Chu Huaixu glanced at him and said again, "Sit." His voice was even colder than before. "If we're talking about status, I'm nothing more than a male prostitute now. Do you want to compare yourself to me?"
"..." Qi Zhou opened his mouth, but he had witnessed Chu Huaixu's sharp tongue countless times. Knowing he couldn't win the argument, he had no choice but to sit down.
Chu Huaixu slapped the imperial edict on his lap onto Qi Zhou's lap, a half-smile on his face: "What does this mean?" He met Qi Zhou's gaze, his eyes red-rimmed, "What does he mean by this?"
In the short time he waited for Qi Zhou to arrive, Chu Huaixu had figured out more clearly why the young emperor would issue this edict so suddenly, and why he chose today.
Because that person may have already guessed the Red Lotus Cult's plan and anticipated that they would act on a day like today.
The events surrounding the prayer ceremony have laid an excellent foundation for this operation. If something else happens at the cemetery, then it truly will be against the will of Heaven.
That person, or perhaps a young emperor, had long wanted to turn the tables and wipe out the Red Lotus Sect and those behind it all.
Perhaps that person was fully aware of his private connections with the Red Lotus Sect. The reason he stopped asking Qi Zhou and Xiao Wu to follow him was to deliberately create opportunities for him.
That person knew everything he had done.
However, who knows what might happen in the mausoleum, or what kind of accident might occur? That's why the young emperor chose such a day to reveal the truth to the public.
Even if some irreversible accident happens, at least that person's most desired thing has been achieved.
“I’ve been wondering why you would follow him. He’s the one who ruined your family and turned you from the son of a promising general into the son of a disgraced official, and you almost lost your life.”
Chu Huaixu looked at him and slowly opened his mouth, "So why, General Qi?"
Qi Zhou's pupils trembled.
It had been so many years since Qi Zhou had heard this title from anyone that he had almost forgotten what he used to look like.
"When did you find out, young master?"
"It should be earlier than you think, on your way to Jiangnan," Chu Huaixu said.
Qi Zhou immediately understood: "I see."
Therefore, Liang Fengye is a member of the Red Lotus Sect. The reason he fled to Yingtian Prefecture and onto that pleasure boat must have been because someone instructed him to do so.
All of this was so that Song Ting could meet Chu Huaixu.
This is the beginning of the whole plan.
“I don’t know the specifics of what happened back then, but I was saved by an adult, and my father’s remains were also collected by an adult. My father kowtowed to the adult before he died.”
“I believe in my father. He is a man of unyielding integrity and would never beg for mercy from his opponents out of fear of death. He would not do it for his own sake, nor would he do it for ours.”
"But since he kowtowed to the adults, it must have been for something else."
The Qi family was originally a prominent clan, with members of the Qi family often serving in the court, including both civil and military officials, thus enjoying great prestige in Chang'an.
Qi Zhou's father was the Vice Minister of Revenue at the time, and he was a study companion of Prince Duan, Chu Mingyao, when he was young. Therefore, in the eyes of others, the Qi family was naturally a descendant of Prince Duan.
When Prince Duan got into trouble, Qi Zhou's father, Qi Zhen'an, spoke out in defense of Prince Duan in front of another friend. However, this became evidence against him as an accomplice of Prince Duan. Qi Zhen'an was imprisoned on trumped-up charges, and the Qi family was implicated, their property was confiscated, and they were all imprisoned and executed.
But Qi Zhou survived.
Chu Huaixu said, "But he did save you."
"Yes. So at the beginning, I did have some doubts, wondering if my father had made some kind of deal with the adults for my sake, but I stopped thinking that way later."
"Young Master." This was the first time Qi Zhou had revealed his true identity to Chu Huaixu in front of him, an identity that everyone already knew. Chu Huaixu couldn't help but curl his lips into a mocking smile. "I once heard a sentence from the lord."
The smile on Chu Huaixu's face faded, and his heart suddenly tightened. He wanted to speak, but found that his throat was so tight that he couldn't say a word.
She stared at Qi Zhou with inexplicable tension.
A voice inside him kept warning him to stop Qi Zhou from continuing, and not to listen.
He was afraid.
Even though he himself couldn't explain why he was afraid.
"That was a drunken remark, made on New Year's Eve three years ago."
Song Ting held a high position and had to attend a banquet in the palace every New Year's Eve, but he always exercised restraint and never drank too much, whether at large or small palace banquets or other occasions.
Firstly, his former identity as a secret guard meant he could never let his guard down, and secondly, his current position as the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard meant he had to remain vigilant at all times.
But for some reason, he drank a lot of alcohol that year. By the time the palace banquet ended, he was so drunk that he could barely walk and had to be helped out by the eunuchs around the emperor.
That day happened to be Qi Zhou's turn to be on duty. He helped Song Ting into the carriage from the eunuch's hands. Song Ting had her eyes closed, and she was almost unrecognizable.
Because it was already very late, after returning to the Song residence, Qi Zhou did not inform anyone else, but helped Song Ting out and escorted him back to his room.
This was once the site of the Prince Duan's mansion. The mansion was burned to the ground, but after Song Ting came to power, he asked the emperor for a favor and had the mansion restored to its original state.
Although he is now the owner of this mansion, he still lives in the side courtyard where the servants live.
The secluded courtyard was deserted, and on such a cold night, it seemed even more desolate and bleak. The shadows of the trees on both sides swayed and flickered, appearing like ghostly figures in the dim light of the tinderbox.
Qi Zhou couldn't help but think of the rumors surrounding this mansion. But he didn't care; to him, the human heart was far more terrifying than ghosts and gods.
From the main hall to the side courtyard, one would pass under that century-old ginkgo tree. Qi Zhou had already heard some things about this old tree from the man, but unexpectedly, Song Ting stopped again when passing under the tree this time.
He leaned against the trunk of the ginkgo tree, his eyes were red at first, but soon he started crying while hugging the trunk.
At first, she sobbed incoherently, but then she couldn't bear it anymore and burst into loud wailing.
Qi Zhou had never seen the other party like this before. Their commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard was known as the Living Yama, and he and Xiao Wu were also called "Black and White Impermanence".
Whether in public or in private, this commander rarely showed his emotions. Some of his colleagues in the Embroidered Uniform Guard even jokingly asked Qi Zhou in secret, "Does the lord never smile?"
In fact, it wasn't just laughter; all emotions—joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness—were far removed from Song Ting. He was practically not a living person; he was like a walking corpse.
That night, the walking corpse cried uncontrollably, and Qi Zhou, unsure how to comfort him, could only stand by and wait.
The cries mingled with the howling wind, sounding like someone's unwilling wails, appearing so lonely and helpless on what should have been a family reunion night for the Lunar New Year.
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