Chapter 1602: An impasse
Translator: Misty Cloud Translations Editor: Misty Cloud Translations
Sima You Yue looked directly at Tao Yi Xuan, saying, “To you, finding someone is a simple task. However, this is of utmost importance to me. And for me, though your situation is difficult, it’s not impossible.”
Tao Yi Xuan was shocked. This was the first time he had seen a lady with such confidence. Her confidence was equivalent to a hot knife cutting through an ice cold world.
It was like something was different.
“Alright. I promise you.” He nodded his head, “Help me snatch back my position as Young Master, and I’ll help you find your people. At the same time, I can also promise you one other thing.”
When he saw that Sima You Yue was going to say something, he waved his hand, “I have never enjoyed owing someone something, so I will promise you one more thing. Of course, it has to be within the realm of my abilities.”
“Alright.” Sima You Yue didn’t push it either, however the way she looked at him changed as well.
This kind of person was rather sincere afterall.
“Right now, you can tell me what your situation is. I have to know everything no matter how small. Only then can I think of a way. I’m thinking that you probably don’t know who’s the one hurting you from the shadows?” Sima You Yue said.
“Yes, but also no.” Tao Yi Xuan said.
“Eh?”
“I know who poisoned me, but I don’t know who’s the one behind that person.” Tao Yi Xuan said.
“Why not?”
Inside these types of clans, it was usually obvious who was on whose side, right?
“Because the person is my foster father.” Tao Yi Xuan’s voice trembled a little when he spoke about his foster father.
“Foster father?” Sima You Yue recalled that they did call him a bastard before.
“Mm. My father was killed by a group of people and was poisoned as he was escaping. He met my mother and the two of them got intimate, and I was born from that one incident. Despite this, my mother did not know, and she didn’t wish for it either. Hence, she took the jade that hung around his waist and left. At that time, my father had a wife already and his mind was not clear. That was why he didn’t bother about this when he woke up.” This meant that he really was an illegitimate child.
“Then how did you end up returning to the clan?” Sima You Yue asked.
“My mother passed away a few years after giving birth to me. Before she died, she handed me to a good friend of hers, getting him to nurture me till I was older. She also told him about my identity. Initially, my mother did not know about my father’s identity. However, she found out once later on but still didn’t send me back. After my foster father found out about my identity, he fulfilled my mother’s wishes and didn’t take me back unless he had no other choice. That was why, all the way until I was over twenty years old, I did not know about my identity. However, the year I turned twenty five, the Tao clan found me and said they wanted to take me back to acknowledge my roots. Later on, I found out that my father’s son had died. He heard that there was someone who had taken his jade token and recalled the passionate night, so he sent men to find me. He knew that my talent was rather good, and adding on to that the fact that the position of Young Master was not stable, so it was a big problem that he had no son.”
“Hence, you returned.” Sima You Yue said confidently.
“That’s right. Although he never raised me, he was still my father after all. Because of a few reasons, I was his only son and he couldn’t bear to be attacked for having no son.” Tao Yi Xuan said, “As such, my foster father said that he would return with me. At that time, I thought that as long as I was able to be with my foster father, it would be the same no matter where I was. I never thought…”
“You never thought that your father would plot against you?” Sima You Yue asked.
“How did you know?”
“Because when you mentioned your foster father, your voice was rather conflicted. Also, you’re rather brilliant. No matter who it was that harmed you, you would probably be able to guess who it was. Since you’re unable to figure it out, it should have been someone you never expected.” Sima You Yue said, “You returned to the clan with the identity of an illegitimate child, and hindered the interests of others. At that time, your situation must have been extremely complicated. Your foster father was with you for such a long time, so you would have been completely unprepared for his attack. Am I right?”
Tao Yi Xuan looked down. He didn’t deny her guess.
Sima You Yue was rather empathetic. It was no wonder that he had more grief than anger when he spoke about this. To be betrayed by someone who was like family would be hard to bear no matter who it was.
“Did your foster father not contact anyone before?”
“If he did, I would have been able to guess who the one behind it was. However, he was with me most of the time and was rarely alone. That’s why I just can’t understand why he would betray me.” Tao Yi Xuan clenched his fists so tightly that his fingernails dug into his palms, drawing blood.
Sima You Yue sighed. She stepped forward and held his hand, pulling his fingers away.
“Since he raised you from young, this life of yours can be considered as repayment for his kindness for nurturing you. Once you see him again, you no longer have to hold back. Just take your revenge as you will.” Sima You Yue said slowly.
Tao Yi Xuan lowered his head and looked at her fingers. Her fair fingertips dripped with his blood and were extremely striking.
“You’re right. He was the one who raised me. If not for him, I would not have been able to live until now. I will take it as repayment for him raising me.” He quickly kept his feelings away and his voice was light, not betraying his moodiness.
Sima You Yue did not counsel him anymore as she stood up and said, “Alright, let’s talk about other things.”
“What else do you need to know?”
“The structure of the Tao Clan, how many branches you have, who the representatives are. If you fall, who would be the one to gain the most. I’m guessing that you should know the answer to these things?” Sima You Yue said.
“If I die, the one who should gain the most should be my father.”
“What?!” This was the first time that Sima You Yue was shocked.
A bitter smile leaked onto Tao Yi Xuan’s face, “Because my father didn’t settle some things well, he brought some losses to the clan. That was why there were people who requested for him to step down and to let me take over as Patriarch.”
“You aren’t close to your father, I guess?” Sima You yue guessed.
“He was a childhood sweetheart with his current partner, and their feelings run deep. As for her, she requested to be a pair all their life. My father feels like my existence is a stain on his vow to her. At that time, he made me return because the circumstances demanded it. How could it be possible that he would be close to me.”
Sima You Yue had a deep sense of sympathy for him. His life was already hard enough, but his old father had disdained him and he was suppressed by the original madame. It was truly… rather tragic!
“Mm, I understand. Let’s talk about other things.”
“Alright. For the Tao Clan, apart from the main branch, there are three more.”
“Of those three branches, do any support you?”
“… No.”
Sima You Yue pursed her lips. Not a single branch supported him. Just how desolate was this guy’s life?
How in the world did he live?!
“Based on your situation, if you died, every single person would stand to gain! In your situation, even if you returned, it would be hard for you to snatch the position of Patriarch.” Sima You Yue directly attacked Tao Yi Xuan’s achilles heel.