Flower Stealing Master

Chapter 210: Secrets

”There are rumors that Prince Yong and Chen Ge of the old Chen family had a close relationship. Princess Yong and Madame Chen gave birth at the same time. Princess Yong gave birth to a baby girl, and Madame Chen gave birth to a baby boy. Then Prince Yong said that he wanted to see Chen Geʼs son, but when Prince Yongʼs mansion sent the baby back, the Chen mansion found out that it was actually a girl…” The ‘Martial Zhuge’, Xu Tianhong, carefully glanced at Chen Jialuoʼs face after he finished speaking. Everyone was surprised to know that Chen Ge had another son other than Chen Jialuo.

”Humph! Itʼs all just rumors.” Yu Wanting snorted coldly, ”Prince Yong already had a son before that, so why would he take such a big risk to have a son born from a Han? You must know that at that time, the battle for the throne between Prince Yong and the late Emperor Fulin was at a critical moment. If that matter got out, hehe, can you imagine the consequences?”

”Thatʼs also true.” Xu Tianhong nodded. ”Prince Yong had the highest chance to ascend the throne back then, but it turned out that it was actually the late Emperor Fulin who ascended to the Dragon Throne. Could it be that he lost his qualification to ascend the throne just because he accepted a Han as his son?” He thought of a possibility, and hurriedly expressed his guess.

”Prince Yongʼs failure to become the Emperor had a lot to do with that child, but it was not for the reason you are thinking…” Thinking of the past, Yu Wantingʼs tone was full of sadness and nostalgia.

Everyone in the Red Flower Society looked at each other in dismay, and didn’t dare to ask questions for the moment. Chen Jialuo always thought that Hongli was his elder brother, but now it seemed that there was something else hidden within, so he hurriedly pricked up his ears and waited for the old man to start speaking.

”About 40 years ago, I had a childhood sweetheart. She was the eldest daughter of the Qian family in Haining, whose name was Zhenhuan. At the beginning, we were in love, and we planned to get married soon. Unfortunately, we met Prince Yong who was out hunting by chance. According to the customs of the Qing Dynasty, each member of the imperial family would have to hunt a sika deer, and drink its blood. They had to drink deerʼs blood while it was warm, so Prince Yong was quite anxious to drink it, and he got a glance at Zhenhuan in the process…” Yu Wanting’s tone was full of pain, his expression was full of sorrow. Obviously, 40 years of time couldn’t erase the pain he felt that day.

Everyone in the scene gradually understood what happened, and looked at him with sympathy, ”I wasn’t that accomplished in martial arts at that time. So, I was unable to stop Prince Yong from taking her away. I was severely injured by Prince Yongʼs guards and barely escaped with my life. In order to take revenge, I went to Southern Shaolin to frantically practice martial arts. After I was confident in my martial arts, I came back to Shengjing to seek revenge on Prince Yong.”

”The day I sneaked into Prince Yongʼs mansion, I was certain that Zhenhuan was already dead. But, I didnʼt expect that she had become Prince Yongʼs concubine, and gave birth to a son, who is now known as Hongli. She was also very excited to see me, and we talked for a long time. After talking to her, I knew that after Prince Yong forcibly took her that day, he fell in love with her. He took her back to the Palace, and took care of her in every way. He even made Zhenhuan change her surname and become an adopted daughter of a noble family to hide her from the publicʼs eyes and ears.”

”Zhenhuan knew I wanted revenge and agreed to come with me, but she begged me to let her son go. I was soft-hearted and agreed to her request. However, I actually had other plans.”

”You had other plans?” The members of the Red Flower Society didn’t expect that there would be such an inside story, and they sighed. However, they became even more shocked when they heard what Yu Wanting had to say.

”Thatʼs right.” Yu Wanting nodded, ”Compared to the Han people, the Manchus were few and far between. The founding Emperor was worried that the Manchus would be assimilated by the Han people. So, in order to ensure that the imperial bloodline remained pure, he set an iron rule that the members of the imperial family could not intermarry with the Han people.”

“I looked at the young son in Zhenhuanʼs arms, and a thought flashed in my mind! Prince Yong loves her so much, if Prince Yong ascends the throne, then Zhenhuan is likely to be the Empress. This child with half Han blood may very well become the next Emperor! At that time, the Emperor would have half of Han blood, and the Empress Dowager would also be a Han. So, wouldnʼt it be much easier for us to fight against the Qing and restore the Ming Dynasty?”

“So I bore the grief in my heart and let Zhenhuan stay in Prince Yongʼs mansion. Then I began to use every means to support Prince Yong in his battle for the throne. Zhenhuan didn’t know my plans, and thought I disliked her for losing her chastity. She became extremely sad and disappointed. She gave up on herself, and actually did what I said. After that, Prince Yong really became more and more doting towards her, and finally made Hongli the heir.”

”Itʼs a pity that peopleʼs plans are no match for the heavenʼs plans. In the end, the news of this matter was leaked. The Emperor Huang Taiji, found out about it. In a rage, he chose Fulin as the heir to the imperial throne. Prince Yong lost the battle to the throne.”

“But he didnʼt blame Zhenhuan, on the contrary, he loved her more and more. Although Prince Yong was my mortal enemy, I still admired him for this. Later, the Emperor Huang Taiji, was murdered by Dorgon and died violently in the inner palace. During that time, Aobai and Dorgon competed for power and profit, causing several bloody storms in the imperial court. Many people were killed in the chaos. As a result very few people know about this secret. Let alone the current Emperor Kangxi, even Fulin, who was the Emperor before him didnʼt know why Huang Taiji chose him. He even thought that he was able to ascend to the throne due to Dorgon, which is ridiculous.” (G: Dorgon was a Manchu prince and regent of the early Qing dynasty. Aobai was a cruel and power-hungry Manchu aristocrat.)

”Such a sacrifice for the great cause of the nation! Itʼs truly a heart-wrenching tragedy.” Daoist Wuchen and others sighed.

Luo Bing, on the other hand, felt indignant in her heart, ‘The one who made the sacrifice was obviously that woman, Qian Zhenhuan, who was treated as a pawn by her own lover. If she knew the truth, no one knows how sad she would be…’

Chen Jialuo on the side became doubtful, and thought in his heart, ‘According to what my adoptive father is saying, Hongli was born between Prince Yong and Qian Zhenhuan, and I was born between Chen Ge and Madame Chen, so there is no blood relationship between us. Then why do we look so similar?’

Wen Tailaiʼs face turned gloomy and uncertain, and finally he seemed as if he had made a great decision, ”I had offended you just now, and I hope the Old Chief will not take offense.”

”I didnʼt want to speak of this again, but… haah…” Yu Wanting glanced at Wen Tailai and sighed deeply.

”The Old Chief has shown such righteousness, so how can us husband and wife be such selfish people! Bingʼer, in order to realize the great cause, and oppose the Qing Dynasty, I am afraid that I will have to wrong you.” Wen Tailai turned to look at Luo Bing with tears in his eyes.

Luo Bing felt angry in her heart, ‘All these men care about is their great cause, yet they never even considered asking me for my opinion. If their great cause depends on sacrificing womenʼs bodies, and such a great cause is simply not worth it!ʼ

When she noticed the look in the eyes of everyone in the scene, her heart gradually turned cold, ‘I am no longer chaste anyways after Song Qingshu entered my body that day, so it doesn’t matter if I am bitten by a dog another time.’

She understood everything about the situation, but Luo Bingʼs face remained as cold as it was before, ”No matter what you command, Old Chief, this Luo Bing will do her best.”

Seeing that their charming and gentle Fourth Sister-in-law had suddenly turned into such a cold and frosty appearance, all the men felt a little uncomfortable in their hearts, and they avoided her gaze.

”Old Chief, there are other ways to deal with Song Qingshu. You donʼt have to sacrifice the Fourth Sister-in-law!” Yu Yutong had always liked Luo Bing very much, and naturally couldnʼt bear to let her suffer like this.

”Is there another way? Then letʼs hear it.” Yu Wanting glared at him.

”This…this…” Yu Yutong couldnʼt think of any clever plans at the moment, and his handsome face suddenly turned red.

”This Old Man knows that you have always had different thoughts about Luo Bing, but you usually acted quite respectful, so I just turned a blind eye. I didnʼt expect that you would only care about your own selfish desire and ignore the righteousness of the nation.” Yu Wanting scolded.

”No, I…I…” Yu Yutong wanted to explain, but suddenly he didnʼt know how to explain it, so he couldnʼt help but be stunned.

”It’s alright, Old Chief, since I have already agreed, I will naturally not regret anything. The Fourteenth Brother is just thinking about brotherhood and caring about his comrades, so donʼt embarrass him.” Luo Bing lowered her head and calmly said.

”Since thatʼs the case, I wonʼt pursue it anymore. Jialuo, Tailai, Binger, and Tianhong— you and I will go to the secret room and plan how to deal with that thief Song Qingshu.” Yu Wanting ordered the group and went to the inner room.

Not only was he unable to rescue his beloved from the tigerʼs mouth, but instead he made her speak to save him—-Yu Yutong lowered his head, and secretly clenched his fists. No one was able to see the expression on his face…

*****

When the early morning sun shone into the room, Song Qingshu opened his eyes and moved his body. His expression suddenly turned very strange, ‘This Joyful Meditation is indeed a good thing! Last night, I worked so hard all night long. If I did that in my previous life, I wouldnʼt even be able to get up until noon the next day, and I would definitely have to suffer from back pain and lack of energy. It would be impossible to feel as refreshed as I am feeling now.’

After secretly examining the True Qi in his body, Song Qingshuʼs face showed a hint of joy. He didnʼt expect that his Joyful True Qi would actually grow stronger to this extent! You must know that Qu Feiyan and Zhong Ling were both virgins, and the Yin Qi in their bodies were naturally rich and pure. Nan Lan, on the other hand, was a married woman, but she actually had more Yin Qi in her body than a maiden. Also, if his feeling was right, the Yin Qi in her body had far exceeded the usual balanced level of Yin Qi of a normal woman. If it had continued like that, he was afraid that her body would become weaker and weaker in the near future, and finally she would die an untimely death!

”No wonder she always has an aura of gloom in her brows, just like Lin Daiyu. Hey, could it be that Lin Daiyu died because of the imbalance of Yin and Yang in her body?” Song Qingshu muttered to himself, but his expression suddenly changed, and he stared out the window, ”Since Your Excellency is already here, why donʼt you show up and face me?” (Lin Daiyu is one of the principal characters of Cao Xueqinʼs classic 18th century Chinese novel Dream of the Red Chamber. She is portrayed as a well-educated, intelligent, witty and beautiful young woman of physical frailness who is somewhat prone to occasional melancholy.)

”The Young Masterʼs martial arts realm seems to have stepped into a higher level.” With the sound of an elegant voice, the window burst opened, and a white shadow flashed inside.

”It turned out to be the Princess!” Song Qingshu smiled and quickly relaxed.

Ajiu was about to speak when suddenly her eyebrows knitted together, she wrinkled her nose a few times, looked around, and asked in confusion, ”Whatʼs this strange smell in the room?”

Song Qingshu became stunned for a moment, then immediately reacted. He awkwardly smiled and said, ”I drank too much yesterday and stained the princessʼ nose. Itʼs really a sin.” But he added in his heart, ‘It’s the unique smell of the happy union between a man and a woman. How can you, a girl with no experience, tell the difference?’

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