Chapter 379 Suicide
"We argued until we were red in the face, but someone who doesn't know the rules got there first."
"If only we hadn't argued about it, those good girls we saw, weren't they all better than any man?" Bigan slapped his thigh in regret. "We should have just let them all enter the palace and let them decide who became empress based on their own abilities. Now look what's happened, all our efforts have been in vain."
When the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits; they lose more than they gain.
"Come on, let's go see the King." Bigan grabbed Shang Rong and ran off. He wanted to see which powerful person could make the King act strangely and make an exception to bring people back to the palace, and it was a man at that!
"Alright, I don't believe that man is prettier than Su Hu's daughter. Your Majesty is still young and may lack self-control. Let's stay calm and not panic." Shang Rong was still very naive at this time, thinking that the king was just hunting for women and that it was no big deal.
If all else fails, he'll have Su Hu escort the girl to Chaoge. He refuses to believe that a beautiful young woman can't compare to a man.
…………Xiqi…………
Bo Yikao held a bamboo slip in his hand, facing the window. He had many words of advice for his father in his heart, and he wrote them down and sent them to his father's desk. Unfortunately, since he was placed under house arrest three days ago, his father has not come to see him even once.
With a creak, the interior door was gently pushed open.
"Xiaoman, I told you, I don't want to eat for the time being." Boyi Kao didn't even turn his head; he had no appetite.
Daji stood quietly behind Boyi Kao, who had become much thinner.
Why is there no sound? Bo Yikao quickly turned around, and upon seeing what was happening, he was stunned for a moment, "Daji..."
Su Daji walked to the opposite side of Boyi Kao and knelt down.
"Why have you come to Xiqi?" A hint of tenderness appeared in Bo Yikao's eyes as he glanced at the table. "Unfortunately, I am currently under house arrest by my father and have nothing to offer you."
“I came with my brother. He was just talking with the Marquis of Xibo. I came to find you secretly. The guards outside are all your personal guards. They know me, so they won’t stop me,” Su Daji said, looking at her fiancé with difficulty. “The Marquis of Xibo wrote a letter inviting my father to join him in a great undertaking, but my father…” declined.
"Please don't..." Boyi Kao closed his eyes tightly. Father, for your obsession, you even disregard your closest friends?
"Ah?" Su Daji's troubled expression vanished. "My father refused and sent my brother to persuade the Marquis of Xibo not to do anything foolish. When the ruler is righteous, his subjects should be loyal to him."
“That’s natural. I hope Quan Zhong can change Father’s mind.” A faint hope rose in Boyi Kao’s heart.
Su Daji bit her lip and remained silent.
"What's wrong?" Boyi Kao looked down at Daji beside him.
“My father said that if the Marquis of Xibo does not change his mind, he will not let me marry into the family of a traitor.” Tears welled up in Su Daji’s eyes. “Bo Yikao, the king is of marriageable age, and the family very much wants the Su family to produce a queen.”
In particular, Daji was incredibly beautiful and had a high chance of being chosen based on her looks.
Xiqi declared itself king and, taking advantage of the three-front war between Yin Shang and the Nine Yi, disregarded the lives of its people and started a war. Outside Xiqi's territory, it was met with a barrage of curses and its reputation plummeted.
Bo Yikao's face drained of color. After a long while, he said in a dry voice, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty is indeed excellent. If you become his queen, you will be a match made in heaven."
“But I love you. I don’t want to marry anyone but you, not even the wise and mighty king,” tears slid down Su Daji’s face. “Try your best to persuade the Marquis of Xibo to turn back from the wrong path, or, or you can atone for your crimes with good deeds. The king is wise and mighty and will not blame you.”
"Daji, what do you mean?" Bo Yikao was in a daze, yet a sliver of clarity returned.
“As the next Marquis of Xiqi, and having managed Xiqi for many years, if you surrender the city, you will still be the next Marquis of Xiqi. In order to appease Xiqi, the King will continue to let you be the Marquis of Xiqi, and we will not have to separate.”
Su Daji did not think Xiqi had a chance of winning. According to her father, the Marquis of Xibo was ambitious but overconfident, and would die sooner or later because of his own ambition.
Ji Chang's death is no big deal, but he rebelled and defied the king. The current king shows no leniency towards rebels. Boyi Kao must survive.
"Think it over carefully. I will wait for you in Jizhou, I will always wait for you." She waits for her young lover to come to Jizhou to marry her and bring her back to Xiqi.
Su Daji left, leaving Boyi Kao staring at the bamboo slips on the table. From sunset to moonrise, his eyes were filled with unyielding frustration and struggle. Warm memories of his childhood with his father surfaced in his mind. How could he bear to, and how could he make this decision, personally send his father on his way?
"Xiaoman..."
"Young Master, you've changed your mind and want to eat? That's wonderful! Xiaoman will tell the guards to bring the meal and have Yumo and the others come in to serve you." The surprise in Xiaoman's eyes was genuine.
"Wait, Xiaoman, let me ask you, did the Marquis of Xibo read the bamboo slips I asked you to deliver?" Boyi Kao still harbored a glimmer of hope.
“But the Marquis of Xibo has gone to attack Tongguan.” Xiaoman scratched the back of his head.
What?! Boyi Kao felt completely powerless.
"The bamboo slips that were sent were opened at first, but later, the Marquis of Xibo burned them without even looking at them." Xiaoman said indignantly. Their eldest young master was such a good person, much better than the two-faced second young master. What kind of taste did the Marquis of Xibo have?
“Burned…” Boyi Kao murmured to himself.
"Young master, you should apologize to the Marquis of Xibo. With the phoenix singing in Xiqi, the Marquis of Xibo will become the king in the future."
"Xiaoman, you don't understand. Go downstairs and personally go to the kitchen to keep an eye on things and make some of my favorite dishes. I don't like any of the food that's been sent over these past few days." Boyi Kao's face was ashen.
The image of the phoenix crying in Xiqi echoed in Bo Yikao's mind. Father, second brother, you really are ruthless.
Such a big thing, yet not a word of it reached his ears. Boyi Kao knew that only one person could have done this, and that was his second brother, Ji Fa, whom he had never been on guard against.
Even now, with this confinement, he can't see any of his trusted confidants; the only ones he can get close to are children like Xiaoman, who are neither too old nor too young.
Disheartened and feeling utterly desolate, Bo Yikao picked up his brush, dipped it in ink, and wrote his words of advice on the wall inside the room.
"The ruler should act like a ruler, the subject like a subject, the father like a father, and the son like a son... One who eats the king's food should do his duty to the king... I am ashamed to face the king..." Boyi Kao could not be disloyal to the king, could not be unfilial to his father, and could not be unkind to his brothers. The situation was such that he had no way to advance or retreat...
When Xiaoman and her maidservants pushed open the door to bring in the food, they saw Boyi Kao hunched over the table. Upon closer inspection, she was horrified, exclaiming, "The eldest young master has committed suicide..."
The guards outside the door started to panic...
Upon hearing the tragic news, Ji Chang rushed over, only to find Bo Yikao's corpse and a blood-stained sword.
"My son..." Ji Chang wept uncontrollably, "How could you be so foolish..."
“Brother…” Ji Fa’s legs went weak. He never wanted his brother to die.
“There are words on the wall, they are from my eldest brother.” Ji Fa never expected that even on his deathbed, his eldest brother still disapproved of his father’s decision, and even used his death to warn his father and persuade him to pull back from the brink.
Ji Chang suddenly looked up, gazing at the wall covered with images of loyalty to the ruler and Bo Yikao's admonitions. Half his spirit was instantly drained. "Bo Yikao..."
Ji Chang closed his eyes. Now that things had come to this, he had no choice but to regret it. Bo Yikao was not the only one who had no way out.
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