Both worlds are like dreams

"Many years ago, about thirty years ago, he went to Beiling as an envoy and played chess with me in the old capital. The court painter left this painting. At that time, I talked with him about everything and regarded him as a close friend. He was a man of both civil and military skills, and had strategies for governing the country. I admired him very much, and I also hoped that one day, Beiling could become a country like Beiyuan where the people could live and work in peace and contentment. But too many things happened later."

Xue Huang reached out her hand and stroked Emperor Yuanwen's eyebrows. In the painting, he was gentle and elegant, sitting upright, noble and confident, as if everything was under his control.

They really did look alike. Xuehuang smiled. This was her father. It turned out that she could still see what he looked like with her own eyes during her lifetime.

"Your Majesty, have you met my mother? What kind of person is she?"

"Your mother is the saint of the Tumi tribe. She is stunningly beautiful and well-versed in medicine. She is deeply loved by the people of Beiyuan. She truly lives up to her reputation as the mother of the country and is a well-deserved queen of Beiyuan. You look very similar to her, but your features are more like your father's."

Xue Huang looked at him for a long time. "From what Your Majesty said, it seems that he misses my father very much. Why did he come to this point?"

"It must be God's will."

"Your Majesty, do you regret agreeing to send troops to Beiyuan?"

"The declaration of war has arrived, and the court officials are forcing me to agree."

"Declaration of war?" Xue Huang smiled bitterly, "That's fake. Even when my father's only brother died in Beiling, he didn't start a war in order to save the people of both countries from being slaughtered in the war. Why did he suddenly start a war later?"

"Since you have no intention of fighting, why are you sending border troops to attack us?"

"It was Shen Congfeng who invaded the border! My father's letter was a request for peace, but what he got in return was Beiling's 300,000 troops invaded the border, and finally Shangyang City was broken, with countless casualties. My father and brother had already accepted the surrender with the imperial seal and the ministers in Taiji Hall, but in the end, none of the 473 members of the Beiyuan royal family and ministers survived, and the blood flowed like a river. Your Majesty, under your throne are the bones of my flesh and blood, and the blood of my Beiyuan loyal ministers and generals. Their souls are still lingering in the Taiji Hall!"

Xue Huang's voice was so sad as if she was crying blood. Emperor Ling couldn't help but shrink his body. He couldn't tell whether he was shocked or scared, or regretful or angry, or maybe all of them.

He coughed for a long time, and then collapsed. The majesty of the emperor was gone. He was like an old man who was terminally ill and whose life was coming to an end.

Xue Huang couldn't help but let the tears slide down her eyes. It wasn't that she didn't hate Bei Ling at all. What she hated was the incompetence and inability of this king to distinguish right from wrong.

If he had been more resolute, would Beiyuan not have been destroyed, her relatives would not have died, and would there not be all the helplessness today?

"Isn't it a declaration of war?" Emperor Ling was full of disbelief, "What do you know?"

"It was a letter he personally wrote asking for peace. Unfortunately, it did not reach your Majesty, but was replaced by someone else and eventually became a declaration of war."

"who is it?"

"Shen Congfeng."

"What evidence do you have?"

"I will find evidence and prove it to Your Majesty."

"Shen Congfeng has been instigating the relationship between the two countries. In fact, I understand it, but I can't do anything about it. I had just ascended the throne at that time, and the court was troubled by internal and external troubles. I had to rely on Shen Congfeng, which led to the situation today. When I received the letter of war, I actually didn't believe that your father would issue such a letter of war, because he loved the people like his own children, and it was not easy for the two countries to support each other and grow all the way. If they turned against each other, it would be very likely that other countries would reap the benefits. However, Shen Congfeng's faction tried their best to provoke a war, and I couldn't resist, so I had to order the war."