Chapter 63: Why Is the Emperor Upset with Xu Yanmiao… (1 / 2)
Before Ji Sui even had a chance to warm his seat, the old emperor summoned him again.
The emperor cared little for Ji Sui’s emotional turmoil—having just reunited with his granddaughter and learning about his daughter’s death. Instead, concerned Ji Sui might faint from the shock, the emperor had a bowl of blood-red bird’s nest soup brought from the small kitchen to steady him.
Then, with a displeased expression, the emperor bluntly asked, “What exactly happened back then?”
Ji Sui forced himself to take a few bites of the bird’s nest soup, but it tasted like ash in his mouth. “Back then…”
Ji Sui still remembered that it was during the final battle before the founding of the nation. He had the fortune of being appointed rear commander, overseeing logistics for the campaign. It was an exhausting task, with hardly a moment to rest. His first wife had accompanied him, claiming she wanted to care for him so he wouldn’t fall ill from overwork.
“My wife… stole intelligence I had kept in my study, including military deployment orders and the locations of our food supplies.”
The emperor frowned deeply, recalling fragments of the past. “But at the time…”
“Your Majesty, you are correct. The information she stole was deliberately discarded plans. I habitually keep the actual strategies in my mind,” Ji Sui explained, his tone devoid of pride. Instead, sitting there, he seemed almost to punish himself by recounting the story.
“My wife was not the orphan she claimed to be. In reality, she was the daughter of the Grand Chancellor of the Zhou Dynasty. Separated during the war, she later chose to steal intelligence to return to her homeland as an unswerving patriot. On the day Zhou fell, I went to see her. Right before my eyes… she took her own life to remain loyal to her country.”