Chapter 133 The Scholar Who Favored His Concubine Over His Wife (Twenty-Five) Pursuing Pure Love...
In the fourteenth year of the Wenyuan era, in the capital.
In the Tao residence, Tao Baichuan strode over and bowed to Tao Wang at the head of the table, saying, "Father, His Highness the Fourth Prince has sent someone to deliver tonics again."
"I won't accept them. Send them back." Tao Wang said indifferently without even looking up.
"Yes, Father," Tao Baichuan replied, turning to leave. But then, as if remembering something, he bowed again and said, "Father, the situation in the court is currently unclear. In recent years, the Fourth Prince's power has grown significantly. Won't your continued rejection of him...?"
Before he could finish speaking, Tao Wang finally raised his head and interrupted him wearily: "Baichuan, I am but a nobody scholar. Do you know why His Highness the Fourth Prince treats scholars with such respect?"
Tao Baichuan was puzzled by this very matter, and now that his father had brought it up, he readily replied, "I don't know."
Seeing that Tao Wang remained silent, staring blankly at the ancient book in his hands, Tao Baichuan couldn't help but ask, "Father, please explain in detail. Why does His Highness the Fourth Prince value you so much?"
"Because he wants me to act as his envoy to Qizhou City to persuade Song Ce to surrender," Tao Wang said calmly.
Tao Baichuan's Adam's apple bobbed, and he couldn't help but ask, "But Qizhou City is a thousand miles away from the capital. How can Your Highness be so sure that Father can persuade that rebellious minister of Qizhou?"
"Traitor? My son Baichuan, do you think so too?" Tao Wang looked up at Tao Baichuan, his expression unreadable.
"I..." Tao Baichuan was taken aback, vaguely sensing that his father's relationship with this Lord of Qizhou was not simple. He knelt down, bowed his head and said, "It is not so. It is just that people in the capital are just following the crowd. I was just speaking carelessly. Please punish me, Father."
"Enough, enough." Tao Wang sighed softly and said gently, "Baichuan, get up. Remember, Qizhou City's current glory is all thanks to Song Ce. And Song Ce's current status is entirely due to his own abilities."
"Yes, son thanks father for his teachings," Tao Baichuan said respectfully, sitting at the lower end of the table.
"Just now you asked your father why the Fourth Prince was so sure that I could persuade Song Ce. It's all because when I was teaching in Dacheng County, I had a teacher-student relationship with Song Ce. Back when Qizhou was not yet independent, on the day he proposed marriage, it was I who personally took him to the Liu family; during the wedding ceremony, he also honored me as the head of the family." At this point, Tao Wang's eyes softened.
Tao Baichuan was the adopted son of Tao Wang when he came to the capital. Over the years, Tao Wang had devoted himself to raising him alone. However, Tao Baichuan rarely heard him mention anything about what happened before Tao Wang came to the capital. Today, Tao Wang spoke up, so Tao Baichuan listened quietly.
“When I first met him, he was a boy about your age. There were nineteen students in the school, and he wasn’t outstanding. But he was hardworking. While other children could memorize an article after reading it ten times, he would read it a hundred times.” Tao Wang’s gaze fell on Tao Baichuan, and he said softly, “You are just like him back then.”
"My son is dull-witted and has disappointed his father..."
Tao Wang shook his head and said gently, "Baichuan, you have been by my side all these years, and I have seen your pure heart and upright character. I have never been disappointed in you. Since you have learned some of the ways of the sages from me, you should know that a person should be like a clear spring in the mountains, and not drift with the tide." As he spoke, he got up and walked to the window, looking at the dark sky outside, and continued, "In the current court of the Great Wei, various forces are fighting endlessly. The eldest prince, Xiao Yunqi, went to his fiefdom two years ago and has already been out of the game; the third prince, Xiao Yunshan, has been bedridden for three years and has not yet recovered. Therefore, the fourth prince's current behavior is nothing more than trying to make me work for him and help him ascend to the highest position in the future."
"Yes, son has learned his lesson." Tao Baichuan stood up and bowed.
As the father and son were talking, the distant sounds of six ceremonial bells and drums drifted over.
"Father, this is..." Tao Baichuan exclaimed in surprise.
Tao Wang closed his eyes, sighed deeply, and then said, "His Majesty in the palace has appointed a Crown Prince and announced it to the world with six bells and drums. It seems that this Fourth Prince has now become the Crown Prince."
After a long while, Tao Wang opened his eyes and suddenly asked, "Baichuan, are those people who brought gifts still in the manor?"
"Still there."
“Alright, go and accept the gifts, and politely ask them to leave the residence,” Tao Wang said.
"Father, are you... agreeing to the Fourth Prince, no, His Highness the Crown Prince?" Tao Baichuan's expression changed immediately, and he asked in a low voice.
“Now that he is the Crown Prince of Wei, I am but a scholar without an official position. How can I possibly contend with him? Go and tell the servants to pack our things. Tomorrow, my son and I will leave the city and go to Qizhou together.”
“Father…” Tao Baichuan was about to say something, but Tao Wang waved his hand to interrupt him, “Baichuan, go ahead.”
"Yes, Father."
After Tao Baichuan left the study, Tao Wang touched the inkstone on his desk and murmured to himself, "My trip to Qizhou is not to help someone pacify the region, but... to see my student."
The next morning, as the carriage pulled out of the main gate of the Tao residence, a light drizzle was falling. Tao Baichuan lifted the carriage curtain, glanced back at the increasingly smaller Tao residence, and felt a surge of unease.
The carriage traveled along South Street and had just turned a corner when it suddenly heard the sound of horses' hooves from behind. Soon, a pair of well-equipped soldiers blocked its path; the leader was none other than Zhang Ruochong.
"Mr. Tao, you're leaving so soon?" Zhang Ruochong sneered and said, "His Highness the Crown Prince specially prepared travel expenses for you." As he spoke, he waved his hand, and two nimble soldiers carried a box forward and placed it in front of the carriage.
Tao Wang lifted the carriage curtain and calmly said, "I thank Your Highness for your kindness. However, my journey to Qizhou is long, and carrying this box would only be a burden. Please convey to Your Highness that I appreciate your kindness."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Ruochong crossed his arms and stared intently at Tao Wang, his eyes full of scrutiny. He said, "Mr. Tao, this box contains His Highness the Crown Prince's heartfelt gifts. If you don't accept them, I'm afraid I won't be able to explain myself."
As soon as he finished speaking, the soldiers behind him unconsciously tightened their grip on their weapons, and the atmosphere instantly became tense.
Tao Baichuan's heart tightened at the sight. He was about to speak when Tao Wang stopped him with a raised hand. Tao Wang slowly stepped down from the carriage and stood in front of Zhang Ruochong, saying neither humbly nor arrogantly, "I am honored by His Highness the Crown Prince's favor, and I humbly accept it."
Zhang Ruochong nodded slightly and laughed heartily, "That's only right. However, since the journey to Qizhou is long and arduous, you should travel light." As he spoke, he looked at the white-robed youth sitting upright in the carriage and said casually, "Your son is still young. Why don't you stay in the capital this time? Rest assured, His Highness the Crown Prince will certainly take good care of your son."
Tao Wang glanced at Tao Baichuan's uneasy expression inside the carriage, his knuckles turning white. He lowered his eyes and bowed, saying, "My lord, my son is naturally unruly and stubborn, and I fear he may disturb His Highness the Crown Prince's peace. I wish to take him with me on this trip to Qizhou to broaden his horizons. I beg you, my lord..."
Before Tao Wang could finish speaking, Zhang Ruochong raised his hand to interrupt him, coldly saying, "Mr. Tao, have you forgotten? Qizhou City is now occupied by rebels. It is truly inappropriate for your son, such a precious and noble young man, to go and suffer with you, sir." As soon as he finished speaking, four soldiers approached the carriage.
Tao Wang took a deep breath, and when he looked up, a smile had returned to his face: "If you insist on doing so, please allow me to say goodbye to my son."
“Of course.” Zhang Ruochong ordered his men to step back a few steps, giving the father and son enough space.
Tao Wang walked slowly to the carriage and gently pulled back the curtain. Tao Baichuan looked at his father's pale face, his throat tightened, and he forced back his tears.
The drizzle outside the car had soaked through Tao Wang's clothes, but he was oblivious, staring intently into Tao Baichuan's eyes.
"Baichuan, no matter what happens in the capital, don't act impulsively." Tao Wang's voice was very soft. "My son, remember, living is more important than anything else. No matter what you do in the future, your father will not blame you. Your father only asks that you live."
Tao Baichuan nodded, then suddenly reached out and grabbed Tao Wang's hand, his knuckles turning white from the force: "Father, I remember."
Tao Wang forced a smile and whispered, "Alright, you stay in the capital and find a way to survive. I will definitely come back to save you."
“Yes,” Tao Baichuan replied, his voice choked with emotion.
Just then, Zhang Ruochong's calm voice came from behind the father and son: "Mr. Tao, it's getting late."
Tao Wang nodded slightly, then gave Tao Baichuan a final, deep look before turning to Zhang Ruochong and bowing, saying, "Since His Highness the Crown Prince values him, my son will remain in the capital for the time being. I will trouble you to take care of him in the future."
"Rest assured, sir." Zhang Ruochong waved his hand, and Tao Baichuan was led onto horseback by a soldier.
The sound of carriage wheels rolling over the official road and dirt track, mingling with the patter of rain, gradually drove away from the capital. Tao Wang sat listlessly in the carriage, staring at the box sent by His Highness the Crown Prince, remaining silent for a long time.
Qizhou City was far from the capital, and it took the carriage more than twenty days to finally catch a glimpse of the city walls in the distance. Tao Wang lifted the curtain and looked out, only to see that the city walls were much more imposing than he remembered, with more than a dozen brightly colored flags flying on top, fluttering in the north wind.
An hour later, the carriage arrived at the gate of Qizhou City.
Several burly guards armed with muskets surrounded them. The commander of the guards sized up Tao Wang and his party and asked loudly, "Where are your identification documents?"
Tao Wangqiang suppressed his nervousness and smiled, "Sir, I am from Qizhou. I have come here to visit relatives and friends."
"Relatives or friends?" The guard commander frowned slightly and asked, "If you're seeking refuge, what proof do you have?"
Before Tao Wang could reply, Song Shan, accompanied by several guards, hurried over from not far inside the city and respectfully bowed to Tao Wang, saying, "Is this Master Tao? You have asked me to wait here for a long time!"
Upon seeing Song Shan, the guard commander immediately took a step back, cupped his hands in greeting to the two of them, and said, "So you are the distinguished guests of Young Master Song! Please come in! We were unaware of your identity, sir, and apologize for any offense we may have caused." After saying this, he personally stepped forward to help remove the barricades in front of the carriage.
"It's alright." Tao Wang didn't put on airs. He nodded slightly to the guard commander, then cupped his hands in greeting to Song Shan before instructing the driver to take the group into the city.
The carriage slowly entered Qizhou City. Tao Wang lifted the curtain and peered around. He saw pedestrians coming and going, shops lining the streets, and bursts of laughter echoing from teahouses and taverns—a bustling and lively scene. Looking at the prosperous sight before him, he was secretly astonished. He hadn't expected Qizhou City to change so much in just a few years.
Just then, the carriage stopped in front of a low-key yet grand mansion. Song Shan quickly stepped forward, lifted the curtain, and said respectfully, "Master Tao, we have arrived. The master is already waiting inside."
Tao Wang smiled slightly, straightened his clothes, and calmly stepped out of the carriage. As soon as he entered the mansion, he saw a young man in a blue robe walking briskly from the other end of the corridor.
The man had a handsome face and a tall, upright posture. Although he was not yet thirty, he exuded a calm and composed demeanor.
"gentlemen!"
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Author's Note: Only a few more chapters left until the end! [Sprinkling flowers]
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