nucmednet Chapter 349 Difficult Choice
Chapter 349 Difficult Choice
Prince Duan Qingzhou of Zhennan led 80,000 troops to the outskirts of Linjiang Prefecture.
Before the camp had even been set up and the dust had settled, a messenger arrived to report that Crown Prince Yunqing had sent Fang Xurao, the Prefect of Jiangzhou, to request an audience.
Duan Qingzhou stood silently before the tent, gazing northwards, his heart heavy with sorrow.
The so-called defense of southern Guangdong was nothing more than a dignified exile. The Duan family had been trapped in southern Guangdong for generations, and their children were born prisoners, sent to the capital as hostages, and suffered endless cold looks and humiliation.
In this so-called fiefdom, he held the title of prince but had no real power. He had long since become disillusioned with this title of "Prince of Zhennan." Now, someone was even using his two children as bargaining chips to force him to rebel.
Why should he? Duan Qingzhou was seething with anger. He was a powerless man, and no one thought of him for good things, but when it came to rebellion, he was pushed out as a target.
Anger burned silently in his chest, burning out a cold, resolute resolve.
"I won't see them." His voice was cold and resolute as he said, "I won't see anyone."
If Fang Xurao had known this would happen, he would have left it to the Crown Prince's secret guards; they would have their own methods.
The night was as dark as ink, and the candlelight flickered inside the central command tent, casting Duan Qingzhou's solitary figure against the tent wall. A dark shadow, as light as a swallow, silently entered.
Duan Qingzhou didn't even lift his eyelids, his fingertips tracing the cold hilt of his sword: "I have no prior relationship with His Highness the Crown Prince. If you've come to persuade me to withdraw my troops, please leave. I won't kill you."
The man in black did not utter a word, but simply placed a letter lightly on the table before disappearing into the darkness.
Duan Qingzhou scoffed and raised his hand to throw the letter into the brazier. In the instant the flames leaped up, he caught a glimpse of the writing on the envelope in his hand—
He recognized that handwriting all too well…
He froze completely.
"Chen'er...that's Chen'er's courtesy name!"
His breath seemed to stop. His hands trembled as he picked up the letter and slowly unfolded it. It was his son Duan Muchen's handwriting; the words were simple, yet they struck like a thunderclap in the still lake of his heart.
My son and sister have been rescued by the Crown Prince and are now living peacefully in Jiangzhou City. Everything is fine, so please do not worry, Father.
Every word felt like a burning sensation in his eyes.
Duan Muchen's letter also included a secret letter from Yun Qing. It didn't threaten him to withdraw his troops, but rather detailed how he and his sister had been rescued. She described their injuries, how the doctor treated them, and even sent a prescription.
This secret letter, from beginning to end, read like a casual conversation, without mentioning the battle between the two armies in one sentence.
Duan Qingzhou was momentarily unsure whether it was true or false, and even more unable to fathom Crown Prince Yun Qing's purpose! Could it be that his two children... really were in Jiangzhou?
Even though he had been cautious all his life and had countless doubts, the handwriting was etched into his heart. It was his son's handwriting, and there was no way to fake it.
Just as he was about to meet Fang Xurao secretly that night to verify the truth,
Then another messenger came to report that a messenger had arrived with a battle order, instructing him to attack Jiangzhou the next day.
Duan Qingzhou slammed his fist on the table in anger, his veins bulging. It took him a while to calm down before he looked at the letter in his hand again and again.
it is true.
He preferred to believe that he and his sister were in Jiangzhou City.
Clutching the thin letter, Duan Qingzhou turned away, his shoulders heaving uncontrollably. Tears welled in his eyes, which hadn't been wet for years, and now streamed down his face.
"Chen'er, Yao'er... I'm so sorry for you. I brought you into this cage, making you suffer from loneliness since childhood, and now I've made you suffer this calamity!"
The ironclad rule for the imperial family stipulated that the sons of princes must be sent to the capital as hostages until their fathers died and their sons succeeded them. This was euphemistically called "royal upbringing."
Duan Qingzhou was filled with anticipation! He hadn't seen his son for over a decade, and hadn't even seen what he looked like. Fortunately, Mu Yao was a girl, and had been allowed to return to Nanyue to visit him a few times.
If it weren't for this unexpected turn of events, he might have been able to only touch the faces of his children in his childhood memories until his death.
Duan Qingzhou had made his decision! Under the cover of night, he disguised himself as an ordinary citizen and sneaked into Jiangzhou City with Fang Xurao.
When the door opened and two pale, gaunt faces, scarred and battered, came into view, the old general, known for his iron will, seemed to have all his strength drained away in an instant.
"Father...!"
"Father—Waaaaaah...!!"
Mu Yao was the first to rush into Duan Qingzhou's arms, and then Duan Muchen couldn't contain his emotions either and rushed into his father's arms.
"Yao'er, it really is my Yao'er!"
The father and his two sons embraced tightly, weeping uncontrollably for a long time before Duan Qingzhou finally cupped his son's face in his hands and looked at him again and again. His son was not yet three years old when he left him, but now he was already as tall as him.
"Chen'er, my Chen'er, Father has finally seen you alive, my Chen'er!..."
His arms encircled his son's broad back, now marked with whip marks, and he stroked his daughter's thin, bony hands, his heart aching. Listening to their intermittent sobs, to the days and nights of imprisonment, whipping, and forced letter writing, to the terror and despair they endured... Duan Qingzhou closed his eyes, his fierce gaze filled with tears, his steel teeth almost grinding to powder.
"They...how dare they treat my children like this!" He slammed his fist on the table beside him, sending splinters flying, just like his shattered sanity. "Our Duan family has been stationed in Southern Guangdong for three generations, and we have never been disloyal! Who...who is it that is determined to wipe out my Duan family? Treating us like dirt, and my children like bargaining chips?"
"If Your Highness wishes to know, I can answer your question!"
Just then, Yun Qing quietly led Mu Qingcheng into the house.
Duan Qingzhou felt a sudden brightness before his eyes, as if the candlelight in the room had become even brighter. The newcomers were truly a perfect couple, like a golden boy and jade maiden stepping out of a painting, their beauty captivating.
The two entered the house and stood side by side, their postures composed and tacit.
"You are... His Highness the Crown Prince!"
Duan Qingzhou had met Crown Prince Shaojun when he was a hostage in the capital. What puzzled him was that the person in front of him looked eight or nine parts like Crown Prince Shaojun!
"See His Highness the Crown Prince!"
Duan Muchen tugged at his father's sleeve and respectfully bowed to Yun Qing.
"Sister Mu! Sister Mu, this is Father..."
Having spent a long time with them, Mu Yao knew that Crown Prince Yun Qing didn't pay much attention to etiquette, so she happily threw herself into Mu Qingcheng's arms!
"Your Highness, please forgive me! My daughter is ignorant of etiquette and has offended you!" Although Duan Qingzhou was unaware of the inside story, he restrained his anger for the sake of his two children.
Mu Qingcheng smiled and smoothed things over: "Your Highness, you may not know this, but we met Mu Yao last year and lived together for several months. We always address her this way, and we're used to it!"
Duan Qingzhou only recently learned of this matter; his daughter had exchanged clothes with a maid on her way back to the capital, and then disappeared without a trace.
"So my daughter was saved by the Crown Prince?"
Yun Qing smiled faintly: "It was just a coincidence, nothing to worry about!"
Knowing that Yun Qing had something to say to Duan Qingzhou and his son, Mu Qingcheng took Mu Yao to the next room to talk.