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墨書 Inktalez
At this point in the story, everyone must be very curious about the contents of this imperial decree.
In fact, this decree was something that the current Emperor pondered over for an entire night, hardly sleeping at all—
Only then did he resolutely make a shocking decision: he crafted a whimsical little story and acknowledged Ling Yuxuan as the son he had with a lover whose name he could not disclose.
At the same time, he instructed Elder Eunuch and Chief Steward Pan to strictly order everyone in the palace who knew about that incident from years ago not to mention that Ling Yuxuan had grown up within Ling Jianyu's residence.
If they did not comply, they would be punished with a jar of mute wine or a strip of white silk. When it comes to who possesses the most ruthless means in this world, it is undoubtedly these old monarchs of feudal dynasties. Just a few words out of line, or to save face, they could easily dispose of their subjects' lives as if they were mere weeds. So, do you submit or not?
Since he acknowledged Ling Yuxuan as his own flesh and blood, it was only natural for the Emperor's sons to be granted titles and lands. Thus, Ling Zhiyuan bestowed upon this son, whom he had "lost" for nearly twenty years, the title of Xuan Wang.
Then again, he couldn't just give this son, whom he had never fulfilled a father's duty towards for two decades, an empty title!
So in the end, Ling Zhiyuan made a grand gesture and granted the entire Chu County to Xuan Wang, namely Ling Yuxuan.
Of course, all of this was merely his one-sided wishful thinking. By this time, Ziyan and Ling Yuxuan had already slipped away—far away. When they learned of this matter, it was already two days later.
Two days later, around noon, Ziyan and Old Man Mo, who were still on their way back to Chu County, received three batches of letters delivered by carrier pigeons. The contents of the letters were naturally all about Ling Dingxuan's lineage and his being granted a royal title.
Immediately, the group resting and dining in an inn erupted in chaos. The ones who found it hardest to accept the whole situation were Old Man Mo and Qin Ming; they stared at each other in disbelief, utterly stunned.
They had waited patiently for over ten years in hiding just to raise Ling Yuxuan into adulthood and assist him in avenging his father, even harboring plans to turn the nation around.
But they never expected that this would be the outcome! The two were completely dumbfounded.
Ziyan understood their feelings deeply. Since the truth could no longer be hidden, she could only accept this reality with grace.
Taking a deep breath, Ziyan looked earnestly at them and said slowly: "Masters, Yan'er knows how you feel right now. However, this result is not what Brother Yuxuan wished for! Moreover, now that the country is peaceful and the people are living comfortably, for the sake of peace among the populace, why not consider that this lord has always worked diligently for his people and country? Or perhaps we can say that he has done more good than harm! Although he initially acted against many principles and morals when he ascended to power, one must ask: among those born into such prominent families, who can truly remain unambitious and self-sufficient?"
At this moment, Ziyan's emotions fluctuated greatly. As she spoke, she paused slightly to closely observe Old Man Mo and Qin Ming. Seeing that they did not display any strong aversion at that moment, she continued to appeal to their emotions and reason with them: "Even if there was someone who initially sought to avoid conflict with the world, as time goes on it becomes difficult for them to continue doing so. If he does not fight for himself, others will force him to do so. This is the tragedy of prominent families. From what I understand, that lord's mother was killed by Ling Jianyu's mother. And because of this—when will grievances ever end? It would be better for you two masters to forget past grudges for the sake of Brother Yuxuan whom we raised together. You may wander freely or continue your charitable work; let Ziyan and Brother Yuxuan take care of you so you can enjoy your twilight years!"
As soon as Ziyan finished speaking, everyone fell into silence, and the entire room remained unusually quiet for a long time.
After a long while, it was Ziyan, unable to contain herself, who spoke again: "Yes, we actually knew about this that night, but isn't Brother Yuxuan pitiable? And what about his mother? Because of the grudges between their royal brothers, Brother Yuxuan has been separated from his mother for over a decade and unable to reunite with her. Regardless of whether this so-called truth is real or not, those two are his elders, sharing the same ancestral bloodline. Over these past few days, who has suffered the most? Naturally, it is Brother Yuxuan. Masters, you say he has carried such a heavy burden of fate alone since childhood; what wrong has he done?"
Looking around at everyone again and pausing slightly, she noticed that no one had voiced any objections, yet no one had nodded in agreement with her viewpoint either.
Thus, Ziyan persistently continued: "Since Ling Jianyu and Old Prince treated Brother Yuxuan as their own, they surely do not wish to see him suffer because of the grievances of the previous generation. And you all have regarded Brother Yuxuan as your own Young Master, even like your own child for so many years. Has he not considered you as the family he cherishes and wants to protect the most? Masters, can you bear to watch your beloved disciple remain trapped in such a dilemma, unable to live or die peacefully? I beg you both to think of the common people and also of your beloved disciple! Can we just end this here?"
In this way, Ziyan relentlessly struck at the hearts of these two elder mentors with her words like iron nails.
Suddenly, she recalled how these ancient people were superstitious about heaven and fate. So she added one last fiery log to the fire in the name of heaven: "Can’t you both see? This is all part of heaven's arrangement! It is heaven that has orchestrated this outcome to resolve the resentment in your hearts. Otherwise, why would it be so coincidental that we learned this truth just when you returned to the capital to seek revenge?"
While speaking affirmatively, Ziyan secretly muttered in her heart: "I still don’t believe it; can’t I melt away your frozen hearts?"
...
Following this line of reasoning, she persuaded them for an entire afternoon. She went on from midday until sunset without stopping. By now, Ziyan was parched and her eyes were nearly seeing stars. At this moment, her efforts finally bore fruit.
When Ziyan once again pitifully and sincerely sought the opinions of the two elders for what felt like the umpteenth time, Qin Ming and Old Man Mo exchanged glances and sighed lightly in unison before helplessly nodding towards Ziyan and Ling Yuxuan, their beloved disciples.
Seeing this change in situation instantly lifted Ziyan's spirits.
If it weren't for living in such an ancient feudal era, Ziyan would have loved to rush forward and give these truly broad-minded and benevolent elders a big hug.
Throughout the entire afternoon, although Ling Yuxuan appeared to sit quietly on the side, no one could replace or feel the mixed emotions he endured during that time.
This was the second time in nearly twenty years that he felt an inexplicable panic and fear similar to what he experienced when trouble struck his family over a decade ago: he feared that his mentors would come to despise him because of his background and take their anger out on him, ultimately abandoning him.
He was even more afraid that they would stubbornly distance themselves from him and go seek revenge against that man on their own. What would happen then? Would it end in mutual destruction between them?
When Ziyan finally gained understanding and agreement from her elders and turned to smile at her Demonically Charming Man, she instantly sensed the torment and difficulty he had endured throughout that afternoon.
Earlier, she had been so focused on finding a way to persuade the Elderly Couple that she had almost completely forgotten about his existence. At this moment, when she finally realized it, a faint pain surged in Ziyan's heart.
She then turned her gaze towards Qin Ming and Old Man Mo, her eyes filled with hope.
Of course, as soon as the Elderly Couple met her gaze, they quickly understood her little intention: this look was surely a plea for them to say some comforting words to Ling Yuxuan, urging him not to feel too distressed or to despise his own background.
Once Old Man Mo understood Ziyan's request, he subtly nodded at Qin Ming and signaled him to speak first.
“Ahem—Yuxuan.” Qin Ming cleared his throat twice and then affectionately called out to his most beloved disciple.
In the next moment, Ling Yuxuan, called by his mentor, did not respond but merely looked up at him with a calm gaze.
“Sigh—perhaps this is fate that cannot be defied. You shouldn't bear too much of a burden in your heart. Neither Old Man Mo nor I will blame you. Since fate is like this, we are willing to retreat from the world and do what we want to do in the future, living freely and happily until old age.”
At first, Qin Ming appeared somewhat helpless, but as he spoke, he seemed to find relief and liberation, revealing a long-lost, contented smile.
Meanwhile, Old Man Mo seemed to be infected by this sentiment and quickly chimed in with emotion: “Yes, after so many years of hatred, it has finally come to an end. Well! Well! When will the cycle of revenge ever cease? Let those past events drift away with the wind; we can enjoy our twilight years in peace.”
This round of persuasion went surprisingly smoothly! Ziyan secretly felt grateful for having encountered so many generous and understanding people in her life who cared for her.
This life could be considered perfect! Listening to their harmonious conversation, Ziyan's mood instantly took a 180-degree turn for the better.
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