Chapter 1247 Sacrifice of Life and Death
Shao Jing suddenly came to his senses and remembered something that had happened a long time ago.
That was at the border. At that time, he was ready to assassinate his elder brother. He wanted the position of Duke Xing. Why could his elder brother accept the title calmly just because he was a few years older than him? Shao Jing was also very hard-working, and he could also carry forward Duke Xing’s Mansion.
At the border, he met a strange old man. The old man didn’t dress like a native of the Kingdom of Dongcang, but more like a native of the Xu State. At that time, Shao Jing stopped with his men to rest on the side of the road. The strange old man walked up to him and kept shaking his head.
Out of curiosity, Shao Jing asked someone to bring the old man over and ask him why he shook his head at him.
The old man smiled and said that he couldn’t change anything, but told him that all karma would eventually be repaid. What he got today would be lost tomorrow.
It was his turn to have his family ruined one day.
That was happening at the moment. Although his elder brother was dead, his children and Infanta Qinghua were still alive. But what about Shao Jing? He had lost everything. Madam Jiang was dead. He was going to die. His daughter had become a plaything. As for his son, even if he could be spared, his future was ruined.
At that time, the old man said something very strange, which made people feel scared. Shao Jing inexplicably remembered it and couldn’t help muttering to himself subconsciously, “If the Dragon and Phoenix part, it will be a life-and-death sacrifice, and the blue blood will stain the sky!”
“What?” Chu Liuchen didn’t understand what he meant and didn’t like it for no reason. He knocked heavily on the table with his fingers and asked unhappily, “What did you say?”
“It’s just something I heard before. It’s nothing,” Shao Jing said bitterly. He really had nothing now. “Eldest Brother seems to have found those pieces of calligraphy and paintings. I don’t know how many there are. Infanta Qinghua couldn’t explain it clearly. She was rarely clear-headed and her words were vague. It was inconvenient for me to keep asking her this question, so I had her pretend to be dead and got to keep her while she is alive. I got to ask her at any time.
“Later, I finally got her answer about one of the paintings. It was in the capital city. After Eldest Brother found it, he sent it to the capital city. I went to find it in his yard and gave it to Prince Cheng later.”
Some vague shadows flashed in front of his eyes. The blood was boundless. In the tall palaces, many beautiful women, including palace servants and imperial concubines, were dripping with blood. Finally, there was his daughter Shao Yanru, who was lying on the ground with her face covered with blood. Her feet and hands were cut off and divided into several directions. From her twisted face, which was screaming and struggling, one could tell how painful her death was.
“How could this be? It couldn’t be. How could this be?”
Shao Jing spat out a mouthful of blood and fell to the ground. His consciousness was blurred. He had done so much but had his daughter end up like this. He couldn’t handle it.
Seeing that Shao Jing fainted, Chu Liuchen raised his hand, and Xiao Xuanzi shouted, “Men, take him away!”
Two bailiffs came from outside the door and dragged Shao Jing out.
Chu Liuchen stood up and went out of the room with Xiao Xuanzi. He happened to meet Wen Xichi, who had just come over.
“Greetings, Your highness Prince Chen.” Wen Xichi stepped aside and bowed respectfully.
“There’s no need for courtesy, Lord Wen. Shao Jing fainted,” Chu Liuchen said with a smile.
“It doesn’t matter,” Wen Xichi said seriously.
Chu Liuchen didn’t move. After looking at Wen Xichi a few times, he suddenly said with a smile, “I heard that Madam Wen is going to choose a wife for you, Lord Wen. I wonder if you have picked a suitable one.”
“Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. Not yet,” Wen Xichi said slowly word by word.
“You’re not young anymore. You can’t always forget your important affairs for the country. When you get married, you have to let me have a drink of wedding wine!” Chu Liuchen teased.
Wen Xichi lowered his eyes and said, “I will definitely invite you to the wedding, Your Highness.”
“That’s for the best so that you won’t be lonely in the long night alone!” Chu Liuchen said with a slight smile, “I’m leaving now. I’ll leave the affairs of the Ministry of Justice to you!”
Wen Xichi looked at his toes and said, “Don’t worry, Your Highness. I will guard him well!”
Hearing what he said, Chu Liuchen was satisfied. He nodded to him with a smile and walked forward along the road.
Wen Xichi still kept his head lowered and looked at his shoes motionlessly. After a long time when he couldn’t hear Chu Liuchen’s footsteps, he raised his head stiffly and looked in the direction of Chu Liuchen. He slowly put down his clenched fists. “What else can I do? Wasn’t it all just a dream?
“It’s good that she’s living a good life now!
“Prince Chen is a dangerous person, but he has always been very gentle to her. I can see that.
“So, what else can I do?
“No matter how unwilling I am, what can I do?”
A bitter smile bloomed on his handsome face, with unspeakable bitterness.
Chu Liuchen didn’t go back to Prince Chen’s Mansion but went to Rui’an Great Elder Princess’s Mansion. Early in the morning, Shao Wanru went to Rui’an Great Elder Princess’s Mansion to see her grandmother and mother.
She was worried about Infanta Qinghua. Although she knew that her grandmother loved her mother more than she did, she was still worried.
When Chu Liuchen entered the room, he saw many people in the room. Although the eyes of Rui’an Great Elder Princess were still red, she looked okay. From time to time, she looked at Infanta Qinghua, who was sitting on one side doing embroidery. Infanta Qinghua was very quiet. As if there were no other people in the room, she only muttered a few words occasionally and talked to herself.
Shao Wanru sat on her other side, and Shao Yuanhao was also looking at their mother quietly.
Everyone in the room was quiet and looked at Infanta Qinghua quietly. It was hard to hide the sadness on their faces.
She was their relative, but now she had become like this. How could they not be sad?
Seeing Chu Liuchen come in, Shao Wanru hurriedly stood up, walked up to him in a few steps, and pulled his sleeve. She knew that Chu Liuchen had gone to the Ministry of Justice early in the morning.
“Grandma, Zhuozhuo and I are going to have a talk.” Chu Liuchen said to Rui’an Great Elder Princess.
He addressed her as Shao Wanru now.
“Go ahead!” Rui’an Great Elder Princess nodded, looked at Shao Yuanhao beside her, and said lovingly, “Hao’er, just go to school. Your mother will be fine. Everything will be fine in the future. I will take good care of your mother and never let anything happen to her again.”
As soon as Chu Liuchen heard it, he knew that Shao Yuanhao was here at this time because he had not gone to school, so he also instructed him with a smile, “Hao’er, go to school.”
Shao Yuanhao now admired his brother-in-law wholeheartedly, so he no longer insisted on staying. With red eyes, he got up and bowed to Infanta Qinghua. Then, he said goodbye to Rui’an Great Elder Princess and followed Shao Wanru out.
Outside the room, Shao Yuanhao grabbed the corner of Shao Wanru’s dress and said with hatred, “Sister, did Shao Jing really make Mother like this?”
Shao Wanru nodded and said with red eyes, “Of course, it was him. He wants all of us dead, not only me but also you!”
In her last life, she had never thought that her mother was still alive. Now, although her mother’s mental state was abnormal, she was happy that she still had a chance to serve her mother.
What she feared most was that her mother would never come back.
Now, Hao’er and she were no longer orphans without parents.
“I’m going to kill him!” Shao Yuanhao said with hatred, with a trace of blood in his eyes.
Chu Liuchen patted his head and said, “He deserves greater punishment than death. If you are not afraid, you can go and watch when he is being executed.”
Shao Yuanhao gritted his teeth and said, “I’m not afraid. I’ll go and watch it!” He wanted to see the old bastard be cut into pieces to mourn his father’s soul in heaven. If possible, he was even willing to execute Shao Jing personally.
He used to treat Shao Jing as an uncle, but now he hated him utterly. He used to think that these people were his relatives, but they were all vicious snakes.
“Okay. Go to school now.” Chu Liuchen nodded.
Shao Yuanhao nodded and took two steps. Suddenly, he turned around and said seriously, “Sister, brother-in-law, don’t worry. I will definitely be successful and won’t let you down.” It was as if he had grown up overnight.
Shao Wanru felt a little sad again. She nodded immediately and watched the young man leave firmly. In this life, she finally didn’t have to be separated from her family and didn’t have to watch herself fall into such a hopeless situation.
She gently put his hand in a familiar hand and wrapped half of her little hand in it. With some warmth and gentleness, Chu Liuchen said, “Let’s go and talk as we walk!”
Shao Wanru nodded and they walked hand in hand casually.
“Shao Jing wants to find the calligraphy works and paintings from your father, saying that… the Tiger Token of the deceased emperor is hidden in them,” Chu Liuchen said slowly.
Shao Wanru pulled herself together and asked in surprise, “Isn’t the Tiger Token… kept by Consort Lan?” Consort Lan had given the Tiger Token to her before.
“That’s half a piece!” Chu Liuchen said implicitly.
“Do… do you mean that the other piece is either in the paintings and calligraphy works or in the Palace?” Shao Wanru asked and pressed between her eyebrows with the other hand.
“I think so.” Chu Liuchen said, “He said that your father was going to the south at that time, but later the Emperor ordered him to change his route and investigate the calligraphy works and paintings. After your father died, no one mentioned it again.”
“The Emperor… asked my father to investigate, so he… he knew that my father was at the border?” Shao Wanru was shocked and looked at Chu Liuchen with tears in her eyes. “Everyone said that Father ignored the overall situation and took Mother away, but in fact, he had the mission of the Emperor. But from beginning to end, the Emperor did not ask further questions. Did he think it was useless to ask more?”
Chu Liuchen slightly tightened his grip on her hand and said with a hint of coldness in his soft eyes, “He doesn’t want others to know that he also wants to get the Tiger Token of the deceased emperor.”
“Then… then he…” Shao Wanru felt that she couldn’t ask any more questions. She took a deep breath, slowly calmed down, and then said, “Father left a few calligraphy works and paintings behind, and I kept them. When I almost had an accident, you found me because of those works.”
Shao Wanru had never said anything about it. She had thought that it was groundless evidence, but now she knew that it was true. Someone really wanted those calligraphy works and paintings. Not only others but also Qin Huaiyong must have wanted them.
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