Chapter 198: The Death of the Founder
Translator: Antonia
Changmu once met with the Founder before, speaking of whom, his serious countenance carried a touch of regret and sorrow.
As they chatted, Mo Qianxue asked things about Heimu clan, about her parents, aiming at narrowing the distance between she and the the two. Unexpectedly, Changmu got more and more indignant.
“Heimu and Ruoshui are friends for generations. Three hundred years ago, Tianqi’s Dugu family began to rule lthis land and reached an agreement with our ancestors that our two cities stood as self-governance places. Each year, we paid tribute, while the central government sent troops here to ward off the invasion of the Cang.
However, although we paid tribute every year, Tianqi only treated our people as a shield.
Over a century, numerous of our people have died for the Dugu family. Yet, the tribute was no less than the past years. The imperial families deprived us of everything but never protected us.
During that year’s famine, our people were displaced and asked for help from Tianqi, but it just urged us to fight against enemies without distributing any basic support and living supplies. Our people didn’t wish the clans to be extinct, so they stopped fighting, so that the two cities were conquered by the Cang. Most of the people were captured or became bandits.
The Dugu family is hateful. The Cang was more so! They didn’t treat captives as humans and subjugated them to slaves, even though most of them were the young, the old, the female and the disabled. Many children were killed by thrown heavily to the ground, only because they were burdens on their mothers who were used as servants.
If it hasn’t been the appearance of the Founder, I’m afraid both clans already disappeared now…”
Seeing his tears welling up to the brims of his eyes, Mo Qianxue regarded him more carefully. He looked around twenty-five years old. Probably he had personally witnessed that scene, and very likely the infant being killed was related to him.
Changmu got emotional, and Yuxuan worried about him, “Changmu, it’s been years. With the Founder, our people already lead a peaceful life and got back with families. Many of the exiled also came back.”
Mo Qianxue observed their interaction.
Changmu wasn’t an extraverted person, so she was afraid the reason why he could talk candidly the words in his chest was because of her special identity as someone he found eager.
Since Changmu had met father and lived in the western borders, he must know some inside stories, “How did my father die?”
Changmu was stilled for a second, “He died in battle.”
“Oh? How did he die in battle? For whom? Who is the enemy?” Mo Qianxue knew he died in battle, but simply wasn’t willing to believe it.
Such a man, with unparalleled martial arts and great characters, should also be an expert in tactics. How could he die in battle for no reason?
Changmu pondered for a while, looked up and replied, “The Founder did die in battle, when he was alone, though.”
“Why?” Wasn’t there said to be hundreds of thousands of soldiers? Weren’t there armies of the two cities?
“It’s a plot!”
“Tell me the details.”
“Even if you didn’t ask, I’ll tell you in detail. Founder…died unjustly…”
Hearing this world, Mo Qianxue’s eyes became red, growled in an agitated voice, “Go on.”
“It’s a long story. The northeast borders have been guarded by the Su family and they are peaceful all the time. Yet, the northwest borders have been guarded by the imperial princes, where war happens all the time.
Since Founder came, the Cang were deterred, so the west gained peace.
However, the south was still bothered with battles. On that day, some general came with the report and invited Founder to fight against the invaders of the Nanling. They could hardly sustain, and the Su family, only responsible for the northeast, refused to send troops, so the Emperor assigned it to Founder.
Hence, Founder led a troop, regardless of danger, travelled nonstop at night, and finally showed up at the battlefield abruptly and wiped out the enemies. The trapped prince was saved, and Founder was such a great man that he went to tackle with the rest of the enemies himself and asked the prince to go first to bring back assistance.
However, after the prince got out, he forgot his vow. The reinforcements didn’t come, and the food supply was cut off.
Founder was faced with enemies from both the front and the back, so he had no choice but to retreat to an isolated town. After seven days, when we arrived, Founder had died from exhaustion, upon which madam also immediately took her own life…”
She had always believed that father had died in battle in the west and hated the Cang for it.
It turned out that he had died in such an unjustly way.
This was obviously a plot of the Dugu family. Seeing father was loved by the local people, they feared father might rebel, so they intended to take back the military power from him.
Yet, the Dugu family hadn’t expected that although father died, the armies under his name didn’t listen to the central government.
Father didn’t die directly because of the Emperor, but it was related to him.
The sky was horribly gloomy with damp air almost frozen. It was going to rain…
Mo Qianxue was depressed and shocked. She could never imagine that Ning Shaoqing’s guess was right. She still remembered that he had said one of those who wanted father to die most was the Emperor…
He abided by the rules of this age, but also stuck to her own principles. She would offend others when she wasn’t offended. But if others did offend her, then she would definitely pay back.
But at this moment, Mo Qianxue found it hard to bear with.
Those ungrateful assholes! When the Emperor was used as an abandoned son and sent to fight against the western invaders, it was her father who had saved him at any risks. But how did the Emperor treat his daughter?
It was true the most heartless people were from the imperial family. The previous emperor did it to his own children. Certainly, his offspring could do the same to others.
Father was really stupid in saving the bastard emperor risking his own life and dying in battle to protect this country.
Full of resentment, Mo Qianxue gritted her teeth. In her heart, she also regarded Mo Tianfang as her father, and Feng Qingyu her mother. Although they never met, the connection was already there in the blood and bones.
Anger bursting in her chest, Mo Qianxue remained sane…
“Who is that prince?” She asked, gritting her teeth.
Changmu also gritted his teeth, replying with hatred, “Prince Zhennan.”
Prince Zhennan was the younger half-brother of the Emperor and the only brother who survived after the Emperor took the throne, as well as the highest commander in the south border.
The previous Prince Zhennan was the previous emperor’s younger brother. After the Emperor took the throne, that uncle died suddenly. In the imperial family, the rank lowered as it passed down. Therefore, that uncle’s son was still a prince, but an idle one without much power.
Mo Qianxue knew these from Su Qi who mentioned in his analysis of the world’s military situation. According to him, the current Prince Zhennan was a insidious man with excellent martial art…
If he hadn’t been under age at the time when the throne was under ferocious competition, probably he would have been the current emperor. Of course, on the other hand, but for the same reason, he would also probably have become dry bones.
Outside, the sky gradually became dark. The wind blew the tree leaves in the yard. The trees swayed and filtered down bleak light and shadow patches on the ground, like some unknown signs.
Cut off the food supply? The reinforcements didn’t arrive until father ran out of soldiers and food and got exhausted, so that no other living people knew the truth.
This was obviously a scheme!
Mo Qianxue fought back her sorrow, eyes red, asking, “Why such a thing is unknown? Why do others all believe that father died in the battle against the Cang in the west?”
Changmu’s expression momentarily became cold and stern, eyes emitting chilly murderousness that resembled that on a blade.
Taking a deep breath, he replied indignantly, “The Emperor didn’t want to be criticized for it, so he chose to cover up the truth. It happened abruptly. Anyway, the inside news couldn’t possibly be publicized to the world.”
The Founder to him was like a god. He had believed that no one could defeat him and that no one dared to touch him.
After receiving this news, he had also sneaked into the Zhennan mansion, but this prince was so cunning and equipped with many weirdly talented people that he couldn’t even get near him.
Before he succeeded, there was then news of Miss. Mo being assassinated.
Misfortune never comes singly! When the remaining troops didn’t listen, the Emperor sent over two new heads to govern Heimu and Ruoshui.
Then, there was clan-inside news that after Founder died, the Cang became aggressive again…
Therefore, he had no other choice but to put aside hatred first and went back to protect his clan people, while sending out spies to inquire news about Miss. Mo.
Thinking of the had time for his clan and of the unfair death of Founder, Changmu narrated and began to tear up.
A man doesn’t easily cry!
He slightly raised his head so that the tears didn’t fall, adding, “There are many people who know this, except for those who were involved. Besides the generals of the west borders, no one really knows that Founder died in the south instead of in the west.”
Sensing the depressing atmosphere, Yuxuan stood up and swore, “Don’t worry, lady. When the time is right, Ruoshui and Heimu will get even for Founder.”
“Even? I’ll do that on my own.” Mo Qianxue’s voice was clear and face expressionless.
However, at this moment, she looked so peerlessly noble and sharp as a treasure sword.
Her confidence and loftiness dwarfed everyone. Those eyes, especially, were so clear that they seemed to be able to read people’s mind at one glance…
All the people present were stunned by her reaction. Instantly, Changmu and Yuxuan’s admiration towards her increased further.