The State of Yan had secretly ambushed several elite units within the borders of Liang, having spent a fortune to recapture their Third Prince, who had caused them heavy losses. When Yan came to demand his return, a conflict immediately erupted with Liang; Yan claimed that if the person was not handed over, they would declare war instantly.
After weighing his options, Mu Hongmiao released the prisoner. Later, news arrived that the “madman” Third Prince of Yan, Lu Guanyan, had been tortured to death by the Emperor of Yan.
Having failed to get what he truly wanted, the Emperor of Yan vented his fury on Liang. He declared war, and an army of a hundred thousand was already aggressively surrounding Liang’s borders.
Within Liang, chaos had reigned for days various man-made and natural disasters occurred. Even the executioners responsible for killing death-row inmates had their hands chopped off overnight. The execution of Xiao Biehe by slow slicing, originally announced to the world for three days later, was forced to be delayed to the seventh day. Now that the time had arrived, Liang’s external threats were constant, and the need to go to war was imminent.
Mu Hongmiao woke up in terror from another nightmare. Could it be that even Heaven will not let him kill Xiao Biehe? It made sense, wasn’t this youth originally chosen by Fate? A child born under five-colored auspicious clouds, a peerless genius…
Mu Hongmiao’s head throbbed with excruciating pain, more unbearable than any previous headache. It felt like a punishment from Heaven. The pain was so intense he lost his voice, unable to even cry out for help. He woke on his golden dragon bed, only to faint again from the agony.
On the eighth day the rescheduled execution day for the “traitor” Young General of Liang.
Xiao Biehe, once the God of War of Liang, now held no prestige. Even at this moment, no citizens or officials stepped forward to plead for mercy or cry out against the injustice. Ridiculously, the General’s Estate the very home Xiao Biehe had traded his life to save sent no one to see him.
Mu Yunfei said, “Father, the Yan army is about to press in; we can wait no longer. If a suitable candidate cannot be found, I am willing to lead the troops.”
Mu Hongmiao’s expression was solemn and deep. “No. A candidate has been found.”
“Who?” Mu Yunfei asked.
His father had finally seized the military power of the General’s Estate through this incident. Although the family had been released and declared innocent, it was merely a show of the Emperor’s “mercy” to the people. Everyone knew that the General’s Estate was now a house in name only.
On Mu Hongmiao’s face, which seemed to have aged several years in a few days, he parted his heavy lips and said word by word: “Xiao. Bie. He.”
Mu Yunfei’s sharp eyes narrowed as he looked at the Emperor in confusion. “Father… is not killing him anymore?”
Mu Hongmiao’s eyes, tortured by headaches and nightmares, were hollow and old as he stared at the person in the center of the execution grounds and the crowds of people gathered to watch. “No. He must die, and he definitely will die.”
With only fifteen minutes left until the execution hour, the Emperor on his high seat suddenly raised his hand. He proclaimed loudly: “The Young General is truly a talent sent by Heaven, and Us has always cherished talent above all in this life. Although he committed a great crime, us still cannot bear it. Hear Our command: release the Young General and give him one more chance to atone for his crimes. With Yan declaring war on Liang and the flames of battle imminent, the Young General shall lead the expedition himself to hold the cities of Liang for Us!”
The Emperor’s voice caused an immediate uproar. Nearby ministers rushed over to advise him: “You must not, Your Majesty! You have been so indulgent with the General’s Estate; how do you know they won’t become even worse? This will break the hearts of your officials! You absolutely must not let Xiao Biehe lead troops again!”
“Exactly, Your Majesty! You are simply too kind-hearted. Liang is blessed to have a ruler like you, but on this matter, we beg Your Majesty to reconsider!”
Mu Hongmiao raised his voice, “Say no more! Our mind is made up! Us cherishes every talented soul and loves every citizen of Liang. Us believes the Young General will not disappoint Us this time!”
Xiao Biehe was drifting in and out of consciousness from his illness. Blood had dried on his body only for more to flow; he felt he had begun to smell. For the first time in eight days, the shackles on his hands and feet were opened. He opened his eyes, but even in the light, the sky didn’t seem that bright. He realized that removing the shackles didn’t make his feet feel any lighter.
Lu Guanyan had not come. Xiao Biehe heard people say he was dead. Lu Guanyan had died because of him he had caused the death of the only youth who had ever treated him with true sincerity.
Xiao Biehe knew the Emperor would not let him live.
In the eyes of the world, the Young General was always either a majestic figure in armor or a refined, elegant gentleman in white robes. Few had ever seen him in such a wretched state. The minor official unlocking his chains looked at his miserable condition with a sneer. “Our Emperor is merciful and couldn’t bear to see a genius like you fall. He’s giving you a chance to atone. Hurry and kowtow in thanks!”
Mu Hongmiao released Xiao Biehe before the execution and allowed him to return directly to the General’s Estate without restrictions. Xiao Biehe did not go back immediately; dragging his frail, sickly frame and his filthy clothes, he waited to seek an audience with Mu Hongmiao.
Xiao Biehe asked: “May I ask the Emperor, how many troops may I lead?”
“You shall know tomorrow,” Mu Hongmiao replied.
“I know the Emperor does not intend for me to live. Atonement is a lie; using this as a legitimate way to let me die in battle is the truth.” Xiao Biehe’s voice was calm and flat, yet it possessed a bone-chilling coldness that made the listener’s scalp tingle with guilt. “I hope Your Majesty does not treat the lives of a city’s citizens as a joke. Water can carry a boat, but it can also overturn it. They are all your subjects.”
Mu Hongmiao’s thoughts had been laid bare once again. In a fit of rage, he slammed the desk. “If it means killing you, what does it matter if Us loses the citizens of one city!”
Xiao Biehe hadn’t expected him to say it so directly. A mocking smile touched his lips. “Then you are truly not far from the fall of your kingdom.”
The General’s Estate was still full of joy. Today, at the original execution grounds, no one had gone to see Xiao Biehe, yet they were all celebrating Xiao Qingqu’s birthday. The entire estate was decorated with lanterns and banners.
When Xiao Biehe returned, no one paid him any mind. On the contrary, they avoided him like the plague.
However, today was actually Xiao Biehe’s own birthday, not Xiao Qingqu’s. Xiao Qingqu was born a dozen days earlier than Xiao Biehe. It was because of this that Nanny Liu had milk and became Xiao Biehe’s wet nurse, raising the abandoned infant Xiao Biehe until he was four. The two children looked the same age, so when Xiao Changfeng and his wife adopted Xiao Qingqu, they changed his birthday to the same day as Xiao Biehe’s. Later, only Xiao Qingqu’s birthday was ever celebrated; Xiao Biehe became the superfluous one who didn’t belong in the family.
Only one young male servant didn’t hide. He followed Xiao Biehe timidly, looking as if he had something to say. Xiao Biehe turned to look at him. The servant nervously approached and pulled something from his robe—a wooden carved protective talisman.
“Young… Young General.” The servant was incredibly nervous, his hands and teeth chattering as he handed over the talisman with its red thread tassel. “This is something I sought for the Young General at the temple a few days ago. I hope you will be safe. It’s wonderful that you’ve returned; I hope this protects you!”
Xiao Biehe took it. “Thank you.”
As he turned to leave, the servant called out again: “Happy birthday!”
“Thank you,” Xiao Biehe replied.
Xiao Biehe then went to the estate’s pharmacy to get medicine for his wounds. The first person to visit him was Xiao Qingqu. Xiao Biehe did not like Xiao Qingqu; no one likes the person who replaced them and took everything. Furthermore, he found him hypocritical and insidious. Because of Xiao Qingqu, Xiao Biehe had suffered much more punishment from his father.
Though Xiao Biehe now knew that even without Xiao Qingqu’s “pleas” (which actually fanned the flames), his father wouldn’t have liked him anyway. His father probably truly wanted him dead.
Xiao Qingqu brought a box of delicate pastries. He knocked once and entered without an invitation. “Big Brother, these were made by Mother for me. Today is also your birthday, so I brought some for you to taste.”
Xiao Biehe had no desire to speak to him. Using a gust of internal energy, he pushed the man out the door and slammed it shut. Xiao Qingqu fell with a cry. Seeing no one around, he stopped pretending and stood up to brush off his clothes.
The pastries in the basket had been ruined by the fall. Xiao Qingqu stood outside the door and said, “I know you look down on me, but so what? I’m living better than you. Your closest family ignores you and loves me. Even your fiancé belongs to me. It’s more embarrassing to be the person no one loves!”
The person inside remained unmoved. Since he couldn’t provoke Xiao Biehe, Xiao Qingqu became the angry one. Why could Xiao Biehe act as if he didn’t care about the things he had to plot so hard to get and still couldn’t truly obtain? The Prince said he would definitely kill Xiao Biehe, yet even while making love last night, the Prince was thinking of Xiao Biehe!
Xiao Qingqu said, “There’s one thing you don’t know yet, right? Your Nanny… did you really think she died of a sudden illness? I’ll tell you, I poisoned her. Do you know how painfully she died? Her organs rotted, and she bled from every orifice. I told her you did it, that you bought the poison to kill her…”
The door flew open, and a cold hand seized his throat. “That was your biological mother.”
His throat burned with pain. Xiao Qingqu struggled for breath, but seeing Xiao Biehe’s anger, he suddenly laughed. “So what? I don’t need a low-born mother. Lady Jiang is the one who should be my mother. Isn’t it funny? My lowly mother loved you so much, yet your own mother loves me instead of you. If only we had been swapped from the start! You could have been the son of that low woman, and I would be the flesh and blood of General Xiao and Lady Jiang. Don’t you think then I would be the world-renowned genius? The Prince would love only me!”
Xiao Biehe’s expression grew colder, his grip tightening as if he truly meant to kill him. Xiao Qingqu coughed, his face contorted in pain, yet he continued to smile defiantly. “Do you dare kill me? Believe it or not, if I scream once, everyone will come!”
With that, he screamed with a terrified sob: “Help! Big Brother is trying to kill me!”
Sure enough, a moment later, Xiao Changfeng, Lady Jiang, Xiao Jinshi, and countless servants surrounded the courtyard. This was the first time Xiao Biehe had seen his father since their last meeting. His father was enraged. “You animal! Are you really going to strangle your younger brother? Let go!”
Lady Jiang looked at the scene with horror, tears in her eyes as she looked at Xiao Biehe like he was an unsettling stranger. Xiao Biehe let go. Servants immediately rushed to support Xiao Qingqu, who wept while holding his throat, retreating behind the parents.
Xiao Changfeng demanded, “What happened? Qingqu, you tell me!”
Xiao Qingqu sobbed, hesitating. “Father, I… I thought since today was Big Brother’s birthday and he just returned; I’d bring him some pastries Mother made for me. I didn’t expect him to refuse… he knocked them over and said he wanted to kill me…”
Xiao Changfeng roared at Xiao Biehe, “You animal! You’ve already ruined the General’s Estate, and now you want to kill Qingqu! Don’t think I won’t punish you just because you set out for war tomorrow! Men, bring the family rod!”
“I am covered in unhealed wounds,” Xiao Biehe said. “If you beat me again, I won’t be able to march.”
“Then go kneel before the ancestral hall!”
“My legs are injured; I cannot kneel.”
Xiao Changfeng was so angry he blurted out, “Then what do you propose?”
Xiao Biehe raised his eyes, his gaze cold and clear, looking directly at Xiao Changfeng. For some reason, Xiao Changfeng felt a surge of guilt and avoided his son’s gaze.
“Why doesn’t Father ask me if what he said was true or false?”
After waiting for a long moment and only hearing this question, Xiao Changfeng’s guilt vanished. “We all saw you with your hand on his throat! How could it be false?”
Xiao Biehe didn’t argue further. He looked into Xiao Changfeng’s eyes and said softly, “You don’t seem like my father.”
“You—”
Xiao Biehe interrupted him. “Xiao Qingqu just told me it would be better if we were swapped. Could it be that you actually got it wrong back then, and he is your biological son?”
Xiao Changfeng exploded in anger again. “Nonsense! How could such a thing be mistaken?”
“That’s a pity,” Xiao Biehe laughed softly. “Father, you seem to hate me very much. Since I am your biological son, why do you want me to die so badly? Is it only because Mother doesn’t like me?”
Xiao Changfeng was struck dumb, his expression shifting rapidly. He couldn’t speak for a long time.
Xiao Biehe said, “Rest assured, Father. I won’t be coming back alive this time.”