bookrandom Chapter 324 Her entire family was wiped out
Chapter 324 Her entire family was wiped out
While Song Siyao and Mu Zhaozhao were immersed in the joy of recognizing each other, Prime Minister Jiang spoke again.
“Your Majesty, the evidence is conclusive. The Marquis of Protectorate is not the daughter of the Marquis of Zhenbei, but the daughter of the Duke of Protectorate.”
"Ha ha……"
Emperor Changlong slammed his hand on the table, his face beaming with joy, and said to the heavens, "May the heavens bless my Great Zhou and its people! Today is truly a day of double happiness."
"The Duke of Huguo, a hero of his generation, still has descendants in the world, and such an outstanding daughter at that. If the Duke of Huguo knew this in the afterlife, he could rest in peace."
"The Marquis of Zhenbei's family now has descendants, which is Heaven's will to allow two loyal ministers to have offspring to live on for generations. This is a joy for the court and a blessing for all the people."
"Congratulations! Congratulations indeed!"
Emperor Changlong raised his wine cup to the heavens, saying, "Heaven above, I toast you!"
After he finished speaking, he slammed his wine glass down, and his gaze toward Song Siyao softened even more.
“Lord Protector of the Nation, you don’t know this, but when you went out on a mission, I sent the Crown Prince to search for the descendants of the Duke Protector of the Nation, but he returned disappointed.”
"So, the bloodline of the Duke of Protectorate has long been by my side."
"You are highly skilled in martial arts, care deeply for the people, and are loyal to the emperor and the country. You are just like your father in this respect. You are quick-witted, intelligent, and learned. You are just like your mother in this respect."
"It was my fault for being blind. I have always hoped that if the lineage of the Duke of Protectorate were still alive, that would be such a wonderful thing. You look so much like your parents, yet I did not recognize you."
"Your father and I are not only ruler and subject, but also brothers, brothers who have gone through thick and thin together. When your mother was pregnant with you, I had the imperial physician examine her pulse and found out that you were a girl. At that time, I made a marriage agreement with your father, and you must enter the palace to become my daughter-in-law when you grow up."
"Everything was preordained. You and the Crown Prince are married and you will soon become the Crown Princess. You have finally become my daughter-in-law, which can be considered as me fulfilling my promise to your father."
"Yaoyao, you should actually call me Imperial Uncle..."
At this point, Emperor Changlong's voice suddenly choked up, his eyes reddened, and he could no longer continue.
He poured himself a full glass of wine, raised the glass, and downed it in one gulp.
Song Siyao kept looking at Emperor Changlong. She lifted her skirt, knelt before Emperor Changlong, and cupped her hands, saying, "Your Majesty, I thank you on behalf of my father. Thank you for remembering Chen's father. In public, it is my father's honor to have a monarch like Your Majesty. In private, it is my father's greatest fortune to have an elder brother like Your Majesty."
"Yaoyao, from now on you are my daughter. If the Crown Prince dares to bully you, come and tell me, and I will deal with him." Emperor Changlong's half-joking, half-serious tone instantly eased the atmosphere in the hall.
Shen Pei said with a smile, "Please rest assured, Father, Yao Yao is my destiny, and I will never let her down."
Emperor Changlong nodded, "Crown Prince, you must remember what you said."
"Yes, Father." Shen Pei looked at Song Siyao with eyes full of heartache and affection.
His Yao Yao, how much hardship did she endure? He vowed to give everything and cherish Song Si Yao for the rest of his life.
"Lord Protector of the Nation, the Duke of Protector of the Nation's mansion still exists, but it has never been repaired. After so many years, it is probably in ruins. Now that you have returned, what do you think? Should we repair the Duke of Protector of the Nation's mansion, or choose another location and rebuild the mansion?" Emperor Changlong asked.
“Your Majesty, it can be repaired. That was my parents’ home. If it is rebuilt, it will no longer be their home,” Song Siyao said.
"Very well, I will pay for the repairs to the Duke of Huguo's mansion myself, without taking any money from the national treasury." Emperor Changlong said this with a happy expression.
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Song Siyao looked at Emperor Changlong, his mind racing.
"Alright, you all continue playing. I'm getting a little tired, so I'll be leaving now." Emperor Changlong said, getting up and leaving.
"Respectfully seeing off His Majesty." The crowd bowed.
Not long after Emperor Changlong left, he sent Eunuch Wang to invite Song Siyao.
Royal study room.
Emperor Changlong looked Song Siyao up and down, and as he looked at her, he smiled, like an old father looking at his daughter.
“Your demeanor is no less impressive than your father’s back then. If your father knew that I didn’t recognize his daughter, he might get angry and drag me out for three days and three nights to drink with him.”
Emperor Changlong spoke with a gentle expression, his face beaming with a smile as he recounted the past, his eyes filled with endless longing.
"Your Majesty, do you and my father have a good relationship?" Song Siyao asked.
"It's not enough to describe it as 'good'; there are no words that can describe the relationship between me and your father. We may seem like ruler and subject, but we are closer than brothers, and we can be called confidants. Your father understood my ambition, and I understood his aspirations. He supported my policies for governing the country, and I approved of his military reforms. If your father were still alive, the Great Zhou would certainly be even more glorious than it is today."
Emperor Changlong's face was full of regret and heartache.
"Your Majesty, how did my father die? What happened in the case of the Duke of Huguo's mansion?" Song Siyao asked directly.
She needed to know Emperor Changlong's answer.
Emperor Changlong didn't think much of it. He assumed that Song Siyao had only just learned about her background, and that her entire family had already been wiped out, leaving her all alone. It was understandable that she would be emotionally affected.
"Regarding the case of the massacre of the Duke of Huguo's family, I have sent people to investigate countless times, but there have been no results. Yaoyao, I cannot give you any answers."
Emperor Changlong's eyes were filled with grief. "Nearly twenty years have passed, but I still remember what happened back then vividly, as if it happened just yesterday."
He looked at Song Siyao and recounted the events of that year in detail.
More than ten years ago.
That day happened to be the sixth day of the fifth lunar month. After drinking with Emperor Changlong in the palace, the Duke of Huguo left the palace.
At that time, they were still having a friendly conversation. The Duchess of Huguo had just given birth to a daughter, and Emperor Changlong was still thinking about which of his sons would be the best match for the Duchess of Huguo's daughter.
Day two.
Just as Emperor Changlong awoke, Eunuch Wang came in to report that the Duke of Huguo was gone and the Duke of Huguo's mansion was gone.
He refused to believe it and immediately left the palace. But when he arrived at the Duke of Huguo's mansion and saw the bloodstains all over the place, he was stunned.
He never imagined that the brother who was drinking and laughing with him last night would be lying in a pool of blood today.
The body and head have separated.
He was a hero of his generation, the guardian deity of the Great Zhou Dynasty.