Chapter 74 A pearl turned into a fish eye, all in the blink of an eye…

Xu Jinyu did not ask his father how he ultimately dealt with Uncle Jiu, but he knew that Uncle Jiu would never have such good days again.

Perhaps... those weren't good days for him at all.

The two returned to the capital in silence. Xu Jinyu felt he shouldn't pry into his elders' past, especially their less-than-pleasant history. But as they neared the capital, he couldn't help himself and blurted out, "Father, what about Grandfather...?"

He had only just begun when he didn't know how to continue.

Marquis Cheng'an knew he was hesitant and said, "Actually, it's not that I intentionally kept it from you, but it's just that a son shouldn't speak ill of his father. Like you, although I don't agree with it, I'm not good at judging the actions of my elders. I couldn't say anything when your grandfather was alive, and it's even harder to say now that he's dead."

Hsu Chin-yu nodded, indicating her understanding.

Since the words had already been spoken, Marquis Cheng'an decided to recount the entire story to Xu Jinyu in detail, so as to dispel any remaining doubts in his mind.

"Your ninth uncle was the youngest son in the family. He was born with white hair and white eyes, and his skin was as white as snow. Everyone in the family was shocked at the time, thinking... that there was a demon among them."

"But no sooner had he been born than news came that your grandfather had been promoted."

"At that time, Emperor Taizong was old and believed greatly in auspicious omens. People often presented strange beasts to the capital, especially white ones. White foxes, white deer, white apes, and white pheasants were very popular. So... your grandfather thought that your ninth uncle was also an auspicious omen, an auspicious omen for our Xu family."

“The youngest son is always more favored. Your ninth uncle has also gained such an auspicious title. In addition, he is indeed very intelligent. Although he is the youngest, he is the best student among us brothers. You can imagine how much your grandfather loves him.”

At that time, the current Marquis of Cheng'an's lineage had not yet entered the capital. In the capital, there was another branch of the Xu family, whose status was far higher than theirs. However, as the old Marquis of Cheng'an was promoted repeatedly, they eventually came to the capital as well.

Unfortunately, not long after they entered the capital, Emperor Taizong passed away, and the late emperor ascended the throne. The late emperor was in his prime and did not believe in any auspicious omens or strange signs. He also felt that those who frequently presented auspicious omens during Emperor Taizong's later years were all sycophants, and he disliked them greatly, demoting or dismissing them.

However, Emperor Taizong was an elder and had already passed away, so it was inconvenient for the late emperor to speak frankly. Therefore, those who were demoted or dismissed appeared to have nothing to do with auspicious omens and were punished for other reasons.

"But how could the people below be completely unaware of the emperor's likes and dislikes?" Marquis Cheng'an continued, "Not long after, the news spread that the late emperor disliked the presentation of auspicious omens."

“Our Xu family has never done such a thing, so we were not implicated, but... it’s no secret that your Ninth Uncle is a white piece.”

“Once, during a banquet in the palace, the late emperor asked about the imperial examinations, and someone mentioned the talented young people in the capital. Your ninth uncle was one of the best among them, so his name was naturally mentioned as well.”

"The He family also wanted to promote their own sons, so they deliberately mentioned to the late emperor that your ninth uncle was a white-haired child, praising him as an auspicious omen for our Xu family."

"The late emperor remained silent upon hearing this. Then someone else stepped forward to rebuke the He family member, saying that what he said was nonsense. Bai Zi was born afraid of light, which was a congenital ailment and had nothing to do with whether it was an auspicious omen or not."

Marquis Cheng'an sighed softly as he spoke, still feeling helpless about the situation back then.

"Later... His Majesty said that since he was ill, he should not participate in the imperial examination, and so your Ninth Uncle's future was ruined."

Xu Che was already ostracized by some people in the capital because of his unusual skin color. However, because he came from the Cheng'an Marquis's family and was known for his talent, those people did not show it so obviously.

However, because of the late emperor's words, Xu Che's status in the capital plummeted. Many of his former friends stopped associating with him, and those who disliked him in the first place spoke ill of him even more harshly. Whenever they saw him, they would call him "White Ghost" and tell him to go home and stop scaring people by wearing a robe in broad daylight.

Gradually, some people even started saying he was an omen of bad luck.

The reputation of the Marquis of Cheng'an's mansion was thus implicated, and the old Marquis of Cheng'an was not favored by the late emperor. Although he was not demoted, he gradually lost his real power.

"To protect the reputation of the Marquis's mansion, your grandfather kept your ninth uncle locked up at home and forbade him from going out. At first... at first your ninth uncle was very obedient and really didn't go out for a long time."

When Marquis Cheng'an recalled these past events, his eyes welled up with tears. He paused for a moment to compose himself before saying, "I once asked him if he was angry or resentful of your grandfather, and he said he did not."

He said that many families drown children like him at birth, and he was extremely grateful to have raised him well and allowed him to live a life no different from that of ordinary people. If he were to become a burden to his family, he would rather stay at home for the rest of his life.

"But... how could a living, breathing person, someone with both legs who has seen the world, possibly endure the loneliness of staying at home for the rest of their life?"

One year during the Lantern Festival, a lively lantern festival was held outside, and the noise carried through the courtyard wall into the mansion, making everyone's heart itch with anticipation.

Xu Che couldn't resist in the end, changed his clothes, and secretly went out.

He was very careful, covering himself up completely, with not a single inch of skin showing. Coincidentally, there were vendors selling Nuo masks on the street, and many people were wearing them. He bought one and put it on, making him even less noticeable.

Unfortunately, there were too many people on the street. He had sneaked out without his servant and was having fun when, without noticing, his mask was knocked off in the crowded throng, revealing his pale face underneath.

Those around him were startled, and several children burst into tears on the spot. The screams and cries echoed outwards from him like waves.

He wanted to pick up his mask and put it on quickly, but there were just too many people, and the mask that had been knocked off was nowhere to be found.

He had no choice but to cover his face and squeeze through the crowd, fleeing back to the Cheng'an Marquis's residence in a disheveled state amidst the strange looks from the crowd.

Because the incident caused such a big commotion, and some people even fell and were trampled, the news spread quickly, and the old Marquis of Cheng'an naturally learned about it as well.

This man, who had doted on his youngest son for over a decade, laid a hand on Xu Che for the first time, slapping him hard across the face.

Xu Che, who had been raised by his parents with great care for more than ten years, was stunned on the spot as this was the first time he had been punished like this.

Once something happens, it will happen again. From then on, such things happened from time to time. Xu Che would still sneak out from time to time, and no matter whether he was discovered or not, the old Marquis Cheng'an would scold him if he found out.

The father and son gradually became at odds, neither willing to back down.

Xu Che felt he hadn't done anything wrong by only going out occasionally. The old Marquis Cheng'an felt he hadn't done anything wrong by keeping him confined at home for the sake of the family's reputation. The two often argued about this, and in a fit of anger, the old Marquis Cheng'an even uttered ominous words about Xu Che.

"After arguing like this for a long time, your grandfather gradually realized that it was impossible for him to keep your ninth uncle locked up for life. No normal person would willingly be locked up for life."

"So... he decided that your Ninth Uncle would never be able to leave the mansion on his own again."

Xu Jinyu felt a chill run down her spine upon hearing this, and her hands on her knees unconsciously tightened, wrinkling the hem of her clothes: "This is Uncle Jiu..."

“Yes, it’s unfair to him,” said Marquis Cheng’an. “That’s what I told your grandfather back then.”

“It’s not your Ninth Uncle’s fault that I said he was born with a white hair. The Xu family has so many properties. If he can’t stay in the capital, let Ninth Brother go somewhere else. Whether he goes back to his ancestral home or to any other place where the Xu family has properties, as long as he doesn’t appear in the capital and people don’t remember him, it won’t be a big problem for us, and Ninth Brother can live a relatively normal life.”

“But your grandfather worked so hard to climb to this position and finally became the true head of the Xu family. He was unwilling to take risks and unwilling to let go of someone who could cause trouble again at any time.”

"Later... just as your Ninth Uncle said, his legs were broken, and I was chosen as the heir."

At that time, the old Marquis Cheng'an originally wanted his servants to take action, but none of them dared to step forward.

Although Xu Che had already fallen out with the old Marquis of Cheng'an, he was still his biological son, and the son he had doted on for many years. If the old Marquis were to feel guilty towards Xu Che in the future and want to treat him better, wouldn't the person who made the move now be the first to be punished?

The old Marquis of Cheng'an called out to everyone, but no one was willing to step forward. The servants would rather kneel on the ground and kowtow until their heads bled than dare to lay a hand on him. So in the end, he personally broke Xu Che's legs.

Xu Che was originally just someone who couldn't stand the light; as long as he took care to shield himself from the sun, he was no different from an ordinary person. But since then, he has truly become a cripple, only able to survive by being confined at home and cared for by others.

Pearls can turn into fish eyes in the blink of an eye.

Marquis Cheng'an sighed, "I worked hard to get the position of heir apparent for my own sake, but I did think... that if it were me, it might be better for him. But now it seems... there's no difference."

The Marquis of Cheng'an had many sons, and among his many brothers, Xu Han was the one with the best relationship with Xu Che.

He never treated him differently because of his unusual appearance. While others fawned over him because their father considered his ninth brother an auspicious omen, he never did so. When others felt disgusted by his ninth brother because their father considered him unlucky, he did not distance himself from him. They remained close from beginning to end, like brothers despite not being born of the same mother.

After the old Marquis Cheng'an died, he was not comfortable entrusting Xu Che to someone else for support, so he kept him in the Marquis's mansion and had him carefully cared for.

He thought he had done a good job, but that was just his opinion.

What he gave was not what Xu Che wanted, and what Xu Che wanted... he could never get again the moment his legs were broken.

Xu Jinyu's hands clenched and unclenched repeatedly on her knees, unable to utter another word.

The carriage clattered into the city gate, and Marquis Cheng'an looked at the familiar scenery outside the window without saying another word.

He told Xu Jinyu almost everything about Xu Che's past, but there was one thing he didn't mention.

While Xu Che was unconscious after his legs were broken, he was furious and questioned the old Marquis Cheng'an: "Breaking the legs of someone like Ninth Brother is worse than letting him die! Since Father thinks he is unlucky, why not just kill him? Why make him suffer such pain while he's alive?"

The old Marquis of Cheng'an glanced at him with red eyes, but didn't say anything; however, he understood what the old man meant.

He couldn't bring himself to do it.

Even though he already felt that this son was an omen of misfortune, and that this son was a burden to him and his family, he was still his child, and he couldn't bring himself to kill him. So he imprisoned him, ensuring that he would never again cause trouble.

At the time, Marquis Cheng'an only found it hypocritical and laughable, but now that he knows that his ninth brother was responsible for the March Spring Banquet, and that he harbors resentment towards the Marquis's Mansion and wants to harm the interests of the clan and his family, he also wants to kill him.

But he couldn't bring himself to do it.

So he took advantage of his illness and exposed him to the sunlight.

And Ninth Brother… wasn't he the same?

The Marquis's mansion had never been wary of him. He didn't need to go through all this trouble; he could have simply had someone buy poison and put it in the food and tea, thus taking everyone down with him.

But he couldn't bring himself to do it.

So he conspired with outsiders to drag the Marquis's mansion down with him, to break the cage that had imprisoned him for so many years.

They are father and son, they are brothers, they are all the same.

They could both abandon each other for their own benefit, yet neither could bring themselves to take the other's life.

Marquis Cheng'an wore a bitter smile and did not utter a word until he returned to his residence.