Jiapingguan Chronicle

Chapter 2758 Still Vigorous in Old Age 142.0
After listening to Xiao Fengqi's recounting of the past, the entire pavilion fell silent. Everyone sighed, unsure of what to say.

In this story, no one can be considered a good person in the traditional sense, but no one can be considered a bad person either.

Each of them had their own unavoidable circumstances and their own things they had to do, which led to all sorts of calculations. Tragedy occurred because of these unavoidable circumstances and calculations.

Thinking of this, Shen Cha sighed silently. Although everyone had their own reasons, in this story, the late King of Liao should be the only one who should bear full responsibility for this tragic ending.

If I had to choose the least innocent person, it would definitely be him.

Although Shen Cha did not know when the former King of Liao evolved into two people, according to Jin Miaomiao's explanation, it should have been during his childhood, when the Queen Mother forced him to take on the responsibilities that a successor to the throne should bear.

Shen Cha didn't think the Empress Dowager was wrong. Her only problem was that her attitude was too forceful and a bit unreasonable. She didn't consider that a child who hadn't grown up would not understand what she was saying. Faced with her forceful oppression, the only options were to resist and rebel, or to run away.

The young King of Liao at the time was an innocent boy who only wanted to live a free life. Naturally, he couldn't understand what the Queen Mother was saying, as those were not what he wanted.

But the Queen Dowager's repeated insistence caused him to develop resistance, disgust, and hatred towards what she said. However, his background, status, and the power behind the Yelü family did not allow him to do as he pleased, nor would they allow him to live according to his own heart. He did not want to compromise or take responsibility, but he could do nothing in the face of the Queen Dowager's domineering nature. His only choice was to escape.

The long-term avoidance directly led to the birth of King Yi of Liao. Whenever he did not want to face the Queen Mother or the things he hated, King Yi of Liao would take his place and do the things that he had to do.

If King A of Liao hadn't been cowardly and avoided the problem, and had faced those so-called difficulties head-on, King B of Liao wouldn't have appeared, and none of what followed would have happened.

Thinking of this, Shen Cha couldn't help but shake her head. Liao Wang Jia and his queen were really a family. When faced with things they didn't want to face, the two of them made the exact same choice.

Because King A of Liao did not want to take responsibility and face the political situation, he gave birth to King B of Liao. However, the Queen did not have the same ability. Her tragic fate was almost entirely of her own making. She was like a dodder vine, weak and helpless. Faced with those who oppressed her, she had no choice but to cry.

Shen Cha thought about it. If she hadn't met the Regent's Consort, the Xiao family's ancestor, and the Liao King who fell in love with her at first sight and insisted on marrying her, the Liao Consort would probably have been in a worse situation. Perhaps she would have been sold to another nobleman by her own parents, uncles, and aunts for their own benefit. It's hard to say.

Even with someone helping her, she couldn't bring herself to resist for her own happiness. Although Consort Rong and the Rong family used despicable means to marry into the palace in place of the Princess of Liao, the Princess of Liao, even at this point, with her beloved being taken away and her marriage about to fall apart, still didn't wake up, didn't resist, and didn't sever ties with her family. She only wallowed in self-pity.

Shen Cha admitted that she was a little angry when she heard this, but only a little. Everyone has their own path to walk, and the Princess of Liao was no exception. Her personality determined her fate and ending. Shen Haolin sat next to Shen Cha, observing her the whole time. Noticing that her expression was a little off, he promptly took her hand.

"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

"No, I was just thinking about that story, about the Princess of Liao and the King of Liao."

What are you thinking about them for?

“The source of this tragedy is those two.” Shen Cha looked at everyone. “They really showed me the two weakest, most cowardly, and most selfish people in the world.” She looked at Xiao Fengqi. “I’m sorry, although it’s a bit harsh, that’s how I really feel.”

“General, there’s no need to apologize, because that’s what I thought too.” Xiao Fengqi waved his hand at Shen Cha. “When I first heard this story, I thought the same as you. The late king, who came from the royal family, didn’t think about taking on the responsibilities he should have as a prince. He always thought about running away. This is something that not only I, but I’m afraid Young Master Lan and Young Master Nan also can’t understand. If we’re talking about why the Regent became the way he is now, the late king also bears some responsibility.”

"There's always been a question: Isn't the Regent King the late King of Liao's own brother? He should also be the Queen Mother's son, so why doesn't the Queen Mother groom him? Since the late King of Liao didn't like the throne."

"The Regent is the son of the Queen Mother's sister, not the Queen Mother's son." Xiao Fengqi looked at everyone except Chu Han, who all looked blank, smiled, and explained, "The Queen Mother's sister entered the palace as part of her dowry. Her family background was not prominent, so the two sisters always relied on and supported each other in the palace. The Queen Mother's sister gave birth to the Regent when the late King was five years old, and he passed away when he was less than two years old."

"Are you sick?"

“Yes!” Xiao Fengqi nodded. “The Queen Mother and my sister have a very good relationship, so she registered the Regent under her own name and raised him in her palace along with the late King. So, the two brothers have a pretty good relationship. My great-aunt said that the Queen Mother is also very strict with the Regent. I guess she has already made plans for the two children and wants to train the Regent to be the best helper.”

“Perhaps there is another possibility.” Chu Han stroked his chin and smiled at everyone. “She may have realized that her son was really not very capable, so the regent was very necessary.”

"Does Grand Uncle mean that Empress Dowager Wang has long been prepared to have Yelü Ertu replace the former King of Liao?" Song Yaojia frowned slightly.

“Yes!” Chu Han nodded. “I don’t know if she ever mentioned this before she died, but in any case, the title of Regent was probably not something she came up with on a whim.” He waved his hand. “Forget it, it’s all in the past. Not to mention that the King of Liao has been dead for many years, even our Regent…” He sighed, “is now on his deathbed. Time really flies by so quickly.”