Chapter 101 Chapter 101 Childhood Tragedy
"Lord Sima." Zhao Mingcheng nodded and greeted him, his eyes slowly falling on Duan Wenpei.
He was a handsome and elegant man, dressed in fine clothes, with a slight beard under his chin. He did not have the sharp features of Duan Wenpei, but he had a more calm and composed look than Duan Wenpei.
He looked normal, but people around him could sense the looming disgust between his brows.
That kind of complex and inexplicable disgust and impatience that comes from blood ties.
"Since you're here, why don't you send Jue'er back?"
Duan Wenpei wasn't surprised by his words. He stared straight at the face, which bore a striking resemblance to his own, and squinted sarcastically, "Send him away? He's tried to kill me time and again, and I'm sparing him because I was once a Zhao. If you truly care about this son, why not come and pick him up yourself? Why are you questioning me here?"
He narrowed his eyes, his eyes full of disdain, "Zhao Mingcheng, what is the relationship between you and me? Logically, you should call me Uncle."
The title of Marquis of Zhenbei was actually in name only. The imperial court had long ceased to have any dealings with the Zhao family. The inheritance of the title was simply the Zhao family's own tacit consent. It was only the Marquis of Zhenbei in Shu.
The Earl of Weiyang, who was personally conferred by His Majesty, is the real earl.
Duan Wenpei made no secret of his disrespect, and everyone present lowered their heads in embarrassment and remained silent. Sima Xun quietly raised his eyelids and glanced at Zhao Mingcheng. The head of the Zhao family, who always loved to smile with pursed lips, now had his mouth corners turned down, his face tense, and anger in his eyes.
"Humph! Unfilial thing, you can't even call me father, yet you expect me to bow to you. You're truly uneducated."
The last sentence stirred up a taboo deep in his heart. Duan Wenpei clenched his fists, staring intently at the face before him, and replied coldly, "Master Zhao is truly a forgetful man. When I left the Zhao family, I made it clear that I had severed the father-son relationship with you. You say I'm uneducated? Yes, I lost my biological mother when I was five, and no one taught me how to be a well-educated person. Father? Ha, you don't deserve it!"
"You! Rebellious son!"
Zhao Mingcheng raised his hand out of habit, but didn't put it down until he saw Duan Wenpei's face was slightly stiff.
Sima Xun quickly stepped forward to intervene, "Calm down, calm down, Master Zhao, the child is still young, young people are like that, if there is anything wrong, you should educate him properly behind closed doors, this is all your Zhao family's family affair."
He pulled down Zhao Mingcheng's arm, then changed the subject, pointing at Li Zhan and the others and introducing them, "Look at me, we haven't introduced each other yet. This is the chief officer who came to Sichuan to provide disaster relief, Li Zhan, the Prince Consort, and this is, uh, the concubine of the Lord, Madam Xiao Jing."
Xiao Jing never revealed her true identity and always regarded herself as Duan Wenpei's concubine. Sima Xun had been an official for many years and how could he not see that Xiao Jing had a special identity, so he just didn't reveal it.
When Zhao Mingcheng heard that he was carrying a concubine on an errand, he could no longer suppress his disgust. He flicked his sleeves as if to get rid of something dirty and brushed Sima Xun's hand away. "There's no need to introduce me. Such a ridiculous person can be named the Earl of Weiyang. I think he's more like a fool of Wei. An uneducated fool!"
These words were like pouring a basin of cold water on someone, and adding salt to the wound. Duan Wenpei's expression turned completely cold.
Xiao Jing couldn't bear to see this and wanted to stand up for him, but before she could say anything, a woman's voice came from behind her.
"I heard Zhou'er came here. Where is he? My Lord! So you are here. It's so easy for me to find you. Have you seen Zhou'er?"
Qin came quickly, holding up her skirt, surrounded by a group of servants, and followed by the eldest son Zhao Huaian.
She was wearing a plain skirt, and her well-maintained face was full of concern for her 'son'. Seeing that Zhao Mingcheng ignored her, she turned to ask Sima Xun. Sima Xun pointed at Duan Wenpei beside him, somewhat speechlessly, "Here, Madam Zhao."
Qin was stunned at first, then delighted, and then she squeezed out tears and opened her arms to hug Duan Wenpei, "My poor Zhou'er, you've suffered a lot out there... Zhou'er?"
Duan Wenpei frowned and dodged her hypocritical hug. He looked at the couple with different attitudes, sneered, and turned to leave.
But Qin's words nailed him to the spot.
"I heard that Zhou'er's wife is coming with you this time. I'm so happy that I sent someone to pick her up at your villa. Once everyone is here, we can get together as a family. There's no such thing as an overnight grudge between father and son. My Lord, please, for my sake, don't be angry with Zhou'er. An'er, don't you say hello to your third brother?"
She acted like a lady from a wealthy family. When she saw Duan Wenpei was about to leave, she helped Zhao Mingcheng to calm him down, and said that she had sent someone to pick up Nan Xu. She also asked her son to bow to him in public.
Hearing Zhao Huaian's restrained third brother, Duan Wenpei sighed sincerely. After not seeing him for many years, Qin's methods were still as sophisticated and flawless as ever.
Zhao Mingcheng was very impressed by this. He put his hand on the back of Qin's hand, patted it gently, and said insincerely, "You are just too kind-hearted."
Pulling the corner of his mouth, Duan Wenpei was too lazy to listen to the hypocritical voices of this family anymore. He ignored the call of the woman behind him and strode forward.
At the end of the road, Nan Xu's figure, standing on tiptoe to look over here, was bright and vivid, like the early morning breaking through the grayness in front of her eyes.
His feet moved quickly and he couldn't help but run.
Nan Xu was just wondering if the woman she had just brushed past was the Qin that Duan Wenpei had mentioned, when suddenly her vision went dark and she was hugged tightly by someone.
The refreshing scent of soapberries penetrated into Nanxu's nose and mouth, and she almost fainted.
"Li Zhan and Sima Xun are here to take care of things. Come on, I'll take you to the market we just visited, and get familiar with Shuzhou City."
Before Nan Xu could come to her senses, she was carried sideways onto the horse by the person behind her. The horse's belly was gently squeezed, and the surrounding scenery kept receding in front of her eyes. Nan Xu lay in her arms and stuck her head out to shout at the back, "Stop, stop, stop, big brother and Ruizhu are still there!"
Duan Wenpei put his arm around her waist, wrapped her cloak tightly around her, and told her not to worry. "Sima Xun has prepared a welcoming banquet at noon. They will leave with Sima Xun later."
"Aren't we going?" Nan Xu heard the hidden meaning.
"No."
Nan Xu thought for a moment and then asked, "That woman just now must have been Qin, right? I saw you walking towards those people in fancy clothes earlier. Although I couldn't see clearly from a distance, you stayed there for so long, and Qin also rushed over. Did you see your father just now?"
Nan Xu didn't know what was wrong with her, but now, as long as she paid a little attention, she could keenly perceive the changes in Duan Wenpei's mood. If Duan Wenpei hadn't encountered some unpleasant things or people, he wouldn't have run to hug her like that just now.
It has nothing to do with love, it's more like he has been wronged and can't find an outlet to vent, so he needs to find some comfort from her.
Duan Wenpei tapped her forehead, a smile trembling in his chest. He leaned over to her ear and whispered, "As expected, nothing can be hidden from Ah Xu. Yes, I just saw those two old guys." He paused and said, "You were right not to go directly to the other courtyard. Qin Shi had already found out where we were staying and sent someone to pick you up while I was away. She has many tricks up her sleeve and is hard to guard against. Now, let her people go empty-handed and let her taste the feeling of being powerless."
Turning the corner, the market was right in front of her. Looking at the various pedestrians, Nan Xu breathed a sigh of relief.
She had previously made an excuse to see King Yi and follow them in order to prevent Qin from causing trouble.
She had seen many dirty tricks used by the wealthy and powerful families, and had also heard a few words from Duan Wenpei. Combined with the behavior of Zhao Huaijue and Zhao Huaian, she always felt that she needed to be on guard against this "mother-in-law", not to mention that there was Jingyi in the other courtyard.
After all, this is not Kyoto. No matter what Qin is planning, we should avoid it if possible before a head-on confrontation.
That day, Nan Xu followed Duan Wenpei to visit most of Shuzhou City.
Although there are some language differences and it is not as prosperous as Kyoto, the people are simple and honest, and the local culture is rich and unique, which is really eye-opening.
As they walked, Nan Xu wrote down the distribution of several streets and alleys that Duan Wenpei repeatedly reminded him of, as well as the layout of Shuzhou City.
Tired of strolling around, the two found a restaurant to rest and ate some of the local special hotpot. When it got dark, they had dinner and walked back along the river bank, leading the horses.
The evening breeze blew across the river, and along with Duan Wenpei's long voice, it entered Nan Xu's ears.
"My mother died of grief after hearing that my grandfather's entire family was massacred." He spoke without any emotion, as if he was telling a story from a very long time ago. "I was still young at the time, and I envied Zhao Huaian and his family for living in a big courtyard, eating what they wanted, and seeing my father every day. So, I carried my mother on my back and ran to Qin's courtyard every day. Qin would give me the fruits that Zhao Huaian and his brothers didn't want. I ate them and happily called her Auntie."
"Gradually, she realized I was a simpleton, and she wasn't as cautious in her words and actions as before. Sometimes, when I was sitting in the yard, I'd hear her scolding her subordinates. Curious, I'd lean against the window and listen as she asked those people why they hadn't investigated earlier. My grandfather had a daughter who was fostered away, and they wanted to eliminate the whole family. That night, after the massacre, only my mother, who was staying in the Zhao family's backyard, and my aunt, who was fostered somewhere, were left out of the more than 30 people in my grandfather's family."
The river breeze swirled into her collar. Nan Xu sniffed and smelled a fishy odor.
Duan Wenpei gave her a doting look and pulled her inside to shield her from the cold. "Later, Mother's health deteriorated. I hated Qin, but I still had illusions about Zhao Mingcheng. I thought he was being deceived by Qin, so I dodged the servants' surveillance and went to find Zhao Mingcheng to ask him to save Mother."
When he said this, his voice was a little choked. Nan Xu looked up, but her eyes were covered by a warm hand. After a long time, the hand moved away. When Nan Xu looked at him again, she only saw the slightly red corners of his eyes and a faint smile on his lips.
"He didn't save me, or rather, I didn't see him."
"That day, Qin was there too. I heard Zhao Mingcheng ask her why she hadn't done it more discreetly. Something so quiet had actually reached the authorities. If he hadn't stepped in to suppress it, the officials wouldn't have let it go. Later, I learned that the family my aunt was fostering with happened to come home that night and saw the blazing fire on the property, so they reported it to the authorities. The fire burned all night, burning everything."
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