"Brother, do you believe in past lives and present lives?"
Situ Ye looked at Mu Lige dimly. The nearly 1.9-meter-tall man sobbed in sorrow, tears streaming down his face.
"Past life and present life?"
Mu Lige looked at Situ Ye with a stern expression, puzzled. His second brother was acting strangely tonight. First, he asked a lot about Zhaoyang State, but now he was so sentimental...
"Could it be that you are saying..."
Mu Lige recalled how Situ Ye had been overcome with emotion when he heard Tian Lang was accused of treason, and how his face had been filled with grief and anger when she mentioned that Tian Lang's family had been beheaded and their entire clan had been exterminated. Suddenly, a certain suspicion struck Mu Lige.
"Brother, I'm sure you already know my identity. Yes, I am Situ Xuanye, the legitimate son of Situ Luoyun, the current Prime Minister of Laifeng State. My uncle is Situ Mingting, one of the four noble princes of the current emperor.
Since the death of Empress Feng Lingyan sixteen years ago, the Emperor has not appointed another Empress. For the past sixteen years, the harem has been controlled by the eldest princess, Nalan Junxue's father, the Imperial Noble Ouyang Yichen.
Three years ago, my uncle took a fancy to the 200,000 troops under the command of Xiahou Jing, the Prince of Pingxi, and wanted to increase his bargaining chips for his daughter, the current third princess Nalan Qiudi, in the fight for the throne. So he persuaded my father Yuwen Tianqi to betroth me to Xiahou Yu, the daughter of the Prince of Pingxi.
My father, who lived in a wealthy family, had no idea that Xiahou Yu was not a good person.
I have a friend who's Xia Houyu's cousin. He once told me in secret that Xia Houyu only appears to be a modest lady, but in reality, she's full of thieves and prostitutes. She even... even secretly keeps a number of male and female prostitutes...
My father once mentioned the idea of a marriage with the Prince of Pingxi to my mother, but she immediately rebuked him. But my foolish father, behind my mother's back, agreed to my marriage with Xiahou Yu to Shangguan Lie, the Prince of Pingxi's husband, in front of the noble Lord, Situ Mingting.
My mother, not wanting me to become a victim of the imperial princesses' struggle for power, hinted at me staying away from the troubled waters of the capital. Finally, one dark night, with my mother's intentional or unintentional help, I left the Prime Minister's residence, evading the eyes and ears of everyone in the palace.
Although my mother sent two guards to protect me secretly at the beginning, we encountered robbers when we passed through a barren mountain. They were all killed in order to protect me.
After escaping the bandits, I ran aimlessly in a random direction. Unexperienced in the world of martial arts, I was deceived and robbed of all my money and valuables. By chance, I arrived at Huaqiao Village, fainted from hunger at the village entrance, and was picked up by Hua Qingcheng, who was passing by. You probably know what happened next.
Mu Lige nodded upon hearing this. He had indeed known Situ Ye's true identity for a long time, but he had never expected that his second brother would almost be married to such a despicable woman.
"If I tell you that in my previous life, I was Tianlang, the one who died from being pierced through the heart by thousands of arrows, would you believe me, big brother?"
Situ Ye's big, red eyes, filled with tears and determination, stared straight at Mu Lige.
"Tianlang..."
Mu Lige's bright dark eyes widened slightly.
"Yes, Tianlang."
Situ Ye paused and continued, "The night before yesterday, I dreamed of Tian Lang's Wushan bandit-suppression vanguard army. Before they set out, Crown Prince Su Mu Tiansheng gave Tian Lang a toast.
Furthermore, Tianlang had not colluded with the bandits, much less committed treason. It was only upon reaching Wushan that Tianlang learned that their march and battle plan had long been leaked to the bandit leader, Yin Jiu. They had already been exposed before they even reached Wushan, ultimately becoming trapped within.
Three days' worth of rations and forage quickly ran out. They waited ten full days for no reinforcements or food from the imperial court. The harsh mountain environment left soldiers dying of starvation, freezing, and disease. Within a few days, only a little over a thousand soldiers remained out of ten thousand, and they were often treated like monkeys by bandits.
Tianlang… He swore to die rather than surrender, and led his last soldier to fight the bandits, only to be pierced through the heart by thousands of arrows from the bandits and die…"
Situ Ye recalled the Battle of Wushan in his dream and the miserable plight of the soldiers, and couldn't help crying again.
Mu Lige had long suspected that Tianlang was collaborating with the enemy and committing treason, but she did not expect the truth to be like this.
A major general who was loyal and devoted to the country of Zhaoyang was falsely accused of colluding with bandits and treason. More than 40 members of his family were beheaded and all nine clans were killed.
It's more than just tragic!
It's an injustice that will last forever, like snow in June!
“After I had that dream the night before yesterday, I suddenly had memories of Tianlang when I woke up yesterday morning.
Before the vanguard army set out, Tianlang made a solemn oath to the prince that if he failed to complete the mission, he would be willing to die on the battlefield and his soul would be reborn elsewhere.
Tianlang's promise to the prince was still fresh in my mind, and the pain of a thousand arrows piercing my heart seemed to still be there, yet it suddenly seemed like a lifetime ago. Tianlang of Zhaoyang Kingdom in my previous life has become Situ Xuanye of Laifeng Kingdom in this life.
After Situ Ye finished speaking, he stared at Mu Lige in a daze.
"The world is full of changes. Although what you said is incredible, I believe it is true."
Mu Lige patted Situ Ye's shoulder soothingly. She sympathized with Situ Xuanye's situation, and felt even more sympathetic for Tian Lang's misfortune.
Situ Ye felt warm in his heart, and he knew that his elder brother was not an ordinary person. He was willing to believe such a bizarre thing.
"The tragic fate of Tianlang's family was not caused by him, so don't blame yourself. You are only Situ Xuanye, not Tianlang, so don't carry such a heavy burden."
Although Tian Lang was a rare talent, and if he were to be recruited, his power would surely be strengthened, Mu Lige did not want to involve Situ Xuanye in these intrigues.
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