“There’s never been such a thing as fairness in this world.”

Xie Zhifei, who hadn’t spoken in a while, had a very low voice and cold eyes.

“When your Great Qi was bullied by other countries, it was our Hua Kingdom that sent troops to fight for you, drove away the invaders. Those who died were our Hua Kingdom soldiers, what was consumed was our Hua Kingdom treasury.”

Alright, my dear Third Master, can’t you just say one less sentence?

At this moment, even if he says shit smells fragrant, you just nod your head, old man!

Pei Xiao quickly kicked Xie Zhifei.

But Xie Zhifei completely ignored it and said coldly again:

“No payment, no gain. As a person, if you can’t straighten your own backbone, don’t blame others for bullying you. The same principle applies to nations.”

Xie Fifty, I’m ready to kneel before you.

Pei Xiao quickly smiled at Wu Shunian: “Don’t mind him. Since childhood he’s been…”

“Well said!”

Wu Shunian shouted loudly, his gray-blue face flushing with excitement. “My father once told me the exact same words.”

Now it was Xie Zhifei’s turn to be shocked.

“The Princess’s residence had high walls on all sides, guards accompanying all comings and goings. All he saw was good, all he heard was flattery. In Father’s words, it was all splendid prosperity.”

Wu Shunian: “But on Old Street, by the Beicang River, my father saw another side of the human world.”

There were children so hungry they fought dogs for food, gnawed tree bark.

There were elderly people, sick and despised by their families, who could only crawl into the deep mountains to await death.

There were women standing on street corners soliciting customers—bodies reeking, yet still wanting to exchange their flesh for some silver to buy food for their children at home.

There were men in their thirties kneeling and kowtowing, begging officials to spare their somewhat attractive daughters…

Demons come in thousands and thousands of forms—vengeful spirits, karmic illnesses… but none could compare to this real, this cruel human world.

My father once told me that officials don’t need to read so many damn sage books. One Old Street, one Beicang River, and they’d know how to be an official.

For rulers—whether Wu family, Li family, or Chen family—as long as Old Streets and Beicang Rivers still exist, they won’t last long.”

These few sentences…

Pei Xiao kicked Xie Zhifei again: Brother, who knew that Wu Guanyue had such grand vision?

Xie Zhifei glanced at him coolly and returned a cold smile.

“Father and son lived on Old Street for many years. Every year the Princess Imperial sent people to fetch them, every year they refused. In Father’s eighteenth year, the Princess Imperial issued an ultimatum, commanding father and son to return to the capital immediately.”

Wait!

Old Lady Ji and Wu Guanyue were two years apart in age.

Old Lady Ji left Dongxing County at sixteen. If Wu Guanyue left Old Street at eighteen, that was practically one after the other.

Yan Sanhe made a mental note.

“Father saw that Grandfather was unwilling to return to the capital, so he wrote to negotiate with the Princess Imperial. Finally, with the price of entering court as an official, he secured Grandfather’s freedom to continue living on Old Street.”

At this point, Wu Shunian’s voice remained mild, but his breathing became somewhat unsteady.

“My father was well-versed in history, had extensive knowledge both ancient and modern, the blood of two generations of royalty flowed in him—he lacked neither ambition nor methods. Add to that the Princess Imperial’s years of painstaking cultivation of connections, and he quickly rose to prominence in court.

Those years were their most filial mother-son years. Father even followed the Princess Imperial’s wishes and married my mother.”

“Wait!”

Pei Xiao couldn’t help interrupting: “What about my old lady? Nothing to do with her?”

“Young Master Pei, as I said, I’ll mention the old lady later.”

Wu Shunian’s gaze met his squarely. “Only after explaining cause and effect will you understand why they had fate but no portion.”

Pei Xiao choked and obediently fell silent.

“My mother…”

Wu Shunian paused, his eyes gradually darkening.

“Was actually quite pitiful. She was personally selected by the Princess Imperial—learned, courteous, gentle, quiet, also very beautiful—yet not a single day could she enter my father’s heart.

Every night she would stand at the courtyard gate, eagerly watching that bluestone path, waiting for Father to walk over from the other end.

More pitiful than my mother were several concubines. After sharing a bed with my father, someone would bring them a bowl of contraceptive tea.”

Why was that?

Shouldn’t it be more sons, more grandsons, more blessings?

Yan Sanhe was very puzzled: “Did your father feel they weren’t worthy of bearing his offspring?”

“Miss Yan’s thought was the same as mine once. Not until later, when I could converse with Father as an adult, did he tell me the reason. He said…”

Wu Shunian spoke each word calmly.

“In this life, I’m destined for no good end. Bringing you into this world was already selfish—why create more wronged souls?”

He actually thought this way?

Yan Sanhe’s fingers unconsciously clenched.

The Wu Guanyue who walked out of Old Street was a reborn Wu Guanyue.

He returned to the capital with the Princess Imperial, entered court as an official, married and had children, step by step rising to the highest position… but in his heart was a purpose no one could shake.

Wu Shunian saw the shock on the three faces, feeling pride and joy he couldn’t express to others.

This was his father.

The only person he worshiped and revered in this life.

“Gradually, my father’s power grew greater and greater, especially after the old Chen king died and the new king was only twelve, extremely dependent on my father. Speaking of this, I must discuss the Chen clan.”

Wu Shunian took a deep breath.

“I don’t know if it’s a curse on this land of Great Qi. Everyone who struggled to reach high position, after pacifying the realm and eliminating dissent, began acting without restraint.

Fine clothes and jade food weren’t enough, pools of wine and forests of meat weren’t enough, three wives and four concubines weren’t enough. Our Wu clan was like this, the Li clan was like this, the Chen clan—even more excessive.

They fought for power, were extravagant and arrogant. Even my grandmother, this married-out princess, wanted to firmly grasp power in her own hands.”

At this moment, a cold laugh came from the doorway.

“This isn’t a curse. This is humanity’s heart demon, and this heart demon has another name—desire.”

Everyone in the courtyard was startled.

Especially Wu Shunian, who couldn’t believe these words came from a maid’s mouth.

Yan Sanhe glanced at Li Buyan.

She couldn’t say such impressive words—it must have been her impressive mother who said them.

“Miss is quite right—it’s desire, the desire for power. And desire is like a ravine that can never be filled.

After my father reached the highest position, he boldly reformed in court, every blow aimed at the Chen clan.

This created opposition between him and the Chen clan, almost to the point of fire and water. The Chen clan hated him to the bone and repeatedly sent assassins after my father.”