26 Will of the Heavens

The next evening after dinner, Tian Ao was in Prince Rui's study. The prince was sitting down at his desk, writing something furiously while his son stood in front of him. Tian Ao's hands were behind his back, his expression placid. It had not been long, but he already well understood this father of his. Prince Rui was in his 40's, but the years had not taken away his looks. The only true indicator of his age was the lines between his brows. This was not a man who laughed often. He commanded attention even if he was sitting and not saying a word like right now.

"Repeat your words for this prince." Every word was calm and measured, revealing nothing of his inner state.

"Tian Ao thanks Prince Rui for his favor and generosity, but cannot abandon my family after so many years together. I wish only to return to Northern Xi with my foster father. We have troubled Your Highness enough."

"If I were to really allow you to do so, would that not be truly abandoning your family?" Prince Rui sneered. "Just a common merchant's family in a lesser nation. Are you so desperate to return?"

Tian Ao clenched his jaw and breathed in deeply before replying, "I am not worthy of being Prince Rui-shizi. I know nothing of Eastern Wei nor its politics. You already have a son whom you have given the best education and care. Why insist on keeping one so useless as me?"

"This prince is the one who will decide on who is useful to me." Prince Rui had not looked up once yet during this conversation. "Besides, I have heard that you haven't spoken a word to that 'foster father' these days."

Tian Ao frowned. "Merely a small quarrel. It is nothing to bother the prince over."

"Oh? He has displeased you so and yet you still wish to return to Northern Xi with him? I wonder if you realize what all he has done."

"What do you mean?"

Prince Rui finally looked up, realizing that Tian Ao had taken the bait. "I have reason to believe that Tian Ren was involved in your being taken to Northern Xi."

"Impossible! Father would--" Tian Ao stopped his words, realizing he'd misstepped. "My foster father may not have told me that I was adopted, but I don't believe that he had a hand in...those matters." Tian Ao had done a lot of investigation of his own in these last few days. He was angry with his father, but he knew deep down that Tian Ren probably had his own reasons for not being totally honest with him. This was Prince Rui trying to drive a wedge between them in order to convince him to stay in Yinchuan.

Prince Rui rose from his seat and walked around the desk to clap a hand on Tian Ao's shoulder. An easy smile was on his face. "My son, you are naive. It is my fault for not having been at your side to raise you. But all that can and will change now. Will you not abide by this prince's wishes?"

This abrupt face-change caught Tian Ao off guard. Prince Rui seemed truly sincere. In the end, Prince Rui was his actual father. What parent wouldn't want their child to stay by their side? Tian Ao sympathized, but he had to stick to his principles. From his many conversations with Yi Cheng Rui, he'd grasped how messy the current political climate was in Eastern Wei. He wanted no part of that sort of life. "I... I cannot. However, I promise that I will visit often... Father." Tian Ao fumbled his words, unsure of how to address Prince Rui. Was "Father" too casual? He bowed his head in embarrassment. "I mean no disrespect, Prince Rui."

Prince Rui's smile froze, but he recovered before Tian Ao could see. He said some empty words, saying that he understood and that Tian Ao was truly filial, and so on. Tian Ao left, feeling somewhat gratified and relieved. As soon as the door to the study was closed, however, Prince Rui's face darkened. His lips curved into a sinister smile. "If you will not obey, then don't blame this prince for being ruthless!" The servants in the room all pretended not to hear, but they trembled like leaves in the wind regardless of their best efforts.

Starting the next day, a terrible chain of events shook the capital. The surprising catalyst was a nondescript middle-aged woman who came to the judicial office. She was sobbing as she revealed that in the past, she served as a wet nurse for a young woman who was the daughter of some minor fifth-ranked official. This young woman had been a bedwarmer of Prince Rui, but when she discovered that she was pregnant, she feared that Princess Rui would harm her child so she left the estate and gave birth on her own.

She originally had been satisfied to just raise the baby boy on her own, free from having to compete with the prince's concubines and wife. However, when she learned that the princess consort was also about to give birth and that this child would be Prince Rui's heir if male... Who knew why, but dark emotions had overpowered this young woman. She'd been the one to bribe that maid at Prince Rui's estate to switch the babies. She wanted the other baby killed so that no one would ever know what she'd done, but who knew that the maid would be eaten up by guilt and unable to carry her orders out to the end? The maid colluded with Tian Ren to instead whisk the child away to Northern Xi.

At least the heavens had eyes and this malicious young woman had taken ill and died not long after, but this old wet nurse was still living each day in a torment of conscience and could bear it no longer. After telling her story, the woman ran at full speed into a stone pillar at the judicial office, dashing her brains out and dying on the spot. This all but proved her words to be true. How else would a mere woman have such will?

So Wei Hong Sheng's real mother was a deranged bedwarmer? So Tian Ren had not merely found the abandoned Tian Ao but actively plotted against Prince Rui to take the baby? There was a lot to take in. The officials in court clamored for the emperor to do something about these matters. Prince Rui was in tears as he begged the emperor, "Royal Brother, you must help this prince get justice! My wife is refusing to eat or sleep, she is so upset over these matters! I cannot believe that my son has been raised all these years by such an animal! It is a miracle he is even still alive!"

Who knew what the Holy One truly thought inside, but at least on the surface, the emperor was enraged on Prince Rui and Tian Ao's behalf and immediately had Tian Ren and that minor official's family thrown into prison while he had the Ministry of Justice investigate these matters from top to bottom. A deluge of evidence was squeezed out from somewhere, painting an awful picture. This matter even implicated the royal family of Northern Xi. Could this whole thing be a plot against Eastern Wei itself?

Since coming to Eastern Wei, Tian Ren had gone from being a respected, wealthy merchant to a foster father to a treasonous kidnapper. He knelt in his prison cell without saying a word no matter how much they tortured and interrogated him. Tian Ren was in a rather sorry state, but he was clear that no matter what he said or did not say, the matter was set. His only regret was that in the end, Tian Ao had not believed in his character. He had not been able to clear things up with him since the day they'd argued at that restaurant. That alone made him unwilling to resign himself before seeing his son once more.

Tian Ren knew himself, knew what he'd done and not done. His conscience was clear and he could not be hurt by others misunderstanding him, but his son... He only wanted Tian Ao to understand the heart of this father who'd loved and cherished the young man as if he were his own flesh and blood for nearly two decades.

It was truly unfortunate and tragic that the heavens were so fickle and would not allow Tian Ren's wish to be granted.