Chapter 1770: Chapter 73: The Fall of Chen

The Ritual Eunuch stretched his mouth, unsure whether to laugh or cry, suddenly recalling the past.

At that time, Chen Dingye was an idle and neglected prince, no longer in the palace.

He was just a lowly eunuch, without any backing, living a miserable life where anyone could bully him. Only that Divine General would thank him, inviting him to drink together after being helped onto a horse while drunk, saying something about brothers drinking together.

He, trembling with fear, said he was a cripple and couldn’t speak of brotherhood.

Yet the young man just laughed heartily.

He said a man with courage cares not for other matters.

The Ritual Eunuch said softly, "He is indeed your offspring, Your Highness, remarkably similar in temperament to the Taiping Duke."

Surrounded by many famous generals, this eunuch, shot with arrows, grasped a dagger, repeatedly stabbing at the corner of a battle robe, as he had no martial skills, using this as his only way to avenge his lord. Then he threw down the dagger, gasping for breath, his face deathly pale.

This eunuch, who once risked his life rushing into the flames to see the Divine General for the last time, had lived a life of bending his knee, but this time, he finally stood tall, staggeringly walking to Chen Dingye’s remains, stretched his mouth, and bowed down.

Then he never rose again.

A man possesses courage.

Even if opposing, Taiping Duke.

Am I such a man?

......

The death of Chen Country’s emperor also marked the end of Chen Country’s sovereignty. His demise dealt a massive blow to the families and hidden powers within Chen Country that still harbored a bit of resistance.

Using this event as a pretext, Prince Qin’s Qilin Army began to completely resolve and subdue the last dissatisfied factions within Chen Country.

Chen Country’s Imperial Mausoleum.

In the end, Chen Dingye was buried here.

Solely for the sake of his last desperate effort to tear through the grasslands, Li Guanyi buried the Ritual Eunuch beside Chen Dingye and gave a proper burial to the entire Imperial Guard fallen in the last battle.

In the center of Chen Country’s Imperial Mausoleum, there was one especially ancient and magnificent place.

Beside it stood two enormous stone tablets, with an old tree outside.

This was precisely the burial site of Chen Country’s founder, Emperor Chen Wu.

The white-haired old Siming stood there, looking at the tree, another year of spring. This willow tree had sprouted new leaves, but the people of the past had perished, not only the old friends unseen again, even the dynasty they established with armor and horses, had also ended.

Only this old willow, refreshed by the spring breeze, turned green again.

The old Siming patted the trunk of the old tree, speaking to the old Mystic Turtle beside him, "Old partner, back then, I split with that rascal, Emperor Chen Wu. Before leaving, I said that after he dies, I will relieve myself in front of the old tree by his tomb."

"Unexpectedly, before his death, that boy even wrote an Imperial Decree for his descendants to plant this old tree. It’s like him to be stubborn to such an extent, yet there’s some meaning to it only when his descendants were still around."

"Now that his dynasty is gone, urinating before his tomb suddenly feels meaningless."

The old Mystic Turtle rolled its eyes, "You’re just looking for trouble."

"What, do you have to be discovered, then get chased and cut down with a big knife to feel excited?!"

The old Mystic Turtle grumbled.

As for why he remembered the events of that time so clearly and harbored such resentment.

One must guess that when old Siming’s temper flared up back in the peak period of Chen Country, he urinated on the tree in front of Emperor Chen Wu’s tomb, and when a Forbidden Palace guard discovered him and swung a big knife at his head, who blocked it?

Old Siming scratched his head, laughing heartily, "Hey!"

"Look at you, how many years have passed."

"How come you remember it so clearly?"

"Who are we, anyway? Hey, you little turtle, how can you bear a grudge?"

Old Siming angrily rubbed the Mystic Turtle’s head.

The latter wished to bite this old bastard hard.

Old Siming gently caressed the old tree, the smile gradually fading from his lips, his white hair hanging, the expression in his eyes peaceful and serene, carrying a sense of the passage of years, saying, "Time passes by, Chen Wu, your country is also gone."

"Now the world, the Western Regions, the grasslands, your Chen, the southwest, all belong to one country. It is now in a bifurcated state, the unification of the world we pursued in our youth is about to be realized."

"However, on the path to pursuing this dream, your once grand dream was shattered. If you saw today’s scene, would you feel resentment and anger, or would you just laugh freely and drink a cup of wine?"

"What about people like us?"

Old Siming sighed; it seemed nature was kind. In such weather, a drizzle seemed to fall, cold and especially fitting. Old Siming stood in front of his white hair, extending his palm to catch the rain falling to the world, seeing the weeping willow as if seeing an old friend.

Willow before eyes, clear sky in the distance, isn’t it desolate, isn’t it...

Old Siming’s thoughts froze.

Huh?

Wait, clear sky in the distance.

Clear sky?!

Old Siming looked blankly about thirty paces away at the clear sky without rain and then at the rain shrouding this area, his forehead twitching.

He seemed to realize something, stiffening, slowly turning around, lifting his head to see, atop the tomb, a man with skin like wood and stone was relieving himself, a pee on the wind.

Their gazes met.

General Xue joyfully said, "Isn’t this little Siming?"

Huh???

Old Siming’s face visibly turned red.