Priceless: A widow with a baby asks the prince to marry again

Chaotic footsteps, anxious whispers, and various hands extended with different purposes intertwined around the king's sedan chair.

In the brief gap formed by the gathering of Daxia doctors, Mongolian doctors, and shamans, Serriguleng's eyes, which had become turbid and almost out of focus, caught a figure with difficulty.

It was a figure that was more sturdy and majestic than many warriors of the Northern Tribes - General Wei Yu Qin Shuangyu, or rather, the weak baby whom he had held in his arms and named "Qin Chong".

He stood at the edge of the crowd of Daxia nobles, with a resolute face and the sorrow that was suppressed but still seeped out from the depths of his eyes. This was the only warmth on the edge of this grassland filled with calculation, greed, hypocrisy, curiosity and indifference - true love.

Seriguleng's gaze passed through the gaps in the crowd and met the pair of eyes that were holding back tears.

In an instant, the surrounding noise receded like the tide, and time seemed to freeze.

The corners of Serriguleng's dry and cracked mouth twitched upwards very slightly, almost imperceptibly.

It is not a mockery of fate, but... a silent comfort and exhortation that spans long years and heavy identities.

In the bottom of the turbid eyes, there seemed to be a faint light struggling to flicker, and then it was swallowed by the deeper fog.

The mist, carrying phantom-like images, streams back from over fifty years ago...

...

Thick smoke billowed, and flames greedily licked the wooden beams and curtains, making crackling sounds.

The scorching air was suffocating.

A figure dressed in a dark robe representing the prince's identity stood in the center of the blazing fire.

On the young face, there was the ultimate calmness after the madness, and the eyes were empty and desperate, reflecting only the dancing flames.

The shouts and clash of weapons coming from all directions were faintly audible like a death knell.

He held a scroll of star atlas tightly in his hand, his knuckles turning white from the strain.

"Fate has been decided... The blood feud between our two clans is beyond human control... I tried to change our fate... but I brought upon myself such a disaster... I have no face to live in this world... Father... I... will die with you..."

He closed his eyes, opened his arms, and let the scorching flames roll up his sleeves and burn his skin.

The thick smoke choked his lungs and his consciousness gradually became blurred.

however…

The expected eternal darkness did not come.

A biting coldness woke him up!

The violent cough tore his throat and he suddenly opened his eyes!

What I see before me is no longer the burning temple, but the desolate mountains and forests outside the capital!

The cold moon is like a hook, and the cold dew wets my clothes.

He was soaking wet and lying by the icy stream, as if he had just been forcibly dragged out of a nightmare.

Before I could think about this strange rebirth, a rapid and heavy sound of horse hooves came from afar, accompanied by heavy breathing.

A warhorse covered in blood and foaming at the mouth, carrying a general who was also covered in blood and with broken armor, galloped out of the woods and rushed right in front of him.

The general was already at the end of his strength. The moment he saw Seriguleng, he was startled at first, and then his eyes flashed with surprise: "Your Highness the Crown Prince?!"

He rolled off his horse, staggered and knelt at Serriguleng's feet. His exhausted hands were trembling, but he eagerly untied the ropes that bound his body, and then picked up the bag covered with thick felt in his arms!

That was a child who was wearing the noble prince's clothes that he was accustomed to seeing, but was obviously too frightened and only remembered to hold back his voice!

The general's voice was hoarse, filled with the overwhelming hatred of a desperate struggle! He placed all his hopes on this: "Heaven...bless my holy bloodline to continue! This is...your Majesty's youngest son, Boljigin Bart! I beg Your Highness to protect and preserve another bloodline for the Emperor!"

The blood-stained big hand stuffed the child into Seriguleng's arms!

Serjigu was struck by lightning, and looked down at the child in his arms, who was about five or six years old. The face was tender and somewhat unfamiliar, but the features of the child had a sense of closeness to him, making him feel close to his fellow tribesmen.

Amidst the immense grief and despair of a lost nation, there suddenly arose an even heavier burden, a mission born of blood. My father's youngest son, his younger brother... my father's bloodline...

"Your Highness, please go north! I will fight one last, fierce battle and stop you all!" The general roared, as if burning the last of his soul! Transformed into a burning will to fight, he charged into the forest again with an unstoppable attitude! Charged towards the noisy and approaching pursuers!

Seriguleng immediately carried his younger brother Bart, whose eyes were deeply imprinted with this scene, on his back, and began the difficult journey north, relying on his familiarity with the terrain around the capital and the stargazing and positioning skills he had learned while imprisoned in the Baitian Temple of the Sitianjian.

Grassland! Return to the embrace of our ancestors and gather strength!

However, all the important roads leading to the north had been strangled by Chu Yuan's army or the powerful people affiliated with the new dynasty.

The pursuers are like maggots on the tarsal bones, and traps are everywhere.

He took his younger brother to hide from place to place and escaped death several times. His younger brother Bart had a high fever and was dying while wandering around.

But they were at the end of their rope, and were about to be surrounded and killed by a group of fierce cavalry at the edge of a dense forest...

Seriguleng held his unconscious younger brother in his arms, leaning against a tree, desperately clutching his broken knife.

At the critical moment, a man in his prime brought the destiny. He rode out of the forest on horseback wearing a Confucian robe, followed by dozens of strong and powerful servants.

The man who came was none other than Yue Wenshan, the man who had once served under him and sworn to help him eradicate the "Vegetable Market," the hell on earth! The great scholar renowned for his talent for "applying knowledge to the world"!

Yue Wenshan's voice was complex, filled with endless guilt and an unquestionable momentum. He ordered the pursuers: "Stop! They are one of us!"

He stopped the leader of the pursuers who was about to shoot arrows. The pursuers obviously recognized this great scholar whom Chu Yuan relied on, so they retreated as he said.

Yue Wenshan's eyes swept over the seriously sick child in Seriguleng's arms and his own disheveled appearance. Pain flashed in his eyes, and then turned into a deep determination!

"Your Highness, the north... is not a place to go! Chu Yuan has set up a deadly trap, aiming to sever the Boljijin bloodline within the territory!"

Yue Wenshan dismounted and walked before Seriguleng. He knelt on his knees, bowed his head, and kowtowed deeply. His tone was heavy, "I... am ashamed of your kindness, Your Highness! Back then, I proposed the idea of ​​'using the Han to control the Han', intending to ease the rift between the two clans. But that traitor Chu Yuan exploited it and became the catalyst for the overthrow of the Yuan Dynasty... This sin deserves death!"

Seriguleng's eyes were icy, filled with hatred and vigilance. He hugged his younger brother tightly and took a step back. "Yue Wenshan! You betrayed me! Why are you still pretending to be so righteous? Are you trying to suck my blood out of me? I'd rather die than let you succeed again!"

"I absolutely do not have such intention!"

Yue Wenshan sat up straight from his knees, his eyes filled with guilt yet unwavering determination. "Your Highness has long seen the utter chaos between the government and the people. The foundation is broken, the edifice is about to collapse, and nothing can be done about it! Now that things have come to this, it's better to rebuild from the ashes! Strive for world peace once again!"

"Hahahaha? Destroyed and rebuilt?" Serigul laughed heartily, tears welling up in his eyes. He sarcastically said, "A country that was destroyed and rebuilt is my people's country? Peace in the world? Is there still a place for my people in this world?!"

The guilty scholar was speechless for a moment, and could only grit his teeth and force out a promise: "Your Highness's will and grand plan, I will carry forward and spread it in the new dynasty, regardless of race, and... wipe out the vegetable market..."

The self-deprecating laughter and tears trembled together, and Seriguleng's voice was like a dream talk: "Haha...Vegetable Market..." That was the source of the nightmare that he was determined to eradicate.

"The will is passed down, the bloodline is endless, but can't it be called eternal?!" Hearing further commotion in the distance, Yue Wenshan urgently advised: "If Your Highness acts on impulse, His Majesty's bloodline will be destroyed here! Look at this child! How much longer can he hold on?!"

He pointed at Barte, whose breath was weak in Serriguleng's arms. "Chu Yuan has ordered their annihilation, but I... wish to atone for my sins and to save the world from slaughter! Please follow me to the southwest! The mountains are high and the roads are long, and the Xia Dynasty is newly established, so it's out of reach! There, the remnants of various ethnic groups who have fled the rebellion gather, making it an easy hiding place! I guarantee my life to escort your highnesses to safety!"

Seriguleng looked at his younger brother's face in his arms, twitching in pain from a high fever, feeling his scorching heat, then looked at the servants behind Yue Wenshan, who were obeying his orders, and the pursuers who were watching him closely in the distance...

He was overwhelmed by the endless feeling of humiliation and powerlessness of having no other choice.

He was the crown prince, yet he had to accept the "favor" and coercion of this "traitor" who had led to the destruction of his country and his family! But for the sake of his younger brother... and to leave a bloodline for his father...

With his eyes bloodshot and teeth nearly gnashing, he squeezed out a single word from his throat: "...Go!"

Under the secret "escort" or escort of Yue Wenshan's forces, they went through hardships and finally arrived in the southwest.

Yue Wenshan respectfully invited them to live in a Yue family academy that had been closed for many years, but Seriguleng refused and resolutely walked into the vast mountains with his younger brother in his arms.

Yue Wenshan left behind some money and food, a few loyal servants, and a student named Liu Tongsheng who was mediocre in talent but determined, for correspondence. Yue Wenshan did not reveal Seriguleng's specific identity, only saying that he was a friend of the Northern Tribe who was in trouble, and then left with deep guilt and complicated feelings.

Serjiguleng ignored the people who followed him like a shadow, built a farmhouse beside a suitable pond, hid his identity, and raised his younger brother Bart alone.

He taught his younger brother martial arts, the languages, writing systems, customs, and everything else he knew. As for the blood feud and the events of the previous dynasty, the six-year-old Bart had already etched that tragedy deep in his mind.

When Bart grew into a teenager, many people who had also fled famine had gathered in this mountain area. Like the people arranged by Yue Wenshan, they consciously built their homes on the other side of the pond, gradually forming a mountain village.

One day, a girl who was brought in bound attracted Serriguleng's attention...

The nightmare about Vegetable Man City was, after all, a part of his life—and the most common thing in Vegetable Man City was kidnapped women...

Serji Guleng rescued her and raised her together with his brother.

Time passed quickly, and the younger brother and the girl were both seventeen years old and lived in harmony. Seriguleng naturally took on the responsibility of being the head of the family and preparing for their marriage.

I spoke to both of them separately. Bart, who had already fallen in love with the girl, happily agreed...

However, the girl's reaction left him stunned for a long time.

When he asked, "Will you marry into the Borjigin family?"

The girl looked up at him shyly and said softly, "I do."

He immediately realized that the girl had misunderstood him, so he asked directly, "Are you willing to marry Bart?"

The girl's face instantly lost all color, but then she asked with a distressed look on her face, "What about you? Are you going to be alone forever?"

The farmhouse was renovated and prepared as a new home for Bart and the girl. The girl finally chose to marry into this family, even if it wasn't to marry him...

One year after Barthes's marriage, his wife gave birth to a child. Barthes immediately showed the newborn baby to him and asked him to name the baby.

He looked at the tender baby full of new life and remained silent for a long time.

They deliberately isolated themselves from the villagers, so much so that no one knows their surnames. But such a closed life cannot continue forever...

So, he changed the surname of the newborn to "Qin". Yue Wenshan once wrote to him, expressing his wish to marry his granddaughter to his family to continue the bloodline - the Yue family and the Qin family had a feud and did not intermarry - so the character "Qin" came from this.

As for the name, he chose "Zhong", which means important, implying that this is the continuation of the important bloodline of the family.

But his younger brother Bart has a different understanding and insists on calling it "heavy", the heaviness of destruction and reconstruction.

Life is unpredictable. Not long after Qin Chong was one month old, he suddenly had a high fever, which made him extremely anxious.

This sudden illness also aroused the absurd yet very real fear hidden deep in his heart...

Those who are tainted by the mysteries of heaven are often doomed to suffer the divine punishment of "five vices and three deficiencies." He possessed a remarkable talent for divine predictions, having foreseen the trajectory of a nation's destiny from a young age. Was it precisely because of his taint of the mysteries that the nation's fortunes were reversed, his family shattered, and his family destroyed? His deep-seated regret has never subsided, now surging with the death of his nephew.

He searched for herbs and tried every possible means, and finally rescued the fragile baby from the brink of death.

Then, regardless of the Barts' pleading, he said, "Brother! Don't go! Stay! You haven't touched those things for more than ten years! It will definitely be okay!" He left resolutely.

He wandered aimlessly, as if he had unloaded a heavy burden, but also as if he had lost all his support.

Upon hearing of his intentions, Yue Wenshan hurried back to the southwest and appeared before him, paying homage with the same respect he would to his lord. He densely inscribed on a scroll the achievements of the policies implemented over the years in accordance with his former will—abolishing racial discrimination, eradicating the vegetable market, and so on—and respectfully presented it to him...

He knew that this was Yue Wenshan's atonement, but this belated "achievement" seemed so pale in the face of the tragedy of the country's destruction and the family's demise.

His resentment towards Yue Wenshan had not diminished, but the passage of more than ten years had allowed it to settle deep in his heart and no longer show on the surface.

He followed Yue Wenshan into the newly renovated academy villa, which seemed to have been waiting for him. He looked up and saw the shiny plaque on the lintel: "Heguang Academy..."

"'One with the light, one with the dust'... is that for me?" he asked.

"That's not the case..." Yue Wenshan said, his head bowed. "My ancestors were once harmed by traitors because they disdained to go along with the corrupt... I, an old minister, respect my ancestors' integrity, but I also often think that if I could be humble and humble, I might achieve more. I can separate my loyalty from my patriotic efforts..."

He smiled and turned to ask, "Did you hear that I changed my nephew's surname to 'Qin'?"

Yue Wenshan nodded silently.

He lived in Heguang Academy for a few more years. Yue Wenshan resigned from his official position to Chu Yuan in the name of retiring to his hometown, and served him in the academy until he died of natural causes.

Before the Yue family members and Xia Dynasty officials arrived to mourn, he quietly left Heguang Academy with Yue Wenshan's tacit consent during his lifetime.

He walked aimlessly until he stopped beside a circular dirt platform that looked almost natural. He walked to a small hill that looked similar to the hill behind Dongshan Village, found a secluded spot, and with his bare hands, piece by piece, built a very simple "Temple of Heaven Worship."

He donned the Taoist robes not out of faith, but rather a sudden realization: Borjigin Seriguleng's previous life had long since ended. This remaining life no longer belonged to him. He was a prisoner left by the heavens, destined to worship and observe the heavens... a cultivator held captive by the heavens.

He let go of all his obsessions and focused on practicing Taoism and observing the heavens. He did not tell fortunes for the Bart family, as if he had severed all cause and effect in the world.

Until... the stubborn boy knelt all the way and came to Baitian Temple.

He saw the death of his brother Bart in the three hideous claw marks on the boy's face... and even more clearly saw the death of this boy—Qin Lie, Qin Zhong's child—nine years later...