Chapter 278 Because of Maternal Love

Green water and mountains grew misty due to the Autumn rain.

The rain was falling steadily. Dark clouds gathered from north to south, and the raindrops kept falling, chill and bleak as the frost.

The Lonely Mountain in the rain was picturesque.

So was West Lake in the rain.

The old man with gray hair was dressed in plain cotton clothing. He was stooped and sitting at the junction of mountains and rivers. With a homemade fishing pole in hand, he was fishing.

The Mid-Autumn Festival had passed, and some parts of the Lonely Mountain were still green, but the color yellow that represented withering gradually spread as well.

The old man seemed to be in a state between life and death, and his back looked lonely.

The Autumn rain continued to fall, moisturizing the mountains and green water and making them look sadly beautiful.

Poetic and picturesque.

A black umbrella appeared on the mountain road covered with flowers and fallen leaves.

The black umbrella went down the hill bathed in the rain.

A woman who was dressed simply and plainly but had a pretty appearance walked behind the old man with an umbrella.

The woman’s appearance was quite beautiful, but her eyes were full of the vicissitudes of life and fatigue. She was no longer young, but there was something haggard about her that hardly concealed her stubbornness. It was a kind of instinctive insistence.

Such a woman was the most attractive. Even in her old age, she was still as gorgeous as before.

The woman took one step forward and held the umbrella over the old man’s head, shielding him from the dense raindrops.

The old man didn’t seem to notice that. He just looked at the water attentively and said nothing.

The woman was equally silent. Standing behind the old man and holding an umbrella, she was like a statue.

The world was plunged into silence.

Time lapsed.

The water surface rippled as the fishing rod in the old man’s hand shook uncontrollably.

The woman behind him quietly watched his hand shaking uncontrollably. With a sad look in her eyes, she could not help sighing softly.

The old man seemed to realize that there was another person behind him. He glanced at the umbrella over his head and pointed at it with his other hand, saying smilingly, “Meaningless. I don’t need it.”

He indeed didn’t need it.

No matter how heavy the rain was, as long as he wanted, everywhere he passed could have a clear sky.

He didn’t fear wind and rain, and no enemy could hurt him.

Just because he was Li Honghe.

“There’s no point in your fishing here.”

“Because you can’t catch any fish,” whispered the woman.

Li Honghe did not mind the woman’s tone and said with a laugh, “We’ll have a guest later. If the fish I catch can be put on the table as a dish, it is a way of showing my sincerity. There’s nothing to lose by trying.”

“He doesn’t like eating your fish.”

The woman’s voice was crisp and clear.

“But the only thing I can satisfy him with is fish,” replied Li Honghe indifferently.

…

After hearing this sentence, the woman did not speak, but her previous taut expression slightly relaxed a little all of a sudden.

No one knew if Li Honghe saw the woman’s face behind him. He laid his eyes on the lake and suddenly said, “You don’t like Zhongzhou State.”

The woman said softly after a moment’s silence, “I’m exhausted.”

She used to love it ardently, but now she felt fatigued.

Li Honghe gave a self-mocking laugh and said in a complicated tone, “It is the Li family that has failed you. But I cannot repay you guys.”

“You’re wrong.”

“It is Zhongzhou State that has failed the Li family,” added the woman calmly.

Li Honghe said nothing. He wasn’t in a position to say anything about it, really.

“It seems I was wrong to let Li Huacheng take Wangsheng away.”

Li Honghe continued in a low voice, “Wangsheng is now the new Major General of Spirit Tortoise in Zhongzhou State. I thought you’d be pleased to hear this, but now I suppose you’ll blame me.”

Li Wangsheng…

The cold light at the corners of Qingye’s eyes softened suddenly. She was Li Wangsheng’s mother, and for her, her son was everything.

“He still has a future, and he is able to assist the young master and the Li family. Your arrangement is very good, Your Highness, and I appreciate it,” said Qingye softly.

She was once a legendary woman in the Special Warfare System of Zhongzhou State, but over time, the previous female general no longer seemed to have an edge.

“How about you?”

“What do you want?” asked Li Honghe suddenly.

Qingye was silent for a moment.

“I suddenly remembered the motto of the Sky Academy that was put forward by me—Go to hell first if you want to go to heaven! Qingye, the Li family can set you free now. Would you like to go to hell?” asked Li Honghe softly.

The Li family had never seen heaven whether it was in glory or abjection, but it had seen hell.

Freedom was everywhere in hell.

If the death was freedom…

Qingye smiled and said calmly, “I don’t want to die.”

She neither wanted to die nor face it.

Li Honghe nodded and said, “Then let others die.”

“Lengxiao and Hanchuan are good choices.”

Qingye recommended these two people. The two men were now in Lonely Mountain. They had followed Li Honghe loyally for nearly two decades and had faced the cold wind and rain as well as many attacks by overt and covert means.

Li Honghe said calmly with a nod, “Let them do it.”

“I’ll arrange it.”

Qingye nodded.

The rain was still falling from the air.

The wind died down, but the rain suddenly poured down.

The sky was overcast, and something white gradually settled over the hills.

Clouds of white mist began to appear.

Fine white mist drifted amidst the hazy landscape.

Qingye turned away after she got the answer she wanted.

A small boat appeared on the water in the distance.

A middle-aged man, who was widely known in Zhongzhou State and appeared on the news almost every year, stood at the prow with a dignified appearance.

He was Li Huacheng, the President of Zhongzhou State.

When Qingye looked back, there was indifference in her eyes.

The whole Lonely Mountain seemed to glow with the President’s visit.

Li Honghe said that all he could give Li Huacheng was fish. Now it seemed that he could not even give him a fish.

She turned and walked away.

Li Honghe got up. Looking at Li Huacheng, who disembarked in front of him, he smiled kindly and said softly, “Welcome, President.”

Li Huacheng, who looked high-spirited but had a grave look in his eyes in actuality, waved his hand and said, “Senior Li, you are so polite. The weather is bad, and you should have more rest on the mountain.”

“It won’t hurt if I get caught in the rain occasionally.”

Li Honghe reached out his hand and pulled Li Huacheng ashore. The heat rose all over him. Tens of meters around him, the rain was evaporated entirely.

“Lonely Mountain isn’t an inhospitable place, but there are not many resources available. I was going to fish for you myself, but the weather was so bad that the fish just didn’t swallow the bait. I can only keep it simple,” said Li Honghe with a smile.

…

Li Huacheng was surprised. Li Honghe’s voice was calm, but he could hear a hint of pushback. Although the implication was not clear, it seemed to be sufficient to explain Li Honghe’s true attitude towards his visit today.

Li Huacheng frowned. He didn’t want to get to the point too quickly, but Li Honghe made his point clear. He smiled and said tentatively, “Keep it simple. I’ve come to you for more than food, Senior Li.”

Li Honghe smiled without saying much.

Li Huacheng’s heart sank slightly again. He squinted at Li Honghe, who was still fishing next to him, and then said in a low voice, “I have something to report to you, Senior Li. Tianlan left Huating two days ago, saying he wanted to walk around, but he didn’t say where he would go.”

Li Honghe raised his eyebrows and turned to take a deep look at Li Huacheng.

“It’s a good step back,” he whispered.

…

He was well aware of everything in the outside world. Even if he had no intention of learning about all those, some people would try their best to send the intelligence to him, since he was in Lin’an at present.

But in this situation, it was good for Li Tianlan to step back.

“Wonderful,” Li Huacheng exclaimed unfeignedly.

…

“Yeah.”

Li Honghe added with a smile, “He went out for a couple of months, and it seems like a good thing, despite the setbacks, that he becomes at least a little more mature. The Li family’s future depends on him, not me.”

Here it came.

Li Huacheng’s heart tightened, but on the surface, he said respectfully in a calm tone, “But the Li family still belongs to you, after all.”

“Wrong.”

Li Honghe continued calmly, “The Li family only lives for itself, so it belongs to each one of us. Maybe it will belong to Tianlan in the future, but now, it’s not his or mine.”

Li Huacheng felt a trace of bitterness. He forced a smile and said, “I know what you mean, and I understand your decision. But Tianlan is still young, and no one knows where he is now. The Li family… still needs you to take charge of the big picture, Senior Li.”

“Don’t you understand, Huacheng?”

Li Honghe sighed and continued, “After the border war, the Li family’s pursuit is no longer the big picture, but freedom. I know you have your difficulties, but the Li family is not like it was twenty years ago. Now we need Tianlan to be responsible for the Li family. And I’m only responsible for my grandson. That’s enough.”

He did understand Li Huacheng’s difficulties.

Li Huacheng treated people with generosity and acted with dignity. Since he came to power, he had pursued a level playing field on many sensitive personnel issues. He didn’t have any hard feelings toward the big groups, either. The Academics rose fast but had a shallow foundation. He did so with the intention of leaving enough living space for the Academics when he stepped down from the stage of power.

So, if we looked at it another way, the weakness of the Academics today was directly related to its shallow foundation and Li Huacheng’s style of doing things.

However, he didn’t wish the Academics to remain weak. He wanted to make up for some of the weaknesses in the Academics’ political structure by grasping what was on the table while giving up what was under the rose.

For example, the Special Warfare System.

The Academics could have expected Li Tianlan to grow up.

Nevertheless, the alliance of Gu Xingyun and the Wang family of Beihai forced Li Huacheng to speed up his plans.

The Special Warfare System needed superiors.

The Li family was now Li Huacheng’s only option.

He neither knew nor wanted to know what Li Huacheng was going to do with the Li family. As he said, the only thing he could offer Li Huacheng was the fish that may or may not take the bait.

At least he would no longer be stimulated by the so-called big picture and general trend and then summon the Li family to undergo the most severe trials.

That was Li Tianlan’s business.

Li Huacheng narrowed his eyes and suddenly asked in a playful tone, “Your grandson?”

…

“Emm?”

Li Honghe was somewhat confused.

“Senior Li, I know something by accident. I came here today to seek confirmation.”

“You know Secretary Bai Qingqian, don’t you?” asked Li Huacheng softly.

“The girl in the Bai family? I Know.”

Li Honghe nodded.

“In the eyes of many, Dongcheng Wudi was a gifted youth, and Bai Qingqian was a beautiful lady back then. And they loved each other affectionately. Oddly, their relationship turned sour later on, not knowing why. I know by accident that all this started when Bai Qingqian gave birth to Dongcheng Rushi.”

“Dongcheng Rushi can never be the reason why Bai Qingqian turned against the Dongcheng Clan. What exactly is it that caused Bai Qingqian to break with the Dongcheng Clan?”

“Why?” asked Li Honghe quietly.

…

“Because of maternal love.”

Li Huacheng stared at Li Honghe and continued, “After that accident, I heard that you just had one granddaughter who died in infancy, but I didn’t know that you had a grandson. On the contrary, we ignored Dongcheng Rushi, who was born at the same time as Tianlan did. Do you really have a grandson, Senior Li?

“Bai Qingqian is in Guandong currently. To be honest, that’s where I used to work, so I have some influence in Guandong.”

Li Huacheng added slowly, “A few months ago, when the news about Tianlan’s death reached Zhongzhou State, Dongcheng Wudi went to Guandong immediately and stayed there for three days without seeing Bai Qingqian. He seemed to meet her later on and was said to have been slapped on the face. It was only when I knew the news that I vaguely sorted out some clues and roughly guessed the reason why Bai Qingqian turned against the Dongcheng Clan.

“There’s no other hidden reason.”

Li Huacheng continued in a low voice, “Because of the kid. She hated the Dongcheng Clan only because she was a mother who had lost her child.”

“Dongcheng Rushi isn’t Bai Qingqian’s daughter, and Li Tianlan is the son of Bai Qingqian and Dongcheng Wudi. Dongcheng Rushi is your granddaughter, am I right, Senior Li?”

“No.”

Li Honghe smiled. His expression remained unchanged, calm and natural.

“I have nothing to do with Dongcheng Rushi,” he whispered.

…

The sense of naturalness in his tone was not something pretended.

Li Huacheng’s conjecture was quite reasonable.

But believe it or not, Li Honghe knew that he had nothing to do with Dongcheng Rushi.

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