Chapter 1396

Hu Xiaotian exclaimed in astonishment: "Why do you want to cross out my name?"

Prince Fu Yang Longyue said: "I don't know the real reason either, but the Empress Dowager once said you are a traitor of Dakang, and you were previously engaged to Princess Yongyang; Dakang is her natal family, and she does not want to become enemies with Dakang because of you."

Hu Xiaotian had to admit this reason was sufficient, but having come all this way, he originally hoped to bring Princess Anping back in a proper and honorable manner; now this incident has occurred, he is effectively deprived of the qualification, and there is no longer any possibility to openly take Long Xi Yue away. He whispered: "What about Li Honghan? He has already declared independence, and his father is Dakang's arch traitor."

Yang Longyue said: "Li Honghan has already entered the palace examination list." Speaking of this, he also seemed quite helpless; no one would have expected the Empress Dowager to pull such a stunt at the last moment. Tomorrow is the day of the palace examination, when the final list of one hundred candidates is decided; at such a time she actually crossed out Hu Xiaotian's name. This deviates from Yang Longyue's original estimate; he had thought Hu Xiaotian's chances were great, after all, Long Xuanjiao this time faced a worldwide public summoning of prince-consorts, whose purpose was to select the most advantageous ally, and Hu Xiaotian precisely fit that condition. Women's thoughts and men's indeed differ; the reason Long Xuanjiao gave, Yang Longyue does not believe at all. Since marrying into the Fragrant Kingdom, Long Xuanjiao has never returned to her homeland; when Dakang suffered its worst famine, she once asked the Fragrant Kingdom for aid. Long Xuanjiao outright refused without hesitation; in fact, she has long severed ties with Dakang.

Hu Xiaotian said: "In that case, the Empress Dowager is specifically targeting me."

Yang Longyue sighed and said: "Brother, there's nothing I can do about what she has decided."

Hu Xiaotian said: "No matter what, I must bring the princess back." He stared at Yang Longyue with blazing eyes.

Yang Longyue knew his thoughts, and whispered: "There are still ten days until the official prince-consort selection; perhaps there is still room for mediation." He moved closer to Hu Xiaotian and said: "According to what I know, Master Lan has returned; as long as he speaks up, the Empress Dowager will surely not refuse." Master Lan is Hu Buwei, which they both know, and Hu Buwei is also Hu Xiaotian's father, and currently the only person able to influence Long Xuanjiao's decision.

Hu Xiaotian said: "I'll have to trouble you, Brother. Please arrange a meeting with Master Lan for me."

Yang Longyue said: "Master Lan lives at Tranquil Mountain Cottage; if you want to see him, you'll probably have to go yourself." He told Hu Xiaotian the exact address of Hu Buwei's current residence.

Before coming to the Fragrant Kingdom, Hu Xiaotian had already considered that he must see Hu Buwei no matter what; he originally planned to wait until after the prince-consort selection to meet him, but now the situation has changed suddenly, and he has no choice but to move up the schedule for father and son to meet.

Hu Xiaotian had a gift prepared and went alone to the Tranquil Mountain Cottage that Yang Longyue had mentioned.

Upon reaching the gate, he announced his name directly; the pageboy went inside. After about the time it takes to finish a cup of tea, he came out smiling and said to Hu Xiaotian: "Young Master Hu, my master invites you in."

Such smoothness was somewhat beyond Hu Xiaotian's expectations; he had thought he would need to make three visits to the thatched cottage before seeing the true person. Or perhaps they would simply give him the cold shoulder; before coming, Hu Xiaotian had already prepared himself for the possibility that they wouldn't see him, and that he would have to sneak in tonight.

Following the servant boy into the courtyard, he discovered that this Jing Shan Xiao Zhu was not large. Compared to their mansion in Kangdu, it was much smaller, but it made up for it with its tranquil elegance. The entire residence covered no more than two mu, and inside and out there were hardly any servants to be seen.

Hu Xiaotian secretly wondered, could it be that Hu Buwei isn't worried about his personal safety?

The servant boy led Hu Xiaotian to the garden behind the courtyard, where he saw a man in a moon-white scholar's robe standing with his back to him, feeding fish by the pond. From the figure, it was already clear that the person before him was none other than Hu Buwei.

The servant boy brought Hu Xiaotian to Hu Buwei's side, then immediately turned and left.

Hu Buwei still did not turn around, calmly scattering bait into the fishpond.

Hu Xiaotian stood behind him, noticing that his breathing and heartbeat were calm as usual, unchanged by his arrival; he secretly admired the other's deep scheming, which was rare in the present age. Hu Xiaotian broke the silence first: 'This Jing Shan Cottage is indeed tranquil and elegant, a good place to hide away from the world.'

Hu Buwei said: 'Some like bustle, some like tranquility; what I like, you may not.' He threw all the bait in his hand into the fishpond; the fish swarmed in instantly, making the pond seem to boil. Only then did Hu Buwei slowly turn around, his deep eyes sizing up Hu Xiaotian, the corner of his mouth bearing a kind smile that gave Hu Xiaotian no sense of familial warmth.

Hu Xiaotian said: 'Living in a quiet place does not necessarily bring inner peace; even when one knows others dislike doing something, many still insist on doing it.'

Hu Buwei gave a faint smile; he certainly heard the implication in Hu Xiaotian's words. His gaze lingered on Hu Xiaotian's face for a moment, then settled on the gift in his hand, and he said softly: 'This is for me?'

Hu Xiaotian nodded: 'The Jingyu tea from Dakang, picked before the Qingming festival; I remember my mother saying you loved this brew.'

Hu Buwei's brow twitched; this young man was indeed thoughtful. After meeting, he did not bring up the past when Hu Buwei left without saying goodbye, but everywhere he employed the tactic of repaying resentment with virtue. Hu Buwei sighed: 'It's hard that you still remember.'

Hu Xiaotian said: 'I hadn't really paid much attention to it, but my mother kept mentioning it on her deathbed, so I remembered it—consider it me fulfilling her wish.' As he spoke, he couldn't help recalling the scene of Xu Fengyi's depressive death; his hatred for Hu Buwei naturally grew, though he did not show it. In fact, aside from this body, he and Hu Buwei truly had no relation.

Perhaps he had underestimated Hu Buwei's wisdom from the start; given Hu Buwei's methods and intellect, how could he easily believe that a foolish child could overnight become a learned, outstanding young man? It was his own overconfidence, his underestimation of Hu Buwei's analytical ability.

Hu Buwei pursed his lips and asked: 'Did your mother suffer much when she passed?'

Hu Xiaotian said: 'It was very painful, and she said many things about you and her, but she forbade me from telling anyone.'

Hu Buwei said: 'What secrets remain between us?'

That remark carried a double meaning, the true significance of which only the two of them understood at that moment.

Hu Xiaotian said: 'When people are too far apart, they cannot see each other clearly; but when they are too close, they also cannot see each other clearly, don't you think?'

Hu Buwei nodded: 'You came today just to see me?'

Hu Xiaotian locked eyes with him; neither saw in the other's gaze the former affection. Hu Xiaotian suddenly realized a fact: perhaps in Hu Buwei's heart he had never been regarded as a son; from the moment he awoke, Hu Buwei had already realized his son was dead, and the person before him was merely a stranger who had seized the body, owing him no affection or duty. Viewing it this way, Hu Buwei's actions become natural; if he had never considered him his son, then he would naturally feel no affection, perhaps even resentment, believing that he had deprived his foolish son of the right to live.

By now, there's no need to beat around the bush; Hu Xiaotian said: 'I want you to help me with something.'

'What is it?'

'The matter of Princess Yingyue.'

In fact, upon learning of Hu Xiaotian's arrival, Hu Buwei had already realized what he intended, so there was no surprise. He slowly turned around: 'Actually, you shouldn't have come; with your current strength, staying in Dongliang Jun you could easily dominate a region and live freely—surely that would be more impressive than being a prince consort of Tianxiang State, and indeed it is.'

Hu Xiaotian said: 'Who exactly is Princess Yingyue? You surely know. How did she come here, and why did she become Princess Yingyue? You must know this in your heart.' Thinking of this, he felt some regret: Long Xi Yue's present plight is due to his excessive trust in Hu Buwei, once regarding him as a true father. The fault is not Hu Buwei's, but his own. Recalling all he had done for Hu Buwei, only to receive his cold treatment in return, he realized that from beginning to end Hu Buwei had been scheming against him; Hu Xiaotian's heart filled with sorrow, for he had ultimately viewed human nature too kindly.

A ripple passed through Hu Buwei's deep eyes; Hu Xiaotian's resentment toward him finally surfaced. Hu Buwei smiled and nodded: 'Whether you believe it or not, I have always borne you no ill will.'

Hu Xiaotian certainly did not believe it; if there were no ill will, why would he go to such trouble to set so many traps? If there were no ill will, how could he coldly and ruthlessly choose to leave, disregarding his own and Xu Fengyi's lives? But now there's no need to argue right from wrong; even if Hu Buwei bowed his head and admitted fault to his face, it would be meaningless. The true purpose of his journey to Tianxiang State is to rescue Long Xi Yue and Murong Feiyan; although his heart is filled with hatred for Hu Buwei, the relationship between them is ambiguous, and he cannot kill him.

Hu Xiaotian got straight to the point: 'The Empress Dowager of Tianxiang State has removed my name from the list of prince consort candidates; I hope you can help mediate this.'

From start to finish he addressed Hu Buwei with "you," which amounted to drawing a clear line between them; thereafter there was no father‑son feeling between them, and given Hu Buwei's intelligence he naturally understood the meaning of this. Hu Buwei nodded slightly and said lightly, "It's nothing!" He paused a moment and added, "Not to mention helping you mediate, even arranging your marriage with Princess Yingyue would not be much trouble for me." He said it full of confidence. (To be continued~^~)