"You, you are Luan Gongyi?"
Although Luan Cheng called Luan Xin "father" and "uncle", and the latter's identity could be guessed with his toes, he still had a bit of luck. What if the man Luan Cheng was calling was from which branch of the Luan family? But when he saw Luan Xin's face clearly, the eyebrows and eyes of the young scholar many years ago gradually overlapped with the man in front of him, and his face turned extremely pale, as pale as death.
Luan Xin lowered his eyes and sneered: "It's rare that the noble man still remembers."
The sarcastic tone was mixed with a little contempt and ridicule, which made him feel bitter. He knew that the other party was not friendly to him. Others might not know, but he could not be clear about why he and Luan Xin had a grudge.
It was he who ordered Luan Gongyi's legs to be crippled!
Even his future was almost ruined by him.
With such a deep hatred, I'm afraid only the gods in the shrine can forgive him. This realization made him, who had just escaped death, feel like he was in an ice cellar, and his head was buzzing. He bit his lips nervously, moistened the cracked lips, and asked, "What do you want to do?"
The movement here also caught the attention of the old ministers of the Xin Kingdom.
Everyone looked at each other, their eyes full of confusion and curiosity. However, they didn't know the inside story yet, and they didn't dare to speak rashly to offend others - although this group of people saved them, the other party's position was unclear, and they could save them or kill them.
After finally escaping, who wants to die
"The beginning of a new era will return." Luan Xin looked at his anxious enemy with interest, and said something that frightened him, "You did such a ruthless thing back then, snatching my qualification and crippling my legs, how could the situation change today? There is one thing you may not know. Li Shisong, who served you like a slave, has died in my hands!"
When he heard that Li He was dead, his expression became deathly silent.
When it comes down to it, Li He was just an accomplice under his instructions, but he was still held accountable and killed, let alone him, the main culprit
His lips moved uncontrollably.
He stared at Luan Xin and asked, "Is Li He really dead?"
Perhaps Luan Gongyi was trying to scare him on purpose.
Luan Xin said: "I cut off his head with my own hands."
Hearing about Li He's fate, his facial nerves twitched violently, as if he was enduring something or struggling. Finally, he gritted his teeth and said, "Luan Gongyi, what do you want to do today? Compensate you with a leg? Or compensate you with two legs? Or compensate you with a life?"
He clenched his fists in excitement, spoke forcefully, without any fear, and had a completely desperate attitude, even a bit of provocation. Seeing this, the old ministers of Xin State hurried forward to pull him back, saying, "Don't seek death."
But the other party didn't want to appreciate it at all.
He raised his hand and aimed his fire at Luan Cheng behind Luan Xin.
He scolded, "Who told you, the women of the Luan family, to be so shameless, flirting with men and coquettishly, and finally giving birth to such a bastard! And you, Luan Xin, a beggar from a lowly family, dare to call yourself a scholar. It's already magnanimous of me to just cripple one of your legs!"
How could Luan Xin and the others tolerate this
The young and hot-tempered Luan Cheng was so angry that he wanted to kill someone.
However, he was only wearing prison clothes and his sword had been confiscated long ago, so he simply pulled out Luan Xin's sword and pointed it at the other party.
He said angrily: "Clean your mouth, you bastard!"
Not only was the other party not afraid, his arrogance became even stronger, and he spat: "Luan Cheng, you, a son of an adulterer, dare to be so presumptuous in front of me? If you have the guts, stab me with a sword and see if the law and the secular world can tolerate you! I have tolerated you, a little beast, for a long time!"
All the old ministers of Xin State were terrified when they heard this.
Although Luan Cheng's background is not a secret in the circle, and the two people's incompatibility is well known, no one would gossip about it for the sake of face. After all, you will see each other every day, and some things are hard to expose. When they meet on weekdays, they will just ignore each other.
I never expected that the real person would reveal it publicly himself, in front of Uncle Luan Cheng. Isn't this simply courting death
Someone tried to smooth things over.
"Don't be angry, don't be angry. This kid has gone crazy because of being locked up."
It's fine if this guy is outspoken, but don't implicate them.
They were not worried that Luan Cheng would kill his brother himself.
Not to mention that the two were half-brothers, the most important thing was that Luan Cheng suffered from a disadvantageous status. He was indeed a "son of adultery" in name, born of his parents' extramarital affair. Even though Mrs. Luan never acknowledged Luan Cheng's identity as his biological father, the biological father's wife could not help but make a fuss about it. Furthermore, scholars were particular about etiquette and laws, and if a son of adultery killed his eldest brother, his reputation would be ruined.
but-
Just because Luan Cheng can’t do it doesn’t mean Luan Xin can’t do it!
When Luan Cheng was about to thrust his sword, Luan Xin raised his hand to knock the sword out of his hand. When the sword landed on the ground, he raised his toes to pick up the hilt and held it firmly. Luan Xin's eyes were grim: "Ah Cheng, you retreat! You have no right to speak here."
Luan Cheng was somewhat afraid of his uncle.
"…but uncle…"
When his mother mentioned him, she was full of regret and guilt. She repeatedly told Luan Cheng that if he had the chance to meet Luan Xin in the future, he must be filial and obedient. Luan Cheng was usually not sharp, but well-behaved and docile, so he naturally kept his mother's words in mind.
Luan Xin was slightly impatient: "Back off!"
Luan Cheng had no choice but to do as he was told. Luan Xin looked at the old ministers of the Xin Kingdom again, his eyes full of warnings: "The grudges between him and me must be settled today, and outsiders are requested not to interfere!"
If you intervene and get hurt by mistake, just consider yourself unlucky.
Now that things have come to this, outsiders naturally shouldn't get involved, lest they get themselves into trouble. Besides, they don't have a good relationship with this person, and they don't have much personal relationship with him. When the Xin Kingdom was still in existence, he relied on his family background to seek an official position outside, levying heavy taxes, flattering the superiors and bullying the subordinates. After the Xin Kingdom was destroyed, he also bullied the weak and the widowed, and bullied men and women in private, but no one dared to touch him because of his family background.
Luan Xin came forward with a sword in hand, and under the angry and provocative gaze of the other party and the gaze of the old ministers of Xin State, he kicked the man back into the pit. A scream came from the pit - in order to bury their group of people, the pit was dug big and deep.
Luan Xin gave orders to his attendants with a sinister look.
"Buried!"
A group of former ministers of Xin State: "..."
Luan Xin turned around and said to them, "Just assume that he has not been rescued, and that he was buried alive long ago. If anyone wants to seek justice for him, just come to me!"
Luan Cheng looked at the big pit and asked, "Uncle, did you really bury him?"
Luan Xin said: "If it's not a real burial, is it a fake burial?"
He originally wanted to chop off the man's head, but just for Luan Cheng's sake, he left the man's body intact.
Luan Xin had the intention to kill, not because of the insults, and it had nothing to do with Luan Cheng. It was purely because he remembered the half of his patella that was cut off, the tendons of his feet that were cut, and the leg meat that was boiled by boiling water! He deserved to pay with his life!
The soldiers under Chen Tang's command were efficient and would not fill the ground one shovel at a time. The brave warriors took action and finished the job in no time. The speed was so fast that the old ministers of Xin State did not have time to react, and the shouting and cursing below stopped abruptly.
Everyone who witnessed this subconsciously touched their necks.
If this efficiency is the same as Zheng Qiao's army...
No matter how quickly reinforcements arrived, they couldn't save them.
As for Luan Xin's act of killing his enemies—
No matter what they think in their hearts, at least no one objects to it on the surface.
After dealing with the big pit, the uncle and nephew talked privately for a while. It was mainly Luan Xin who comforted Luan Cheng. After all, being insulted as an "adulterous son" in person would make anyone feel uncomfortable: "Don't think too much about the words that person said."
Luan Cheng's emotions were more stable than he thought.
He and that "brother" were in the same circle and there were certain occasions that he simply couldn't avoid. It was not the first time that he was scolded like that.
only-
Luan Cheng still felt a little depressed and couldn't relieve it.
"... I didn't think about that, I just don't understand... Why did my mother choose that man back then? After all, he was a married man." Even if she later married a cheap father, it was just to deceive outsiders. Luan Cheng looked 60% similar to his biological father, and anyone with eyes could see it. "... Anyway, she was just looking for someone to borrow sperm from, wouldn't it be better to borrow someone with a background without any trouble?"
He had kept these words in his heart for many years, but he had no one to talk to, and he didn't dare to let his mother know. When he met his uncle who stood up for him, he somehow spoke them out.
Luan Xin: “…”
He looked at Luan Cheng and sighed softly.
"How can it be so simple?"
Luan Cheng looked at him in confusion. Luan Xin said, "Your mother is not completely free. It is not entirely consensual between you and your biological father. There is still some coercion. It's just that sister is not convenient to confide in you. Some of the losses can only be swallowed by yourself. Your biological father is powerful and insists on pestering you. What can a weak woman do? When she found out that she was pregnant, she hesitated to have an abortion."
At that time, Luan Xin was still immature and could only help her stop the elders of the side branches, but it was not enough to make her stand up straight and prevent outsiders from coveting her. Luan Xin focused on studying and practicing, and the Luan family's industry was managed by the female monarch herself, so it was inevitable that she would encounter difficulties when negotiating with outsiders.
Luan Cheng really didn't know that he almost couldn't be born.
"And what happened next?"
Luan Xin sighed softly, "Somehow the news got out, and the other party found out that your mother was pregnant, and came to visit her personally... It was only after you were born that I was able to completely get rid of her entanglement."
Luan Cheng didn't dare to think about the details.
But with a nauseous feeling in his throat, he angrily said, "If that's the case, how can their eldest lady still bully others like this?"
"The world is always harsher on the weak." Etiquette is the restraint of the strong on the weak. Just like a wife hates her husband's extramarital affairs more than a husband who can't control his lower body.
Luan Cheng still didn't quite understand.
"But he himself has a son... Why should he force my mother to give birth to another... What about me? He is asking for trouble."
There's a "child born out of wedlock" out there that sounds good
Unexpectedly, Luan Xin said something shocking: "Oh, there is another story behind this. It is because you are his only biological child. He cannot take you away from the Luan family, so he can only force your mother to give birth to you. This is what your biological father said when he came to our house."
Luan Cheng: "...What about him?"
He pointed to the large hole that had been filled in.
Luan Xin said, "Many women from aristocratic families have one or two male confidants before marriage. Your biological father has some health problems, so it is difficult for a woman to get pregnant. The man at the bottom of the pit didn't have the right time... But in order to conceal his hidden illness, he didn't reveal it. Regardless of whether they are biological children or not, they are nominally father and son after being included in the family tree."
Sometimes a nominal relationship is almost the same as a blood relationship.
Luan Cheng pointed at himself: "I may not be one either!"
His mother's confidant, at least one hand!
"I guess he wanted to take a chance. After you were born and your eyes and eyebrows grew up a little, there would be no more rumors that he had a hidden disease, so he could save his reputation." The desire for a child was fake, but the desire for face was real. Otherwise, he would not have allowed his wife to gossip about that thing everywhere.
Luan Cheng was so angry when he heard this: "Shameless, hateful!"
Luan Xin said, "Don't worry about it."
The situation is different now than it was back then.
Even the high and mighty, facing the chaos of war, could not maintain their dignity. It would be good if they did not fall into his hands, but if they wanted to die, Luan Xin would not mind giving them a ride.
When he saw Luan Cheng, he reminded Luan Xin of something.
He wanted to borrow someone from Chu Yao to pick up the eldest sister of the Luan family.
"Although the Luan family has also hired some servants and guards, money can tempt people, and there is no guarantee that they will not harbor evil intentions along the way."
Chu Yao said: "Your worry is not unreasonable."
After all, this is how my disciple Lin Feng and his family suffered.
It would be safer to send someone to pick it up.
but-
Chu Yao asked: "Gong Yi no longer has any grudge against the Luan family?"
Luan Xin smiled bitterly and said, "It's hard to repay a favor."
The culprit back then was not his sister. He left with a cold heart, more because he saw his own identity clearly. If he still felt uncomfortable, the two families could just stop visiting in the future. Compared with his knot in his heart, the other person's life was naturally more important.
After Luan Xin left, Gu Chi poked his head in.
Gu Chi asked, "When did I peek in?"
Chu Yao laughed and said, "You will know it by looking at the tide."
He was a little confused about the relationship between the two - Gu Chi always kept an eye on Luan Xin, and they were always confrontational with each other both in public and in private, but sometimes he was very concerned about him. He really didn't know what Gu Chi was trying to do.
Gu Chi said: "Keep an eye on him to prevent him from causing trouble."
Chu Yao frowned slightly and set up a word spirit to prevent others from eavesdropping. He said seriously: "Justice is the key to friendship. The lord has been very kind to him. How could there be any rebellion? Watch the tide and be careful with your words."
Gu Chi: "That's why we have to keep an eye on him because he's sentimental."
When it comes to favors, there is a first come first served principle.
Even though the possibility of Luan Xin betraying us is extremely small, and even though the probability of him harming himself is higher than that of causing chaos, we still need to keep an eye on him. Who knows, maybe one day we can save Luan Xin from self-harming.
Chu Yao: “…”
After they rescued the old ministers of Xin State, they began to plan their next move. The situation in Qianzhou was dangerous and they would be dragged into a chaotic battle if they were not careful. The national seal was too easy to expose the position.
Even if they didn't intend to snatch it, they couldn't stop others from doing so, nor could they stop the other party from speculating on them. They only had two choices - either to avoid it carefully and stay away from the melee, or to join the fight and defeat the opponent.
Coincidentally, Kang Shi was also worried about this matter.
"I just don't know when the lord will return..."
It would be safe for the two groups to meet up as soon as possible.
Gong Xichou crossed his arms and said, "Instead of worrying about Mama, you might as well worry about yourself. Mama has more troops. They can escape from anyone they meet. Can you do it? With so few people, you are not even enough to make two more attempts."
"We should run away before they can react. We are gentlemen who will not be late for revenge even after ten years, but they are villains who will take revenge from morning till night." According to Gong Xichou, if you can run away, run away quickly. If you are late, you may be in trouble.
After he finished speaking, Kang Shi suddenly tightened the reins with a distorted expression.
Gong Xichou curled his lips and said, "Whatever you say, it will come true."