Ink Burns

Chapter 289 Father (Part 2)
The mountain moon listened quietly.

As He Qingshu spoke this long passage, Shan Yue nodded from time to time, encouraging him to continue.

He Qingshu spoke with great enthusiasm, but towards the end, a hint of melancholy crept into his words: his marriage to that Fu woman was originally arranged by Jing'an; she was plain-looking, dull-tempered, and from an ordinary family; in fact, she always had a foul odor when she sweated in the hot weather.
It's really hard to swallow!

At first, for the sake of his son, he reluctantly agreed, but he discovered that when the Grand Princess Jing'an facilitated this marriage, she gave Fu a drastic measure, cutting off his hopes of having a legitimate son—no, no, even a son born out of wedlock!—would he dare to take a concubine?
Even if he hides it well and secretly has an illegitimate child, that child is still a bastard who can't be brought into the open!
He understood what the Grand Princess Jing'an meant: just like how the palace fears that if the concubines have offspring, they will devote all their attention to their children, thus intentionally or unintentionally neglecting the emperor.

Jing'an has always believed that she is his emperor.
Although he had ulterior motives, he still devoted ten years of his life to serving her with humility and deference.

What's so special about a third-rank official?!

Is his time and youth really so worthless?!
And there's Cui Bainian!

Having been placed by Jing'an's side for so many years, he obeyed every instruction Cui Bainian gave. Even when Jing'an was dying and wanted to send a letter to his daughter to seek peace, he risked burning the letter.
Cui Bainian's promise of a first-rank imperial edict and a dukedom is now like a mirage. Jing'an won't live much longer, and the emperor wants to settle scores: Although his affair with Jing'an has never been made public, who in and out of the palace doesn't know that his behavior is three or four parts similar to that of the former consort Fu? Their accents are even seven or eight parts alike.

With Jing'an dead, and Cui Bainian far away in the northern frontier, if the emperor wanted to make an example of him, his head would roll before the message even got out!

Thank you very much.

There is always a way out.

When the East is dark, the West is bright.

Jing'an is failing, Cui Bainian is unreliable, and a promising young woman suddenly appears!

Xue Xiao wielded immense power in the court and was a close advisor to the emperor!

Heaven has not forsaken He Qingshu!
Heaven didn't forsake him!
Just like twelve years ago, when his wife died and his son disappeared, leaving him without food or drink and in great distress, an opportunity suddenly fell from the sky.
As He Qingshu's heroic spirit took on a more genuine meaning: "Life is all about chance. You may search high and low without finding it, but then it comes to you effortlessly. Seeing you two sisters makes me realize that all the hardships and difficulties I've endured over the years have come true!"

"Enduring hardship and suffering?"

Shan Yue smiled and said, "Back then, you were just a scholar who took the imperial examinations for almost ten years. Your talent was really mediocre. Now you've risen through the ranks to become a high-ranking official of the third rank. You must have really risked your life for it."

The phrase "mediocre talent" sounds increasingly jarring.

He Qingshu saw that Shan Yue's expression was natural and did not seem to have deliberately hurt him. He thought that the young girl had not been raised properly. After entering "Qingfeng", she had learned how to serve men. She had been born but had not been properly taught. Of course, she did not know how to speak politely and respectfully.

While He Qingshu was thinking, another matter came to mind: should he confess his relationship with "Qingfeng" to Shan Yue?

If he doesn't speak, after he leaves, when Shan Yue and Xue Xiao face each other, Shan Yue might feel that he is not honest enough.

A few more questions remain: Why did Shan Yue betray Qing Feng? Was she bewitched by Xue Xiao and won over? Or did she intend to use Qing Feng as a stepping stone to seek wealth and glory from the very beginning?
He Qingshu suddenly lowered his eyes in shame and smiled, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes bursting open like lamp flames: "Of course, if it weren't for 'Qingfeng's' help, I would have had to endure a few more years."

He Qingshu paused slightly, his brows gradually relaxing: Regardless of the answers to the above questions, anyone who dares to betray "Qingfeng" must be quite cunning and scheming!
When conversing with intelligent people, don't ask about the process, just focus on the result. Different paths lead to the same destination, which is a win-win situation.

He Qingshu deliberately softened his tone, holding a teacup in one hand, brewing Baihao Yinzhen tea.

Beside the teacup was a pomelo that Miss Zhou had half-peeled. She forgot to take it when she left, and the handle of the knife was very close to the teacup.

He Qingshu subtly pushed the knife and fruit to his side, his posture extremely dignified and handsome.

Even the most incompetent person, after years of immersion in officialdom, has learned to imitate others.

He Qingshu took a sip of tea, his words gradually becoming more serious before he finally revealed his purpose: "It's interesting, really. You were chosen by 'Qingfeng' to serve her as your father. These past ten years of separation seem to have paved the way for our working together today. Every sip and every bite, could it be preordained—that you and I, father and daughter, will ultimately be reunited on this path."

"It's a pity that we missed the good time for 'Qingfeng'. Now 'Qingfeng' is gradually weakening, and the emperor sees Jing'an as his own. Otherwise, if my daughter and I had worked together, we would have definitely won the battle for 'Qingfeng'—and how could we have let Yuan Wenying steal the limelight?"

He Qingshu sighed as he spoke.

Shan Yue was leaning back, but upon hearing the last sentence, she frowned almost imperceptibly and became serious.

"However, it's not too late now." He Qingshu stood ramrod straight, displaying the demeanor of a refined scholar: "My son-in-law has a long-standing friendship with the Emperor. I happen to have a list of 'Qingfeng' members, which includes both the imperial court and the harem. Although the Emperor has investigated it once, there are bound to be some who slipped through the net. For example, he wouldn't have thought that Zhou Yi, the Liaodong Commander-in-Chief whom he promoted to counterbalance the Northern Frontier Army of Marquis Wuding, seems to have a clean background, but in fact, he has already been bribed by 'Qingfeng', would he?"

register?

A roster that doesn't even include Zhou Fangniang?

Shan Yue raised her head and looked directly at He Qingshu.

"Just consider this your father's pledge of loyalty!" He Qingshu pulled out a yellowed old book from his bosom, pressed it down on Shan Yue's side with four fingers pointing downwards: "We are father and daughter, and since you have already won the favor of a worthy son-in-law, why not introduce me to him?"

Shan Yue looked down at the name register, but remained silent.

This conversation was not fair to Shan Yue.

He Qingshu had already found out all about her, while she knew nothing about He Qingshu.

Since you are at a disadvantage, don't take the initiative to open up and expose your weaknesses.

Let him speak.

Let him keep talking.

Until enough information was gathered from his words.

He Qingshu, however, thought that Shan Yue was still not satisfied and cursed her in his heart as an "ungrateful wretch," but he naturally lowered his body: he had always been a man who could bend and stretch, so what did it matter if the other party was his daughter? If Qiu hadn't died, he wouldn't have had this opportunity, and he might still be begging his eldest daughter for money to drink right now—he remembered that this eldest daughter was very clever when she was a child, and half of the family's expenses came from Qiu's hard work and the other half from this girl's ideas!

It's okay if you don't take the hit!

He can bend down even lower!

“Just now, the Imperial Edict Office sent word to the residence of Grand Princess Jing’an. Jing’an coughed up blood three times on the spot and is already on her deathbed. The Emperor now has the edict of succession and is just looking for a pretext to deliver the final fatal blow to her—the Prefect of the Capital has a series of unsolved cases under his control. In the past three months, nearly ten children, all three or four years old, have disappeared in and around the capital. Guess where they are now?” He Qingshu’s eyes were burning with fervor.

"Where?" Shan Yue's voice trembled slightly at the end.

"The trees in front of the Grand Princess's residence are shedding their leaves particularly late this autumn," He Qingshu said, offering only a brief answer.

Shan Yue slightly raised her head, her eyelashes casting a shadow beneath her fair eyelids.

"Tell me, if the emperor finds out about this, he could justify imprisoning Jing'an in the Imperial Clan Court. In just one cold, snowy night, he could send her to her death!"

He Qingshu's left eyelid suddenly twitched, and he spoke in a clear voice: "Mountain Moon—Mountain Moon—you and I are blood relatives, your glory is my wealth, my peace is your filial piety, Mountain—"

"Father talked a lot about himself. Wasn't he curious about where Mother, my sister, and I had been all these years?"

Shan Yue suddenly spoke, cutting off He Qingshu's next words.

Caught off guard by the question, He Qingshu instinctively replied, "I always thought you were dead."

"How did you die?" "Mountain bandits—Songjiang Prefecture even sent troops up the mountain to suppress them," He Qingshu stammered.

Shan Yue calmly gazed at him, and after a moment, finally lifted her foot and walked towards He Qingshu: "Is that so? Then how did you escape 'Qingfeng's' encirclement and annihilation of the He family in Hetou Village?"

He Qingshu was momentarily stunned by the interrogation: he thought this girl didn't know the truth about Fushou Mountain!
"Many years ago, I returned to Hetou Village, and the house had long been burned to the ground. The chickens and ducks my mother raised, the dried vegetables, and the hulled millstone were all gone! The soil was black, and the wooden beams had burned to charcoal and fallen into the ditch. I held the soil in my hands and cried for my mother—and for you too."

Shan Yue said, step by step, "I thought you were dead too."

He Qingshu unconsciously leaned back to avoid the oppressive feeling emanating from He Shanyue, which was exactly the same as that of the Marquis of Wuding who suddenly appeared in front of him twelve years ago!
On the second day after the Fushoushan wildfire, he was still drowsy from a hangover and stumbled home. As soon as he opened the door, a person hiding behind the door held a knife to his neck!

The door was pushed open, light shone on his face, and someone inside called out, "Wait!"

He was immediately covered with a black cloth, dragged on the ground and thrown onto a carriage. After an unknown amount of time, he was forced to kneel down. The black cloth was ripped off, and he was sitting not far away, quietly drinking tea. His posture was even considered elegant, but none of the black-clad assassins in the room dared to raise their heads casually.

"He Qingshu".

The man read out his name: "A scholar from Hetou Village, Songjiang Prefecture. Unfortunately, after passing the provincial examination, his academic performance has not improved at all. He relies on his wife, Qiu, to make a living by farming and embroidery. He is addicted to drinking and gambling all day long, and has affairs with the village's widow and her daughter."

He looked up shakily: "Who are you?!"

"I am Cui Bainian, the Marquis of Wuding of the Imperial Court."

Marquis of Wuding?
A high-ranking official!
He trembled: "What, what are you going to do!"

“The eldest daughter of the Grand Princess Jing’an was ignorant and took the lives of thirty-eight people in Songjiang Prefecture, including your wife and daughter. I was ordered to clean up the mess—” The man chuckled and said, “I should have killed you, but my centurion noticed that you look five or six parts like the late consort, so I spared your life.”

Marquis, Princess and Prince Consort
The characters who should have appeared in storybooks or on the stage are now so close to him!
He swallowed hard, the first half of the sentence flashing through his mind like a revolving lantern, but all his attention was focused on the last half.

"Please...please don't kill me! Please don't kill me!" He kowtowed repeatedly.
"kill you?"

The man chuckled: "Not only will I not kill you, I will also promote you and give you the opportunity to climb up. You must climb quickly, climb to a place where the Grand Princess of Jing'an can see you! You must always remember that it was I who released you, and it was the Grand Princess who wanted to kill you—you must stand on the man's side."

He was then taken to a secluded courtyard.

The six arts of a gentleman are learned gradually.

Demeanor and speech should be taught constantly.

The teacher was a reclusive Confucian scholar. Sometimes, when he complained that the student was learning too slowly, he would say with a hint of disgust: "A lowly birth can never be changed. Even if you look alike, your minds are very different! Fu Bailang can learn the classics in three days, but you will not be able to grasp the essence of it even in three months."

Fu Bailang was the former imperial son-in-law.

Everyone said they looked alike until he actually met Princess Jing'an and saw her lose her composure and spill the pastries served by the servants. Only then did he realize just how similar they were!

"Do you know who killed Mother!" Shan Yue drew closer and closer.

He Qingshu felt a sharp pain in his arm!

Shan Yue gripped He Qingshu's arm tightly: "Yet you still willingly act as a pawn of Marquis Wuding to get close to Jing'an!"

He Qingshu suddenly looked up: He, he didn't say that! He was never the only one who had been Jing'an's favorite! He was just one of the most favored by Jing'an! Those in the court who knew about this wouldn't single him out to gossip!

"How...how did you know!"

Shan Yue suddenly released her grip: "Among the 'Qing Feng,' the one considered second only to Jing An has always been Marquis Wu Ding, Cui Bainian. Yet you don't mention Cui Bainian, only comparing yourself to Yuan Wenying, which is enough to prove that you were manipulated by Cui Bainian, that's the first point; the imperial edict was sent to the Grand Princess's residence only an hour ago, yet you already knew about it, and even until Jing An reacted. Naturally, you were by her side. Jing An is extremely particular about her appearance, and even now that she is unwell, she still keeps you by her side. You must be her trusted old friend, that's the second point!"

"Combining the two, it is not difficult to draw a conclusion."

An emotion surged in Shan Yue's eyes. When people are extremely angry, they laugh. She laughed, the corners of her lips curving up high, her eyes shimmering with light and shadow: "If you had said from the beginning that you were seeking revenge and had been lying in wait by Jing An's side for decades, I might have believed you."

A person who cries and laughs at the same time is insane!
When a person goes mad, they become uncontrollable!
This girl is so smart!

If she were to relay the news of his defection back to the Grand Princess's residence, as long as Jing'an was still alive, she would surely order him to be buried alive with her!
He Qingshu's pupils widened, and he swallowed hard in fear: "Shanyue, Shanyue, listen to your father—I haven't had a good time these past ten years. Marquis Wuding harbors ambitions and used the death of Physician Fu Bai to devise new schemes! You haven't had a good time either, and I've been living on the edge of a knife for years!"

"As your father, as your father, I have never forgotten you!"

He Qingshu trembled as he pulled a string of copper coins from his sleeve and shoved it toward Shan Yue's face.

The coin has a shiny edge, but a dark center, indicating that it is quite old.

"Look! Look!"

“You sisters, the copper coins you made selling fan surfaces with your mother, I’ve been keeping them all along! I’ve been keeping them all along!”

As if struck by lightning, the mountain moon felt as if its feet were rooted to the ground, and the feeling of ancient dust covered the insteps. As it climbed upwards, everything, including light and dust, swept over it!

"Pfft—whoosh—pfft—!"

A torrent of blood gushed out, splattering everywhere!

Blood splattered down like towering waves, a torrential downpour!
He Qingshu tilted his head back in terror, looking down frantically, only to see a large hole pierced in his neck by the fruit-peeling knife!
"what--"

He reached out with both hands to grab forward!
He tried to grab the eldest daughter who was holding the knife!
"Ah—!" The rapid, drawn-out sound was terrifying, like a cobra flicking its tongue!

"A total of sixty-seven copper coins were used to sell the fan surfaces."

Shan Yue bent down, intending to gently put down the knife in her hand, but the trembling in her wrist prevented her from placing it accurately on the side table.

She simply gave up, her clothes, face, and even her eyelashes were covered with hot beads of her biological father's blood.

"The copper coins were kept in the small basket that my mother always carried with her."

Shan Yue blinked gently.

Blood beads slid down her cheeks.

"We were captured and put on a carriage bound for our deaths before we could even hand over the copper coins to you."

With the back of his sword facing upwards, Shan Yue wiped the blood droplets that looked like tears from his face with his sleeve: "The small baskets containing copper coins were scattered in the alley, and the 'Qingfeng' group naturally did not dismount to clean up the mess."

"Father, you are the only one."

"Only if you hide in the shadows and watch us get captured will you have a chance to pick up this string of copper coins!"

Covered in blood and swaying, Shan Yue burst into laughter, her voice trembling with sobs: "My mother's soul has not returned, and the heartless man beside me—!"