After picking up the White Cut Black Prince

Qi Chen was also crying over there. After this incident, he hated himself more than anyone else.

He cried so hard that he was heartbroken. Song Yusheng, who was standing beside them, heard them crying one louder than the other. He felt his headache getting worse and his temples throbbing violently. He sat beside them, pressing his temples while listening to them crying.

Seeing Song Yusheng's actions, Qi Chen didn't dare to cry anymore. He wiped away his tears fiercely and continued to explain why they came.

Qi Chen said, "The child is missing, so we have to report it to the authorities, but the people in the government office don't do anything! First they said the child was only missing for a day, so there's no need to worry. We had no choice but to send servants to look for him. Then a day later, we went again, but the people in the government office, although they promised to do it, told us to go again in ten days. And so on, ten days and ten days after ten days! My child might not be found even if he turned into a corpse. There was no other way. The government office in the county didn't do anything, so we went to the government office, but we couldn't sue them for not doing anything, and we were beaten instead. In the end, our child's missing case was closed directly, saying that after more than a month, the child would definitely not be alive! Dead!"

"Is there such a thing?! It's been more than a month, and they dragged it on for more than a month! If I can't file a complaint in the government, I'll go to the Provincial Administration Office! It still won't work! The child can't be found, and no one can give me an explanation!"

Qi Chen spent all his family wealth while searching for his child and later sued the black-hearted government office that didn't do anything. He couldn't hold on any longer. Later, they heard that the current Dali Temple Chief Justice was a good man, a fair judge, who had made no mistakes in judging thousands of cases in the Dali Temple. They also heard that he was a decent person with a good reputation. As a result, they had no choice but to go to Kyoto when they were at their wits' end. They just wanted to find their child and seek justice.

It was a coincidence that they had no money and had to sell the ghost ball. They never thought that the buyer of the ghost ball was the person they were looking for, Song Yusheng.

Qi Chen's voice was choked with sobs. At this moment, he no longer cared about his dignity. His dignity and backbone had been completely worn away in the past two months. He even returned to the Qi family who had driven them away, knelt down in front of them, and begged them to come out and help him find someone.

The Qi family had some reputation in the local area. Even if the people in the government office didn't help him find a wife, they had to give face to the Qi family. He knelt for a day and a night, kneeling to his parents, but he couldn't make them soften their hearts.

Qi Chen heard that the eldest son of the Song family was an upright person, and he would definitely not ignore it.

He knelt down before Song Yusheng and kowtowed to him, wanting him to save his children, save them.

A man's knees are as precious as gold, but at this point, Qi Chen's knees are his son's life. He had been searching for his son for months, but all he got in return was the bitter hatred of "dead".

When he knelt down, Song Yusheng suddenly stood up and grabbed his arm to stop him from kneeling.

Qi Chen was afraid that he would not agree, so he insisted on kneeling. Song Yusheng said first, "Don't kneel. I will help you find it."

Qi Chen had been searching for his child for two months, and had heard countless times that people in the government office said to him, "We will help you find him."

But they said this countless times, but never once did it.

Logically speaking, Qi Chen had been cheated by these people so many times that he should be vigilant. How could Song Yusheng do it so easily? It was so easy that he couldn't believe it.

Looking up at him, Qi Chen's eyes met his. The man had an excellent appearance, and even the slight fatigue on his face did not hide his charm at all. Song Yusheng's expression was very indifferent, like a pool of deep water without any ups and downs, but when he said this, Qi Chen was inexplicably convinced.

He thought he should be a trustworthy person.

Should be a person who can do what he says.

After all, he can only place his hopes on him now, and there is nothing he can do about it.

It has been two months and Song Yusheng knew without thinking that the child had probably met with an accident.

His jaw tightened, and after thinking for a while he still didn't say it.

When Qi Chen saw that Song Yusheng had agreed to the matter, he finally felt relieved that the pressure on his heart had been weighing on him for a long time.

He thought about the day when Song Yusheng bought the ghost ball, but he clearly remembered that the prince in the rumor was not interested in women, and he had never heard that he had married a wife, but that day, he clearly said that he bought the thing back home for his wife. Qi Chen was a little confused, what on earth was going on?
He did not ask Song Yusheng directly, but asked in a disguised way: "Did you get what you wanted when you bought the ghost ball that day?"

"It's getting late, you guys should go back first."

Answering a question that is not related to the question is already an answer.

Qi Chen looked at Song Yusheng's expression again and found it was not very good. As an experienced person, he could guess some of the causes and reasons.

I'm afraid this is due to emotional injury.

It can be seen that the injury is not shallow. Qi Chen also has his own little thoughts. He is afraid that Song Yusheng will indulge in emotional pain and lose his spirit. He comforted him with a few words, "Excuse me, sir, this relationship can't be rushed. After all, there are millions of people in the world who are perfect matches. There are bound to be bumps and bumps. If you give up because of this, this relationship will not be deep and affectionate."

He seemed to think about himself. After all, when he was with Qi Ping, he encountered many obstacles. Song Yusheng looked very similar to him at that time. He said, "I don't have anything else to say. I can only say that I pursue my heart. Anyway, I don't regret being with Ping'er now. If I had given up at the beginning, I would have regretted it for the rest of my life."

He smiled self-deprecatingly, "No matter how difficult it is for adults, it won't be as difficult as it was for us back then."

Their difficulties are not tolerated by the secular world and are condemned by ethics and morality.

Qi Chen said that Song Yusheng's life would not be more difficult than his at that time.

Song Yusheng felt that it was hard to say.

But Qi Chen's words made his complicated thoughts a little clearer.
What if I regret it later?

Qi Chen didn't say anything more in the end, and left the place hand in hand with Qi Ping. After the two of them left the Dali Temple, Qi Ping was still a little uneasy. She asked Qi Chen, "Isn't this Lord Song the same as those people before? He promised to help us, but in the end, he stabbed us in the back."

Their journey started from going to the county government office to report the case and look for their son. They stayed there for more than a month. In the end, the case was closed as the child was dead. How could they accept this? They filed complaints to the higher authorities again and again to look for their son.

However, these people protect each other among their own officials, and it seems to be of no use no matter where the complaint is filed.

Instead, they ended up losing everything they had and becoming homeless.

Qi Ping was afraid that Song Yusheng would be like them, agreeing to this on the surface, but in the end, he was also deceiving them. She was so nervous that she felt a little distracted even now.

Qi Chen was not sure either. After all, they had been deceived so many times along the way. But when he thought of the man in the Dali Temple just now, he still said, "No, he looks much more reliable than those people."

He was at his wit's end. He now understood clearly that the officialdom was like a quagmire. He could only pin his hopes on Song Yusheng, who seemed like a clear stream.

But if you are really a clean person, you can't survive in a place like this.

A clear stream cannot save people.
It is also difficult to save the country.

After the two of them left, Song Yusheng called the secret guards over.

He said to Xia Hua who was following him, "When you go back, ask Chun Feng to check on the young boy with white skin, twelve years old, who looks like a girl. We must find out whether he is dead or alive."

*
This month's drought lasted until the end of August, and the hot weather has not dissipated.

That night, the moon is bright and the stars are dim.

Wen Chu was grinding ink for Emperor Linghui in the Qianqing Palace.

Emperor Linghui was not reading memorials, but writing.

Half of the memorials submitted to him over the years were scolding him, which made him feel annoyed and he simply ignored them.

Wen Chu was grinding ink on the side. She heard Emperor Linghui coughing from time to time. She also remembered that he had been swallowing pills before. She said with dissatisfaction: "Why are you eating those messy things? Eating too much of these things can kill people, don't you know? Look at your current appearance. You are only forty years old, but you look more than sixty."

The more Wen Chu thought about it, the angrier he became. How could he have humiliated himself into this state? He even used more force to pound the ink in his hands.

No one dared to say such words in front of Emperor Linghui, but when Emperor Linghui heard Wen Chu talking to him, he smiled foolishly. He said in a good temper: "No, no, no, I won't eat it anymore. Xiaochu is not angry anymore."

Wen Chu was stunned.

Last time she asked him not to call her Li Zhaoxi, he really listened to her.

Wen Chu smiled, but his eyes were a little red.

The candlelight flickered in the hall, and the shadows of the father and daughter were projected onto the wall, which was very harmonious.

After a while, Emperor Linghui suddenly asked, "What are you going to do with Xiaochu in the future? I'm thinking that since you don't like the name Li Zhaoxi, then you should be called Wenchu. But, you should come back to be a princess. While I'm alive, others won't bully you. If I die, your mother and brother will still be around. When the time comes, I'll find a way to get rid of those troublesome people, and I'll leave this palace to you and your sister."

Emperor Linghui said that it was left for them and their siblings, but in fact it was left for Wen Chu alone. Leaving a crown prince behind was just to protect her safety.

He said he would try to get rid of those troublesome people. How would he do it? And could he get rid of them?
Speaking of this, Wen Chu asked again: "Why did the emperor treat my brother like that? Why did he work so hard?"

Emperor Linghui had no reason to argue about this matter. He said, "There is nothing to say. I will not do this in the future. But you know that my father is not like this. The people of the He Party will not let him off easily."

"But Father's behavior makes my brother even more sad."

Emperor Linghui was choked by these words, and even felt a little guilty. If he wanted to find out why he treated Li Weiyan like this, it would inevitably bring up the past events. He stopped quibbling and tried to change the subject. He said, "In a few days, I will ask the Imperial Observatory to pick a good time for us to 'recognize our ancestors'. From now on, we will be called Wen Chu instead of Li Zhaoxi."

Emperor Linghui's words, didn't it mean that the Li family's world was mixed with the surname "Wen"? Emperor Linghui dared to do such a thing, but Wen Chu didn't dare to do such a thing.

She said quickly, "Father, you don't have to acknowledge me. Just leave it like this. Anyway, I don't want to stay in the palace anymore. I will stay with you and mother. After you leave and my brother becomes the emperor, I will be satisfied and will not stay here any longer. Maybe my fate is not in harmony with the capital. If I stay here, I will be lonely. I will go somewhere else to see the mountains and rivers, and see the undercurrents of the mountains and rivers. It will be good too."

Wen Chu's words were clearly saying that she would leave the palace after they died. When Emperor Linghui heard her say such unlucky words, he just said "tsk", put down his pen, and looked at her, "Your father is not dead yet, and you are cursing me."

When Emperor Linghui heard that Wen Chu did not want to be a princess, he did not force her. It was up to her to do whatever she wanted. If she wanted to be a princess, he would happily give her the title. If she didn't want to, then she could just not be one.

His daughter can do whatever she wants.

Besides, she was willing to stay with him until he died, so he couldn't be happier.

In love, even kings are like this.
Humble and cautious.

Emperor Linghui felt a little regretful. He regretted taking the elixir without knowing the consequences. He originally thought that if he died, he would die, and living would be hard and tiring. But now Wen Chu was by his side, and he greedily wanted to live a hundred years.

The father and daughter talked about Lele, as if they wanted to say everything they hadn't said in the past few years. When Emperor Linghui heard Wen Chu talk about what he and Old Man Wen did in the countryside, he looked at her with a bit of heartache in his eyes.

Seeing him like this, Wen Chu said, "Don't be like this, I'm fine. I've learned a lot from Old Man Wen. He's amazing and treats me very well."

She never said the word "bitter", but Emperor Linghui felt that she had suffered all the suffering in the world.

His eyes were slightly moist, and he turned his head away to wipe away his tears without making a sound. Wen Chu came up to him and asked, "Are you crying?"

She didn't mean to make him cry.

Didn't she always say good things? How come she still made people sad?

She was a little annoyed. If she had known, she would not have said so much.

"Don't cry, I won't tell you."

"Why not say it? If you want to, say it." Emperor Linghui argued like a child.

Wen Chu sighed, "I'm sorry for hurting you..."

She was a little helpless. At this juncture, a young eunuch came in from outside the hall to report.

He bowed his head and said, "Your Majesty, the prince of the Duke's Mansion is here."

Wen Chu paused, and when he thought of Song Yusheng, his hands couldn't help but tremble.

The time he forced her to stay by his side was like a nightmare that oppressed her and made her almost unable to breathe. She had no free will, it was all due to his coercion.

She thought of what he had said before: even if she was a princess, what difference would that make? She was a little scared, afraid that he would come back, afraid that he would really make a fuss. She wanted to hide, she didn't dare to look at him.

Emperor Linghui noticed Wen Chu's abnormality. He wanted to ask her what happened, but just hearing her name made her become like this. What on earth did Song Yusheng do?

But before Emperor Linghui could open his mouth and Wen Chu could not hide, Song Yusheng had already entered the hall.

Wen Chu didn't expect Song Yusheng to enter the hall so quickly. At this moment, she froze in place, unable to move except for shaking uncontrollably.

Song Yusheng saw all her movements.

He could only see her profile, he saw her head down, he saw her trembling.

She is very afraid of him.

All the blood drained from Song Yusheng's face, and his hands hidden in his sleeves unconsciously tightened a little, until his palms were bleeding.

He suddenly felt that his actions today were a little abrupt.
He just heard the eunuch at the door say that she was inside with the emperor. His heart was beating wildly. This was the first time he had such an emotional fluctuation in recent days. He wanted to see her so much, but he knew that she would not want to see him. So he ignored the message and went straight in. He was afraid that she would avoid him.

Now it seems that he really scared her.

But her injuries seemed to have improved a lot, and at least now she could still stand beside Emperor Linghui and grind ink.

When Emperor Linghui saw Song Yusheng coming in, he said unhappily, "You weren't even summoned, what are you doing here?"

Emperor Linghui's voice brought Song Yusheng back to his senses a little. He withdrew his gaze from Wen Chu, which was almost out of control, and said with lowered eyes, "If you have any questions, please discuss it with the emperor. I wonder if there is anyone inside."

Song Yusheng lied without changing his expression or beating his heart. He was lying, and Emperor Linghui knew he was lying.

He snorted coldly and patted Wen Chu's hand. Wen Chu came back to her senses, not realizing that a layer of sweat had already appeared on her head. She only heard Emperor Linghui say to her, "You go back first. I'll talk to him first."

Emperor Linghui saw Wen Chu's attitude, and seeing that she was uncomfortable staying there, he asked her to leave first. He also wanted to ask what Song Yusheng had done to make her so afraid of him.

Emperor Linghui asked Wen Chu to leave, which was exactly what she wanted.

She said "goodbye" and was about to walk out of the hall. Song Yusheng was standing in the center of the hall, and Wen Chu walked out along the wall. This action made Song Yusheng's eyes hurt.

He smiled self-deprecatingly.
She hated him just like that.

He wanted to ask her how she was doing these days, but he didn't need to ask. He could tell just by thinking and looking at her that she was not doing well without him.

Wen Chu's sight disappeared in the hall. Song Yusheng retracted his gaze and lowered his eyes. Under his long eyelashes, his eyes were empty. He even forgot why he came here today.

"Tell me the truth, what did you do to her that made her afraid that you would become like this?"

Emperor Linghui's voice came from above, and Song Yusheng could tell that his words were full of dissatisfaction and contained a hint of hidden anger.

He suddenly raised his head and looked at Emperor Linghui. He forced a smile and asked, "What I have done is worthy of being cut into pieces. Your Majesty, are you going to kill me?"

Song Yusheng's voice was as cold as ice at this moment.

Emperor Linghui glanced at him. The light shone on the face of the person in the hall. He had a smile on his face, just like he had been doing so for so many years.

But today, that smile seemed a little forced and a little pale and powerless.

After all, there are only so many things going on in the officialdom. Emperor Linghui and Song Yusheng know each other well, and he can see what kind of person Song Yusheng is.

Song Yusheng and him are both similar and different. The place where Emperor Linghui is sitting now is the golden throne, which symbolizes the supreme status in the world. This seat carries the majesty of emperors of all dynasties and is even stained with blood. Sitting on this seat is neither difficult nor easy. Like him, he sat on it at the age of nine, but he couldn't sit well after sitting on it.

The Golden Throne severed the mother-son relationship between him and the Empress Dowager, and the deep friendship between him and Fang Xiu. It seemed that his emotional ties were destined to end here.

But he couldn't let go, there were too many people in his heart.

But Song Yusheng was different. He seemed to be born to sit on this chair.

Even in the eyes of Emperor Linghui, Song Yusheng was like a god. His mind was too strong and mature, and nothing could defeat him. Emperor Linghui was a good emperor in the past. He had suffered so much, so he understood better than anyone how strong a mind it took to reach Song Yusheng's level. He seemed to be unable to perceive the emotions of ordinary people, so that no matter what happened, he could not shake the deep pool in his heart. It was also people like him who were most suitable to become gods. Nothing could hit him, even if a sword stabbed his heart, he could still smile.

Song Yusheng asked him, "Your Majesty, are you going to kill me?"

If it were in the past, Emperor Linghui would definitely think that Song Yusheng was provoking him by saying this.

But now, Emperor Linghui saw a hint of despair and confusion in his eyes.

He really had thoughts of self-destruction.

Perhaps in Song Yusheng's heart, he could not forgive what he had done in the past, so much so that he actually wanted to kill himself to seek relief.

Emperor Linghui snorted from his nose, his face was grim, and he said, "You want to die, you want her to bear a life? Just let her remember you as a dead person forever, don't even think about it. You just live like this, and watch her get married and live happily with someone else. That's enough, don't think about anything else!"

Emperor Linghui may not have any other skills over the years, but he is very familiar with the art of winning people's hearts and seizing power, and he is also an expert at stabbing people.

It’s up to Wen Chu to marry or not, but he just wanted to use these words to taunt him.

Sure enough, when Song Yusheng heard this, even the smile he was forcing fell.

Song Yusheng said, "I came here today to discuss something important with the emperor. Why don't we talk about the business first?"

Emperor Linghui saw that his expression was indeed not fake, so he asked, "What's the matter?"

Song Yusheng looked at Emperor Linghui and said, "The matter of the Grand Tutor back then."

The elegant fragrance was wafting slowly in the hall, and the sound of dripping water beside it was particularly clear in the dark night without any human voices. Drop by drop, it seemed to be dripping on Emperor Linghui's heart, which had already been broken many times.

No one dared to mention the Grand Tutor in front of Emperor Linghui again. This incident was a great pain to Emperor Linghui. After the death of the Grand Tutor, Emperor Linghui never mentioned the word "wise ruler" again.

After many years, when the Grand Tutor was mentioned again, Emperor Linghui was a little dazed. In the past, every time he thought of the Grand Tutor alone, he would cry out loud. But this time, when someone mentioned it in front of him, he seemed to be fixed in his mind and sat on the chair at a loss.

After a long time, Emperor Linghui finally spoke. He looked at Song Yusheng with full of mockery in his eyes. He raised his eyebrows, and the wrinkles on his forehead were squeezed together.

"Grand Tutor? You Song family members are not ashamed to mention Grand Tutor."

"Song Yusheng, do you think that I can't do anything to you, so you try your best to humiliate me?"

Song Yusheng was questioned by Emperor Linghui, but he remained unmoved. He said, "That's not what I meant. The Grand Tutor is dead, and the Wen family has only a name of shame in history. In the future, thousands of people will only know that they are beasts in human form, who pushed for new policies and then engaged in corruption, and said one thing to your face and another behind your back. The emperor resented that he had done nothing in the past, and resented that he was controlled by others when he ascended the throne at a young age, so after the Grand Tutor died, he simply gave up on himself. You think, if you can't win the fight, then don't fight. But the Grand Tutor, he died tragically, and the culprit is fine."

When Emperor Linghui heard these words, he looked at Song Yusheng with disbelief. He couldn't believe that Song Yusheng would actually say these words.

Did the Grand Tutor want to be like those people and force Emperor Linghui to be like this when he crashed into the pillar of the Hall of Supreme Harmony that year? He just wanted to use his death to make the young emperor harden his heart. No matter what happened on the road of reform, even if he died, he would still stick to his original intention.

But the Grand Tutor had not expected that his death would leave Emperor Linghui half dead and in a state of despair.

If possible, Emperor Linghui would naturally want to clear the name of the Grand Tutor, but he always felt that he couldn't do it, so he didn't do it.

What was the meaning of Song Yusheng bringing up this matter with him today? Dealing with Song Yusheng was too exhausting for Emperor Linghui, and he felt exhausted in a short while.

He got straight to the point and asked, "Why are you telling me all this? Are you trying to use the Grand Tutor to force me to exchange my daughter for you?"

Emperor Linghui thought that Song Yusheng wanted him to help the Grand Tutor to clear his name and go against the He family, and then of course, he would also give him Wen Chu.

What if Emperor Linghui agreed? Wouldn't that mean he would choose the Grand Tutor again and abandon Wen Chu once again?

When Song Yusheng heard Emperor Linghui ask this, he shook his head and said, "Your Majesty thinks too badly of me. How dare I put her in a situation where she has to make a choice again?"

Emperor Linghui was struck by these words, and he finally looked at Song Yusheng with a serious look.

He actually thought that maybe he could really protect Wen Chu.

But his expression was still not very good. He snorted coldly, "So, you think that she will accept you like this?"

"Well, I can't just do nothing and then say those ridiculous sincere words."

Wen Chu couldn't let them go. She wanted the emperor to be well and the crown prince to ascend the throne. But even if she came back, the emperor would no longer blame the crown prince too much. But what about the He family and the second prince? Their appetites had been enlarged over the years. Could he drive them away?

He always had to do something. He thought, she cared about them, so he would go and help them.

He did all this just hoping that she would look at him again and talk to him again.

He had something he wanted to do, and his inner anxiety seemed to be finally eased a little.

Emperor Linghui was silent for a moment, then he said, "Song Yusheng, your last name is Song, and your grandfather wasn't a very upright person. Why should I trust you?"

Song Yusheng knew that once bitten by a snake, one will fear snakes in the well for ten years. Even though the Song family had the merit of protecting the emperor, how could Emperor Linghui let go of what Prime Minister Song had done in the past, when, in order to protect himself, he had joined in harming the Grand Tutor?

He didn't say anything, but turned his back to Emperor Linghui and reached out to untie his clothes.

Emperor Linghui was shocked when he saw Song Yusheng's behavior. He slammed the table and scolded, "What's wrong with you? Why are you taking off your clothes? Put them back on."

Emperor Linghui hadn't finished speaking yet, and the rest of his words were cut off in his throat when they touched the whip marks on Song Yusheng's back.

The dense whip marks spread across his back like a centipede. Under the saintly appearance, there was such a broken body. Song Yusheng actually had other injuries of varying sizes on his body, but they were far less shocking than the one on his back.

Song Yusheng said calmly, "Thirty lashes, all by my grandfather. That time, I asked him why he did that. Didn't he claim to be a clean family? Why did he do such a dirty thing? My grandfather told me that day that in this officialdom, the real clean officials can't survive, just like the Taifu. He said that since the world is so rotten, then let it be so rotten. If you can't change the world, just keep yourself out of trouble. He said that the first rule of the Song family is that the descendants must revitalize the family. He wants me to be independent."

Song Yusheng's voice was very faint, but it was like a heavy hammer, slamming the funeral bell hard, causing waves of echoes in the hall.

"Every time he whipped me, he asked me if I acknowledged it. He asked me if I acknowledged his principles and the clan rules of the Song family."

The whip marks on his back told the final outcome. His skin was torn and he was forced to kneel in front of the ancestral hall, but he never responded again.

He put his clothes back on, turned around, looked at Emperor Linghui, and said, "I didn't recognize you before, I don't recognize you now, and I will never recognize you in the future."

He only recognizes the people he wants to recognize. As for the others, he is unwilling to recognize them. Even if a sword is placed on his neck, he will not recognize them.

They wanted to survive and seek perfection, but he refused to acknowledge them.

(End of this chapter)