pappabearbooks Chapter 201 Neither of these two cousins is a good person.
Chapter 201 Neither of these two cousins is a good person.
In Yanshan, he was a prince revered by all.
His father, Luo Yi, was the Prince of Beiping who guarded the northern border for thirty years.
His cousin, Qin Qiong, was a renowned figure known throughout the land as the "Little Mengchang."
But at this moment, in this study, in front of Lü Xiao, he was nothing.
He was just a pawn.
"My father is the Prince of Beiping, a title bestowed by the imperial court," Luo Cheng said slowly, his voice dry, "and it is only right that he... shares the burdens of the court."
When he said those words, he felt as if his spine had been ripped out.
People have to bow their heads under the roof.
But he was never convinced by Lü Xiao.
He had only heard of Lü Xiao's reputation, but had never actually seen him make a move.
The person who truly defeated himself was Pei Yuanqing.
That punch still sends chills down his spine whenever he thinks about it.
But what about Lü Xiao?
What gives him the right?
"Okay, go ahead and write it."
After Lü Xiao finished speaking, someone brought him a writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone.
Luo Cheng walked to the desk, picked up the brush, and dipped it in ink.
The pen tip hovered over the paper, but couldn't fall for a long time.
He didn't want to write.
Once this letter is sent, the Yanshan Iron Cavalry will have to serve the imperial court and fight against the rebels.
Those soldiers were all veterans trained by his father; they were all living, breathing human beings.
But he couldn't not write.
Luo Cheng closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
The ink spread as the pen touched the paper.
Following Lü Xiao's instructions, he wrote the letter home word by word.
Every word was like a knife, carving into his heart.
After finishing the last stroke, he threw the pen aside angrily.
The pen fell onto the desk with a sharp crack, splattering ink everywhere.
It was humiliating, truly humiliating.
"Your Highness is angry; don't let it get on your pen."
Seeing Luo Cheng's appearance, Lü Xiao chuckled.
However, it's understandable that he felt resentful for forcing others to do things they didn't want to do.
Luo Cheng did not respond.
He just stood there, head down, without saying a word.
Lu Xiao glanced at him and suddenly asked, "Young Master, what do you think of Qin Qiong?"
Luo Cheng raised his head, a hint of wariness flashing in his eyes.
"Is Your Highness trying to speak ill of my cousin?"
Although he was not physically present at Wagang, he was aware of the despicable acts committed by Lü Xiao and the others there.
He had heard some of the stories about those grudges and feuds.
Regardless, he had more faith in Qin Qiong's character.
"How can telling the truth be considered bad news?" Lu Xiao retorted.
Luo Cheng remained silent for a moment before speaking, "He is indeed a man of unparalleled righteousness, a modern-day Meng Chang (a legendary figure known for his chivalry)."
Speaking of his cousin, there was a hint of pride in his voice.
Qin Qiong's reputation is known throughout the world.
He is generous and righteous, befriends heroes, keeps his word, and would go to great lengths for his friends.
"puff!"
Lu Xiao was drinking water when he heard this, and he spat out his entire mouthful of tea.
He put down his teacup, wiped his mouth with his sleeve, and waved his hand, barely able to contain himself: "Go on, go on."
Luo Cheng frowned, not understanding why Lü Xiao was laughing.
But he continued speaking:
"Thinking about the matter of the imperial collateral, Cheng Yaojin was the culprit. It was my cousin who took the blame for him and was thus spared from death."
"Later, when Cheng Yaojin was imprisoned, it was my cousin who abandoned Yang Lin and went to Shandong to rescue him."
"Isn't such courage and loyalty enough to be considered truly righteous?"
He recounted in detail, telling Lü Xiao everything Qin Qiong had done, one by one.
After listening, Lü Xiao shook his head.
I don't think so.
Luo Cheng frowned even more deeply.
"Speaking of saving Cheng Yaojin, it was indeed for the sake of our brothers," Lü Xiao said slowly, "but what was the price?"
Luo Cheng was taken aback.
"The price was that dozens of people were implicated and implicated." Lu Xiao's voice was calm, but every word was like a knife. "Behind these dozens of people are hundreds of lives."
He stood up and walked to the window.
"Shan Xiongxin has dragged his whole family into this mess; his family members, his relatives and friends have all been implicated."
"As for the families of the other people, they are more or less wanted by the local authorities."
"Those who ran fast escaped with their lives, while those who didn't run fast ended up like Shan Xiongxin's family."
He turned around and looked at Luo Cheng.
"Is this what they call unwavering loyalty and righteousness?"
"Completely without any consideration for other people's families, saving one person at the expense of thousands."
Luo Cheng's brows relaxed.
He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but found himself speechless.
"After that, there was the sordid conflict between me and the people of Wagang," Lü Xiao continued. "In the Wagang's selection of a new king, Qin Qiong couldn't be fair either, only favoring his own people."
"Where exactly is the righteousness in this so-called lofty ideals?"
Luo Cheng's resolve wavered slightly after hearing what Lü Xiao said.
"Furthermore, Qin Qiong is known for his unwavering loyalty to his friends; wouldn't he be even more so towards you, his cousin?"
"Why was he so afraid to argue his case when I detained you?"
Lu Xiao spoke again, steer the conversation towards Luo Cheng.
You'll never know how much it hurts until you've stabbed yourself.
He wanted to see if Luo Cheng would hold a grudge against Qin Qiong when he talked about himself.
Luo Cheng, who had been slightly wavering, suddenly changed his expression when he mentioned that Qin Qiong had abandoned him.
"You treat him like an older cousin, but does he treat you like a younger cousin?"
Lu Xiao's words, one after another, pierced Luo Cheng's heart like knives.
Luo Cheng believed he had done right by Qin Qiong.
When Qin Qiong was exiled, after learning about Qin Qiong's background, he took good care of him.
Later, Qin Qiong went from Wagang to Beiping Prefecture to seek refuge, and his father originally wanted to drive him away.
He had to beg his mother to persuade his father to keep him.
Furthermore, he was given an official title.
He treated Qin Qiong this way, yet when he himself was in trouble, Qin Qiong didn't dare utter a single word—that's also a fact.
It seems that Qin Qiong really didn't consider himself a cousin.
"Your Highness," Lü Xiao's voice rang out again, carrying a hint of meaning. "Everyone looks out for themselves; don't think too highly of others."
He stood up, walked up to Luo Cheng, and patted him on the shoulder.
"Think about it carefully."
Luo Cheng lowered his head and remained silent.
Lu Xiao is right.
But he couldn't bring himself to admit it.
Luo Cheng, too, had his pride.
"By the way, I heard you and Qin Qiong passed spears and maces around together?"
Lü Xiao then remembered that Qin Qiong had such a past.
It seems that Qin Qiong and Luo Cheng, these cousins, each had a hidden skill.
In short, none of them were clean.
Luo Cheng raised his head and was slightly taken aback.
Passing the gun and mace was a matter between the cousins.
When Qin Qiong was in Beiping Prefecture, the two often sparred and taught each other martial arts.
He taught Qin Qiong the Luo family spear technique, and Qin Qiong taught him the Qin family mace technique.
"Um."
Luo Cheng nodded.
"Did you know that your cousin held back a trick when he was teaching you the mace technique?"
Lu Xiao had seen Qin Qiong use this trump card move once before, when he left Wagang Village.
"this……"
Luo Cheng's originally angry expression became somewhat uncertain.
He really couldn't get angry about this.
Because he did it too.