Words spoken by his father’s enemies naturally couldn’t possibly be favorable to his father. After all, Marquis Dingyuan had been forced to flee by Han Zhengqing. If he had left even one step later, his head would likely no longer be on his own neck.
After pondering for a moment, he shook his head gently: “I apologize, but I don’t wish to hear it. You two gentlemen…” He looked at Lu Ran and Marquis Dingyuan, knowing these two were from the court, yet he had no intention of killing them: “Please leave quickly!”
Leave this place of trouble and conflict. Once his father and the Tartars discovered them, they probably wouldn’t be able to escape so easily. He turned around and pulled out a bundle from under the covers, taking out two silver ingots and handing them over: “A small token of goodwill. Please go.”
Marquis Dingyuan had defended the city in Yunnan for many years—he was an exceptionally rare general. His maternal grandfather greatly admired these generals who defended the homeland. Since childhood, he had looked up to Guo Huaiying, Cui Shaoting, and Marquis Dingyuan with reverence and longing.
Lu Ran’s expression became somewhat complicated as he pushed the silver away: “Just as I knew, Young Master, you truly don’t seem like your father’s son.”
Marquis Dingyuan was far more direct and straightforward than Lu Ran. He completely ignored Han Yu’s words telling them to leave, sitting leisurely and naturally on a stool. Listening to the wind beating against the window outside, he turned his head toward Han Yu and said: “Do you know what your father is sending you to Hubei to do?”
To gather intelligence on Prince Dongping—this was the main purpose. Han Yu nodded, silently looking toward Marquis Dingyuan.
Marquis Dingyuan asked again: “Then do you know why your father wants you to risk your life to find Prince Dongping at this time?” Seeing Han Yu’s somewhat dazed expression, he continued: “You’re his biological son. Doesn’t he understand the situation in Hubei? With Cui Yingshu stationed in Hubei, if you go there and your whereabouts are discovered, there’s only one outcome for you—death.”
Han Yu knew this. He had always known he wasn’t particularly important in his father’s heart. But when this naked reality was spoken aloud by someone else, it became especially mortifying. He remained silent, offering no response.
Lu Ran let out a long sigh: “You must have noticed that your father is very indifferent toward all of you children, haven’t you?”
Indeed, that was true. His father was someone who had no affinity with children. Back then, Third Brother… He stopped himself from thinking further, and a flash of embarrassment and hidden anger flickered in his gentle eyes: “If you have something to say, speak plainly.”
“Then I’ll speak plainly.” Marquis Dingyuan sat up straight, rapping on the table to draw Han Yu’s attention back, his face expressionless and his tone emotionless as he said: “He believes Prince Dongping is his son.”
The room suddenly filled with only the sound of the wind. The wind outside beat against the window in waves, mixed with faint crying sounds that drifted over, sending chills down one’s spine. Han Yu was completely stunned, unable to react for a moment.
He thinks Prince Dongping is his son?! His father?!
The reason his father was so anxious about Prince Dongping wasn’t just because Prince Dongping was the son of the elder Lady Fan, but because he believed Prince Dongping was his and the elder Lady Fan’s son?!
So that’s why he first sent Second Uncle leading men personally to Hubei, and when Second Uncle had no news, he sent Uncle Jiang, and finally, knowing full well that things had likely gone wrong there, he still told him to fill in the gap?
Han Yu had indeed known he wasn’t valued, but with his legitimate elder brother Han Zhi as a point of comparison, he had never felt wronged, simply assuming his father was cold by nature and didn’t like children.
But when he learned one day that his father wasn’t cold—he was simply cold only toward them—all the grievances accumulated over the past ten-plus years surged up in his heart all at once.
Marquis Dingyuan wasted no words, directly handing over the letter Cui Shaoting had given him: “This is a letter from the capital. The letter states clearly that Han Cheng said he was following Han Zhengqing’s orders to specifically go receive Prince Dongping. He was afraid that after the rebellion, the court would discover Prince Dongping’s identity, so he deliberately had Han Cheng go fetch Prince Dongping first.”
Han Yu took the letter in an almost numb state and glanced at it, unable to utter a single word.
They were equally sons, equally without official status, yet the treatment was as different as heaven and earth. One was held up to the heavens, carefully cherished and protected all these years, while they were all trampled in the mud. For the sake of news about his other son, even their lives had to be sacrificed.
For a time, he couldn’t articulate exactly what he was feeling, and in the end, he actually smiled.
Not knowing how to react, he could only smile first.
After smiling, he put down the letter and looked at Lu Ran, then at Marquis Dingyuan: “So what do you two gentlemen want me to do?”
Surely they hadn’t come here out of sudden kindness, specifically to enlighten him and prevent him from walking the road of death to Hubei, right?
Thinking it over, he had nothing useful to offer them. He couldn’t help but smile bitterly at them: “Since you know all this, you should know that although I’m his son, I’m of no use. In his heart, we sons aren’t worth even a single toe of Prince Dongping.”
As he spoke, he felt like laughing again: “I just wonder what the Crown Prince’s reaction will be when he learns he’s been raising someone else’s son for over ten years.”
Neither Lu Ran nor Marquis Dingyuan laughed. They looked at Han Yu and shook their heads: “Prince Dongping has already returned to the capital. Han Cheng was also personally tied up and delivered to Minister Cui by him.”
Han Yu felt even more like laughing. The precious son his father had kept in his heart with such care—the person didn’t even think anything of him!
“Let’s talk business.” Marquis Dingyuan rapped on the table again. Seeing Han Yu look over, he said: “We would like to ask Young Master Han to help us with something.”
“I heard your maternal grandfather also died in the chaos of war. If not for the war, if not for the Tartars, your mother wouldn’t have fallen to the position of being someone’s concubine. I say concubine, but she probably doesn’t even count as a concubine, does she?”
This was rubbing salt in Han Yu’s wounds. Han Yu glanced at Lu Ran. Of course he knew who Lu Ran was. Lu Ran was the mole his father had planted with Cui Shaoting, but unexpectedly, Lu Ran was actually Cui Shaoting’s man. These matters were certainly things Lu Ran had told Marquis Dingyuan about.
He said nothing. Right now, his mind was still a terrible mess.
Marquis Dingyuan paid no attention to how ugly his expression was, continuing on his own: “Leading the Tartar army into the city, planning to rely on the Tartars to help him and Prince Gong seize the realm—what a beautiful dream. But how could manna fall from heaven? I’m afraid inviting the devil is easy, but sending him away is hard. He and Prince Gong are destined to be sinners for all eternity. Such people could never achieve their ambitions.”
Lu Ran summarized for him: “Therefore, Young Master Han, why not cooperate with us? After all, without him, you and your mother could live even better.”
As expected, no manna falls from heaven. Here they reminded him not to go to Hubei and foolishly walk into Cui Yingshu’s trap to die, and immediately afterward there was something they wanted him to do. He knew they certainly wouldn’t ask him to do anything beneficial to his father, yet he still hesitated.