Thirteenth Lady's Comback: Her Everyday Life as a Bystander-Chapter 299 - 10: A 60-Year Game of Chess

After the laughter and commotion, Susu and Qin Miao sat together, and she asked curiously, "Why did Aunt Zhao come to Hami specifically?"

One must know that the capital of the Northwest Governor is a few hundred miles away from Hami, and this small banquet hosted by Aunt Qin was just to help Susu integrate into Hami’s upper circle. If Mrs. Zhao wanted to see her, she definitely wouldn’t have chosen this day specifically.

After all, if she came, everyone’s attention would be on her, and who would pay attention to Susu?

After Susu spoke, she saw Mrs. Zhao’s face stiffen, and Susu couldn’t help but look at Mrs. Qin in confusion. Did she say something strange?

Who knew Aunt Qin would also have a very puzzled look, "Yes, sister-in-law, I asked you yesterday if something was up. Otherwise, why would you come all the way to Hami? Yet you insisted on seeing Susu. Now that you’ve seen her, you should explain."

Qin Miao saw her mother not knowing how to start, she glanced at Susu with a serious expression, yet her eyes carried anger and sympathy.

"Let me tell you, it all started because of the letter my aunt wrote to my father."

When Mrs. Qin heard this, she quickly asked, "What? Your father doesn’t believe it?"

Qin Miao gave a bitter smile, "It’s because my father believed too much."

Susu was still guessing the meaning of Qin Miao’s gaze, and upon hearing this, she was even more baffled.

"Aunt Qin, Sister Miao, can anyone explain what you are talking about? I feel like I’m in the clouds!"

Mrs. Qin sighed, "Didn’t you send me a letter before? It mentioned a secret fragrance of the Tartar Royal Family— Awaken and a kind of poisonous fragrance that causes a Chaotic Heart. Although I have never heard of them, I know you wouldn’t lie. Your Uncle Liu is a straightforward man; he wouldn’t care about any fragrances or powders, so I wrote about it to your Uncle Qin."

Susu didn’t expect Mrs. Qin to trust her so much, going as far as to alarm Qin Dusi over the matter.

Suppressing her sadness inside, Mrs. Zhao spoke, "What I am about to say, once it leaves my mouth and enters your ears, must not be known to others."

Upon hearing this, even Qin Miao was very curious, let alone Mrs. Qin and Susu, the three nodding quickly.

"I suppose you’ve all heard from your elders about the deep friendship between the first Duke and the Founding Saint Martial Emperor. The Book of Founding Celebrities also details how the first Duke and the Emperor knew each other as teenagers, both apprenticed under Master Kong of the previous dynasty, learning and traveling together. But what the world does not know is that the first Duke and the Emperor were sworn brothers of different surnames. Another young man joined them in apprenticeship, learning, traveling, and becoming sworn brothers, but five years later, he disappeared after leaving two gifts, without saying goodbye."

Listening to Mrs. Zhao’s slow recounting, the three in the room did not interrupt. Qin Miao gently poured tea and handed it to her mother, and Mrs. Zhao soothed her throat and continued.

"At the time, though the three were master brothers and sworn brothers, they did not reveal their identities. When the third brother disappeared, naturally, there was no way to find him. Thereafter, the first Duke and the Emperor continued their travels. Near the end of the previous dynasty, the land was in turmoil, with corpses littering the ground and disasters occurring frequently. The two men were indignant at what they saw and heard, and with a stroke of fortune, they raised the banner of aiding the world."

The subsequent events need not be recounted by Mrs. Zhao, for even Susu, who is a later generation, had heard them numerous times.

The Dukes of Li, Rong, and Ning, along with the other Six Marquis and Eight Earls, were captivated by the charisma of the Founding Saint Martial Emperor, collectively waging campaigns across the lands, extinguishing the Former Zhou and establishing Great Chu.

The Saint Martial Emperor waged war north and south, determined to subdue all neighboring countries, aiming to secure a millennium-long foundation for Great Chu, in which the frequently invading Tartar was naturally included in his conquest.

But aside from the first Duke, no one knew that the third sworn brother at that time was actually the contemporary Tartar Khan.

No outsider could know what feelings surfaced when the three brothers met again after more than twenty years, but the Saint Martial Emperor eventually heeded the brotherly bond of years past, abandoning his conquest of the Tartars and signing a secret pact with the third brother—known only to the Duke as a witness and the two countries’ supreme monarchs.

While Mrs. Zhao couldn’t reveal the specific contents of the pact, it generally entailed that after their deaths, future generations should commemorate the brotherly ties. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

If the two countries were at war, they should spare the brethren’s bloodline and not dare to massacre completely.

In summary, necessary battles and killings were permitted, but exterminating the country or the clan was not.