Chapter 185 The Noble Young Master of a Marquis's Family (The End) The Noble Young Master's Revenge and Love Story...
The next day at noon, Emperor Yongshou was reviewing memorials in the palace when Liu Yezi, the chief eunuch who had served him since childhood, hurried into the palace and knelt down to pay his respects before even reaching the steps.
"Your Majesty, a guard stationed at the farm on the outskirts of the capital has sent an urgent report that the Second... Young Master died in the middle of last night."
Now that Zhao Xuanhong has been demoted to a commoner and stripped of his princely status, it is clearly inappropriate for him to still address him as "Your Highness." Liu Yezi pondered this matter for a long time before coming up with such a fitting title.
Emperor Yongshou paused, his vermilion brush leaving a conspicuous stain on the memorial. He remained silent for a long time before slowly closing the memorial in his hand and saying in a deep voice, "Why so suddenly? When I last saw him, although he seemed dejected, his complexion was still acceptable."
Liu Yezi lowered her head slightly and hurriedly replied, "Your Majesty, this morning, a tenant farmer from the neighborhood came to deliver the vegetables he had ordered a few days ago to the Second Young Master. When he knocked on the door, no one answered. The farmer saw that the estate gate was ajar, so he went in and saw the Second Young Master and Second Madam lying in the courtyard, both of them choking each other, their bodies stiff. The guards came to report that the Second Young Master's eyes were open until he died, as if he died with his eyes open!"
Emperor Yongshou stared at the memorials on his desk for a long time before saying, "...In that case, let's send someone to bury him."
Liu Yezi hurriedly kowtowed repeatedly, saying ingratiatingly, "Your Majesty is merciful, this servant will go and do it right away." Before she finished speaking, she had already bowed and retreated.
A few days later, Zhao Xuanhong and Sun Qing'er woke up one after the other in a dilapidated thatched hut.
Zhao Xuanhong stood up, leaning on the wooden stick beside him. He looked at Sun Qing'er, who was slowly waking up, and couldn't help but smile coldly. He raised his finger and was about to say something when he was horrified to find that he couldn't make a sound!
Sun Qing'er opened her eyes amidst a violent coughing fit, feeling a burning pain in her throat. She instinctively tried to cry out, but only managed a series of gasping sounds.
The two stared at each other, their eyes wide. Suddenly, Zhao Xuanhong lunged at Sun Qing'er like a madman, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her violently, emitting angry whimpers. Sun Qing'er slapped him back, and the two began to wrestle, but the lack of sound made the struggle all the more bizarre.
Sunlight streamed through the wooden window of the thatched hut and fell on the two of them. Sun Qing'er suddenly remembered the cold look in Yueying's eyes when she fed them medicine that night... It wasn't until Zhao Xuanhong grabbed her neck tightly that she came to her senses, and stars flashed before her eyes.
Just then, a series of soft footsteps sounded outside the courtyard. The next moment, the door was gently pushed open.
Sun Qing'er and Zhao Xuanhong looked in the direction of the sound and saw Song Ce, dressed in a long blue and white robe, walking in slowly with a hint of aloofness and coldness between his brows. The two of them were stunned when they saw Song Ce, and then stopped fighting.
Zhao Xuanhong's eyes widened in disbelief. He reached out to grab Song Ce's sleeve, but was stopped by the guards waiting beside him. Sun Qing'er looked at Song Ce, her eyes filled with complex emotions—guilt, regret, and a faint hope that she herself couldn't quite put her finger on.
"Second Prince, Miss Sun," Song Ce said, his voice calm and even, "Today, I have come to see you one last time."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Xuanhong let out a resentful sob. He struggled desperately to say something, but in the end, he could only utter some meaningless sounds.
Sun Qing'er shook her head desperately, tears welling up in her eyes again. She knelt down with a thud and began kowtowing repeatedly to Song Ce, sobbing as she tried to express her apology.
Song Ce walked over slowly, his feet treading on the dust that had accumulated in the thatched hut over the years. His gaze swept over Zhao Xuanhong's flushed face and Sun Qing'er's tear-streaked cheeks, and he said indifferently, "You don't need to waste your energy. That's a mute drug. In less than twelve hours, your voices will be completely ruined."
Upon hearing this, Sun Qing'er suddenly fell silent. She looked up at Song Ce, gesturing with difficulty, and making indistinct syllables in her throat, as if asking him why he did this.
Song Ce glanced at her, his expression utterly indifferent. "The cycle of heaven is inescapable; good and evil will be rewarded accordingly."
Sun Qing'er's tears kept falling. She wanted to explain, to tell Song Ce that she was also forced into this situation, but her throat, unable to make a sound, left her only able to gesture in vain.
"You want to tell me that you know you were wrong?" Song Ce asked her casually.
Sun Qing'er nodded quickly upon hearing this.
Song Ce's expression remained calm, and his tone was even gentle: "No, you don't think you're wrong, but you know you're about to die."
Sun Qing'er: "..."
Just then, Zhao Xuanhong suddenly broke free from the guards' restraints and lunged straight at Song Ce. He was filled with resentment and wanted to tear the person who had ruined everything from him to pieces. However, before he could get close, Sun Qing'er let out a strange cry, grabbed a wooden stick from a short distance away, and swung it with all her might at the back of Zhao Xuanhong's head.
Zhao Xuanhong's eyes widened, his body swayed, and he slowly collapsed to the ground. He tried to shout, but could only let out a weak "hoarse" sound.
Soon, Zhao Xuanhong's gaze became unfocused. He turned his head and fixed his eyes on Sun Qing'er's terrified face.
Looking at Zhao Xuanhong lying motionless on the ground, Sun Qing'er trembled uncontrollably. The once high and mighty, arrogant second prince was now lying before her like a dead dog. She suddenly felt a surge of satisfaction and laughed silently as she lay on the ground.
"What a show."
Song Ce walked to her side, shook his head with a hint of regret, and said, "From now on, the two of you will have to rely on each other for survival. Such a cruel move is truly heartless." After saying that, he left unhurriedly with his guards.
Sun Qing'er's vain smile, which had been hoping to gain credit, froze on her face. She watched in horror as Song Ce pushed open the wooden door and slowly, slowly walked away...
No, no... no!
Sun Qing'er hurriedly crawled towards the door, but was dragged back by Zhao Xuanhong, who had somehow woken up. He endured the pain, pressed the wooden stick against her throat, and viciously uttered a few breaths in her ear.
"You...don't...think...about to...escape...don't...think..."
Sun Qing'er closed her eyes in despair, tears streaming down her cheeks and dripping onto Zhao Xuanhong's hand, one drop after another.
...
Before dawn, the wooden door of the thatched hut was violently pushed open from the outside.
"Get up, all of you! You lazybones! Get out here and get to work!" As soon as the words were spoken, the whip struck Zhao Xuanhong and Sun Qing'er hard.
Seeing the bewildered expressions on the two men's faces, the overseer, holding a long whip, raised his chin at his men with a stern expression.
The subordinates quickly responded and signaled to the brothers to take the two men out. After all, the master had spent ten taels of silver to buy these two mute men, so they should be put to good use.
And so, Zhao Xuanhong and Sun Qing'er were pushed outside in a panic. What they saw was a huge quarry and rows of emaciated, poorly clothed quarry workers.
"What are you two standing there for? Hurry up and move the stones!"
Zhao Xuanhong looked incredulous and started yelling "Waaah!"
When the foreman who followed him saw that he still dared to resist, he rolled up his sleeves and, in front of all the quarry workers, coldly whipped Zhao Xuanhong severely.
Sun Qing'er, who was standing to the side, turned pale with fright at the sight. She gritted her teeth and obediently followed the two female workers toward the mountain of stones.
Dust filled the quarry, and Sun Qing'er was assigned to move stones. The stones were large and heavy, and with each one she moved, the rough edges would leave bloody marks on her palms and shoulders. Before long, Sun Qing'er was already exhausted.
The overseer, who had been watching her intently from a distance, saw her stumble and nearly cause a nearby quarry worker to be hit by a rock. The overseer's face darkened, and he raised his hand and lashed Sun Qing'er hard with his whip.
"Work hard! Don't slack off!"
Finally, Sun Qing'er made it to noon. The foreman and his men carried wooden buckets and distributed food according to the number of people—it was all blackened cornbread. The quarry workers, exhausted from the day's work, didn't care about hygiene and grabbed the cornbread and stuffed it into their mouths. Sun Qing'er squatted in a corner, tried to take a bite, and found it hard and difficult to chew.
But she was so hungry that she could only swallow the food with difficulty, one bite at a time.
"You're new here, right? Here, have some water."
A hoarse voice rang in Sun Qing'er's ears. She looked up and saw an old woman with a frail face and tattered clothes.
Seeing that she didn't speak, the old woman continued, "If you don't eat your fill, how will you have the strength to work this afternoon? Was that man with you?" As she spoke, the old woman pointed to Zhao Xuanhong, who was hanging not far away.
Sun Qing'er took the water and nodded blankly.
"Heh, if you want to survive here, let me give you a piece of advice: you can't escape from this place. Don't waste your energy resisting. I've worked here for over ten years and have personally witnessed many people trying to escape under the cover of night and chaos, only to be caught and beaten half to death in the end. Some couldn't even endure it and died that very day."
Seeing Sun Qing'er's shocked expression, the old woman shook her head with a wry smile: "You, just accept your fate! Live one more day as long as you can." After saying that, she stood up, dusted herself off, and went back to work.
Sun Qing'er looked at the dirty water pouch in her hand, gritted her teeth and took a big gulp of water, secretly vowing in her heart that she would live, she must live.
So she worked hard and tried her best to impress. In just six months, she became the foreman's "person in charge." During the day, she no longer had to do heavy work at the quarry, but was responsible for distributing food to the quarry workers. At night, she had to use all her charm and put on a pathetic act to please the "master" who held the power of life and death over her.
And what about Zhao Xuanhong? As a former prince who was once high and mighty, he was unwilling to accept his fate and took advantage of the chaos to run away three times.
The first time, he was beaten half to death, but he survived. The second time, he was caught again and the overseer broke his right leg with a cold smile. The third time, the overseer's expression did not change. He simply ordered a large iron cage to be specially made and then threw Zhao Xuanhong into it like an animal.
The iron cage was less than three feet high, and Zhao Xuanhong could only huddle inside like a dog. During the day, the overseer would let him out to do the hardest work in the quarry, and at night, he would be sent back to the iron cage.
Three years passed like this, and Zhao Xuanhong never dared to leave the quarry again. Even his death was in the iron cage specially made for him.
...
Five years later, with the strong support of Emperor Yongshou, the reformists led by Song Ce began a large-scale political reform in the second year of Yongshou's reign, with the aim of developing production, enriching the country and strengthening the military, and focusing on financial management and military reorganization.
Also in this year, Song Ce and Sun Yiyao's daughter, Song Yiyi, was born.
This reform was a comprehensive overhaul of the legal system established since the founding of the Dai Viet Dynasty, eliminating long-standing problems. Over nine years, Song Ce reversed Dai Viet's long-standing poverty and weakness, reformed the civil service examination system, and emphasized talent, leading to Dai Viet's further prosperity.
It must be said that Emperor Yongshou was an extremely competent emperor. He not only adopted all of Song Ce's proposals, but also made the crown prince take him as his teacher, allowing him to follow Song Ce and learn all about politics.
After that, the emperor and his minister walked hand in hand for twenty years.
As the national treasury gradually filled up, the soldiers on the frontier were clad in silver armor, and the common people in the city had rosy complexions, even in years of great famine and drought, the people of Da Yue never went hungry again.
The triumphant Emperor Yongshou sat high on the dragon throne, looking down at Song Ce, who remained calm and composed, and smiled with fine lines appearing at the corners of his eyes: "The Great Yue is able to achieve what it is today thanks to Minister Song."
Song Ce bowed and said he dared not take credit, "Without Your Majesty's strong opposition, the reform would have been impossible."
Emperor Yongshou laughed heartily and gestured for Liu Yezi to bestow the brocade box on the imperial table upon Song Ce. He sighed and said, "I have carefully read the memorial you submitted yesterday. Now that the Crown Prince is capable of handling things independently, I will grant your request."
No one knew better than Liu Yezi what was inside the brocade box. He could only sigh inwardly, "Your Majesty... truly loves Lord Song so much that even after he resigned from his post, you still send him such a generous gift."
After resigning from his official post, Song Ce settled down at home to spend time with his parents, wife, and daughter. He saw off Princess Yongping and Song Zhixiao, and then bid farewell to Song Yiyi, who had become the Crown Princess. He smiled and said that the Great Yue Kingdom had a vast territory and must have beautiful and pleasant scenery. He wanted to take his wife, Sun Yiyao, to travel around and see the magnificent landscape of Great Yue with his own eyes.
Before leaving, Song Ce called Song Yiyi to his study. Looking at his daughter, who had practiced martial arts since childhood and was agile and graceful, he smiled slightly and handed her the brocade box bestowed upon him by Emperor Yongshou. Inside the brocade box lay a blank imperial edict bearing the emperor's seal.
Song Yiyi, who had never shed a tear even when she fell and got bruised in the training ground, looked at her kind father with red eyes and tears streaming down her face.
Although reluctant to part with his daughter who had been pampered since childhood, Song Ce had made every possible plan for her, down to the smallest detail.
As the Crown Prince's tutor, the Crown Prince, influenced by his thinking, never had the slightest intention of taking a concubine. After the Crown Prince ascended the throne, he promulgated laws that clearly required the people of Da Yue to practice the "one husband, one wife" system. Anyone who took a concubine in private would be considered "bigamy" and would be exiled for three years.
In this life, Sun Yiyao lived to a very old age, passing away peacefully at the age of eighty-two in a beautiful little town.
Song Ce brought his deceased wife back to the capital to return to her roots. He also looked at his happy daughter and three grandchildren. Seven days later, he passed away in a dream.
...
"Ding—Congratulations, host, on successfully completing the mission! Mission settlement is now in progress—This mission is 100% complete, 8000 Soul Energy points have been obtained, and 2 random reward items have been dropped: Skills: Unfailing Shot, 100% Hit*1 (unlimited), Fireworks*10; Title: Lofty Ambitions has been triggered, rewarding 500 Soul Energy points. Due to mission requirements, you will remain in the world until the end of your life, and no Soul Energy points will be deducted. Total Soul Energy points obtained from this mission: 8500, current total Soul Energy points: 25840."
Song Ce smiled after hearing this and said, "702, it seems the reward this time is quite generous! The fraction of it is almost equal to all the rewards from the first mission."
The mechanical voice of 702 paused for a moment before saying, "As the host's mission difficulty increases, the soul energy reward will naturally become higher and higher."
Song Ce nodded. "Okay, let's start the next mission!"
702: "Yes, host, the next mission is about to begin. Please prepare—"
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Author's note: [Keep it up!][Keep it up!][Keep it up!]
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