"Impossible! Every member of the ChengSang royal family is born with a birthmark. I personally checked it back then; there can be no mistake," ChengSangKing's voice trembled with disbelief.
MuJinling chuckled, "A birthmark? Your Majesty, did you know that before my mother married into the MuJin family, she was the famous Jiang Zhiyao, the former master of Zhiyue Pavilion? Creating a fake birthmark on JY was a trivial matter for her."
ChengSangKing still refused to believe it, shaking his head vigorously, recalling, "No, it can't be. On the day the Empress gave birth, I was right outside her chamber. Inside, besides the palace maids and midwives, there was also..." His voice trailed off as if a stone was lodged in his throat, unable to finish the sentence.
"Besides the palace maids and midwives, Jiang Zhiyao was also by Empress Xiao's side. The Empress had kept my mother in the palace for nearly a year under some pretext. During that time, did you ever see her?" MuJinling asked.
ChengSangKing's halted words revealed his realization. Empress Xiao had indeed kept Jiang Zhiyao close, and MuJin Qianmu had repeatedly requested to see his wife but was always refused. Now, the truth seemed undeniable.
"No, no, JY is my son, born of Empress Xiao. He carries the royal blood of ChengSang," ChengSangKing desperately denied, shaking his head.
Lin Yuan laughed heartily, "ChengSangKing, this is your retribution. You thought you had everything planned, only to be outwitted. For years, you not only raised my son but also a child of the MuJin family. How do you feel about wearing such a green hat for so long?" With that, he released ChengSangJY, giving him a push.
ShangGuanCY caught ChengSangJY, protecting him once again, not noticing the change in ChengSangJY's expression.
"Mother is not my mother, Father is not my father, Brother is not my brother. I've lived my life surrounded by lies. What is my existence for?" ChengSangJY thought.
"Enough of the talking. General Lin, what do you plan to do next?" MuJinling asked, spinning her smoke pipe and exhaling a puff of smoke.
Lin Yuan knew the capabilities of the Zhiyue Pavilion and the prowess of their wind guards. Without their help, he would be at a disadvantage. Testing the waters, he said, "Is the Pavilion Master implying that wind guards are ready to strike?"
"Enough!" LinHuaichu suddenly shouted, his eyes red with tears as he faced Lin Yuan. "Sworn to protect the capital, safeguard the people, and defend the borders without engaging in political strife. This is the Lin family's ancestral code. My father was a great general loyal to the people and the country, not a traitor seeking power. I, LinHuaichu, could never be the son of someone like you."
Lin Yuan's brows furrowed slightly, his expression mocking. "Loyal to the country? Your father was a fool. Loyalty should not be blind. I'm simply ridding the people of a tyrant."
LinHuaichu stepped forward, shouting, "You're doing this to avenge that woman and put your illegitimate son on the throne. None of this has anything to do with the Lin family. You don't deserve the Lin name, and you don't deserve to be my father!"
"Impudent!" Lin Yuan roared, striking LinHuaichu with a powerful palm strike that sent him flying.
Fortunately, MuJinling used her inner strength to soften the blow, catching LinHuaichu.
"General Lin, you strike hard. Not every Lin descendant is a martial artist like LinMuchuan. Without my intervention, that strike could have killed LinHuaichu," MuJinling said calmly.
"Pathetic! A Lin who can't even withstand such a blow is worthless," Lin Yuan sneered.
This statement shattered LinHuaichu's last hope. For years, he had idolized his father as a hero. The truth was devastating. Shaking, he forced a bitter smile, tears welling in his eyes. "Yes, I'm a worthless LinHuaichu because I have a dishonorable father."
"Unfilial son!" Lin Yuan, enraged, struck at LinHuaichu again.
The strike was slow, but LinHuaichu didn't move, accepting his fate. His heightened senses detected the incoming strike, but the emotional turmoil left him paralyzed.
ShangGuanCY lunged to push LinHuaichu away. At the same moment, Cui Yi, seeing ChengSangJY unprotected, seized the chance to throw a hidden weapon at him.
LinHuaichu's ears twitched. He dodged Lin Yuan's strike and avoided ShangGuanCY, positioning himself in front of ChengSangJY.
"Thud."
Everyone froze. ChengSangJY's eyes widened in shock. "Huaichu!"
A three-edged dart gleamed, embedded deep in LinHuaichu's chest. He fell backward, blood dripping from the wound.
"Huaichu!" ShangGuanCY and MuJinling cried, rushing over. ChengSangJY caught LinHuaichu.
Cui Yi, shocked by LinHuaichu's speed and sacrifice, pleaded, "I didn't mean to, Master. I wasn't trying to hit him."
Lin Yuan, veins bulging in fury, grabbed a nearby sword and swiftly slit Cui Yi's throat.
"Huaichu! Huaichu! Look at me! You can't die. I won't let you die," ChengSangJY sobbed, holding LinHuaichu.
"JY, I protected you," LinHuaichu's voice was faint. He lifted a trembling hand, his eyes filled with longing.
ChengSangJY grasped LinHuaichu's hand, tears streaming down his face. "You'll be fine. Just hold on. I'll get help. Just hold on."
LinHuaichu shook his head, feeling his life slip away. With his last strength, he whispered, "JY, promise me..."
"I promise. Anything. Just don't die," ChengSangJY cried, his voice desperate.
LinHuaichu forced a smile. "JY, live happily... Don't... overthink..." His gaze shifted past ChengSangJY to ShangGuanCY, a silent plea in his eyes.
ShangGuanCY nodded, his eyes red with unshed tears.
"Okay. I won't think. Just don't die,please Huaichu, Please!" ChengSangJY sobbed, clutching LinHuaichu.
But LinHuaichu's eyes slowly closed, and his hand fell limp.
Seeing his request fulfilled, LinHuaichu's face showed a contented smile. Using his last bit of strength, he said, "Tell my brother I can't come home for dinner tonight." As he uttered his final words, LinHuaichu slowly closed his eyes.
"Huaichu! LinHuaichu!" Holding the now cold body in his arms, ChengSangJY lost all reason, screaming his name in a voice that nearly broke. Even though the name he called out would never be answered again, he kept shouting it, shaking the brother who had grown up with him.
LinHuaichu had been sent to the palace to study alongside JY since childhood. They read, caused trouble, and grew up together. In the cold palace, LinHuaichu always found ways to make ChengSangJY happy, smuggling in delicious foods and fun toys from outside to cheer him up. In ChengSangJY's bleak life, LinHuaichu was his only light, brightening his monotonous days in his own unique way. If ShangGuanCY was the one who protected him, LinHuaichu was the one who understood him best.
A figure rushed into the imperial study. Upon seeing LinHuaichu in ChengSangJY's arms, the figure stood still, murmuring softly, "I was still too late." Huazhiyue clenched a bottle in her hand, her eyes red as she slowly approached LinHuaichu.
ChengSangJY looked up slowly, his eyes vacant and helpless as he softly called, "Zhiyue."
Huazhiyue knelt beside LinHuaichu, gently holding his hand. Feeling his cold body, tears streamed down her face as she softly said, "Huaichu brother, Master told me to give this to you. But I was still a step too late."
While everyone was steeped in sorrow, ChengSangKing suddenly spoke, "A tiger, though cruel, will not eat its cubs. The Lin family has been loyal and righteous for generations, founding generals. And yet, for the sake of a woman from the past, you have become this twisted. Lin Yuan, you are mad."
Lin Yuan kept his head down, his shoulders trembling slightly. As the shaking grew more intense, he finally looked up, his expression twisted as he laughed maniacally, his hoarse voice filled with a sickly release. "ChengSangKing, what right do you have to accuse me? If it weren't for you taking Lan Shi from me, if it weren't for you stabbing me in the back, if it weren't for your greed to ascend the throne early and massacre the Northern Desert, none of this would have happened. ChengSangKing, if anyone is to blame, it's your past sins. You are the one at fault!"
"Huaichu is already dead because of you. Killing me today won't do you any good. Your Lin family will bear the stigma of regicide and treason. Lan Shi won't come back to life," ChengSangKing said coldly.
"Shut up! You are unworthy to speak her name. I don't kill you just for Lan Shi but for the slaughtered citizens of the Northern Desert and the souls of the Lin family's Chi Lin cavalry. If not for your selfish desires, none of this would have happened. ChengSangKing, your lack of offspring is heaven's retribution for your sins. I'll make you watch as your precious throne falls into the hands of my Lin family, ridding this land of scum like you!" Lin Yuan's eyes burned with hatred, his veins bulging as he advanced towards ChengSangKing.
"Stop!" a voice commanded from outside. LinMuchuan, LiLuoning, and a bound ChengSangMo stumbled in.
ChengSangMo, tightly bound with ropes, his hair disheveled and lips stained with blood, showed signs of a fierce battle. He was pushed to the ground, and LinMuchuan swiftly dealt with the remaining henchmen in the room.
Seeing Lin Yuan, LinMuchuan froze, his brows furrowing as he tried to remember the tall figure before him. But his attention was quickly drawn to the fallen LinHuaichu and the tear-streaked ChengSangJY. The sight of LinHuaichu's pale face and ChengSangJY's swollen eyes made his head buzz. He ran to LinHuaichu, his voice trembling with hope as he asked, "What happened?"
"Brother MuChuan," ChengSangJY's tears fell again, unable to voice the painful truth.
"What happened to Huaichu? What happened?" LinMuchuan demanded, looking around at the others. Seeing the guilt in ShangGuanCY's eyes and MuJinling turning away, his voice quivered with desperation.
Seeing the trident dart embedded in LinHuaichu's chest, LinMuchuan's hand trembled. He reached out but hesitated to touch, fearing he might hurt his sleeping brother.
"MuChuan," ShangGuanCY placed a hand on LinMuchuan's shoulder, trying to calm him.
LinMuchuan jerked upright, grabbing ShangGuanCY's collar, his eyes red with fury. "I sent him to learn lightness skills from you to protect himself in danger. What happened? You promised me he'd be safe!"
Seeing LinMuchuan's breakdown, MuJinling stepped forward to intervene. "MuChuan, it's not ShangGuanCY's fault. Let him go."
"It's my fault. Huaichu died protecting me," ChengSangJY said, his voice wooden and lifeless, tears streaming down his face.
LinMuchuan's grip remained, his knuckles white, his breathing labored. He closed his eyes, trying to calm the storm within, feeling his chest tightening painfully.
Understanding his need to vent, ShangGuanCY gestured for MuJinling to stay calm. After a moment, he spoke gently, "Huaichu and General Lin argued. Cui Yi attacked JY with a hidden weapon. Huaichu saved him."
LinMuchuan's eyes opened, dazed. He released ShangGuanCY and turned, his voice barely a whisper, "Who did you say?"
"Lin Yuan," ShangGuanCY replied, and LinMuchuan's mind snapped to the familiar figure he had seen upon entering.
LinMuchuan turned slowly, scrutinizing the tall figure before him, piecing together childhood memories.
"MuChuan," the voice of his father echoed in his mind.
Blinking, he looked at the man before him, struggling to believe his eyes.
"MuChuan," Lin Yuan called again.
LinMuchuan, torn between disbelief and recognition, tried to respond but found his voice failing.
"General Lin, the northern rebels have been defeated and captured. Surrender now to avoid more innocent deaths," LiLuoning urged, his tone heavy with the weight of the moment.
Lin Yuan scoffed, glancing at the fallen ChengSangMo. "I've come to take ChengSangKing's head. What does a defeated army matter? Do you think you few can stop me?"
"You've done all this to avenge past wrongs and honor the Chi Lin cavalry's sacrifice. But the country needs a ruler. The Lin family has served loyally for generations. Do you really want to destroy all that for personal vengeance?" LiLuoning continued to reason.
"Spare me your talk of loyalty. My family's loyalty to the throne has brought us nothing but ruin," Lin Yuan retorted, his resolve unshaken.
"To forget the family and sacrifice for the country is the spirit of a true patriot. This is what you taught me, Father, and I've held it dear all these years," LinMuchuan suddenly spoke up.
Lin Yuan's eyes filled with guilt. Of all his regrets, failing his son weighed heaviest. After the Northern Desert massacre, young LinMuchuan had to bear the family's burdens alone, serving the country while teaching his younger siblings. He had secretly watched over him but never dared reveal himself.
"Fatherly love, brotherly duty. Huaichu was the last hope for the Lin family, your own blood. Yet for a woman and her illegitimate child, you've brought us to this ruin. How can you face Mother's tears or our family's legacy?" LinMuchuan shouted, his voice raw with anguish.
Lin Yuan's face showed no emotion as LinMuchuan's words cut deep. He let his son approach, each question a dagger to his heart.
LinMuchuan planted his spear before Lin Yuan, pointing to the family code etched on it. "Father, how can you honor our fallen brothers with this madness?"
Lin Yuan's eyes brimmed with guilt. He stared at LinMuchuan for a long time, then suddenly pushed him aside, catching ChengSangKing's attempted attack.
"Incorrigible," Lin Yuan muttered, gripping his sword. With a swift motion, he struck ChengSangKing on the shoulder.