Chapter 4: Brothers

Chapter 4: Brothers

"You've gotten dark."

It wasn't until they left the Duke's residence that Cheng Lang patted his younger brother's shoulder with a soft chuckle.

He followed up with a light punch to Cheng Yi's chest.

Hard and solid.

Only then did Cheng Lang's tense nerves finally unwind.

"You little brat."

A year apart, and all his worries had finally settled.

Though only six years older than Cheng Yi, he somehow managed to sound like a proud parent saying, "My boy's all grown up now."

Cheng Yi forced a smile at his brother, but his heart was anything but calm.

The two brothers walked side by side toward the Marquis Zhongyong's residence, yet Cheng Yi instinctively lagged half a step behind, his gaze fixed on his brother the entire time, afraid to look away even for a moment.

Afraid this was all a dream.

Cheng Lang started casually:

"Mother misses you dearly. This year you were away at the frontier, she thought of you day and night, nonstop. When she found out you were coming back, she was over the moon."

"But before she could even see you, she heard Grandfather had flogged you raw. She's been so worried she can't eat and hasn't slept in two days."

"If you don't come back soon, Mother's tears are going to drown me."

Cheng Lang chuckled, his words full of their mother's longing for her youngest, yet he never mentioned his own year of worry about his little brother.

Cheng Yi had been gone for a year. The boy who'd been half a head shorter when he left was now already his height—and still growing.

His little brother had always been clever, charming, and strikingly good-looking. In just one year, he'd racked up repeated merits and gained great renown.

For that, Cheng Lang felt proud and gratified.

But he cared more about whether his little brother had been hurt, suffered, or worn down at the frontier.

His little brother had grown up pampered and headstrong. He'd worried that without family protection, his brother might get bullied or hurt.

Fortunately, his brother was no ordinary person—he was exceptional and dazzling.

What he hadn't expected was the Emperor's rash betrothal, nor his brother being punished by Grandfather to kneel in the ancestral hall for three days, with no one allowed near.

Which meant hardship for their mother, who'd been pining for her son.

She'd been overjoyed waiting for his return, only to hear about the Emperor's rash marriage decree, then that he'd been flogged raw by the Old Duke.

These past days, she'd been frantic with worry, but didn't dare visit because of the Old Duke's authority.

Now that she'd learned Cheng Yi had left the Duke's residence, she couldn't contain herself and sent Cheng Lang to bring him home.

Cheng Lang studied his younger brother. Luckily, he didn't look as battered as the rumors suggested. Rather, a year of trials had steadied him, and his whole demeanor had changed.

The boy's clear, bright eyes now seemed like an unfathomable deep pool, impossible to see through at a glance.

Somehow, seeing his brother so composed and reserved, Cheng Lang felt a twinge of melancholy.

"Brother."

Cheng Yi's voice came out hoarse.

A thousand words stuck in his throat, but in the end, only those two syllables came out.

Seeing the boy looking at him with red-rimmed eyes, Cheng Lang felt a tug at his heart—no matter how his brother grew, in front of him he'd always be the dependent little brother.

But on the surface, Cheng Lang put on a teasing tone.

"What's this? Only a year apart, and the mighty Little War God is about to cry on his big brother's shoulder?"

Cheng Yi clenched his fists, fighting back the emotions surging inside him.

A year.

How could it be only a year?

He hadn't seen his brother in ten full years!

In his past life, when he first heard of his brother's death, he'd just survived a life-or-death battle.

He'd returned exhausted, only to be hit with the devastating news. The world spun around him, he spat out a mouthful of blood, and toppled from his horse.

He and his brother had been close since they were kids.

With their father neglecting all responsibilities, his brother, as the eldest son, had shouldered the burden of holding the household together from a young age.

To Cheng Yi, he was both a brother and a father.

"An elder brother is like a father"—for Cheng Yi, those words were never just empty talk.

His brother had always been different from his peers—diligent and hardworking from a young age.

Rising early and sleeping late, he excelled in both studies and martial arts.

Cheng Yi remembered how his brother's small frame always stood ramrod straight, how he spoke and acted with precision, like a little grown-up.

His brother would scold him when he was mischievous and comfort him when he cried.

He'd tutor him in his studies, teach him martial arts, and drill proper conduct into him.

He'd even plead with Grandfather on Cheng Yi's behalf when the old man spanked him, and would secretly apply medicine to his bruises late at night after he'd fallen asleep from grueling training...

In short, in Cheng Yi's memories, his brother was like a great tree—sheltering him from storms and giving him something to lean on.

His brother was always so mature beyond his years that Cheng Yi often forgot he was only six years older.

In his memories, their father was always absent, but the role of father was never empty.

His brother had held up the sky for him.

One can only imagine the blow Cheng Lang's death dealt Cheng Yi.

In truth, his brother had opposed his going to the frontier, but Cheng Yi had acted first and asked later—by the time he returned, a year had passed.

He knew his brother's concerns: the danger of swords and arrows, the fear of losing him on the battlefield.

Big Brother was afraid he'd turn out like their father.

But after he returned safely, Big Brother ultimately pushed all his worries aside.

Since it was what his little brother truly wanted, as the elder brother, all he could do was support him.

In his previous life, not long after he defied the imperial decree and refused the marriage arrangement, he returned to the frontier.

He still remembered that night before his departure—the two brothers, just like in their childhood, leapt up onto the rooftop and sat side by side. In the moonlight, Big Brother allowed him to drink for the first time.

Each with a jar of wine, they talked about their aspirations and the futures they dreamed of.

Big Brother was usually composed and quiet, but that night he was especially talkative.

Cheng Yi had a low tolerance for alcohol and soon grew dizzy, only half-listening as Big Brother chattered on beside him. He remembered that at the end, Big Brother, eyes red-rimmed, shook his shoulders and said he absolutely had to attend his wedding.

It wasn't until after Big Brother's death that Cheng Yi vaguely recalled how he had thumped his chest and promised Big Brother that he would personally hunt down a wolf alpha as a wedding gift.

The wolf pelt would make a cloak for his future brother's wife, and the fangs would become a necklace for his future little nephew...

But Big Brother never got that gift.

He died.

He died in the prime of his life, in the most brutal manner, three days before his wedding.

Big Brother had been buried alive—by the time his body was found, he was already dead.

Moreover, every bone in his body had been shattered, and his meridians destroyed.

He must have suffered unimaginable torture before his death.

When Cheng Yi learned of this, he was so furious his eyes felt like they'd split, and the pain made it impossible to breathe.

But what tormented him even more was that he was already in military service and couldn't return to the capital freely.

So he couldn't so much as see Big Brother one last time, let alone personally find the murderer and avenge him.

It was maddening that Big Brother—a Grand Court Judge, grandson of Duke Zhenguo, and heir of Marquis Zhongyong—had died so tragically, and even without any clear explanation.

It wasn't until three years later that Cheng Yi returned in full military regalia, having already carved out a place for himself in the army. Back in the capital, he was also the Young General who commanded everyone's respect.

He finally had the chance to investigate the truth about Big Brother's tragic death.

Ultimately, all the clues pointed to the Third Prince, Xie Yulan.

But at that time, Xie Yulin was only just beginning to show his mettle. With his power not yet consolidated, he still needed the Third Prince to check the Fifth Prince, and he looked at Cheng Yi with pleading eyes.

By then, Xie Yulin no longer hid his ambitions from Cheng Yi.

Cheng Yi was shocked by his audacity, admired his willingness to defy the world, and sympathized deeply with his plight.

Xie Yulin said that Cheng Yi was his pillar, the only person he could trust, and the one he had chosen to rule his future empire alongside.

Ultimately, Cheng Yi did nothing.

It wasn't until years later, when he wielded great power, that he finally found the opportunity to kill Xie Yulan with his own hands.

He buried Xie Yulan himself, repaying him several times over for what Big Brother had suffered.

After that, Cheng Yi finally knelt at Big Brother's grave for the first time.

It was the first time he had faced him since Big Brother's death.

He had finally avenged Big Brother, but he didn't dare beg for his forgiveness.

By then, he wielded immense power and had the blood of countless people on his hands—the blood of foreign enemies, and the blood of those who stood in the way of Xie Yulin's path to the throne.

He had also become what some called a treacherous courtier, a lackey to the wicked.

Little did they know, he was just a blind and foolish brute, a pawn toyed with in someone's palm.

He didn't know why he had been reborn, but since heaven had given him this second chance, he would show those people what a true treacherous courtier really was.

If he was to be a treacherous courtier, then he would be one with far-reaching influence, one who could pull strings at the highest levels.

Big Brother's wedding was two months away. This time around, he would not refuse the marriage, nor would he leave early.

In other words, he had enough time to change Big Brother's fate and prevent him from suffering the same tragic end as in his previous life.

"What are you thinking about? Why haven't you said a word the entire way?"

Cheng Lang, seeing his younger brother silent the whole trip, couldn't help asking, puzzled.

Could he still be worried that he would be held accountable for taking matters into his own hands?

He had indeed been angry at first, but a year had passed, and his brother had been risking his life on that harsh frontier. That anger had long been replaced by constant worry and concern.

Now that he could return safe and sound, Cheng Lang only felt relief—especially since his brother was so exceptional, as if he were born for the battlefield.

He wasn't some rigid old man, so why would he hold a grudge?

But then he heard Cheng Yi suddenly say, "Big Brother, the emperor has bestowed a marriage on me. This time I'll be able to stay for at least three months."

"Didn't you say you didn't want to marry?"

Cheng Lang was surprised.

"I do," Cheng Yi grinned at him. "When I get home, I'll ask Mother to choose a lucky day to go propose."

Cheng Lang was dumbfounded.

Thinking of the ties between Minister Shen and the Wang family, Cheng Lang hesitated, but before he could press further, he heard Cheng Yi say.

"While I'm staying in the capital, I want to learn more about the political situation at court. I'm also very interested in the cases at the Grand Court. Big Brother, if you have time, I'd love for you to tell me more about them."

Cheng Lang was taken aback once more.

His little brother had truly changed.

He paused as he scrutinized his younger brother.

Aside from his eyes, which had become inscrutably deep, his vivacious and outgoing personality had undergone a major transformation. Not only had he become composed and reticent, but even his aura seemed entirely different.

The person before him was no longer someone he could see through, and he even felt an indescribable sense of unfamiliarity from him. He was clearly smiling, but the smile stirred an extremely complex feeling in him.

There was a kind of inexplicable, stifling heaviness in it.

Had something terrible happened to him on the battlefield?

That's true. His little brother, so young and spirited, had witnessed the brutality of the battlefield firsthand, even watching helplessly as those close to him died before his eyes. A shock like that would inevitably change who he is.

Cheng Lang thought this, and his heart ached for him.

"Alright, if there's anything you want to know, just come ask your big brother."

By the time they finished talking, the two brothers had already reached the entrance of Marquis Zhongyong's residence.

Cheng Yi had grown up by the side of the Old Duke, so he'd lived in the Duke's mansion far longer than at the Marquis's place, but he knew every nook and cranny of this place just as well.

From a distance, they saw a petite woman standing at the doorway, looking around anxiously. Upon spotting Cheng Yi, the woman's eyes, already puffy from crying, immediately welled up with tears.

Cheng Yi closed the distance in a few quick strides, rushing to her side.

"Mother."

"My Yi'er, you're finally back."

Her voice choked with emotion as she pulled her tall, strapping son close and looked him over from head to toe.

Tears streamed down her face as she spoke.

Cheng Yi thought to himself that his mother really was made of tears, yet he noticed the steward and the servants nearby were also red-eyed and dabbing at their tears.

His big brother stood off to the side with a smile, and he hurriedly whispered soothing words to his mother while his eyes instinctively scanned the crowd behind them.

Sure enough, that familiar figure was nowhere in sight.

It was as he had expected, yet after enduring the pain of losing all his loved ones, Cheng Yi still held a faint glimmer of hope for the one he had never dared to expect.

==========Author's Note:==========

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