47. I recognize you as my sworn brother.

◎Has the young master recognized the eldest princess as his sworn sister?◎

"Sima Hong, have you ever regretted it?" Qi Gu stared at Sima Hong with her dark, round eyes.

She thought that the things from her past life should stay in the past life, but she didn't expect that Sima Hong would also be reborn. In her past life, Sima Hong was somewhat responsible for her death, but not much, so although she resented him, she didn't want to be his mortal enemy.

However, the things he has done since his rebirth could easily lead her to misunderstand, to have the illusion that he regrets it, blames himself, and that he likes her to some extent.

She was mistaken about knowing all this; perhaps Sima Hong had only recently been reborn and hadn't grasped the situation yet.

That's fine. It's a good opportunity to clear things up with Sima Hong once and for all. She doesn't want to become enemies with him, as that would be a bad thing. But she also won't be chasing after him like she did in her previous life. Whether he's not used to it or hasn't come to his senses yet, she needs to remind him.

Qi Gu's clear, unreserved gaze struck Sima's heart, causing him to tremble. She didn't hate him, and there was no love left in her eyes.

Sima Hong's carriage was not cramped; in fact, it could be described as very spacious and comfortable. However, the atmosphere inside the carriage was far from pleasant. Rain pattered against the carriage's exterior, and both the interior and exterior were stuffy and oppressive.

Sima Hong never regretted that decision. What he did was to end the palace coup at the lowest possible cost and minimize the turmoil brought to the Jin Dynasty by the change of imperial power.

Sacrificing a little princess can both stabilize the country and save the common people from further chaos.

She was just a princess, just a... wife.

"Xiuyuan, you must remember that you bear the heavy responsibility of ensuring the prosperity of the Sima family. Your vision cannot be focused on one person, and your love cannot be narrow-minded and limited to just one person. The Sima family's ancestral teaching is to love all people, do you understand?"

This was his grandfather's teaching to him. At that time, the world was in chaos and war was raging. The Sima clan went into hiding as a whole. His grandfather often looked at the entrance of their secluded village with a complicated gaze.

When he was a child, he once asked his grandfather, "Grandpa, why are you always looking out at the village entrance? Are you waiting for someone?"

Grandfather stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes filled with a mixture of arrogance and disdain. “Xiuyuan, the reason our Sima family has survived for centuries is because of the Sima family’s art—the art of governing the country. Our family’s mission and responsibility is to teach emperors and guide them to use our art of governing the country. The Sima family lives in seclusion here not because we are afraid of death, but because we have more important things to do. Xiuyuan, you must remember that the future glory and inheritance of the Sima family depend on you. You must prove to the world that the Sima family does not rely on brute force; we have our own principles and methods.”

Later, just as my grandfather had predicted, once the country was settled, Emperor Yuan of Jin and Empress Zhang immediately sought them out and asked my grandfather to come out of seclusion to assist them. The Sima family became the first aristocratic family to be invited out of seclusion by the new dynasty.

He resolutely carried out his grandfather's teachings, taking every step to bring prosperity to the Great Jin Dynasty and prove to the world that the Sima family was not cowardly or spineless. They would use their own principles and methods to prove to the world that they would stand tall forever and remain the most prosperous family in the dynasty.

He walked firmly on the path his grandfather had described, his gaze never lingering elsewhere.

Even after marrying Qi Gu, he initially only saw it as a task, a duty to bind himself to Empress Zhang and to solidify the succession of imperial power. He believed that these were things he should do.

Outside, the wind and rain were raging. After Qi Gu finished asking her question, Sima Hong fell silent. Qi Gu's eyes lingered on the door of the carriage in front. "Sima Hong, you have never regretted your choice. So what have you been doing all this time for?"

"I have never resented you. I only blame myself for being too foolish. After being reborn, I have thought a lot. In my previous life, you and Mother reminded me countless times not to enter the palace, but I was still foolishly tricked into it. I guess I must have disrupted your plans, and in the end, you and Mother must have made the decision out of desperation." Qi Gu has thought about many things repeatedly since her rebirth.

The more she thought about it, the more she felt that she was really not suitable for living in the palace. She was not smart, easily deceived, had no sense of strategy, and lacked any lofty ambitions or political vision. She would only be a burden to her mother.

Her leaving the capital to live in her fiefdom was the best outcome for her, her mother, her brother, and even Sima Hong.

Qi Gu focused her gaze and turned to Sima Hong with certainty, "Is that right?"

"Who is it?" Sima Hong's voice was frosty.

"It doesn't matter who it is anymore. After I die, you have achieved your ambitions, the glory of the Sima family, and the prosperity of the Great Jin Dynasty."

Indeed, as Qi Gu said, after the palace coup, he and Empress Zhang ruthlessly purged the Guo family. The emperor died three months later, and the eldest prince ascended the throne. He was in poor health, so he and Empress Zhang handled most of the court affairs.

During Empress Zhang's reign, the Jin Dynasty was stable and prosperous. The Xiongnu's only two invasions were also repelled. After that, the Jin Dynasty was stable both internally and externally, and the people were well-fed and clothed.

The good times didn't last long. Five years later, the eldest prince, Chu Xiaoyan, who had become Emperor Ming of Jin, also died of illness. He and Empress Zhang stabilized the court again and supported his child to ascend the throne.

For a full twenty years, the Jin Dynasty was free from both internal and external troubles. The Sima family returned to the pinnacle of aristocratic families, and who would dare to say anything more about the Sima family's decision to retire into seclusion back then?

Between the greater good of the nation and a woman, the relative importance is obvious. There's nothing to regret, so why would there be any regret...

But he dreamed more and more frequently of the woman who was always by the window, her almond-shaped eyes looking at him with a pitiful expression. In his dreams, she called him "husband," and she stood in the distance, asking him to save her. This dream kept repeating itself...

"Sima Hong, what else do you want?" Qi Gu asked coldly.

"We are husband and wife." He looked at Qi Gu with tender eyes. They were husband and wife. He had only ever had her as his wife. Even if he was reborn, so what? He was reborn. He still had the memories of his previous life. So she would always be his wife. That would never change. He had a responsibility to protect her.

"Heh~" Qi Gu laughed in anger. "Sima Hong, you seem to have forgotten that was in your past life. I advise you to wake up and stop doing those pointless things. Do you intend to kill me again in this life?!"

“Aunt Qi, it was an accident in the last life. This time, I will not let anyone hurt you again. I will make it up to you.”

Sima Hong's eyes, which were like an ancient pool, finally showed a ripple. Since he felt guilty towards her, he would not let the accident happen again in this lifetime. In this lifetime, Qi Gu would definitely live to be a hundred years old.

"Sima Hong, why don't you understand? What I want is a husband who loves me, someone I can share everything with, someone I can discuss my problems with, someone who can walk with me for a while. But you, Sima Hong, do you love me? You only married me out of necessity. Your world is too big to contain a tiny me. If we force ourselves to stay together, we will only repeat the tragedy of our past life!"

For some reason, Sima Hong felt a pang of pain in his heart. He had never felt this way before, not even when he made that decision back then!

"Sima Hong, I don't hate you anymore. Let's each go our own way in this life. May you have a bright future, and may I have a peaceful and prosperous life. Of course, I also hope that you will have a peaceful and prosperous life. Let's call it even and go our separate ways." After all, his mother's younger brother still needed his assistance.

Sima Hong thought that after Qi Gu finished saying these words, he should be relieved and go his separate ways with her. He thought that Qi Gu didn't hate him and that their relationship was now over.

But for some reason, he said, "No, Aunt Qi, I think you might not understand. The reason I did these things is because I owe you. It is my responsibility to compensate you and protect you." Yes, that's right, it was his responsibility. Sima Hong found a reason for saying these words and doing these things.

Qi Gu breathed a sigh of relief. Sima Hong was a man of high moral character; he was a true gentleman and a true defender of morality. In her previous life, her death was, after all, somewhat related to him, so he couldn't immediately tell whether it was guilt or something else.

This put Qi Gu at ease. If it was compensation, she would be more than willing. Compensation from the head of the Sima family would be much more useful than her title of princess.

Qi Gu patted her chest. "Lord Sima, you should have said so earlier! So you wanted to make it up to me. That's great. From now on, my father and I will be under your protection."

Qi Gu thought that since she might as well use Sima Hong, she made a bold suggestion: "Why don't I recognize you as my sworn brother, and we can call each other brother and sister from now on? If I ever need anything from you, please don't refuse."

After saying that, Aunt Qi added, "Don't worry, I definitely won't let you help me with those illegal and criminal things. That way, you can compensate me, and we won't have any unnecessary misunderstandings."

Qi Gu thought her suggestion was excellent. This way, Gao Ruyu wouldn't cause her any trouble, and she could marry Sima Hong smoothly, allowing her to return to her fiefdom with her father as she wished.

With the Empress Dowager receiving the unwavering support of Sima Hong and the Gao family, her younger brother's path to becoming the Crown Prince would naturally be smooth sailing, making it a truly happy ending for everyone.

Qi Gu was engrossed in the brilliant idea she had come up with, unaware that Sima Hong's cold and stern face appeared gloomy in the dimly lit carriage. He thought that Qi Gu's suggestion was quite good, but for some reason, he didn't want to agree.

"Whoa~~~" The carriage stopped in front of the palace gate, and A Xiang's voice came from outside: "My lord, we have arrived."

"Let's go, you should return to the palace."

Sima Hong alighted from the carriage. Tall and elegant, he stood before it and reached out to help Qi Gu down, but Qi Gu smiled and said, "Brother Sima, no need for you to trouble yourself, look..."

With a nimble leap, Qi Gu landed steadily on the ground. The rain had stopped, but puddles of water remained on the ground. As Qi Gu jumped, some of the water splashed up and landed on her skirt.

She seemed unconcerned, looking up at the gray sky. Because she had finally resolved a heavy burden that had weighed on her for two lifetimes, her eyes shone with joy. "This rain is good!" It would not only irrigate the crops but also help her and Sima Hong resolve their differences.

Qi Gu thought she had reached an agreement with Sima Hong, and she happily curtsied slightly. "Brother Sima, the past cannot be changed. In the future, we will all have a bright future..." Qi Gu showed a sincere smile.

Then he waved to the wild geese and swans, saying, "Wild geese, swans, let's go back to the palace."

Sima Hong looked at Qi Gu, who was walking briskly, her skirt billowing in the wind, so free and happy, jogging away in the opposite direction from him.

Ah Xiang, who was standing to the side, grasped the key point after listening to Qi Gu's words: "Brother Sima? Has the young master recognized the eldest princess as his sworn sister?"

This isn't right. Looking at his young master, he doesn't seem like the type to want to be someone's older brother. Ah Xiang's eyes widened; he seemed to have discovered a tremendous secret!

[Author's Note]

Ah Xiang: I'm so late, it's a huge mess.

Qi Gu: Let's celebrate, today I got a great guy! [doge emoji]

Sima Hong: Who wants to be your good older brother? [Angry]