"Father! Bi'er is only five years old! You want to send him as a hostage to the Kingdom of Ryukyu. Isn't that asking for his life?"
"You are too soft-hearted! If you hand over the military power, it will cost the lives of all the people in the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion!"
He was only thirteen or fourteen years old at the time, and he secretly hid in the corner of the study and heard the argument between his father and his elder sister.
"But he is the prince! He is your grandson! How could you bear to do this?"
In his heart, his eldest sister has always been gentle and kind. He has never seen her cry so hard, as if she wanted to cry out all the grievances and resentments in her life.
"Muxia, you are still young, you will have children. Your children can become the crown prince."
The father sighed. He was comforting his eldest sister, and it seemed like he was also comforting himself.
"Is this all that is left?"
The eldest sister looked at her father pleadingly, as if asking for the last glimmer of hope.
"It's the only way."
He saw the remaining light in his eldest sister's eyes go out, and she lost her life in an instant.
"Don't think too much. The Ryukyu Kingdom wouldn't dare to take Bi'er's life easily. You should spend more time on His Majesty and give birth to a legitimate son for His Majesty as soon as possible."
My father patted my eldest sister on the shoulder and comforted her.
The eldest sister just lowered her head and replied numbly, "I know."
Young Bai Luoqiu didn't understand politics, military power, or family choices. He only knew that Su Bi, the chubby little girl who liked to follow him, was going to be sent away.
Moreover, once you are gone, there is no distinction between life and death.
Even if he were alive, he would have no idea what kind of suffering he would have endured in the future. He was only five years old, and after being held in custody by the enemy for several years with ill intentions, he was completely ruined.
Even if we could wait until he came back, I'm afraid he would no longer have a place in this court.
Bai Luoqiu came back to his senses from his memories with a somewhat cold expression.
"After that, the elder sister was depressed and felt guilty towards Su Bi. The year before Su Bi returned to China, she became pregnant again, but died of excessive blood loss due to premature birth at the sixth month of pregnancy."
Ning Xihua suddenly had a bad feeling, "What about that child?"
Bai Luoqiu smiled, not sure whether he was mocking others or himself.
"Our Majesty does not want this child, and my eldest sister also thinks that the birth of this child will cause the Bai family to give up Su Bi."
Ning Xihua felt a chill in his heart, "Is it Your Majesty?"
Bai Luoqiu shook his head and sneered, "Your Majesty hasn't had time to take action yet."
He looked a little sad, "It was my elder sister. She overheard the news about Su Bi from my father that day, and she couldn't think straight for a moment, so she bumped into the corner of the table."
Ning Xihua was surprised, "What news?"
"Su Bi's life in Liu Kingdom was not good, and it was even humiliating..."
Ning Xihua was silent.
Yes, how could a mother remain indifferent when hearing her child being abused? Moreover, this child was abandoned by her own hands and ended up like this.
When Bai Luoqiu learned that his elder sister had been killed, his first reaction was to think about what would happen to Su Bi who was far away in Liu Kingdom? How would his abandoned nephew face the news of his mother's death if he came back?
"How ironic! When the elder sister was alive, she followed the rules and didn't dare to disobey her father and gave up on Su Bi. But in her later years, she was so brave that she wanted to use her death to protect Su Bi in the end."
Bai Luoqiu later thought that her elder sister had wanted to die a long time ago. Ever since she married into the royal family, she had never been truly happy again.
The couple was indifferent, the husband was suspicious. The father was authoritarian and abandoned his children. He was submissive all his life, but in the end he rebelled with his life.
Ning Xihua was in a complicated mood. She felt a little sad and melancholy.
She did not agree with Queen Ruijia's cowardice, but she had to admit that in that era, she was just doing what most women did: obeying her father at home and her husband after marriage. It could not be said that she had made any big mistakes.
But to Su Bi, she was a failure as a mother. Whether she followed the family's advice and sent him as a hostage, or she used death to escape the result.
But until the end, she still missed the child.
“She did it.”
Bai Luoqiu stared out the window in a daze, and saw a bamboo leaf swirling and falling from a bamboo branch.
He looked at the bamboo leaf that would eventually turn into soil and sighed softly, "Yes, she did it."
After the death of Queen Ruijia, Su Bi became the only legitimate son of the Queen. No matter how reluctant the Duke of Zhenguo was, he had to do his best to protect Su Bi.
Su Bi was able to return to the court smoothly after the death of Empress Ruijia, and even though he had nothing after returning, his position as the crown prince remained intact. This was inseparable from the protection and escort of the Zhenguo Mansion.
Ning Xihua suddenly realized that there were so many unknown things behind Su Bi's hostage and return to China. But she was a little wary of Bai Luoqiu revealing such a secret matter.
"Why are you speaking to me so frankly, Prince?"
Bai Luoqiu asked back, "Have you ever been to the fifth floor of Tingfeng Tower, Princess?"
Ning Xihua did not shy away from the question, "I have been there."
Bai Luoqiu smiled, "I knew it! This Tingfeng Tower is under the name of the Bai family, but I have rarely been to the fifth floor. This kid has a strong sense of territory."
Ning Xihua was speechless.
Then how come she not only went to the fifth floor of Tingfeng Tower, but also often stayed in Linhua Palace?
Bai Luoqiu turned to look at Ning Xihua with stern eyes, "When he winked at me and asked me to help you at the Wanshou Banquet that day, I knew that he treated you differently."
Ning Xihua was a little surprised. Was it Su Bi who asked him to help?
Because he felt that Su Bi treated her differently, he told her these secrets without hesitation?
"You should also know that he was poisoned, right?"
Ning Xihua widened her eyes slightly, it seemed that Bai Luoqiu knew a lot.
She hesitated for a moment and replied, "He said it was an old illness, but he didn't try to hide it. I guessed he might have been poisoned."
Bai Luoqiu stared at her for a moment and then smiled.
"Huai Liu said you can relieve Su Bi's condition. I didn't believe it at first, but now it seems to be true."
He then asked, "Then do you know where he got this poison?"
Ning Xihua shook her head.
Bai Luoqiu sighed again, "It's a long story."
Su Bi was only five years old when he went to Ryukyu. Although Duke Zhen had given up on him, he still couldn't bear it and sent people to follow him to Ryukyu to protect his safety.
But these people could only barely protect him from having to worry about his life. If there were more, they would be powerless to do anything.
It is easy to imagine what would happen to a five-year-old child surviving in an enemy country.
"I only heard some of these things from the guards who were sent there after he returned to his country."
Bai Luoqiu lowered his head and looked quietly at the tea in the cup, his tone very low.
"Su Bi...has had a very difficult time these past few years."
He smiled bitterly and asked Ning Xihua again, "Can you imagine? A five-year-old child who was hungry and poorly clothed all day long, and even buried in the snow for a whole night in the cold winter with thin clothes and an empty stomach."
Speaking of this, Bai Luoqiu's eyes turned red.
"He is the most precious and noble prince of Dali!"
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