Is it revenge or gratitude?
Li Yuheng was almost driven crazy by the choice he faced. No matter who faced this situation, no one could remain absolutely rational.
Reason reminded Li Yuheng that sending Li Jun away might be his only chance. He believed that Li Jun could understand, after all, his parents also died at the hands of that corrupt official.
But on the other hand, emotions reminded Li Yuheng that driving a ten-year-old child out of the house would be like asking for his life.
A ten-year-old child has no survival skills at all.
Li Yuheng felt hot and cold all over, as if he had been split in half by an axe. His reason and emotions were clamoring wildly, making him wish he could die.
Ye Shuo on the other side seemed not to notice his pain and continued to urge him: "What's so difficult about choosing? At worst, you can just send your brother to a charity."
It sounded particularly easy for him to say this, which made it even more cruel.
The charity hall of the Zhou Dynasty was equivalent to an orphanage, which not only contained orphanages and nursing homes, but also other things. It could be considered an ancient version of an official charity organization.
Charitable organizations are not omnipotent no matter where they are located, especially in ancient times when productivity was so backward. Even if they could guarantee food and drink for the elderly and babies, their lives would definitely not be easy. That is why so many people would rather struggle for a living outside than go there.
Li Jun didn't become rich following Li Yuheng, but Li Yuheng's monthly salary was enough for the two of them to have enough food and clothing.
Thinking of this, Li Yuheng suddenly calmed down.
I believe that if my father’s friends were still alive, they would also feel that keeping their children well fed and clothed is more important than avenging him.
But inevitably, I will let my parents down.
"I'm sorry, Your Highness the Ninth Prince. Li Jun is my younger brother. I'm sorry that I can't..." As he said this, Li Yuheng's heart was bleeding. He only hated himself for being incompetent. He was afraid that he would not be able to avenge his parents and his whole family in this lifetime.
Perhaps because he was in so much pain, Li Yuheng spoke every word with great difficulty.
"Thank you, Ninth Prince, for your kindness..."
Ye Shuo watched the man speak just two sentences. After he finished speaking, he looked like he had been fished out of the water. He was sweating profusely and seemed to have exhausted all his strength. His eyes became empty and numb, like a walking corpse.
Ye Shuo was almost certain that something was wrong.
"Tsk, boring."
Just when Li Yuheng was sure that there was no room for maneuver in this matter, he heard the person above him suddenly ask: "By the way, how is your riding skill?"
Li Yuheng was stunned for a moment. Seeing that the Ninth Prince seemed a little impatient, although he didn't know what he meant, Li Yuheng still spoke faster than his brain and hurriedly replied: "Your Highness, I am very good at riding."
Li Yuheng was born into a wealthy family. Although he was a merchant and could not wear silk clothes, ride in a luxurious carriage, take the imperial examinations, or become an official, there was no hindrance for him to ride a horse.
When Li Yuheng was a teenager, his favorite thing was to go hunting and playing on horseback with his friends in the suburbs of the city. Looking back on those days, he felt very happy.
Li Yuheng also learned his riding skills at that time. Compared with the other guards of the Black Armor Guard who were born as commoners and had rarely seen a horse, he could naturally be considered an expert.
Unfortunately, Zhang Yuan and Zhang Wen were the kind of guards who had barely seen a horse, so when they accompanied Ye Shuo to practice horse riding, they were only there to protect him from getting hurt. As for controlling and riding the horse, that was really too difficult for them.
There are more than 10,000 Black Armor Guards in total, and there are only a few horses in the entire Great Zhou. People like Zhang Yuan and Zhang Wen are lucky enough to be able to practice riding two or three times a year. Others cannot demand too much.
So Ye Shuo asked again: "Do you know the skills of horse riding?"
Li Yuheng reacted and his heart started beating wildly.
Opportunities are rare and will never come again. Li Yuheng spoke decisively: "Your Highness, I understand!"
Ye Shuo: "Okay, then you can take Zhang Yuan's place and lead the horse for me."
The saying "When you are surrounded by mountains and rivers, you may think there is no way out, but when you turn around, you will find another village" is just like this. Li Yuheng was stunned for a moment, but after he reacted, his attitude was so cautious that it would not be an exaggeration to say that he was extremely careful.
Zhang Yuan did not hesitate and let go of his hand decisively. He knew his own limitations. In the horse riding competition in the military camp, Li Yuheng had won the top three for three consecutive years. The commander-in-chief praised him highly. Naturally, he was far inferior to him in riding skills, so it was reasonable.
However, there was something clearly wrong with the way Zhang Wen looked at Li Yuheng.
Ye Shuo did not waste this free labor that came to his doorstep. After thinking about it, he decided to maximize his role.
So Ye Shuo asked in a voice that only the two of them could hear: "What do you think of... Zhang Yuan?"
It turned out that he came to ask me for information.
Not only did Li Yuheng not doubt Ye Shuo's intention, but he had a feeling that "it's as expected".
No wonder the Ninth Prince suddenly called him out. It turned out that he wanted to find someone who knew the inside story to find out the situation.
The more Ye Shuo acted like this, the more it proved that the maid had importance in his heart, and the more Li Yuheng eagerly wanted to be selected and replace Zhang Yuan.
Although there are two maids, the competition is extremely fierce, so whoever can squeeze out one rival is considered a rival.
Zhang Yuan is different from Li Jun. Zhang Yuan has never done anything kind to him or their family, but Li Yuheng has no scruples at all.
In addition, Li Yuheng had no idea who had taken a fancy to him, so he was about to slander without thinking, but then he suddenly came to his senses.
It would be a disaster if fabricating something out of nothing was discovered, and deceiving the Ninth Prince is an even greater crime.
After thinking it over, Li Yuheng found that he could only tell the truth.
But there are some things to pay attention to when telling the truth. For example, if the rumors already exist among the Black Armor Guards, even if they are untrue, it is not your problem. You are just a messenger.
Just like that, Li Yuheng began to desperately recall what Zhang Yuan's shortcomings were, even if they were told to him by others.
However, after a long time, Li Yuheng sadly discovered that no one in the Black Armor Guard seemed to have said anything bad about Zhang Yuan. Everyone felt sorry for him. When he was young, his uncle's family had three daughters in a row and could not have a son, so they adopted him.
As a result, the next year, my aunt gave birth to a boy, and Zhang Yuan's position in the family suddenly became awkward.
In addition, the family was poor, and Zhang Yuan, who was eighteen or nineteen years old, was about to reach the age to get married, which was a huge expense. Compared with this labor force, the cost of marrying him a wife was higher. After much deliberation, his uncle's family finally decided to kick him out.
After Zhang Yuan had worked for his uncle's family for more than ten years, he was kicked out by his uncle's family.
His biological parents didn't want him, and his uncle's family exploited him and then ruthlessly abandoned him. He was considered one of the most miserable ones among the Black Armor Guards. Maybe it was a habit he developed since childhood, but Zhang Yuan always did more things than talked, and his personality even seemed a bit dull. For such a person, people would only say that he could endure hardships, so how could there be any other gossip?
Li Yuheng opened his mouth and after a long pause, he could only manage one sentence: "Zhang Yuan doesn't seem to like to talk much, and he's a bit rigid."
Strictly speaking, being taciturn and rigid is not a big problem. It is better than sweet talk but no action.
What's more, these two comments are somewhat exaggerated.
Given Li Yuheng's current level of urgency, if Zhang Yuan had any problems, he would point out every 30% of them.
As a result, Li Yuheng thought for a long time and said this. Ye Shuo probably understood that it seemed that Zhang Yuan was really honest.
But just listening is not enough, you have to see it with your own eyes to feel truly at ease.
Thinking of this, Ye Shuo suddenly squeezed the horse's belly, and the old horse accelerated almost instinctively.
"drive!"
Li Yuheng and the other two were caught off guard. After they realized what was happening, they hurriedly chased after him.
Ye Shuo didn't care at all, feeling the gentle wind passing by his ears. It was not until he ran a long way that he pulled the reins with skillful movements.
“Oh—”
Ye Shuo's impression on outsiders is that of a spoiled and naughty person, so this behavior is nothing new in the eyes of others.
When Li Yuheng and the other two caught up with them breathlessly, they saw Ye Shuo casually picking up two handfuls of the freshest green grass for the horse. It seemed that he was waiting for the horse to finish eating before continuing to play freely.
It was obvious that the Ninth Prince was in high spirits, and the reactions of the three people were also different.
Because the Ninth Prince had just said that if Li Yuheng didn't have a younger brother, he would have betrothed the maidservant beside the imperial concubine to him. Even the dumbest person would have figured out why the commander-in-chief only called out the two of them.
The most important thing at the moment is whether he can successfully marry the imperial concubine's maid. After weighing the pros and cons, Zhang Wen chose to turn a blind eye to Ye Shuo's actions, for fear of offending him.
Li Yuheng was the same. He was afraid of offending the Ninth Prince and dared not say a word. However, his skills were much more sophisticated than Zhang Wen's. While the Ninth Prince was not paying attention, he quietly touched the reins of the horse, preparing to find a way to chat with the Ninth Prince while quietly leading the man and horse back to the main force.
As for Zhang Yuan, he was much more direct: "Your Highness, you can't go any further. If His Majesty knew about this, I'm afraid he would blame you."
No matter what, the emperor's orders and the safety of the ninth prince are more important.
Hearing this, Zhang Wen looked at him as if he were a fool. It was not like he didn't know why the Ninth Prince had called them here, so why was he still -
Ye Shuo took in the reactions of the three people and found them extremely interesting.
Ye Shuo raised his eyebrows, his eyes darkened, and threatened: "Zhang Yuan, if you continue to behave like this, be careful or I will not assign my mother's maid to you."
The maidservants around the imperial concubine were polite and noble, and Zhang Yuan naturally yearned for them, but...
Zhang Yuan thought about it, and finally shook his head: "Your Highness, it's time for you to go back."
Ye Shuo pretended not to hear, and suddenly asked: "If your uncle or your biological parents come to visit you in the future, what will you do?"
Hearing the Ninth Prince suddenly mention his life experience, Zhang Yuan felt a sudden pain in his heart.
It is said that lucky people are healed by their childhood, while unfortunate people use their whole lives to heal their childhood. Even though Zhang Yuan is now in his twenties and is already an established figure in the outside world, he still finds it difficult to let go.
After a moment of silence, Zhang Yuan said, "Your Highness, those people and events have nothing to do with me."
He is crazy!
He doesn't even recognize his own parents!
It’s okay if it’s his uncle, but how could his biological parents not recognize him?
Zhang Wen was stunned, and felt that Zhang Yuan was simply committing treason.
His body and hair were given by his parents, how dare he harbor resentment? He should return his flesh and skin to them before saying this!
However, the next moment, the Ninth Prince suddenly burst into laughter.
"Zhang Yuan, I will remember what you said. I hope you can keep your promise in the future."
"One last question. If I betroth my mother's maidservant to you two, no matter what happens in the future, whether you are rich or poor, you are not allowed to have other women, let alone concubines. If so... can you do it?"
Your Highness is indeed planning this!
Zhang Wen was delighted and blurted out: "Of course!"
"It is a great fortune to be favored by the girl beside the imperial concubine. Zhang Wen dare not have any second thoughts!"
Zhang Yuan thought for a while before saying, "Your Highness, I can do it."
Perhaps because he had suffered too much in his childhood and adolescence, Zhang Yuan only hoped that he could marry an ordinary woman in the future, live an ordinary life, and have a real home. This would be enough for his life.
Ye Shuo nodded. Although he was very satisfied with his answer, he did not give him any guarantees at the moment.
But Zhang Wen...
Ye Shuo turned his head to look at him, but shook his head slightly.
What is blurted out without careful consideration is often nothing more than flattery. He made a promise casually today, and he will naturally break it in the future.
Zhang Wen was originally happy, but when he saw that the Ninth Prince didn't seem very satisfied with him, he immediately felt confused and had no idea what he had done wrong.
Soon, Ye Shuo stopped looking at him.
"No need to follow me, you two can go back first."
After driving Zhang Yuan and Zhang Wen away, Ye Shuo immediately set his sights on Li Yuheng: "Now you can tell me why you are so eager to climb up."
The Ninth Prince actually realized that he had looked back on purpose!
In this case, the Ninth Prince must have guessed that Li Jun was not his biological brother, so he deliberately asked those questions.
It's ridiculous that I claim to be smart. After just one encounter, the Ninth Prince saw through me.
If I had not kept my brother at that time, but chose to send him away——
Thinking about how he had been trying to show off in front of the Ninth Prince, Li Yuheng became terrified and broke out in a sweat. He could no longer hold on, his knees went weak, and he fell to his knees with a thump.
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