After these words were spoken, the air fell silent.
Although everyone had already guessed, the fact that Tse Ting-chou dared to say it in public shows that it's confirmed.
The emperor hurriedly asked Chen Banjun to bring the letter over. After reading it, his expression grew increasingly serious.
The Grand Princess stared at the Emperor, wanting to see the letter, to know what it said, and what had happened to her daughter.
Seeing the emperor's expression, she felt inexplicably uneasy and somewhat afraid to face what happened back then.
"Lord Xie, you've just returned to the capital; you haven't read this letter yet, have you?"
Marquis Zhongyong had indeed not seen it, but Ye Zhen had given him a general account of it when he escorted Granny Cai back to her residence.
"Your Majesty, I haven't seen it yet."
The Emperor glanced at the Grand Princess again. "This was originally a letter from the old Marquis to Xie Bang, but it involves a lot of complexities and would take too much time to circulate. So I'll have Chen Banjun read it to you."
Chen Banjun quickly took the letter and began to read it.
The letter begins with a story.
The young man, who had no parents, was tricked by his clan into taking their place in the military and ended up in the army.
The young man had made a living by hunting since childhood and was very strong. He performed well during training and was therefore noticed by his superiors. When war broke out, he was assigned to the main force as a new recruit.
The young man had killed animals but never people. He was very apprehensive about his first battle, but if he didn't aim for the enemy's head, his own head would be chopped off.
Desperate to survive, he clenched his teeth and raised his broadsword to strike his opponent.
In his first battle, he killed seven people and received praise from his superiors. However, long after leaving the battlefield, his hands were shaking and everything he saw was blood red.
Since that incident, he would become manic after every battle, unable to control himself and losing his mind.
He dared not let anyone discover his problem, fearing he would be treated as a madman.
Another large-scale war broke out. After killing dozens of enemy soldiers, he fell ill again. Fearing that he might harm innocent people, he soaked himself in a pond, where he encountered a brother and sister being chased by soldiers and bandits.
The soldiers and bandits hurled all sorts of foul language and made unwanted advances at the woman. Her brother was seriously injured and unable to protect her.
The stench of blood and the woman's cries for help ignited his barely suppressed rage, and he charged forward with his knife.
He slaughtered all the soldiers and bandits, and went mad with rage, attacking indiscriminately, almost killing even his own brother.
The woman grabbed his arm just in time, begging him to spare her brother, saying she was willing to be his wife to repay his life-saving grace.
Her soft lips pressed against his, and the man, who had already lost his mind, dropped the knife and pinned her down.
As the pleasure ended, the young man's reason returned, and he finally saw the woman's face clearly; she was still quite young...
Then came the old marquis's confession: "Bang'er, that woman is your birth mother, and that young man is me."
In her despair, she wanted to plead for her brother's life, but I was worse than a beast. I offended her in front of her brother, causing her already dying brother to die on the spot from anger.
Afterwards, I learned that she was not yet of marriageable age. I felt ashamed and afraid of her revenge, because she and her brother were dressed in fine clothes, like children from a wealthy family.
In a panic, I had no choice but to hide her and secretly inquire about her identity.
But someone approached me and asked me to keep an eye on her. If she escaped, her life would be in danger, and my Zhou family would be buried with her.
It was then that I realized the enormity of my mistake, and that your mother was actually the daughter of Princess Heyi.
Although I am not very knowledgeable, I know that the person who can prevent your mother from returning to the capital and is capable of destroying my Zhou clan is no ordinary person.
As a father, I feared death, but I also felt guilty towards your mother, so I told her everything.
Your mother thought I was lying to her and asked me to let her go, but she was brought back in less than a quarter of an hour, and I was stabbed twice as a result.
To make matters worse, your mother is pregnant, and her body is not yet fully developed, yet she is about to give birth to a new life.
I know I am deeply sinful and I am terrified. Your mother hates me and does not want to give birth to my child. She begged me for an abortion pill.
But when I secretly took the medicine and brewed it, before your mother could even take a sip, the medicine was knocked over by a dagger shot from outside.
We then realized that we had been under surveillance all along. I was beaten up again that time and was assigned to a mission with a very low chance of survival.
This is a warning from the person behind us. I want to break free from being manipulated, so I strive to climb up.
Your mother is an extremely kind person. I hurt her, but when she saw that I had post-war trauma, she comforted me and helped me resolve this knot in my heart.
I was captivated by this beautiful woman, and she seemed to have resigned herself to her fate, never mentioning leaving again.
Later, she made a friend named Shu Liu Niang, the daughter of a disgraced official who married a butcher to survive.
Perhaps because they had similar experiences, they got along very well. I didn't like that woman, always feeling that she was too calculating, but your mother started to smile after getting to know her.
This is something I've always wanted to do but haven't been able to, so I tacitly approved of Shu Liu Niang's relationship with your mother.
Later, I will be transferred away from Qingzhou to carry out a mission, so I can only ask her to help take care of your mother.
To my surprise, when I rushed back after completing my mission and opened the door, I saw Shu Liu Niang delivering your mother's baby at the foot of the bed, while your mother was using a sharp hairpin to cut open her own belly.
I thought she hated me, which is why she retaliated against me like this, but your mother told me that she no longer blames me.
She said that only if she died could you and your son live. She said that she couldn't give birth, and that it would be dangerous for you to stay in her womb even a moment longer. She said she wanted her child to live a good life.
She begged me not to let you know about her origins, and begged me to do everything in my power to protect your peace and happiness.
No matter what she asked for, you are the only memory she left me. How could I bear to let you suffer even the slightest grievance? But at that time, I wanted her to live even more. I asked someone to call a doctor, but it was all too late.
Your mother left herself no way out, and I can never repay the debt I owe her in this lifetime. That's why when she begged me not to take my anger out on Shu Liu Niang because your mother had a difficult childbirth due to Shu Liu Niang's husband, I agreed.
Shu Liu Niang became your wet nurse. On the day your mother was buried, the people who were watching us reappeared. They wanted me to marry Shu Liu Niang to completely erase any trace of your mother's existence.
I resisted, and while I was away from home, they appeared in front of your cradle, intending to take your life. Shu Liu Niang saved you, but her daughter died as a result.
You used to praise me for my bravery, and every time I heard it, I felt guilty because I was not worthy of your praise.
I compromised again and married Shu Liu Niang, and made it public that you were her son.
When those people imprisoned your mother, they forbade her to use her former name, so she named herself Shen Qi.
After Shu Liu Niang became your mother, I also changed her name to Shen Qi. Son, I have told you countless times to remember Shen Qi's kindness, because I want to tell you and make you remember your own mother.
But I cannot say it openly, because when I earned the title of Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery through my military achievements and was granted the imperial surname, I learned that the person behind me was actually the supreme ruler of the world, your mother's maternal uncle, Emperor Renzhao.
He confessed to me personally that he didn't want your mother and siblings to return to the capital, and that he was erasing all traces of your mother.
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