Chapter 134

Chapter 134: Reunion "My father is Lu Sheng, not Duke of Dingguo Lu Zhong." Cui Zeyu raised his hand, blocking the embrace that the Duke of Dingguo rushed toward him. Only a few steps separated them, yet it felt like a thousand mountains and rivers stood between them. Hearing the name Lu Sheng, the Duke of Dingguo fell silent instantly. It had been many years since anyone had called him by that name. But now he could be certain—the young man before him was his son. "There were circumstances back then. I had my reasons," the Duke of Dingguo explained hastily. "I was ordered by imperial decree to lead troops into battle. When Madam Qin sent people to find you, I knew nothing of it. By the time I returned, Madam Qin said you were both dead, but I didn't believe her. I sent people to search for a long time before I learned you were still alive." "So you're going to say it was all Madam Qin's fault, and you did nothing wrong?" Cui Zeyu looked at the Duke of Dingguo. "I... I truly wronged you and your mother." The Duke of Dingguo hung his head in shame. Seeing the Duke of Dingguo like this, Cui Zeyu retorted, "Since Madam Qin committed murder, why didn't you divorce her? Oh, that's right—you had other sons then, so you didn't need me to come back and inherit the family estate. Whether you found me or not didn't matter, did it?" "That's not how it was." "Then how was it?" Looking at the Duke of Dingguo, Cui Zeyu felt no joy of reunion whatsoever—only a belly full of resentment. "Do you know how my mother died? Those men stripped her naked and hung her up!" "What?" This was the first time the Duke of Dingguo had heard this. Madam Qin had told him she died in a fire. "You didn't know?" Cui Zeyu sneered. "Then you certainly don't know how much suffering I endured just to stay alive afterward, or how many times I nearly died! Should I call you Lu Sheng now, or Duke of Dingguo?" Cui Zeyu laughed as he spoke. "When I saw you that day, I thought about it for a very long time. I never imagined that my father wasn't a traveling merchant, but the powerful and influential Duke of Dingguo." If not for meeting his sister, he would hardly have survived to adulthood. Looking at the man before him, Cui Zeyu took a deep breath. "Do you know what I'm called now?" The Duke of Dingguo shook his head. "Cui Zeyu. You should have heard that name before," Cui Zeyu said. The Duke of Dingguo couldn't recall it for a moment. Seeing the Duke of Dingguo's confused expression, Cui Zeyu reminded him, "When I was framed by Qian Jin and thrown in prison, weren't you the one who advised General Xie not to get involved with my case?" Cui Zeyu had heard about that at the time and only thought that the Duke of Dingguo and Qian Jin were cut from the same cloth—both stubborn old men who would come to a bad end. Hearing this, the Duke of Dingguo felt as if struck by lightning, staring at his son in disbelief. "You... you're Marchioness Song's adopted younger brother?" "Yes, you never expected that, did you? You nearly killed me once more." Cui Zeyu scoffed, his thin lips curling into a chilling smile. "Even if it weren't me, would you just turn a blind eye to an innocent person's life or death? Lu Sheng... no, Duke of Dingguo, your heart is truly hard." The Duke of Dingguo was at a loss for words, unable to speak for a long while. Cui Zeyu continued, "That year, I fainted from hunger. If my sister hadn't taken me in and raised me with such care, I would have died at ten years old. Without my sister, I wouldn't be here today. Yet all you black-hearted old bastards tried to bully us one after another—are you even human?" Cui Zeyu grabbed the Duke of Dingguo by the collar and threw a heavy punch at him. A son striking his father—a rare thing under heaven. But even after that punch, Cui Zeyu's anger was not appeased. Thinking of his mother, thinking of his sister, and of the injustice he suffered in prison, Cui Zeyu wished he could string up the Duke of Dingguo and all those people and whip them! "Peng'er!" The Duke of Dingguo pushed his son away and said loudly, "I didn't know you were Marchioness Song's adopted brother. I have been searching for you all along. It's not as you say—that just because I had other sons, I didn't care whether you lived or died. On this, I can swear to heaven!" He truly had been searching for his youngest son. His feelings for Cui Zeyu's mother had been genuine. He married Madam Qin for the sake of his career, with the support of the Qin family behind him. As for falling for Cui Zeyu's mother later—that was because he truly loved that gentle and considerate woman from the bottom of his heart. Love for the person extended to the child. The Duke of Dingguo had also doted on Cui Zeyu as his son, but circumstances at the time hadn't allowed him to visit Cui Zeyu and his mother often, because Madam Qin watched too closely. No matter how well he hid Cui Zeyu and his mother, no matter how careful he was, Madam Qin still discovered them. "Do you know how devastated and despairing I was when Madam Qin told me you and your mother were dead?" The Duke of Dingguo shed two streams of tears. "You... your mother was the only woman I ever truly loved in my life. I also regret not sending more people to protect you both." "Stop spouting that nonsense. What about afterward? Why didn't you divorce Madam Qin? Why did you let her live comfortably?" Cui Zeyu had made inquiries—Madam Qin had lived a life of ease in recent years, treated as an honored guest wherever she went by virtue of her status as the Duchess of Dingguo. "I... I had my reasons," the Duke of Dingguo said. "What reasons?" Cui Zeyu stared straight at the Duke of Dingguo. The Duke of Dingguo stared at Cui Zeyu for a long while, unable to speak the truth. Admitting to his own son that he was despicable and lustful was an extremely embarrassing matter. "All you need to know is that I don't want to see Madam Qin doing well either," said the Duke of Dingguo. "Now that your elder brother is dead and left no heirs, as long as you acknowledge your ancestry, the entire Dingguo Marquis Mansion will be yours in the future." He continued to tempt Cui Zeyu, "Wasn't Qian Jin falsely accusing you? Isn't your elder sister having a hard time in the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion? As long as you become the heir of the Dingguo Marquis Mansion, all of this can be resolved. With wealth and status, you will no longer be a lowly merchant. Everyone who sees you will have to respectfully address you as Young Marquis Lu." Ever since he learned his son was still alive, the Duke of Dingguo had been waiting for this day. The estate he had worked so hard to build must never fall into the hands of those people in the clan. He himself was concubine-born, never valued by his father since childhood, let alone constantly suppressed by his legitimate mother and eldest brother. Now that they saw he had no heirs, they all wanted to come and claim a share. Dream on! His estate must be left to his own son! "Peng'er, listen to your father. Madam Qin has committed countless evils, and retribution will come to her eventually. If you want to take revenge on her, then you must acknowledge your ancestry. You know, the last thing she wants to see is you inheriting the Dingguo Marquis Mansion." Cui Zeyu countered, "Why can't we see her retribution now? Is it because you still have feelings for her and can't bear to part with her?" "How is that possible? I wish I could devour that poisonous woman alive!" The Duke of Dingguo showed a troubled expression. "The truth is... I cannot touch her." "I see. She has something on you." At this point, murderous intent filled Cui Zeyu's eyes. "Fine, if you can't touch her, then I want you to do something for me. Among those who hunted down my mother and me back then, there was one whose flesh I bit off from his arm. I want you to bring him and those assassins to me alive. As for the dead ones, dig them up and grind their bones to ashes!"