Wen Chenghuan said, "Your father spent thirty years in Great Kang, building a career and a family, marrying and having children, until at last I rose above the crowd and reached the rank of a first-grade official. But not for a single moment did I forget my mission, nor did I ever forget my homeland!" As emotion overtook him, his eyes reddened. For thirty years, he had swallowed humiliation and borne his burden, enduring loneliness and isolation beyond what ordinary people could imagine. Even before those closest and dearest to him, he could not reveal the truth. Only now, with the time finally ripe, could he share with his son the secret that had weighed on his heart for so many years.
Wen Boyuan said, "Father, are you saying... I... our surname was originally Li?"
Wen Chenghuan nodded. "The Li Family of Great Yong. The Duke of Jing's Residence in Mingjia Alley, on Kaiyuan Street in the Yong Capital-that is our home."
Wen Boyuan's chest heaved violently, and even breathing became difficult. Everything had changed in an instant. He could scarcely imagine what kind of endurance a man needed to lie low in a foreign land for thirty years. "My grandfather..."
Wen Chenghuan said, "Your grandfather passed away fifteen years ago. I never even got to see him one last time... Truly, I was an unfilial son..." Whenever he thought of this, he could only sigh in sorrow.
Wen Boyuan said, "Father, since ancient times, loyalty and filial duty have seldom both been fulfilled. Grandfather's spirit in heaven would surely understand your predicament."
Wen Chenghuan said, "I have always kept this secret buried in my heart, waiting until the day you truly became a grown man before telling you your origins. Great Kang's allotted days are spent; it is only