TGDS Chapter 84.2

The Good Dad System (Arc 12) Chapter 84.2: (Ancient Times) The People Around My Daughter Have All Been Reborn (2)

He was speechless, and could only kneel and kowtow: “Your Majesty, my Pei family has been loyal and valiant for generations. From my great-grandfather to the present, four generations, direct and collateral branches, hundreds of lives have been buried on the frontier, never to return. The entire Pei family has no regrets, for Your Majesty’s sake, for the sake of the people. Now, I have no way to absolve myself of my crimes, but I dare to ask Your Majesty to consider whether I have ever done anything wrong on the frontier over the years? My heart for Great Xia and for Your Majesty is as clear as the sun and moon!”

The Crown Prince coldly snorted and spoke: “But in General Pei’s heart, the people of the frontier are far more important than my second brother. Do you dare to say that you have never hesitated for a moment, wanting to exchange my brother’s life for the stability of your frontier?” He looked down at him condescendingly, “General Pei, you have always prided yourself on the absolute obedience of your army. Without your orders, would the entire army dare to move?”

“…” He had nothing to say, only kowtowing, “May Your Majesty be wise.” If death could atone for his crimes, he would, but his death would bring nothing back, only causing his orphaned children to follow him on their journey.

Emperor Xia Ren did not make a decision, but simply ordered him to be dragged away and imprisoned again. In fact, the original owner of this body was unaware that Emperor Xia Ren was also in a dilemma. He had lost his own son and wished he could take the original owner’s life directly, but at the same time, he was afraid of affecting the royal family’s reputation among the people. After all, compared to the lives of the princes and the borderlands and the people, the choice was easy for him, but for the people, it was entirely different.

Time flies in prison. After what seemed like an eternity, Pei Naochun was dragged out. The jailer who pulled him out told him that after he left, the Pei family army’s morale had collapsed, and the enemy forces on the border had taken advantage of the situation.

The new general couldn’t hold them off, and three cities on the frontier had fallen in quick succession, with flames of war raging and the enemy threatening the capital. Emperor Xia Ren had ordered him to immediately rush to the battlefield, assume the general’s post, and lead the army to fight the enemy. Did the original Pei harbor resentment? Perhaps, but upon hearing that the frontier he had personally led was in danger, he was frantic with worry. Unable to find anyone, he had dragged the jailer along. After confirming that the Pei family hadn’t been implicated, he sent a message to his daughter and mother, telling them to take good care of him. Then he rode swiftly back to the frontier. Even though his health was much worse than before, and his body was covered in wounds, he dared not rest for a moment. Upon reaching the frontier, he discovered that the general who had caused the army’s morale to plummet was none other than the Crown Prince. With the enemy at his doorstep, he had no time for further discussion; he simply regrouped his army and continued the fight.

Soon, the war subsided—his name was not to be trifled with on the frontier. His experience of imprisonment had made him like a demon returned from hell, unstoppable and ruthless, slaying three enemy princes, four generals, and countless soldiers, forcing the enemy to withdraw from the border and sign a ten-year non-aggression agreement, along with annual tribute.

Then, the original owner of this body died. He didn’t die on the battlefield, but after dealing with everything, exhausted, he was pierced through the back by the Crown Prince’s sword. Blood flowed incessantly, and his body was riddled with multiple serious injuries; even breathing caused him to vomit blood clots. He stared wide-eyed at the Crown Prince, then heard him say, “General Pei, you didn’t expect this, did you? In this life, you were destined to die by my hand, including my second brother, your daughter…” He tried to hear clearly, but couldn’t, only knowing that the other was laughing loudly.

In his dying moments, he thought of his daughter and the letter he had written to her. He had told her that the day of the army’s victory was just around the corner, and that he would lead his troops back to the capital to give her a grand wedding with a magnificent procession. But now, everything was gone. Would his daughter resent him? And Mother, in this life, I haven’t been able to be filial to you for even a few days. Will you resent me?

After his death, perhaps driven by an obsession or a lingering soul, he returned to the gates of General Pei’s mansion. Lost and bewildered, he couldn’t touch anyone. Reaching his daughter’s room, he found her pale-faced and sitting there in a daze. He then realized that his release from prison that day was due to his daughter’s act of petitioning the emperor upon hearing of renewed unrest on the frontier. She endured torture, and, with the entire Pei family as collateral, wrote a guarantee in blood, along with a petition signed by thousands of soldiers and civilians from the frontier, delivered by his personal guards. She knelt before Emperor Xia Ren, begging him to trust the Pei family once more and allow him to quell the rebellion.

Emperor Xia Ren, in fact, had no other generals to rely on. He chose to trust his original self, placing the heavy responsibility on his shoulders. After all, his son was still at the border; the death of the second prince couldn’t be followed by the loss of the crown prince.

Only then did the original owner learn the whole story. “When the ruler commands the subject to die, the subject has no choice but to die.” He had given his life for the Great Xia, but what had he received in return?

He wandered around General Pei’s mansion for several days, seeing his mother praying in the Buddhist hall, seeing his daughter being given medicinal soup every day, and then hearing his daughter’s maid talking casually— she said that when Pei Yuzhu was young, the Prime Minister’s daughter repeatedly visited her, wanting to befriend her, and this continued even as she grew up. However, after the Crown Prince and the Second Prince went to the border city, the other woman, for some reason, never came again. Could it be that she foresaw the calamity that would later befall the General’s mansion?

She said that Pei Yuzhu’s cousin, for some reason, was unusually hostile towards her. Several times, she deliberately came to her door to mock her, saying strange things. She even tried to secretly push the young lady into the water at a palace banquet. Afterwards, she was locked up at home and never came out again.

She said that the top scholar from the neighboring mansion had lingered near the wall several times. Once, he found a kite that Pei Yuzhu had flown and even wrote a sentimental poem about it. Pei Yuzhu, upon seeing it, immediately burned the kite.

She also said that the daughter of Pei Yuzhu’s wet nurse, who had originally been determined to escape slavery and marry a peasant, knelt before Pei Yuzhu just before being released, saying she wanted to serve her as a slave for life. However, Pei Yuzhu had enough head maids, so she didn’t take her and let her go. Before leaving, the girl said some inexplicable things, saying that her mistress would regret not being able to keep her, and so on.

…

The maids talked about the many legends surrounding Pei Yuzhu, then trembled and hugged their arms tightly, feeling a chill run down their spines. They even speculated whether the Pei family’s feng shui was bad, which was why their fortunes had suddenly taken a turn for the worse.

The original owner of this body stood there dumbfounded, realizing that he hadn’t heard a single thing the maids were saying. He was far away on the frontier, and delivering a message wasn’t easy. Besides, his daughter was considerate; she wouldn’t want to trouble her father with everything, so she only reported good news and never bad. She had never mentioned anything like these unpleasant-sounding things. He vaguely felt as if a thread in his mind had suddenly connected, pointing to a strange answer, but time didn’t allow him to think any further—the Crown Prince had entered the city.

Before His Majesty, the Crown Prince passionately recounted how he had risked his life, penetrated deep into enemy territory, and taken numerous enemy heads, thus spreading his fame far and wide and forcing the enemy to sign a treaty. He also said that General Pei’s health had deteriorated significantly when he arrived at the frontier, and he could barely sustain the fighting. Unfortunately, after the victory, he succumbed to his injuries and died. He argued that his past transgressions should be forgiven.

Emperor Xia Ren, however, believed his son’s ideas and issued an edict to bestow honors upon him, granting him a funeral equivalent to that of a Duke. Furthermore, recognizing the Crown Prince’s progress, he ordered the Duke of Xiao to perform a sacrificial ceremony at Xishan Temple to inform his ancestors.

While still in his soul form, the original owner watched as the news reached home. His mother and daughter, unable to bear the blow, both fainted. By the time the coffin arrived and the funeral was over, his mother had already passed away. In the vast Pei mansion, only his daughter remained, utterly alone, with no one to rely on. In other families, she might have had some treacherous relatives lurking around, but in the Pei family, even collateral branches were as rare as the main branch, with only one or two out of ten surviving.

Before the original owner could even finish grieving, he saw the Third Prince, dressed in plain clothes, enter through a side gate to visit his daughter. Pei Yuzhu was wary upon seeing him, but the Third Prince showed sincerity, saying he had come to seek an alliance. These words sent shockwaves through both Pei Yuzhu and the original owner’s hearts.

The Third Prince’s voice was low, yet clear: “Miss Pei, don’t you want to know how your father died? Don’t you want to avenge him?” Upon hearing this, Pei Yuzhuo immediately held her breath, urging him to continue. The Third Prince spoke eloquently, recounting the Crown Prince’s entire plan. Only then did the original owner realize that the Crown Prince’s intentions weren’t simply to absolve himself of responsibility or claim credit, but rather to use someone else to eliminate the Second Prince.

The Third Prince said he knew that the Pei family still had some guards and veterans remaining at home to protect Pei Yuzhuo, and he was aware of her reputation throughout the Great Xia Dynasty, especially on the border. He said that since the Crown Prince was about to attack him, he wanted to strike first. If Pei Yuzhuo led him to the border, led a large army to counterattack and return to the capital, purge the court of corrupt officials, kill the Crown Prince, and help him ascend the throne, he would clear the Pei family’s name, posthumously grant Pei the title of General Pei, and offer a fortune to marry Pei Yuzhuo as his empress.

Pei Yuzhu was silent for a moment, then suddenly spoke, “Third Prince, may I ask how Your Highness knows that I have the ability to lead troops or the strength to go to the battlefield? I am just a weak woman.”

The Third Prince’s eyes suddenly showed a hint of panic, and he immediately looked away, only saying, “Miss Pei, you are General Pei’s daughter.”

This reason could not convince Pei Yuzhu, nor could it convince the original owner of this body, but Pei Yuzhu still nodded in agreement. The original owner of this body panicked and wanted to stop his daughter. After all, he had not been by his side since she was a child, and he had not taught her any military strategy or martial arts. How could he send her to the battlefield like this? But the original owner of this body did not expect that his daughter was indeed capable of everything.