Chapter 100 Like Strong Wine (Twelve) A young general, a bright and talented woman...

Raindrops pattered on the roof tiles, falling like beaded curtains from the top. Song Congzhao stood on the veranda, holding an umbrella, while the leaves behind him swayed slightly in the wind.

Xinghui held the umbrella beside Zhirou. Seeing this, he quickly knelt down and called out, "Master."

Zhi Rou pursed her lips, her brows furrowed slightly, and remained silent.

"Miss, the master has come to see you," Xinghui whispered to her.

She walked forward, and Xinghui followed.

When she reached Song Congzhao, Zhirou opened her mouth with difficulty: "Father..."

Song Congzhao nodded in agreement, then dismissed Xinghui and walked slowly with Zhirou on the corridor.

Having not returned to the mansion for a long time, she had almost forgotten how vast and expansive the Song family mansion was. The two walked towards the waterside pavilion, surrounded by tranquility, with only the soft, yet not monotonous sound of rain remaining.

A few strands of silver light slanted in, bringing a cool, misty atmosphere.

Zhi Rou was puzzled by his intentions and, for a moment, didn't know how to react.

When she first arrived in the capital, she resented her father. Her mother said he had his reasons, but she refused to understand. During that time, she outwardly respected Song Congzhao, but inwardly she would always give him a hard time.

But he always played his role as a father very well. During the more than five years he lived in the Song family, he taught her, loved her, and tolerated her, taking care of her in every way.

Zhi Rou felt a pang of indescribable sadness. She curled her fingers and remained silent.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, the two emerged from the long corridor, raindrops pattering on the umbrella.

Song Congzhao glanced at her and suddenly asked, "Still sad?"

Zhi Rou was startled by his words, raised her head, and looked back at him.

The umbrella blocked out the sunlight, and Song Congzhao's face was particularly calm in the shadows. His voice was also gentle, as if he were talking casually: "Actually, your mother and I were friends in times of trouble."

Ignoring Zhi Rou's shock, he continued unhurriedly, "Back then, my Song family was neglected by the late emperor, and my father was framed by wicked people and imprisoned. In order to clear my father's name, I offended many people. Among them was a scion of a prominent family who tried to stop me. When I arrived at the witness's house, the courtyard was full of corpses and surrounded by assassins."

"When I saw that scene, I was terrified and had no choice but to flee... The nearest place to me to hide was Woyun Temple, which was protected by the Ling family. It was there that I met your mother."

As her words fell silently, Zhi Rou clenched her cold hand beside her.

He actually knew about his mother and her background from the very beginning.

Song Congzhao spoke quietly, recalling the past, a trace of sorrow appearing in his eyes.

"The only daughter of Lord Ling, she comes from a noble family and has a free and easy personality. I have heard many stories about her in the capital and have seen hundreds of portraits of her. I knew her identity almost the moment I saw her."

“I asked her for help, but she hesitated. Later, when the group of assassins broke into the temple, she grabbed my sleeve, led me into a secret passage, and saved me.”

Amidst torrential rain, young Song Congzhao and Ling Xi escaped from the temple, finding themselves surrounded by overgrown weeds and winding roads.

The raindrops pelted the two of them, instantly soaking their clothes. Ling Xi flung his sleeve away, frowned as she shielded herself from the rain, glanced back at the exit, and waited for her servants to arrive.

Suddenly, with a "thump," the young man knelt down beside her, bowing to thank her for saving his life: "If one day... if there is anything I can do to help you, I will spare no effort and never back down, even at the cost of my life."

Ling Xi shifted her gaze downwards, her eyes lingering on him for a moment before noticing the jade pendant around his neck. Her long eyelashes fluttered slightly: "Are you the son of Lord Song Yao?"

Her voice was soft, perhaps reflected in the rain, and her bright eyes were calm and still. He dared not look at her, and only bowed his head in agreement.

A moment later, he heard her say, "I'll remember you."

He paused, then added, "Lord Song is a good official; he shouldn't have ended up in such a predicament."

Before Song Congzhao could recover from the shock of those words, Ling Xi's servants had already caught up with her, holding umbrellas to protect her as she left.

After that day, no one bothered him anymore, and his father's case took a turn for the better.

"Six months later, I went to the Ling residence to express my gratitude again, but she said that she did not know me and that my father's case had nothing to do with the Ling family."

Song Congzhao continued walking, while Zhirou silently followed beside him, her heart churning with a multitude of emotions.

"The third time I spoke with your mother was on the day of her wedding to your father. At that time, I had already entered the court and met your father. He invited me to the Chang residence to witness the ceremony, and I gladly went."

The Chang and Ling families were old friends, but Lord Ling did not have a good impression of Chang Yu. It seems that when they were young, Chang Yu always took Ling Xi out to cause trouble, turning the noble young lady into a spoiled and arrogant girl. Fortunately, he later joined the army with his father and left the capital for eight years.

After a long separation, he returned to the capital as General Chang, a highly sought-after figure. Countless suitors came to propose marriage, but in the third month after his return, Chang Yu asked the old general to personally visit and propose to Lady Ling.

"The two were a perfect match. A young general and a beautiful and talented woman, their marriage was a celebrated story in the entire capital... However, their happiness was short-lived."

Ling Xi married into the Chang family eleven years ago, gave birth to a son and a daughter, and the couple lived in harmony, which should have been a perfect story. However, the emperor's heart was unpredictable, and treacherous officials were in power. Often, powerful and influential figures would become obstacles to the emperor's rule. With the northern lands finally at peace and the border countries having made an alliance with the court not to invade, this powerful and skilled sword became a sword hanging over the emperor's head.

In reality, His Majesty cherishes Chang Yu very much. When the rumors first started, His Majesty executed many officials who spoke out for him. However, later, when the enemy country and the prince of the dynasty were involved, Chang Yu was caught in the middle. How could he protect himself?

"I met your mother again in Luozhou... in the fifteenth year of Shuode. That year, I was on an inspection tour in Jiangnan when I happened to meet a woman whose face was very similar to that of an old friend of mine. So I went up to chat with her, and the way she looked back was exactly the same as that of the Ling family girl in Woyun Temple years ago."

Even though her fine clothes and status were gone, her dignity and pride never changed with the ups and downs of external factors.

Song Congzhao had never seen a woman like her again. He was overjoyed to learn that she was still alive, but seeing her situation again, he couldn't help but feel bitter.

“I am both happy and frustrated. One who helps the poor should not let them suffer from the cold. I really cannot bear to see her suffer, and I also want to repay her kindness, so I propose to bring you and your daughter to the capital, to the Song family, and I will take care of you.”

Zhi Rou had never imagined that there was such affection between him and his mother. It was also the first time he realized that whenever his mother mentioned his father, she was referring to someone else.

Song Congzhao stopped and looked at Zhirou, tilting the umbrella slightly towards her.

“She didn’t agree at first, and I know that this would be too unfair to you. But after thinking it over, this is the only way to keep you by my side and take care of you personally.”

"...She finally agreed because she hoped you would return to the Chang family; she concealed your origins from you only because she couldn't bear to see you so young and harboring hatred."

Zhi Rou's lips trembled slightly, and she gritted her teeth: "But... my lord, how can I not hate you?"

The word "sir" came out of her mouth in a soft, hesitant voice, as if she were whispering.

Upon hearing this, Song Congzhao felt a crack appear in his heart, and his eyes gradually became moist.

He suppressed his emotions and looked down at Zhi Rou, saying, "You are still young, so of course you are angry, which is a good thing. But your mother is not wrong, and neither are you."

"So, is it Your Majesty who is at fault?"

Song Congzhao replied to her: "His Majesty's merits and demerits will be judged by future generations. Neither you nor I can change what has already happened."

"Does Your Excellency mean that I don't need to do anything, and just accept this fact?" Zhi Rou looked at him for a moment, her voice choked with emotion, "My lord, why..."

She felt sorry for her mother but was helpless. She wanted to vent her anger by wielding a knife, but she didn't even have anyone willing to do it.

Fearing she would act impulsively, Song Congzhao frowned and said, "Rou'er, some things, if done rashly, will only cause pain to your loved ones. Right now, all you can do is restrain your thoughts and stop torturing yourself; treat yourself well first, then you can protect others. If that day ever comes..."

He didn't write anything further, keeping it locked inside his heart for a long time, which was also a form of hesitation.

Zhi Rou has no memory of Chang Yu, so she is different from Su.

Thinking of this, Zhi Rou suddenly wanted to see her, her fingers twitched slightly, but then she felt that she was not ready and she did not dare to face her.

Recalling her mother's panicked and uneasy expression when she heard the name "Chang Jinchen," Zhirou felt a deep pain in her chest.

After thinking for a long time, she finally said, "He's at the Feng residence on Chunxiao Street, the second young master of the Feng family. If Mother wants to see him..."

Song Congzhao learned from Ling Xi what had happened two days ago, and also knew that her eldest son was in Beijing.

The second young master Feng that Zhi Rou mentioned is Chang Jinchen.

With a status in Yanjing, one can come to the Song residence.

Song Congzhao nodded and noted it down: "Good."

Upon arriving at the Song residence's study, the servants put away the umbrellas, and Song Congzhao personally poured Zhirou a cup of tea. During their conversation, they returned to their usual demeanor.

Zhi Rou rarely lifted her eyelashes, seemingly lost in thought, but her complexion was much better than before at Longyuexuan.

During their casual conversation, Zhi Rou took her leave and solemnly kowtowed to Song Congzhao before her desk, thanking him for his years of nurturing and for taking care of her mother while she was away from home.

The rain hadn't stopped, and the sky was still dark. Her back slowly straightened after bowing her head, and her voice was firm: "I will never implicate the Song family. Do you trust me?"

This was unnecessary to say. Song Congzhao understood her temperament; she was a child who clearly distinguished between gratitude and resentment, and whose purity was as bright as the sun.

He stepped forward and helped her up, chuckling softly, "I believe you."

Zhi Rou opened her mouth, and after a long while, she said, "Can I... still call you 'Father'?"

Song Congzhao suddenly felt a slight soreness in his nose, and after a while, he smiled and said, "Having such a daughter is a blessing for your father."

The next day, the rain stopped and the sky cleared. By February, the chill that had lingered over the capital the night before had vanished in an instant. People changed out of their winter clothes, and the signs of restaurants and shops on the street had also changed. At first glance, they did indeed have a fresh look.

Lan Ye returned from outside at this time. He was not very neat, but he looked quite good. When he saw Wei Yuanzhan changing clothes in the room, he hurriedly went up to help him.

Wei Yuanzhan glanced at him sideways and asked, "Where have you come from this time?"

He smiled and said, "I just couldn't stand that guy surnamed He, so I beat him up. Don't worry, sir, I had something on me to protect him, so no one will know it was me."

Wei Yuanzhan turned and walked into the courtyard, languidly, his words filled with undisguised disdain: "Let them gossip. Aren't you tired of this?"

Just then, Chang Huai approached from the gate, bowed to Wei Yuanzhan, and then reported, "Master, that Su Du... is a bit strange."

Wei Yuanzhan glanced at him, but his gaze remained unmoved.

Chang Huai continued, “He was secretive about his whereabouts, yet he seemed unafraid of being investigated. I followed him for two days and only caught up with him this morning at his lodgings. It wasn’t a rented house; it was an old mansion. I inquired and found out that the owner of the mansion was surnamed Feng, a retired official who had served as a censor. He had two sons; the eldest was deceased, and the second son was named Feng Shi, also known as Su Du.”

He paused for a moment after speaking, his voice lowered, and he began hesitantly, "He went to the Song residence today."

“Feng Shi…” Wei Yuanzhan murmured the name, his previously casual brows suddenly furrowing, a smile playing on his lips. “This person is quite interesting.”