ITF Chapter54

On the morning of the fourth day after the banquet concluded, Qiu Chen brought an oral decree from the king to Bai Heting—Bai Yi requested an audience with him.

Bai Heting listened to Qiu Chen’s full report while sitting behind the ebony desk in the council chamber. His tone carried a hint of amusement as he said, “It seems Shao Yixiao not only wants me to share his glory but also wants me to share his enemies.”

The news of Bai Heting executing the commander of the Urdan rebel army had already spread throughout the capital, and it was only a matter of time before it reached the ears of the Urdans. He idly spun a small dagger between his fingers, clearly unwilling to continue discussing such an ominous person or those unsettling matters. Turning instead to Qiu Chen, he asked, “How is the matter I told you to handle going?”

Just thinking about this gave Qiu Chen a headache.

Luo Congye was an adult Alpha who had undergone military training. How could he easily restrict the man’s movements? Even if he resorted to force, he wasn’t absolutely certain he could successfully subdue him.

“He requested to meet with you, saying he has a very important matter to report to you.” Qiu Chen said.

Bai Heting let out a cold laugh.

A very important matter?

He was most likely looking for excuses for his secret collusion with the Urdan rebel army.

“Send him away,” Bai Heting said. “I have no interest in his report.”

His attitude was resolute, and Qiu Chen did not dare to contradict him immediately.

On the day the banquet ended, Bai Heting had kicked Luo Congye out of the mansion. His mood that day was visibly terrible. Qiu Chen hadn’t dared to keep the man at the mansion, so he found a temporary lodging for him in the capital. Once he returned to the mansion and finished his report, Bai Heting told him to find a few reliable people to covertly send Luo Congye out of the country.

Qiu Chen could sense that this was not a purely punitive exile.

“General,” Su Xingchuan spoke up on Qiu Chen’s behalf from the side. “I dare not presume to guess your deeper intentions, but an Alpha who would rather pretend to be a Beta just to sneak into your guard detail is probably not someone who gives up easily.” The old steward, who was familiar with Luo Congye, said with certainty, “He won’t leave.”

“Then knock him unconscious and take him away.” Bai Heting replied without any change in expression.

Piecing together the time Luo Congye was brought back to the mansion, Zhou Chengbei’s relationship with Luo Congye, and everything that had transpired at the banquet a few days ago, Su Xingchuan had already guessed the rough outline of the situation in his heart. He said earnestly, “Taking an Alpha who might resist at any moment out of the country quietly is no easy task, and it might even stir up more trouble along the way. Go meet with him; he shouldn’t disobey your direct order.”

Bai Heting stroked the flame pattern on the dagger’s wooden handle with his finger, contemplating silently for a long time. Finally, he conceded, “Where is he staying?”

*

Just past noon, Bai Yi received Bai Heting in his bedchamber.

Bai Heting stood properly and respectfully at the entrance of the chamber. Bai Yi dismissed all the attendants, then paced to the window and stood there silently for a moment.

From this vantage point, the palace gardens unfolded in full view. Twelve golden statues were scattered across the grounds, set against a backdrop of lush, vibrant greenery. At the very center of the garden stood a massive fountain, where jets of water burst from the hands of a giant, rising and falling in turn, as though rhythmically chanting some unseen verse.

Bai Yi sat down in an armchair by the window, then called Bai Heting over, “Come sit here.”

Following his instructions, Bai Heting sat down on the chair beside him.

His sitting posture was somewhat stiff and formal. Bai Yi smiled at him, easing the tension in the atmosphere a bit.

“Why did you rescue him?” He asked.

Bai Heting had already anticipated that he would talk about Urdan, but such a direct, straight-to-the-point question still caught him off guard.

This question also indirectly informed him that the king had already investigated the matter thoroughly.

He did not know how much Bai Yi knew, nor could he fathom his true attitude, so he did not answer rashly. But Bai Yi did not press him either, only saying, “It seems Pei Ming indeed helped you all a great deal back then.”

Bai Heting kept his head down and remained silent. Bai Yi spoke again, “The alias he used takes your mother’s surname, did you choose it for him?”

Bai Heting’s hands, resting on his knees, trembled slightly.

“Yes.” He replied in a low voice.

Bai Yi sighed with a smile.

“I’ve told you, there’s no need for you to fear me.” He reached out a hand and patted Bai Heting’s shoulder twice. “I called you here not to blame you, but because I wanted to tell you some things.”

Having said that, he stood up, walked a few steps around the spacious bedchamber, and his tone grew serious, “To you and your mother, I already owe far too much. I won’t hold this minor misstep, done in repayment of a debt of gratitude, against you.”

Bai Heting’s breathing grew heavier as he responded cautiously, “Your Majesty overstates the matter.”

His reply was practically evasive. Bai Yi turned back to look at him and asked, “Are you not curious about your parentage at all?”

What sort of entanglements had once existed between Luo Wanyin and Bai Yi, Bai Heting neither knew nor wished to know, and he had no interest in finding out. More importantly, Bai Yi’s solemn tone gave him an inexplicable, indescribable feeling—behind this question, there seemed to lurk an answer that might upend his entire life.

This filled him with apprehension.

Bai Heting said, “This is not something I should be curious about.”

Bai Yi asked again, “Do you hate me?”

Bai Heting ought to have given an answer that conformed to the etiquette between monarch and subject, but he merely shook his head.

This was genuine; he couldn’t even bring himself to hate Luo Wanyin, let alone Bai Yi. He had envied other children who had parents to dote on them, but that was a matter from when he was young and ignorant.

“I heard from Pei Ming that the relationship between you and your mother was somewhat different from that of ordinary mothers and sons. He didn’t even give you a name,” Bai Yi said. “The one who failed him was me, but you were the one who had to bear the consequences. He took out his anger toward me on you.”

Bai Heting said flatly, “I don’t hate him either. At least, I was still alive before he died. He raised me until I was six.”

Bai Yi weighed his words, looked at him, and fell silent for a moment.

This poor child still didn’t know that he had nearly died before even being born.

“You indeed shouldn’t hate him; he was the most beautiful person in the world.” Bai Yi’s gaze pierced through the window behind Bai Heting, looking out at the jade-green water and lush grass of the palace gardens. He possessed this country, but he had never again encountered someone like Luo Wanyin.

Who was pure, passionate, and utterly devoted to him without a second thought.

“Heting,” he said softly, “this name of yours was chosen for you by him.”

Bai Heting snapped his head up.

Scattered childhood memories instantly flooded his mind, and the words slipped out almost automatically, “Impossible…”

Bai Yi asked half-jokingly, “Are you implying that your King is lying to you?”

Bai Heting also realized his own discourtesy.

Lowering his head, he said softly, “Your subject dares not.”

That split-second reaction just now reminded Bai Yi of how Bai Heting looked when he first arrived in the capital.

He hadn’t seen a flustered Bai Heting in many years.

“He wrote it to me in a letter, though unfortunately, that letter is no longer around.” Bai Yi walked back to the window before stopping in front of Bai Heting. “Bloodline is the foundation of the royal family’s stability and continuity. You are my biological son. To this country, your existence is far more important than you imagine. Therefore, you ought to cherish yourself more.” Resting his hand on Bai Heting’s shoulder again, he continued, “I’ve heard a few things. Given the nature of the relationship between you two over such a long period, it’s only natural that some illusions might have formed.”

The shoulder beneath his hand suddenly tensed.

“However,” Bai Yi’s expression returned to a cold solemnity, “a hound that bites its master cannot be kept. Just because I won’t hold your misstep against you doesn’t mean I can let him off. Do not underestimate the power of spiritual devotion; he is the obstacle that must be cleared away.”

Bai Heting’s shoulders trembled slightly as he suppressed his breathing. Bai Yi added, “He only has himself to blame for not cherishing the life you saved. If you don’t have the heart for it, I can find someone else to do it, and you can just pretend you know nothing about it.”

“Leave it to me.” Bai Heting said hurriedly.

“En, within the next few days then.” Bai Yi released his grip, walked a few paces away, and reminded him, “Don’t waste your energy and peace of mind trying to send him out of the country anymore.”

Bai Heting looked up once more, his eyes; just as beautiful as Luo Wanyin’s, widening.

As if finding him naive, Bai Yi let out a helpless smile, “Son, I am the King of this country, after all.”

You can unlock the complete translation in epub format HERE!