Chapter 156: Past Grudges (Combined Chapter)

Hearing the mocking tone in Kavisil's voice, Xiya gave a dry laugh, yet he couldn't help casting a glance toward the stairs above.

"No need to look, I'm the only one who came down," Kavisil said calmly, wearing a casual expression as if nothing had happened.

Xiya let out a "heh," his eyes widening in courage as he stared at Kavisil, about to say something when Kavisil, as if having long guessed what Xiya wanted to say, dismissed it lightly: "The two of you sneaking and hiding here, aren't you afraid of being discovered by the master? Although that fellow Minas is reasonably magnanimous in other matters, as far as I know, he treasures this estate dearly. Hmph... The two of you coming here must be due to young Roddy acting on his own accord and bringing you along. That kid doesn't know the background of this estate. Hmph, if Minas were to find out about this, I'm afraid young Roddy's legs would be broken."

The pitiful girl blushed. It was she who had asked Roddy to lend the estate. Being a daughter of the imperial family, she had been very familiar with Roddy, the son of Duke Minas, since childhood. Furthermore, Roddy's sister was married to the Crown Prince Garcia, so speaking of it, they were all relatives and naturally shared a close bond. If Roddy were to suffer misfortune because of tonight's events, she would naturally feel a sense of guilt in her heart.

Kavisil looked at the two young people. It was as if he had already seen through everything, yet he purposely kept his gaze fixed solely on Xiya. Suddenly, out of nowhere, he asked, "Xiya, you two have been hiding in the shadows all this time. You must have heard a lot of the conversation between Duke Minas and me, right?"

Xiya's heart tightened, and he immediately wanted to deny it. But then he thought better of it: putting on an act to fool others might work, but this old fellow was definitely not someone who could be easily deceived. It would be better to simply appear forthright. Thinking this, he nodded and said, "That's right, I did hear some of it."

"Well then, do you know who this estate originally belonged to?"

Xiya's heart stirred. Looking at Kavisil's peculiar gaze, an answer had already involuntarily surfaced in his mind. Yet, with the words on the tip of his tongue, he still found it hard to believe, and shook his head purposely, saying, "This estate should be the former residence of the legendary Tulip Family, shouldn't it? Hasn't it now come into the possession of Duke Minas?"

Though his words were simple, he felt nervous inside and couldn't help stealing a glance at Kavisil. The wise man wasn't angry; he just looked at Xiya with a smile carrying three parts of profound meaning: "Cunning brat, truly worthy of being taught by that fellow—hmph, even the way you play the fool is just like him back then."

Pausing for a moment, Kavisil suddenly sighed. This time, his gaze gradually revealed a faint sorrow as he spoke in a low voice: "Are you too afraid to say it, or too afraid to believe it? Brat, let me tell you straight: back then, this estate belonged to *that person*! And before that person left, it was gifted to Minas." At this point, Kavisil sneered, "Xiya, you surely don't still not understand who I mean by 'that person,' do you?"

Xiya's heart hammered violently as he stared at Kavisil: "That person... You mean... the old fellow... he... he..."

The former residence of the Tulip Family!
The ancestral home of the Osgiliadia Family!
It was the property of "that person" back then!
That means... that means... Xiya suddenly recalled the huge statue in the military's Eagle's Nest, the figure standing proudly on a galloping horse... Osgiliadia... Tulip... The old fellow?!

The Empire's First Family!
The most legendary and mysterious family on the mainland!
The greatest founder of the Empire! Even the founding emperor was overshadowed by his brilliance! The Empire's capital was named after a minister!

Watching the shock on Xiya's face, the old man maintained a calm expression, merely responding in a low voice: "That's right... He is a descendant of that family."

***

For a moment, all three people in the dark room fell silent. Xiya was naturally shaken in his heart, recalling all the moments he spent with the old fellow during his lifetime. That old fellow was at times crude and at times behaved like a scoundrel; how could he possibly have any demeanor of a descendant of a legendary family?

As for the pitiful girl, Adeline hailed from the imperial lineage, and she naturally knew far more about the secrets of the Tulip Family than Xiya did. At this moment, Adeline also opened her mouth wide and let out an involuntary gasp of shock. She too had understood the conversation between Kavisil and Xiya.

Could it be... a descendant of the Osgiliadia Tulip Family... was the adoptive father of Xiya, this bumpkin?!

"You, stop trying to fool me. I'm not that easy to trick," Xiya shook his head, his eyes widening. "This... the descendants of the Tulip Family died out centuries ago!"

"Hmph... Died out, you say?" A hint of a smile flashed in Kavisil's eyes, but this trace of a smile carried a faint, icy chill!

This most famous wise man of Yanjing slowly walked over to the stairs, sat down directly on the floor, and looked at Xiya: "Very well, since I've met you here today, consider this the first lesson taught to you by me as your teacher."

Teacher?!

The pitiful girl widened her eyes and covered her mouth with her hand, unable to help glancing at the bumpkin. Next to her, Xiya looked somewhat irritated: "Hey, Kavisil, stop talking to yourself. I never agreed to take you as my master."

"You will take me," Kavisil said, treating the matter as unworthy of concern, brushing it aside lightly before continuing: "Then for the first lesson, I need to guide your historical knowledge. Hmph... The bloodline of the Tulip Family extinguished? If you were just an ordinary person, what you read in the mainland's general history would indeed be written that way... However, the truth of history cannot always be found in these official historical records."

Xiya was somewhat dissatisfied, but the Tulip Family mentioned at this moment was connected to the old fellow, which naturally piqued his curiosity. As for the matter of apprenticeship... he wouldn't argue with Kavisil for now. Anyway, if he simply refused to bow in the future, could this guy force his head down to kowtow?!

"Go ahead and tell me what really happened."

If the old fellow was a descendant of the Tulip Family... Damn it! Then shouldn't he have inherited the ducal title as the Empire's premier noble family?! Why would he hide in a godforsaken place like Wildfire Plain and live in such poverty?

"Then let me ask you first: do you know how the last Tulip Duke of the Osgiliadia Family died?" Kavisil looked at Xiya. Although he wore a smile, his gaze was as sharp as a blade! Seeing Xiya's blank expression, he turned his head to look at the pitiful girl and said lightly, "This brat hasn't read many books, but you should have read those general histories of the mainland, right?"

Swept by Kavisil's gaze, the pitiful girl felt terrified and hurriedly blurted out, "Yes, I have read them."

"Good, then tell it to this brat."

***

Terrified to the extreme by Kavisil, the pitiful girl hurriedly and obediently said, "In the mainland's general history, the Tulip Family is compiled into a separate volume, and the end of the volume records... The Tulip Family lasted for four hundred years. After the founding of the Empire, the family passed down through thirteen generations. The last head of the family, Grand Duke Luke Osgiliadia, served as the Empire's Marshal. Throughout his life, he fought seventeen major and minor wars, defending the Empire in the north against the formidable Odin enemies and rendering countless meritorious services. This Grand Duke was immensely powerful, standing as one of the rare powerhouses on the mainland at that time. Unfortunately, amidst years of military campaigns, he accumulated numerous old wounds and lingering ailments. At the age of thirty-nine, he finally passed away from illness..."

"Very good," Kavisil said lightly. "You recite your books well; it seems you have indeed put in quite a bit of effort on ordinary days."

Trembling with fear, the pitiful girl didn't dare to respond to Kavisil's praise, simply shrinking her head and hiding behind Xiya.

Kavisil fell into a daze for a moment, then let out a cold laugh: "Hmph... Old wounds and lingering ailments? Utterly ridiculous! Back in the day, every generation of the Tulip Grand Dukes consisted of top-tier powerhouses on the mainland. According to what I know, among the thirteen generations of Grand Dukes, the one with the weakest strength was the sixth Grand Duke. That Grand Duke was sickly from childhood, carrying a congenital hidden ailment brought from the womb. Yet even so, that Grand Duke's strength still reached the Saint level! He lived to the age of fifty-four! Just imagine, the last Grand Duke Luke was recognized as a genius within the Empire in his youth, possessing a robust physique. It is said that by the age of thirty, he had already advanced to a Saint-level powerhouse. To achieve the rank of Saint at such a young age spans through past and present; throughout history, no more than twenty people have achieved such a feat before the age of thirty! Moreover... once one's strength reaches the Saint level, how could ordinary injuries and old ailments possibly take one's life? Hmph... Having spent years in the military, having old scars is true, and having lingering illnesses is also not false, but... these were not the cause of his death."

Xiya's heart beat wildly, knowing that Kavisil was certainly telling the truth! And... this was likely the hidden truth of a past event!

Kavisil's expression carried a hint of emotion. He let out a long breath and said hauntingly: "Back then, within the imperial palace, the reigning emperor of the Empire set up a fatal trap, first tricking Grand Duke Luke into drinking a bottle of poisoned wine—a poisoned wine legendary for being concocted by the mainland's premier alchemist..."

Xiya's expression changed. He already knew that any proficient alchemist was well-versed in magical pharmaceutics.

"A bottle of poisoned wine, the toxicity of which was said to be unstoppable even for a golden dragon. Hmph!" Kavisil said in a low voice, "Following that were two Archmages of the Empire at the time, along with an encirclement of three Saint-level warriors! Inside the palace, there were also three thousand heavily armored imperial guards launching a coordinated assault, accompanied by a volley of one thousand heavy warbows and crossbows!! That battle—even with Grand Duke Luke's formidable strength—ultimately failed to allow him to escape. Yet the sheer brutality of that battle was enough to dishearten anyone. Over half of the three thousand armored imperial guards were lost, and all six hundred of the imperial death squad 'Dark Night Guards' perished in that battle, leaving not a single survivor! Of the two Archmages, one was killed on the spot, and the other was heavily wounded. As for the three Saint-level warriors who participated in the encirclement, two died and one was injured! In the end, even the castle in front of the imperial palace collapsed during that battle, and afterwards, they had no choice but to claim externally that it was a heaven-sent earthquake. The collapsed castle took three years to rebuild."

Listening until his mouth felt dry, Xiya couldn't help asking, "Things from several centuries ago—how do you know this?"

Kavisil glanced at him and said indifferently, "I just know."

This answer was somewhat unreasonable, but given his status, Xiya didn't dare to question the authenticity of his words when he spoke with such certainty. Since Kavisil stated such important matters with such a definitive tone, he naturally had his sources of information.

"In that battle, the Byzantine Emperor destroyed the pillar of his own Empire with his own hands. The Tulip Family, which had guarded the Empire for four hundred years, was slaughtered by the Emperor right inside the imperial palace. Hmph... Although the news was sealed off afterwards, and almost all the soldiers who participated in the battle were silenced, with the imperial family announcing externally that Grand Duke Luke died of illness... nevertheless, no matter how much such a matter is concealed, those with a heart will always find out. The Tulip Family served the Empire for four hundred years and ended up in such a state... Hmph, isn't that chilling? And ever since then, rare indeed have been the mainland powerhouses willing to step forward and serve the Empire!

Later on, the Emperor even put on a hypocritical act, likely because that Emperor himself understood that treating a meritorious subject of the Empire in such a manner would inevitably lose all popular support. Thus, while covering up the truth of the matter, he simultaneously showed favor to the daughter of the last Grand Duke. Yet the daughter of the last Grand Duke fell ill and died shortly after that incident... Hmph, another illness! Such a sound person, originally in robust health, just died like that. The bloodline of the Tulip Family was thus cut off... Ha!"

Hearing this, Xiya remained silent for a long time before shaking his head and saying, "What you're saying is too bizarre... For no good reason, why would the Emperor resort to such venomous means against a pillar minister of the Empire?"

Kavisil sneered: "If you were the Emperor, and the capital of your country was named after a minister, could you endure it?"

Hearing this, Xiya pondered thoughtfully, nodding first, then shaking his head: "That reason makes a bit of sense, but it still doesn't hold up. Osgiliadia was named at the founding of the Empire, and four hundred years had passed since the death of the last Grand Duke. If the imperial family had been worried about ministers becoming too powerful to control, they wouldn't have waited four hundred years to make a move. Moreover, I've heard that past Tulip Grand Dukes were loyal to the Empire, never bullying others with power, let alone displaying any ambitions..."

"He who is not in that position does not plan for that administration," Kavisil sneered in retort. "You are not an Emperor, so naturally you don't understand an Emperor's mind. Regardless of whether a subordinate minister displays ambition or not, if their authority is too heavy and threatens imperial power, then no matter how loyal the minister is, the Emperor will never be able to rest easy."

Pausing for a moment, he smiled: "However, your first objection is reasonable; even if one wanted to execute a meritorious subject, they wouldn't wait four hundred years to do it. Naturally, there is a reason for this."

Looking at Xiya, Kavisil slowly said: "After the founding of the nation, successive Emperors held complex feelings toward the Tulip Family. On one hand, the Empire needed the strong protection of the Tulip Family; on the other hand, the imperial court worried that the Tulip Family's status was too high and would endanger its own rule. For hundreds of years, although the Tulip Family made countless contributions and the imperial family had to grant the family boundless honor, at the same time, covert checks and balances never ceased! Yet this family was simply too formidable. Hmph... Other families might occasionally produce a few peerless figures, but generations of heritage could hardly make every single generation a hero. Prosperity leads to decline, and during the succession, there would usually be a mediocre, foolish talent or two. Even the imperial family is no different; there are plenty of mediocre emperors, and foolish ones are a dime a dozen... But precisely this Tulip Family—I even suspect whether this family was truly blessed by the heavens—produced outstanding talents and paragons in every single generation of descendants! Passing down through thirteen generations after the founding, not a single one was waste! Every single Grand Duke was an unrivaled figure of that era on the mainland!

Such an outcome... if the reigning Emperor happened to be a wise ruler, he might be able to see the bigger picture, prioritize the country, or possess outstanding methods of his own to manage such a formidable subject. But once a foolish ruler ascended the throne... if any conflict arose, things would become quite unpredictable.

Things in this world are often just that miraculous; seemingly unrelated events, when linked together, become the key to swaying the overall situation! Even details as small as grains of sand, when placed at a critical juncture, are enough to alter the macro-situation!

The last Grand Duke Luke himself did nothing wrong, and the reigning Emperor at the time, although not a particularly brilliant and martial wise ruler, objectively speaking, was not a foolish ruler either. It's just that... at that time, he had no choice but to move against the Tulip Family! Even if he was unwilling in his heart, he still had to strike! He had to kill him!"

Though Xiya didn't speak, the expression on his face practically spelled out the word "Why."

Kavisil smiled slightly: "It so happened that the Emperor at the time had also experienced a stint of military life in his youth—this is not strange; since the founding of the Byzantine Empire for hundreds of years, the borders were never entirely peaceful, and successive emperors had experiences of personally leading armies into battle. However, that Emperor was special. Although his military career in his youth fell rather short of his predecessors' achievements, he could still be considered a ruler who maintained the realm. It's just that he lacked good fortune; during a military campaign in his youth, he suffered severe injuries. Although it was cured upon his return, it left a lifelong hidden affliction."

"What hidden affliction?"

Kavisil sighed and slowly delivered the answer: "Loss of virility."

Xiya was stunned for a moment, then laughed: "Damn it! Wasn't that extremely unlucky? The dignified Emperor of the Empire actually... actually couldn't do it anymore, damn it?"

"That's nothing much," Kavisil sneered. "It's just that within the imperial family, this sort of thing is no minor matter. Fortunately, that Emperor had already fathered a son in his youth, so he could be considered to have an heir. Thus, even though his body had issues later and he could no longer... it wasn't too much of an impediment. After his injury, knowing he could no longer function, he early on established his only son as the crown prince. At the same time, to secure his son's position and cut off the ambitions of collateral imperial relatives, he didn't even hesitate to find ways to execute his own two full brothers! In this way, his son became the sole successor to the imperial throne.

Such an approach was originally beyond reproach; power struggles within the imperial family are devoid of familial affection across generations! Although this Emperor's methods were somewhat cruel, looking across successive imperial families, which one was ever soft-hearted? But the problem lay squarely in his only son.

Because of accompanying the army on campaigns in his early years, education for that crown prince inevitably suffered some neglect. It is said that the crown prince was overbearing, arrogant, frivolous, and unruly. At a young age, lacking discipline on ordinary days, he had committed who knows how many lawless deeds.

Even more unfortunately, that crown prince was only fourteen years old at the time, yet he offended the one person he should never have offended!"

"Who?" Xiya was indeed listening with rapt attention and subconsciously pursued the question.

"I heard that when the crown prince was fourteen years old, he fell infatuated with the daughter of the last Grand Duke Luke. Unable to obtain her through proper means, he inevitably resorted to some despicable methods—he was naturally a foolish person to begin with, and since the Tulip Family was crucial to the Empire, how could a buffoon like him care about such things? Blinded by lust, feeling that he was the future Emperor, he did as he pleased. Although the Tulip Family was a ducal house, in the eyes of that foolish fellow, they were merely loyal dogs of his imperial family. After repeated entanglements, they finally provoked Grand Duke Luke. It is said that Grand Duke Luke had originally selected a fiance for his daughter, who was also a young talent in the military. However, taking advantage of Grand Duke Luke leading troops on a campaign, that crown prince in Yanjing took advantage of a banquet, feigned intoxication, and harassed the Grand Duke's daughter. When the fiancé of the Grand Duke's daughter stepped forward to intervene, he was beaten half to death and heavily wounded by the crown prince and a few aristocratic wastrel youths leading their guards, and he fell ill and died a few days after returning home.

This incident planted the root of disaster between the imperial family and the Tulip Family. After Grand Duke Luke returned in triumph from his campaign and learned of this matter, he directly broke one of the crown prince's legs in public! Given Grand Duke Luke's capability at the time, even killing the crown prince on the spot would have been a matter of a single thought. Yet, mindful of the duties of a subject to his lord, he still showed restraint. After inflicting a severe punishment, he let the matter rest, hoping that the Emperor would properly discipline the crown prince in the future.

***

Unfortunately, that crown prince was truly a buffoon. After that incident, harboring resentment in his heart, he openly clamored on several private occasions: once he succeeded to the throne, he would uproot the Tulip Family entirely to vent the hatred in his heart.

Just imagine, such an absurdly behaving buffoon—even though these words were spoken in private settings, word inevitably reached the ears of the last Grand Duke Luke. Grand Duke Luke showed no reaction upon hearing it, but when the Emperor learned of his own son's words and actions, he couldn't help but stir thoughts in his mind!

That crown prince was the heir to the throne at the time—and because of the Emperor's physical condition, he could no longer father any other sons. No matter how unsuited that crown prince was, he was the only choice. The imperial throne could only be inherited by him, with no one else beside him.

Yet this future Emperor was at daggers drawn with the Tulip Family! He feared that once he ascended the throne, he really would carry out actions to eradicate the Tulip Family—you must know that in this world, the stupidity of certain people is beyond imagination.

As for the Emperor, no one knows a son better than a father; he naturally knew what kind of goods his own son was. If he died in the future and this son became Emperor and moved against the Tulip Family... with the prestige and power of the Tulip Family within the Empire, how could his buffoon of a son be a match for them? By that time, even if the Tulip Family itself harbored no ambitions of treason, if driven to a desperate corner... it would be hard to say.

Yet despite several deliberate attempts to resolve the hostility, even though Grand Duke Luke had already displayed sufficient magnanimity, that buffoonish crown prince remained unrelenting, never letting go of his obsession for revenge. In the end, with no other recourse left, the Emperor had no choice but to... harden his heart!

Since his own son would surely court disaster in the future, rather than waiting for this son to ascend the throne and seek his own destruction, it was better... to harden his heart while he was still on the throne!

If there had been other candidates for the imperial succession, an emperor who was not entirely foolish would most likely have considered the bigger picture and changed the crown prince candidate, after all, the Tulip Family was far too important to the Empire. But with no replacement available for the crown prince, the only choice was to sacrifice the Tulip Family!

Therefore, finally on that day, a fatal trap was set within the imperial palace! Under a false pretext, the last Grand Duke Luke was lured into the palace for a banquet, then tricked into drinking poisoned wine, followed by an encirclement of top experts and elite soldiers. After a fierce battle, the pillar of the Empire was finally hunted down and killed!

It is said that up to the moment Grand Duke Luke breathed his last, he still could not believe that the Emperor had ordered his execution.

Finally, heavily wounded and exhausted, unable to match them anymore, covered in blood, facing the Emperor, he left behind a few final words."

At this point, Kavisil paused in silence for a long time.

Beside him, the pitiful girl had already turned as pale as a sheet. Although she was a daughter of the imperial family, how could she possibly know such hidden matters?

Meanwhile, Xiya listened with a face full of grief and indignation, blazing with fury: "Shameless! Utterly shameless! What else did the last Grand Duke and that dog of an Emperor have to say?!"

Kavisil smiled bitterly, took a deep breath, and said:

"The Grand Duke asked: After my death, if an enemy invades the realm, who shall resolve it?
The Emperor replied: I shall lead the troops myself to withstand them. Though my strategic talent is inferior to yours, leading troops with the dignity of an Emperor to boost morale should present no major issue.
The Grand Duke asked again: After my death, if someone holds Your Majesty accountable for this, how shall the gain and loss of popular sentiment be resolved?
The Emperor replied: The Grand Duke passed away from illness and met a peaceful end; this matter shall not be spread.
The Grand Duke asked once more: The crown prince lacks virtue; even after killing me, if he acts recklessly in the future, who shall rein him in?
The Emperor remained silent for a long time, then replied: The crown prince is young. Future events may see him become a wise ruler or a foolish one, either is possible... As for future events, they are groundless fabrications (*mo xurou*)."

Hearing this, the Grand Duke let out a long laugh: "Since future events are groundless fabrications, why kill me today?"
The Emperor replied: "I dare not take the risk."

Hearing this, blood streamed from the Grand Duke's eyes as he spoke in a loud voice: "Pity my Tulip Family for four hundred years of loyalty, thirteen generations of loyal souls unscattered! Yet it is cut off by the words 'groundless fabrication'!"

Legend has it that before drawing his final breath, the Grand Duke pointed to the heavens and swore an oath: "The Empire was founded by my Tulip Family, and now that your Krema Family cuts off its own pillar, you will surely meet your retribution! This Empire was created by my Tulip Family, and in the future, it shall likewise perish at the hands of my Tulip Family!"

Having spoken these words, the Grand Duke died with deep resentment."

Having recounted this, Kavisil fell silent, letting out a long sigh and closing his eyes without another word.

Hearing this, Xiya's face turned flushed red, his eyes breathing fire. Suddenly, he slammed his fist hard against the wall and shouted angrily:
"This pisses me off to death!!!! Such a dog of an Emperor! Why on earth did that Tulip Grand Duke show him blind loyalty!! If it were me, I would have rebelled and overthrown the bastards long ago!!"

*(To be continued)*