Chapter 47 Sunset Blood
Her fierce and solemn words, which were almost like an oath, shocked the other three people for a moment. They stared at her for a long time without being able to speak.
The east gradually turned dark blue, and the sudden change and conflict had reached dawn.
After a long while, Li Yingshang held a torch and motioned for Xue Xiyang to follow him. "Let's go. Tell us about your conspiracy with the rebels and the Western Fan army. I'm not from Kucha, so I won't treat you any differently just because of your status."
Xue Xiyang already knew that nothing would end well if he fell into his hands, so he looked calm. He only glanced at Qian Deng, and then looked at Cui Fufeng deliberately.
Obviously, he could surrender, but he would definitely feel dissatisfied if Cui Fufeng, his accomplice, was not punished.
Seeing him like this, Cui Fufeng suppressed his frustration and anger and said, "Xue Xiyang, although the county lord disapproves of my actions, I always have my own clear purpose. Even if I am punished for it, I am willing to do so. But you, a descendant of the prominent Kucha clan, are obsessed with subverting our homeland. You even colluded with foreign enemies out of hatred to plunge our homeland into war. Such behavior is unacceptable!"
"Of course, someone like Cui Shaoqing, who has lived a perfect and smooth life, certainly wouldn't understand my life." Xue Xiyang only looked at Qian Deng and said, "Perhaps, the county lord is the only one in this world who understands my feelings—understanding how painful it is to lose my gentle and smiling mother, my strict and loving father, and my brothers and sisters all in one night! As a son, how could I not seek justice from the King of Kucha and avenge my loved ones?!"
He looked at Qian Deng eagerly and desperately, as if he wanted to find someone to prove that everything he had done was right. Even if he was criticized by thousands of people, as long as there was someone in this world who understood him, he would feel a little comforted.
But Qian Deng just looked at him and shook his head slowly, saying, "No, I don't understand."
She thought of her mother, and how although she was just a woman from the countryside and not very literate, when she understood the truth before her death, she ultimately chose to swallow everything into her stomach.
Just like how she solved all of the prince's conspiracies secretly and without making it known in the Thousand Buddha Cave.
Because, the prince was guilty, but the Tang Dynasty he represented was innocent. In the turbulent times and chaotic court, why should innocent people suffer the ensuing chaos?
"Mr. Xue, my grandfather's fate was similar to yours. But the path he chose was different. Carrying a grudge, he fled far away and returned many years later, not for revenge, but to protect the people of Kucha and safeguard the stability of the northwest. Now, because of your own hatred, you have plunged the entire country into turmoil. Even though the King of Kucha persecuted your family, the prince, nephew, and princess were only innocent children, yet you still want to kill and harm them. How can you be so cruel?"
"What about me? When I escaped from Kucha, I was just a child. Why didn't anyone pity me?"
"Because of this, you should not become the same as your former enemy." Qian Deng said sternly, "Mr. Xue, even though you bear a deep blood feud, hatred should not be washed away with the blood of innocent people! This is not revenge, but deepening your family's sins. From now on, the people of Kucha will only applaud when they mention your family's extermination. From the moment you began the massacre for revenge, your Sunali family was truly destroyed!"
These harsh words gave Xue Xiyang a chill and he stood still.
He suddenly remembered the meaning of what his father said to him when Prince Changhua returned to Kucha: "This is the real way of revenge."
His eyes were blurry, and he muttered, "Am I wrong? For all these years, everything I've longed for, pursued...the things that were etched in my bones and that I refused to give up, were all wrong?"
"Yes, you are indeed wrong." Cui Fufeng beside him spoke slowly, "Do you think that you chose your own life? You have made revenge for your family your life's goal for over twenty years, and you didn't realize the truth behind it?"
"the truth……?"
Xue Xiyang was extremely confused at this time and could only squeeze out two words that sounded like a whisper.
"The county lady said I like to play chess behind the scenes, but in reality, the master who has been hiding behind the scenes and planning the overall situation for twenty years is much more powerful than me." Cui Fufeng approached him and said slowly, "Those rebels who risked their lives to rescue you, since they were able to lurk in the army for so many years, must have had a plan. Obviously, it couldn't be the then-young county lady. Their target must be someone else."
Xue Xiyang looked at him blankly for a long time before he finally managed to find some vague consciousness from his chaotic mind: "Is it me... or should I say, is it the Sunali family...?"
"Yes, the Western Fan intended to march eastward to invade the Tang Dynasty, and Kucha was the strongest obstacle standing in their way. But the current King of Kucha had suffered losses at the hands of the Western Fan in the past. Unable to overcome this tough opponent, the Western Fan had no choice but to cultivate a force capable of countering the royal family and dividing the country. Obviously, your Sunali family was their first choice," Cui Fufeng said in a low, firm voice. "Unfortunately, your family failed at the last moment, leaving them disappointed. They had no choice but to keep you, hoping you could return to Kucha with a blood feud like the King of Changhua. Clearly, your current appearance doesn't satisfy them, so they chose a better candidate—the Princess of Lingling, a descendant of the King of Changhua. You, however, are merely a pawn they've abandoned through revenge, and by now, your usefulness has been completely squeezed out."
His words were so ruthless, yet they clearly revealed the truth behind his fate.
"Is this my whole life..." Xue Xiyang murmured, as if he was unwilling to believe his cruel and ridiculous identity.
He turned his gaze to Qian Deng for help, as if begging her to help him and tell him that Cui Fufeng's judgment was wrong and that this was not his fate.
But Qiandeng looked at him, her gaze calm, clear, and cruel under the first rays of the blue sky at dawn: "Mr. Xue, I hope you will turn back from your mistakes. Don't be obsessed with a past controlled by hatred. Don't continue to harm the people of your homeland, and don't become a sinner who will be infamous for eternity."
"But I... I am already a sinner of Kucha. The Sunali family and I will forever live in condemnation, with no hope of redemption..."
Li Yingshang, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly spoke up and said, "No, you have an opportunity right in front of you."
A ray of light suddenly appeared in Xue Xiyang's dark and desperate eyes, as if he had grabbed a life-saving straw.
"The remaining Western Fan army should only have 20% to 30% of its strength left, but our Beiting army is unfamiliar with the terrain of Anxi, making it difficult to quickly locate and eliminate their remaining forces." Li Yingshang gestured towards the vast mountains and rivers outside the Kucha royal city. "If you can provide us with the exact location and help us cut off their continued aggression, we can ensure peace and stability in Kucha for ten or even several decades. By then, while you and the Sunali family may not be able to clear your name, I will at least help you improve your reputation and let the world know your family's difficulties and hardships. Let others judge your right and wrong."
After all, his family had already made a big mistake, and it couldn't be reversed no matter what.
"Yes, my Sunali clan first rebelled and surrendered to the enemy, then colluded with foreign tribes to massacre the Kucha royal family. The only thing we can do is to make amends for our crimes and do our best to make amends..."
Xue Xiyang gazed westward at the mountains beyond and murmured, "Let's go! When it comes to the deployment of the rebels and the Western Fan army, no one knows it better than a spy like me."
Although he had suddenly encountered a great change and seemed to have come to his senses, Cui Fufeng still gave Li Yingshang a look, indicating that he should be careful when he knew that Li Yingshang was going to take them to the gathering place of the Western Fan Army.
Li Yingshang nodded slightly, quickly mobilized the Shuofang soldiers, and assigned them respective tasks.
By this time, daybreak had arrived, and the accompanying soldiers were awaiting orders to assemble. Suddenly, amidst the whistling morning breeze, the desolate, mournful sound of a xiao (a Chinese pipa) was heard.
It was the Kucha soldiers who had come with the Thousand Lanterns, playing their own pipes as they waited. The Kucha people were the most talented singers and dancers in the Western Regions, and on the eve of the final battle, they still played a tune.
"This is the war song of Kucha. Before going to the battle, the Kucha warriors, with the determination to die, often sing it..." Xue Xiyang, who was not far from her, listened quietly for a while, and then sang the song with the soldiers in his voice that was rarely matched in the world.
I died in the mountains, and looked at the clouds of my hometown again.
I died in the river and drank the water of my hometown again.
I died in a foreign land, but my soul returned.
I died in my hometown, and I will never leave it...
This tragic song penetrated the desert. Under the rising sun, among the wild grass, hundreds of people sang in unison. Their rough voices stimulated each other, creating a desolate and vast atmosphere.
Qiandeng felt uncontrollable tears in her eyes, as if she saw her grandfather singing this song on the blood-stained battlefield when he led the soldiers to defend the country, rushing to the front without hesitation, even though she knew that what was waiting for him might very well be death.
Hometown, the place her ancestors had protected with their blood. Now, it was her turn to shoulder the heavy responsibility and do her best for it.
The departure horn had already sounded. Xue Xiyang stopped singing, suddenly turned around and smiled at Qian Deng, saying, "Look, County Lady, I finally escaped, but after traveling thousands of miles, I finally returned to my hometown. A wandering soul...will eventually return."
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