The surrounding scenery faded away rapidly, like a disappearing tide.
When I opened my eyes again, the scene was completely different.
It resembles an ancient garden, with craggy rocks nestled in the courtyard beside a koi pond, where one can hear the babbling brook and the rustling of bamboo leaves.
It was a beautiful scene, if only they hadn't entered a dream world.
"So realistic! That Ghost Prince is amazing!"
Jiang Nuo casually praised it, picked a bamboo leaf and put it in his mouth to listen to the sound, then leisurely looked around. There were eunuchs and palace maids passing by, so it seemed that he was in the palace.
"Was this your past life?"
Jiang Nuo immediately became interested and nudged Si Yan's waist, "Let's go take a look, maybe we can even see you as the emperor from your past life!"
Si Yan frowned slightly, holding Jiang Nuo's hand and unwilling to move. "I'm right here, Nuonuo, why do you want to go see others?"
Let alone that it hasn't been confirmed yet, even if it was my past self, I would be a completely different person. What if I really looked exactly the same and Nuonuo fell for me?
Si Yan's eyes were dark, and he nestled into Jiang Nuo's arms, his voice filled with grievance. "Wife... you're mine."
How did the conversation get to this point?
Jiang Nuo was momentarily stunned. "What's wrong with you?"
He cupped Si Yan's face in his hands, examining her closely with tender eyes. "The Ghost Prince's desire for you to regain your memories might be related to the secrets of the tomb. Don't you want to find the answers soon and then go home to rest?"
Jiang Nuo has become increasingly patient with her lover lately, and she seems to like Si Yan very much, unlike with anyone else.
Although it didn't quite hit the nail on the head, Si Yan was quickly appeased, hugging Jiang Nuo and kissing the corner of her lips, "Okay."
He reluctantly followed Jiang Nuo forward. The palace maids and eunuchs passing by did not notice the appearance of the two strange beings. They followed him all the way until they passed the Koi Pond. The pavilions in the lake were draped with light gauze, and the green willows were hanging down. The serving palace maids stood quietly on both sides of the curtains, and there were also heavy guards.
In the center of the pavilion stood two men of unparalleled nobility.
The prince, completely different from before, sat below the dragon throne, terribly thin, which diminished his noble air and made him look rather pitiful.
The man directly above, dressed in a bright yellow dragon robe, truly deserved to be called noble and dignified. His indifferent expression exuded an imposing aura, and no one dared to look him directly in the eye.
Jiang Nuo finally saw the person and slowly let out a sigh.
"He's so handsome."
He can actually see three such handsome faces at once!
But upon closer inspection, the three are different. Leaving aside the prince, even the emperor and Si Yan, who are each other's past and present lives, although their appearances are 90% similar, their auras and temperaments are not entirely alike.
Upon hearing Jiang Nuo's praise of others, Si Yan quickly withdrew her gaze from the emperor, her phoenix eyes half-closed, looking at Jiang Nuo with a heartbroken expression, as if she were looking at a heartless man.
" Nuonuo, you really think he's handsome."
That's an exaggeration.
Jiang Nuo frowned. "You don't necessarily want to hear me say he's ugly, do you?"
Si Yan was slightly taken aback, looked at the face that was almost identical to her own, and remained silent.
He fell silent, listlessly snuggling into Jiang Nuo's arms, making sure her arms were tightly wrapped around his waist. "Anyway, you just can't like him."
"What nonsense are you talking about? Of course I like you."
Si Yan gave a light snort and continued to act arrogantly.
Jiang Nuo finally understood what Si Yan was struggling with, and chuckled to herself for a while, "So that's what you're worried about."
He pinched Si Yan's cheek, his tone dangerous, "Do you think I'm the kind of person who gets lustful at first sight?"
Si Yan's eyes were deep and thoughtful. He kissed her again before speaking, "What does Nuonuo think?"
Jiang Nuo: Yes, that's me.
But I can't say.
After coaxing and comforting the jealous Little Lucky Star until Si Yan finally stopped thinking about it, the two continued to observe everything happening in the courtyard.
The prince did not appear to have been pampered, at least not in the past. He was always timid and cautious in front of the emperor, his twin brother, even less so than a subject.
This alone is enough to raise suspicions, let alone the fact that they are brothers working together.
Most of the key figures who were forced into this case had brothers who looked remarkably alike.
Watching the important scenes unfold, Si Yan and Jiang Nuo were able to roughly deduce that the prince did not grow up in the palace, and although no one respected him, everyone feared him.
Si Yan and Jiang Nuo, who had been silently observing everything, also roughly understood the cause and outcome of the matter.
At that time, twins were considered an omen of bad luck by the royal family, who believed that they would bring many disputes and troubles, and would also destabilize the country.
Therefore, after the late empress gave birth to twins, the elder brother was kept by the late emperor and made crown prince.
The twin brother was sentenced to death to avoid affecting the fate of the country. The late empress couldn't bear it, so she sent her personal maid to fake her death and take the young prince out of the palace, as far away as possible, as long as he could live.
Seventeen years later, the late emperor passed away, and the crown prince ascended the throne. When he granted a general amnesty, he unexpectedly discovered that he had a younger brother. Before her death, the empress dowager instructed the emperor to treat him well.
The emperor kept this in mind and felt great pity for his younger brother, who was born of the same mother and should have been very close to him, but was tragically separated from him.
The emperor may seem aloof and indifferent, but he always felt indebted to his twin brother.
Even though she had discovered her younger brother's inappropriate affection for her, she simply turned a blind eye and pretended not to see anything.
Only after time had passed did the emperor's indulgence of his younger brother lead to the near destruction of the country.
The more than ten years of bullying and torment outside the palace had twisted the prince's heart, making him hate everyone in the palace.
The prince summoned all the sorcerers in the land, offering half the country as bait, and searched day and night for someone who could help him change his fate, namely the ancestral lineage of Simazi.
With the dragon's breath absorbed, the emperor, no longer protected by the true dragon's aura, gradually lost his ability to bless the country.
In the end, when the emperor was besieged by the prince's troops, he secretly mobilized some forces, determined to hand over the country rather than let his two-faced brother get it.
War breaks out, endless conflict ensues, and nations are destroyed.
After tasting the sweetness of changing his fate, the prince used the remaining wealth to establish himself as king, but his longing for his brother grew stronger and he resented everything.
Furthermore, a sorcerer prophesied that a more advanced civilization would emerge several hundred years later, at which time the deceased emperor would be reincarnated as a human.
Thus, this dynasty, which lasted less than ten years, collapsed once again, and all its wealth and sorcerers were used to build a tomb.
The prince cast a curse on the family of sorcerers who had once altered the family's fortunes. Any twins born into the family would be bound together by two souls, inseparable, and would be forced to live near the tomb for generations; if they went far away, they would die a tragic death.
The family's descendants must sacrifice the people when the time is right to help him resurrect and regain the world he desires.
The sacrifice must be made for twins or brothers or relatives in order to quell the anger that has been simmering for hundreds of years.