now commanded the Forbidden Dragon Bureau. This year, his wife was pregnant once more, and the emperor realized his son was nearing thirty.

He, too, was growing old.

In his remaining years, could he hear him call him 'Father'?

The emperor sighed and softly advised, "The journey is long. Take the Forbidden Dragon Bureau’s elite with you. Don’t be reckless; be careful."

"Your servant obeys the imperial decree."

Lu Feng's expression remained unchanged. He looked up and suddenly asked, "Should we continue monitoring the capital’s southern alley?"

Though there was no activity yet, Lu Feng felt it could lure out a big fish.

Prince Chen was notorious for his ruthlessness, often targeting the weak, women, and children. His remnants might be just like him.

The emperor paused, a flicker of disgust in his eyes. "Since I’ve entrusted this to you, I won’t interfere."

He didn't like Jiang Wanrou, and he loathed Jiang Wanxue even more. These femme fatales had turned his sons against each other. Despicable, utterly hateful!

In the emperor's eyes, none of his sons were truly bad. Even Prince Gong, who had made grave mistakes, was merely misled by treacherous individuals. Confining him to his palace was half punishment, half protection.

After all, they were his flesh and blood. That was a son he had once loved.

The emperor said, "If she... truly lures out Prince Chen's remnants, consider her contribution. After the matter is settled, grant her a dignified end."

If Jiang Wanxue hadn't borne Prince Gong a son and a daughter, the emperor would never have spared her life. Over the years, the emperor often wondered if he had made a mistake. Back then, he hadn't paid attention to that poem or whatever it was. He only saw that the girl was beautiful, though her family background was lacking. But it didn't matter; his son liked her, so he granted her a bit of honor.

Thus, with the emperor's decree, Jiang Wanxue's reputation as a "talented woman" spread throughout the capital overnight.

If he had known that Prince Gong would take an interest in Jiang Wanxue because of this, sowing the seeds of fraternal strife, he would have ordered her execution long ago, rather than leaving her alive and causing this dilemma. The emperor's cold treatment of Jiang Wanrou stemmed partly from her low status, which he felt was unworthy of Lu Feng, and partly from the association with Jiang Wanxue.

He didn't care about distinctions like legitimate or illegitimate daughters. They came from the same nest. If the elder sister was promiscuous, could the younger sister be any better?

To this day, the emperor believed that the conflict between Prince Gong and Lu Feng was over a woman.

A hint of mockery flashed in Lu Feng's eyes. He said calmly, "After all, she is the mother of a royal grandson. I won't kill her."

Betrayed by his fiancée and publicly humiliated, the young Lu Feng had once been filled with resentment and shame. But after all these years, he had long since let it go.

He even felt a bit lucky that if it weren’t for that accident years ago, Wanrou wouldn’t have become his wife. Back then, to him, a "wife" was just a label; it was expected for a man to marry and have children once he came of age.

He needed a wife to handle the household and manage the home. The eldest son of the Lu family, Lu Feng, had extremely high standards; his wife had to be beautiful to catch his eye, respectful and gentle to care for his parents, healthy to bear strong children, and talented in poetry, skilled in music and art to relax him during leisure time.

Lu Feng of those days could never have imagined that he would end up marrying such a wife.

He was naturally stern and serious, and a woman as captivating and charming as Jiang Wanrou was not within his aesthetic preferences. Apart from her background, she was unfamiliar with the classic texts and traditional arts, and completely unskilled in the arts of the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting, failing to meet his strict standards for a "wife."

But she was wonderful.

The meals she cooked were always warm and to his liking.

The kneepads she crafted were soft and cozy, sparing him from the harsh cold.

She ran the household well, making it feel welcoming and pleasant as soon as you walked in.

She raised Huai Yi to be polite, disciplined, clever, and smart.

...

Though their interests and backgrounds were worlds apart, Lu Feng realized that sharing a room with her never felt boring but rather comfortable and reassuring.

It was fine.

She wasn’t into music, so he played for her, and seeing her bright eyes, he felt proud.

Those plays she enjoyed, which he thought were silly, he tried to understand. Though he still found them ridiculous, seeing her unsure looks, he found them funny.

Marriage wasn’t just about physical closeness. Sitting in the chilly hall, Lu Feng suddenly missed her.

She should be eating now, right? Recently, she had become quite delicate; without him watching, he wondered if she had taken her prenatal medicine properly today.

Lu Feng stood up and bowed, "If Your Majesty has no further business, I shall take my leave."

"Go ahead. Earlier this year, a vassal state offered a 'Soft Armor,' said to be impenetrable by blades. Hah, who knows if it's true."

The emperor laughed, "I'll send it to you. Though the matter with Prince Chen is important, nothing compares to your safety. Jun Chi, you have a one-track mind. I've placed Pei Zhang by your side, both to assist and to advise."

Lu Feng was brave and skilled in battle, and the emperor thought without surprise that if they truly confronted Prince Chen's remnants, Lu Feng would be the first to draw his sword. Having fought through countless battles himself, the emperor saw his son as most resembling him. He couldn’t bear to place him at the frontier; these years must have been stifling for him.

The majestic emperor looked kindly, offering earnest advice before departure, showing his paternal care.

Lu Feng's expression softened slightly, and he bowed even lower, "Yes."

"During my absence from the capital, I hope Your Majesty will show mercy and look after my wife and child. I am deeply grateful."

"Rest assured, your wife and child are under my watch."

The emperor waved his sleeve wearily, "Hurry back, it will be hard to travel once it's fully dark."

Sitting on the dragon throne, the emperor watched his figure gradually fade into the distance, his expression shifting back to the inscrutable majesty of a ruler.

"Summon Pei Zhang."

...

Jiang Wanrou had a good sleep during the day, her cheeks rosy and soft, only to receive the bad news at night that Lu Feng was heading south!