CH 53

Wang Qin marched on his campaign, leaving the little prince in his official residence, and Zhan Peng, the governor of Baicheng, was so terrified that he didn’t know how to pay enough respects to Wei Chongrong.

Fortunately, Wei Chongrong was a good boy. He promised Wei Zhao that he wouldn’t run around, and he stayed in the governor’s mansion obediently. He studied hard every day, practised martial arts hard, and never walked out of the door for half a step, which saved Zhan Peng a lot of worry.

The Great Yan went to war against Fuyu. As a county governor, although he couldn’t interfere in the affairs of the military, Zhan Peng was also responsible for cooperating. He was so busy all day long; if the little ancestor caused him some more trouble, he was really going to die of a heart attack.

Fortunately, Wei Chongrong was not that kind of person. In addition to asking every day if the latest war report was received, he stayed in his courtyard. Compared to the governor’s two sons who were in the capital, he was many times more well-behaved. 

For more than a month, the war was going very well, with Wei Zhao advancing steadily, forcing the Fuyu’s front line to retreat. Ji Xin and Lu Ming marched straight into the Tiele’s lair and achieved a victorious meeting at Mount Amanloi.

With the battle report in his hand, Wei Chongrong drew circles on the map hanging in his study, wondering when Wei Zhao would be able to break into Qingjia and drive the Fuyu north of the Arslan Mountains.

Wei Zhao was not a vicious person. Even if he really wanted to eliminate Fuyu’s future troubles forever, it was impossible to completely kill the Fuyu people. He would have to use some gentle tactics. Wei Chongrong was the son of Helian Zhuo, and some words said by him with his identity would be more credible to the Fuyu people.

Wei Chongrong could vaguely guess Wei Zhao’s idea, but he didn’t mind. As long as he could solve the problem, the means were not important. But what Wei Chongrong didn’t expect was that Wei Zhao’s army had not yet reached Qingjia City, but he would be the first to return to his hometown after five years of absence.

On that day, Zhan Peng sent someone to bring him his lunch as usual. The food was delivered by someone Wei Chongrong knew well, and the dishes he was served were the usual ones. Wei Chongrong didn’t notice anything unusual, so he ate calmly.

Halfway through eating, he felt something was wrong. He wanted to call out loudly, but found that his throat seemed to be pinched and he couldn’t make a sound, and the pain in his abdomen was like a sharp twinge. He quickly lost consciousness.

Waking up again, Wei Chongrong was already tied up like a zongzi, lying horizontally on the back of a galloping horse. The horse was speeding northwards. He was bouncing up and down very uncomfortably, and all his internal organs seemed to be displaced.

Not bothering to lament his current predicament, Wei Chongrong’s first concern was that there was something wrong with the county governor, Zhan Peng, and he was afraid that it would affect the battle on the front line.

After thinking about it again, he comforted himself that Baicheng, like Ulan City, was only reclaimed by Ji Yu in the 29th year of Yongjia. It was located on the border with Fuyu, so the candidates for the county governors were chosen very cautiously.

For example, Zhan Peng; his wife and sons stayed in the capital and had not followed him to the post. It wouldn’t be easy for him to become a traitor.

It was more plausible that someone from Fuyu had infiltrated the governor’s household. After all, Baicheng had belonged to the Fuyu people for much longer, and when Ji Yu took it back, he mainly expelled the local residents rather than killing them.

After a long period of mixed habitation, it was not impossible to leave a few surplus people behind. It wouldn’t be surprising if there were Helian Zhuo’s people in the governor’s mansion who found out Wei Chongrong’s identity and then took action.

Wei Chongrong could easily imagine why Helian Zhuo wanted to catch him. It was definitely not because he missed his son, but because he wanted to use him to deal with Wei Zhao and deal with the menacing, unstoppable army of the Great Yan.

In the end, he was careless, thinking that he was very safe in the county governor’s mansion. He didn’t ask Wei Zhao’s personal soldiers to protect him, which allowed someone to exploit the situation.

Wei Chongrong just didn’t know how Wei Zhao would react when he received the news. He was afraid that Wei Zhao would lose his composure as a result and fall into the trap arranged by Helian Zhuo.

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Eager to see his son, Helian Zhuo ordered to change horses and change people along the way, riding day and night to bring Wei Chongrong to Qingjia City.

The others could at least rest, but Wei Chongrong was the most miserable. After three days of torment, unable to eat or sleep, when he got off the horse, he was so limp that he couldn’t even stand.

Helian Zhuo saw that he didn’t look good, so he hurriedly ordered someone to bring a shaman doctor. He wanted to threaten Wei Zhao, and it was only possible if Wei Chongrong was well. If something happened to his son, Wei Zhao would be so angry that it would be a miracle if he didn’t completely destroy Fuyu. 

The shaman doctor came quickly, and when he saw Wei Chongrong, he shook his head again and again, calling it absurd. The child who was less than ten years old was tied up and thrown on horseback and tossed for three days and three nights. If it weren’t for Wei Chongrong’s good physique, he would have died a long time ago.

Helian Zhuo was horrified when he heard these words. While he was fortunate that Wei Chongrong was blessed with great luck, he regretted that he had forgotten to ensure the personal safety of his second son in the first place, no matter how much in a hurry he had been.

After drinking the medicine in a daze, Wei Chongrong fell on the bed and slept for a day and a night before regaining consciousness.

Accustomed to the exquisite magnificence of Wang Qin’s residence, and then seeing the simple emptiness of the Fuyu Palace again, Wei Chongrong felt very strange. He sat up, moved his hands and feet on the bed, and found that there was no other problem except for some soreness and weakness.

It seemed that Helian Zhuo was still relatively gentle with his biological son and had not given him any drugs to seal his martial arts. Of course, it was also possible that Helian Zhuo thought that he was still young and his skills were shallow, so he didn’t need to bother.

Wei Chongrong got up, put on his clothes, and called loudly in Fuyu to deliver some food quickly. He was hungry.

Not long after, there were footsteps from afar. Wei Chongrong thought it was the maid who brought the food, so he didn’t care. It wasn’t until someone came in that he suddenly realised that it was an old acquaintance.

Xianhan, Tuoba Xianhan, the boy who had hit him with a slingshot; he had a very accurate technique and it hurt very much back then.

Wei Chongrong hadn’t seen him for six years. The young boy had grown tall and upright. If Wei Chongrong hadn’t been beaten by him less than three days after his rebirth and was therefore quite impressed with him, he might not have recognised him at this moment.

With a tray in one hand, Tuoba Xianhan bowed to Wei Chongrong: “Your Second Highness, please have your meal.” As he said this, he put the tray on the table.

His right hand seemed to be injured, and it was very inconvenient for him to use only his left hand. Seeing this, Wei Chongrong reached out to pick up the tray and asked casually, “Are you injured?” There was no shortage of manpower in the palace. It was really strange why Helian Zhuo sent an injured person to serve him.

Tuoba Xianhan glanced at him and replied: “There are many experts among Wang Qin’s men. It was a fluke that I escaped.”

Did he fight with Wei Zhao’s people? Wei Chongrong’s heart jolted, but he didn’t speak and ate silently. Seeing that Wei Chongrong stopped paying attention to him, Tuoba Xianhan didn’t say much, standing with his hands down next to the table.

After not eating well for several days, Wei Chongrong didn’t care about Tuoba Xianhan’s gaze and wiped out all the food on the table. He had been captured by Helian Zhuo for the purpose of dealing with Wei Zhao, so he didn’t have to worry about anyone trying to poison him for the time being.

After Wei Chongrong finished eating, Tuoba Xianhan put away the dishes and chopsticks, and returned to stand in front of him again. Wei Chongrong sighed, raised his eyes and asked, “The King asked you to keep an eye on me?” It seemed that Helian Zhuo was desperate and had taken him as the last straw.

Tuoba Xianhan nodded and said, “I was ordered by His Majesty to protect Your Second Highness.”

Wei Chongrong snorted coldly, his mind spinning quickly. Tuoba Xianhan was protecting him, what a joke! Helian Zhuo was not at ease with him. He sneered: “Where is the King, doesn’t he plan to see me?”

Tuoba Xianhan thought for a while and replied: “His Majesty is having a meeting with the lords of the six clans. He is not free for the time being. When he is free, he will summon Your Second Highness. Your Second Highness, don’t worry.”

Wei Chongrong was speechless and couldn’t help rolling his eyes. Was there something for him to worry about? It was obviously Helian Zhuo who couldn’t afford to relax.

The two stared at each other speechlessly for a moment, and Wei Chongrong asked, “Can I go out for a walk?”

In the county governor’s mansion, he was able to stay at home every day because he had too much homework to do and didn’t have spare time at all; but when he arrived in Fuyu, he didn’t even have a single book. He had already slept enough, so it became difficult to pass the time.

Without thinking, Tuoba Xianhan shook his head and said, “His Majesty ordered, Your Second Highness is not allowed to walk out of the door for half a step.”

Wei Chongrong resigned to the next best thing, and asked again, “Can you go out? I don’t want to see you for now.”

Tuoba Xianhan still shook his head, and his tone was very respectful and sincere: “I’m sorry, Your Second Highness, please forgive me for not being able to do so. His Majesty has ordered that I am not allowed to let Your Second Highness out of my sight, so please forgive me, Your Second Highness.”

Wei Chongrong took a deep breath and desperately reminded himself that people had to bow their heads under the eaves. He turned around and returned to the bed to lie down.

Tuoba Xianhan glanced at him, followed to the bed, sat down on the footrest and kept staring at Wei Chongrong.

Wei Chongrong turned away and secretly calculated the strength gap between the enemy and him. If Helian Zhuo had told ordinary guards to watch him, he would have been able to think of escaping, but Tuoba Xianhan was the best in the younger generation of Fuyu, and he currently had no possibility of defeating him.

After a long time, so long that Wei Chongrong was about to fall asleep, Tuoba Xianhan gently called him twice, saying that His Majesty was coming.

Wei Chongrong sat up lazily, showing no sign of welcoming Helian Zhuo’s arrival.

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When Helian Zhuo entered the room, Wei Chongrong was sitting on the bed with his back to him. Helian Zhuo nodded to Tuoba Xianhan and motioned for him to go out. When Tuoba Xianhan left, Helian Zhuo called out: “Ah Yin.”

Wei Chongrong turned around and looked at Helian Zhuo coldly, without speaking for a long time. If it hadn’t been for Helian Zhuo to mention it today, he would have forgotten that his name once had been “Helian Yiyin”.

“Ah Yin!” Seeing that his son ignored him, Helian Zhuo couldn’t help but raise his voice, his tone containing a bit of anger.

Wei Chongrong sat cross-legged, not intending to get up, and calmly said, “Your Majesty, my name is Wei Chongrong.”

Helian Zhuo’s face changed, and he said sharply: “What are you talking about? Say it again!”

Wei Chongrong wasn’t in a hurry and said word by word: “I said my name is Wei Chongrong. Wei is the Wei of Wei Zhao, Chong is for sublime, and Rong is for glory. My name is not Helian Yiyin, please don’t call me wrong next time.”

Before Wei Chongrong’s words left his mouth, Helian Zhuo slammed his fist heavily on the table, knocking the entire table over.

Facing Helian Zhuo’s anger, Wei Chongrong had no fear, but shrugged lightly. Taking into account everything Helian Zhuo had done to Wei Zhao, he felt that it was a wise choice for him to give up the surname “Helian”. 

Helian Zhuo rushed to the bed, grabbed Wei Chongrong by the collar and lifted him up, roaring: “No matter what your last name is, you are my, Helian Zhuo’s, son! This is a fact that is impossible to change, do you know that?”

“I know and regret it.” Wei Chongrong said very seriously. If he had a choice, he really didn’t want to be Helian Zhuo’s son. There were no benefits and there were disadvantages everywhere. But he didn’t have a choice, so he reluctantly accepted this fact.

Helian Zhuo was so angry that he couldn’t speak, so he threw Wei Chongrong back on the bed fiercely.

Wei Chongrong grimaced in pain and didn’t forget to remind Helian Zhuo: “Your Majesty, please be gentle, if you hit me badly, my father will be angry and may refuse to negotiate with you. Then wouldn’t you have wasted your efforts in bringing me here…”

“Shut up! You unfilial son!” If he didn’t still have use for Wei Chongrong’s little life, Helian Zhuo would really want to strangle him to death right away. Unfortunately, he didn’t dare; with Wei Zhao’s violent temper, if he killed his son, Wei Zhao might go crazy and slaughter the whole city.

Wei Chongrong stuck out his tongue and didn’t take Helian Zhuo’s words to heart. He had already figured it out. Before he lost his use value, he would be fine with whatever he did. If he had no value, he would die even if he didn’t do anything. It was better to make himself feel comfortable.

Helian Zhuo forced himself to calm down again and said in a deep voice: “Ah Yin, I think you underestimate your importance in Ah Zhao’s mind. I have sent someone to deliver him a letter and asked him to come to Qingjia City alone. Do you believe he will come?”

Wei Chongrong frowned, the words “Are you kidding me” clearly written on his face, and said sarcastically: “Your Majesty, do you have some misunderstanding about my father? He would give up his life for me alone? Even if he were mad, the people around him would stop him…”

Helian Zhuo snorted, “You don’t believe it, do you? We’ll see about it!” He turned around and walked away after he finished speaking, presumably because he didn’t want to talk to Wei Chongrong again, lest he be so angry with him that he would strangle him to death.

Despite what Wei Chongrong said, he was actually a bit worried that Wei Zhao would do something desperate to save him. Ji Xin and Lu Ming were both east of the Arslan Mountains and wouldn’t be able to come over in a short period of time. If Wei Zhao was bent on going his own way, there was no telling if anyone could persuade him.

As soon as Helian Zhuo left, Tuoba Xianhan came back again. Seeing Wei Chongrong sitting on the bed in a daze, he sat down at the table without saying anything. He just sat there, glancing at Wei Chongrong from time to time, thinking about something.

In the next few days, Helian Zhuo never came again. Tuoba Xianhan followed Wei Chongrong like a shadow. Even though Wei Chongrong didn’t leave the room, he followed him closely, no more than a foot away, while he was eating, drinking or sleeping, with no exception, always in front of Wei Chongrong’s eyes.

Wei Chongrong was so fed up with him that they had a fight. One was younger and the other was injured, which balanced the two sides’ strengths, and the fight was evenly matched. In the end, Tuoba Xianhan won by a narrow margin.

The two had just finished the fight, and before Wei Chongrong could catch his breath, someone pushed the door open. He and Tuoba Xianhan looked at the door at the same time.

“You little bastard! Didn’t you escape? Why are you back again? Can’t you just stay in the Central Plains?” At the sight of the visitor, Wei Chongrong’s subconscious reaction was to raise his hand and cover his face. He actually looked a bit like Pei Di, which was really depressing.

Seeing that Wei Chongrong didn’t even give him a straight look, Pei Di cursed and threatened to kill him. Hearing that, Wei Chongrong kept shaking his head. Pei Di was eleven years old this year, and he was still as naive as when he was a child. No wonder he was killed by Luojia later, he really brought it on himself.

If Pei Di had been alone, Wei Chongrong was sure he could deal with him, but Tuoba Xianhan’s attitude was unclear. Pei Di was also followed by a tall and strong guy. If the three of them joined forces, things would be a bit troublesome…

Wei Chongrong narrowed his eyes, turned his head and asked, “You said you were ordered to protect me, isn’t that right?”

Tuoba Xianhan nodded and said seriously: “No matter what happens, I will protect Your Second Highness.”

Wei Chongrong pointed at Pei Di and asked, “What about if he orders you to do something, you won’t listen either?” Wei Chongrong didn’t expect Tuoba Xianhan to really protect him. He would thank Heaven as long as he didn’t interfere.

Tuoba Xianhan nodded again: “I only obey the orders of His Majesty.” Wei Chongrong nodded in satisfaction.

Pei Di’s eyes widened and he stared at Tuoba Xianhan in disbelief. The guy behind him asked loudly: “Xianhan, are you crazy? That is the son of the enemy who killed your father, are you still protecting him?!”

Tuoba Xianhan didn’t speak, and his uninjured left hand tightly grasped the handle of the knife hanging on his waist.

The son of the enemy who killed his father?! Wei Chongrong was taken aback for a moment, and then realised: Tuoba Naigang was dead, and he died at Wei Zhao’s hands.

Pei Di couldn’t figure out what Tuoba Xianhan meant and didn’t want to care about him, shouting, “Zhe Zhe, come on! I want to teach this little bastard a good lesson!” Of course he understood why Helian Zhuo wanted to get Yi Yin back, but he didn’t care.

Dugu Zhezhe, the little fat guy who had beaten him the hardest back then… Wei Chongrong vaguely felt that today’s scene was a bit like the winter six years ago.