Just a moment ago, he was still in the position to ‘fight to death’ with Li Hong Yuan for the sake of the two clans, yet now, immediately just had the two clans sold. One has to know, regardless whether it’s sheltering, or aiding, and regardless whether the amount of people remaining were few or many, even if their direct bloodline just has a small brat remaining, as long as one was involved with the surviving members of the previous dynasty, then it was already considered a great crime of conspiring against the state, one that can implicate up to the ninth relation.
As such, how should one describe Min Yu Han as a person?
Should say, towards the family clan, he was fickle and cold, even refusing to recognize one’s family, devoid of all humanity? Or should say, towards his true love of the past, he had deep feelings with strong affection, even ‘exterminating one’s family in the name of justice’ after suddenly coming to realize the truth completely?
He once chose filial piety, and now chose love, appearing all not that bad, but in reality, similarly not all that right either.
“Min Yu Han, you feel sorry towards her, so now, want to compensate on this prince?”
Min Yu Han fell silent, and just equated to tacitly agreeing.
Li Hong Yuan sneered, “You and that despicable scoundrel you speak of that stole your fiancee are inherently the same. He killed her, then afterwards, extremely regretted, selfishly pretending to be the sentimental type for twenty some years, not asking that dead person whether she wanted or not. And afterwards, just compensated on this prince with all his might. As long as this prince doesn’t eye the throne, just like forgetting the inauspiciousness that this prince’s birth represents, even if one pierced through the heavens, he would all take responsibility. You couldn’t protect her, also playing that ‘infatuated without regret’ game, similarly, did you ask if she wanted? However, she’s just a dead person. If you all want to ask, then need to follow her down to the underworld. Unfortunately, you all both greedily covet the mortal world, not infatuated to the point of willing to go down to accompany her, instead just living according to your own wishes, taking your life as granted. Now that you know her death is greatly related to you, you just plan on converting those feelings onto this prince.
She’s a dead person, but this prince is still alive, have you all asked whether or not this prince wanted? When this prince had no power, no status, even unable to preserve one’s own life, his compensation can give this prince these, so this prince accepted. But you? You think this prince will need you? And after learning everything you’ve done, will still freely let you live carefreely? Min Yu Han, what gave you this kind of perception?” As he said this, the ridicule in his eyes practically couldn’t be more obvious.
At first, Min Yu Han very much wanted to retort, how could he be the same as that person? But when he finished listening, he was unable to respond. Even though his heart burningly ached, he still increasingly felt he and that person were seemingly really the same. Wanting to help with full of confidence was nothing more than his own wishful thinking. This child was able to know about his whereabouts, able to extinguish his plans before they even began. It can be seen, the power in his hand definitely wasn’t weak. From this brief interaction, he already understood, Jin Qinwang definitely wasn’t a fool. After learning of the source, to want to investigate the surviving members of the previous imperial family was also just a problem of time. He seemingly was just like an enormous joke.
The revitalized Min Yu Han appeared dejected once again, momentarily falling silent, “This way is good too, I can go meet your mother sooner.”
“Not gonna care about the Min clan anymore?”
“Not gonna care anymore, unable to care, and also not my place to care. These years, I merely just hung onto a Min surname. They ‘hate the iron for not becoming steel’, scolding me for immersing in romantic feelings all day. I also truly don’t have the heart to do anything either.” What Min Yu Han didn’t say was that the Min clan and Pei clan, after several generations, all had inseparably close marriage ties. Quite a few from the Min clan served as officials, but very few were able to reach above the third-rank. It was very clear, because of the connection with the Pei clan, they were being suppressed. And the Pei clan, as the number one illustrious clan, appeared to have an exceptionally vast network of relations, but when it truly comes to benefits and interests, because they didn’t have actual power, the Pei clan was unable to seize the absolute speaking authority. This, for the number one illustrious clan, was the greatest disgrace. Then, recalling their boundless glory during the previous dynasty’s time, compared to their current state, they’ve long had enough. But due to the obstruction of their ancestral teachings, they cannot enter officialdom. Therefore, the best way was to just let the one on the throne change in surname. It can be something else, but further can be———Pei. And how did the Min clan not necessarily have this kind of ambition either?
Min Yu Han although thoroughly hated Le Cheng Emperor, and also wanted to directly topple the Li clan’s river and mountains, but, in the near one hundred years’ time, Qi Yuan has long stabilized. Even if Jiangnan possessed a very big influence, the common people lived in peace and worked happily, having long recognized the Li imperial clan as the proper rule already. Even if holding the descendants of the previous dynasty’s imperial family as the banner, reckon not that many people will follow either. Moreover, regardless whether it was the Pei clan, or the Min clan, for the most part, never produced a military general before. This was precisely the so-called, ‘scholars rebelling, unable to accomplish big things’; the right time, the right place, and the right human conditions, with all three unfulfilled, how can one succeed?
But in reality, the people with this kind of ambition among the two families weren’t in the minority. If this continues, they will sooner or later all be done for. Rather than, when times comes, really ended up with an ‘execution of the entire clan’ ending, it was better to have Jin Qinwang end those people’s delusions now, so as to avoid ending up with the entire clan exterminated————-Jin Qinwang certainly won’t have the matter exposed. For a qinwang, who has all of one’s power concealed in the dark, to reveal this kind of thing, just signified one’s entire hand being revealed. Additionally, he could sense Jin Qinwang’s indifference towards the descendants of the previous imperial dynasty, not even despising, completely not taking them seriously. Towards this kind of existence, who would bother to mobilize large forces to eliminate?
These things, did Li Hong Yuan not know? Of course he knew. In his past life, the Pei clan was sorted out by him, so naturally there wasn’t anything he didn’t know. However, that bit of unrealistic ambition, in Li Hong Yuan’s eyes, was quite laughable. Fortunately, the Pei clan didn’t openly and brazenly have the surviving members of the previous imperial dynasty pulled out. Otherwise, it won’t be as simple as just clipping the Pei clan wings. Trivial implications involving a ‘rebellion’, if not exposed, can still be concealed. Once exposed, there will only just be a dead end.
Li Hong Yuan nodded, seemingly quite approving of his words. He slightly hooked the corner of his mouth, “Go see her? You want to meet, and she’ll just meet with you? What do you take her as? Moreover, in twenty-two years’ of time, perhaps she’s long reincarnated, and perhaps even the mother of a few children already.” Li Hong Yuan continued to unhesitantly stab.
Moreover, this stab was too ruthless, to the extent that his body staggered, nearly collapsing onto the ground just like that. Even if he’d just staggered once before standing firm again, but that increasingly obvious heaving of his chest, the frequency even speeding up, and also that hand tightly clutching the clothes at his left chest, the blue veins protruding one by one on the back of his hand, not a single one didn’t clearly display his terrible state.
Even so, Li Hong Yuan still had the corner of his mouth hooked, his eyes lacking warmth, completely unruffled in the midst of chaos.
The people to the side all couldn’t help but pity Min Yu Han. Falling into master’s hands, you can only just resign to your own bad luck, facing either physical or mental torment. As for whether or not he’ll just cave and die in one breath, hehe, if one really dies, one should actually be glad. Perhaps, this kind of scene, they’ve long gotten used to seeing, because regardless of how they felt inside, not a single trace showed on their faces. Not only that, they can even guarantee that they would be able to hear their master’s orders first thing at all times, and won’t make a mistake from getting distracted.
Seeing his ability to withstand this weak made Li Hong Yuan lose interest. His initial purpose in catching Min Yu Han was just to confirm whether or not he was from the Pei clan. Since he’s reached his goal, and even obtained an additional bonus, it was also just that.
“An Yi, have the person sent away, annoying.”
“Yes.”
Because this place wasn’t within the interiors of the imperial summer residence, there weren’t layers upon layers of guards guarding. Having the person brought in wasn’t a difficult task, and wanting to send away also wasn’t difficult either. In fact, don’t even need to wait until nighttime. With a horse carriage marked with the Jin Qinwang Manor emblem, openly strutting out, all won’t have anyone questioning.
During this time, Min Yu Han’s muddled and empty head sobered up a little. Li Hong Yuan kept him alive and even had him sent away. Then, he probably can tell Li Hong Yuan’s intention.
When far enough away, An Yi gave Min Yu Han some banknotes, as well as some silver pieces, enough for him to return to Jiangnan.
“Does wangye have any specific instructions?” Although An Yi came out together with him, he still couldn’t help asking, just because the other party was his subordinate after all. Even if there wasn’t a clear order, he should still be able to guess some of his master’s thoughts. This was also an essential skill for anyone that’s a subordinate.
“Master’s thoughts have always been difficult to guess, so the specifics of the matter, still need for mister to do as one sees fit.”
What was the most annoying? It was precisely this kind of completely aimless matter, completely unable to guess to what extent one needed to do, just like that ‘whatever’. “I understand.” Min Yu Han however calmly accepted this. For him, having no instructions was actually even better. That way, he can just do everything he believes that will be useful to Jin Qinwang.
————Because he resided in that completely not being acknowledged, not being accepted period, so naturally that kind of ‘I’m doing everything for your sake’, yet completely disregard the other factors, selfish assumption won’t appear. That was something that will really be unfavorable for Li Hong Yuan.
An Yi nodded his head, not saying anything extra and just leaving as such.
Min Yu Han watched the horse carriage disappear into the distance. Letting him know of many things that he shouldn’t know, yet just setting him off alone this easily, if not stupid, then it was just having the absolute confidence. Min Yu Han recalled that short period of interaction he had with the other party. That definitely wasn’t a stupid person. Perhaps, he still hasn’t gone as far as to control the entire board, yet still to the point where he wasn’t afraid of exposing himself. To be able to let him repeatedly cheer up and then become dejected again, one has to know, controlling a person’s life and death actually wasn’t very difficult, what was difficult was controlling a person’s emotions. “Guan Guan, your son isn’t the least bit like you, but he’s very outstanding, and also very powerful. Wait for me, regardless whether or not you’ve already reincarnated, and married with children, I will all come find you. In this lifetime, allow me to be selfish for once, I can’t let go of you. Only this matter, regardless whether you agree or not, I will all hold on to. In the future, everything else, before doing, I will all ask for your opinion. ——–Perhaps, by that time, he will have become our son.” Min Yu Han let out a shallow smile. Striding towards an unknown path, perhaps it will be overgrown with thorns, and perhaps in the end, he will be alone and isolated, but it didn’t matter, he already didn’t care anymore.
Li Hong Yuan took care of the information collected from other places, appearing somewhat bored. “Immediately have the thing sent to the Ruan family.”
“……..Yes.” Sending human heads, this kind of thing, shouldn’t it be at night? Sending in broad daylight, master is disdaining there’s not enough troubles?
But, the shadow guards never had a sense of self; master’s command was their number one will.
Speaking of the Ruan family, right now, they were currently in a mess. Sir Ruan, who was successful in his every endeavor upon the imperial court, when facing his daughter-in-laws’ coercion, instead had his hands tied, unable to do anything. All say, women ought to view one’s husband as the sky, but at this time, his sons were all useless.
“Old master, someone outside sent something over.”
The currently hard-pressed Sir Ruan precisely needed something to come divert the attention. At the moment, he felt, this thing really came at the right time, “What is it, bring it in.”
When a wooden chest was lifted in, Ruan Old Madam, whose eyes were red and swollen from crying, and this while was still wiping her tears, strangely felt somewhat flustered.
T/N: Ruan Rui Zhong is practically the definition of ‘suffering by association’ at this point. Can only continue lighting candles for this old man.
