At the beginning of July, Hangzhou was breached and the world was in chaos. Everyone was busy running for their lives and looking for a way out. At that time, the ship at the Qiantang River wharf in the south of Hangzhou was the easiest and safest escape route. Ning Yi had thought about it at first, but it was not the only choice. Moreover, everyone thought that the Wude Camp was an elite force. Ning Yi was confident that Hangzhou could be defended, but he did not expect that the city would be breached so quickly.
After the city was breached, he heard some things on his way to escape, including the fact that Qian Xiwen had escaped by ship. In Ning Yi's eyes, Confucian scholars were either inflexible and monotonous, or cunning and scheming. In short, Ning Yi did not have a good impression of them. It was not surprising that the other party had fled the moment the city was breached. However, he did not take it to heart.
But in fact, after the city was breached, the old man did not really leave with the ship. It was said that after sending some potential juniors of the Qian Family to the ship, he secretly left the ship with some old servants. From the beginning to the end, even though there were many teams that broke out later, he did not leave Hangzhou with anyone.
After sending away some people, the old man gathered some loyal servants, relatives, and some soldiers who could not escape in time to resist near the old house of the Qian Family. There were not many people, but it was said that the resistance was very strong. They fought for about a night. Later, Guo Shiguang led his troops to flatten the place and captured the old man. He had been locked up until now.
After Ning Yi was captured, he naturally did not pay attention to the Qian Family. It was just that in recent days in the Academy, some students wanted to kill him, and some wanted to protect him. It almost divided the Academy. Naturally, the students who wanted to protect him had a better relationship with him. Someone told him about the beheading here, and then he knew that Qian Xiwen had not left. This morning, he told Ah Chang that he wanted to come and have a look. Ah Chang agreed, and then they came together.
The Tyrant's Blade Camp did not seem to be strict with him. In Ning Yi's eyes, they wanted him to come out and have a look. After the city was breached, he wanted to see how miserable the scene in the city was, and how miserable the fate of those who did not surrender would be. It was also a kind of psychological warfare for him to come out and have a look.
Ning Yi was naturally willing to go out for a walk, mainly to find an opportunity to escape. However, at that time, he also understood that he had yet to fully recover. Moreover, he was carrying Xiaochan with him. After what Xiaochan had experienced in Taiping Alley and Hu Province, he would not have much of an opportunity. Since he could not take the risk, why should he let the other party see through him so easily? He simply stayed near the Academy to recuperate. This time, when he spoke, the other party was a little happy. He was here to visit the prison, and at the same time, to let him watch the execution. It couldn't be better.
"I've heard of this Qian Xiwen you're talking about. I heard that Xueyue is very good. He didn't come out to scare people. He's very powerful. He didn't leave on purpose. When we caught him, he didn't commit suicide. Some of his family members were also caught, and they wanted him to surrender … You know, a lot of messy things. I heard that one of his sons had both his hands chopped off in front of him, and he didn't even blink … Anyway, his whole family is going to be killed today. You're old friends with him, so it's good to go and have a look. It'll be even better if you can convince him to live … But I think it'll be difficult. "
Among the two following Ning Yi, Ah Chang was relatively serious, and Ah Ming was a little more frivolous. However, at this time, when talking about Qian Xiwen, he also had some admiration.
Xiaochan was left outside. After passing through the long corridor of prison cells, many people were crying. Some of them were members of the Qian family who did not escape. Most of them had already been tortured. There were one or two that Ning Yi even had an impression of. When Ning Yi first visited the Qian residence, he met a young man who had once stolen Qian Xiwen's coral brush. Ning Yi did not remember his name. This young man had a broken leg and was lying in the prison cell without much breath.
Ning Yi was still thinking. After walking for a few meters, a voice suddenly came from behind, "My name is Qian Weiliang!" He frowned and turned around. It was the young man who had shouted. At this time, there were many people in the prison who were crying for help or something else. This young man only said his name and did not say anything else. Not long after, he heard a few more people saying their names, "My name is Qian Weiqi." "My name is Qian Haiting." The one called Qian Haiting was a middle-aged man who had lost both of his hands.
Then he heard a jailer say, "Damn, every time someone comes, they say the same thing …"
When they entered the innermost prison cell, Ning Yi saw Qian Xiwen. The old man did not seem to have been tortured. Other than some scrapes on his forehead that had already formed blood scabs, the rest of his body did not seem to be injured. At this time, his clothes were neat, and he was tidying his clothes and hair with a basin of water. The light in the cell was not strong. He squinted for a while before he could see Ning Yi clearly.
Under Ah Ming's urging, the jailer opened the cell door. After Ning Yi entered, the others left. The old man tidied his hair and looked at Ning Yi a few times. "You … were also caught."
Ning Yi nodded.
"Voted for them?" Qian Xiwen looked at him and then nodded. "Yes, a wise man submits to circumstances. You are a pragmatic person. Leaving your life … is also good."
"I don't know if it counts as voting for them now. I heard that you left by boat immediately, but I heard that you stayed yesterday, so I wanted to come and see. "
Qian Xiwen's eyes showed some doubt. "Oh, what happened?"
"I …" Ning Yi thought for a while and finally shook his head. "I … Heh, Qian Haiping and the others escaped. They should be in Hu Province now. I know a few of them. They are … I thought you might want to hear about this. They survived."
"Oh." The old man smiled slightly. "In the past few days, people have come to persuade me one after another. I've tried everything. You are the last one. This news is good. How are you now? "
"I don't know. But I'm not here to persuade you. I just want to see you." Ning Yi nodded.
"Tell me. It's okay." The old man laughed. "Fang La and the others have just conquered Hangzhou. They are in urgent need of manpower. It's not difficult for them to stand out. I've been in this world for decades and have some experience in this field. If you have any difficulties in your current situation, you can tell me. Maybe I can give you some advice. "
His words were sincere and amiable. It seemed that he thought that Ning Yi had turned to Fang La. Instead, he wanted to help Ning Yi to save his life or get promoted. Ning Yi looked at the old man for a long time and then said, "Do you want to hear about my recent experience?"
"Yes, yes …"
"Heh, Qian Haiping, Tang Xiuxuan, Elder Tang, Chen Xingdu, and others, after the city was conquered that day …"
Ning Yi did not come here to tell a story. But at this time, he felt that there was no harm in telling a story. When he said this, Qian Xiwen realized that things were different. The old man listened to the whole story of the escape team heading north and then falling into a dangerous situation. The expression in his eyes changed. When he heard that Ning Yi set up a trap and finally boosted the morale of the Wu De Camp to kill three of the enemy's generals, he finally patted his thigh and said slowly, "Good." After that, he did not say anything. He listened to Ning Yi until the whole story was finished. Then he nodded and said, "Good." This time, the way he looked at Ning Yi was completely different. It was completely different from the understanding and tolerant look he had when he thought Ning Yi had defected.
"Only extraordinary people can do extraordinary things … Good, Prime Minister Qin was right to value you. You have to stay alive and wait for the future … Fang La's army does not have the upper hand. They may stop when they reach Hangzhou. It won't last long. You have to live, you have to live … "
He murmured these words. Ning Yi looked at him and said, "I have heard in some stories before that some pedantic scholars would die for justice. Some people sound great, and some people don't seem so necessary. Elder Qian, if Hangzhou was conquered and you couldn't escape, I can understand. But I don't understand why you came back after leaving. You are a practical person who understands the way of governing a country. If you left, you would be of greater help. "
Qian Xiwen raised his head and looked at him. "Liheng … you don't agree?"
Ning Yi took a breath. "Those people outside are not worth it."
Qian Xiwen paused. After a long time, he nodded and said, "Yes … they are all good children. What a pity …"
"I …" Ning Yi was about to speak, but Qian Xiwen suddenly raised his head and looked at him, "Liheng, what do you think we scholars should do the most?"
Ning Yi thought about it and said, "I don't want to lie to you. Everyone has their own views, and scholars have their own things to do. But I'm afraid no one can say for sure what they should do. Besides … I'm not a scholar."
Qian Xiwen laughed when he heard his answer, "Yes, you can do extraordinary things. You can … reverse the situation in Hu Province in one fell swoop." Speaking of this, the old man seemed to be somewhat excited. "But … I have studied Confucianism for decades, and I have come to a conclusion. The most important thing we scholars should do is … to protect the Dao."
Ning Yi frowned. Qian Xiwen laughed for a while. "Ever since I met Liheng, you and I haven't talked much. But in these few months, I already know what kind of person Liheng is. I'm sure Liheng and I have also heard some things. The Beginning of Autumn Poetry Meet, and the Beginning of Autumn Poetry Meet this time, including all kinds of official dealings and political tricks. Liheng just said that I am a practical person. Yes, practical … "
He sighed. He seemed to be quite emotional about this word, "But, Liheng, think about it. If it weren't for the current officialdom, if it weren't for the current military, if it weren't for everyone choosing this smart and practical path, they would have attacked. As soon as they felt that things couldn't be done, everyone turned around and ran. How could Hangzhou fall so quickly? If we all talk about the words of sages and sages all day long, saying that a man should uphold justice and die for it, but when the city is breached, no one is willing to do anything stupid, who would be willing to believe the words of sages and sages? "
"If we talk about patriotism and die for it, when death is at hand and no one is willing to do it, then won't Confucianism become something that can't be seen or touched? Ah, Liheng, this may be a little too practical, but as Confucians, a few people should die every year, a few … famous people should die under the butcher's knife, die in the throne room, die in front of millions of people. When the time comes, we can't retreat. Only in this way can we remind the world that the Confucian Dao is true. Only by dying for injustice can we be considered to be inheriting the lost knowledge of the past sages. I die in this city of Hangzhou to remind everyone that there were indeed some people who resisted, so that when they want to talk about it, when they're hot-blooded, they won't be able to find a name to say … "
As he spoke, he was a little agitated. His arm trembled as he fumbled to put on his hat. "I'm already old, so it's a good death. Liheng, you shouldn't die, and those children outside shouldn't die either. But there's no other way. Among them, there are also some who have been taught by me to believe in these things, so it can be considered … a good death."
A faint light shone through the cracks, and dust floated in the air. At this point, the old man smiled faintly. "So perhaps it's not pleasant to say it, but the so-called defending the Dao is actually … at the appropriate time, I die for you to see. Many have already died. Because I'm a little more famous, I've instead fallen behind others, causing those children to suffer for a few more days … I've been burdened by an empty reputation … "
Ning Yi was a little silent. He had both reverence and disdain for the Confucian school. What he respected was nothing more than this system named after Confucianism. It was a huge, self-consistent system of governance created by the rules of the world, a densely packed art of governance like a spider's web. What he disdained was the fact that most Confucian scholars had become stupid from reading so much that they couldn't think of anything, or that they thought of all sorts of ugly things. But this old man in front of him really made the word Confucian seem a little grand.
Usually, they were pragmatic and practical, but at the appropriate time … they would die for you to see.
Just like how many Confucian scholars had died when they touched the pillars in front of the temple, just like how the future Lu Xiufu had thrown himself into the sea from a cliff, and Fang Xiaoru had cursed Zhu Di incessantly after being cut in half at the waist. In the eyes of future generations, many people might seem a little stupid, thinking that they hadn't accomplished anything. But if one treated Confucianism as a cause, it was ultimately these people who had truly done something, and truly carried on the legacy of the past. Speaking of it, it really was' dying for others to see '.
Even if Ning Yi didn't do this, it was hard not to admire them. He thought about it. He had been killing outside for several days, and in the end, many people had probably died like this. He then thought about the few people who had called out his name when he came in, and asked, "When I came in just now … there were a few people who called out their names. Just what were they …"
The old man laughed. "They just wanted people to remember that there were a few people like this who died for you to see … They were all good children. Whether they called out their names or not, it didn't matter …"
He thought about it, and then patted Ning Yi's shoulder. "If you can live, then you should live. You can only do things if you're alive. You're still young, so don't think too much. In the future, make this a story and tell it to others … "
The old man didn't talk about the Confucian school. Instead, he thought about the safety of Su Tan'er and the other members of the Su family, and so he asked about it. Afterwards, he seemed to ramble on about some names, asking if these people were among the fleeing group. Ning Yi didn't remember much. He chatted with him for a while, and in the end, he kept thinking about the coral brush case in the old man's house. The old man ran his family very strictly, and the children of the family didn't have much money to spend. When they were in urgent need of money, they would steal the old man's brush case. The old man would reward them with ten strings of coins, and when they returned it, he wouldn't ask anything else and just gave them ten strings of coins. Thus, the children of the family would often steal once, return once, steal once, return once, and return once. Every time, they would get money. And one of the young men was the one who had called out his name outside, Qian Weiliang …
Haha, that fellow who stole things, could actually be so strong-willed …
As Ning Yi thought about this, his heart seemed to have aged. It had been a long time since he heard such an interesting story, and he was slightly moved …
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