Chancellor King's eyes flickered, and he raved, "They killed the Crown Prince... His Highness the Crown Prince!" He sobbed, "Samuel Carter, Lord Carter! Take His Highness away! The Eastern Palace has become the target of all, what crime has His Highness committed!"
Samuel Carter let go in despair and said, "Taifu... For twenty-nine years, Ji Lei has recognized a traitor as his father, and I have been kicked out of Qudu. For twenty years, I have become a fugitive in the jianghu, married and had children in Zhongbo, Duanzhou."
Chancellor King stared at him in a daze and said, "...His Highness is gone, but the imperial grandson is still here! Take him away, you, you take him away!"
Samuel Carter couldn't help but close his eyes and said, "In the thirtieth year of Yongyi, the Crown Prince committed suicide here, and no one from the Eastern Palace survived."
Chancellor King leaned back and murmured, "Yes, yes..." He wept like a child, unable to speak, "How did it come to this?"
Samuel Carter was already exhausted this night. He said, "Since we parted like drifting clouds, ten years have passed like flowing water.[1] Who would have thought that our reunion in this life would be in such circumstances."
Chancellor King turned over and covered his face, saying, "Were you locked up too? Lock us up! Let them slaughter all the scholars in the world."
Samuel Carter said, "My disciple is taking the blame for his father."
Chancellor King said, "Taking the blame for his father... Fine, and who is his father, did he also anger the Emperor?"
Samuel Carter sighed and said, "Last year, David Sullivan was defeated..."
Unexpectedly, when Chancellor King heard the words "David Sullivan", he suddenly turned his head and crawled toward William Sullivan on all fours, asking, "Is this, David Sullivan's son?"
Samuel Carter sensed something was wrong and was about to act, but Chancellor King had already lunged forward. His withered fingers grabbed at William Sullivan, snarling, "David Sullivan! David Sullivan killed His Highness!"
William Sullivan, quick-eyed and deft-handed, had already grabbed Chancellor King's wrist. Samuel Carter immediately subdued Chancellor King and said, "Taifu! Why did the imperial grandson die, and today do you also want my disciple to die for the same reason? No matter what evil David Sullivan did, what does it have to do with my disciple!"
Chancellor King panted hoarsely and said with a trembling voice, "Since he is David Sullivan's son, David Sullivan's son..."
"He was David Sullivan's son when he was born." Samuel Carter, restraining Chancellor King, suddenly kowtowed and said, "But later, he became my son, Samuel Carter's son. If I speak a single false word tonight, may I die a miserable death! Taifu, do you want to kill my son?"
Author's note: [1] "A Joyful Reunion with an Old Friend from Liangzhou at Huai River" by Wei Yingwu
Chapter 7 Taifu
Chancellor King was choked with emotion, pulled his hand back, and turned away from William Sullivan. He had been imprisoned here, mad for twenty years, hating everyone outside, but tonight he had to convince himself not to hate the son of his enemy.
"Now..." Chancellor King's voice was full of resentment, "Now who can I kill!"
Snow fell silently, crows flew from the branches in the courtyard. The tattered curtain in the hall fluttered in the wind, and Chancellor King shakily got up, staggering as he raised his arms, overwhelmed with grief.
"The fate of the world is already decided! The victor becomes king, the loser a villain, His Highness's good name is overturned, and you and I are now infamous traitors for all eternity! Who can I kill? I will kill this blind and foolish Heaven! Twenty years ago, His Highness's blood splattered three feet here—what did we do wrong? Why did the Emperor have to drive us to extinction!"
Chancellor King wept bitterly, trembling as he knelt at the palace gate, his head repeatedly striking the ground.
"Kill me now as well!"
On this cold, desolate snowy night, the ancient temple was empty, and no one responded. Chancellor King knelt there, like a decaying, broken Buddha statue, covered by flurries of white snow, silent in the brilliant lights of Qudu's deep night.
Half an hour later, Samuel Carter supported Chancellor King, and the three of them sat around the incense table.
"Many things tonight all started because of me. While I have the chance, let me speak freely." Samuel Carter rolled up his sleeves and said, "Taifu, Chuan'er was born to the Shen family, the eighth illegitimate son of David Sullivan. Eight years ago, the factions of legitimate and illegitimate sons in the Jianxing Prince's residence were at odds. The heir, Brian Sullivan, won favor and sent his illegitimate brothers out of the residence. Chuan'er was seven, sent back to Duanzhou to serve as a soldier but failed, and lived in a separate courtyard, raised by his mother's maid. But that woman was greedy and extravagant, often withholding the child's food. Emily was friends with his mother, and when she learned of this, she asked me to bring Chuan'er back so we could raise him well."
Chancellor King sneered and said, "David Sullivan himself was an illegitimate child of the family, suffered many injustices in his youth, and later passed them all on to his son. It's laughable that he favored the legitimate line, yet loved women, and fathered so many—what a sin!"
"We wrote many letters to the Prince's residence, but David Sullivan never replied. Taifu, look at the eight great families of Qudu—even for illegitimate sons, I've never heard of such neglect." Samuel Carter frowned deeply. "So Chuan'er muddled along with us. At that time, Ethan Jr. was fifteen, and she was delighted to have a younger brother. From then on, the four of us settled in Duanzhou, and it took quite some effort to get on the military household register."
Chancellor King was silent for a moment before saying, "You were exiled from the capital and wanted to register as a household, of course it was difficult. At that time, His Highness strictly enforced the household register to suppress bandits and prevent civil unrest."
Samuel Carter said, "I understand. Taifu, after I left, what happened in Qudu? How did His Highness the Crown Prince end up like that?"