"puff--"
Wu Xian stared blankly at his eldest son for a long time, his eyes filled with nothing but unfamiliarity.
A sudden, sharp pain shot through his chest. The martial energy within his meridians, agitated by his turbulent emotions, spiraled out of control, violently causing internal injuries. A metallic taste rose up his throat, and Wu Xian spat out a mouthful of blood, some staining the sickbed, others splashing onto the floor and his eldest son's boots. This spitting out of blood did not improve his symptoms; instead, it was followed by a dizzying sensation.
Wu Xian's lips were stained crimson with blood.
His face was weak and pale, filled with disappointment and heartache.
Tears streamed down her face as her trembling fingers pointed at her eldest son, berating him: "You, you, you—you wicked son! You have no respect for your father and ruler, you murdered your own brothers, you even killed your own mother… How could I have such an unfaithful, unfilial, unkind, and heartless son! Do you know, do you know what beastly things you've done? You are truly…"
He was so emotional that he became speechless and choked up.
Although Wu Xian's relationship with his first wife had always been strained, especially after the incident with Zhao Feng's family, which plunged their relationship to a freezing point and made them bitter enemies, Wu Xian was easily swayed. He still cherished their past relationship and remembered that he and his wife had been childhood sweethearts, supporting each other and weathering storms together. Even if it weren't for her sake, he couldn't afford to completely sever ties for the sake of their two sons.
Therefore, after the establishment of the Kingdom of Gao, he did not hesitate to make his first wife his queen, giving the crown prince the most legitimate and noble status.
Aside from a lack of affection between the couple, Wu Xian believed he had fulfilled his duties as a husband. He felt pain upon hearing of her death. What brought this pain to its peak was, of course, the death of his second son, who had been driven to his death by his eldest son!
The eldest son composed himself, his frenzied expression subdued.
However, a sense of deathly stillness crept into his eyes and brows.
"A wise ruler and virtuous ministers bring blessings to the nation; a kind father and filial son bring blessings to the family. Father, your son has lived in an unhappy home all these years." He looked blankly at Wu Xian's demeanor, a mocking smile playing on his lips. "What is human righteousness? A kind father, a filial son, a good elder brother, a respectful younger brother, a righteous husband, an obedient wife, a benevolent elder, a compliant younger brother, a benevolent ruler, and a loyal subject. I ask you, Father, how many of these have you upheld? We brothers are merely following their example; if the upper beam is crooked, the lower beam will be crooked too. Isn't this perfectly reasonable and natural?"
His tone returned to its usual calm.
"In the end, it's all Father's fault."
"You've always hoped your sons would be fraternal and respectful, yet you yourself have failed to set a fair example as a father. For so many years, you've been wavering, biased, and gullible! The root of all the chaos in the family lies with you! On one hand, you bestow upon me the honor of being the eldest son, while on the other hand, you give your brothers the hope of replacing me as the head of the family. You place a piece of bloody flesh before a pack of wild beasts, yet expect them to remain calm and uncompetitive, to be manipulated and played with at your whim! Ask yourself honestly, can you do that? Wu Zhaode, you yourself can't even do that!"
You're the one who killed my mother!
"You're the one who killed my second brother!"
The eldest son was already in tears, his face streaked with tears and snot. He wiped them away casually, swallowed the strange spasm in his throat, and continued, "My second brother and I are brothers from the same mother. We shouldn't be like this, because we share the same blood! Whether he supports me as a collateral branch or I support him as a collateral branch, our interests are completely aligned. We are brothers, there's no separation between us! Who brought us to this point?"
It's a joke that siblings from the same mother can kill each other!
But ironically, the joke became reality.
"It's you, Wu Zhaode!"
"You yourself cruelly murdered your own siblings when you were young. After becoming a father, you learned your lesson and thought you were being fair and just to treat your sons and prevent any future family troubles. But every step you've taken has forced us brothers to kill each other! I watched my second brother being born and growing up! I remember him as a tiny little thing, stumbling behind me and calling me 'brother'. But now—now—I've lost my mother and my brother. I have nothing left! Wu Zhaode, I have nothing left! But you, the culprit, still have a whole bunch of beautiful women and a whole bunch of sons and daughters! Tell me, what gives you the right! What gives you the right!"
The eldest son's accusations struck Wu Xiantian like a heavy hammer blow.
Wu Xian looked dazed for a moment.
I could vaguely see the eldest son charging forward with a ferocious expression, sword in hand.
The gleaming sword blade rapidly magnified before his eyes!
Without hesitation, Wu Xian raised his palm and struck out, unleashing a torrent of martial energy that struck the eldest son's wrist. The eldest son's wrist bones shattered instantly, and he flew backward like a kite, his longsword slipping from his hand. The eldest son gritted his teeth, enduring the excruciating pain of his back slamming into the ground; the sensation of his internal organs shifting caused his blood to surge wildly. He swallowed the metallic taste in his throat and propped himself up on his elbows: "You weren't sealed."
He used an affirmative tone.
The strategist's warning was true.
The eldest son felt no fear whatsoever; instead, he let out a long sigh of relief, as if the executioner's blade was finally about to fall. Wu Xian stood up from the bed, looking down at his eldest son, his voice icy: "With your tricks, you think you can harm your father?"
Wu Xian said, "You have disappointed me greatly."
The eldest son kowtowed, the blood trickling down his forehead making his eyelids heavy. Perhaps because he was about to die, his mind was unusually clear. A series of inexplicable clues connected, and he staggered to his feet, picking up his sword, which had been his constant companion for many years. He smiled bitterly and said, "Disappointed? Isn't Father even more disappointed? Your son didn't die in the palace coup? Your son is very curious..."
Wu Xian frowned as he looked at his eldest son.
The eldest son's arm was badly injured and hung limply. Given his talent, this arm will most likely leave him with a lifelong disability.
"What are you curious about?"
"I was curious how my second brother knew my plan. His 'rescue of the king' was so timely, and why Father fell for it so easily... Now that I think about it, it was Father who revealed it to him, wasn't it? You really do favor him, wanting to use his scheme to get rid of me, so that I would die bearing the name of a traitor, paving the way for my second brother to become the crown prince? It's just a pity that in the end, it was your son who won, Father—"
Wu Xian angrily retorted, "What nonsense are you spouting!"
He killed his brothers when he was young, but that doesn’t mean he can be ruthless enough to kill his son. If he really could do that, the grass on his eldest son’s grave would be as tall as a person by now. How could he have lived to this age and come here to go crazy with him?
The eldest son, however, no longer believed a word he said.
His eyes were brimming with tears: "The victor is king, the loser is villain; your son has lost."
Wu Xian turned away wearily.
They were preparing to call for reinforcements to place the eldest son under house arrest.
He hasn't figured out how to handle it yet.
Although his eldest son had gone mad today, uttering many rebellious words, it had indeed touched Wu Xian, filling him with remorse. However, he didn't believe it was all his fault. He had already lost a wife and a son, and didn't want to lose another. This unfilial son, though, wasn't lacking in food; he would take care of him.
However, things never go as planned.
Wu Xian felt the sound of a sword slicing through the air behind him. His heart, already riddled with wounds, was filled with nothing but despair. His eldest son, even at this point, still wanted to assassinate him; he was utterly disappointed. He secretly prepared his qi, but instead, something heavy fell to the ground, and his sword fell to the floor.
The alarm bells in his head screamed piercingly.
In an instant, all the strength was drained from my legs.
When Wu Xian came to his senses, a sharp pain shot through his knees—the paving stones on the ground had cracked from his kneeling! He braced himself with his hands on the ground and turned around in a panic. The bloodstains on his eldest son's neck stung his eyes. Wu Xian practically crawled over on his knees and picked him up.
One hand covered the deep, bone-revealing sword wound.
Blood quickly seeped through his fingers and onto his sleeve.
"Big Brother, Big Brother—"
Martial energy was poured in without restraint.
However, the eldest son's pupils gradually became unfocused and lifeless.
"Erlang..."
This sigh, a soft murmur, was filled with boundless longing.
Wu Xian's pupils suddenly contracted.
He could no longer feel a pulse in his palm!
"Dalang!"
"Help! Help!"
Amidst the chaos of war, the eldest son's body grew cold.
Consort Mi, who was second only to the Queen in rank upon receiving the news, rushed to the inner palace. After Wu Xian was released from house arrest, she worried about her and secretly sent word to him. Knowing that Wu Xian was safe, she, the eldest son, had not yet purged his stepmothers and half-sisters, and had been staying within the inner palace. Hearing the news, she arrived immediately.
Only then did he learn that the eldest son, the second son, and the queen were all dead.
She stopped in her tracks, unsure whether to go in or leave.
No one understood Wu Xian's contradictory personality better than her.
He bestowed upon his first wife the title of Queen, yet showed her no affection whatsoever. They saw each other only twice a year, and were more like enemies than husband and wife. However, this did not affect Wu Xian's regard for their past relationship, especially after his first wife and two legitimate sons had all died.
He'd walked right into a trap.
What chilled her to the bone even more was Wu Xian's choice.
He chose to keep his death a secret.
This led outsiders to believe that the crown prince had placed the monarch, father, and brothers under house arrest.
Lady Mi watched in horror. Wu Xian was preparing to use this opportunity to purge his two sons' connections in the court, as well as all disloyal and dissenting officials! Being forced to abdicate by his sons and officials had left Wu Xian with a psychological scar.
Wu Xian's inability to cruelly force his rebellious son to his death does not mean he is not ruthless to others. Anyone who cannot sit still at this critical juncture will likely have their entire family investigated! Lady Mi looked at the three coffins placed in the desolate mourning hall, feeling only sorrow and pity.
What a stupid and foolish mother and her two children!
Why develop real feelings for someone like Wu Xian?
Being easily swayed and sentimental does not mean he is not heartless and ungrateful.
His deep affection was only ever used to move himself.
Lady Mi sighed inwardly and continued burning paper money.
The emperor's heart is fickle. Wu Xian changed his mind just three days after choosing to keep the death a secret. Not only did he change his mind, but he also rushed to the mourning hall with a knife in hand, his gaze fixed on the three coffins, exuding a murderous aura, the veins on the back of his hand gripping the knife bulging. Lady Mi, being an ordinary person, could not withstand such power. Her body trembled uncontrollably, and endless fear spread through her heart until her son arrived and pleaded in a muffled voice.
"Father!"
The boy's voice was loud and clear.
Two words pulled Wu Xian back from the brink of despair. He noticed Lady Mi's appearance, his imposing aura completely vanished, leaving only his chest heaving violently, his hand gripping the knife tightening and loosening repeatedly. The young man stood protectively in front of his birth mother, not daring to speak easily.
However, those eyes looked remarkably like Wu Xian's.
They also look very much like the eldest and second sons when they were young.
Wu Xian loosened his grip, and the long sword slipped from his hand, crashing heavily to the ground.
He said, "Let's hold a normal funeral and announce it to the country."
After saying that, he turned and left.
Lady Mi, still shaken, grabbed her son's arm and asked in a low voice, "What happened outside? Why is your father like this?"
The son glanced at the location of the coffin with a troubled expression.
He whispered back, "Battle report from the front."
Lady Mi's heart tightened: "Battle report?"
Regardless of Wu Xian's character, he provided her with a stable life for more than ten years, so stable that she became accustomed to this kind of life, and the turmoil and suffering in her memory seemed to be far away from her.
The son said, "I don't know if it was the eldest brother or the second brother who forged the order to make the border soldiers pay attention to the signal, and then attack Kangguo Heyin as soon as the signal was given. Father is very angry about this."
Lady Mi knew she shouldn't ask too many questions, but she couldn't help but ask, "Signal? What signal? No matter how fiercely the two young masters fight, they know what's important. They would never use the life and death of the Gao Kingdom as a bargaining chip. They may be dead, but they are still your brothers. How can you tarnish their posthumous reputation?"
The son said helplessly, "I'm not lying."
This was the news he heard at the court meeting.
The battle reports from the front lines stunned everyone.
Even the king abandoned his plans to profit from the chaos and appeared at the court assembly, shocking the officials. He then announced the deaths of the queen and his two elder brothers. However, the cause of their deaths was not disclosed honestly. The officials were only told that the eldest brother died of fear and anxiety after the coup, the second brother died of a serious illness while under house arrest, and the queen passed away from a heart attack upon hearing the news of her two sons' deaths.
The way the three died was relatively dignified, better than a son accidentally killing his mother, a brother forcing his younger brother to his death, and finally committing suicide in front of his father.
Lady Mi subconsciously believed that the Gao Kingdom, which her husband had established, was not as powerful as the Kang Kingdom. She frowned with worry: "When two countries go to war, it is the common people who suffer. Is it possible for the Kang Kingdom to make peace?"
The son shook his head solemnly: "It's unlikely. The garrison commander not only launched a surprise attack on the defenses of Heyin City, but also killed the Kang Kingdom envoy who came to hold them accountable. Now the border is in chaos. How can we reconcile?"
Lady Mi held her son's hand tightly.
Hesitantly, he whispered, "You weren't involved, were you?"
The son turned his face away and pouted, "Mother, you don't even believe your son? I've always listened to you and followed my two elder brothers' lead. No matter which one wins, I'll obediently assist them and I'll be able to secure my wealth for the rest of my life. What kind of son do you think I am?"
Lady Mi breathed a sigh of relief.
"I'm worried too."
After all, with her two eldest sons dead, her son was the biggest beneficiary. She came from humble beginnings, but over the years, as Wu Xian's confidante, she had gained favor and her rank had risen accordingly. Wu Xian and the Queen had been estranged for many years; although the Queen was the Empress, she managed all the affairs of the palace. As her son grew older and showed talent, it was understandable that he would develop ambitions.
The son comforted her, saying, "Mother, don't think too much about it."
Lady Mi nodded.
With the funeral arrangements for the Queen and her two children still pending, she truly had no extra energy to think about anything else. Little did she know, not long after her son left the mourning hall, the boy's strong and bright features relaxed, making him even more handsome and dashing. He walked with a brisk pace, his steps quickening.
"gentlemen!"
The strategist turned around and saw a familiar face.
()
I bought a big bag of Orijen chicken from JD.com at the end of last month, but just two days later it was included in the 10 Billion Yuan Subsidy program, with a price reduction of over 50 yuan. And they said the price wasn't guaranteed because the price reduction caused by the 10 Billion Yuan Subsidy program wasn't covered by the price guarantee. So annoying!
PS: Since the customer service complaint didn't work, I just returned the goods. I then placed another order for Desire Chicken with the 10 Billion Subsidy program and used the second order to return the first one. Perfect.
P.S.: The deliveryman happened to be picking up the returned order for the Desire Chicken, so I explained the situation to him, and he took care of it.
PPPS: Sigh, why not offer price insurance? It's such a waste of energy to go through all this trouble.
PPPS: Please vote for me, my darlings! I hope we can complete the challenge.
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