Tan Hua - Chapter 40
Upon hearing his father’s name, Song Liqing’s eyes narrowed slightly. He tried to grab Jun Qiyu as he got up, but Jun Qiyu kicked his hand away.
“My father… has nothing to do with this! Jun Qiyu, you hate me, resent me… it has nothing to do with my father! What have you done to him?!”
Jun Qiyu sneered at Song Liqing, saying, “Including servants, a total of three hundred and seventy-three people from the Song residence have been convicted and imprisoned.”
Father’s residence… Why? Overnight, it turned into this?
Song Liqing couldn’t believe it. His father had fought side by side with the Emperor! How could Jun Qiyu…
Anxiety overwhelmed Song Liqing, his heart felt like it was about to burst, but he had no tears left to shed. He made a choking sound in his throat, unable to vent his boundless pain.
“My father… was a loyal subject, he made extraordinary military achievements for Jing Kingdom… He and the Emperor went through life and death together, it shouldn’t be like this, he shouldn’t be treated like this!”
Jun Qiyu remained unmoved by his plea.
“They are all your accomplices! They deserve… execution!”
Song Liqing’s heart stopped, darkness engulfed him, and a buzzing sound filled his ears, drilling into his head.
In an instant, he couldn’t see or hear anything, as if in a state of chaos, sinking deeper and deeper, submerged in the abyss of the sea, feeling cold all over.
In the darkness, Song Liqing heard Jun Qiyu’s voice echoing like a bell, “Execution of the entire family.”
Execution of the entire family…
Song Liqing hated himself. His father raised him, only to be dragged down to execution by him?
But he couldn’t understand, how did he end up in this abyss step by step?
Was it his fate? Or did he deserve it?
Seeing him silently crying, Jun Qiyu felt that this agony didn’t seem fake.
“Song Qing is just your foster father, yet you know what it’s like to suffer. The Emperor is my blood relative, and I can do anything for him!”
Song Liqing heard Jun Qiyu’s footsteps leaving the dungeon.
“Wait… Jun Qiyu! I confess! I confess!”
Song Liqing clawed at the ground, crawling towards Jun Qiyu.
“It was me who poisoned… It has nothing to do with my father, nothing to do with the Song family! If you want to punish someone, kill me… I’m the mastermind! I deserve to die! Please, spare my father, I beg you… I’ll kowtow to you!”
Song Liqing couldn’t even kneel, he could only lift his head and kowtow to the ground repeatedly.
“Song Qing will be executed in three days. If you want to save him, tell me what poison was used on the Emperor before then.”
Jun Qiyu left the dark dungeon, the sound of the iron lock echoed as the door closed.
“Jun Qiyu… Jun Qiyu!!!”
Song Liqing’s hoarse shouts were drowned in the darkness…
—
When Jun Qiyu returned to the Taihe Hall, the courtiers were waiting in the main hall.
“Why are you all gathered here in the palace?” Jun Qiyu walked through the crowd and approached the dragon throne.
An old minister spoke first, “We are worried about the safety of His Majesty…”
“Hmm.” Jun Qiyu addressed the ministers, “You are concerned, but His Majesty is protected by the divine, and will surely be safe. …Is there anything else?”
The old minister knelt down and said, “Your Highness, the true culprit behind His Majesty’s attack has not been identified yet. The Crown Prince Consort is only a suspect without evidence, General Song has been convicted because of this, and you ordered his execution in three days. We think it’s too hasty, and may lead to injustice… Shouldn’t we wait until His Majesty recovers before deciding?”
“The priority is that His Majesty is safe!” Jun Qiyu’s voice was stern, “His Majesty is still in danger, and you are eager to plead for the Song family! Or do you think that in His Majesty’s absence, I’m not worthy to make decisions?”
“We dare not!”
Half of the courtiers knelt down, none dared to plead further.
Jun Qiyu looked at the other half and asked, “What about you? Are you also here for Song Liqing?”
“The Assistant Minister of Rites, three days ago, I submitted a memorial… um, Your Majesty has not yet reviewed it.” The top scholar, who was of the same year as Song Liqing, held up his tablet and reported.
Jun Qiyu asked, “What is the memorial about?”
“It concerns the arrangements for the autumn ceremony and… the allocation of funds,” the scholar replied.
Jun Qiyu impatiently scolded, “Such trivial matters, the Ministry of Rites can handle them. Is it necessary to bother me?”
The scholar retreated in silence.
Several other ministers successively presented memorials, ranging from major to minor issues, causing Jun Qiyu to feel dizzy and overwhelmed.
“Alright, alright, I will review your memorials on behalf of Father Emperor tonight. You may leave now!”
The courtiers left the Taihe Hall, leaving behind a few old ministers who exchanged glances.
“Your Highness, what we old men want to say may not please you, but as they say, a home cannot be without its master for a day, and a country cannot be without its ruler. His Majesty’s life hangs in the balance, and eventually, you will have to bear this responsibility. Relying solely on forcefulness, how can you govern the country? If you still indulge in pleasure… Jing Kingdom may never return to the prosperous era of Emperor Xuan. These are the heartfelt words of us old ministers.”
Jun Qiyu felt momentarily lost. He had never considered that Emperor Xuan would fall, so he could act recklessly under Emperor Xuan’s protection.
Once Emperor Xuan fell, he seemed to be standing alone. For the first time, he understood why Emperor Xuan always forced him to study history and literature.
“I understand,” Jun Qiyu nodded without anger.
He glanced at Emperor Xuan, who was still unconscious, and at the piles of memorials on the table, feeling overwhelmed.
He settled down and began to review the memorials one by one. However, his mind was not at peace, constantly distracted, not by worry for Emperor Xuan’s safety, but by thoughts of Song Liqing.
“Qiyu, when you become the emperor in the future, you must learn to handle state affairs. You cannot always let others do it for you. That’s foolishness.”
“Qiyu, the affairs of the people, no matter big or small, may seem trivial to you, but for the people, it may be a matter of life and death for a whole family.”
“Qiyu, don’t be impatient. For you, these memorials may just be words, but it’s these trivial matters that make up the world.”
“Qiyu…”
The more Jun Qiyu read, the more he thought of those words, until he even began to hear phantom voices, constantly advising him…
Jun Qiyu’s annotations became more and more sloppy, and he couldn’t figure out how to respond to the memorials.
“Severe drought in the south, Jiangnan, known as the granary of the nation, may need to reduce taxes by half this year. However, the Ministry of Revenue says the national treasury is in dire straits. It’s only autumn, but the expenditure has already reached last year’s total…” Jun Qiyu subconsciously turned his head, “Liqing, what do you think…”
But there was emptiness beside him.
Jun Qiyu’s hand froze in mid-air, and for a moment, he felt at a loss.
Song Liqing was no longer here, he had been thrown into the dungeon by Jun Qiyu himself.
Jun Qiyu tore off a piece of paper angrily and threw it on the ground to vent his frustration.
“There’s more than just you who have read books. Without you, I can’t be a good Crown Prince?!”
Jun Qiyu was angry, but he didn’t know what he was angry about.
He tried to focus on the memorials, but they seemed endless. Just as he was halfway through reviewing them, dawn broke outside, and the sunlight dazzled his eyes. The eunuch by Emperor Xuan’s side came in and brought another stack of memorials.
“Why are there so many things?!” Jun Qiyu rested his palm against his forehead, “When will it end?”
“Your Highness,” the chief eunuch kindly advised, “You haven’t slept for three days. Why don’t you take a rest for a while? I’m worried you’ll ruin your health.”
Jun Qiyu suddenly turned his head to stare at the chief eunuch, who thought he had said something wrong and knelt down in fear, slapping himself.
“You talk too much.”
“I’m not blaming you,” Jun Qiyu asked hesitantly, “Song Liqing… I mean, do scholars like him endure day and night like this?”
The chief eunuch relaxed and smiled, “Reading by stealing light, studying while hanging from a beam, they not only endure, but the hardest part is studying all their lives without knowing if they’ll succeed. Why do you ask, Your Highness?”
“It’s nothing.”
Jun Qiyu felt a sourness in his heart but didn’t want to admit it.
“You may leave.”
The palace hall was empty, and Jun Qiyu’s eyes were a bit blurry. He closed his eyes and rubbed them, then suddenly heard a voice in his ear:
“Jun Qiyu… I don’t love you anymore!!”
Jun Qiyu startled, snapped out of his daze, and clenched his fist, crushing a wolf hair brush with a snap.
“The lingering ghost…”
—
The door of the dungeon was pushed open, and a figure in a black cloak entered.
“Hurry up, His Highness ordered that no one is allowed to visit Song Liqing. If you didn’t have the token bestowed by the Emperor, I wouldn’t have risked letting you in.”
“Thank you, sir.”
Pei Xingxu took off his cloak, slipped a gold ingot into the head jailer’s hand.
The head jailer discreetly pocketed it. “He’s in the last cell.”
Pei Xingxu wasted no time and headed straight for the last cell.
When he saw the battered Song Liqing, his breath seemed to freeze for a moment.
“Liqing…”
Pei Xingxu didn’t even dare to speak too loudly, fearing that any noise might cost Song Liqing his life.
He opened the cell door, knelt beside Song Liqing, and gently lifted him, holding him in his arms.
Everywhere he looked, there were wounds.
Pei Xingxu couldn’t hold back the tears that fell. The person he had dreamed of protecting was now lying battered in his arms.
“Liqing…” Pei Xingxu couldn’t find any other words, only suppressed sobs deep in his chest, “Wuwu…”
Pei Xingxu wanted to hold him tighter, but he didn’t dare. He could only gently stroke his body. His shoulders were so thin that he could almost feel the bones.
His face, which Pei Xingxu had first seen as stunning, was now sunken. Looking at him like this, no one would believe he was the current Crown Prince!
The once radiant face was now covered with a layer of deathly pallor…
“Ugh…”
Song Liqing stirred in his arms, like a weak cat. He didn’t have the strength to open his eyes, just furrowed his brow and curled up, as if trying to hide himself.
“I’m here, Liqing, don’t be afraid.”
Perhaps Song Liqing recognized his voice, his brows gradually relaxed.
“Xingxu… I’m so cold…”
Song Liqing murmured.
—
Author’s Note:
Wuwuwu…
TL – I want to kill Qiyu😭
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Hawa
Very annoying. Just want to slap some sense into that stupid song🤡🤡🤡