Chapter 67
Sui Yuanhuai looked at the child who suddenly came in. He didn't look like him, but when Aunt Lan saw the child for the first time, she said that they were exactly like him when he was a child.
Sui Yuanhuai could not remember what he looked like as a child. The only memory he had was the severe pain from the fire and the scars that left him with a disfigured face.
He held his forehead with one hand, looked at the child standing cautiously at the door and sneered: "Father? Who allowed you to call me that?"
Yu Baoer tightened her grip on the copybook, obviously at a loss. Her black and white eyes looked at the man in the cloak sitting on the high seat. She didn't know what to call him anymore, so she simply kept silent and pursed her lips slightly, looking obedient and pitiful.
He went to the south of the Yangtze River with his mother, but unfortunately the convoy was stopped by a team of black-armored guards halfway.
That day was also the first day he met this man. It was snowing heavily. He was leaning sickly in the carriage surrounded by black-armored guards. His hands, which were extremely pale due to long-term illness, were waving at the curtains. His eyes were staring gloomily at the mother and son, and there was even a hint of cruelty and the pleasure of imminent revenge in his gaze.
He was very afraid of this man, and his mother seemed even more afraid, and was shaking slightly when she held him.
From that day on, he never saw his mother again.
He was brought here and was not punished. Someone took care of his meals and daily life. But every time he asked about his mother, the servants kept it a secret. Only a nanny who liked him very much dared to tell him some news about his mother.
The nanny said that this man was her father, and as long as she was well behaved and pleased him, he would let her see her mother.
After coming here, Yu Baoer has been very well behaved, but they still never mentioned letting him see his mother. Two days ago, Yu Baoer couldn't help crying and refused to eat, trying to protest.
Finally, only a strange man came. He said that if he studied hard and learned to read, and did well in his homework, he would have a chance to see his mother.
He did as he was told, and was indeed taken out of the yard today. This was also the first time he left the yard where he lived since he came here.
Sui Yuanhuai looked at Yu Baoer's cowardly appearance with a mocking expression on his face. He caught a glimpse of the calligraphy he was holding tightly in his hand and said, "I heard someone is teaching you to practice calligraphy. Bring it here and have a look."
Just by sitting there, he seemed to be immersed in endless gloom, which made people feel terrified.
Yu Baoer was also afraid, but she still walked towards him with small, determined steps.
The only thing about him that resembled Yu Qianqian the most was probably his eyes. They were round and dark in color, with slightly droopy corners. He looked gentle, harmless, and inexplicably pitiful.
When Sui Yuanhuai saw Yu Baoer coming, he was slightly stunned. It seemed that he saw through him the woman who had never given up the idea of running away even when she was pregnant.
They were so weak that he could crush them to death with just one finger, but no matter how much punishment they received, they never learned their lesson and would still run away without hesitation when given the chance.
Like a captive deer, all it wants is to return to the mountains.
After Yu Baoer put the copybook in front of his eyes, he came back to his senses, and his expression became gloomier for some reason. His pale and thin fingers twisted the copybook one by one, making Yu Baoer nervously tighten the corners of his clothes.
After a moment, he threw the pile of characters that Yu Baoer had practiced writing out like waste paper, sneering, "What kind of stuff is that? The characters are so soft, they look boneless. Rewrite it."
Yu Baoer looked at the big characters she had carefully written in order to see her mother, her eyes turned red, but she didn't say a word.
Soon, a waiter came in breathlessly, placed a small table on which were pens, ink, paper and inkstone. The whole process was almost silent.
All the servants in the yard knew that Xiao Sui Yuan Huai had a changeable mood and always came in to serve him with his head hung on the belt of his trousers, so how could they not be fully alert?
Yu Baoer was still a little at a loss when he saw all this. Sui Yuanhuai, who was sitting behind the desk, half-opened his eyelids and glanced at him, then said coldly, "Practice here."
Yu Baoer mustered up the courage to ask, "If I finish writing, can I see my mother?"
Sui Yuanhuai's smile became more sarcastic: "Who taught you to say this to me?"
Tears welled up in Yu Baoer's eyes, but she stubbornly held back her tears and refused to cry, saying, "No one taught me, I just missed my mother."
Sui Yuanhuai picked up a scroll of bamboo slips from the table and said coldly, "Go practice your calligraphy. If you cry again, you will never see her again in your life."
When Yu Baoer obediently went to practice calligraphy in front of Ai Ji, her small body turned sideways to him, and she struggled to hold the brush that was thicker than his fingers. Her tears fell on the paper, leaving a small watermark. Yu Baoer was afraid that he would find out, so she didn't dare to reach out to wipe her tears, nor did she dare to sob. She just slowed down her breathing and cried secretly.
He thought he had hidden it very well, for the man, sitting in a high position, could see all his little movements. He half-closed his eyes, with a cloud in his eyes.
He disliked the child, not only because the woman was ignorant of manners, but also because the existence of the child had seriously threatened his position.
Compared to a useless person who can't live without medicine and can't learn martial arts, a healthy but young child who is very easy to control is the first choice no matter how you look at it.
The closer the Zhao mother and son got to the child, the more jealous he became.
In order to survive, he endured the pain of burns and was left with a lot of illnesses.
Later, in order to be able to see people again, he went through countless inhuman tortures to replace the burned skin on his body bit by bit. The pain of having skin peeled off is something that only the dead can understand, but he had experienced it when he was alive.
He survived with so much difficulty, anyone who dares to stand in his way shall die!
As he thought about this, his expression became more ferocious, and the hand that was gripping the bamboo slips was so strong that the white knuckles looked like they would break at any moment.
The maid came in to serve tea, and was caught off guard by his expression. She gave a short scream, and the tea in her hand was knocked over. When the cup fell to the ground and broke, the maid's face was pale as a bloodless trace. She knelt on the ground and begged in a trembling voice: "Master...Master, spare my life..."
Sui Yuanhuai was extremely disgusted when his subordinates saw him with a terrified look as if he had seen a ghost. He raised his thin lips and uttered bloody and cold words: "Drag him away and behead him with a stick!"
Soon someone came in, and the maidservant was gagged and taken away before she could even shout another word. The whole process was quiet and quick, like a silent shadow play.
Yu Baoer sat on a low stool practicing calligraphy, staring at the scene in a daze. Ink drops from the tip of his pen fell onto the paper, soiling the large piece of calligraphy he had almost finished practicing.
The person sitting behind the desk looked at his pale face coldly and suddenly said viciously: "If you don't listen, your mother will end up like her."
Yu Baoer was obviously frightened. After she returned from practicing calligraphy with Yuan Huai in his study that day, she was sick for several days and cried for her mother in her dreams.
After Lan escaped from the Eastern Palace, she married a wealthy businessman to help Sui Yuanhuai develop power outside. She was not by his side during the time when Sui Yuanhuai was most seriously burned. When she saw Yu Baoer, she felt as if she saw the little grandson of the emperor that she had taken care of. She felt so sorry for him that she begged Sui Yuanhuai to let Yu Baoer see his mother. However, Sui Yuanhuai only mocked her: "You frightened him sick by beating a maid to death? Aunt Lan forgot that when I was his age, I had just experienced the fire in the Eastern Palace."
Lan looked at the cold smile that appeared in Sui Yuanhuai's dark eyes, and finally did not dare to plead for Yu Baoer anymore.
Three days later, Yu Baoer gradually got better, but her temper became very dull. She didn't like to talk and didn't pay much attention to people. The only thing she had to do every day was to practice calligraphy.
Lan was afraid that the child would be frightened, so she ordered her servants to find some clever children for Yu Baoer to play with.
But Yu Baoer still ignored those children and just focused on her own things.
When Zhao Wen was in Qingping County, he was ordered to monitor Yu Qianqian's every move. Knowing that Yu Qianqian and her son had dealings with the Fan family, he boldly suggested to Lan that they bring the little daughter of the Fan family over to see if that would get Yu Baoer to speak.
Lan was obviously a little hesitant: "The child is now known to the outside world as the daughter of Marquis Wu'an, and is under strict supervision by the people in the palace. How can I bring her here to be a playmate for the young master?"
Zhao Wen asked, "The Crown Prince is close to His Highness and also likes the young master. If mother doesn't give it a try, how can she know that the Crown Prince disagrees?"
Lan looked at her son for a moment and said, "My dear, even if it's for the good of the young master, you have to ask His Highness first."
Zhao Wen lowered his head suddenly, "I was just worried that something might happen to the young master, so I was anxious for the moment."
Lan said: "Now the entire Zhao family's foundation is in your hands. Your decision is related to the survival of the entire Zhao family. Don't be confused."
Zhao Wen said respectfully, "My child, please remember your mother's teachings."
When Lan asked Sui Yuanhuai to eat again, he, who usually had a poor appetite, was eating with great interest. He only started eating after the waiter beside him had tasted every dish.
Lan took a look at the strange food on the table and knew that it was all made by Aunt Yu. The person who looked like a dough ball had an unusually stubborn temper. Lan had scolded her before, but she was unable to soften her temper.
Now he suddenly showed goodwill to Sui Yuanhuai, probably because he knew that Yu Baoer was sick and wanted to take this opportunity to see the child.
As for the courtyard where Aunt Yu was, it was surrounded and no one could get in or out. How did the news get in? It was obvious that the person in front of him did it on purpose.
Lan couldn't help but frown. She still didn't understand what Sui Yuanhuai was thinking about Aunt Yu. At that time, his health was getting worse and worse, and she was afraid of any accidents, so she selected several concubines for him.
Sui Yuanhuai understood what that meant. He felt disgusted, but in order to leave behind his bloodline, he still had to choose one to bear a child.
Lan sometimes thought that Sui Yuanhuai probably stopped trusting her completely from then on.
But if it happened again, she would still do the same. She is the Crown Princess' confidant. If the Emperor's grandson is no longer able to survive, she will make sure that he leaves some bloodline to continue the cause of revenge. Only in this way can she be worthy of the Crown Princess' spirit in heaven.
Among the batch of maids at that time, Sui Yuanhuai didn't like any of the bright and charming ones. He only chose Aunt Yu, who was as timid as a rabbit and was obedient and docile.
It was probably because she was frightened by his capricious temper. Aunt Yu was timid to begin with, and she had been in a daze since she had served him in bed. Later, she even fell seriously ill. People in the mansion talked about it behind her back, saying that she was frightened by Sui Yuanhuai.
Sui Yuan Huai dealt with those who gossiped about it, and wanted to deal with Aunt Yu as well. However, when the doctor examined Aunt Yu's pulse, he found that she was pregnant.
Aunt Yu was able to save her life, but after she recovered from her illness, her temperament seemed to have changed. She appeared to be well-behaved on the surface, but she was scheming behind the scenes. Not only would she run away when she got the chance, but even after being caught, no matter how angry Sui Yuanhuai was, she just tried to ensure that she lived a comfortable life to the greatest extent possible.
She was suffering from severe morning sickness so she would eat by herself in the small kitchen. Even though she was locked up, she would eat and drink as she pleased to take care of her body. She would not treat herself badly at all. When she saw an opportunity, she would disappear like a rabbit.
When Aunt Yu managed to escape with her seven-month-old belly several years ago, she coaxed Yuan Huai to live on the farm with her for a while to relax. She cooked the food herself but put drugs in the food. After the people on the farm were poisoned, she took her gold and silver jewelry and ran away with her trusted maid and a guard.
When Sui Yuanhuai woke up, he almost destroyed the entire farm, cursing that she was just a lowly maid, but he mobilized almost all his men to look for her. This search lasted for five or six years before he finally found her in a small place like Lin'an Town.
Lan thought that after he captured Aunt Yu and her son, given his temperament, he would probably kill the mother and keep the son. However, he just locked up the mother and son separately, neither mistreating them nor asking them too many questions. Apart from a few sarcastic remarks occasionally, it seemed that there was nothing else he did. Lan could not figure out what he was thinking for a while.
While eating with Yuan Huai, he noticed that Lan had been standing by the side, hesitant to speak for a while, so he asked, "Auntie Lan, is there anything you need from me?"
Lan didn't know whether it was wise to tell him about Yu Bao'er at this time, so she said with a stiff upper lip: "The young master's condition has not improved. I heard from Wen'er that when Yu Yi Niang was in Qingping County, she was on good terms with the Fan family. I was afraid... I thought that the youngest daughter of the Fan family happened to be at home, so why not... let her be the young master's playmate for the time being and see if his condition would get better."
Sui Yuanhuai didn't think Chang Ning would be able to return alive. Perhaps because she had a nice meal, she was in a good mood. He didn't want to fulfill the woman's wish and let her see her son so soon. He held his chin and thought for a moment, then suddenly smiled and said, "Aunt Lan has an idea. Let's go find Brother Qing."
When walking out of the room, Lan was still a little unwilling to believe it. Sui Yuanhuai today seemed to be much easier to talk to than before?
Sui Yuanqing brought Changning back to Prince Changxin's Palace and casually threw the child to the servants, asking them to take good care of the child and make sure the child would not starve or freeze to death. Lan asked Sui Yuanhuai to find a playmate for Yu Baoer, and Sui Yuanqing agreed without asking any questions.
Lan was led by the old woman to take Changning away. When she opened the door of the woodshed, she found a little girl curled up in the haystack. She looked like she hadn't washed for many days. Her hair was messy, her face was dirty, and her cheeks were a little red from being frozen. Her eyes were shockingly black and bright, and she looked at them as clearly and vigilantly as a deer's.
Lan came from the palace and had seen countless beauties in her life. When she saw this little girl, she was surprised for a moment. She thought that this little girl would become a rare beauty when she grew up.
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Jizhou.
Fan Changyu kicked away the thief guarding the dungeon door, and swung the black iron bone-chopping knife in his hand. Sparks flew and the padlock on the prison door fell to the ground.
The officers and soldiers behind her were out of breath and caught up with her: "Girl, don't run too fast, there are many bandits ahead..."
When the officers and soldiers saw the thieves lying all over the ground, groaning and moaning, they were stuck in the second half of their sentences.
Fan Changyu ignored the soldiers who were scheming behind him and entered the dark dungeon. He picked up the drugged child and looked at him while calling Changning's name.
There have been several cases of children being abducted and robbed in the city of Jizhou these days. The officers and soldiers handling the case said that a group of traffickers were taking advantage of the chaos to rob children.
Fan Changyu was worried that Changning had also been taken away by human traffickers. Holding on to a glimmer of hope, he had been following the soldiers to destroy human traffickers' dens these days.
Chang Ning was not found, but her reputation of killing people everywhere with a pig-killing knife had spread. Whenever she destroyed a den of kidnapped children or women, she would always be credited with first merit for her bravery in killing the enemy. Unfortunately, she was not a government official, so the government could only reward her with large sums of money.
Fan Changyu watched as the money in his pocket grew fatter day by day, but there was still no news from Changning, and he became extremely anxious.
After the government interrogated those traffickers, she learned that some children had been sold to different prefectures. Fan Changyu wrote down all the girls who matched Changning. She left half of the banknotes to Aunt Zhao, and took the other half of the banknotes and a few pig-killing knives, intending to cross several prefectures to find Changning.
In order to make it easier to find someone, the government officials suggested that she find someone to paint a picture of Changning.
Fan Changyu then remembered that she had a ready-made painting that the scholar had given her at home during the Chinese New Year, and she had it framed and hung it in her and Changning's room.
When she went home to look for it, she turned the house upside down but still couldn't find the painting.
Before, Fan Changyu was so preoccupied with other things that she had not thought about the painting at all. Now that the painting was missing, she suddenly became alert.
That painting isn't from a famous artist, so who would go out of their way to steal it?
Furthermore, after the Qingfeng Village massacre, Lin'an Town was basically a dead town. Almost no one would come to this town. Even if there were scoundrels who wanted to make money, they would pick up the spoils from the rich families and would not patronize these poor families in the west of the city.
After thinking it over, Fan Changyu was shocked to realize that the only person who could possibly have taken the painting away was the idiot who had been kidnapped by her that night. There was a high probability that he would come back and block the person hiding in the dry well!
The painting includes myself, Changning, and Yanzheng. Outsiders may easily mistake them as a family.
After all the people in Qingfeng Village were captured, only the idiot and a female bandit escaped. Could it be that they kidnapped Changning based on the painting and intended to take revenge on him?
Fan Changyu thought that there was no place for the crippled boy in Jizhou, and since he was originally a soldier in Chongzhou, he might run back to Chongzhou.
With the direction to find the person, she bought a horse that day and asked for directions along the way to Chongzhou.
The author has something to say:
Chang Ning (gestures): My sister can kick someone away with one kick, and chop off a bad guy’s head with one knife!
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I don’t want to reveal too much, but this article is labeled as a sweet story, so it’s impossible for the hero and heroine to be severely tortured!
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