Tan Hua - Chapter 59

Song Liqing had been anxious all day long.

 

He only felt somewhat at ease when he heard Guan Sheng drinking camel milk.

 

Once Guan Sheng was full, he fell asleep without a care in the world, breathing evenly.

 

The sound of the door being kicked open startled the baby awake, and Guan Sheng began to cry. Song Liqing nervously held him tight, gently patting the swaddling clothes and soothing him with soft words.

 

“It’s okay… it’s okay…”

 

The one who barged in was  Wu’er Shan, holding a horsewhip in his hand. He grabbed Song Liqing immediately.

 

“You damn dog, how dare you deceive me!”

 

Song Liqing knew that there were risks involved with any scheme, and today, it was clear that he had failed.

 

Now,  Wu’er Shan, filled with rage, had come to settle the score.

 

Wu’er Shan yanked him, causing Song Liqing to fall to the ground. He shielded Guan Sheng with his body, using himself as a cushion. Although the baby wasn’t hurt, his cries grew even louder.

 

Wu’er Shan swung the whip, striking Song Liqing on his body. Song Liqing hurriedly covered Guan Sheng beneath him, but his neck was struck, causing his skin to split open.

 

“You wrote those fake words on purpose, didn’t you?! Luckily, I was clever enough to talk my way out of it, and His Majesty was generous, or else I would have fallen for your trap today! You wretched bastard, I’m going to beat you to death today!”

 

The sound of the whip slicing through the air accompanied by searing pain on his leg was all Song Liqing could feel. Fortunately, his winter clothing was thick, otherwise, that whip would have torn his skin apart.

 

Guan Sheng seemed to sense the suffering of Song Liqing and cried even louder.

 

 Wu’er Shan, however, didn’t dare to harm the baby, so he snatched Guan Sheng away.

 

“Mr. Wu… Mr. Wu!”

 

Song Liqing, empty-handed, was panic-stricken and desperate.

 

“Mr. Wu… please don’t hurt him, I beg you.”

 

He was powerless to resist and could only plead with  Wu’er Shan not to harm Guan Sheng.

 

“You still have the nerve to beg?”

 

 Wu’er Shan, his face twisted with anger, glared at the crying baby.

 

“You told me he was the Crown Prince’s son. Was that another lie? You claim to hate the Crown Prince of Jing Kingdom, but you seem to care a lot about this baby! Tell me the truth, whose child is he really? If you dare lie again, I’ll take your life!”

 

Song Liqing’s lips trembled, and he could only grit his teeth and say, “I’m not lying… he really is the Crown Prince’s son!”

 

“Still lying, are you? Fine, I’ll smash his head right now!”

 

 Wu’er Shan raised the swaddled baby above his head. From that height, a fall would be fatal for a baby just two or three months old.

 

“Mr. Wu!” Song Liqing cried out, “You can’t… if you harm him, not only will you lose out on those hundred thousand taels of gold, but you’ll also bring disaster upon yourself!”

 

 Wu’er Shan considered his words.

 

It would be easy enough to kill the baby, and no one would ever know.  Wu’er Shan didn’t believe the Crown Prince of Jing Kingdom could trace it back to him.

 

But he was greedy after all—that was a hundred thousand taels of gold!

 

“Hmph.”

 

 Wu’er Shan tossed Guan Sheng onto the bed.

 

But he wasn’t about to let Song Liqing off so easily.

 

“How dare you try to outsmart me! You lowly bastard!”

 

 Wu’er Shan continued to lash out, both beating and kicking, while cursing incessantly.

 

Soon enough, Song Liqing collapsed to the ground, unable to even struggle.

 

“You cunning people from the Central Plains only learn to behave after suffering. Let’s see if you dare to trick me again!”

 

 Wu’er Shan, drenched in sweat, finally threw down the whip.

 

He crouched down and grabbed Song Liqing by the hair, forcing him to look up at him.

 

“You think you can escape from me with those blind eyes? Keep dreaming!”

 

 Wu’er Shan spat, the saliva splattering across Song Liqing’s face.

 

“Will you behave from now on? Hmm?”  Wu’er Shan leaned in closer to ask.

 

But Song Liqing didn’t respond.

 

“If it weren’t for your pretty face, I would have killed you today!…”

 

 Wu’er Shan stopped talking.

 

Because there was a commotion outside, and it seemed that quite a few people had entered the house.

 

He tossed Song Liqing to the ground and stood up to check.

 

“Who is it?!”  Wu’er Shan glanced over, surprised. “Your Highness… Your Highness…”

 

It was Jun Qiyu and Pei Xingxu. Pei Xingxu had brought several palace guards, forcibly entering the place and finally finding Song Liqing.

 

“Your Highness… what brings you to my humble abode…”

 

Wu’er Shan wasn’t sure about the intentions of the newcomers, especially since there was another person beside Pei Xingxu. This person seemed young, but his aura made  Wu’er Shan instinctively avert his eyes and lower his head after a mere glance. The man standing there exuded an authority even greater than that of the Prince of Loulan…

 

Ignoring  Wu’er Shan, Jun Qiyu walked straight into the room.

 

When he saw Song Liqing lying on the ground, his pupils contracted.

 

Song Liqing’s exposed skin was covered with whip marks, his flesh torn, and fresh blood seeping out, clearly from recent injuries.

 

Jun Qiyu was at a loss for words, his heart aching to the point of speechlessness. He carefully cradled Song Liqing in his arms.

 

The person who had been missing for months, whom Jun Qiyu had almost believed he would never see again, was now right in front of him.

 

Pressing his face close to Song Liqing’s, Jun Qiyu inhaled the faint scent of ink and books that still lingered on him. His withered heart felt as though it had encountered the revitalizing breeze and rain of spring, bringing it back to life.

 

But seeing Song Liqing in this state, Jun Qiyu’s guilt made his heart feel like it was about to burst.

 

Two tears rolled down Jun Qiyu’s cheeks, falling onto Song Liqing’s face.

 

Song Liqing was bewildered, not knowing what had happened.

 

“Xingxu… is that… is that you?” Song Liqing murmured with a faint smile on his lips, “I knew you would come to save me. Did you recognize my handwriting?”

 

Pei Xingxu, upon seeing Song Liqing, had initially reacted just like Jun Qiyu. But that single, lighthearted sentence from Song Liqing made him freeze in place.

 

Because he hadn’t recognized Song Liqing’s handwriting.

 

At that moment, Pei Xingxu felt so ashamed, it was as if he had already lost.

 

Even Jun Qiyu, who had been such a scoundrel and had never really cared for Song Liqing, had immediately recognized his handwriting.

 

But Pei Xingxu hadn’t.

 

All the words of concern, of longing, of heartache that Pei Xingxu had wanted to say were now stuck in his throat.

 

“Xingxu… why aren’t you saying anything?” Song Liqing asked softly, “Don’t worry, I’m fine.”

 

Jun Qiyu, his voice hoarse, responded, “Liqing… Liqing…”

 

After months of separation, Jun Qiyu could finally call out his name in person. The words felt natural because Jun Qiyu had been calling that name every day, in every dream.

 

“Liqing, it’s me…”

 

Jun Qiyu swallowed the bitterness in his throat, his voice trembling slightly.

 

Song Liqing recognized his voice.

 

His body trembled.

 

A multitude of thoughts rushed through his mind.

 

He wondered why it wasn’t Pei Xingxu. Why was it Jun Qiyu?

 

The last person he wanted to see or hear from…

 

…was the one who showed up when he needed help the most.

 

“Oh, it’s Your Highness.”

 

Song Liqing said lightly.

 

There was no hatred, nor was there love.

 

No extra emotion at all.

 

It was as if an insignificant person had appeared, and he was simply greeting them.

 

But this indifferent calmness was, in itself, the most cruel punishment.

 

Jun Qiyu would have preferred that Song Liqing hate him, curse him, rather than feel the sting of this cold indifference.