Chapter 331 - Chapter 331: 331. Go find him

Chapter 331: 331. Go find him

Translator: 549690339

“Seeking death!” Situ Xie’s eyes flashed, and he reached out to hit Old Mu’s head.

Situ Han’s anger was uncontrollable. “Does Uncle still have me in his eyes? Are you going to rebel? Come here! Capture King Yue!”

Just as Situ Xie and Old Mu were getting into a confrontation, a team of fully armed elite soldiers rushed in from outside, following orders to surround Situ Xie.

These people didn’t have the capability to take down Situ Xie, but they were enough to disrupt his attack on Old Mu.

Old Mu seized the opportunity and rushed out of the Imperial Study. “Since King Yue is unwilling, I’ll take my leave first and come back another day!”

Situ Han’s expression changed, and he heard Situ Xie roar, “Get out of the way! Why aren’t you capturing him?”

Situ Han finally reacted and hurriedly ordered everyone to intercept Old Mu.

But when Situ Xie led people out, where was Old Mu’s shadow? Only Situ Xie and Situ Han’s livid faces proved that he had really been here.

Situ Xie returned to the Imperial Study and closed the door heavily, leaving only him and Situ Han inside.

Situ Han looked at Situ Xie’s gloomy face and couldn’t help being shocked. “Uncle, what are you trying to do? Help! ”

Situ Xie roared, “Whoever dares to come in shall be killed without mercy!”

“You… Are you really going to rebel? I didn’t wrong you!” Situ Han drew the long sword from the wall and pointed it at Situ Xie.

Situ Xie took a deep breath and said in a low voice, “Put down the sword, I just want to talk to you. Some things, by now, should be made clear.”

“Are you going to tell me that you didn’t know about the Zhao family member in the mansion who was actually a descendant of the Mu Family? Or that the matter of the Mu Family’s secret scroll being auctioned at the Treasure Pavilion had nothing to do with you?” Situ Han said coldly.

Situ Xie shook his head. “His real name is Mu Yu. I knew from the beginning. The secret scroll in the Treasure Pavilion was handed over by Mu Yu.”

“Well done! You sold it to the Crown Prince, made a big profit, and hid such an important matter from me! You’re really my good uncle!” Situ Han laughed sarcastically.

Situ Xie’s face calmed down. “I just wanted to give the complete scroll to the emperor after receiving it.”

Situ Han sneered, “Do you think I’m a three-year-old child?”

Situ Xie looked at Situ Han. “After Axiang escaped that year, she gave birth to a son.”

Situ Han was struck by lightning, looking at Situ Xie in disbelief. “What did you say? Son?”

“Actually, the man just now was not well-intentioned, but what he said was true. You have a son who has been lost outside, born to Axiang. His name is Situ Jing.” Situ Xie chose to reveal Situ Jing’s matter at this time to divert the imminent conflict between him and Situ Han.

Situ Han frowned heavily. “You said she died!”

“At first, I thought she was dead, but later I found her and Jingjing.” Situ Xie said.

“Where are they? The child? What did you do to them?” Situ Han stared intently at Situ Xie.

“I know you truly loved Axiang, but sadly, she was devoted to another and reluctant to enter the palace as a concubine.” Situ Xie sighed deeply. “I wanted to use Jingjing to bring Axiang back with me. She initially agreed, but was then taken away by someone else.”

“Who took her away?” Situ Han asked coldly.

“Nangong Lin, the man she loved.” Situ Xie said. “They wanted to take the child away with them, but after all, I managed to keep the bloodline of the Situ Family.”

Situ Han’s expression became agitated. “The child? My son born to Axiang? His name is Jingjing?”

“I have raised him elsewhere.” Situ Xie said, “In Qian Country’s Xuanbei City, the eldest son of the Che Family, Che Yun, is Jingjing.”

“Che Yun? Che… I know this name! He is a Military Commander of Qian Country!” Situ Han exclaimed, “Did you arrange this? You made me unsuspecting of my own son with Axiang becoming a spy since childhood?”

“He is alive, highly skilled in Martial Arts, possessing an extraordinary intellect and well-experienced; all your other sons combined cannot compare to his excellence. If you blame me for this, there’s not much I can say. Liang Country lacks not for princes, but rather for talented and resourceful heroes who can achieve great things! Otherwise, generation after generation, we will only be stuck in the bitter cold of the north!” Situ Xie coldly replied.

Situ Han narrowed his eyes, “No… this is not right! I know about Che Yun; he was sent to Jiaye City last year. Is this war against Yin Country related to him?”

“Yes, it is related. He went to Jiaye City, also at my suggestion. The original plan was to incite Yin Country to deploy their troops and work together with him to support Qian Country’s continuous retreat, then we would send troops from the north. He did what he was supposed to do, but it all fell apart when Fan Tong broke the agreement and deployed the troops too soon, causing Jingjing to be unable to return with Xing Ji’s daughter and to be captured.” Situ Xie claimed Situ Jing was not at fault and blamed the failure on the already dead Fan Tong. Because if he told the truth, Situ Han would only think that it was all his fault.

“You have been colluding with Fan Tong for a long time? Do you even have me in your eyes?” Situ Han grew increasingly furious. He had not expected Ye City’s war with Qian Country to be connected to Liang Country, let alone being orchestrated by Situ Xie. It would have been greatly beneficial if they succeeded, but they failed! Moreover, this involved his son, whom he didn’t know anything about!

“I wanted to discuss matters with the emperor upon encountering them, but the emperor always refused to talk. Over time, I always tried to accomplish something first before telling you, so as to alleviate your worries and difficulties.” Situ Xie sighed deeply.

“Is that child still in Qian Country now? Has he been discovered?” Situ Han asked.

Situ Xie shook his head, “His disguise was originally seamless, but who would have thought that Nangong Lin would come and cause trouble, allowing Su Liang and Gu Ling to discover clues.”

Situ Han gritted his teeth, “Nangong Lin! How is he not dead yet? Where is Jingjing now? How is he?”

“He was taken away by Nangong Lin.” Situ Xie bitterly smiled, “Fortunately, he didn’t fall into Qian Country’s hands. I still underestimated Su Liang and Gu Ling’s strength…”

Situ Han interrupted him, “Gu Ling! You still have the nerve to mention Gu Ling? If you hadn’t run to Qian Country back then and pleaded for him publicly, allowing Duanmu Yi to vindicate him and restore his status, would he still be a fugitive hidden from the world now? How could he possibly have turned against us and wholeheartedly help Qian Country?”

Situ Xie frowned, “I didn’t know him well enough at that time. I initially thought, after all, we were related by blood, and helping him would eventually come in handy. Unexpectedly, he didn’t care about our relationship at all.”

“So you want to tell me that this defeat was your doing? My son with Axiang, whom you arranged to be a spy for over twenty years, is now missing?” Situ Han angrily said, “You deceive me at every turn, act on your own, and defy all rules! I will strip you of your title! If you are not plotting a rebellion, go and enjoy your remaining years!”

Situ Xie sighed once more, “Your Majesty, the title does not matter to me, I just want to make Liang Country better and hope to see Situ Family rule the world in my lifetime!”

“Since my uncle is so high-minded, let it be so! From now on, do not meddle in the affairs of Liang Country! Otherwise, do not accuse me of being unfeeling!” Situ Han’s expression was gloomy.

But Situ Xie shook his head, “Only by working together with a united heart can we create a bright future for the Situ Family!”

Situ Han sneered, “Are you trying to say that without your assistance, I would face difficulty in achieving great things? I have been too lenient with you all these years that you have forgotten your place as a servant!”

Situ Xie looked at Situ Han, whose once well-maintained hair had turned even frostier due to recent worries and heavy thoughts.

There was silence.

After a long while, Situ Xie spoke again, “Your Majesty is an intelligent man. With our relationship, you should understand that I did not covet that position based on how I raised Jingjing.”

Hearing the words “our relationship,” Situ Han’s expression changed abruptly. How could he not know that he was Situ Xie’s own son?

“The more our enemies look forward to seeing our internal strife at this time, the more we should not afford them the opportunity.” Situ Xie pleaded earnestly, “Even if that person was truly the head of the Mu Family just now, he must have already colluded with Qian or Yin Country. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have said those things to drive a wedge between us.”

Situ Han snorted coldly, “If it’s true, why can’t it be said? If he didn’t say it, would my uncle continue to keep it from me?”

“Your Majesty must be very careful these days.” Situ Xie regained his composure, “Just remember, I will not take that position, and anything I do will be to help Your Majesty and help Liang Country.”

“Just find Jingjing and we’ll talk!” Situ Han said coldly.

People outside prepared to burst in at any moment, but they didn’t expect Situ Xie to leave calmly. Situ Han only ordered them to withdraw.

As Situ Xie left the palace and returned to his mansion, he was not surprised to learn of Mu Yu’s disappearance. He simply dispatched people to secretly investigate where the master and disciple might have ended up in the city.

Soon enough, the news spread from the capital city of Qian Country to Liang Country: Emperor Situ Han was born from the secret affair between the Empress Dowager and King Yue!

Even though the common people didn’t dare to gossip about the emperor, there were those who helped spread the rumor, making it widely known.

Along with this, there were also rumors that the Former Emperor was killed by Situ Xie, and the reason Situ Xie didn’t fight for the throne was because his son had already taken it… such nonsense.

There are some things that people might already know, but as long as they don’t speak about it, they can pretend it doesn’t exist.

But once it’s said, it’s just a matter of humiliating and shame.

And what the royal family cares about the most is their reputation.

Upon learning this, Situ Xie immediately realized that this must be Qian Country playing tricks. But he still had some doubts, even if Liang Country was behind the recent war, was Qian Country really intending to become enemies with both Liang and Yin Countries? Just as Duanmu Yi was smart, it should’ve been time to settle things down…

…

Yao City.

A humpbacked old man slowly walked into a dark alley and disappeared.

“I couldn’t find her!” Old Mu pushed open a worn wooden door, straightened up, and entered the room with a stern face.

The room had a strong smell of medicine. Since leaving Su Mansion, Old Bai had become disheveled, sitting among a pile of medicinal herbs, concentrating on his work without even lifting his head.

Old Mu grumbled, “My disciple said he hadn’t seen that girl in Yue King Mansion. Situ Xie often mentions her, but what he says doesn’t sound like he captured our girl! Could it be that she was captured, but hasn’t arrived here yet?”

Old Bai still ignored him.

Old Mu talked to himself, afraid to get too close to Old Bai for fear of being poisoned, “I’ll try to investigate again tonight! That father and son are truly despicable, but they didn’t turn against each other! Once you finish the medicine, we’ll kill Situ Xie first, and then Situ Han! We’ll find a fool to be the emperor and hand Liang Country over to Qian Country! No, no, not to Qian Country, our girl can’t be suppressed by the emperor of Qian Country all her life, let her be the emperor instead! Hahaha!”

Finally, Old Bai responded, looking coldly at Old Mu, “What’s so great about that? You do it!”

Old Mu snorted, “What if the girl likes it? I’m her real master, don’t think you understand her better!”

Old Bai didn’t argue, just lowered his head again.

Over the next few days, the biggest news in Yao City was that Princess Yaoguang of Yue King Mansion, who was originally set to get married, had gone missing!

Situ Yao was kidnapped by a mysterious person on her way to visit the Empress Dowager in the palace. Soon, the city was sealed off for a search, but her captor seemed to have vanished into thin air.

And as a day went by, neither the imperial palace nor Yue King Mansion received any news from the kidnappers.

Situ Xie was at a loss, suspecting that this was also done by the Qian Country royal family, perhaps even by Su Liang and Gu Ling! But why? Situ Jing was already in the hands of Qian Country!

It wasn’t until that day when Situ Jing suddenly appeared in front of Situ Xie…

“Jingjing?” Situ Xie saw Situ Jing as an adult without a beard for the first time. After the shock, he hugged him tight, “It’s really Jingjing! You’re alright, that’s great!”

Situ Jing’s expression was indifferent, “Grandfather, aren’t you mad at me for messing things up?”

Situ Xie let go of Situ Jing, sighed, “Now that things have come to this point, it’s good that you can come back. I’ve talked to your father about your identity, and he blamed me for not telling him earlier and for letting you go to Qian Country, feeling guilty towards you. Actually, I’ve regretted it for a long time, and wanted to bring you back several times, but I also hoped that you could achieve something for Liang Country before coming back, establish prestige, and arrange the best for you.”

“I’ve disappointed Grandfather.” Situ Jing lowered his eyes.

Situ Xie shook his head, patted his shoulder, “We’re family, why say such things? If it weren’t for Nangong Lin’s trouble, your identity wouldn’t have been discovered by Su Liang and Gu Ling, and you would have had a lot of potential.”

As he spoke, Situ Xie sat Situ Jing down and mentioned how both Situ Jing and Situ Yao had been captured, with a weary expression, “I’m very happy that you’re back, but the current situation is very unfavorable for Liang Country, and I don’t know what Qian Country is up to. If Su Liang really captured Yao’er, I wouldn’t worry about her being harmed.”

Situ Jing’s face remained calm, “It’s not her.”

Situ Xie’s eyes narrowed, “How do you know?”

Situ Jing said, “She’s in my hands.”

Situ Xie’s face changed, then he smiled broadly, “Really? That’s great! Where is she?”

“Not in Liang Country, very far from here.” Situ Jing said.

Situ Xie frowned, “Why?”

Situ Jing explained that he had another sister, and Su Liang was treating her, so she wouldn’t lose control.

Situ Xie sighed lightly, “That’s fine, then. Qian Country doesn’t know about this, and they must think Su Liang would be brought here by you, so they wouldn’t send people to capture Yao’er otherwise. It must be Gu Ling’s doing. As long as they think Su Liang is in our hands, things will be much easier.”

…

Nameless island.

Su Liang’s period was late, and after checking her pulse for several days in a row, she finally confirmed that she was really pregnant!

Su Liang held a bamboo shoot and went out to the backyard to find Qiao Cong, who was chopping firewood, to share the good news, “Master, I’m pregnant.”

Qiao Cong replied, “What did you get?”

Su Liang smiled, “Of course, a baby!”

Qiao Cong nodded, “I knew it already.”

Su Liang looked at the sky in speechlessness.

Qiao Cong said, “What do you want, I’ll go buy it.”

Su Liang sighed, “I want my child’s father to accompany me.”

Qiao Cong furrowed his brow, “Where is he?”

Su Liang hesitated, “If I tell Master where he is, are you planning to capture him as well?”

“If you insist on having him.” Qiao Cong nodded.

Su Liang’s eyes sparkled, “Xiangyue City.”

“Are you sure?” Qiao Cong narrowed his eyes, “You said before that you didn’t know.”

“The baby told me in a dream.” Su Liang made up a story seriously, “If Master can’t find him in Xiangyue City, then never mind.”

“It’s too far.” Qiao Cong frowned.

Just as Su Liang thought Qiao Cong was going to say he wouldn’t go, she heard him say, “After I finish chopping the firewood, catch some rabbits and wild chickens, and buy some grain, I’ll go find him.”