Douluo Dalu II—Chapter 84: The Notorious Dai Hao
Huo Yuhao's voice rang out, sharp and accusatory. "Dai Hao, you probably don't care about my mother at all. You didn't even know you had a son, yet you expect me to remind you?"
Dai Hao's expression turned complicated. "But all along, no one told me that Yun'er had given birth to a child. I was deceived. Yuhao, you are my son after all. Change your surname back to Dai and return to the Duke's Mansion. Yun'er has always been the woman I loved deeply. As the fruit of my love for her, I will treat you well."
Shaking his head, Huo Yuhao replied firmly, "Deceived? As a man who leads troops in battle, can you be so easily misled? From where I stand, it seems you deliberately ignored my mother. And as for changing back to the surname 'Dai' and returning to the Duke's Mansion? Forget it! If you genuinely loved her, why didn't you give her a title? She's just a maid! You know she loved you until the moment she died. You are a noble; don't you understand what being a maid means? You weren't even willing to give her the position of concubine! How dare you say that you love my mother deeply? Bah, you make me sick!"
Dai Hao fell silent, guilt washing over him. After a moment, he closed his eyes with evident pain. "Yuhao, I'm sorry. This is all my fault. I'm sorry for Yun'er and for you."
The audience buzzed with excitement, captivated by the intense scene unfolding before the finals—far more thrilling than the competition itself.
Who is Dai Hao? The esteemed White Tiger Duke, sought after by many in the Star Luo Empire for his favor. Yet even someone of his stature was forced to admit his mistakes.
Gossiping among themselves, the audience was fascinated by the family drama. Murmurs began to ripple through the crowd.
"Since Huo Yuhao is the son of the White Tiger Duke, he must be a citizen of Star Luo. But why is he now a contestant on the Sun Moon Team? Isn't this a betrayal of the Star Luo Empire? The person we should admire is the White Tiger Duke, loyal to the emperor and patriotic. Given these facts, is Huo Yuhao truly innocent?"
Understanding the scrutiny, Huo Yuhao cleared his throat and began to explain. "I know many of you question my current identity. In truth, my life in the Duke's Mansion was unbearable."
He then detailed the numerous wrongs that the Duchess and her son had inflicted on Huo Yun'er and himself.
As he spoke, the audience's sympathy for Huo Yuhao grew. Through his words, it became clear that the lives of this mother and son in the Duke's Mansion were far worse than those of the servants.
For such a young boy, enduring the Duchess's oppression daily, and seeking escape elsewhere was natural.
The only refuge beyond the Duchess's influence was the Sun Moon Empire.
Whispers resumed among the viewers.
"That damned Dai Huabin! I will spit on his grave next time I pass by it!"
"You dare to say such things? You're going to regret that!"
Meanwhile, Dai Hao trembled slightly. Upon hearing of Huo Yun'er and Huo Yuhao's tragic experiences in the Duke's Mansion over the years, his eyes glistened with unshed tears.
"I'm sorry. I am truly sorry to Yun'er and you."
He looked at Dai Yueheng, who stood nearby. "Yueheng, did you know about Yuhao's existence as well?"
Dai Yueheng was silent for a moment before replying, "I knew, Father. However, he looks quite different now. If he hadn't revealed his identity, I wouldn't have recognized him."
Anger flared in Dai Hao. He kicked Dai Yueheng to the ground. "You knew about him and didn't tell me? Do you still consider me your father? You are a scoundrel! If I had known about Yuhao's existence earlier, I would never have allowed them to suffer like this!"
Huo Yuhao sneered, "Stop pretending, Dai Hao! Since I was born, I have never seen you visit my mother. Even if you knew she didn't have a child if you truly loved her, wouldn't you have at least checked on her?"
"My mother died when I was ten years old. After her death, I stayed in the Duke's Mansion for another year. That means that for the past ten years, you never once came to visit her. If you had seen her during that time, she would have told you about my existence!"
"As the White Tiger Duke, you wield absolute authority in the Duke's Mansion. While I understand that you were busy with your duties, could you have been so busy that you didn't have time to see my mother even once in ten years? Although the Duchess later confined my mother to the woodshed under the pretense of a serious illness, if you loved her, wouldn't you have checked on her? Ten years! Do you know how my mother spent that time?"
Dai Hao, usually so articulate, found himself speechless in front of Huo Yuhao, guilt written all over his face.
The audience remained stunned.
"Dai Hao, the despicable man in the Star Luo Empire, has failed to contact Huo Yuhao's mother for ten years. After he put on his pants, he refused to recognize her! No wonder Huo Yuhao escaped the Duke's Mansion! If I were him, I'd run away too. This scumbag father is truly outrageous."
"Yeah, I didn't expect the White Tiger Duke to be like this. Ladies, be wary in the future and avoid men with this kind of character! After the competition, I'll go back and spread the word about Dai Hao's despicable behavior!"
Xu Jiawei's expression darkened. From this moment on, Dai Hao's reputation lay in ruins.
For a man leading troops into battle, reputation was everything. A commander with a tarnished reputation would demoralize his men.
To outsiders, Dai Hao appeared incompetent in managing his family. Despite proclaiming his deep love, he hadn't even visited the woman he claimed to care for during her illness. He came off as utterly hypocritical.
Although Xu Jiawei believed there was more to Dai Hao, public perception held significant weight.
Turning his attention back to Huo Yuhao, Xu Jiawei said, "Yuhao, Dai Hao did make mistakes, but at the end of the day, you are still father and son. Regardless of how this competition turns out, would you be willing to stay in the Star Luo Empire and serve? I know you view it as a place filled with bad memories. However, if you feel that way, you should stay and help build it. You may have been a Sun Moon person before, but now that you're here, you can become a Star Luo person too!"
Xu Jiawei sought to restore Dai Hao's reputation. If Huo Yuhao were willing to return and reconcile with him, he was confident he could craft the narrative of a prodigal father returning to his lost son.
Huo Yuhao was taken aback, not expecting Xu Jiawei to suggest this. He shook his head in refusal. "Your Majesty, no matter where I am, I am still a Sun Moon person."
In truth, he held little regard for Xu Jiawei, considering the Duchess to be his daughter. Though Dai Hao's wife was from the Zhu family, the original novel indicated that the Duchess was one of the favored daughters of the current Emperor of the Star Luo Empire.
Without the Star Luo Imperial family as her background, the Duchess would not have been so arrogant.
___
Support me on [patreon.com/Thebeginning331] for access to advanced chapters and exclusive content
(End of this chapter)