Listening to Su Cheng's (Murong Feng) words, everyone looked at him.
Gu Qianying felt a bit puzzled.
Ouyang Qinglin and Meng Qinghua were also the same.
Su Yuxi still had no idea what had happened.
After Su Xuanlin and other male members of the Su family, her other brothers, mysteriously disappeared that year, she had no more news about Su Xuanlin.
Su Xuanlin was the brother who doted on her the most in the entire Su family.
He was also the only elder brother in the entire Su family who did not have to abide by the Su family rules and could do anything he pleased within the Su family.
Her brother, Su Xuanlin, was originally more capable than anyone else in the Su family.
If it weren't for the Su family's rules and the dynasty's system, Su Xuanlin would have been the successor to the Su family, not her.
But at the same time, she never expected that the death of her elder brother Su Xuanlin would be related to her father.
How could this be possible!
Su Yuxi stared at Old Master Su in disbelief: "Father, what exactly happened back then, what are you all talking about?"
She didn't understand.
Madam Su also looked at Old Master Su.
She was also very confused.
At this moment, Old Master Su seemed to recall something.
He held the table with difficulty, his body swaying precariously, almost falling.
It was the butler, who had arrived at some unknown time, who supported Old Master Su.
The butler, with red eyes, supported Old Master Su, letting him sit down first, and comforted him by his side: "Master, it's been so long, it's not your fault for what happened back then, don't hide it anymore, just tell us everything."
It was obvious.
The butler knew some things.
"Alas, so be it, I know some things cannot be hidden."
"I also killed Xuanlin."
Old Master Su, with tears streaming down his face, recounted the events of that year: "Back then, Su Qing's real name was Su Qing. He was my first child. He was the first child to appear in households in our Nanyi Kingdom. If it were a boy, he would be mocked by people from other families. If it were a girl, it would be a cause for celebration."
"Unfortunately, Su Qing was a boy. I couldn't face the expectations of the family members, so I thought of changing Su Qing's name to Su Qingqing and raising him in the mansion as a girl. At first, he only needed to dress as a girl. Many years passed, and no one in the family discovered his true identity."
"Later, he actually fell in love with a girl. One night, he came to find me and told me that he had to restore his male identity. He said he didn't want to pursue a girl with a female identity."
"I had finally managed to cultivate him into a girl who could inherit the family property. How could I allow him to restore his male identity and ruin my years of planning? So I absolutely could not agree."
"One day back then, I slapped him. He was so angry that he ran out and left home."
I sent people to look for him for a long time, but he never returned. Later, I found out that he had gone to Beiling Kingdom. I don't know where he was hiding.
"All I know is that he went with the girl he liked. Later, I heard that he actually lived in the imperial palace of Beiling Kingdom with that girl. At that time, I found it very strange. Our Su family is just an ordinary family, and our Nanyi Kingdom has no contact with Beiling Kingdom."
So, how did they escape to Beiling Kingdom and even live in the imperial palace of Beiling Kingdom? I never understood this.
"Later, I heard that a prince in the Beiling Kingdom's imperial palace was unexpectedly missing. This person was about to become the crown prince. I don't know if this matter had anything to do with Su Qing and that girl."
"However, I thought that since something major had happened within the Beiling Kingdom's imperial palace, you, Su Qing, and that girl might encounter trouble. I was worried, so I entrusted someone to inquire about Su Qing and their whereabouts."
"But for several consecutive days, I did not receive any news about Su Qing and that girl. I was anxious at home, and at this time, your mother was pregnant again. Although I was very happy, I was still worried about Su Qing."
"Later, my second son, Su Xuanlin, was born. I knew that if Xuanlin continued on Su Qing's old path, then Xuanlin's fate would be the same as Su Qing's."
Speaking of this, Old Master Su sighed.
The butler handed him a cup of tea.
Old Master Su took a sip and continued: "I did not want Xuanlin to go down Su Qing's old path, so... I went to the elders of the family, some elders, and knelt before the ancestral tablets, wanting the elders of the family to agree to let Xuanlin enter the family genealogy."
"In our Su family lineage, there is an unwritten rule. To break the deadlock and allow the sons of the family to enter the genealogy, one must swear by their own blood to take all the unfortunate events of the family upon themselves."
At the same time, he must also take upon himself all the future disasters that the family might encounter, punishing himself with blood as a vow.
As he spoke, Old Master Su rolled up his sleeves.
His arms were covered in scars.
Everyone looked at him.
Madam Su's eyes turned red with tears: "Master, I never knew you had suffered so much harm. It's all my fault, for not caring for you and letting you suffer for so many years, woo woo..."
Madam Su cried sorrowfully.
Old Master Su patted her hand: "It's not your fault, it was all my own decision."
"Father, you've suffered."
Su Yuxi also walked over and stood in front of Old Master Su.
"Good child, I'm fine now, don't worry."
Old Master Su also patted Su Yuxi's hand.
As the pillar of the family, he should bear some things alone.
"Everyone, please sit. This matter is a long story, let me tell you slowly."
Old Master Su beckoned Gu Qianying and the others to sit down.
Gu Qianying, Meng Qinghua, Ouyang Qinglin, and Su Cheng (Murong Feng) exchanged glances.
All four of them took their seats.
Old Master Su asked his subordinates to prepare tea, and he continued: "After my persistent efforts and perseverance, the family elders finally agreed to let my second child, Su Xuanlin, enter the family genealogy and live openly in the Su family."
"From then on, Xuanlin was accepted by everyone in the Su family and became the first male child in the mansion who could inherit the Su family's ancestral business. For this, I had been cultivating Xuanlin all these years. Xuanlin, this child, liked doing business and didn't really like treating people or practicing medicine."
"I saw that Xuanlin had great talent in business, so I agreed to let him engage in business. Later, he did well in business and led other members of the family. Within a few years, he became a prominent figure in the family."
The Su family also became richer and richer because of his business. During these years when the Su family was flourishing, I would still think of my first child, Su Qing, and for so many years, I never gave up searching for Su Qing.
"It was also in that year, the year my mother, your grandmother, passed away, that Su Qing actually returned. His return shocked and excited me. At that time, he was still disguised as a woman. At that time, seeing him, I felt very guilty."
"I also wanted to try to apologize to him, and even more so to try to ease the strained relationship between us. However, just as I was trying my best to make amends, he told me that he had learned a secret technique this time, a secret technique that could keep him young and change him from male to female. Such a secret technique could not only change his appearance but also improve his power."
At first, I thought this secret technique was a good thing, something that could allow Su Qing to become a woman, allowing Su Qing to live openly in this world without suffering discrimination for valuing women over men.
"I always thought this was a good thing, so I... supported Su Qing in using this secret technique to change himself."
However, during the implementation of this secret technique, it required the blood of a fellow clan member, which I refused to agree to. But at that time, seeing... Su Qing's pleading look, I softened my heart.
"So I agreed to let Su Qing take away all the unfavored male members of the household. At that time, I also had quite a few sons around me. I agreed to his request and also agreed to use aphrodisiacs to take all those people away."
"But I didn't expect that Su Qing would actually take Xuanlin away. I was heartbroken and inquired about Su Qing's confinement location."
"But I didn't expect that Su Qing had actually become the female Grand Tutor of this dynasty, and what I didn't expect even more was that the woman he fell in love with was the Empress, Her Majesty the Empress."
"When I learned of these things, I rushed to the palace to find Su Qing, who is now Su Qingqing, the female Grand Tutor. But Su Qing did not see me, drove me out, and threatened me that if I dared to cause trouble, he would kill all the children of the Su family."
I was terrified at the time, fearing that he would harm Xuanlin. I knelt outside the main hall and begged him, begging him to spare Xuanlin. Later, she agreed not to kill the Su family children, but she needed the blood of the Su family children and also needed those people to cooperate for a period of time.
"At that time, I believed him and returned home, waiting for the news that he had released those people. However, this wait lasted for five years."
"Five years later, Su Qing told me that Xuanlin and the other Su family children had died. They died in a fire. I didn't believe it, and I was heartbroken."
I wanted to see the Empress and beg the Empress to release those children.
"That year was also the first time I saw Her Majesty the Empress. Her Majesty the Empress told me that Xuanlin and the others from the Su family had indeed died, and no one had survived. She also let me see the charred bodies."
"I believed her."
"From then on, I returned home and fell ill."
After saying this.
A few tears fell from Old Master Su's eyes.
It's all my fault, it's all my fault, I killed those children, and I killed Su Xuanlin, ah...
With that, Old Master Su stood up, his body trembling, and walked to Su Cheng (Murong Feng). Looking at him: "I know you are not my youngest son, Su Cheng. I also know that my youngest son, Su Cheng, died in an accident. You did not kill him, but you replaced him."
"I also know... that you have been secretly investigating Su Qing all these years. Although I don't know what your true purpose is, I feel... if you can make Su Qing turn back, then I can rest in peace after a hundred years."