After Marrying a Vegetative Princess, I went crazy with joy! - Chapter 46

Chapter 46: I Am Your Big Brother, Su Dingfang!

“Left Marquis General Su Dingfang is here to visit?” Su Li looked at the female officer with a hint of confusion on his face. Now that Su Li had awakened his photographic memory, he could recall everything from the past with clarity. In just a moment, he retrieved Su Dingfang’s information in his mind.

Su Li had read about this name when he was researching. Su Dingfang, the renowned general of the later Tang Dynasty was born in the tumultuous era of Sui and Tang, he rose to prominence at a young age, following Li Jing in pacifying the Turks. He achieved his first victory against the Turks and was promoted to the rank of Left Marquis General of the Fourth Class.

However, during the reign of Li Er in the Zhenguan era, for some unknown reason, Su Dingfang, despite his talents, did not receive much recognition for half of his life. It wasn’t until Li Er ascended the throne that the famous generals of the Tang Dynasty were growing old.

At the age of forty or fifty, Su Dingfang, who had wasted half of his life, was finally employed by Emperor Li Er of the Tang Dynasty. The famous general, who had wasted half his life, finally got his own stage. In an era when the renowned generals of the Tang Dynasty were gradually fading, he carried the banner and made significant military exploits for the Tang Dynasty.

In other words, Su Dingfang’s actual ability, even in the star-studded Tang Dynasty, was still in the top echelon, and very few people could compare to him. Now that he was in a dilemma, with no negative aspects to his reputation, Su Li was happy to make friends with him.

However, the relationship between Su Dingfang ‘the Left Marquis General’ and himself ‘the accidental son-in-law’ was distant. Now, Su Dingfang suddenly visited—what could be the reason behind it?

“Please come in…” Su Li pondered for a moment and spoke. Regardless of the reason for his visit, they had to meet each other.

The female officer nodded, but she was also a little puzzled. Princess Changle and Su Dingfang had nothing to do with each other, and Su Dingfang mentioned meeting the consort, not Princess Changle. But… Wasn’t Su Li a peasant before? How did he become involved with the Left Marquis General?

……

When Su Dingfang stepped into the princess’s mansion, he couldn’t quite grasp the atmosphere. His heart was filled with conflicting emotions. On the one hand, he didn’t want this unlucky son-in-law to be his younger brother. After all, Princess Changle’s situation was surrounded by turmoil and rumors that her life was in danger. But on the other hand, he secretly hoped that this unlucky son-in-law was indeed his younger brother.

For a long time, Su Dingfang had been searching for his younger brother without any success. His parents had already passed away, and the once lively Su family was now sparsely populated, with only Su Dingfang and his son remaining. He had raised his younger brother himself for over ten years, and he even began believing that his younger brother might have passed away. So even if his younger brother turned out to be this unlucky son-in-law, at least he would still be alive.

As Su Dingfang stepped into the courtyard of the Princess Mansion, he caught sight of a handsome young man sitting quietly under the gazebo with a beautiful woman leaning on him. They appeared like a couple of celestial beings. However, upon closer inspection, Su Dingfang noticed that the woman seemed frail and weak, and Su Li was supporting her, not the other way around.

Observing the handsome young man, Su Dingfang realized that Su Li didn’t resemble him or their father ‘Su Chao’. But with just one glance, Su Dingfang was certain that Su Li was his younger brother. The resemblance was striking. Su Li’s face bore an uncanny resemblance to their stepmother.

Su Dingfang and Su Li were half-brothers. While Su Dingfang resembled their father, his mother had passed away early. On the other hand, Su Li was the son of Su Chao’s second wife. The Su family, originally a prominent family in a small local county, didn’t possess vast wealth. Moreover, their stepmother treated Su Dingfang with great kindness, filling the gap left by his own mother’s early demise. The age difference between Su Dingfang and Su Li was over ten years, so they didn’t indulge in petty disputes like many siblings do.

Despite not sharing the same biological mother, the bond between the two brothers was stronger than that of many blood-related siblings. Their stepmother had passed away shortly after giving birth to Su Li, during a troubled time when Su Chao was often away from home due to his ambitions. As a result, Su Li and Su Dingfang spent more time with each other than with their parents. Over the years, Su Li developed a lack of respect for their father…

Unlike the rough and rugged features inherited from the old Su family, Su Li’s face had inherited his stepmother’s exquisite beauty since childhood. But the Su Li standing before Su Dingfang now could easily be mistaken for a carbon copy of his stepmother.

With just one glance, Su Dingfang was certain that this was Su Li, his younger brother, who had been lost due to robbery when their family was moving.

“…” Su Dingfang opened his mouth several times, but no words came out.

Su Li looked at the potential famous general before him with a perplexed expression. Su Dingfang also seemed to wear a strange expression, displaying surprise and sadness in his eyes. He hesitated to speak several times.

Unbeknownst to Su Li, he gradually retreated from the screen after a moment of contemplation.

“Step back for now,” Su Li waved his hand. The female officer nodded in response and left the courtyard along with the maids.

With the female officer’s full recognition, Su Li, as the male head of the Princess Mansion, would not idly wander around and accidentally eavesdrop on Su Dingfang’s conversation.

Only Su Li, Su Dingfang, and Princess Changle remained in the courtyard, with the latter leaning on Su Li’s shoulder.

“Now that everyone else has left and the Left General of the Martial Department has come from afar, you may speak freely,” Su Li said with a smile.

Su Dingfang’s voice trembled slightly as he spoke, “Little brother… don’t you recognize your elder brother anymore?”

In reality, Su Dingfang was extremely puzzled. According to logic, his younger brother, Su Li, was already nine years old when he went missing, so he should have memories of their past.

“Huh?” Su Li couldn’t help but feel perplexed at Su Dingfang’s words. He couldn’t understand why this man who had come from afar and worked as a peasant for several years without causing any trouble suddenly claimed to be his older brother.

Was it true? Or was this renowned general, Su Dingfang, playing some elaborate game?

Su Li distinctly remembered his family being a simple peasant family devoid of grandeur.

“I am your elder brother, Su Dingfang… Our father is Su Chao… You were only nine years old when you disappeared. Don’t you remember anything at all?” Su Dingfang’s face displayed a complex expression that was difficult to describe.

“No… the amount of information is a bit overwhelming… Could there be a misunderstanding, or perhaps you should explain it in more detail,” Su Li didn’t outright deny it.

As a soul inheritor, he had transmigrated into the body of a nine-year-old child. He had just arrived in Longyou with his parents to settle down. The memories of the original body were absent, erased.

Since awakening his photographic memory, Su Li had no recollections before the age of nine, resulting in a complete blank during that period. He couldn’t entirely reject what Su Dingfang was claiming.

“I don’t recall anything before the age of nine. My parents mentioned that I was frightened by robbers on the road…” Su Li’s words trailed off.

“That’s right… I am indeed your big brother!”

Su Dingfang began narrating the story—from Su Li’s birth to the Su family’s relocation and the encounter with robbers on the road. It all culminated in Su Li’s disappearance.

It was a perfect setup for a tragicomedy…