章節 7: Forget my father's identity
Wangjie sipped the tea and gazed at Lee Xianwu. He did not touch the cup which made Wangjie ask him if he did not like the tea.
"I do not understand why Prince Wangjie has called me suddenly. He never did this before," Lee Xianwu said. He was suspicious of this sudden invitation. Because his father insisted on meeting Wangjie once, he decided to come.
Wangjie placed the teacup on the table and placed his hands on his knees. "Did Chief General Lee not tell his son?" Wangjie queried.
Lee Xianwu's eyebrows furrowed and he wondered what his father must have told him. Seeing that expression on Xianwu's face, Wangjie understood the Chief General left it on him.
"I want Lee Xianwu to support me in the future," Wangjie asserted.
"Why should I support Prince Wangjie? I am not a minister nor am I in any elite position in the Empire. I failed thrice in the civil services examination. I wonder how I can be of help," Lee Xianwu clarified to him.
"You are the son of the Chief General, Xianwu. Civil services do not matter for those born into families of high-status noble classes. I will easily grant you the first-rank minister's position," Wangjie offered.
Lee Xianwu was astonished to hear Wangjie's offer. However, he was not the person who would sell himself for a mere position. "Your Highness, fortunately, I am satisfied with my current life. I do not desire to be the first-rank minister. Most importantly, I do not want to be a slave," Lee Xianwu clarified to Wangjie about his decision.
The smile on Wangjie's face disappeared, and a grim look appeared on it. He felt a bit humiliated by Xianwu's words. "Lee Xianwu is lucky that he is Chief General's son, else I would have shown him his place," Wangjie stated.
"Then, forget my father's identity, Your Highness. You are free to say anything to me. I will not mind," Lee Xianwu affirmed. His gaze was unwavering and it felt to Wangjie that Xianwu did not care about his father's position in the Empire.
"You can leave, Lee Xianwu," Wangjie motioned his hand toward the door. Xianwu stood up, bowed to the Prince, and left the private chamber.
Lee Xianwu clenched his fist as he came out of Wangjie's chamber. He did not want to be involved in the dirty palace politics. The maidservant told him she would show him the way out.
"It's alright. I can go by myself," Lee Xianwu said and went ahead. He descended the stairs to reach the ground when his eyes landed on Jia Li, who was rushing somewhere. To his surprise, there was no servant behind her. It piqued his interest, and he followed Jia Li.
Lee Xianwu lost Jia Li and looked around to check. "Where did she go?" He mumbled and turned around when he got startled to see Jia Li.
She grabbed his collar and pulled him close. "Who are you? Why are you chasing me?" Her sternness could intimidate anyone but not him. "Do you have a death wish?" She arched a brow at him.
"Not at all, Your Royal Highness," Xianwu answered. "Please let me go. I am not someone dangerous," he stated. "I was curious to know where the Crown Princess was heading without her servants," he replied.
Jia Li let go of his collar and told him to leave her sight if he did not want to get punished.
"It seems the Crown Princess is up to something," Lee Xianwu affirmed, and a smirk appeared on his lips. "I won't tell anyone. I am good at keeping secrets," he said proudly, placing his index finger on his lips.
"Your Royal Highness!" Chen Xin spoke as he came from the front. He leaned close to Jia Li's ear and whispered in her ear.
Lee Xianwu looked at Chen Xin with a frown as he lowered his hand. He didn't like the way the Crown Princess was too good to Chen Xin, but to him, she was too cold.
When Chen Xin stood straight, he gazed at Lee Xianwu. "Who is this, Your Royal Highness?" He asked.
"I am—" he could not complete his response since Jia Li interrupted him.
"He is a nobody," Jia Li pronounced and walked ahead.
Chen Xin smiled to hear the Crown Princess' response. "You do not appear from the palace. You should leave before the Crown Princess gets angry and punishes you," Chen Xin advised Lee Xianwu before going behind Jia Li.
Lee Xianwu chuckled and murmured, "What are they both up to?" His eyes squinted in suspicion. However, he could not follow them as Jia Li could punish him and he could not let that happen to himself.
As he returned to the palace grounds, he encountered his father, Lee Shimin, the Chief General of the Tang Army. Lee Xianwu slowed down his steps and bowed to his father.
"Did you see Prince Wangjie?" Lee Shimin inquired his son.
"I did," Lee Xianwu replied.
"What did he say?" Lee Shimin inquired and started walking.
Xianwu walked closely along with his father and replied, "He was offering me the first-rank minister's position in exchange for supporting him in the future," he answered.
"That is great," Lee Shimin said with a smile.
"I refused, Father," Lee Xianwu replied and it made his father halt. "I feel Prince Wangjie wants to do something dangerous," he asserted.
Lee Shimin looked around and decided not to say anything to his son in the palace. Moreover, it was the time the Emperor would roam around the entire palace. "Follow me to the home," Lee Shimin instructed coldly to his son and resumed walking.
Lee Xianwu obeyed his father and followed his father to their home, LEE RESIDENCE. Upon reaching home, the first thing his father asked was for a cane. Lee Xianwu knew what was going to happen to him next. However, this time he rebelled and told his father he would not take the punishment for no reason.
"How dare you speak in front of your father?!" Lee Shimin bellowed at him and turned to glare at his son. "You are a failure. You failed the civil services examination thrice. You do not wish to join the military. You always humiliate me. You were going to get the top official position, yet you refused to accept it," he expressed his anger at his son. The servant had brought the cane and handed it to Lee Shimin.
"Remove your upper robes," Lee Shimin commanded his son.
"Did Xianwu again anger his father?" Lady Lingji asked her stepson, Lee Xianwu, and gazed at Lee Shimin. She snickered and told her husband why he used to waste his energy at Xianwu. "He is born to destroy his father's reputation," she remarked.
"At least, I am better than your gambler son, Lady Lingji," Xianwu pronounced, which infuriated Lingji and she started shedding crocodile tears in front of her husband, demanding him to punish Lee Xianwu.
"Did you not hear me, Xianwu?" Lee Shimin asked him again. "Remove your upper robes," he sternly said and asked his wife to leave. Lady Lingji smirked and walked away.
Xianwu removed his overcoat which the servant grabbed, followed by the jacket and inner robe. There were numerous marks on his back which he received after getting beaten by his father on a regular basis. He got the first hit and clenched his fists. Lee Shimin hit Xianwu's back numerous times and he even lost the count. However, Xianwu did not flinch and did not even let out a single cry. His body had become habitual of this.
The servant in Lee Xianwu's service, Bong Huan, requested Lee Shimin to stop because it was too much. Lee Xianwu's back had started bleeding. However, Lee Shimin did not stop until the cane broke.
"You will accept the position of the first-rank minister, else you have no place in this house," Lee Shimin announced as he threw the cane's remaining end on the ground.
He stepped up to go to his room when he heard Lee Xianwu speak, "I will not leave this house, Father. You cannot throw me out. You know this well."
Lee Shimin fisted his palm and walked ahead without uttering a single word.
"Young Master, your back is bleeding. I will call the physician," Bong Huan said with a worried look on his face and ran away to call the physician.
"Why does Brother Xianwu get beaten up every time he disobeys our father?" Lee Zhongshu, his second step-brother asked as he came to the front from behind a pillar. "It is not wrong to become the minister. You will be respected by everyone around you," he opined.
"I have no interest in taking fake respect from the people," Xianwu replied and went ahead to his room, taking his robes from the servant.
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