Chapter 9: Progress Bar for Becoming a Regular Employee 1/100
Su Zhenzhen felt like her brain was about to explode, not only because the sentence contained a lot of information, but also because the comments in her mind were going crazy.
“So…” Su Zhenzhen pointed her flashlight at the old man, “Your two families have a good relationship, but you’ve never interacted. Are you afraid that Hensheng’s background will be discovered? Does your mother know Hensheng’s mother?”
“My mother was a noblewoman who often went to the palace to pay her respects to the Empress. Hensheng’s appearance was exactly the same as that of the Empress of the previous dynasty.”
Without Su Zhenzhen pressing him for details, Xu Hua confessed everything.
It turns out that their family did not flee north to escape the disaster, but secretly escorted Hensheng to seek refuge with General Huo.
Xu Hua did not go to the border to steal cattle and sheep from the Hu people, but instead raised a group of private soldiers there, all of whom were loyal to the former imperial family.
Hearing this, Hensheng was completely stunned. "I...I thought...I was General Huo's orphan, adopted by my father. I never imagined I was carrying the weight of so many lives on my shoulders..."
The answer was obvious. Su Zhenzhen concluded, "Your mother harbors resentment, doesn't she? Although her life is much better than that of a farmer now, it's probably far worse than when she was a noblewoman. You're secretly raising a private army, which is like holding a knife to your throat. Your mother doesn't want to live in constant fear. Besides, if you fail, everyone connected to you will die. Your cousin will be no exception, and then the Hu family line will truly end."
Since the murderer was a close relative, Xu Hua's close relatives must be his wife and mother.
Xu Hua looked sad. "I could guess, but I didn't dare. My mother also comes from a prestigious family. She shouldn't have been so confused about the difference between the nation and her family."
As Xu Hua finished speaking, the causal thread that had been wrapped around him was untied.
Xu Hua suddenly felt lighter. "Am I going to be reincarnated?"
Su Zhenzhen nodded. Once the wronged person understands their grievances, they will be free from all ties in this world.
Xu Hua's injustice lies in the fact that his biological mother abandoned him for the sake of the family line.
He had more or less guessed it before, but he had numbed himself until Su Zhenzhen woke him up and he finally understood everything.
"Can I see my mother one more time? I don't blame her, but I want to say something to her."
Su Zhenzhen readily agreed to this request, but there was still one question: "How did General Huo die?"
I've already closed one deal tonight; it would be even better if I could close another one.
Xu Hua shook his head. "When our family arrived here, General Huo had already died in battle."
Su Zhenzhen looked at the old man again, who lowered his head helplessly.
“All I know is that General Huo died in battle outside the Great Wall. Before that, he secretly came to see me and said that someone would soon send me a child. This child is of great importance and could lose his life if I’m not careful. If I’m afraid, he’ll pretend he never came. I’m grateful to General Huo for saving my life, so I promised to raise the child.”
Hensheng was stunned when he heard this. Then, remembering what Old Mrs. Xu had said about being dead at birth, he hurriedly asked, "Was I still alive when you saw me?"
Xu Hua looked at the distant horizon and recalled the past, "When the Empress gave birth, the rebel army surrounded the palace. My mother and several ladies used the excuse of visiting the palace to bring you out in a food box. Perhaps you were cooped up for too long, because your face turned purple. But the Huo family's maids were not giving up and took you to the north. My father was worried and brought his whole family to cover for you."
Old Man Bai continued, "When I saw you, you seemed to have stopped breathing. At that time, an old man with a white beard passed by and touched you a few times, and you immediately burst into tears. He picked a spot and told me to build a thatched hut there. As long as you didn't leave the hut, you could grow up safely."
Su Zhenzhen now understands. Perhaps that thatched hut was indeed a feng shui treasure, but it was probably more due to the imperial bloodline in Hensheng's body. No wonder those annoying comments would fade away as soon as he got close.
Xu Hua looked at Hensheng as if he were an elder looking at a junior, "Child, don't feel pressured. It is our duty as subjects to be loyal to your father and your Jiang family dynasty."
As dawn broke, Su Zhenzhen, too lazy to drag it out any longer, said, "Alright, I'll take you to see your mother. You two stay here quietly."
The situation down the mountain might not be optimistic, but Su Zhenzhen has had her body optimized, so climbing over walls is no problem for her.
When they arrived at the Xu family's house, the old lady was chanting Buddhist prayers in her room. When she saw Su Zhenzhen, she was about to call out to her when her son floated out.
"mother."
The old lady stopped fiddling with her prayer beads.
Su Zhenzhen added, "Your son is about to be reincarnated, so hurry up and say what you need to say."
Grandma Xu's voice trembled, "You...you knew everything?"
Xu Hua wanted to kneel down before his elderly mother, but his feet couldn't touch the ground. "Mother, after I'm buried, please let Chunzhi and Hu Yong get married so they can carry on the Hu family line. Apart from the portion of our Xu family's property that I used to support my private army, the rest is with Chunzhi. She's a filial daughter and will definitely serve you until the end."
Tears welled up in Old Mrs. Xu's eyes. "How could you be just like your deadbeat father! When the dynasty fell, even the emperor couldn't do anything about it. Why did he lead his whole family down a path to death? Do you know how much suffering your mother has endured in her life while fleeing from war? Wouldn't it have been better to stay in the capital and become a surrendered official?"
"Mother, stop talking. You won't have to live in fear anymore. Please let that child go. He doesn't know anything."
Old Mrs. Xu was in tears. "You father and son are both scoundrels! You only care about your reputation before and after death, and you don't care about your family at all."
Xu Hua looked at Su Zhenzhen with a hint of apology, "My mother is not an ignorant woman, otherwise she would not have gone north with my father. It's just that too many people died along the way."
Since so many people have already died, why are they still making such a fuss? I don't know what they're trying to achieve.
Su Zhenzhen didn't understand. "Alright, let's get going now that we've finished talking."
Xu Hua looked at the old lady again, "Mother, your son is leaving. Please take care of yourself."
Seeing this, Su Zhenzhen didn't hesitate at all. In front of the old lady, she opened the Cycle of Reincarnation and sent Xu Hua inside.
Finally, Mrs. Xu couldn't hold back her sobs and burst into tears, "A life for a life! Arrest me! I'm afraid my son will be scared on the road alone."
Su Zhenzhen couldn't help but gasp, "You weren't afraid of your son being scared when you cut off his head, but now that he's been reincarnated, you're afraid he'll be scared?"
Grandma Xu cried her heart out, but Su Zhenzhen didn't care and happily watched the progress bar show 1/100.
Wow, I finally closed a deal, although this deal had a lot of problems and was quite troublesome.
Su Zhenzhen went up the mountain in a good mood to find Old Man Bai and his son. Hensheng was a treasure, with imperial blood. With him by her side, her cultivation would be twice as effective.
When the old man and his son were nowhere to be found, Su Zhenzhen searched around and was so angry she almost vomited blood.
Hensheng was hanging from a tree, out of reach of the old man Bai. When he saw Su Zhenzhen, he looked at her as if she were his savior.
"Gods, please save him!"
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