The court lackeys of the eight-hour workday

Chapter 220 Previous Life
Zhu Zai had kept these words in his heart for many years.

If today's matter was not a matter of life and death, and if it weren't for the fact that he happened to be talking about this point, Zhu Zai would probably take these words to his grave.

After a long while, Li Miao chuckled.

"Commander, you finally asked the question."

Zhu Zai nodded.

"I've always wanted to ask, but I've never dared to ask."

"I'm afraid that after I ask you, you'll leave."

"If it weren't for what happened today, I would never ask you this question until I die."

Zhu Zai sighed.

"Actually, you knew I would be suspicious, right?"

"Your martial arts, your lousy but extraordinary understanding, your good but extraordinary bones, and the unheard-of words that come out of your mouth."

"You didn't try to hide, and I was pretending not to see it."

"I'm not a fool, I'm just pretending to be confused. You're just pretending to be confused to coax me."

The room fell silent for a moment.

After a while, Li Miao chuckled.

"Well, I didn't expect to hide it from you. But you wouldn't understand even if I told you."

"Just treat me as the reincarnation of a god."

Hearing Li Miao's admission in person, Zhu Zai heaved a sigh of relief.

"So, is this how the gods view us mortals? Heaven and earth are unkind and treat all things as straw dogs?"

"No, no, no, Commander, not really."

Li Miao waved his hand.

"You may be overthinking it. The so-called immortals over there are actually just ordinary people who wear warmer clothes, eat more, and travel farther. My disdain is just the arrogance of the pioneers looking at the latecomers."

"But I admit that I was a little immature back then."

Li Miao said with a chuckle.

"When I first came to Dashuo, I really thought it was just a dream. All the people in the dream were just puppets in my dream. Their life and death, love and hate, didn't matter."

"But I have been in Dashuo for thirty-five years, even longer than when I was a god before. I know very clearly that Dashuo is not my dream, and the people living in Dashuo are real people, not toys created for me."

"I know what you mean."

Li Miao looked at Zhu Zai with a smile.

"You think I'm a deity who looks down on mortals' affairs, so you say you're different from me. You think I shouldn't get involved in this matter and delay my cultivation."

"You want me to go and you to stay, don't you?"

Zhu Zai did not deny it.

Li Miao shook his head.

"You are mistaken."

"I am a human, not an immortal. I do want to become an immortal, but I don't want to turn myself into a heartless stone."

"Those so-called gods in my previous life were just a group of 'people' who struggled and rolled in the mire for thousands of years and barely managed to climb out with their own hands."

"The reason why I am indifferent is, firstly, because I didn't feel a sense of belonging to Dashuo in the beginning, and secondly, because I didn't have a good life in my previous life, which led to this kind of personality."

Zhu Zai frowned.

“Can gods also have a bad life?”

"Why not?"

Li Miao chuckled. This was the first time he was truly open and honest with someone, and he couldn't help but reveal a relaxed smile.

"I lost my father when I was young, and I struggled all the way. I lost an eye and broke a leg, and only then did I save a little. But when I was young, I was framed by a 'friend' and stabbed in the waist, which left me with a chronic illness."

"After that, he no longer dared to trust others and walked alone. Gradually, he gained momentum. Just when things were looking up, he became bedridden at the age of 29 because of that knife attack. He died of depression at the age of 32."

"After such an experience, how can I not be indifferent?" "But, Commander."

Li Miao looked at Zhu Zai seriously.

"That was only before my twenty-fifth year in Dashuo."

"Before I brought Xiao Si home, I really didn't have much affection for Da Shuo. Even after I brought her home, I was still busy practicing martial arts. It was as if I was just afraid that my home would be too lonely, so I just brought a living thing home to raise."

"But I watched her grow up until she reached my waist, her hair got longer, she stopped being gloomy, she started talking, and someone would prepare meals for me when I got home."

“I was gradually changed.”

"Later, I gradually tried to get closer to you. I listened to you scolding me, but you never stopped me from taking money from your private treasury. Every year during the Chinese New Year, you would call me over for dinner. You always scolded me for being a hopeless case, and I always made you so angry that your veins popped out, but you still tried every way to get me promoted."

“It was then that I suddenly felt that I was a person living in Dashuo, not a lonely ghost living in a dream.”

"So, don't say anything more if you want me to leave alone."

Li Miao smiled.

"I want to be free, and freedom is not against my heart. You can't leave, but I ran away alone. What's the point of being free?"

"Although I am gloomy and cold by nature, I recognize you and the Jinyiwei."

"This is my home. Anyone who wants to go wild will die."

"Let's talk about this second way."

Zhu Zai was silent for a while, then quietly raised his sleeve to wipe the corner of his eyes, cleared his throat, and spoke as if nothing had happened.

"Ji Tianrui."

"Yes."

Li Miao slowly wrote the word "Rui" on the table.

"The plans of the Jianwen Emperor, the Ming Cult, and the Emperor are all out in the open. Only her plans are still unclear."

"She is the daughter of Ji Tianrui and King Miao. Judging from her previous actions, she is obviously hostile to Ji Tianrui. Therefore, she and the emperor are not on the same side."

"Given her background, it's hard to imagine that she released Emperor Jianwen because she really wanted to be loyal to him."

"And judging from her previous attitude towards the Ming Cult, she doesn't have much affection for them."

"When it comes to being disloyal and lawless, she is far more thorough than I am."

At this point, Li Miao suddenly sneered.

"She is the mastermind behind today's incident. From my perspective, everyone is now trapped in her plan, including me."

"Although I don't know what she wants, and I will definitely kill her in the future, but right now, the source of everything lies with her."

"The solution to the problem lies in her hands."

After saying that, Li Miao slowly stood up.

"Commander, please stay here and be at ease. Before you meet Emperor Jianwen, the emperor will not take action against the royal family. Staying beside him now will help you avoid being attacked by him."

"Everything will be normal tomorrow. You can just follow the emperor to worship the ancestors."

Zhu Zai looked at Li Miao.

"How are you going?"

Li Miao said with a chuckle.

"Go back to Jinyiwei first and explain some things."

"Then go to the Imperial Mausoleum and talk to Ji Tianrui."

--------

Tianshou Mountain, Imperial Tomb.

Ji Tianrui stood by a stream, humming a tuneless little song and looking into the distance in the direction of the capital.

"Master Li, why haven't you come yet?"

(End of this chapter)