Chapter 1044

Hu Xiaotian and Weisa both listened, their hearts pounding; Old Lady Xu really was no ordinary person, she was so vicious that she even killed a pregnant woman.

Xu Fengyi said: "When that pregnant woman died, she was already seven months pregnant; outsiders thought she and her child had both died, but they never imagined that Old Lady Xu had someone cut open her belly and take the child out…… outwardly claiming that it was her daughter……"

Hu Xiaotian's inner anxiety reached its peak; if Xu Fengyi was that fetus, then who was her father? Could it also be Xu Lingkong? If that were truly the case, then she and Hu Buwei would hardly be half‑siblings sharing the same father, good heavens, no wonder Hu Xiaotian was born a fool—it turns out he is the product of a close‑kin union.

Xu Fengyi said: "She just wanted revenge, she wanted to make her husband suffer for his betrayal all his life; she…… she had her own son marry the enemy's daughter, in order to revenge herself on her husband……"

Hu Xiaotian's vision went black and he almost collapsed to the ground; in his two lifetimes combined he had never heard such an extraordinary story. If everything Xu Fengyi said is true, then Old Lady Xu is truly terrifying to the extreme, nothing short of the extinction of human nature—she could actually stage such a tragedy. To revenge herself on Xu Lingkong, she did not hesitate to sacrifice her own biological son's happiness. No wonder that old beggar hesitated, seeming to have something hard to say; he must know the inside story. Having witnessed such a human tragedy, as a father his heart must surely be in extreme anguish; Xu Lingkong will spend his whole life in regret and self‑blame. But how did his mother come to know this secret? Who exactly told her?

Xu Fengyi said: "Someone told me the truth; I…… I wish I didn't know about this matter……"

Hu Xiaotian finally calmed down with difficulty; he finally understood why his mother was unwilling to say why she wanted him to leave—this matter is indeed shameful to speak of; if this secret were known to others, he feared he could never again show his face in the world. It was like thunder rolling endlessly, which stunned Hu Xiaotian completely.

Weisa looked at Hu Xiaotian, not knowing what to do; she too was shocked by the truth Xu Fengyi had spoken.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Ask my mother, my father……" He paused, then continued: "Does he know about this? And who told my mother about this?"

Following Hu Xiaotian's instructions, Weisa asked softly; Xu Fengyi said: "I don't know who that person is. But I know he must have been sent by Old Lady Xu……" Upon saying this she began to cough violently, her weak body unable to continue speaking; Hu Xiaotian could not bear to ask further, so he had Weisa use soul‑control technique to control the mother and coax her into drinking the medicine.

Seeing his mother fall asleep, Hu Xiaotian and Weisa then slipped out the door; Hu Xiaotian called Weisa to a secluded place. Weisa understood his intention and whispered: "Master, I will say nothing! If you do not trust me, I can prove it with my death."

Hu Xiaotian shook his head and said softly: "Of course I trust you." He lifted his head, only then realizing that night had fallen. Gazing at the speckled night sky, he felt completely foolish.

Weisa comforted him: "Actually, such things are common in the Eagle's Nest Duchy." The duchy's royal family, in order to keep the bloodline pure, always marry between siblings.

Hu Xiaotian certainly knew that the ancient Egyptian royal family had once had such an absurd tradition, in order to preserve the so‑called purity of the bloodline. Brothers marrying sisters, fathers marrying daughters—such things were not uncommon. Yet from a genetic standpoint this is an extremely wrong act, and it also violates human morality; if he could choose, he would rather not pursue this so‑called fact. The truth has been laid bare, but for him it is utterly cruel.

He finally understood why he had been a fool for sixteen years, and also why Old Lady Xu treated them so coldly; to revenge herself on her husband, she did not hesitate to harm her own descendants—such behavior is truly outrageous. And his father must already have known the truth; otherwise he would not treat his wife so coldly and cruelly.

For the first time, Hu Xiaotian felt that his very existence was a huge joke; he had unknowingly been cast into the tragic fate of Hu Xiaotian.

Liang Da Zhuang hurried over, came up to Hu Xiaotian, and respectfully said: "Young master, someone has come from the palace!"

Hu Xiaotian took a deep breath, tried to squeeze out the heaviness in his chest, then exhaled slowly, turned around, furrowed his brows, and asked: "Who is it?"

The visitor was Mu Rongzhan, accompanied by two guards; Hu Xiaotian knew Mu Rongzhan was certainly not coming to visit his old mother, so he went up to Mu Rongzhan, clasped his fists and bowed, saying: "Subordinate pays respects to Commander Mu Rongzhan." Although he was already the future prince consort of Dakang, his official post remained deputy commander of the Feather Forest Guard, under Mu Rongzhan's command.

Mu Rongzhan nodded and said: "How is Lady Hu's condition?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "Not optimistic!"

Mu Rongzhan sighed and said: "Under normal circumstances I shouldn't disturb you at this time, but the Emperor has ordered you to go to the palace immediately for an audience."

Hu Xiaotian said: "My mother's life is hanging by a thread; how can I leave at a time like this?"

Mu Rongzhan said: "An imperial edict cannot be defied; Sir Hu, you had best make the trip, go quickly and return quickly, otherwise you risk provoking the Emperor, and the consequences would be unimaginable."

Hu Xiaotian glanced at Mu Rongzhan; from his cold expression he already realized that today Mu Rongzhan came not in peace, and Qiqi had said she would help him explain things before the Emperor, but it seemed to have no effect; if he did not go, Mu Rongzhan would likely resort to force, so Hu Xiaotian coldly asked: "How many troops has Commander Mu Rongzhan brought?"

Mu Rongzhan calmly replied: "Only the three of us have come to the Minister's residence, but if Sir Hu refuses to go, five hundred Feather Forest Guards will immediately be sent to fetch you; if Sir Hu still thinks that's not enough, I can mobilize the entire ten‑thousand‑strong Feather Forest Army of the capital to escort you."

Hu Xiaotian could not fail to hear the threat in his words; he sighed inwardly, it seemed the old Emperor was indeed going to act against him; if he insisted on not going, the Hu household might soon face utter disaster, this trip is inevitable; relying on his current martial skill, even if the Emperor truly meant him harm, he could still fight, willing to risk his life and dare to pull the Emperor from his horse.

Hu Xiaotian nodded and said: "Please wait a moment, Commander Mu Rongzhan; I will go back and give instructions."

Mu Rongzhan's lips curled with a faint smile: "Sir Hu, try not to keep me waiting too long."

Hu Xiaotian came to Huo Shengnan's side; Huo Shengnan also learned of the palace's summons, worried that Hu Xiaotian's trip would bring more misfortune than fortune, she urged earnestly: "Don't go; if worse comes to worst, we'll rebel, gather the brothers and fight our way out of the city—I'll accompany you through water and fire!"

Hearing this, Hu Xiaotian felt a surge of emotion; in this world there really are people who care for him, he is not living alone. He said softly: "The Emperor's purpose in summoning me to the palace is unclear; for now it's hard to say whether he intends harm against me, I fear nothing, but I cannot blindly let the brothers follow me to their deaths—this is Kangdu, even setting aside other forces, just the ten‑thousand‑strong Feather Forest Army alone is more than we can handle."

Huo Shengnan's eyes reddened with anxiety: "What should we do then?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "No need to panic; I will go see the Emperor and see what he can do to me. My mother is in this state and cannot withstand any turmoil; Shengnan, promise me you will take good care of her, and even if I leave, make sure she remains safe and sound."

Huo Shengnan nodded with tears in her eyes.

Finally Hu Xiaotian went to Zhou Mo's side and had him go at once to the Prince Yongyang's mansion to find Qiqi, to inform her of the news that he had been urgently summoned by the Emperor; now the only person he could rely on was her.

Finally Hu Xiaotian came to Yang Lingqi's side; Yang Lingqi said: "Sir, you must be careful; to dispel the Emperor's notion of harming you, you must make him wary of acting, you must let him recognize your worth."

Hu Xiaotian patted Yang Lingqi on the shoulder and said: "Even if he were even more ruthless, he wouldn't dare lay a hand on my future grandson‑in‑law, would he?" For some reason he thought of Old Lady Xu, a chill ran through him; the Emperor's heart is probably even more vicious than Old Lady Xu's—she could kill her own children, let alone his future grandson‑in‑law.

On the way to the palace, Hu Xiaotian gradually calmed down; when he was in Xichuan, Long Xuan'en had several times tried to get rid of him, using his death to fabricate evidence of Li Tianheng's guilt, so that Li Tianheng would lose his moral standing before the world—but he never succeeded; it can be said that the Emperor's plan to reclaim Xichuan completely failed, and at this point he must be feeling extreme regret; perhaps he wants to find someone to bear the responsibility, someone to vent his anger upon, and Hu Xiaotian is undoubtedly the most suitable candidate.

Being unable to recover Xichuan equals the utter collapse of Dakang's greatest hope for resolving the present crisis; with winter approaching and the fleet sent to Lu Song still unheard of, Dakang's famine is about to erupt fully. As the ruler of a nation, how will he face the current situation? If he kills himself, does he not fear angering his father? Hu Xiaotian cannot be certain whether his father will truly never return, nor does he know whether in Hu Buwei's heart there remains even a shred of feeling for this family.

Long Xuan'en sat silently in the Xuanweigong, his body leaning sideways on the dragon throne; two beautiful palace maids stood behind him fanning him, the dim light of the palace lamps making the inscrutable visage of this Dakang emperor appear ever more mysterious.

Upon hearing Hu Xiaotian's voice paying his respects, Long Xuan'en snorted from his nose, then opened his eyes a slit, observed the kneeling Hu Xiaotian below, and said coldly: "Hu Xiaotian, do you know your crime?"

Hu Xiaotian proclaimed loudly: "Your servant is guilty; upon returning to Dakang I did not first come to report to Your Majesty, but because I was worried about my mother's critical illness I went straight home to attend to her; I beg Your Majesty to punish me!"

Long Xuan'en angrily replied: "Impudent! Are you saying that I prevented you from fulfilling filial duty, and therefore I am punishing you, making the whole world laugh at me for being unable to distinguish right from wrong?"

"Your servant dare not!"

Long Xuan'en rose abruptly: "What did I have you do in Xichuan, and what did you actually do?"

Hu Xiaotian responded neither humbly nor arrogantly: "The tasks the Emperor assigned me in Xichuan, I dared not be negligent in the slightest; I carried them out exactly as he wished."

Long Xuan'en snapped: "Impudent, you still dare to say it was my will?"

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