Returning to the Time of the Tyrant's Seizure - Chapter 4

My Brother Thinks General Xie is Handsome

At the imperial city gates, as Qin Li’s direct subordinates, the Black-Armored Iron Guards, converged, the remnants of Xie Linchuan’s troops were completely surrounded.

Upon hearing the news that Li Xuehong had already been captured alive, a slight commotion rippled through the troops behind Xie Linchuan. They tightened their formation, huddling close to his side. Every man instinctively drew his long blade, a posture set for a desperate final stand.

They knew all too well that there was no chance of survival; they were simply ready to die for their commander.

Xie Linchuan let out a silent sigh. In his past life, he would have found surrendering while besieged to be an utterly humiliating affair. But thinking it over, he was merely an outsider. He had transmigrated to become a General of the Jing Kingdom only three months ago.

What little sense of belonging he felt was entirely due to the favor of Li Xuehong’s protection and his attitude of treating subordinates with heart-to-heart sincerity. Since Li Xuehong had proven himself unworthy of such loyalty, Xie Linchuan’s pride meant nothing compared to the lives of the men standing beside him.

He lowered his bow, gently patted his restless steed, and met Qin Li’s eyes. He asked calmly:

“I have heard that the Prince of Yao’s army explicitly stated that those who surrender will not be killed and that prisoners will be treated well. I wonder if that still holds true?”

Qin Li gave a low laugh. “Of course.”

Xie Linchuan nodded and dismounted with crisp decisiveness. He turned back and commanded, “Everyone, put down your blades.”

“Grand General,” the vice-general, Di Yong, and several personal guards had reddened eyes, still unwilling to give in. However, seeing Xie Linchuan’s firm resolve and knowing that living was better than a meaningless death, they eventually followed his orders, dismounted, and allowed themselves to be bound.

Across from them, atop his horse, Qin Li remained expressionless, though he felt a secret sense of relief.

While he was confident he could wipe out these few hundred remnants, facing a group of Imperial Guards armed to the teeth and led by a famously formidable commander would have resulted in a desperate counterattack. The cost to his own side would not have been small.

He looked down at Xie Linchuan from his high vantage point. Just as the man was about to be bound and led away, Qin Li suddenly drew his long spear and precisely flicked away the rope meant for Xie Linchuan’s hands.

“There is no need for this. General Xie is the number one general of Great Jing; let us be more polite.”

The surrounding men were stunned. Though they felt it was inappropriate, they dared not speak up and could only comply.

Xie Linchuan looked up at him in surprise.

In his past life, he had not been captured by Qin Li personally, so he had not received this treatment. Back then, if he had heard these words, he likely would have thought Qin Li was being sarcastically mocking.

Qin Li’s temperament had always been volatile, his tongue sharp and poisonous. Even now, Xie Linchuan could not quite figure out what the man was thinking.

Qin Li slowly removed his face mask, scrutinizing Xie Linchuan with an interested gaze. Out of nowhere, he remarked, “You are just as you were back then.”

Hearing this, Xie Linchuan’s heart jolted, and his eyelid twitched violently.

What did Qin Li mean by that? Could he possibly have his previous memories? Has he been reborn just like me?

Keeping his expression unchanged, Xie Linchuan subtly studied the other’s demeanor. He decided it was impossible; if Qin Li had his past life’s memories, his current attitude would never be this way.

Perhaps Qin Li met me before this?

But according to the timeline, he had only transmigrated three months ago. Aside from the journey to the capital in a prisoner’s carriage, he had stayed in the imperial city. He should not have had any intersection with Qin Li.

Maybe he met the unfortunate original owner of this body on the battlefield? That explanation made more sense.

Qin Li spoke leisurely, “With your archery skills, that shot just now could have been aimed at my eyes instead of the horse. Had you done that, you might have escaped by now.”

He lightly tossed the mask in his hand. It covered most of his face, but the eyes were exposed.

If the first arrow was a strategic choice, the second was a deliberate choice to give up.

Qin Li seemed desperate for an answer: “Thinking back on it now, do you regret it? Hmm?”

Xie Linchuan breathed a quiet sigh of relief. It seemed Qin Li truly did not have his past life’s memories. If he had, Xie Linchuan would not have known how to face him.

Relaxing internally, Xie Linchuan gazed into his eyes and said meaningfully, “Perhaps if I did it all over again, it would be the same.”

With that, he turned and walked away.

Qin Li did not look away until Xie Linchuan had been led away and his figure had completely disappeared into the city gates.

“Xie Linchuan is the Great General of Jing. He is highly skilled in martial arts and was fiercely loyal to the court and Li Xuehong. He nearly wiped out our forces several times,” Qin Yongyi, Qin Li’s sworn brother, stepped forward and asked his elder brother in confusion.

“Will a man like that truly submit so easily? Brother, are you not afraid he is faking it? What if he suddenly changes his mind and leads his subordinates in an escape?”

The vice-general guarding Qin Li’s side, Nie Dong, shook his head and said deeply, “Loyal to the court? I would not be so sure.”

“Do not forget, he lost his military power precisely because the old Emperor and the lapdogs around him were suspicious. He was escorted back to the capital for trial and paraded through the streets in a prisoner’s cage. We saw it with our own eyes.”

“Speaking of which, we should thank that fatuous old Emperor. Otherwise, things would not have gone so smoothly for us.”

“The imperial city is ours now, but those Imperial Guards and the troops the Third Prince, Li Fenghao, took with him are still a significant threat.”

As the two of them went back and forth, Qin Li remained silent. He reached out and pulled the arrow from his armor. The tip was clearly stained with blood.

Qin Yongyi gasped, “Big brother, you are hurt?”

Qin Li waved him off, smiling with indifference. “Just a flesh wound. It is no big deal.”

Nie Dong was about to speak, but Qin Li cut him off with a hand. He narrowed his eyes and said coldly, “Whether or not he is still loyal to the court, we will know if we lock him up with Li Xuehong.”

“Remember, do not put them in shackles. But if there is any suspicious movement, or if they try to plot with outside reinforcements or surrendered officials,” a cold light flashed in Qin Li’s eyes. He swept his hand down like a blade. “Kill them all.”

Qin Yongyi and Nie Dong exchanged a look. “Big brother is thorough as always. We understand! I thought you”

Qin Li tugged the reins, moved forward a few steps, and glanced back. “Thought I what?”

Qin Yongyi gave a cheeky grin and winked. “I thought you saw how handsome General Xie is and took a liking to him.”

Nie Dong remained silent. Their commander preferred handsome men over beautiful women. Not many knew this, but his inner circle was well aware.

However, Qin Li had incredibly high standards. Most people did not catch his eye.

As for that Xie Linchuan, his looks were undeniably top-tier, but that sharp, decisive aura of a killer made him someone difficult to deal with.

If he had not run straight into Qin Li, that trick of scattering money at the city gates would have been enough for him to lead his troops out of the capital. If a commander like that met up with Li Fenghao’s army of tens of thousands, thinking of this, Nie Dong felt a sudden wave of lingering fear.

Qin Li paused, pointed his horsewhip at Qin Yongyi’s nose, and laughed proudly. “Xie Linchuan is a genius. The old Emperor was senile, Li Xuehong is despicable, and Li Fenghao is weak. None of them could control him.”

“Only I can.”

His tone was calm and arrogant, as if he were stating a foregone conclusion. His eyes were filled with the look of a man determined to win his prize.

On the other side, Xie Linchuan had been separated from his subordinates. His weapons had been confiscated, and his armor was gone. Dressed only in a plain white inner garment, he was temporarily held in the lowest level of the Heavenly Prison.

The environment was dim and exceptionally cold. The rustling of rodents echoed occasionally. The thick green stone walls had no windows, letting in not a single ray of sunlight.

Deep inside the cell, there was only one person. His once-luxurious clothes were covered in dust, and his dignified posture was in disarray. He leaned against the corner in silence. It was Li Xuehong, who had failed to escape.

When they were brought face-to-face, Li Xuehong was stunned. He scrambled up from the ground in disbelief and gripped Xie Linchuan’s arms tightly. “Linchuan, you are alive! I heard that scoundrel Yang Qiong opened the gates without firing a single arrow. I thought you were doomed! Thank heavens”

Li Xuehong ignored his own disheveled appearance and carefully checked Xie Linchuan from head to toe. Seeing no injuries, he finally relaxed.

Xie Linchuan said nothing. He silently observed the other’s behavior. Seeing the genuine concern, which did not seem faked, his gaze turned complex.

This scene was almost an exact overlap of when they were both captured and imprisoned in the previous life.

Fate was like a kite on a string. No matter where it flew, it was always pulled back to the original track.

“Linchuan, why are you looking at me like that?”

Normally, Xie Linchuan would have already started comforting him and actively discussing a way out. Now, he only watched with an icy indifference, saying nothing.

“It is nothing. I am fine. Since Your Highness is well, I am relieved.” Xie Linchuan moved past him, scanned the cell, and sat down on a straw mat covered in dust.

It seemed that currently, Li Xuehong, like Qin Li, had no memories of the past life. Otherwise, he would not have dared to get so close.

A moment later, a jailer brought two portions of food and pushed the tray through the small door.

Li Xuehong caught sight of the rotten vegetable leaves and smelled a sour stench. He immediately flared up in anger.

“If Qin Li wants to kill us, then kill us! To use such low-handed methods and bandit-like behavior, where is his regal grace?”

The jailer rolled his eyes disdainfully. He peeked through the bars and laughed, “Oh my, you are a noble person who looks down on prisoner food. Fine, I will just take it away then.”

This man looked very familiar. He was the same jailer who, in the past life, had whipped Qin Li and was later used as a meat shield by Li Xuehong.

Xie Linchuan was momentarily speechless. He had not expected the tables to turn this way, bringing back the karmic cycle of this minor character.

The jailer gave a shifty-eyed smile. “If you want good food and drink, it is not impossible. This speaks for you.”

He rubbed his fingers together. The meaning was clear: he wanted money.

Li Xuehong frowned and scolded, “You snobbish little man who cannot recognize greatness! Do you know who I am?”

“No money? Then eat it or do not! Everyone locked in this Heavenly Prison is a royal or a noble. The palace has a new master now! Who cares who you are? You only leave here horizontally!”

The jailer turned and walked away, grumbling.

In his past life, Xie Linchuan remembered that he and Li Xuehong were imprisoned for quite some time. They had nothing on them and no money to bribe the guards. Perhaps to intentionally grind down their spirit, they were denied charcoal for warmth, clothing, or bedding. Even the food was inedible.

In such a harsh, cold environment, even a strong young man would lose half his life.

On the first day, only Nie Dong, Qin Li’s trusted general, came to demand that Li Xuehong write an edict of abdication and read it personally in front of the civil and military officials. If he agreed, Qin Li would immediately pardon both of them, release them, and title Li Xuehong as the Duke of Shun.

Li Xuehong had flatly refused, preferring death over submission.

Not long after, Xie Linchuan was accidentally bitten by a rat while sleeping at night. He fell into a high fever for three days, remaining unconscious. When he finally woke up, Li Xuehong was by his side. The Prince had been forced to agree to Qin Li’s demands and accept the title in exchange for getting an imperial physician to treat Xie Linchuan.

As they say, the debt of gratitude is the hardest to repay.

Because of this, Xie Linchuan had always been grateful to Li Xuehong, viewing him as a friend and ally, trusting him implicitly and fulfilling many of his requests. Although he eventually recovered, he was left with a permanent sensitivity to the cold.

Xie Linchuan’s thoughts whirled for a moment. He could not stay in this prison. He had to find a way to save himself.

He stood up and checked every corner of the cell, confirming there were no rats yet. Then, he rolled up the only straw mat to rest in the inner corner. Of course, he did not forget Li Xuehong; the remaining loose straw was for him.

Li Xuehong watched his actions and opened his mouth to speak, but ultimately said nothing.

Night fell, bringing heavy frost and cold. Xie Linchuan closed his eyes, feigning sleep while remaining alert.

Suddenly, a rustling squeak accompanied by light footsteps approached.

Xie Linchuan opened his eyes just a crack. Through the shadow of his bangs, he saw the jailer from earlier. The man was using fire tongs to hold a black rat.

The jailer muttered under his breath, looked left and right, and secretly dropped the rat through the bars. He likely wanted to make them suffer a bit.

So, the rat bite was not an accident.

Xie Linchuan remained motionless until the man left. He then opened his eyes and glanced at the rat searching for food. An idea struck him.

The next day, the jailer brought the food as usual. Just after he placed the tray inside, Xie Linchuan called out to him: “Wait.”

“Now what?” the jailer asked irritably.

Xie Linchuan lowered his voice. “This food is truly hard for my Prince to swallow. You just want some benefits, do you not? I have no silver on me, but I have a jade pendant that is a family heirloom.”

“That is more like it.” The jailer was delighted. Seeing the other man pull something from around his neck to give to him, he reached out his hand to take it.

In a flash, Xie Linchuan clamped down on the jailer’s wrist at the pulse point. With a violent tug, he slammed the man against the bars. One hand gripped the jailer’s throat with such force that it nearly snapped his arm.

“Agh! Let go! Do you want to die?! Someone help!”

Xie Linchuan’s gaze darkened, and the corners of his mouth curled into a slight smirk. “Scream. Louder.”

Beside him, Li Xuehong was shocked by the sudden outburst. “Linchuan, what are you?”

In a matter of moments, the guards who had been ordered to kill on sight if there was any movement came rushing in.

Leading them was a man in a black cloak, heavily built with a dark complexion: Nie Dong, Qin Li’s trusted general.

Xie Linchuan’s gaze fell on him. The newcomer was indeed the right person. If his guess was correct, Nie Dong had come, just like in the past life, to demand the abdication edict.

Nie Dong gripped his blade, frowning. Just as he was about to shout a question, Xie Linchuan struck first:

“Is this the not killing those who surrender and treating prisoners well that Qin Li promised? Letting this jailer poison our food to kill us?!”

He kicked over the food bowl. Beneath the sour rice and rotten leaves, a blackened rat head and a severed tail rolled out.