C143

"Father." Bai Zhen walked into the room and carefully closed the door.

Bai Yan Tang stopped writing and raised his head to look at him. "What's wrong?"

Bai Zhen took out a wooden box from his bosom and passed it to his father. "This is the item that the Marquis asked me to pass to father."

Bai Yutang was slightly stunned, then stretched his hand out to take it. "When did this happen?"

Bai Ju said, "The day of the selection. I was at the house of the Marquis the day the young prince came to apply for the position. The marquis called me over and told me to keep this safe. If anything happens to the house of the Marquis, let me pass this on to my father and the young prince. There is a letter for the two of you. The letter states where Big Brother Xia is hiding, and Master Hou wants Father to pass this wooden case to Big Brother Xia after discussing it with the young prince. "

Bai Yutang glanced at the tightly locked wooden box and asked, "You've never opened it before?" The lock was old and the hole was rusty. Apparently, it could only be opened by destroying it with brute force.

Bai Ju was startled. "The Marquis told me to give it to my father, so I haven't read it."

Bai Yan Tang nodded his head and asked again, "What about Crown Prince Qi? Did you tell him that? "

Bai Ju said, "I mentioned this box, but I didn't say much, and he didn't ask. It won't be too late for Father to let him know after he has seen it, right? "

He extended his fingers and pinched the lock. With a slight tug, he removed the lock and opened the box. At the top were two letters, one with the words "Unbeknownst to my younger brother" and the other with a blank envelope. After a moment of silence, he tore open the envelope and unwrapped the paper inside.

Bai Zhen stood at the side, waiting. Suddenly, he said, "That's right, someone from the mansion had come to steal this box a few days before I left for the Wind Cloud Pavilion. The young prince said that it was someone from the Crippling Feather Sect."

"The Crippling Feather Sect?" He raised his head to look at him. "What's the situation?" How did you meet the crown prince? "

Bai Zhen shook his head, "I am not too sure about the specifics either. When I was meditating at night, I felt as if someone had walked into the room and followed the sound, and before I could see anyone, I was stabbed. I carried my knife with me, and with it as a weapon, we exchanged a few blows outside the room where he had barely managed to reach. The young prince would only go to rest around the time of the day, and he was probably out in the shade that night, when he heard my voice, he rushed over. "Hao and that man met, and I was able to escape."

Upon hearing his son's simple description, a hint of surprise flashed across his eyes. "It sounds like he's very strong?"

Bai Jian said, "Indeed, it was the same back in the West Lake. "Hao Wen's reaction was very fast. That night, his martial arts skills were so powerful that it shocked me."

"I'm asking about that assassin …" Bai Yan Tang explained, then said after thinking for a while, "Forget it, continue talking about Ran Hao. How strong is he compared to you? "

Bai Zhen thought for a moment and said uncertainly, "It should be able to hold up against three times the winning me, right? Maybe more. Especially Qing Gong, his Qing Gong is second only to second uncle out of all the people I have ever seen. "

Bai Yutang was stunned for a moment before his eyes flickered a few times. "He's much stronger than I imagined." "Seems like Crown Prince Qi has not treated him unfairly."

Bai Zhen casually replied, "He probably hasn't been treated badly, but it's not necessarily good for him."

Upon hearing that, Bai Yutang immediately asked, "What did you say?"

Bai Zhen was given a fright by his father. For a moment, he didn't understand what his father meant. "What does father want to know?"

"Is the Crown Prince not good for him?"

Bai Zhen realized that he had misspoken. A moment later, he said, "Father also knows that I don't have much contact with the young prince, so I can't make any comments. However, from my point of view, the young prince views Hao as a servant. In terms of master-servant relationship, the young prince was definitely extremely good to him. However, if we take into account the relationship between the Ran Palace Masters … " He stopped at the point and didn't say much.

It was unknown what Bai Yutang was thinking. After a moment, he sighed, "What sort of person is he?"

Bai Zhen frowned, then shook his head. "I really can't say for sure."

With a perplexed look, Bai Yutang asked, "Since he had already expected the calamity at the Manchu Mansion, what need was there for Qing Han to marry Crown Prince Qi?"

Bai Zhen muttered in a low voice, "Now, isn't the only thing we can do is let the young prince marry her?"

"Oh? Why do you say that? " Bai Yutang stared blankly for a moment before giving him a strange look.

Bai Xiang said, "Like what Big Brother Wen said, a woman without power or influence, with a blood feud and even a ruined appearance, who would marry her? The young prince had already agreed to marry her, just in time. "Otherwise, Ziyu wouldn't have married her right now, and my father wouldn't have let me. Who else …" The more he spoke, the more depressed he became. In the end, his voice also gradually faded away.

"I won't let you marry me? When did I ever say that I wouldn't let you marry her? "

Bai Zhen raised his head in astonishment, his face filled with joy. "So you're saying that Father agreed to let me marry her?"

"I won't object, but can you marry me?"

Bai Zhen was stunned as the smile on his face gradually dimmed. That's right … Even if her father didn't object, how could she not consider the feelings between Wen Lun and Mu Qinghan? In terms of emotions and logic, it was impossible for him to marry Mu Qing Han.

"You said that the Crown Prince agreed to marry her?"

Bai Zhen was stunned for a moment before reacting. He hurriedly replied, "Yes, I asked him."

"How strange."

Bai Zhen asked, "Father is wondering why he is willing to marry Qing Han?"

"Aren't you surprised?"

Bai Zhen threw up his hands, "That's strange, and I can't figure it out no matter how I think about it. He said it himself because the duke had done him a favor, and he didn't want to forget it. It's a good reason, but I don't think it can be trusted. "

"The reason," he replied simply.

Bai Ju said, "Regardless of Qing Han's current situation and status, a 'unlucky' girl should have stopped the young prince from getting married. He had originally married Qing Han because of his parents' orders. To him, marrying her was like marrying a husband to his family. The young prince was a prince, and the woman he married was going to be Princess Mo. Such an unknown woman would implicate his reputation. "

"So?"

"If there is no reason why he must marry Qing Han, he cannot marry her," said Bai Ju.

"I was wondering about the reason he had to marry."

Bai Zhen accompanied him as he laughed. His heart was filled with pain, but he was unable to laugh out loud. After a moment, he suddenly said, "Father, I have a question."

"If you want to ask, ask."

Bai Zhen sucked in a deep breath and asked with a deep voice, "If it was Father, then his beloved girl would marry into a wife that cannot bring her happiness. What would she choose?"

How could he not understand his son's thoughts? However, when he smelled it so clearly, he could only reply perfunctorily, "I am not you. I do not need to make a choice."

Bai Zhen's voice became slightly louder, "Then can you help me make a choice?"

"What right do you think I have to choose for you?"

Bai Zhen was stunned. When he heard the words "what qualifications", he was completely stunned. For a father to say such words to his son … For a moment, Bai Zhen even wondered if the person standing in front of him was his father or not.

He slowly walked to the window and looked outside. "It's not that you don't know how to choose, it's just that you don't dare to choose."

Bai Zhen slowly clenched his fist and said in a low voice, "I love someone but I can't say anything. It's already very painful for me to let the person I love walk towards eternal damnation. How can I do that?"

"Tell me why you gave up on her." "Because she doesn't love you?" Because you don't think you can face Winlun? Or is it because you are afraid of bringing this calamity to our family? "

Bai Zhen opened and closed his mouth, smiling bitterly. "Father, why do you ask when you already know the answer?"

"I can't make a choice for you, but I hope you can make a decision that you won't regret. The only thing I can tell you is that the thing I regret the most in my life is that I have betrayed your mother time and time again for all sorts of reasons. My father's uncle, my friend, even the ridiculous name of Lero. Between them and your mother, the one I give up will always be your mother. It wasn't until I lost your mother that I was able to truly examine how foolish I had been after so many years. I'm not a good father, but as a father, I don't want you to do something that would make you regret it for the rest of your life because of me. "

Bai Zhen lowered his eyes and did not reply. After a moment, he asked, "Just what is Sir hiding from me?"

"What do you mean?"

Bai Ju said, "They slaughtered the entire Manchu Mansion."

"What do you think I know?"

Bai Zhen took a deep breath and spoke out the words that had been spinning in his heart for a long time. "The Marquis of the Trojan Horse being slaughtered definitely has something to do with what happened to Father back then. I want to know just what happened that year."

"And if I don't want to tell you?"

It was obvious that he hadn't expected his father to say this. Bai Zhen pursed his lips after being stunned for a moment. "If father doesn't want me to know, then I won't ask any further."

"Then will you be carrying me on your back to investigate?"

Bai Zhen shook his head. "No."

Bai Yutang silently looked at him for a long time, then sighed and turned his gaze back to the window.

Bai Zhen was unable to guess what he meant. After a long moment of hesitation, he probed, "You don't believe me?"

"You and I were so similar when we were young."

Bai Zhen pursed his lips, "Then will Father make the same choice as Grandfather?"

"Yes." "Even if I had been furious at my father's orders and choices, I would have made the same choice if I had been in my father's shoes."

Bai Zhen lowered his head and said, "Then I understand."

"Then what do you choose?"

A hint of helplessness could be heard in Bai Zhen's voice. "I'll listen to father."

Bai Yutang was not surprised, but he and his son shared the same feeling of helplessness. "As expected."

"However, I will not be angry with you about that."

"I hope so."

Bai Jian said, "It's a bit late, I still have to go to Brother Wen's place. If there's nothing else, can I leave first? "

Knowing that he needed time to collect his thoughts, he nodded. "Go on, don't tire yourself out."

Bai Zhen replied, "I know. Don't worry, father."