Chapter 51 Son sues his father
"Yue Xing'a beat the drum to accuse Longkodo of favoring his concubine and harming his wife..."
"Nonsense!" Before Liang Jiugong could finish speaking, Tong Guowei couldn't help but interject, turning to Kangxi and reporting, "Your Majesty, Yue Xing'a is young and ignorant, causing a scene in court over some family matters. It is truly my fault for failing to properly educate him. I will take him back immediately and punish him properly..."
“No rush,” Kangxi interrupted Tong Guowei, not giving him a chance to cover up, “Liang Jiugong, continue.”
"Yes, Yue Xing'a said he'd rather endure thirty strokes of the cane than not appeal. Even if it means bearing the stigma of 'a son suing his father,' he'd still fight for his mother's life."
“My daughter-in-law is merely ill and has no interest in worldly affairs. Longkodo is simply being foolish, favoring his concubine over his wife, but how could it have come to this? Yue Xing’a is ignorant…”
"Tong Guowei!" Kangxi's angry rebuke woke Tong Guowei up. Realizing his mistake, Tong Guowei suddenly knelt down and burst into tears in front of Kangxi.
"Your Majesty, I am guilty. Yue Xing'a's actions have gone too far. With the sounding of the drum for petitioning the emperor, so many people in the court are paying attention, yet he insists on bothering Your Majesty with such a trivial matter. Where does this leave the Tongjia clan and Your Majesty's dignity? What an unworthy descendant! I have failed my sister's teachings..."
"Enough!" Kangxi was angry. He could understand Tong Guowei's panic, but that didn't mean he could allow Tong Guowei to continue using his mother's name.
His cold eyes fixed on Tong Guowei, then swept over the stiff, silent Longkodo. The warmth that once filled Kangxi's eyes was gone. Even if it was a family matter, he would investigate today to see what other outrageous things the Tongjia clan had done!
"Liang Jiugong, go and watch Yue Xing'a be executed. After thirty strokes, bring him to the palace. I want to see what could possibly force the young master of the Tongjia family to beat the Dengwen Drum for help!"
"Yes, sir!" Liang Jiugong bowed, understanding Kangxi's meaning. After thirty strokes of the cane, there would still be a normal Yue Xing'a who could go to the palace to file a complaint. He had always been good at controlling the degree of the caning.
Emperor Kangxi was furious, and Tong Guowei naturally dared not speak. One thing after another happened, and Tong Guowei became exhausted and lost his former shrewdness. Looking at Longkodo, who remained silent even after learning of the "son accusing his father," and was even more stiff than before, Tong Guowei gradually had a bad feeling.
To be honest, he never interfered in matters concerning the inner quarters of the household, let alone his son's. He tried hard to recall, and indeed, he hadn't seen Longkodo's principal wife for quite some time. His wife had told him she was unwell and had been recuperating at home, so Tong Guowei didn't suspect anything. After all, Hesheli was his wife's niece and Longkodo's cousin; no matter how much Longkodo favored his concubine over his wife, there was still some affection between them.
Judging from Yue Xing'a's state today, what exactly did Longkodo do? What role did his wife play in all of this? It feels like the Tongjia clan is doomed to fall at Longkodo's hands...
Regardless of what Tong Guowei was thinking, soon after, Yue Xing'a, with bloodstains on his back and a pale face, was helped into the hall by Liang Jiugong and his men.
"Your humble servant Yue Xing'a greets Your Majesty. Long live the Emperor!"
The fifteen- or sixteen-year-old boy, enduring the pain, respectfully kowtowed and bowed to Emperor Kangxi. Judging by his appearance alone, he did not seem at all like someone who was arrogant and unreasonable.
"Yue Xing'a, do you know what matters warrant beating the Dengwen Drum?" Kangxi asked sternly, looking at the young man below.
"This servant knows that unless it is a matter of great importance to the military and the state, or a case of a great injustice or tragedy, the drum must not be beaten; otherwise, it will be dealt with as a serious crime." Yue Xing'a spoke clearly and frankly, word by word.
"Since you know this, why are you beating the drum over a family matter? Aren't you afraid I will punish you with death?" Kangxi continued to press.
"Your Majesty, before coming here, Yue Xing'a had already disregarded life and death," Yue Xing'a raised his head, glanced at everyone in the hall, lingered for two seconds on Longkodo who stood silently with his head down beside him, ignored Tong Guowei's resentful and warning gaze, and finally faced Kangxi, boldly saying, "Your Majesty, this servant accuses you of not only a family matter, but also a tragedy. As a son, I am afraid of power, cowardly and incompetent, and can only watch helplessly as my birth mother suffers. Yue Xing'a is restless day and night. Today, no matter the outcome, I only beg Your Majesty to save my mother's life."
Yue Xing'a kowtowed deeply, his voice choked with emotion, tears streaming down his face. Everyone who saw him suddenly felt heartbroken, and for some reason, they were moved by his powerful, selfless act of saving a life.
"A tragedy? Explain yourself clearly. Whose power were you intimidated by, and how was your mother harmed?" Kangxi glanced coldly at Longkodo and Tong Guowei, but moved by Yue Xing'a's heartfelt desire to save his mother, his attitude towards him softened slightly.
"Your Majesty, this servant was afraid of my biological father's power and the authority of the Tongjia..." Yue Xing'a choked back tears, looking at his grandfather who dared not speak out, his heart filled with a mixture of pleasure and pain. "Ever since Father forcibly took Guo Luo Mafa's concubine Li Si'er, he has doted on and indulged her in every way. Because Mother had previously obstructed her identity, Li Si'er bullied Mother in every way, and Father deliberately protected her. So much so that... so much so that when this servant found out, Mother had actually... had actually been turned into a human pig by Li Si'er..."
"What?" Yinzhi exclaimed in surprise. At this moment, Kangxi could no longer care about what he said. Everyone looked at Yue Xing'a and Longkodo in shock.
Tong Guowei, too, swayed uncontrollably, feeling dizzy and disoriented. He looked at Yue Xing'a in disbelief and asked in a trembling voice, "Yue Xing'a, what are you saying?"
Yue Xing'a could no longer conceal his anger. His hateful gaze swept over Tong Guowei and landed on Longkodo. He described the scene painfully, word by word: "She cut off my mother's limbs, put her in a jar, gouged out her eyes, cut out her tongue, and kept her alive with drugs, torturing her every single day..."
In the end, Yue Xing'a broke down in tears, collapsed to the ground, and wept bitterly. Tong Guowei, standing beside him, also slumped to the ground, his face pale. Only Longkodo remained kneeling in place, unmoved.
"Longkodo!" Yinreng strode forward and kicked Longkodo to the ground, his anger blazing.
"Baocheng!" Kangxi called out, but didn't reprimand him further. After all, it was no wonder Yinreng was angry that Longkodo could do something so horrific and incomprehensible.
But when Yinreng turned around and looked at Kangxi, his eyes were red. Kangxi panicked and heard his beloved son say, "Father, Longkodo's primary consort is from the Hesheli clan..."
Upon hearing this, Kangxi instantly understood the reason for Yinreng's anger. His first wife, Yinreng's birth mother, Empress Renxiao, was from the Hesheli clan, and Longkodo's wife was also related to the Empress's family. Thinking of this, Kangxi became even angrier.
Longkodo dared to treat his principal wife this way. Did he look down on Empress Heseri? Did he look down on his crown prince? Or even on him, the emperor? Recalling Longkodo's past rude and unruly behavior, Kangxi's anger intensified, and he began to question Longkodo and the loyalty of the Tongjia clan.
"Longkodo, do you have anything to say?"
"Your Majesty, I deserve to die." From the moment he entered the hall and knelt until now, Longkodo hadn't said a word, only pleading guilty. But the dejection in his voice was impossible to conceal.
He knew in his heart that once he admitted to intercepting the tribute in order to cover up the crime of "corrupting the harem," his guilt would be immense. But with his father around, he still held a glimmer of hope that there might be some room for maneuver.
But who knew Yue Xing'a would be so bold as to beat the petition drum and expose how Si'er had turned Hesheli into a human pig? Longkodo knew that now no one could save him. But losing him alone was better than losing the entire clan. It was just a pity for his father's painstaking cultivation, and the Tongjia clan would also decline considerably because of him…
"Tong Guowei, what a fine son you've raised!"
"My lord, you are guilty."
Tong Guowei prostrated himself on the ground, tears streaming down his face. The glory of the Tongjia clan had come to a complete end today…
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