novelraw Chapter 1258: 1257: What Difference Would 20 Years Make?
Chapter 1258: 1257: What Difference Would 20 Years Make?
Chapter 1258: Chapter 1257: What Difference Would 20 Years Make?
At this moment, Song Chongjin’s heart was in turmoil, but his mind remained clear. He thanked Qin Bohan and calmly took his leave, saying he would return home to consider things thoroughly.
Qin Bohan had given all the necessary hints and notices, so he naturally did not want to keep the guest and simply waved to indicate that he should go back.
Song Chongjin returned home almost in a daze, feeling fortunate that he usually kept a straight face. Even though there were tumultuous waves in his heart, those unfamiliar with him could not see any difference.
He appeared normal as he returned to the Duke Weiguo Mansion. Originally, he should have gone to greet Song Hong, but fortunately, Song Hong had matters to attend to and was out.
So, Song Chongjin went straight back to his courtyard.
Those personal soldiers were arranged in the front yard, while Song Chongjin returned to the backyard. Upon seeing the maid as he entered the courtyard, he asked where Wang Yongzhu was.
The maid quickly pointed towards the inner room, “The Wife of the Heir-Apparent went to greet Madam and just returned, she is in the room.”
Hearing the commotion outside, Wang Yongzhu came out. She immediately noticed something was off about Song Chongjin, hurriedly approached, held his hand, and gave it a squeeze to calm him down.
Calmly, she ordered someone to bring hot water to serve Song Chongjin as he freshened up.
After changing into casual clothes, she asked someone to pour hot tea, then sent everyone out, leaving Gu Yu to guard the door.
Turning back, she sat next to Song Chongjin, holding his hand, and asked softly, “Did something happen? Don’t worry, let’s talk it through slowly.”
Song Chongjin, whose heart was originally in chaos, calmed down at this moment. He took a deep breath, organized his thoughts, and explained to Wang Yongzhu, word by word, what happened at Qin Bohan’s house, what Qin Bohan said, and the scene at that time.
Upon hearing that Song Chongjin was to be assigned elsewhere, specifically to the place where the Qi family was exiled, Wang Yongzhu immediately thought of that golden little seal.
Thinking it over carefully, it meant that the Emperor was looking for something within the Qi family. The descendants of the Qi family in the place of exile did not have it, and after learning about Qi Huan’s whereabouts, he found Jing County, but still came up empty-handed.
The Emperor was unwilling to give up and turned his attention back to the Qi family’s place of exile, believing that the item should still be there.
Perhaps he thought this was something others couldn’t find, and he intended to use Song Chongjin, who had half of the Qi family’s bloodline, as a lure to see if he could find it in the place of exile?
If what the Emperor wanted to find was the golden seal, then what was special about this seal that made the Emperor so eager to obtain it?
If it wasn’t the golden seal, then what exactly was the Emperor looking for?
At this moment, Wang Yongzhu really wanted to ask the Qi family’s Grand Scholar Qi from those years what secret the Qi family was hiding that led to its downfall and still had reverberations today?
Unfortunately, apart from the Emperor who is still alive, all the members of the Qi family have perished.
With the situation as it is, Wang Yongzhu could only muster her spirit and advised, “We don’t know anything now. The bits we know about the Qi family’s past, those who know keep silent, and only the old madam over there mentioned a name, Qi Le, but his life or death is unknown now.”
“Whatever plan the Emperor has, we can’t figure it out by racking our brains at home. Instead of creating chaos and giving others leverage over us, we might as well wait and see.”
“If the Emperor truly plans to use your identity for his schemes, he will look for us eventually, and we’ll just wait. When the time comes, we’ll tackle it as it comes. Maybe we can even uncover the truth behind the Qi family’s downfall!”
Song Chongjin naturally knew that this was a solution when there was no other way.
He exhaled deeply, feeling as though all the pent-up frustration and irritation of the past few days had been expelled, and his whole body felt much lighter.
Grabbing Wang Yongzhu’s hand in return, he spoke with some shame, “Yongzhu, these days, since entering the Capital City, I’ve been a bit restless, but you are right! I suppose I’ve been a bit heady these days. For the past decade or so, I was just a poor countryside boy, living one day at a time, not even knowing who my own parents were.”
“Although I hate Song Hong, when he brought me into the Duke Weiguo Mansion, no matter how we treated him, he tolerated it immensely. I harbored hatred for him, yet seeing him humble himself seemed to express true remorse and a desire to make amends, and even if it was fake, I also…”
At this point, Song Chongjin was so ashamed that his earlobes turned red.
Wang Yongzhu looked at Song Chongjin softly and spoke gently, “I understand it all!”
Song Chongjin’s rational mind kept reminding him that Song Hong was not a good person, that Song Hong had other motives for him, and that Song Hong was merely using him.
But he, who had never felt fatherly love, even if it was this fake and exploitative semblance of good, couldn’t help but become immersed in it.
Song Chongjin smiled bitterly, “I thought myself steadfast, unaffected by it all, yet it seems I wasn’t as resolved as I believed. Especially after being established as the Princely Heir, I nearly wavered—”
“Until you awakened me! The other night in the study, I spent a sleepless night reflecting on everything that happened since coming to the Capital City. And I realized, there were things that shouldn’t be pondered deeply. Earlier, at the Qin Residence, after some words from Lord Qin, my understanding suddenly deepened. I finally identified the oddities, the incongruence I couldn’t quite grasp.”
“Stepping outside the situation to look, I realized these were simply Song Hong’s machinations.”
“Perhaps, from much earlier, whether intentionally or unintentionally, he had already set up this game. Why were those two sent back then, one teaching me martial arts, the other educating me in literature, yet both turned out to have been bribed, treating me perfunctorily.”
“Later, Xu You was sent! Xu You was originally a student of the Qi family, who later defected to Song Hong and became his retainer. I initially believed him, thinking due to the Qi family connection, his heart was genuine towards me. But now, in hindsight, he simply followed Song Hong’s arrangements.”
“If he truly cared for my future prospects, he should have urged me to focus on my studies for the imperial examinations, which would have been the right path. Instead of having me learn intelligence skills.”
“In the past, I followed those trades of espionage, gathering information, and trading in news for years. This field is obscure, fraught with cunning methods. Having immersed myself in it for years, and having endured hardships in my youth, my character was tainted somewhat, and my actions were radical at times.”
“It influenced my perspective and vision as well, affecting my judgment in viewing people and matters, and my demeanor was not worthy of great pursuits. Even my articles carried some of this tendency. How lamentable that after the palace examination, I was still somewhat discontented, feeling that my day’s performance should have merited a place in the first class.”
“Being designated as a Second Class Imperial Graduate felt unfair, until today when Lord Qin analyzed the issues in my examination paper, and I finally understood where the gap was.”
“Being designated as a Second Class Imperial Graduate, perhaps it was even part of the Emperor’s other plans!”
“Thinking back now, had it not been for your reminder and Lord Qin, I fear I would have deviated further, being molded by Song Hong step by step into someone who only sees profit and family.”
“At that point, I might wholeheartedly, just like him, abandon what’s more crucial, to preserve the Song Family, to safeguard the Song family’s centuries-old foundation!”
“If that were to happen, what would make me different from Song Hong? Ten years, twenty years down the line, I’d become another Song Hong!”
At this point, Song Chongjin couldn’t help but show a glimpse of fear in his eyes.
If he truly became another Song Hong, would he abandon Yongzhu? Would his relationship with Yongzhu end up like Song Hong and Qi Huan back then?