The Legend of Chu Qiao - V1C14
Prologue 1- Major Chu Qiao
Prologue 2- Time's up!
Prologue 3- The red dot on the GPS vanished
1- Royal Hunting
2- Zhuge, Wei, Mu, Jue, Che, Yan.
3- Fifth Brother
4- Without a Tinge of Regret
5- Bloody Heart
6- Bastards
7- Snakes
8- We Should All Know Our Place
9- Do You Know Who I Am?
10- Thank You, Sisters!
11- My name is 'None'
12- The Lantern Festival
13- Liar!
14- Everything Happens for a Reason
15- To escape, or not to escape?
Chapter 14
Everything in this World Happens for a Reason
Behind the scarlet gates of the wealthy, meat and wine were wasted, while along the road, the bones of the poor froze to death. Just as the Xia Dynasty claimed there wasn't enough money to support people of a different race and instead massacred them, the city sang and danced to celebrate good times with a vibrant display of colors. The beauty's waist was slim as a willow, her skin shimmered like jade, with a sweet smile and toned arms. Those "hardworking" statesmen of the Xia dynasty removed their robes and enjoyed sensual pleasures.
Outside, icicles formed and snow piled up. Silk strips fluttered on the various lit lanterns. The Lantern Festival was a time for national celebration, even for the women. At this moment, the hurried steps of horses interrupted Wei Guang's sweet dream, the head master of the Wei family. The white-bearded but still handsome elder squinted his eyes and waved off the dozens of women covered in makeup surrounding him. The women adjusted their clothes and, half-kneeling on the floor, retreated without daring to lift their heads.
Wei Guang lifted his teacup, took a deep breath, and slowly leaned back on his soft bed. The burner gradually released a cloud of incense. The smoke floated like a graceful dragon, rising steadily. Watching it felt a little dreamy.
A respectful voice came from outside, "Master, Master Shuye is here."
He should be here. The elder raised his eyebrow slightly. He arrived somewhat earlier than expected and wasted Lady Jade's efforts to please him. With a low voice, the elder said, "Let him in."
The doors opened smoothly, and a young man stepped into the most luxurious room in the prostitute's den. His moon-white robe was so plain and straightforward that it almost looked out of place on such a noble person. Wei Shuye appeared gloomy and, without any greeting, asked the elder, "Why?"
Wei Guang knew exactly what he was implying. He squinted his eyes, and without even looking at him, he slowly said, "When you see an elder, you don't pay your respects? Are these the manners I taught you?"
Wei Shuye frowned as the candle in the corner of the room crackled. Time passed slowly, and the young man finally lowered his head and said, "Uncle."
Not all issues can be split into right or wrong. Jing Er is younger than you, but you should learn from him now.
Wei Shuye scrunched his face and sincerely said, "Then why did you send me there? I promised them..."
You are Wei's heir in line to lead the Xia Dynasty, with royal blood running through your veins. You belong to the most respected family in the country; you don't need to make promises to a bunch of lowly peasants. Their purpose in life is to sacrifice themselves for their country. You haven't made a mistake, and there's no reason to feel guilty. It would be best if you didn't be here to question your uncle," the elder interrupted Shu Ye's words and said sternly.
Wei Shuye shook his head and frowned. "Uncle, this is not what you taught me before."
"Because I was naïve like you in the past, and it resulted in your father's death in the internal strife of our family." Wei Guang opened his eyes, and his gaze glistened with emotion. He slowly turned around and stared at Wei Shuye. He spoke slowly, "The winner is the predator, while the weak stay as prey. The world is like that. Ye Er, you still don't understand after all these years?"
"Uncle," Wei Shuye's expression was stern, "the country needs people to go westwards to open up the lands. The youths of their race believed in me and headed there. Why don't the elders take care of their families? They traveled thousands of miles to follow me to the capital because you promised to build residences for them. They left their own houses and gave up their nomadic lifestyle just because I promised them!" Wei Shuye emotionally lifted the incense on Wei Guang's table and shouted angrily, "You said the country didn't have the money to provide for them, then what's this? This is incense from the Song Empire. Just one bundle of these costs two hundred gold coins. Two hundred gold coins can feed their entire tribe for ten years!"
Wei Guang's expression remained unchanged as he calmly listened to Wei Shuye's rant. The atmosphere was tense, filled with the youth's anger, all set for a confrontation. After a long moment, the elder gently smiled and calmly said, "Ye Er, you went with Major General Zhi Lu to settle the civil discord, which ended disappointingly. It is unknown if he's dead or alive, but you can still argue here with me. Why is that so?"
Wei Shuye was taken aback, the indignation frozen on his face, and he had no words to reply.
You can still stand here unharmed because your surname is Wei. I know you sympathize with the peasants and oppose discrimination. But even if you dislike this status, you are still Wei's descendant, my nephew. Everything you have enjoyed since birth—the food, the belongings, the status, and the power—came from the family. It will never change. Someone who has benefited from privileges all this time has no right to curse them. Wei Guang took a deep breath, leaned on the bed, and his chest rose briefly.
His voice grew deep with a hint of despair. "Everything in this world happens for a reason. Today, the reason the Weis massacred the Biantas, not the other way around, is because the Weis have been fighting for the growth and prosperity of our family for three hundred years. Over these years, the Wei family has protected the borderlands of our empire and won many important battles. Meanwhile, the Biantas wandered around, while the Wei children learned war skills, studied business, and secretly dodged schemes against them. The Wei family is part of the seven big clans, but the number of nomads is decreasing. Child, heaven is fair. It favors no one. The reason they lost is that they never tried hard enough. No weakling should blame the strong for bullying them. To avoid being preyed upon, they must become stronger. Today, you pity them if all descendants thought like you, those who died today would have been your siblings.
Wei Shuye stood still; his face was still tense. He could not say what he wanted to say.
Wei Guang gradually stood up, extending his arm to pat his shoulder. "Ye Er, your uncle is already old and can't protect all of you for long. When I am not around, who will safeguard the family? Who will defend my children from others' attacks? Who can stop my daughters from getting played? Who can protect all of you? Will it be you?"
The doors opened, and a wave of music flowed in with a mesmerizing quality. The elders' footsteps gradually faded away. Wei Shuye stood up straight, feeling his shoulders burn. What was weighing on him was an invisible burden. He wanted to cast off a heavy responsibility but couldn't.
The sky was pitch black, but it wasn't as dark as his heart. The demons stayed in his thoughts, consuming his morals. The fight was useless. In the end, he sighed and stayed silent.
Some things are decided from birth, like blood ties and destiny.
He slumped in his seat, raised his wine glass, and drank it in one gulp, along with all his bottled-up thoughts and resentment.
Outside, icicles formed and snow piled up. Silk strips fluttered on the various lit lanterns. The Lantern Festival was a time for national celebration, even for the women. At this moment, the hurried steps of horses interrupted Wei Guang's sweet dream, the head master of the Wei family. The white-bearded but still handsome elder squinted his eyes and waved off the dozens of women covered in makeup surrounding him. The women adjusted their clothes and, half-kneeling on the floor, retreated without daring to lift their heads.
Wei Guang lifted his teacup, took a deep breath, and slowly leaned back on his soft bed. The burner gradually released a cloud of incense. The smoke floated like a graceful dragon, rising steadily. Watching it felt a little dreamy.
A respectful voice came from outside, "Master, Master Shuye is here."
He should be here. The elder raised his eyebrow slightly. He arrived somewhat earlier than expected and wasted Lady Jade's efforts to please him. With a low voice, the elder said, "Let him in."
The doors opened smoothly, and a young man stepped into the most luxurious room in the prostitute's den. His moon-white robe was so plain and straightforward that it almost looked out of place on such a noble person. Wei Shuye appeared gloomy and, without any greeting, asked the elder, "Why?"
Wei Guang knew exactly what he was implying. He squinted his eyes, and without even looking at him, he slowly said, "When you see an elder, you don't pay your respects? Are these the manners I taught you?"
Wei Shuye frowned as the candle in the corner of the room crackled. Time passed slowly, and the young man finally lowered his head and said, "Uncle."
Not all issues can be split into right or wrong. Jing Er is younger than you, but you should learn from him now.
Wei Shuye scrunched his face and sincerely said, "Then why did you send me there? I promised them..."
You are Wei's heir in line to lead the Xia Dynasty, with royal blood running through your veins. You belong to the most respected family in the country; you don't need to make promises to a bunch of lowly peasants. Their purpose in life is to sacrifice themselves for their country. You haven't made a mistake, and there's no reason to feel guilty. It would be best if you didn't be here to question your uncle," the elder interrupted Shu Ye's words and said sternly.
Wei Shuye shook his head and frowned. "Uncle, this is not what you taught me before."
"Because I was naïve like you in the past, and it resulted in your father's death in the internal strife of our family." Wei Guang opened his eyes, and his gaze glistened with emotion. He slowly turned around and stared at Wei Shuye. He spoke slowly, "The winner is the predator, while the weak stay as prey. The world is like that. Ye Er, you still don't understand after all these years?"
"Uncle," Wei Shuye's expression was stern, "the country needs people to go westwards to open up the lands. The youths of their race believed in me and headed there. Why don't the elders take care of their families? They traveled thousands of miles to follow me to the capital because you promised to build residences for them. They left their own houses and gave up their nomadic lifestyle just because I promised them!" Wei Shuye emotionally lifted the incense on Wei Guang's table and shouted angrily, "You said the country didn't have the money to provide for them, then what's this? This is incense from the Song Empire. Just one bundle of these costs two hundred gold coins. Two hundred gold coins can feed their entire tribe for ten years!"
Wei Guang's expression remained unchanged as he calmly listened to Wei Shuye's rant. The atmosphere was tense, filled with the youth's anger, all set for a confrontation. After a long moment, the elder gently smiled and calmly said, "Ye Er, you went with Major General Zhi Lu to settle the civil discord, which ended disappointingly. It is unknown if he's dead or alive, but you can still argue here with me. Why is that so?"
Wei Shuye was taken aback, the indignation frozen on his face, and he had no words to reply.
You can still stand here unharmed because your surname is Wei. I know you sympathize with the peasants and oppose discrimination. But even if you dislike this status, you are still Wei's descendant, my nephew. Everything you have enjoyed since birth—the food, the belongings, the status, and the power—came from the family. It will never change. Someone who has benefited from privileges all this time has no right to curse them. Wei Guang took a deep breath, leaned on the bed, and his chest rose briefly.
His voice grew deep with a hint of despair. "Everything in this world happens for a reason. Today, the reason the Weis massacred the Biantas, not the other way around, is because the Weis have been fighting for the growth and prosperity of our family for three hundred years. Over these years, the Wei family has protected the borderlands of our empire and won many important battles. Meanwhile, the Biantas wandered around, while the Wei children learned war skills, studied business, and secretly dodged schemes against them. The Wei family is part of the seven big clans, but the number of nomads is decreasing. Child, heaven is fair. It favors no one. The reason they lost is that they never tried hard enough. No weakling should blame the strong for bullying them. To avoid being preyed upon, they must become stronger. Today, you pity them if all descendants thought like you, those who died today would have been your siblings.
Wei Shuye stood still; his face was still tense. He could not say what he wanted to say.
Wei Guang gradually stood up, extending his arm to pat his shoulder. "Ye Er, your uncle is already old and can't protect all of you for long. When I am not around, who will safeguard the family? Who will defend my children from others' attacks? Who can stop my daughters from getting played? Who can protect all of you? Will it be you?"
The doors opened, and a wave of music flowed in with a mesmerizing quality. The elders' footsteps gradually faded away. Wei Shuye stood up straight, feeling his shoulders burn. What was weighing on him was an invisible burden. He wanted to cast off a heavy responsibility but couldn't.
The sky was pitch black, but it wasn't as dark as his heart. The demons stayed in his thoughts, consuming his morals. The fight was useless. In the end, he sighed and stayed silent.
Some things are decided from birth, like blood ties and destiny.
He slumped in his seat, raised his wine glass, and drank it in one gulp, along with all his bottled-up thoughts and resentment.
