Chaotic World Book-Chapter 255 - 250 Domestic Affairs

The morning sun was rising, but there was also a fine drizzle, the two opposing natural environments appearing simultaneously, though people did not find it abrupt.

Sun shower, I guess...

An old man strolled leisurely along the official road with his hands behind his back, while a young man led a horse, following with his head down.

The scene strongly resembled that of a father and son stepping out to take care of some business.

It wasn’t until the old fellow stood up that it became apparent how tall he was. Despite his aged body shrinking and his muscles no longer distinct, his frame still betrayed the figure of his robust youth. Though he was old, he did not stoop; instead, his tall stature remained impressive, like a mountain, which only added to the elderly man’s charisma.

Then there was a tall young man, burdened with a broadsword, leading a horse with a look of grievance, seeming very much like part of the family.

As for their facial features and expressions, they weren’t actually very similar, but if one were predisposed to find common ground, they would surely spot some resemblances. At the very least, both had a heroic and handsome air about them; it was possible to imagine that in his youth, the old man was also a handsome fellow. Now, however, the young man seemed more virile and bold, while the old man appeared more subdued and cultured.

Only if Zhao Changhe were retrospectively matched could he find a resemblance that belonged to Chichi, particularly when Luo Qi was dressed up.

A handsome old man could certainly produce such a beautiful daughter, although by age, he might be old enough to be Chichi’s grandfather.

Who knew that this cunning old man would actually take such pride in claiming the status of a father-in-law? Zhao Changhe had anticipated thousands of scenarios for meeting Xia Longyuan but had never expected this twist and could only honestly follow along.

Xia Longyuan, however, seemed quite relaxed, gazing leisurely around on the official road as if admiring his Jiangshan, not speaking for a long while.

Zhao Changhe finally couldn’t hold back; he wanted to ask him countless questions and needed to find a way to broach them, starting perhaps with the seemingly joyful family matters: "You know Chichi is your daughter."

"What’s so difficult to know about that?" Xia Longyuan thought for a moment, then patted his head, "Oh, it might indeed be hard for others to guess. Some guy suddenly pops up, and Chichi willingly gives you her identity to help you mislead others... If I were in Tang Wanju or Cui Wenjing’s shoes, I would be baffled too, haha..."

Zhao Changhe’s face was expressionless.

He didn’t know what Xia Longyuan found so amusing; wasn’t the essence of the matter that the daughter didn’t acknowledge her father?

But it seemed that Xia Longyuan really found the idea of everyone guessing in circles to be an amusing affair...

"However, those two are crafty," Xia Longyuan said with a smile: "Do you think they really believed it was just you? Once they set their sights on you, whether or not it was really you became unimportant—they could make you ’you’. Even if Chichi stood before them now to confirm her identity, they would still have killed her."

Here he was, discussing a grievous act of treason against the King, yet the King himself spoke of it as if unconcerned. Zhao Changhe listened, fear gripping his heart, and ventured cautiously, "That’s not going to happen, you’re overthinking it."

"Why deceive yourself?" Xia Longyuan said, "Wen Jing’s choice could be deemed selfish, Wanzhuang’s was not. I might get angry with Wen Jing, but not with Wanzhuang, so you don’t have to be so terrified."

The idea of you getting mad at Cui Wenjing terrifies me too, and if you were to turn this into a Chaotic Scene on that level, it would truly be a Bloodthirsty Shura situation.

Zhao Changhe had a belly full of old grudges, but truly did not know what to say. Xia Longyuan knew everything, so why did he do nothing and say nothing?

Because it’s amusing?

"Is it strange?" Xia Longyuan said, "I don’t know what Chichi told you, or rather, I don’t know what her mother told her... They probably painted me as the scum of all ages. You should watch less melodrama and try listening to both sides of the story."

Zhao Changhe: "?????"

What he meant by that...

"Wasn’t there a crucial premise omitted in her statement, the reason why Chichi’s mother wanted to assassinate me?" Xia Longyuan smiled, "The teachings of the Four Symbols Sect might have been intolerable to any king, and anyone on the throne would consider them the Demon Sect. But back then, they were still immature; the idea of breaking through dimensions to allow divine presence on Earth wasn’t even half-formed, considering it the ravings of idiots would not have been out of the question. In other words, although the two sides were opposed, there was still no extremely fierce conflict or confrontation. Why would she suddenly want to assassinate me? Have you thought about that?"

Zhao Changhe scratched his head, "I hadn’t thought about it. At that time, it seemed normal for the Demon Sect to assassinate the Emperor... The part that puzzled me was how she had the confidence to assassinate the world’s number one, where did that confidence come from?"

"She wasn’t trying to assassinate me at the beginning. She disguised herself as a maid from the Luo Family to get close and seduce me, merely to insert the Four Symbols Sect’s pieces into the Imperial Palace, no different from what they’re doing now." Xia Longyuan said, "Normally, such a task should not be carried out by the Holy Daughter herself; the Four Symbols Sect only needed her to supervise it, and sending any minion, like a snake or a pig, would have been sufficient. It was her own decision to act, because she was a princess of the previous dynasty, aiming to hit two birds with one stone."

"...Damn."

"That’s why she later didn’t dare send a message to her sect to take her back. This kind of presumption, coupled with the Holy Daughter being deflowered and giving birth, would have led to an even uglier death if the sect learned about it. In the end, she died of illness and the sect didn’t even know where she went, leading to the disruption of a host of their affairs, like overseeing matters in Beimang, which caused great turmoil for the Four Symbols Sect."

Zhao Changhe suddenly saw the light. Why would Chichi’s mother, while still alive during her childhood, not return to the Four Symbols Sect or notify them to fetch her... The previous puzzlement fell into place completely.

"As for me, actually, I had no interest in her." Xia Longyuan smiled, "Nor did I consider why, at that time, the Crown Prince was already ten years old and why there were no other sons? I had long since given up on emotions and desires for seven or eight years by then, where would I find the urge of a sudden youthful folly?"

Zhao Changhe said, "I previously guessed that you deliberately let the Four Symbols Sect falter."

"As I said, you always think too highly of yourselves, feeling worthy of my schemes. Was the Four Symbols Sect back then even a match?"

"..."

"Originally, I was only intrigued by the status of the Four Symbols Sect’s Emperor Ye and also suspected whether my cultivation technique was in line with the Azure Dragon, and thought perhaps I’m awesome enough to take his place as Emperor Ye. So I tried it out, and the best way to test was dual cultivation, which allows one to peer into each other’s deepest secrets. Since she was also trying to seduce her way into the palace, it just happened naturally."

"...And the result of the trial?"

"It was equivocal. The Emperor’s Intent inherently aligns with that of the Azure Dragon, and the Azure Dragon of ancient times was also a worldly emperor. To cut to the chase, the Four Symbols Sect’s doctrine is somewhat hollow; if I truly wanted to declare myself a reincarnation of the Azure Dragon, there wouldn’t have been anything stopping me. And it seems Chichi’s mother truly believed it, ecstatically so." Xia Longyuan said, his tone finally showing a hint of regret, "At that time, she truly thought she could persuade me to join their sect, and everything would be perfect."

Zhao Changhe carefully said, "Actually, it’s quite fine. You could just benevolently deceive her, and perhaps even take over the entire Four Symbols Sect."

"If I could really embody the Four Symbols, then indeed, I could proclaim myself Emperor Ye and take over that sect. Sadly, after trying, I found it impossible. I was incompatible with her White Tiger Divine Skill, and even if I joined their sect, I’d only be a Venerable, not a choice worth pursuing for me, a waste of time and effort." Xia Longyuan said, and then suddenly laughed, "Why have you never joined the Four Symbols Sect? Isn’t it because you don’t want to be constrained? If you could become the Sect Hierarch, would you join then?"

Zhao Changhe remained silent.

"You and I are alike," Xia Longyuan laughed heartily, "I do think, you might have that chance..."

Zhao Changhe shook his head, not taking the bait, and simply said, "After you discovered she was with child... Anyway, these matters are unrelated to the child, so why not bring him back? Was it because of the previous dynasty’s lineage?"

"Initially, it indeed was because of the previous dynasty’s lineage, anticipating the reaction of ministers like Huangfu who served the previous dynasty, and then considering the Empress’s viewpoint. For a stable empire with a secure Crown Prince, stirring up these issues would have been inviting trouble. Therefore, I left the Jade Pendant as both a token and an inheritance. If it were a boy, he could inherit my cultivation technique and be free to dominate the Worldly Society; don’t even think about the affairs of the palace. If it were a girl, there would have been no problem; I would have taken her into the palace and personally guided her with a more suitable cultivation technique rather than a predetermined one, as that would be to ruin her potential."

Zhao Changhe was stunned.

He thought he preferred sons over daughters, but if based on this reasoning, damn, it’s his mother who preferred daughters over sons!

So when he told Chichi’s mother he would come for her, it was indeed heartfelt.

But why later he didn’t show up, hence the delay – "Chichi"?

"Are you wondering about what happened later?" Xia Longyuan offered a faint smile, "At that time, my thinking was still that of an emperor considering the good of the empire, but not long after, certain events changed my mind. I was even contemplating whether to have the Crown Prince killed, so why would I bring back a daughter?"

Zhao Changhe felt a jolt in his heart, knowing that for them, so-called family matters would ultimately turn into matters of the empire.

Damn it, did he really kill the Crown Prince himself?

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