Blazing Flame
Upon hearing the mention of Xia, Dou Huaisheng's bloodshot eyes flashed with a fleeting glimmer of light.
It's strange. After all these years, he could barely remember her face anymore, but whenever he thought of her, a warm undercurrent would wash over him. It was as if she had never left all these years.
How could he forget? Years of navigating the treacherous waters of officialdom had left him with many sordid deeds he never wished to recall, yet he vividly remembered the long summer days, her delicate fingers adorned with a jade flower, and the image of him playing the zither and reciting poetry alongside her. He remembered her ever-gentle smile, and those eyes, warm and bright like a spring breeze, almost identical to the one before him.
However, when the person in front of him looked at him, their peach blossom eyes were filled with resentment.
It made him never want to, nor dare to, look into those eyes. Dou Huaisheng's throat tightened involuntarily, and he avoided Dou Yanxun's gaze.
Nevertheless, he could not tolerate Dou Yanxun's bloody behavior. He trembled with rage and gritted his teeth, shouting, "...You audacious brat, how dare you do such a rebellious thing! I'll teach you a lesson today!"
Dou Yanxun's expression was icy, the last vestiges of warmth in his eyes completely gone. He stared at the person before him:
"For years, you've always said you loved my mother the most, which is why the Bai family hated her so much back then, and were even more wary of us, fearing that one day we would take her and her son's place. My mother is kind-hearted and didn't want to tell you these terrible things and make you worry, so you pretended to be deaf and dumb, enjoying my mother's tenderness while scheming against the Bai family and her ability to manage the household! My mother and brother clearly died because of you... but to this day, you haven't uttered a single word of remorse... Every night, I really want to ask you, Father... how do you sleep so soundly?"
"What...what do you want to do?"
Seeing his second son closing in with a ruthless expression like Yama, Dou Huaisheng's legs went weak and his body swayed uncontrollably. In his panic, he waved his hands blankly and shouted repeatedly, "Help! Help!"
However, Dou Yanxun had already dismissed all the guards who could be sent away from the vast mansion, and he had also dealt with all the confidants who had previously served the Bai family. The courtyard where the main hall was located was now deserted. Dou Yanxun raised the long sword in his hand and slowly placed it on Dou Huaisheng's shoulder. He was tall and slender, already much taller than Dou Huaisheng. He lowered his head and said, word by word, expressionlessly:
"Over the years, you have risen rapidly, yet you have never been satisfied, simply because you disliked being looked down upon by the Zu family in the past. You are full of ambition, single-mindedly wanting to climb higher, and what you enjoy is the fearful gaze of everyone except for others, even the Zu family, who have never valued you. Dou Tonghan came from the Zu family in the north to take the exam, but you never sincerely wanted to help him, and were even quite wary of the Zu family's possible resurgence in the Central Plains. Even when he humbly sought your advice, you kept leading him with wrong answers... Father, am I right?"
Dou Huaisheng never expected that his hidden thoughts had been discovered by his second son without him even having time to be surprised. He felt the cold tip of the knife against his neck and was so frightened that he dared not breathe. Instantly, tears streamed down his face.
"My son, what nonsense are you spouting... It's clearly a huge misunderstanding..."
"To you, I've always been nothing more than an insignificant pawn. Your family has always bullied you, and your uncles have oppressed you since you were a child. You finally managed to escape from there, came to the Central Plains, and painstakingly plotted to become a powerful minister who could manipulate events with a single hand. You finally climbed to this position with great difficulty, and you're even willing to sacrifice and betray everything for it. How could you just stand by and watch Dou Tonghan from the Zu family pass the imperial examination with flying colors, thus turning everything you've painstakingly built up into nothingness?"
"...So back then, the Bai family tried to send me to the northern frontier, ostensibly to return to the ancestral home temporarily, but in reality, they just wanted me to fend for myself. But you never stopped them. You had already given up on me then, hadn't you? What are my mother and brother? What am I? Anyway, you already had enough support to establish yourself in the Central Plains and a legitimate son. To you, we were no longer three lives, but just hateful burdens! Until... I actually escaped from the northern frontier alive, and returned safely from the hands of those who had bullied you, you not only didn't expect it at all, but you also started to look at me with new respect. All these years, the care and help you secretly gave me behind the Bai family's back were just a few sweet dates to make you feel that you had a clear conscience."
Dou Yanxun stared intently at Dou Huaisheng's expression. He tightened his grip on the knife slightly, and soon hot, bright red blood flowed down from Dou Huaisheng's neck.
"What...what do you really want?"
Dou Yanxun looked coldly at his trembling father, his eyes devoid of any emotion, as if he were looking at someone who had nothing to do with him.
“I want to give you a chance to atone for your sins. Since you always told me behind Bai’s back that your mother was the person you loved most in your life, if you still have even the slightest thought of her in your heart, go to the palace tomorrow to resign and retire to your hometown. Otherwise… tonight I will send you and your mother to keep each other company, and you can explain to her and your brother yourself!”
Dou Huaisheng never expected Dou Yanxun to say such a thing. His face, already blurred with tears, was full of confusion. "My son, you are forcing me like this, and even want to resign from my post and go home. Is it all for your cousin Dou Tonghan? These people bullied you a lot when you were a child! Besides... even without my secret interference these days, he wouldn't have been able to pass the imperial examination with top honors based on his talent alone!"
Dou Yanxun didn't say anything more, but silently increased the pressure in his hands.
Dou Huaisheng sighed, looking into those eyes that seemed to belong to an old friend. A dull ache welled up in his heart, and a sense of powerlessness spread throughout his body. In the end, he could only murmur and nod, "Alright...alright...then I'll do as you say."
Looking at his biological father, Dou Yanxun saw nothing more than a cowardly, hypocritical mortal. If he truly desired death, he might have shown him some respect. But thinking of how his mother had suffered so much torment at the hands of the Bai family for such a man, ultimately losing her life, he felt nothing but pity for her.
He had no strength left, and only gave Dou Huaisheng one last cold and disgusted look before slowly walking away.
This was the last time he would come here. This place where he was born, grew up, and where all his heartache and humiliation resided; this place filled with memories of his past helplessness; this courtyard, the only place that still held a trace of his mother's presence…
From that point on, he had nothing to do with her anymore. He would never come back.
.
Dawn was breaking.
Dou Huaisheng picked up his pen, his hand trembling as he wrote the final stroke of his resignation letter. He wiped the sweat from his brow and finally let out a long sigh of relief. The scent of ink lingered in the study as he looked at his resignation letter, overwhelmed with mixed emotions. Unbeknownst to him, the sunset outside the window seemed to brighten slightly.
Dou Huaisheng felt a tightness in his chest, and for some reason became tense. He threw down his pen and staggered as he pushed open the door.
What I saw before me was clearly an endless expanse of crimson.
He steadied himself and saw flames shooting into the sky all around him, raging and red flames covering the sky and turning half of the night sky blood red.
It's on fire!
And amidst the swirling crimson flames, there was clearly a graceful figure.
The woman, dressed in a long crimson dress, sat gracefully on horseback, her black hair flying in the wind, a half-smile playing on her lips. She was clearly extremely thin, her gaunt face flushed from prolonged illness, but her eyes shone with a captivating brilliance, like eerie flames burning within a fire.
How could this be? How could this be!
Dou Huaisheng's heart skipped a beat, his pupils contracted sharply, and he almost thought that he was just hallucinating because he hadn't slept all night.
The woman in the fire before my eyes was clearly the woman who had been rejected by Da Lang, the same Feng Daizhu who had also come from the north! Hadn't she been bedridden for a long time due to illness and clearly couldn't even walk?
As if sensing his gaze, Feng Daizhu, seated high on her horse, slowly turned her head. Through the raging flames and billowing smoke, she could clearly see that she was still holding a blazing torch in her hand. Feng Daizhu silently looked at Dou Huaisheng, and in that glance, there seemed to be a surge of anger and resentment, as well as a bone-chilling, overwhelming pleasure.
The next moment, her smile deepened, curving into a mocking arc. At the same time, the torch in her hand fell to the ground, and in an instant, flames erupted from all sides of the backyard, which had already been doused with oil.
Feng Daizhu suddenly raised her whip, and her horse let out a clear neigh and galloped away.
She was a woman raised on horseback, like a fish that had been thirsty for a long time and was now finally returning to the sea, full of ease and joy. Her bright red skirt fluttered in the firelight, and in the reflection of the sea of fire, she quickly disappeared like a bewitching phantom at the edge of dawn.
Then they disappeared without a trace.
...
In the summer of the eighteenth year of the Yuanzhen era, a great fire suddenly broke out at the residence of Dou Huaisheng, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel in the capital. The fire spread to several neighborhoods and its roar echoed throughout half the city. Countless people died or were injured in the residence, especially women and children. In an instant, the entire building was destroyed. The court was shocked, and the emperor issued an edict to send troops to provide relief, but ultimately it was too late. This incident marked the beginning of the decline of the Dou family.
This led to a surge of rumors circulating among the people. It was said that the Dou family had enjoyed three years of prosperity, but now, due to an accident, the entire family had perished—a cruel twist of fate. The only survivor of this disaster was Dou Tonghan, who had stayed overnight at a tavern and hadn't returned to the Dou family mansion; he was also a candidate for the upcoming imperial examinations. The other survivor was a low-profile concubine named Zhen.
Some say that Aunt Zhen did not escape alone that day. After the fire, someone clearly saw her with two young children and a girl of about eleven or twelve years old who looked bewildered. Judging from their clothing, they all seemed to be children of the Dou family. These people were in a hurry, walking along the street, and their whereabouts are ultimately unknown.
This incident shocked the court and the public. Upon hearing the tragic news, Dou Zhen, the concubine of the Prince Gong's heir, was so terrified that she fell ill and never recovered. The capital city of Mu also tightened its curfew, and for a time, the streets were under martial law, and a climate of fear and unease prevailed.
But in less than three days, the day for the results of the imperial examination finally arrived. The people quickly put the disaster behind them and became excited about who would be the new top scholar.
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