A life of two souls traveling through time

Chapter 241 Sent to the North

"Your humble servant kowtows..."

In the solemn and mournful imperial palace, Yan Zong was led into the imperial study by a eunuch. Upon seeing his brother Yan Qiao, he hurriedly and respectfully saluted, but was stopped by Yan Qiao before he could open his mouth to speak.

"There are no outsiders here, so you and I can still call each other brothers as usual." Yan Qiao sat on the throne in a black suit, his graceful and noble appearance also added a bit of imperial dignity.

"Now that my brother is the emperor, I, as a subject, cannot break the rules even in private." Yan Zong still looked respectful. There is more virtue than virtue above the royal power, and emperors have been ruthless since ancient times. Although his elder brother said so, as a younger brother, he naturally could not take it seriously.

"You..." Yan Qiao shook his head helplessly, but a satisfied smile flashed in his beautiful eyes, and then he continued to ask: "How can you, a dignified prince, stay in a temple outside the city all day instead of living in the palace since returning to the capital?"

"My royal brother, don't you know why I don't return to the palace?" Yan Zong asked in a cold voice with a sullen face.

"It's been so long since the incident happened, why do you still hold a grudge against me? In the past six months, I often heard your sister-in-law praise your sister-in-law..."

"Brother, did you summon me to the palace just to plead for Nan Rong Liang Ling?" Before Yan Qiao could finish his words, Yan Zong interrupted him impatiently.

"Don't be angry, third brother. I was just asking casually. Now that our father is gone, it is said that the eldest brother is like a father. I am also concerned about you." Seeing the anger on his third brother's face, Yan Qiao knew that he had said too much, so he softened his tone and hurried to comfort him.

"Don't worry, my royal brother. I am now in the temple with my mother. Everything is fine." Yan Zong suppressed his anger and replied in a dull voice.

"It's just... Third brother, you can't possibly live in a temple when you return to Shangjing from now on, right? It would not sound good if this got out. The prince of my Xiyue country who has made outstanding military achievements doesn't live in his own mansion but in a temple on the mountain? People who don't know would think that I, as the eldest brother, have failed to do my job well." Although hearing what his third brother said, Yan Qiao still had concerns in his heart. After hesitating for a moment, he finally spoke.

"If my royal brother is really worried about this bad reputation, why not just dissolve this marriage for me? Wouldn't that make everyone happy?" Yan Zong looked at Yan Qiao with a smile. After all, this was a marriage granted by his father himself, and as long as Nan Rong Liangling hadn't committed a serious crime, he had no way of ending the marriage on his own, unless his eldest brother made the decision to divorce them.

"No, our father just left, you are not allowed to do anything rash. Besides, your sister-in-law hasn't done anything wrong. Marriage is not a joke, how can it be dissolved easily?" Yan Qiao's face darkened upon hearing this, and he glared at his third brother with his phoenix eyes, speaking sternly to him.

"In this case, why bother trying to persuade me, my royal brother? I will definitely not go back to the Prince Zong's Mansion now. Anyway, I will return to the barracks after the mourning period. Your royal brother does not need to worry about my reputation." At this juncture, Yan Zong had expected his elder brother's decisive rejection, so he remained calm.

"Forget it, forget it. When my father was alive, he couldn't care about you and your wife. Why should I waste my breath on you?" Yan Qiao lost his patience. Although he didn't say anything, he planned to follow his third brother's wishes if the two of them were still like enemies after the mourning period. Since they were enemies, why should they be tied together and hurt each other? It would also bring shame to the royal family.

Moreover, the emperor had asked my third brother to marry Nanrong Liangling in order to appease the Guyun Kingdom and make the western Guyun Kingdom a barrier for the Xiyue Kingdom, in case the Xiyue Kingdom was invaded by the Xirong when dealing with the Lang Kingdom. Fortunately, the fight against the Lang Kingdom went smoothly this time, so he didn't have to worry about the Guyun Kingdom. Instead, he, the new king, had to rely on his third brother to consolidate his foundation.

"I summoned you to the palace today to talk to you about Lang State..." Yan Qiao paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "This is now the northern border of my Xiyue State, but there are still many former Lang State citizens on this land. I am afraid that the people are unstable and difficult to control, so I want you to be stationed there."

"Stationed in the northern border..." Yan Zong's expression froze, and he didn't know how to respond for a moment.

This northern border has always been garrisoned by King Han's army. Yan Qiao's decision really surprised Yan Zong, and he felt troubled. On the one hand, he didn't want to offend Yan Han, and on the other hand, if he went to the northern border, it would be even more difficult for him to see Si Yao again.

"Brother, I know this is difficult for you. After all, your second brother has always stationed troops in the northern border. However, in the initial management of the newly acquired territory, you naturally have to adopt a gentle policy to appease the people. Your second brother is cruel and unruly. If he goes, it will only add to the slaughter and atrocities in the West Moon Kingdom, which is not conducive to stability." Seeing the embarrassment on his third brother's face, Yan Qiao also sighed helplessly, then stood up and walked to Yan Zong, patted his shoulder, pretended to be bitter and continued: "Father passed away suddenly, and brother has just taken on this burden. It can be said that he is walking on thin ice and can't sleep all day. Now this important place in the northern border can only rely on you, third brother, to help brother."

"But will second brother agree?" Although Yan Qiao's words made sense, Yan Zong naturally did not want his second brother to kill all the people of Langguo. He just didn't know whether his second brother knew about this?

"Hmph, what qualifications does he have to disagree? Look, these are all recent impeachments against him by the ministers." Yan Qiao snorted coldly, then turned around and pointed at a stack of memorials on the imperial desk and continued: "He repeatedly violated taboos during the mourning period, and I only punished him with house arrest for half a month." Naturally, the condition for the light punishment was to get Yan Han to agree to let Yan Zong take over the northern border.

Yan Han is the second prince of Xiyue Kingdom, but the evil spirit in him makes people fear and hate him. His mother, Concubine Meng, is a princess from a foreign country. She is beautiful but always carries an evil spirit. In addition, her arrogant and domineering personality made Emperor Yan annoyed not long after she entered the palace. Later, she gave birth to a son, which slightly saved Emperor Yan, who was originally worried about the loss of his offspring, from staying by his side. However, Concubine Meng relied on her son's status and continued to be more and more arrogant in the harem, disturbing the peace of the harem, and even the queen could not control it. Emperor Yan naturally turned a blind eye to her because of her contribution to giving birth to a son, until Concubine Meng caused a concubine to miscarry, which made him furious and mercilessly sent her to the cold palace.

Although Yan Han was adopted by the Queen and brought into the palace, the evil aura in him displeased the Queen very much. Therefore, she usually didn't even look at him and only let three or two old servants take care of him. Only when Emperor Yan occasionally came to visit her would she show tenderness and consideration, but the evil charm in Yan Han's eyes made her heart tremble.

Later, Concubine Leng entered the palace and was favored by Emperor Yan. She soon gave birth to Yan Zong. Emperor Yan was so happy that he spent the whole day with Concubine Leng and her son for several months, and forgot about his second son Yan Han. This is why Yan Han disliked Yan Zong since he was a child and always mocked him.

"Your Majesty is the king, and I am the minister. Since your Majesty has spoken, I should obey." Since his elder brother said so, Yan Zong dared not disobey.

"I knew that you, my third brother, would definitely help my eldest brother!" Yan Qiao's eyes curved and he breathed a sigh of relief. Of course, he was capable of convincing his third brother, but he was afraid that his third brother would take this opportunity to make conditions to him, which would greatly undermine his dignity as the new king. Fortunately, his third brother was law-abiding, so Yan Qiao was relieved.