Chapter 86
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Since Su Mingan promised to handle things, he would surely do it thoroughly.
Zhao Lingqu wiped the blood off his hands and, with a final fierce glare at the barely conscious Chu Xie.
He walked out of the Zhao Prison and just crossed two streets when he immediately heard people around him exclaiming. Lifting the curtain of his sedan chair, he saw thick smoke billowing from the direction of the Zhao Prison. He spat on the ground in that direction, wiping the blood on the back of his hand.
At this moment, the raging fire had burned every corner of the Zhao Prison, and billowing smoke covered the sky, obscuring the only small window in the prison.
Chu Xie found it difficult to breathe.
Once again, he was plunged into a suffocating dark room.
His heart suddenly contracted. The faint trace of consciousness was submerged in intense pain.
When he was almost knocked unconscious by the whip, he vaguely heard Zhao Lingqu say something important.
“Otherwise, you should have died twenty-three years ago…”
What did that mean?
“Not only you, but if your little brother hadn’t been taken away by Xu Yi first…”
Xu Chunmu, his younger brother.
“Raised as a member of the Xu family, he would have had the same life as you…”
Chu Xie turned over and spat out blood in a charred patch of soil, listening to the crackling sound of the nearby raging fire and the hurried footsteps approaching.
He toppled over, completely immersed in darkness.
This familiar feeling.
It was empathy.
Chu Xie listened as the sound of the fire gradually receded.
But it felt like he was trapped in another, even hotter sea of flames.
A child desperately tried to pry open a damaged part of the attic window, covered in blood from the wounds on his hands. Eventually, he managed to create a hole less than a foot wide.
A wooden cabinet collapsed behind him, injuring his back, causing a burning pain.
He remained silent for a while before finally getting up, staggering as he used one hand to support himself. Without a word, he exerted all his strength to push a child, wrapped in wet cloth, out of the window.
Outside, the moonlit night reflected on the lake, the light mingling with the glow of the fire, painting the night sky in a fiery red.
“At least you… survive.”
The cries of the baby outside persisted in the wind.
Behind him, a beam fell, and the child was instantly swallowed by the flames.
Only the continuous cries of the baby outside endured.
In the attic corner, collapsed by the fire, the child with terrifying burns fell into the icy lake.
The bone-piercing cold invaded his marrow.
“He survived, didn’t die even in this state… His life is quite resilient.”
“But with such severe injuries, even if he stays alive, he might not last for many years.”
He faintly opened his eyes, vaguely seeing someone lifting him and placing him into a carriage.
“This is the last bloodline of Shen Qianan in this world.” The man’s voice was solemn and steady. “If fate wants him to live, then let him live.”
Under the long corridor, he watched from a distance as a figure in purple walked out among the bamboo shadows.
It was the current Grand Tutor, Su Mingan.
“Did you save me?” the boy asked.
“Yes.”
The man placed a hand on his shoulder, sighing heavily. “Out of one hundred and forty-seven people, you are the only one who survived. From now on, you living is akin to being dead.”
The boy’s eyes widened gradually, incredulous. Suddenly, tears surged: “I’m… the only one…”
Mother, and brother… are both dead, aren’t they?
“Yes, the only one.”
The man gently wiped away his tears with his fingertips. “You must remember your enemies, everything in the capital, don’t forget a moment.”
“How your mother and brother died, how your father died, now without father, mother, or any relatives, child, you have nothing left… Why can they still live well?”
A drop of tears fell to the ground.
“Why, why can they live…”
“Child, in the future, be a ruthless person. In the capital, only by being ruthless can you survive, only by being decisive can you seek revenge and dispel hatred. Remember that.”
The scenes in front of him flashed one by one.
These were the memories of the original host.
Indeed, Su Mingan had saved the young Chu Xie.
He taught him how to negotiate, how to deal. He let him smuggle war horses in the chaotic border area, channeling all the money to the capital. He taught him how to seize power, how to scheme.
He supported him in climbing up in the capital without shedding blood.
Su Mingan.
He was a Yue Clan person.
He saved a child from the Shen family just to give him a life akin to h*ll.
In the ebb and flow of hatred, a life eventually twisted and torn by cruelty.
Chu Xie watched the memories of the original host in the darkness. Suddenly, he heard a familiar voice.
“Do you know?”
It was the original Chu.
Know what?
“The real threat on Xu Chunmu.”
Zhao Lingqu’s words echoed in his ears again, and Chu Xie realized, “Because… he’s surnamed Shen. He is your real younger brother, and he is also a descendant of the Shen family!”
The voice in the darkness seemed to tremble slightly, then said, “Yes.”
“The Yongan Rebellion originated from Changye’s defeat, and the guardian general Shen Qian, burdened with the crime of treason, became an eternal criminal. The General’s mansion, once honored by all, became a despised traitor, and every aristocratic family associated with the ‘Shen’ character was collectively implicated and exiled… Everyone suffering from the Yongan Rebellion needed an outlet for venting. Emperor Xuanhe, fully aware of the truth, did not clear the Shen family’s name to stabilize public sentiment. Instead, he exacerbated the connections, appeasing the people’s anger…”
The voice in the darkness was cold and quiet.
“The murderous intent lingering on Xu Chunmu’s body is not triggered by any experience, external factors, or changes in power. It stems from his identity as a descendant of the Shen family—a criminal of Great Wei, an enemy of the Yue Clan, a person who guarded the border for half his life but ended up buried in the yellow sand with a lonely fate. Even his family’s descendants suffered cruel treatment and could never rise again… The identity of the Shen lineage.”
The voice in the darkness sank for a moment, then a somewhat weary sigh followed, “I lived my whole life with this identity, so I know that living with the identity of a Shen family descendant in this world is a hopeless h*ll.”
Chu Xie’s expression became increasingly unpleasant.
Su Mingan already knew about Xu Chunmu’s identity. Even if he sent the person out of the capital, if he died in this fire now, there would be no more obstacles to block him.
If he had to dig three feet into the ground, he would still find Xu Chunmu. How could he regain any life now?
It was over.
Xu Chunmu, surnamed Shen, couldn’t be saved.
“You are surnamed Shen, your life is h*ll, what does it have to do with me! I can’t save this person; now, give me back my body!” Chu Xie’s tone carried a hint of anger.
The voice in the darkness echoed softly, “On the third day of next month is the final surgery for Shen Yin.”
Chu Xie reached out and scratched in the darkness, “Why! Why do I have to save Xu Chunmu! He’s surnamed Shen, don’t you know what that means? He’s bound to be unacceptable to Great Wei, hated by the border’s foreign tribes. Now that Xu Yi is dead, and I am a person on the verge of death, who else can save him from Su Mingan’s hands! He is a doomed man!”
The wrath of thunder exploded in his ears.
“Then figure it out yourself!”
“There’s no way!” Chu Xie shook his head forcefully. He wished he could drag the person out and strangle him. In the pitch-black darkness, he could only clench his teeth and squeeze out each word from his throat, “There really is no way. I’ve tried every possible method… Save Little Yin, please. She has suffered too much in her life. She must live. I can give up my body, just save her. As long as you…”
A long silence.
The voice in the darkness remained cold, with an inexplicable bitterness.
“If you save Xu Chunmu, I will save your sister.”
***
The moment Chu Xie opened his eyes, he felt aching pain throughout his body. Someone was placing him on a soft cushion, wrapping him in a thick blanket.
“Jiang…”
As Chu Xie spoke, his throat felt like it had been rubbed with gravel. “Give me some water first…”
The person hesitated for a moment, then soon a bowl of water was handed to his lips. After drinking a few sips, Chu Xie regained some vitality. He opened his eyes and, upon seeing the solemn and cautious gaze of Qi Sui, was stunned for a moment before handing the bowl back.
“Qi Sui… cough, cough, cough…”
“Don’t talk. If I had come a bit later, you would have been burned alive inside.” Qi Sui looked at him, covered in a patchwork of bloodstains, clearly surprised to see Chu Xie in such a miserable state.
Qi Sui knew that Chu Xie was weak, and seeing him so battered now, it seemed to evoke a sense of compassion.
After all, it was he who had confined him inside.
Who could have imagined that someone would dare to torture and burn someone inside the Zhao prison?
Thinking of the person’s previous instructions, Qi Sui couldn’t help but think that he might have known that someone was targeting him.
“Who did this to you?” Qi Sui asked urgently.
“Did Su Mingan leave the capital?”
“He just left.”
Before the words could fully leave his mouth, a desperate and hurried expression appeared on Chu Xie’s face, and he immediately shouted, “Stop!”
Qi Sui quickly grabbed Chu Xie’s hand. “Where are you going? Don’t worry; I will take you back to the palace for treatment. I…”
“I want to leave the palace.” Chu Xie covered his body with a cloak, hiding the scars all over him. Su Mingan must have chased after Xu Chunmu, and he needed to intercept him to completely erase Xu Chunmu’s trail.
“You want to leave the city? Why do you want to leave the city?”
Qi Sui frowned, uncertain, “Is the assassination at Chengluan Hall true after all?”
“He went to kill Xu Chunmu. Qi Sui, quickly take me out of the city. I must catch up with them!”
“Xu Chunmu? Has Xu Chunmu left the city? Isn’t he still locked up in the Ministry of Justice?”
“Quick!” Chu Xie, his strength fading, grabbed Qi Sui’s collar. “Otherwise, it will be too late! Su Mingan will kill me, and the next one he will kill is Xu Chunmu! Qi Sui, it’s fine if you harm me, do you want to kill another person?”
“I can ignore what happened before, but today I must…”
Before Chu Xie could finish his sentence, he suddenly heard a chirping sound above his head – the sound of birds circling.
He lifted the curtain of the carriage and reached out with his slender hands. A falcon landed on him, and he took off the fabric to read the message. His brow remained furrowed throughout.
Originally, he planned to bring Duan Se to the capital, appease Jiang Yanchi, and then persuade him to spare Xu Chunmu’s life.
But now, the plan couldn’t keep up with the changes.
Su Mingan was the one who wanted to kill Xu Chunmu.
Chu Xie was about to send a message to arrange for Duan Se when his eyes suddenly focused on a place not far away. He looked contemplative.
“You…” Qi Sui looked at the dark bruises under his eyes. “Should we return to the palace first… Xuan…?”
Zhao.
His heart jolted as he raised his head to see a tall figure not far away in the bustling crowd. In an instant, his heart turned extremely cold.
“Why are you here?”
“Ah Xie, it seems that Su Mingan anticipated that you would send Xu Chunmu out of the city. He had planted spies in the Ministry of Justice from the beginning… We’re only twenty miles out of the city, and he… he…” Zhao Xuan’s expression was complex as he approached the carriage. “I’m sorry, I…”
Chu Xie almost vomited blood. His vision suddenly darkened, and holding onto the carriage, he asked, “Is Xu Chunmu dead?”
“Not yet, but he… was captured by Zhao Lingqu. They accused him of committing a grave crime by having an affair with the empress. They intend to…”
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