nashuaworldcup Chapter 123 The truth comes out
Chapter 123 The truth comes out
Wei Mingcheng didn't know why the emperor summoned him, so he went to the imperial study early in the morning and waited.
"Have you been waiting for a long time?" The voice of Emperor Ying came from outside. Wei Mingcheng hurriedly stood up and saluted, and replied: "I just arrived a while ago."
"Please sit down." Emperor Ying turned to the desk and sat down.
Wei Mingcheng sat down as he was told.
"I called you here today because of Lao Wu and Wei Qing's matter." Emperor Ying said.
"I have heard about the matter between His Royal Highness the Southern King and my daughter..."
"What do you think?" Emperor Ying interrupted Wei Mingcheng before he could finish his words.
"I don't dare to have any extravagant hopes. I just hope that my daughter can live a safe and stable life in the future." Wei Mingcheng replied.
"Haha, you just want a stable life? Then why did you put on such a show before? You spread the word that you treat Wei Qing like a legitimate daughter, and you deliberately made her recognize General Lu as her adoptive father. You even asked me to be a witness." Emperor Ying looked at Wei Mingcheng.
"I dare not. My wife and I love Qing'er so much and want her to marry into a good family in the future, so we want to find her a supporter." Wei Mingcheng raised his hand and wiped the sweat off his face with his sleeve.
"It's hard for you to treat other people's children as your own. If Xiao Feng knew about this, he would feel at ease." After saying that, Emperor Ying picked up the teacup and took a sip of tea.
Wei Mingcheng was horrified and did not bother to think about how Emperor Ying knew about it. He quickly stood up and knelt on the ground, saying respectfully: "Your Majesty, I deserve death. I should not have concealed anything from Your Majesty."
"Wei Mingcheng, you know how I searched for Xiao Feng back then. You hid Xiao Feng and watched me worry and suffer but didn't tell me the truth. What crime should you be punished for?!" Emperor Ying said sternly.
Wei Mingcheng heard this and realized that it was not right. He was hiding Madam Xiao Feng, not Xiao Feng. He helped Madam Xiao Feng and concealed the matter because Xiao Feng's whereabouts were unknown and his life or death was unknown. If Xiao Feng was still alive, everything would be fine; if Xiao Feng was dead, then the child in Madam Xiao's belly would be the only blood of the Xiao family. He was afraid that Madam Xiao Feng would fall into the hands of the Wei faction and be killed, so he kept the matter secret.
Wei Mingcheng said: "Your Majesty, there is a misunderstanding. I only knew that General Xiao was still alive a few years ago."
Then he told the story of how he met Madam Xiao who was hiding when he was transferred to Yangzhou. He had always admired Xiao Feng and naturally did not believe that he would betray the country. So he saved Madam Xiao regardless of the consequences. Later, when he returned to Yunjun City, he said that Madam Xiao was a concubine he took in Yangzhou. And that Madam Xiao had been living in seclusion for so many years and had almost no contact with the outside world because she did not know the whereabouts of Xiao Feng.
Emperor Ying understood the whole story, waved his hand, and said, "Get up."
Wei Mingcheng stood up and stood where he was. Emperor Ying asked again, "When did Xiao Feng come back?"
"I only heard that General Xiao escaped from Dongxia Kingdom a few years ago and was taken in by Prince Jing. General Xiao did not commit treason. He was chasing the enemy general at the time and unfortunately fell into their ambush and was captured. Later, someone broke into the prison to rescue other prisoners, and General Xiao took advantage of the chaos to escape. I heard that General Xiao suffered a great torture." Wei Mingcheng told Chu Xingluo everything he had heard.
Emperor Ying recalled what Luo Heng said last night, that Xiao Feng had scars all over his face, and knew that Wei Mingcheng was right, Xiao Feng must have suffered inhuman torture and pain. But then his heart sank again, the third son was his son, he had taken Xiao Feng in a few years ago, and he knew Xiao Feng's painful experience, but he never told him as a father, was he disappointed in him? Or was he on guard against him? Or even other thoughts?
Emperor Ying pinched his brows and stopped thinking about it. He knew that if he continued thinking about it, it would make him feel very uncomfortable, so he simply stopped thinking about it.
"Okay, don't reveal this matter for now. I'm tired, you can leave." Emperor Ying sounded a little tired.
Wei Mingcheng thanked him and left.
Eunuch Liu asked Emperor Ying to go to sleep for a while, saying that he did not look well. Emperor Ying agreed and said, "Send someone to summon the third brother to the palace in the afternoon." Eunuch Liu agreed reluctantly. Emperor Ying smiled bitterly. He knew that in this huge palace, only Eunuch Liu really cared about him. This was the helplessness of being an emperor.
Xia Taoyuan was watching Chu Xingluo writing in the study, when Qingyun came and said someone from the palace had come. Chu Xingluo put down his pen and went to the front yard, and Xia Taoyuan followed him out of the study. She waited in the yard for a while.
Not long after, Chu Xingluo came back and said, "My father asked me to go to the palace in the afternoon."
"Is there anything wrong?" Xia Taoyuan asked.
"No, I'll find out when I go there this afternoon."
Xia Taoyuan smiled and said, "Maybe the emperor is bored after not attending court for a few days, so he wants to chat with you, his son." She always called him the emperor when she was outside the palace, and she was not used to calling him father.
Chu Xingluo smiled and said nothing, just held her hand and said, "It's cold outside, let's go back to the house."
The two returned to the room, and not long after, Dai'er came outside shouting that dinner was ready.
After lunch, Chu Xingluo took a short rest and then went into the palace.
Emperor Ying felt much better after a good sleep. After having dinner, he went straight to the imperial study, where Chu Xingluo was already waiting.
"Father!" Chu Xingluo shouted.
"Well, I called you here today because I have something to ask you." Emperor Ying sat down and said, "I won't beat around the bush with you. I called you here because of your uncle."
Chu Xingluo was surprised when he heard this. Before he could think of a reply, he heard Emperor Ying say, "I know almost everything. I don't blame you for taking your uncle in all these years. I just want to know when he came to see you."
Chu Xingluo pondered for a while and said, "Thank you, father, for not pursuing the matter. My uncle escaped back when I was ten years old."
"In other words, you had not yet left the palace and set up your own office at that time?" Emperor Ying looked at Chu Xingluo.
"Yes." Chu Xingluo lowered his head.
"So you were in a hurry to leave the palace and build a mansion because of your uncle?" Emperor Ying asked again.
"Yes." Chu Xingluo did not deny.
Emperor Ying sighed. He had never thought that his son would bear so much at the age of ten. Thinking about the fact that his son had lost his mother when he was young, and that he was busy with state affairs and cared little for him, he never said anything even if he had any complaints.
"I will deal with your uncle's matter as soon as possible, clear his name and restore his reputation. You go back and tell your uncle that he doesn't have to hide anymore." After Emperor Ying said this, Chu Xingluo was a little excited. His uncle's injustice was finally going to be vindicated.
Emperor Ying paused, looked at Chu Xingluo, and said: "And you, you must not hide things from me in the future. After all, I am the ruler of a country and can give you some advice. What's more, I am your father!" Emperor Ying said the last sentence helplessly. He always wanted to be close to Chu Xingluo like an ordinary father, but Chu Xingluo always kept a distance from him. Even when he summoned him to chat and have a meal, he did not act that close.
Chu Xingluo replied "yes".
"Okay, go back and make arrangements. I want to meet your uncle. Let's go to his residence outside the city." Emperor Ying closed his eyes.
Chu Xingluo came out of the palace and asked Qingyun to go directly out of the city. He wanted to tell Xiao Feng the news.