Please read my translation only at Moonlight Teatime.
If you like our translation, please support us on Patreon or Ko-fi or donate
When the brothers reached the estate gate, they learned that Emperor Jingxuan wanted to summon the grandfather and grandson from Xinghua Village.
Su Qi said to Eunuch Quan, who had come to fetch them, "They’ve already left!"
Eunuch Quan was shocked: "Left?"
He had finally managed to get this assignment... only to return empty-handed?
Su Qi nodded: "Yes, they had left two hours ago."
Su Yu recalled, "Seems like it’s been longer than that..."
Eunuch Quan slapped his thigh: "This is bad!"
Over two hours, they were probably already out of the capital.
Just as he was growing anxious, Old Mr. Su and Su Dalang arrived, looking disheveled.
Su Yu looked at them strangely, "Huh? Why are you back? And how did you end up like this?"
Su Dalang lowered his eyes, "We.….. hadn't gone long and our travel money was stolen... We had no choice... so we returned to the Marquis of Zhenbei’s estate... to see if we could borrow some money for the journey back to Qingzhou..."
"Qingzhou?" Eunuch Quan turned sharply to look at them.
"Are you the grandfather and grandson from Xinghua Village?"
......
Imperial Study.
The atmosphere was icy.
Emperor Jingxuan: "I am giving you one last chance. Where did you go during that year of monastic practice?"
Wei Ting remained silent.
He couldn’t admit he had left the temple, not just because it would mean confessing to deceiving the emperor or incurring other charges.
But because he didn’t want to expose the three children.
Under normal conditions, if people found that he had children out of wedlock, they would probably say that Wei Ting wasn't as virtuous as he appeared.
However, if this were connected with his monastic practice, it would obviously lead people to believe that he had planned it all along. That he deliberately went to the temple to avoid public scrutiny while secretly traveling to Qingzhou.
Would he go to such lengths for three illegitimate children?
The answer was no.
Emperor Jingxuan was inherently suspicious and would certainly investigate the children’s origins……
That’s right, the most horrifying aspect of this entire situation was neither the crime of deceiving the emperor nor the suspicion of his ‘collusion’ with the Qin family.
Emperor Jingxuan would not kill him for the crime of deceiving the emperor as long as he was still valuable enough to be exploited.
As for the latter, he had plenty of ways to clear his name.
But for the three children...
He could not allow Emperor Jingxuan to notice the three children!
Eunuch Quan entered, sweating profusely, and bowed respectfully, "Your Majesty! The witnesses have been brought!"
Old Mr. Su and Su Dalang were led into the imperial study.
On the way, Eunuch Quan had repeatedly instructed them on the etiquette required in the emperor’s presence, as they must not offend His Majesty, must remember to kowtow, and so on.
The two were simple farmers.
Meeting a marquis in the capital had already left them trembling with fear, and now, they were actually entering the imperial palace and about to meet the emperor……
Their legs were so weak they could barely stand.
When they stepped out of the carriage, they fell to the ground with a thud.
The eunuchs supported them for a long time.
Eunuch Quan used every tactic, from coaxing to warning, and finally managed to barely calm them down.
"Come in, kneel." Eunuch Quan whispered, his face full of disdain.
The two threw themselves to the ground, kowtowing so hard that it sounded like pounding drums!
Emperor Jingxuan raised his hand slightly.
The two dared not look up and naturally did not see the gesture.
Eunuch Quan glared at them from the side, but the two were too nervous, focused only on kowtowing, and did not notice.
Eunuch Fu spoke up, "His Majesty grants you exemption from courtesy. There is no need to kowtow further."
Only then did they stop, cautiously raising their heads to sneak a glance at the man on the dragon throne.
Eunuch Quan coughed heavily, "Ahem! Ahem!"
The two suddenly remembered Eunuch Quan’s warning, that they must not look directly at the emperor’s face.
Old Mr. Su and Su Dalang hurriedly lowered their heads, trembling uncontrollably!
Consort Xian disdainfully covered her nose with a handkerchief.
These country folks really stink!
Old Mr. Su and Su Dalang were so frightened they had broken into a sweat, which undoubtedly carried some odor.