Chapter 365 - 363: Memories from Years Ago (First Update)

Chapter 365: Chapter 363: Memories from Years Ago (First Update)

Xiao Yi was slightly taken aback and immediately said, "Of course, I don’t mind. Why would you think that?"

After a brief pause, he seemed to realize the origin of Xu Jing’s thoughts and helplessly raised the corners of his mouth, saying, "It’s my fault. I should have told you about my parents’ situation earlier.

Ah Jing, I’ve never talked to you about these things because when we remarried, I wasn’t sure if you wanted to stay by my side. Later, too many things happened, and I couldn’t find the right time to tell you."

Indeed, the day after they got married, Xiao Yi went to Lingzhou.

Since then, they had always been apart more than they were together in Lingzhou, and after returning to the Western Capital, they were constantly busy.

Zhao Shaohua often teased her, saying that both of them were busier than the other, and it was pitiful for Chang Xiao to have such parents.

Xu Jing looked at Xiao Yi and said seriously, "Actually, even if you didn’t want to tell me, I wouldn’t mind. Everyone has pasts they don’t want to touch, and I can understand that.

But if you’re willing to talk about it, I’m willing to listen."

After all, doesn’t she also have a huge secret she’s never told Xiao Yi?

With such an understanding wife, Xiao Yi felt that what more could he ask for? He raised a gentle smile at the corners of his mouth and said softly, "Someone as clever as you must have guessed it already. My relationship with my father has always been strained. The reason I left the Xiao Family back then was also because of him.

But actually, when I was younger, although my relationship with my father wasn’t extremely close, we were just an ordinary father and son. My father was a military general commanding the army, very stern and strong-willed, often away from home. I’ve always been closer to my mother.

My mother was a woman from the Xie Family, of which you should have some knowledge. It was once a family of military generals, but not as prominent as the four major families of Great Chu."

Xu Jing was stunned.

The Xie Family? Xu Jing had never heard of this family, but the original host’s memory somehow had an impression of it.

She remembers hearing Xu Ya and Mrs. Wen mention it while chatting after the original host returned to the Xu Family.

The first head of the Xie Family, Xie Guangyuan, also followed the Grand Ancestor Emperor to conquer the world. However, he came from a humble background. His other family members had long perished in the long years of war, so he alone joined the Grand Ancestor Emperor’s forces. With his outstanding military skills and fearless courage, he achieved great merits. However, no matter how much merit he earned by himself, it was still no match compared to the established great families.

After the founding of Great Chu, the Grand Ancestor Emperor valued him highly and titled him as Guannai Marquis.

However, unlike other men who, after achieving success, thought of taking multiple wives and spreading their branches, Xie Guangyuan did not.

He said that there was an ancestral instruction in his family. No matter the situation, the men of the Xie Family could only have one wife and could not take concubines. Therefore, the Xie Family often had few descendants, and Xie Guangyuan himself only had three sons and one daughter all his life.

However, due to the Holy Emperor’s favor, the Xie’s family’s honor remained unchanged. This situation continued until a few years before the Chaos caused by King Wu began.

At that time, even though Great Chu had been founded, the situation wasn’t entirely stable across various regions, and foreign tribes from across the borders attacked frequently. In those initial years, Great Chu had expended countless efforts just to deal with these tribes.

One year, a few northern tribes banded together to attack Great Chu. The border was once lost. The then-head of the Xie Family, commanded to lead the Xie Family’s young men to fight the foreign tribes, fought an exceptionally difficult battle. During which, Great Chu lost several excellent generals, the majority of whom belonged to the Xie Family.

The Xie Family’s lineage was weak; after this battle, they were severely damaged. Except for a fortunate Xie Family lord who returned from the battlefield, only the elderly, women, and children were left. Although that Xie Family lord survived, he lost his entire right leg.

That Xie Family lord subsequently petitioned to the Holy Emperor, hoping to take the remaining Xie Family members away from the court, away from the battlefield. After that, the formerly glorious Xie Family tragically declined and vanished completely from the Western Capital.

Xu Jing never imagined that Xiao Yi’s mother came from such an incomparably tragic family!

Seeing the expression on Xu Jing’s face, Xiao Yi knew that she understood a bit about the Xie Family. He smiled faintly, but the smile did not reach his eyes. "When my mother married my father, the Xie Family was still doing well. Everyone said back then that my mother and father were a match made in heaven, a divinely ordained couple.

However, although my mother came from a military family, she had a very gentle and delicate temperament. Moreover, her health was always quite poor. After marrying my father, she first gave birth to my elder brother. Six years passed before I was born."

Xu Jing was taken aback.

Xiao Yi actually had an elder brother? She had never heard of this before!

Suddenly, she recalled what Xiao Yi’s grandmother said on their wedding day, that now she was the first daughter-in-law of the Xiao Family.

Her mind instantly cleared up.

Xiao Yi’s brother must have long passed away.

When Xiao Yi said this, his expression visibly darkened. After a pause, he continued, "Although my brother and I were many years apart, we always got along well. But after my brother joined my father’s army at the age of thirteen, I rarely saw him.

Until the year I turned ten, a significant event occurred in Great Chu: the eight foreign tribes from across the border united to attack Great Chu, an event now known as the Eight Clans’ Chaos.

My father and brother were stationed at a southwestern border of Great Chu at that time. Upon hearing that the tribes had breached the northwestern border, they hurriedly led reinforcements there. But on the way, they fell into an ambush by the allied tribes. My father and brother... disappeared, and some even brought news to the Capital, saying they had died on the battlefield."

Xu Jing’s heart felt as if it was being fiercely clenched by an invisible hand.

That war yet again!

The Xie Family’s men were almost entirely wiped out, and the Xie Family declined because of that war!

Unexpectedly, Xiao Yi’s father and brother also participated in that war!

Seeing the uncontrollable sorrow in Xiao Yi’s dark eyes, Xu Jing opened her mouth, wanting to tell him not to continue.

But in the end, she said nothing.

The Xiao Yi she knew was not someone so fragile. His willingness to share this with her showed he had come to terms with what happened back then.

She thought for a moment, stood up, and walked over to sit beside Xiao Yi. Xiao Yi was initially stunned, but after realizing her intentions, a slight warmth appeared in his eyes. He freed one hand to hold Xu Jing’s hand and continued, "At that time, people from the Xie Family were already ordered to lead the army to battle. The family knew that my mother was gentle-natured and that all the people she cared about were now on the battlefield. She was already distressed, so they wanted to hide the news about my father and brother from her.

But who would have thought that during such times, everyone was very focused on the situation at the frontier. The news from the battlefield seemed to spread like wildfire. No matter how capable the Xiao Family was, they couldn’t stop the gossip among the people.

One day, while my mother was out, she accidentally overheard conversations about my father and brother in the market."