Chapter 163: Let’s End It Here
Yang Tong.
He had secretly recited this name since childhood, missed her day and night when away from home, but in the end it became something he didn’t even dare to think about or mention.
How did things turn out like this?
A poor youth secretly crouching at the street corner, his greatest satisfaction each day was seeing the young lady next door pass by with a swaying gait and give him a faint smile.
He never thought he could really marry this young lady.
He also never thought that shortly after their wedding, an escort mission that should have lasted only three days would take him away from his hometown, leading to a separation until they met again ten years later.
Even more unexpectedly, he had achieved all the ambitions he boasted about as a youth at the village entrance, becoming the ruler under heaven, yet he couldn’t even keep his wife of the marriage bond.
He didn’t dare recall what happened back then.
Furious tears, a horrifying bloody mess of a fetus, a carriage resolutely departing into the night.
“You and I shall never meet again in this lifetime.”
“Deng Shan, never see me again.”
“Don’t use your emperor’s power to spy on me either.”
“Don’t humiliate me, Yang Tong, anymore.”
How could he humiliate her!
He listened to her, didn’t see her, didn’t disturb her, didn’t let her feel sad or angry again; he listened to her, all of it.
……
…….
The emperor reached up to cover his eyes, preventing the sour tears from flowing out, but his breath still surged and caught in his throat, producing a muffled grunt.
A companion reader young lady who was speaking in the hall paused in fright, at a loss.
Everyone else also looked toward the emperor.
The emperor pressed one hand to his brow and waved the other: “Continue speaking, make it all clear.”
That companion reader young lady hurriedly continued.
The emperor kept his hand pressed to his brow, still dazed.
Although Yang Tong had said they would never meet again and not to spy on her life, he had still spied a little.
He knew where she had settled, knew she had opened a grocery store.
And he had secretly gone to see her once.
That was the third year after his ascension to the throne, when a prefect in this region rebelled.
This prefect was his former comrade-in-arms, so he wanted to question him personally.
It was a secret trip, unknown to the world.
After resolving the rebellion, he should have returned to the capital immediately, but he suddenly realized this place was not far from White Horse Town where Yang Tong lived in seclusion…
He couldn’t restrain himself, took only one secret guard, and set out overnight, arriving at White Horse Town as dawn broke.
He hid at the street corner by that grocery store, watched the shop assistant open the door, watched customers gradually come in from the street, then a carriage stopped and a woman got out…
It was A Tong.
A Tong had gotten thinner, but her complexion was still good, with a smile on her face; she held a baby about one year old in her arms…
A child! His and A Tong’s child?
He almost rushed out then, but the next moment a man burst out from the grocery store and reached to take the child.
“I’ll take him, I’ll take him.” He said with a smile.
The baby babbled vaguely at the man, but it was clear he was calling “Daddy”.
Daddy—
He stood there watching the man hold the baby, watching A Tong smile at the man, watching them go inside side by side…
Yes, he and A Tong had had a child, but that child had been beaten out three years ago.
“This accountant really has good fortune…”
“Indeed, encountering such a fine young widow like Yang…”
……
…….
The emperor suddenly stood up.
The person speaking in the hall stopped again, the hall instantly fell silent, and everyone looked at the emperor once more.
The emperor looked into the hall, but his gaze passed over everyone.
A Tong and the accountant’s child had grown this big…
“Your Majesty.”
Seeing the emperor stand without speaking, his face grim, the empress also stood and spoke.
“We can’t rely only on hearsay for this matter; we still need to question the parties involved.”
“Question the parties involved?” Wang Zaitian also stood. “How does Your Ladyship intend to question them? Each has their own story— which does Your Ladyship believe? If she doesn’t believe them, what then? Torturing them for a confession like last time?”
The empress looked at the old man and sneered; scholars really held grudges.
She was about to say something when the emperor’s voice came.
“Enough!” he snapped. “No need to question.”
His gaze fell on the empress and Wang Zaitian.
“Horseback archery inevitably involves bumps and injuries. Since they’ve come to this martial arts banquet, they should be prepared. No need to quarrel over this.”
“This matter ends here.”
Ends here—meaning no further pursuit?
Wang Zaitian promptly bowed: “Your Majesty is wise!”
The empress looked at the emperor.
The emperor looked at her: “Empress, I still have hunting to do. With so many people here, we can’t just call it off.”
Meaning they couldn’t delay because of this child.
Hunting was still more important.
The empress’s expression softened slightly: “It was my poor handling, Your Majesty. Please go ahead with the hunting; as for here…”
Before she could finish saying she would look after things here, the emperor had already turned to Wang Zaitian.
“Wang Zaitian, that Yang Luo is your disciple; you said you would teach her well…” he snapped.
Without waiting for the emperor to finish, Wang Zaitian bowed: “Please rest assured, Your Majesty; I will certainly discipline her well and keep watch over her.”
The emperor then looked at the empress: “Leave this place to the empress.”
The empress bowed in respect: “Respectfully seeing off Your Majesty.”
Princess Pingcheng looked at the emperor as if to say something, but he had already strode out.
Everyone in the hall also hurriedly paid respects to see him off.
The emperor went out, and soon the clamor outside rose, followed by the rapid clopping of hooves fading away.
……
…….
“Teacher, we’re just letting it go like this?”
Wang Zaitian had followed the emperor out closely, and Ling Yu chased after, still indignant.
“A Sheng…”
As soon as he spoke, Wang Zaitian turned and cut him off with a warning look: “Don’t call her by that name.”
Ling Yu stopped and hurriedly said: “I know.”
He knew A Sheng was not truly a young lady of Duke Ding’an’s Mansion; she was impersonating someone else’s identity.
If this were exposed, it would be big trouble for A Sheng.
So he never called her that in front of others.
He had only let it slip now because there was no one else around, just the teacher.
“Her life is not easy; be careful,” Wang Zaitian said softly.
Ling Yu nodded, but no matter how hard life was, she couldn’t just take the bullying.
“It must be Miss Chai bullying her,” he said angrily. “His Majesty isn’t pursuing it—just letting it go.”
Wang Zaitian glanced at him: “Not pursuing is for the best.”
The life she eked out was no easy one; she had survived all this way, so bullying her wouldn’t be that simple.
Who was bullying whom was still uncertain.
……
…….
“Aunt, it really was her who hit me, she hit me—”
In the empress’s palace room, Chai Wan’er lay on the bed sobbing.
The imperial physicians had finished diagnosing and bandaging her wounds. Though no arms or legs were broken, Chai Wan’er looked quite pitiful now.
Her head and back were lacerated and bloody from whip strikes, her arms, legs, and body bruised purple and black from the startled horse’s jolting, as if she had been beaten all over with a punishment staff.
“How did she hit you? She didn’t even have weapons,” a Chai Clan lady said helplessly. “That whip was yours…”
“She took it,” Chai Wan’er cried. “She did this—one kick…”
She tried to mimic the scene on the bed, but as soon as she lifted her leg, the pain made her cry out, drawing the ladies to crowd around her again, calling for the imperial physicians…
“No need to say more,” the empress said from her seat beside. “This matter ends here. If it’s anyone’s fault, blame your inferior skill.”
With the empress speaking, Chai Wan’er didn’t dare complain further and lay on the bed weeping.
At this moment, she felt as if she were still riding the startled horse.
That wretched maid had nearly killed her—she had almost died by her hand!
She was both scared and in pain.
It hurt so much—
……
…….
“Did His Majesty say anything?”
The empress came out, and Old Madam Chai saw her off while asking softly.
“That child…”
“His Majesty ignored that child,” the empress said. “He went on with the hunting.”
Old Madam Chai breathed a sigh of relief and urged the empress: “Don’t mention it to His Majesty anymore either. This matter ends here; once the banquet is over, it will be forgotten.”
The empress hummed in acknowledgment, said no more, and walked out.
“Mother Empress.” Princess Pingcheng waited for her outside the hall.
The empress frowned at her: “Why are you standing outside? Where’s your cloak?”
Princess Pingcheng hurriedly said: “I’m not cold. I just settled the companion reader ladies and came over.” Her expression held apology. “Mother Empress, it was my failure on this matter.”
“This has nothing to do with you,” the empress said, having a palace maid drape her own cloak over her. “Your father emperor didn’t blame you either. Coming to the martial arts banquet means bumps are inevitable—it’s their own choice to bear.”
But Father Emperor hadn’t comforted her either, Princess Pingcheng thought. If it were before, Father Emperor would surely have anxiously comforted her, lest she blame herself.
But just now in the hall, Father Emperor hadn’t glanced at her once, nor told Princess Pingcheng to continue with the hunting and fun—he had simply left.
It was as if he had forgotten her existence.
