Chapter 56: The War with the Qi Emperor
Finally, Qi Xiaojun was persuaded by Chu Lianmo. Together, they set foot on the road toward the Chu border.
On the battlefield, Qi Xiaojun finally saw his father, whom he had not seen in a long time.
His father seemed much older than he remembered. The hair that was once black was now speckled with gray.
Tears threatened to spill from Qi Xiaojun’s eyes in an instant, but he forcibly held them back.
Emperor Qi De, however, did not notice him. At this moment, Qi Xiaojun was in the guise of Zhou Jun, sitting inconspicuously on a warhorse beside Chu Lianmo.
The Emperor’s attention was entirely focused on the Commander-in-Chief of Chu, Chu Lianmo.
“Your Majesty, Emperor of Qi,” Chu Lianmo stared at him and spoke first. “Rashly starting a war will cause rivers of blood to flow and bring ruin to the common people. Why must it come to this? If you withdraw your troops now, the State of Chu will overlook this provocation, and relations between our two countries can remain as they were.”
“Hahaha, remain as they were?”
Emperor Qi De laughed loudly toward the sky.
“My State of Qi has paid massive tributes to your State of Chu for years, yet you are insatiable, demanding even larger shares… I could tolerate that, but you even killed my son!
“Is this ‘remaining as they were’ simply that my country—from the royal family down to the commoners—continues to be bullied by Chu at will?!
“I apologize, but even a rabbit will bite when backed into a corner!”
“So, what you mean is,” Chu Lianmo calmly captured the information amidst the Emperor’s agitation, “your actions today are to avenge your son?”
“So what if they are!” Emperor Qi De’s eyes were bloodshot. “The reason I agreed to your conditions back then was to endure humiliation and accumulate strength, so that one day I could wipe out you Chu dogs!”
Qi Xiaojun’s heart was already a mess of emotion. His feelings surged, and he could barely restrain himself from shouting ‘Father.’
Chu Lianmo reached out and squeezed Qi Xiaojun’s hand, which was gripping the reins.
Qi Xiaojun immediately understood and tried his best to calm down.
Chu Lianmo said indifferently to Emperor Qi De, “Your Majesty, with thousands of troops here, it is inconvenient to speak. Could we speak privately?”
Emperor Qi De sneered, “What is there for Zhen to discuss with you alone? I have sworn to collect this blood debt. Do not think that talking terms or promising to compensate me with some silver will solve the problem!”
“Your Majesty of Qi!” Qi Xiaojun finally couldn’t help but speak up. “His Highness Prince Rui does not mean that. Whatever we have to discuss, you will understand once we talk, won’t you?”
“You are…?” Only then did Emperor Qi De turn his gaze toward Qi Xiaojun.
“This humble one is Zhou Jun, a concubine of Prince Rui.”
In reality, Chu Lianmo had elevated Qi Xiaojun to the status of a legal wife not long ago, but such details were unimportant to the Qi Emperor, and there was no need to explain it at this moment.
Emperor Qi De stared blankly at Qi Xiaojun for a moment.
Zhou Jun’s appearance already bore some resemblance to Qi Xiaojun. coupled with his white battle robe and valiant posture, he looked exactly as Qi Xiaojun had the last time the Emperor saw him.
For some reason, a wave of bitterness surged in Emperor Qi De’s heart.
He didn’t want to say another word to anyone from Chu, yet he found himself willing to chat a little longer with this handsome young man who so resembled his son.
“Fine! Then Zhen will see what tricks you are playing!”
Subsequently, Emperor Qi De followed Chu Lianmo and Qi Xiaojun into a local small inn.
The borderlands were desolate to begin with. Even though it was mealtime, there was no one in the inn, making it perfect for them to occupy alone.
“Your Majesty, if I were to tell you,” Qi Xiaojun stared at Emperor Qi De with reddened eyes, getting straight to the point, “that your son did not die, but was reborn in the body of Zhou Jun, would you believe it?”
“…What did you say?” Emperor Qi De’s eyes widened, filled with suspicion, as if he were listening to a fairy tale.
“Father…” Qi Xiaojun choked up and called out softly.
“Do you remember? Since I was young, you would often hold me in your arms and sit me on your knee, as if you couldn’t bear to be apart for a moment. When I was a few years old, I once ignorantly asked you whether you liked me or Big Brother more. You answered without hesitation that you liked me more.
“That day, I was so happy I wanted to announce the news to the whole world. But the moment I boasted to my Mother Consort, she scolded me severely. She said I was never allowed to ask such a question again, nor mention it to anyone, or she would spank me.
“I had never seen Mother so fierce. I was scared to tears on the spot and sobbed while promising never to mention it again.
“So, in the end, very few people know about this matter. Isn’t that right, Father?”
“…You… You really are Ah Jun?!” Emperor Qi De still found it hard to believe.
“Father, do you still not believe me? Then let your son tell you one more thing.
“The year I turned twenty, I was finally able to return to Qi. You were overjoyed and held a grand homecoming celebration for me, bestowing upon me a priceless jade pendant.
“However, I always wore a different jade pendant, which made you somewhat unhappy. Father, you once asked about the origin of that pendant, and I only said I brought it back from Chu. Actually, it…”
Qi Xiaojun glanced at Chu Lianmo with a smile, “It was given to me by Lianmo’s Mother Consort, saying it was for her future daughter-in-law. Father, I am now together with Lianmo.”
“…!” The information in these words shocked Emperor Qi De so much that he didn’t know how to react.
“Ah Jun, are you saying,” Chu Lianmo noticed a different point, “that you cared about me that much back then?! But didn’t you say you only fell in love with me recently?”
“Heh, rather than saying I cared about you back then, it was more about the warmth I felt in Chu, wasn’t it?”
During those hardest years, if not for the warmth given by Chu Lianmo and Noble Consort Liang, Qi Xiaojun probably wouldn’t have survived those eight years.
Even later, when Noble Consort Liang had a falling out with Emperor Chu Wen and didn’t even want to acknowledge her own son, she remained gentle and caring toward Qi Xiaojun. Qi Xiaojun had always been grateful for this, which was why he kept the jade pendant with him.
“Ah Jun!” Emperor Qi De finally had no more doubts. Excitedly, he pulled his son into a tight embrace. “You really didn’t die! Wonderful, this is truly wonderful… Ah Jun, do you know how much I have missed you these days!”
“Your son knows, your son knows everything…” Qi Xiaojun sobbed in his father’s arms. “If Father didn’t love me, why would you spare no expense to mobilize the entire nation’s army against Chu? Father, I missed you every day too, but because my identity is now Zhou Jun, I couldn’t contact you…”
“You just said,” Emperor Qi De calmed down a bit and let go of Qi Xiaojun, “you are already with Chu Lianmo?”
Qi Xiaojun smiled. “Zhou Jun was originally Lianmo’s concubine. Once I was reborn, I could only be with him…”
“Ah Jun, don’t worry,” Emperor Qi De interrupted him. “Zhen will take you back to Qi immediately and restore your identity as the Second Prince of Qi. You don’t need to force yourself to be with anyone.”
Chu Lianmo’s heart suddenly skipped a beat—having Qi Xiaojun confess to his father was his idea, but what if Qi Xiaojun actually wanted to go back to Qi?! Wouldn’t he have shot himself in the foot?
“No, no, no,” Qi Xiaojun shook his head decisively, his face blushing slightly. “Your son has truly fallen in love with Lianmo now.”
Emperor Qi De frowned. “People of Chu are all ambitious wolves. Do not be deceived by them!”
Qi Xiaojun laughed again. “Father, your thoughts are just like when I used to think there wasn’t a single good person in Chu… but that is not the case. Father, I have been with Lianmo day and night during this time, and I understand his character clearly. He is naturally kind and benevolent, and holds no malice toward Qi. Trust my judgment, okay?”
“…” Emperor Qi De fell silent for a moment, sizing up Chu Lianmo.
Chu Lianmo spoke at the right moment: “Father, please believe in me as well.”
Emperor Qi De sneered, “That ‘Father’ is something Zhen cannot afford to accept.”
Chu Lianmo continued to express his loyalty: “Since only our family is here now, I won’t hide it from you. I intend to seize the throne. Once I succeed, I will definitely change Chu’s policy toward Qi. Qi will no longer be a vassal state of Chu; I will return Qi’s freedom.”
“Are you serious?” Emperor Qi De’s expression finally loosened.
Qi Xiaojun quickly followed up: “Father, if you don’t trust him, don’t you trust your son? My judgment of people is never wrong. Lianmo will definitely do what he says.”
Emperor Qi De asked, “And if he fails to do so?”
“Then,” Qi Xiaojun smiled brightly, “I really will go back to Qi and never speak to him again.”
“Don’t, don’t,” Chu Lianmo smiled ingratiatingly. “This Prince would die without you.”
Hearing their conversation, Emperor Qi De’s face relaxed somewhat, though he still held reservations. “Ah Jun, you have stayed in Chu long enough… If he really cares about you, he should accompany you back to live in Qi.”
“Oh, he already said he wants to seize the throne,” Qi Xiaojun smiled at Emperor Qi De coquettishly. “He really can’t leave. At this most critical moment, I must stay by his side too.”
Emperor Qi De huffed, saying nothing more on the matter. If the young couple was willing, what could he say?
But at this moment, Chu Lianmo looked thoughtful.
However, rather than pondering that, it was better to solve the immediate war with Qi first.
“Father, since we have reached an agreement, please withdraw your troops immediately.”
“…Fine. Since Ah Jun is not dead, and if you truly keep your promise, Zhen naturally has no need to invade Chu’s territory. However,” Emperor Qi De’s expression turned solemn instantly, “if you dare to bully Ah Jun even a little in the future, Zhen will still lead the Qi army to flatten Chu!”
Qi Xiaojun’s heart instantly warmed. He once felt he was alone and helpless, but now two men were protecting him with all their hearts.
Chu Lianmo solemnly promised, “I swear, I will never let Ah Jun down in this life. Otherwise, there is no need for Father to punish me; may I be struck by lightning and die a terrible death.”
“Alright, alright, why make such a vicious oath for nothing?” Qi Xiaojun stopped him, then suddenly had an idea and looked at his father. “Father, since you’ve brought so many soldiers all this way, it would be a shame to just go back. Why not put them to some use?”
He knew why Chu Lianmo had been hesitating to take the final step.
Since that was the case, this was the perfect opportunity to give him a helping hand.
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