Chapter 318: "She Could be a Civilian Leader Figure"
From young to old, their mistakes had been similarly the same, but the punishment on him would always be more. For that reason, Hong Fang's been secretly resentful of his father for all these years. Just that his masking was done very well, hence the reason why the old marquis never took notice until now.
No matter how scheming and conniving the man was, Hong Fang was still a person. After suffering one failure after another, its unavoidable his emotions would be somewhat out of control.
"Son, are you angry at me for treating you and your elder brother differently?" The old marquis sighed, "You must be thinking it's because you are not the main son, that's why I'm wronging you right?"
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"I wouldn't dare," his words didn't match his heart.
"You are different from your elder brother. If I treated you the same since you are young, do you think you would still have your current status and strength? Your big brother is the main son of the family. Even if he is a useless waste of a human, he will still have the proper right to inherit the entire Hong House. But you are different from him. If you want to become extraordinary in this life, you can only rely on yourself. Don't be mistaken, all your hard word and effort, I'm not blind to them. Aside from that matter back then, everything else you've done thus far is very good." With his hands crossed behind his back, the old marquis gazes down at his son meaningfully.
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Like a torrent, pieces of memory from many years ago came gushing back to Hong Fang like a tape recorder.
That's right, he's a bastard son of the Hong House.
Born of a service maid in charge of caring for the old marquis, there were no affectionate feelings between the two. Then as soon as Hong Fang was born, merely one month old, his mother had died as a result of the main wife's cruelty. Because of that, he became malnourished as a baby and was dreadfully weak with constant illnesses striking his body.
However, he didn't give up even if he was forced to mingle with the other servants.
At the age of ten, he wowed the audience at one of the family banquets with his self-concocted poem. Then at sixteen, he took the main prize during Da Xia's annual competition.
He can honestly say to himself, every step of the way over the years had been perfect. Expect one thing.... That would be Ye Huang Yu (Ling Yue's mother) marrying into the Hong House.
Towards his first wife, Hong Fang truly did hold some feelings at one point. At the very least, during their initial interaction, his love was true. That's why he quietly married Ling Yue's mother, because he really did care.
Unfortunately, good times don't last. After the old marquis learned of son's rashness, the elder became outraged and completely cut Hong Fang off from the family's finances. Even worse, his career also took a hit as a result.
That's when his feelings started to shake and dwindle. He didn't want to lose all that he had worked for over the years just for a single woman. As his mood hit an all time low, that's precisely the time where Hong Fang met his current wife Zhu Ge Rou.
With the emergence of his second woman, the man once again realized his lust for power. Without hesitation, he discarded Ye Huang Yu and their newly born child.
Following that was everything by the book: Zhu Ge Rou gave birth to his three children, his relationship with his father restored, and he became the Royal Tutor of Da Xia.
"But this time, you really disappointed me," brushing his sleeve to show his discontent, "You secretly colluded with Yang Qing and Consort Luo, that's not wrong, what you did do wrong is underestimating your enemy and giving them a chance to turn things around."
Hong Fang was horrified. He never expected his father to know that secret.
"Don't forget, the Sha Sect was handed over to you brothers by me. And Yang Qing, he's a dog I personally created." The reason why the old marquis never intervened and watched on the side was because he believed Hong Fang would do a good job of using this knife.
However, his expectations were wrong and the Sha Sect was destroyed by an uprising power.
"If it wasn't for the agreement between me and that bastard Gu Cangtian (Marquis Wu), that we can't intervene in the power struggles of the city, I would've already destroyed that Ghost Sect." The old marquis was also very irritated by Ling Yue and her people.
This was something new for Hong Fang. He didn't know there was an unwritten agreement between his father and Marquis Wu.
As the only two known masters of the fifth element in this city, on the surface anyways, the two men had always been at odds with each other. So, in order to not effect the kingdom, they had made a pact twenty years ago that neither of them can get involved in any conflict unless it involves the destruction of Da Xia.
For twenty years this rule had been there, and for twenty years peace and balance had been maintained.
However, due to the mistake of Hong Fang this time and the loss of the crown prince, the balance of power had shifted to their enemy's side.
"Father, I know my wrong now. This time it was my miscalculation that I lost to that wrench from the Lan house. I will personally..." Before he could finish his words, the old marquis had cut him off.
"You will what?! Personally deal with a junior? Hong Fang, have you gone moronic? In the middle of the city, the capital of Da Xia, you want to make a move against an upstart from a tiny general's home? Do you think the girl only has the Lan House behind her back?" The old marquis starts mouthing off at his son, displeased by the foolishness portrayed here.
"Father's meaning is that she has Marquis Wu behind her back? Or even the whole civilian faction?" The more he speculated, the more frightened the man became.
Hong Fang may not be very well acquainted with that Marquis Wu, but he knows well enough the old elder had a very fierce temper. If he makes a wrong move, that person will surely lose it.
"At least you still have some brains. But that Lan Ling Yue still isn't at that level yet. At most she's only attracted the attention of the civilian faction and their leaders. We must remove this girl from the picture before she grows to the point where we can't deal with her any longer." With a brush of his sleeve, the old marquis tosses a package into his son's hand, causing Hong Fang to light up at the sight of the letter.
"This time you may have lost your Royal Tutor position, but that may not necessarily be a bad thing. At most three days, this letter will be placed before the king and you will definitely be reused by the Court again. This is the last chance I'm giving you. If you fail this opportunity, you can forget about inheriting this household." At that, the figure of the old marquis had disappeared from view.
As per the elder's claim, Hong Fang only needed to wait a few days before the great news came. He may have lost his position in court, but he now has another opportunity to gain something else just as good.
"The northwestern area of Da Xia's border is under threat due to the chaotic situation of the stampeding animals constantly wreaking havoc in the region. Support and help is urgently requested." As soon as this news became widespread, the king immediately summoned Hong Fang and General Lan into the palace to discuss a possible solution.
Lasting over two full days, by the time Lan Ying Wu returned to his home, his face was already covered in a thin layer of beard. And based on the disgruntled look coming off of the general, it doesn't look like he got what he wanted.