Chapter 71: Reason

Chapter 71: The Reason

Shen Shuo took Shen Yuchao with him.

On the way, Shen Yuchao wept silently, not uttering a single sound.

Shen Shuo's expression was grim.

It wasn't until they had left the mansion that Shen Shuo realized there were many unfamiliar faces in the household, and the once-familiar ones were gone.

What exactly had happened during the two years he was away?

After settling Shen Yuchao in the separate residence, Shen Shuo was preparing to question him carefully.

Noticing his son's gaze fixed on the pastries placed on the table by the servants, Shen Shuo picked one up and handed it to him, coaxed gently, "Hungry? Here, eat."

Shen Yuchao snatched the pastry and wolfed it down.

Shen Shuo's heart ached to see it. "Eat slowly, no one's going to take it from you."

Just as Shen Shuo placed his hand on Shen Yuchao's back, Shen Yuchao suddenly bent over and vomited everything he'd just eaten.

The air filled with the sour, acrid smell of vomit.

Shen Shuo grew frantic, wiping the filth from Shen Yuchao's mouth with his sleeve and shouting, "Someone! Quickly fetch the military physician!"

By the time the military physician arrived, Shen Yuchao lay pale-faced in Shen Shuo's arms, his eyes closed.

"Find out what's wrong with the young master," Shen Shuo urged anxiously.

The military physician placed his fingers on Shen Yuchao's wrist, concentrating on taking his pulse.

After a long while, he withdrew his hand.

"General, the young master has no serious illness. In fact, he is healthier than most grown men. However, his spleen and stomach are extremely weak."

Shen Shuo was puzzled. "Why are they weak?"

Chao'er's meals had always been carefully prepared and easily digestible. He had only been gone for two years; how could his spleen and stomach have weakened?

Upon examining the vomit, the military physician's expression suddenly changed drastically. "General, these are clearly venomous creatures. Who fed these poisons to the young master?"

The Jade-Faced General, who remained unflinching even if Mount Tai collapsed before him, now felt his composure crumbling.

His eyes darkened as he suppressed the fury in his heart. "This prince will certainly investigate this matter thoroughly. First, examine his..."

Shen Shuo raised Shen Yuchao's index finger, his movement abruptly halting.

He had personally seen Shen Yuchao bite through his fingertip, yet now the finger was completely intact, each digit distinct and flawless like unblemished white jade.

The air around Shen Shuo grew heavy, a storm brewing in the depths of his eyes, a tempest about to break.

At the moment before eruption, he suddenly closed his eyes, his voice was hoarse. "Prescribe a formula to regulate the young master's spleen and stomach."

"Yes," the military physician nodded.

...

The first person Shen Yuchao saw upon waking was Shen Shuo.

He stared at him blankly, as if doubting whether he was dreaming.

Shen Shuo asked joyfully, "Chao'er is awake?"

Helping Shen Yuchao sit up and lean against a soft pillow, Shen Shuo picked up the bowl of plain congee from the bedside table. "Hungry? Have some congee first."

There was no familiar foul smell, nor the nauseatingly sweet odor that disgusted him.

Shen Yuchao slowly opened his mouth.

Delighted, Shen Shuo scooped a spoonful of congee and fed it to him.

After finishing the bowl, a sense of fullness he hadn't felt for a long time welled up in Shen Yuchao's heart, almost bringing him to tears.

From that room filled with the corpses of venomous creatures like snakes, scorpions, toads, and others, one could roughly infer Shen Yuchao's experiences.

Therefore, Shen Shuo did not ask him what he had endured. Instead, he gently stroked Shen Yuchao's neck, his heart aching. "Were you injured? Or do you not wish to speak?"

Shen Yuchao opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

After a moment of silence, he took Shen Shuo's hand and lightly traced characters on his palm.

The soft fingertip of the child moved across the rough, calloused palm. Those few short words made the Yin Dynasty's illustrious God of War, renowned for his military achievements, redden his eyes.

He silently wrote: I haven't spoken for two years.

Gently pulling Shen Yuchao into his embrace, Shen Shuo said in a choked voice, "It's alright. Father will practice with you again. Do you remember when you first started learning to speak? It was also Father who taught you..." He paused, then continued, "It was also Father who taught you. Chao'er is naturally intelligent. You learned it once; you can learn it a second time."

After a long pause, Shen Yuchao slowly nodded.

...

Shen Yuchao refused to stay in narrow, dark places, so Shen Shuo took him to a manor in the suburbs to recuperate.

He closed his doors to visitors, ignoring court affairs and refusing to see relatives and friends, devoting himself entirely to accompanying Shen Yuchao's recovery.

Shen Yuchao did not speak, but Shen Shuo tirelessly talked in front of him, guiding him to make sounds.

The Shen Family Army had taken in a group of war orphans. Worried that Shen Yuchao's personality was becoming increasingly withdrawn, Shen Shuo selected two boys from among them to be his companions.

Shen Yuchao, holding a brush, personally gave them names.

One was called Zuo Yi, the other Shang Ze.

The military physician prescribed medicinal meals. Dissatisfied with the cook's skills, the eight-foot-tall man hunched over in the kitchen, holding a thin piece of paper, his expression as serious as when studying military reports.

He personally cooked for Shen Yuchao, took him to the river to catch fish, climbed trees to catch birds, and joined the manor's servants in harvesting crops. He was so wild he seemed less like a prince of the court and more like an ordinary father.

Those were the most deeply etched days in Shen Yuchao's memory, and also the most

period after the incident.

That day, waking from an afternoon nap and finding Shen Shuo not by his side, Shen Yuchao hurriedly got out of bed and rushed out barefoot.

Pushing aside the bead curtain, he stopped in his tracks.

Shen Shuo half-reclined on the daybed, holding a book in his hands.

Sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating his refined profile, like a benevolent deity from myth.

He set the book down and beckoned to Shen Yuchao, his expression softened by the sunlight, looking utterly gentle.

His voice was tender, just as it had always been.

"Chao'er, come here quickly."

Shen Yuchao suddenly realized that Father was back.

He would never be locked in the darkness again, nor would he be forced to eat those disgusting things.

He would never have nightmares like that again.

Shen Yuchao walked forward slowly, standing beside Shen Shuo, and opened his mouth.

His voice carried the hoarse and grating quality of someone who hadn't spoken in a long time, mixed with a childlike softness, ringing out clear and distinct.

"Father."

Shen Shuo was dumbstruck for a moment, almost thinking he had misheard.

He seized Shen Yuchao's thin shoulders, his voice trembling as he said, "Chao'er, call me that again."

"Father."

This time, it was even clearer than before.

Shen Shuo's eyes welled up. He pulled Shen Yuchao into his arms, enveloping his small frame, and a laugh of pure joy burst from him. "That's my boy! I knew you could do it."

His laughter grew louder and louder, echoing out the window and startling the birds resting in the trees.

Nestled in his father's embrace, Shen Yuchao also smiled.

The past pain seemed to have completely dissipated with his father's return. Thus, when he saw Mu Yurou again, Shen Yuchao was momentarily at a loss.

After hunting a gray rabbit with the servants from the estate, Shen Yuchao excitedly ran to find Shen Shuo.

"Father, today I..."

Before he could finish speaking, the excitement on his face froze.

He heard the sound of raised voices coming from inside the room.

"Chao'er hasn't been well lately, and I've been ignoring you. I thought that during this time, you'd feel guilty and give me an explanation. But look at your expression now—are you sorry at all?"

Shen Shuo angrily questioned, "He is your own son! What hatred could possibly make you treat him like this?!"

"Chao'er, Chao'er, Chao'er—it's all you talk about, from the moment you open your mouth!" Mu Yurou retorted defiantly. "When we got married, who was it that promised to treat me well for a lifetime? Now, your eyes and heart are filled only with our son. Is there any place left for me?"

"Mu Yurou! He is your own child!" Shen Shuo was furious. "You are utterly unreasonable!"

"What does it matter if he's my son?" Mu Yurou sneered. "I gave birth to him. I gave him life. Whatever I want to do to him or make him do, he has no right to refuse."

"But he is a person, not a puppet. Do you know how much your actions have hurt him?"

"So what?" Mu Yurou said indifferently. "I brought him into this world, so he should be grateful and obey me in everything. Hurt? Those are just useless feelings."

Shen Shuo was silent for a long moment.

When he spoke again, his voice was filled with extreme weariness. "Rou'er, why have you become like this?"

"...I just want a reason. A reason for being so cruel to Chao'er."

Shen Yuchao's entire body stiffened.

Holding his breath, he focused all his attention on the room.

He also wanted to know—why did his mother treat him this way?

Why was she so cruel to him?

But Mu Yurou remained silent.

The door was flung open from within.

Mu Yurou frowned, glanced at Shen Yuchao with disdain, and left without a word.

The disgust in that gaze pierced him to the core.

He didn't understand why, overnight, his mother had changed.

What... had he done wrong?

After standing silently outside the door for a long time, Shen Yuchao walked in.

Shen Shuo was clutching a snow-white handkerchief embroidered with a purple orchid.

He lowered his head, his eyes filled with a mixture of pain and affection.

But there was no hatred.

Shen Yuchao recognized that handkerchief—his mother had hand-embroidered it for his father.

Before her change, his mother loved orchids the most. Her clothes were mostly light-colored, always embroidered with orchids. When you got close, you could smell the orchid fragrance wafting from her.

But the woman he had just seen was dressed in fiery red robes, with large peonies embroidered on the hem, completely different from the mother in his memory.

Yet, even so, his father still loved her.

He just wanted an explanation.

The young Shen Yuchao clearly understood—his father was giving his mother a chance.

A chance to forgive her.

That chance soon arrived.

That encounter didn't have much impact on Shen Shuo and his son.

They lived on the estate, following the rhythm of sunrise and sunset.

A simple, warm life.

But Mu Yurou began to appear from time to time.

She confessed her wrongdoings to Shen Shuo, weeping like pear blossoms in the rain, saying she was wrong.

Shen Yuchao watched with a cold expression, not saying a word.

He knew that Shen Shuo deeply loved Mu Yurou and would certainly forgive her.

Sure enough, after Mu Yurou shed just a few tears, Shen Shuo's face showed a pained look.

But thinking of Shen Yuchao, he forcibly withdrew his arm that had been raised halfway and made it clear again that unless she gave him an explanation and promised never to abuse Chao'er again, he would not forgive her.

Mu Yurou ran off, sobbing.

Later, she came back many times.

Shen Shuo had asked him if he could forgive his mother and if he was willing to return home.

Countless times, Shen Yuchao followed behind Shen Shuo, watching him gaze reluctantly at Mu Yurou's retreating figure.

Shen Shuo carefully escorted her, afraid she might have an accident on the way.

Shen Yuchao knew that his father would always forgive her.

His father was his most important person, but he wasn't his father's only most important person.

He still held his mother in his heart.

For his father's sake, he was willing to return. Even if seeing his mother would turn his stomach and make him keep recalling those vile memories.

Shen Yuchao gave a slow nod.

Shen Shuo smiled, picked him up, and twirled him around. "Good son, don't worry. With your father here, I won't let you be wronged again."

A smile tugged at the corner of Shen Yuchao's lips.

At that time, he felt that as long as his father was happy, it was enough.

Returning home seemed like the obvious thing to do.

When Mu Yurou came again, she took a tumble off the ridge of the field. Shen Shuo hurriedly picked her up and returned to Prince Duansu's residence.

Before leaving, for some reason, Shen Yuchao did not bring Zuo Yi and Shang Ze with him, leaving them at the manor.

Everything in the prince's residence was just as it had been. His father and mother had reconciled and treated him even better.

Yet, Shen Yuchao had a vague feeling that it was all too unreal.

Even if his mother had returned to her former self, what had happened had already happened. Things between them could never go back to the way they were.

His father was deeply troubled by the rift between mother and son. Seizing the opportunity, his mother apologized to him, laid out a table full of delicious dishes, and decided to confess everything during the feast.

Shen Shuo was overjoyed.

No matter what, his wife's inexplicable abuse of their own child had always been a thorn in his heart.

Now that this thorn could be removed, he was naturally delighted.

Shen Yuchao's heart was also pounding with excitement.

Why his mother had treated him that way was a burning question in his heart.

He couldn't wait to understand everything.

But none of them could have foreseen at the time that after drinking the ginseng soup Mu Yurou offered, both father and son would collapse, unconscious.