Chapter 171: Is All This Really Worth It?
“So what do you plan to do? Could it be you want to give up the noble title?” Chu Qingye saw his expression was only stern, so he knew he already had a plan in mind, and asked.
“Your Majesty is mistaken. This noble title was left for your humble subject by the Late Emperor. Your humble subject naturally won’t hand it over. What your humble subject is thinking is to split the family. Qi Shi is not your humble subject’s mother, and she has a son by her side. According to our dynasty’s laws, your humble subject can establish a separate household.” Mo Ziyuan spoke out the method he had already thought of.
Chu Qingye nodded. Without tearing face, this was undoubtedly the best solution.
“There’s one more thing,” Mo Ziyuan hesitated for a moment. “Your humble subject is somewhat undecided and hopes Your Majesty can give your humble subject some guidance.”
“Speak up! When did you learn to be so long-winded!” Chu Qingye speechlessly rolled his eyes and said.
Mo Ziyuan smiled and said: “Back then, my mother died under odd circumstances. The Dingguo Duke couldn’t even wait for me to return from my maternal grandfather’s family and hurriedly buried my mother. Your humble subject suspects there are unknown matters involved, so your humble subject secretly investigated. Unfortunately, the people around my mother back then have either died or been sent away over these years. Your humble subject exhausted every effort and only found one rough old wet nurse from back then, learned some things from her. Although what she knew was limited, your humble subject still glimpsed some clues and can basically conclude that my mother was harmed by Qi Shi. As for whether the Dingguo Duke was involved, your humble subject does not yet know.”
Hearing him unwilling even to call him father and directly referring to him as “Dingguo Duke,” Chu Qingye felt a pang of sorrow in his heart as well. He was two years older than Mo Ziyuan and still remembered the Heir’s wife of the Dingguo Duke back then. He remembered she was a very beautiful and very gentle woman.
“What do you want to do?”
“Your humble subject doesn’t know either and just wants to ask Your Majesty whether your humble subject should continue investigating.”
Chu Qingye looked at him, and Mo Ziyuan uncomfortably averted his gaze.
“What you’re actually afraid of is that the Dingguo Duke back then was also involved, right!”
Having his thoughts guessed by Chu Qingye, Mo Ziyuan pursed his lips and admitted: “Indeed, your humble subject fears that if the investigation continues, he’ll truly get an unbearable result, and your humble subject won’t know how to face it.”
“Leave this matter to me to investigate! When the time comes, I’ll tell you the result. As for how you decide, it depends on your own intentions. No matter what you do, I can guarantee you won’t be affected.” Chu Qingye decided to first give him a reassurance.
“Thank you, Your Majesty!” Mo Ziyuan stood up and gave Chu Qingye a grand monarch-subject salute.
“Alright, spare me that. In the future, when no one’s around, we’ll interact just like before. I don’t want to be some lonely widower, got it?”
“This…”
“Hm?” Chu Qingye glared at him forcefully, as if he would pounce and bite him to death if he opposed.
“…Your humble subject obeys the decree!”
“Alright, go inform your Miss Lin and see what reward she wants. Come back and tell me, and I’ll arrange it for her.”
“Yes, your humble subject will go right now!” Mo Ziyuan had resolved a major weight on his heart, his mood suddenly much lighter, and he became much more lively.
“Get lost! Seeing you annoys me!” Chu Qingye laughed and cursed, lifting his foot to kick.
Mo Ziyuan stood up and nimbly ran toward the outside of the Imperial Study.
He ran out of the palace like a streak of smoke before Mo Ziyuan remembered he had come by horse today. Just as he was about to turn back, he heard an affected voice from behind: “Zi Yuan brother, why didn’t you come find me when you returned?”
Mo Ziyuan turned around and coolly looked at the woman before him dressed up gaudily, then glanced at Fu Jing beside her with an embarrassed expression, and indifferently said: “I hope you remember what I said.”
After speaking, he didn’t even look for his horse and directly left through the palace gate, walking into the distance.
“Zi Yuan brother, where are you going? Wait for me! I’ll go with you!” The affected voice relentlessly drilled into his ears, and Mo Ziyuan quickened his steps forward.
Watching his figure recede into the distance, Fu Jing’s younger sister Fu Qing stomped her foot hard, turned, and pounded her brother forcefully several times, one of which hit his wound. Fu Jing staggered back two steps, his face turning pale.
Fu Qing had her mind only on Mo Ziyuan who refused to pay her attention, so how could she care if her brother had a wound or if she hurt him? Not hearing his reaction, she pouted and cursed: “You’re really useless. You have no face at all with Zi Yuan brother, and now he’s ignoring me too. When we get back, I’ll tell Father to punish you, hmph!”
Fu Jing touched his wound, a bitter smile rising on his face. This was the sister for whom he had risked his life to help marry into the Mo family!
Thinking again of the various accusations and abuse he would face when he returned home, as well as the schadenfreude from his younger brothers and sisters in the other branches, he suddenly wondered if what he had done before was really worth it. Was such a family really worth him giving his life to help them achieve their wishes?
Unaware that her own brother had already fallen into confusion, Fu Qing continued to relentlessly criticize how utterly useless he was, saying that if he couldn’t help her marry Mo Ziyuan, then Father would punish him in such and such ways.
Hearing those vicious and crude words, Fu Jing wavered for the first time regarding the thoughts in his heart.
The reason he looked down on Lin Xin was nothing more than feeling that her status was unworthy of Mo Ziyuan, who was the Heir of Dingguo Duke, but after this brief journey of interaction, and with the piercing voice still blasting into his ears, he couldn’t help but start questioning himself: “Is my own sister’s upbringing and behavior really better than that of Lin Xin, who is a village girl?”
He could confidently say that if it had been his sister protecting Your Highness on the way to the capital back then, at the critical moment, his sister would absolutely abandon Your Highness and flee for her own life, or even worse, she might very well betray Your Highness to save herself.
Thinking again of his own attempt to blackmail for favors, Fu Jing suddenly felt that he had been so foolish at that time—no, not just then, but ever since he followed the family’s orders and forcibly squeezed into Mo Ziyuan and their little group, he had always been very foolish.
Over these years, he had unhesitatingly handed over all the resources and benefits he had painstakingly obtained from Mo Ziyuan and the others to the family, but what had he gotten in return?
Endless accusations from his sisters-in-law that were never satisfied, scoldings from the family for not meeting everyone’s demands, and even punishments—this was really worth it?
In the end, Fu Jing took a deep breath and said to Fu Qing with utmost seriousness and calmness: “Since you think this brother of yours is useless, then from now on, don’t come to me for anything, especially anything related to Zi Yuan. I don’t have the ability to meet your demands.”
“What did you say?” Fu Qing looked incredulously at her brother, who had always granted her every request, and asked.
“I said, from now on, I won’t care about your affairs anymore. And lastly, one more piece of advice: you’d better not entangle yourself with Zi Yuan anymore. He already has the person he loves and will never marry you no matter what. If you still know that you’re a young lady from a noble family, then don’t go entangling him anymore, otherwise, if it blows up, it won’t look good for anyone.”
