CH 6

Edited by Zaki & Elanor

Xue Houyang finally nodded, then said, “Your Majesty is wise.”

Xue Junliang didn’t say anything for quite some time, only stared at the other. Xue Houyang felt a bit apprehensive, so he lowered his head trying to look more respectful. 

Xue Junliang reached out then patted his shoulder, laughed and said, “We seem to be getting more and more unfamiliar with each other.”

“This should be the way of kings and ministers. This younger brother, would not dare to cross the boundary……” Xue Houyang said.

“Indeed.” Xue Junliang said, “But these few years, I’ve been thinking about the past… Houyang, have you never noticed? I’ve never once used ‘this seat’ in front of you, because to me you are always my beloved younger brother.”

Xue Junliang sighed, then took a few steps forward. With his back to Xue Houyang, he added, “Many things didn’t turn out as I wished them to be. In the past, I also wanted this country to be peaceful and prosperous without having to suffer wars, but the past Xue Junliang is already ‘dead’. Now, I can only be a tyrant who would open up new frontiers by conquering more territories and protecting his country and lands. A hundred years from now, people would be evaluating my governance… Do you also blame me?” 

“Your Majesty…” Xue Houyang added with a resolute and loud voice, “Although Houyang has been away from the capital for the past few years, he can understand Your Majesty’s painstaking efforts. Doesn’t matter if someday Houyang would be a great general or a commoner, he would not dare to forget and regret that he has such a respectable brother. He would never blame His Majesty.”

Xue Junliang nodded, then smiled, “You go back to the capital and rest well. Don’t rush away again. But before you go, would you call me Brother just once?”

People often say that accompanying a king was like accompanying a tiger. Their speech could sound deeply sincere, but whether it was genuinely true or just a sham, it was difficult to discern. In the end, Xue Junliang was still an Emperor. His words may contain sixty percent truth and forty percent lies, but he was a wise monarch. He could easily move people’s hearts, and of course, his brother’s heart too.

Xue Houyang lifted the hem of his clothes and immediately knelt down on both of his knees, bent his head and gently whispered, “Big brother.”

Immediately after saying that, he rose up and turned his head and retreated.

Xue Junliang waited until the sound of footsteps grew faint before he turned and looked at Marquis Wannian’s retreating back.

May their brotherhood last for a long, long time.

Teng Yun stood there still and unmoving. When he heard Xue Houyang whisper, ‘Big Brother’, his heart trembled with emotions. If only his own brothers called him like that, let alone leading military troops, he would be willing to guard the borders forever, never setting foot in the capital city even once. It really was a pity… even at this point, the royal princes would never do that. It was no wonder Teng Country was failing.

Teng Yun knew that he was powerless in this situation, especially now that he was a married princess from Feng Country. . He now no longer had any connection to Teng Country. But he was still worried about Teng Shang.

Xue Junliang stayed there for a little while and then walked back. As we walked away, intentionally or unintentionally, he cast a gentle look of askance at the small pavilion. 

—

After returning, Xue Junliang immediately asked Jiang Yu to call the minister to write a letter and sent an envoy to send the letter to Teng Country.

In the beginning, the minister wrote a very formulaically polite letter, but Xue Junliang waved his hand and asked him to rewrite it.

The final result was a slimy letter. Each sentence was so sweetly flattering, as if Emperor Xue and Teng Shang were old acquaintances. The letter also discussed whether Teng Yun’s ashes should be sent back to Teng Country, but the Xue Emperor was afraid it would be disrespectful to Great General Yun, hence he could only request Minister Shang to undertake this big job and come to the Xue Country to collect the ashes himself. 

At first, the ministers didn’t understand Xue Junliang’s intentions clearly, but they did not dare to question him. After reading the final letter, they immediately understood the deep hidden meaning of such a letter.

The messenger rushed as fast as possible to deliver the letter to Teng Shang. After entering the Main hall and paying respect directly to Teng King, the envoy requested Teng Shang to personally open the letter.

King Teng’s face turned really ugly, this act implied that Teng Shang was the true ruler of Teng. This was simply a kind of a slap on his face.

Teng Shang and Teng King were of the same generation. Because of his outstanding military achievements, Teng Shang was adopted as a son by the previous king of Teng Country and treated like the current Teng King’s younger brother. However, he was still young, only five years older than Teng Yun. 

When Teng Shang was appointed as a minister, the current King of Teng took the chance to seize all his military powers so he could no longer lead troops. He was now only a civilian official.

Teng Shang certainly understood what such action meant, but at the moment, other than Teng Yun, he didn’t care about anything else, so he took the letter and opened it.

At a glance, the letter clearly stated the word ‘ashes’. All of a sudden, Teng Shang’s world was crumbling. His hands trembled so hard the letter fell to the ground.

Teng Shang’s throat dried, while his eyes were tearing. He and Teng Yun were not related by blood, but they had similar aspirations that they often discussed. In this multi-parties court, it was rare to have someone he could share deep friendship and support. 

And now… Teng Yun was dead, leaving himself alone.

Teng King saw Teng Shang’s face had turned ghastly pale, so he ordered the chamberlain to pass the letter. A quick read later, he was shocked. Teng Yun was his son and was the pulse of Teng Country. With civil strife occupying Teng Country for these ten years, they had come to depend solely on Teng Yun to protect their borders. And now, Teng King had lost a son, but he knew he also lost the last person who could save his life.

In the Main Hall, a sudden cry of shock was heard. Teng King couldn’t withstand the blow and had fainted. The King’s ministers called for the royal physicians, while also mourning loudly for the passing of the Sixth Prince, Teng Yun.

As soon as Teng Shang arrived at his residence, he received a decree from the King. He was to ride to Xue Country immediately and bring back the Sixth Prince’s ashes, also he was to escort the Eldest Royal Princess for a marriage alliance with Xue Country. 

Teng Shang didn’t refuse and accepted the decree. He knew Teng King was afraid of his position and power. After all, he was not originally a Teng, he was a mere marquis who had been granted the surname.

At this moment, after getting rid of Teng Shang, Teng King didn’t know what else to do. Half of him wished Teng Shang could somehow turn the situation for the better, but half of him despised and was deeply suspicious of Teng Shang.

In fact, Xue Junliang wasn’t gambling. He already knew Teng King would definitely send Teng Shang to Xue Country. It was a bet that he was bound to win, because he already knew about Teng King’s suspicious nature. No matter which angle he saw this fact from, he was sure Teng King would send Minister Shang away so he could breathe easier and free himself of the worry.

—

To Xue Pei, this Ugly Empress was merely a lowly woman. Although the Empress had pointed out a logical and reasonable strategy, he still thought it was something that was generally written on papers. Every time he was countered by Teng Yun, he was even more fired up and came to ask her more questions.

Today, Xue Pei insisted on taking his so-called Empress mother to observe horse riding and shooting arrows. The little Crown Prince had learned horse-riding since childhood, so he was pretty good at riding and shooting. Though he was still very young, could only pull a light bow, his aim was good. So he was considered accomplished.

Teng Yun didn’t have the mood to be provoked by him, but as the crown prince kept pestering him, he finally took the light bow. The bow really wasn’t that big, but even with this light bow, Teng Yun could not pull the string with ease.

Teng Yun stabilized his posture, took the arrow and pulled the bow. He squinted his eyes slightly, these days the arrow targets were really troublesome. He suddenly let go of the bow with a clang. Xue Pei, who was standing beside him, gave out a big laugh and said, “It’s off course! Deflected!” Sure enough, you are just an armchair strategist. If it was really a battlefield, wouldn’t you have by now killed your own commander-in-chief? 

Teng Yun glanced at him, then took three more arrows.

Xue Pei laughed some more, he happily said, “You are taking three arrows? If you can shoot those accurately, I will be your servant. A man keeps to his words.” He patted his chest proudly, with a little adult-like look.

Teng Yun didn’t answer. He just took the arrows and pulled the bow again. He closed his eyes and recalled many things from his previous life; including his home country, including his loyal friend Teng Shang, including his spilt blood when he was slashed by a sword. When he opened his eyes, they were burning.

“Zap!” 

The sound of the bowstring was continuous. Three arrows shot in succession. Xue Pei’s eyes widened in shock as he gaped at the three arrows which were now stuck firmly in the middle of the target.

Xue Junliang arrived just in time to see Teng Yun release the arrows. That wintry-cold, biting gaze… was so similar to the one he had seen not too long ago…