Linlang gently wiped away the tears from Ah Mu's eyes. Listening to him sobbing softly and murmuring "Mom", she felt a pang in her heart. He must be very sad about what happened to his mother.
Duke Dingguo was always busy with military affairs. From childhood to adulthood, the person who had accompanied Ah Mu the most was his mother, with whom he had a deep affection. When he fled from Northern Qi to the capital, he must have been delighted to see his mother, but he was deeply broken-hearted by the behavior of that fake woman and lost the motivation to live.
At that time, Amu was so desperate.
He experienced so much suffering and despair, but after standing up again, there was still sunshine in his heart. He did not become gloomy, nor was his eyes blinded by hatred and turned black. It is really rare.
Linlang patted Amu's back gently, as if coaxing a child, "Mom will never leave you. I will always love you. Don't be sad. Go to sleep, sweetheart."
Linlang hummed a lullaby and clapped her hands lightly. Soon, Amu calmed down and gradually fell asleep.
After a long time, Linlang got up to rest.
Xiao Zhensheng couldn't sleep at all. He lay on the bed and cried silently. Only now did he realize the suffering his son had endured.
Thinking of this, Xiao Zhensheng felt extremely sorry for his son. He had suffered such a great crime and was almost killed by that woman when he returned home. How desperate he must have been at that time.
This was when Su Nanting pulled him aside to talk after drinking in the evening, and he quietly told him about what happened in Northern Qi and how he escaped. He knew everything.
Even if his son recognized him, he was still heartbroken. His Yu Zhang, the child he had cherished since childhood, why were they so cruel to him?
Not only did he torture him physically, but he was also mentally tortured. In the eyes of the world, Xiao Yuzhang was already dead, and there was no young master in the world anymore.
It was all because of his uselessness. He failed to protect his wife, let alone the Jade Seal. Even Ah Jian was sent to Lingshan to spend six or seven years in solitude.
Xiao Zhensheng had spent most of his life serving the Jing Dynasty, devoting himself to assisting the Crown Prince, yet he failed to protect his wife and children. His son, Yu Zhang, was tortured daily in the dark dungeons of Northern Qi, leaving not a single piece of his flesh untouched. Every day in Northern Qi was torture, and yet he still thought he was safe there.
That face wasn't disfigured by fire; he had disfigured himself first, then been repeatedly scratched by the Northern Qi people, leaving it unrecognizable and horrifying. Just hearing about the scars on his body nearly broke his heart.
Xiao Zhensheng regretted it very much. He shouldn't have let Yuzhang go to Northern Qi. Why didn't he argue with him at that time? It was his irresponsibility as a father that harmed Yuzhang.
Thinking of the defeat of the Jing Dynasty that year, not only the northern gate guarded by the Anchang Marquis' Mansion, but also the southern gate guarded by him was attacked from both sides. The Miaojiang and Northern Qi forces combined and bombed them with thunder bombs, leaving them dizzy and unable to resist.
Just when they were about to give up and decided to die together with the enemy, news came from the court to surrender!
That was the most cowardly battle he had ever fought. He would rather die on the battlefield than surrender to the enemy, but in order to protect the soldiers and the people living on the border from the bombing of sky bombs, he surrendered.
It became a lifelong shame for him.
Later, the imperial court signed many unequal treaties and became a vassal state of Northern Qi, paying tribute annually according to their demands. Furthermore, they demanded that the crown prince be sent to Northern Qi as a hostage.
When his sister, who was the queen, came to him for help, he refused. Yuzhang was his son, and he was reluctant to let his son suffer in a foreign country.
Then the crown prince fell ill, which became increasingly serious, making it impossible for him to travel. Finally, Northern Qi specifically asked Xiao Zhensheng's son to be a hostage. Although the emperor was embarrassed and wanted to replace him, he did not dare to offend the other party because of his powerful influence.
The emperor felt very guilty towards him and Yuzhang. The other party specifically asked for someone, and the emperor had no way to deal with it.
Yu Zhang, who was only twelve years old, stood up, his back straight, and said firmly, "Your Majesty, Father, I will go."
The sensible Yu Zhang did not want to embarrass him and the emperor, so he resolutely chose to go to Northern Qi. He should have stopped it at the time, but he did nothing. No wonder his wife blamed him for not being a competent father.
Xiao Zhensheng cried for a long time. As the saying goes, men don't shed tears easily, but they do when they are sad.
He clenched his fists until they crackled. "You evil thieves of Northern Qi, I will repay you a thousandfold for the pain you have inflicted on my son." Since Jing Chao was not helpful, he led his men to sneak into Northern Qi, entered the palace, and killed the old man.
Every member of the Northern Qi royal family was killed.
The housekeeper listened to the Duke's cries from outside and sighed in his heart, thinking that the Duke must be thinking about the young master again. Seeing Su Nanting's family gathered together, and thinking about the current state of the Duke Ding's Mansion, who could not be sad?
It's good for the Duke to cry. If emotions are suppressed in the heart, it will make you sick easily.
After listening to the crying for a long time and seeing no movement, the housekeeper brought in hot water.
Liu Meiling knew that Xiao Zhensheng had gone to the Rong family again today and felt a little heavy-hearted after returning. She gloated and said, "He must be thinking of his dead son and feeling sad."
She didn't care where he went, as long as he didn't bother her. Keeping a distance was the safest way.
Northern Qi will attack Jing Dynasty sooner or later, and the Emperor of Jing Dynasty will hold a birthday celebration. Humph, I'm afraid it will be the last one.
The current Jing Dynasty is just a spent force. Once the Northern Qi army occupies the capital, she will be a great hero and the real owner of the Dingguo Mansion.
I wonder what expressions Xiao Zhensheng and his son will have when they find out the truth.
Liu Meiling smiled triumphantly and cruelly, as if she was about to win, and went to bed in a very good mood.
The emperor also received news that Duke Dingguo and Marquis Anchang had dinner together at Rong's house and drank a lot. Duke Dingguo came out of Rong's house with a heavy heart and a sad face.
"Duke Dingguo lay down after returning. I heard from afar that he seemed to be crying."
The emperor waved his hand to let the palace master go away, closed the memorial and placed it on the desk.
I owe Duke Dingguo so much. The emperor said to himself, I have no choice, the prince is his and the queen’s first child, a child he personally held and coaxed, a child he truly loved.
He was reluctant to let the prince be a hostage, so the queen came to him and told him her plan. He kept silent, which was also a kind of tacit consent. People are selfish. Who would want their children to suffer?
Yu Zhang was a man of outstanding character, as his name suggested, a gentleman like jade. He stepped forward and offered to go to Northern Qi as a hostage.
The emperor never imagined that seven years later, the jade-like child would die in Northern Qi without even setting foot on his homeland.
He was sorry for Duke Dingguo. Jing Chao was too weak to even protect a child, letting him die in a foreign land. The emperor felt deeply guilty.
Whether or not he could turn things around depended on the next plan. The emperor beckoned the secret guards and asked about the situation in Luer Town. Upon hearing the report, the emperor's brows relaxed and he clenched his fists.
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