"Ayou, come here."
Hua Qingcheng waved towards Shan You. Although it was a bit cruel, she had to tell him that Shan Zuo had been taken away by the emperor.
"Master, where is my brother? Did something happen to him?" Looking at Hua Qingcheng's slightly serious face looking at him, Dan You asked the question unconsciously with a sense of cautious uneasiness.
After entering the hall of Xuanbao Pavilion, Shan You, who did not see his brother beside Hua Qingcheng, couldn't help but recall the time when he felt inexplicably uneasy in the Hua family's pharmacy and made repeated mistakes when preparing medicinal materials. Shan You suddenly had an ominous premonition in his heart.
"Ayou, your brother...is just leaving temporarily and will be back soon."
Hua Qingcheng gently stroked Shan You's head, and then told Shan You how Shan Zuo treated the emperor as an enemy and attempted to assassinate the emperor in the General's Mansion, and how he was taken to the Secret Guard Camp for training by the emperor's secret guards.
"Brother, why is he so stupid?"
Hua Qingcheng's words were like a thunderclap that exploded in Shan You's heart. He burst into tears unknowingly, and then he knelt down in front of Hua Qingcheng with a thud.
After all, assassinating the emperor is a heinous crime punishable by the death of nine generations of one's clan! His master is so magnanimous and merciful that he was able to save his brother's life in front of the emperor. This is already a great blessing from heaven, and he, Shan You, cannot be ungrateful.
"Please forgive my brother's recklessness, master. He is depressed because of the innocent and tragic deaths of my mother and father, and he can't get over it for a while. Ayou is willing to follow the master until death and atone for my brother's sins!" Shan Youyou said while kowtowed to Hua Qingcheng several times.
"Ayou, get up first. No matter whether it's your brother or you, this will only happen once and it won't happen again!" Hua Qingcheng's eyes were slightly cold, and she said sternly.
Although the two brothers, Dan Zuo and Dan You, are indeed pitiful, and their mother even died to clear Feng Lingyan's name, but one thing is for sure. She can treat the two brothers well, but that does not mean that she, Hua Qingcheng, will be a saintly person, so saintly that she will allow their behavior to threaten the safety of her and her family.
"Shan You will remember the master's teachings!"
Shan You kowtowed to Hua Qingcheng again before standing up and standing behind her.
Shan You, who had been preoccupied with searching for his brother, only now noticed Feng Lingyan, seated at the head of the hall. Although he was a little surprised to see a handsome man who bore a striking resemblance to his master, Shan You quickly withdrew his gaze from Feng Lingyan, keeping his brows lowered and his eyes downcast, neither glancing nor looking around.
"Qingcheng, this child..."
Although Feng Lingyan had only caught fragments of their conversation, he still managed to grasp some key information. This child, Shan You, had an older brother, Shan Zuo. Both brothers served as servants to Hua Qingcheng, and Shan Zuo had even attempted to assassinate the Emperor in the General's Mansion.
"Father, this is a long story. In short, the mother of the two brothers, Shan Zuo and Shan You, Shan Wushuang, was the former Minister of the Imperial Household. Two years ago, Shan Wushuang accidentally discovered that there was something fishy about my father's fall from the cliff. To find out the truth, she wrote a memorial overnight and went to the palace to make a complaint to the Emperor. However, when she arrived at the palace gate, she was intercepted by someone with ulterior motives."
"The next day, Shan Wushuang was falsely accused of accepting bribes and sentenced to exile to the frontier for dereliction of duty. He died on the way there. His entire family was reduced to slavery. Shan Zuo's father died of grief over Shan Wushuang's death, leaving only the two brothers behind."
"later……"
Hua Qingcheng briefly explained to Feng Lingyan the life stories of the two brothers, Dan Zuo and Dan You, and how they became government slaves, were sold several times, and finally became her servants. Feng Lingyan felt both moved and guilty after hearing it.
"I didn't kill Boren, but he died because of me. Ah You, I, Feng Lingyan, will remember your mother's loyalty to the emperor and her sense of justice. If I have the chance one day, I will definitely clear the injustice of your mother and family!"
Feng Lingyan looked leisurely at Shan You who was standing beside Hua Qingcheng. Although he had a small and thin body, he stood as steady as a pine tree, and there was a sense of integrity between his brows.
Although Feng Lingyan selfishly wanted to live a leisurely life with his daughter, away from the court, he knew in his heart that such a leisurely life would not last long. One day, Hua Qingcheng would be taken back by the emperor to recognize her ancestral roots. But until then, he simply wanted to cherish the precious time he had with his daughter, to make up for the sixteen years of fatherly love he had owed her.
"You...you are the Phoenix Queen!"
Shan You looked at Feng Lingyan in shock, and the tears that had been welling up in his eyes finally burst out.
"Yes, I... am Feng Lingyan."
Feng Lingyan's voice choked slightly as she looked at the little boy squatting before her with immense pity, gently stroking his head. Unexpectedly, years after he'd fallen from the Cliff of Oblivion, someone still remembered him, even dying to clear his name. How could Feng Lingyan not be moved?
At the same time, thousands of miles away in the suburbs of Laifeng Kingdom, Shan Zuo in the secret guard training camp was fighting hard in a crowd.
"How is he?" An Yi looked leisurely at the crowd in the melee in front of him.
"Boss, although this kid is young, he learns things very quickly. His moves are fast, accurate and ruthless. He is born to be a secret guard." Looking at the small figure standing proudly in the crowd, An San's eyes flashed with admiration.
The Imperial Secret Guards, whose purpose was to protect the Emperor and the Imperial Family, were exceptional elites. However, the selection and training required to become a qualified Secret Guard was an extremely cruel and painful process.
"As long as we defeat these people, we will have lunch!" Shan Zuo wiped the bleeding corner of his mouth with his thumb, looking at the group of girls around him who were taller and stronger than him, his eyes full of cruelty.
At only nine years old, Shan Zuo possessed a cold gaze and a tough heart beyond his years. Although they trained with wooden swords, once the time came for a formal competition, these wooden swords would be exchanged for real sharp blades.
Here, people die every day, people are carried away every day. Those who survive are the elite of the elite, picked from among the millions. In Yu Danzuo's eyes, during training, only by completing tasks well can one eat; during competitions, only by defeating others and saving one's own life can one have the chance to see the master and Ah You again.
He, Shan Zuo, must be one of those who stand out!
With a strong belief in his heart, Shan Zuo was not afraid of hardship or fatigue. Even when others were resting, he gritted his teeth and continued to practice. Although he had only been in the Dark Guard Camp for a short time, his martial arts skills were already comparable to those of the girls who had been here for half a year.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
