Chapter 23: CH 23

Wei Zhao glanced at him and said with a smile: “Unexpectedly, you’re quite well-informed?” Lu Ming had inherited his title from his father and hadn’t been on the battlefield himself. Wei Zhao didn’t expect Huo Qingyang to know about him even though he was living in the border village.

Huo Qingyang shook his head and said with a straight face, “Everyone in Youzhou knows that Guohou Dingyuan died in battle at Baicheng. Without him, the Great Yan would have lost Ulan and Baicheng in the battle of the 38th year. After Guohou died, it was said that his only son inherited the title, and the surname Lu is not common.”

That was it; Wei Zhao couldn’t help sighing when he heard the original story. It really needed to be discussed in detail. Lu Ziqian’s death had something to do with Li Kang. Although he wasn’t deliberately framed, it was caused by Li Kang’s greed for success and quick profit. However, Li Kang died last year, and Wei Zhao couldn’t even find him to settle the score.

Yi Yin thought that as soon as Lu Ming entered the palace and handed over the news, the answer from the palace would come very quickly. After all, Wei Zhao was different from him. He was the direct son of Wei Su and Empress Ji, raised in the palm of their hands since he was a child.

He never thought that the second day would pass, and there would be no news from the palace.

The third day also passed, and there was still no news.

Not only did no one from the palace come to see them, but Lu Ming never appeared again after that day.

Seeing that it was halfway through the fourth day and there was still no news from the palace, Yi Yin couldn’t help but worry about whether Wei Su didn’t want his son to come back, or was unhappy that Wei Zhao brought him back.

Compared with Yi Yin’s sorrow, Wei Zhao’s expression was always calm, and there was no slightest worry on his face.

On the afternoon of the fourth day, the long silence was finally broken, and someone came to the inn to meet Wei Zhuo and Yi Yin. This person was of great origin, and before he entered the door, the guards surrounded the entire inn.

While Wei Zhao and Yi Yin spent their days behind closed doors, Huo Qingyang was an indefatigable man who, apart from eating and sleeping, wandered around every day with the intention of familiarising himself with the terrain of Yujing.

This day, Huo Qingyang left the inn in the afternoon and came back almost at meal time, but was blocked from entering by the guards. He didn’t know what was going on, so he asked around. Unexpectedly,  no one knew anything, only that the inn couldn’t be entered or left at this time.

Wei Zhao wasn’t surprised when he saw the visitor. He gently called “Imperial Brother”, took Yi Yin’s hand and introduced: “Imperial Brother, this is my son, his nickname is Ah Yin.”

Yi Yin wondered when he heard these words. Wasn’t his name Helian Yiyin? It had always been in his previous life, but most of the time, people only called him by the last two characters for convenience. Why did it become a nickname now? Could it be that Wei Zhao intended to give him a new name?

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From the moment he entered the door, Crown Prince Wei Ming’s eyes were only on Wei Zhao. His heart was full of his younger brother and he couldn’t see anyone else. Holding Wei Zhao’s hand tightly, Wei Ming only said two words after a long time: “Ah Zhao…” and couldn’t say anything else.

They all say that the imperial family knows no affection, and no matter how good the relationship between brothers is, it can’t withstand the temptation of the throne. But this statement was not true for Wei Ming and Wei Zhao. Since Wei Zhao was born, the relationship between the brothers had always been as close as possible.

Hearing Wei Zhao talk about Ah Yin, Wei Ming stabilised his mind a little, looked down at him, smiled and said, “Ah Yin’s nose and mouth look exactly like yours.” His gaze was gentle and kind, making one feel instinctively close to him.

Wei Zhao was obviously very happy, but pretended to be disdainful: “If he didn’t look a bit like me, why would I have brought him back.” He didn’t like Yi Yin’s thick eyebrows and big eyes that were not the style of the Wei family at first glance.

Wei Ming had always understood his younger brother’s temperament, so he couldn’t help laughing aloud, and simply hugged Yi Yin. Wei Ming had three sons and one daughter. The youngest son was about the same age as Yi Yin, so Wei Ming was very good at holding children.

Yi Yin had never met his crown prince uncle before, who, as everyone said, used to be very nice. But today, meeting him for the first time, Yi Yin didn’t feel unfamiliar at all. He could see that Wei Ming was full of absolute love for Wei Zhao, and even for him as well.

Seeing that Yi Yin was well-behaved in Wei Ming’s arms, Wei Zhao ignored him and asked straightforwardly: “Imperial Brother, tell me the truth, does Father not want me to come back, does he…”

Although he was not like Wei Ming, who was born as the much-anticipated crown prince of the dynasty, Wei Zhao, as the youngest son of the emperor and the empress, was no less favoured than his elder brother, and without him having the identity and responsibilities of the Crown Prince, Wei Su’s love for him was even more pure.

Thus, it was impossible for Wei Zhao not to be uncertain, scared and sad at the thought that his father might abandon him.

Wei Ming loved his younger brother the most, and when he saw this, he hurriedly said, “Ah Zhao, don’t think about it. How could Father not want you, it’s just…” He hesitated, obviously because the next words were not easy to say.

“Just what?” Wei Zhao was aggrieved and suspicious of Wei Ming’s words. If it wasn’t his father’s intention, how could Wei Ming delay for so many days to see him? There must be a problem.

Wei Ming sighed and said embarrassedly: “Ah Zhao, Father Emperor is very happy that you have come back. But Ah Yin, Father doesn’t want to see you bring him back, so he wants me to…”

“Wants you to do what?” Wei Zhao’s eyes flashed, and he suddenly snatched Yi Yin back from Wei Ming and hugged him tightly in his arms, “Does Father Emperor want you to get rid of him?”

Yi Yin could obviously feel that Wei Zhao’s hands were trembling, which meant that he really thought that Wei Su might kill him.

In his previous life, Wei Su and Empress Ji Wan’s children and grandchildren were all dead. They died during the scourge of witchcraft, and he was the only one who survived. He still looked a bit like Wei Zhao, so Wei Su reluctantly accepted him.

Even so, Wei Su didn’t give him the surname Wei, let alone put him on the jade plate, but kept him in the palace without any status. Yi Yin knew very well that Wei Su was just seeking psychological comfort and actually didn’t have any affection for him.

Now that the Crown Prince and Princess Yuankang’s whole families were alive, Wei Su might still have feelings for Wei Zhao, but he must be disgusted with Yi Yin in every way. Keeping him alive would be considered benevolent and righteous, and it would not not be surprising if Wei Su wanted someone to get rid of him.

Wei Ming was surprised by Wei Zhao’s reaction and hurriedly explained: “Father Emperor never thought about laying a hand on Ah Yin. After all, he is also your son. Father just doesn’t want to see him and asked me to find a place outside the palace and settle him down.”

Wei Ming didn’t agree with Wei Su’s idea. If Wei Zhao really didn’t care for Ah Yin, he would have just left him in Fuyu. It was not easy to bring such a little child all the way back. Since Wei Zhao refused to give up, he must have been reluctant to part with his son.

Unfortunately, Wei Su’s temper was quick and violent. Except for the deceased Wang Changning, Ji Qing, no one had ever been able to make him change his mind. Wei Ming persuaded Wei Su several times, but not only to no avail, he was also driven out by him; then he came to see Wei Zhao.

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“I don’t agree!” Wei Zhao said word by word. If Wei Su didn’t recognise Yi Yin, how would he deal with him in the Great Yan in the future? After confirming that Wei Su had no intention of killing Yi Yin, Wei Zhao didn’t plan to make concessions on this matter.

Wei Ming said with a wry smile: “I knew it would be like this.” Among Wei Su’s five sons, the one with the most similar personality to Wei Su was Wei Zhao, and it wasn’t certain who could win over whom.

Seeing that Wei Ming was on his side, Wei Zhao immediately handed Yi Yin back again and smiled flatteringly: “Imperial Brother, please go back and tell Father Emperor that if he doesn’t recognise Ah Yin, I won’t return to the palace.”

Wei Ming hugged Yi Yin, kissed him on the cheek, and smiled: “It’s okay if you don’t go back to the palace, but you can’t stay in the inn all the time. Hurry up, pack your things and follow me.”

“Where to?” Wei Zhao doesn’t have any luggage, it was all Huo Qingyang’s stuff. He had helped them a lot, and it was time to repay him.

Wei Ming thought for a while and decided: “I know you have a good relationship with Qing’er, but he has been in poor health recently. If you have a child with you, it’s better not to bother him. Go to Xin’er’s place. His place is big and there are few people. You can toss and turn whatever way you want.”

Lu Ming said it once a few days ago, and Wei Ming said it again today. Wei Zhao couldn’t help but ask anxiously: “What’s the matter with Qing’er? He has been in good health since he was a child. When did he become so weak?”

Wei Ming glanced at him and said solemnly: “There’s nothing seriously wrong with Qing’er, don’t worry. If you don’t feel at ease, just take a look at him in a couple of days.” Wei Ming’s Lord Consort was Jun Qing’s uncle, Jun Feili. Since Wei Ming said that Qing’er was fine, Wei Zhao didn’t ask again.

The full name of “Xin’er” mentioned by Wei Ming was Ji Xin, the current Wang Changning. Before Ji Xin was born, his father Ji Yu died in battle in Youzhou. He was born a posthumous son and lost his mother in childbirth and was raised by his grandparents since he was a child.

When Ji Xin was six years old, Wang Changning Wu passed away, and Ji Xin inherited the title as his grandson. The following year, the old Princess Chongqing passed away, and Ji Xin was completely orphaned. Seeing that he was pitiful, Empress Ji took him to the palace and raised him with Wei Zhao and Jun Qing.

It wasn’t until Ji Xin turned fourteen and entered the Western Camp that Empress Ji released him from the palace. Wang Changning’s residence was the parental home of Wei Ming and Wei Zhao’s mother, so Wei Ming had no worries about letting Wei Zhao take Yi Yin to live there.

Before going out, Wei Zhao remembered Huo Qingyang, who was most likely blocked from entering the inn, and hurriedly ordered someone to deliver a message and take him to Wang Changning’s residence as well.

Yi Yin had never seen Ji Xin before. He only knew that Ji Xin, like Wei Ming, died in the witchcraft scourge that year, and the title of Wang Changning that had been passed down for more than ten generations had been stripped because Ji Xin was involved in Wei Ming’s so-called “rebellion”.

Wei Zhao and his son lived in Wang Changning’s residence for half a month. Wei Zhao saw that Huo Qingyang was extremely bored and teased cats and dogs all day long, so he asked Ji Xin to teach him a lesson to let him know that there were people and the world out there.

Yi Yin watched the process with his eyes wide open and admired Ji Xin’s skills to the extreme. To be fair, for Huo Qingyang’s age, his talent was definitely not bad since he could have his current martial arts base, and Yi Yin also saw his hard work clearly.

However, in front of Ji Xin, who was only two years older than him, Huo Qingyang was simply helpless. This was a reminder that Wang Changning’s family had been in charge of more than half of the military forces of the Great Yan for generations, and the emperors of the Wei family had not made a mistake in judgement.

Huo Qingyang had a stubborn personality, and instead of being discouraged when he lost to Ji Xin, he practised diligently and even took the initiative to ask Ji Xin for advice. Ji Xin was not arrogant either. He would never hide anything. If there was a question, he would answer it. The two of them got acquainted with each other and formed a kind of friendly rivalry.

Later, Ji Xin felt that Huo Qingyang was too talented to do nothing, so he asked Wei Zhao if he would let him join the Western Camp. Huo Qingyang would definitely be successful in the army.

Wei Zhao said that Huo Qingyang was his saviour, and as long as he was willing, he would naturally not stop him. Ji Xin was happy, and Yi Yin laughed heartily. Could this be considered a case of being sold and helping count the money?