On the fifteenth day of the fourth month of the tenth year of the Wu dynasty, a kitten was tied to a large kite on a grassland in the outskirts of Jiangning. Little Jun Wu looked at the kite and made up his mind.
It was a gratifying thing for a young man to have such lofty aspirations. If someone with foresight was here, they might say that this boy would become a great person in the future. But for Ning Yi, it would be gratifying if he succeeded. Even if he didn't, at least he had found something he could do. The possibility of failure was actually higher. Just like the watermelon's "Great Harmony", Jun Wu's "Understanding Things" was the same. He put down the seed, but he didn't want to be too attached to it unless it was necessary.
Jun Wu had just started puberty and was still short. He excitedly talked to Ning Yi about Understanding Things. On the other hand, Zhou Pei, who usually liked to lecture her brother, was quiet today. Perhaps it was because she realized that if Jun Wu wanted to realize his ambition, he had to be a good young prince first. She was dignified and had a slender and elegant temperament.
She didn't talk much. It was said that Prince Kang's Mansion had already decided to find a candidate for the Princess Consort. Several young talents in Jiangning were fighting over it. He even heard that a few noble scholars had set up a stage in a certain building to compete in literature and martial arts for the sake of this young princess. Within a few days, this news had spread like wildfire in Jiangning Prefecture. However, Ning Yi was worried about his family's affairs, so he could only hear bits and pieces of it. He wasn't very clear about the details, but he could imagine that it was quite interesting.
Not long after the kitten was carried into the sky by the kite, the string of the cat's cage was broken. The kitten fell to its death. On the grassland in the outskirts, several servants of Prince Kang's Mansion followed Jun Wu to look for it. The young girl bowed to Ning Yi. "Teacher, my family has been forcing me to find a Princess Consort. What do you think?"
"What can I say about the matchmaker's words of my parents? You're so smart. You must have a plan, right? "
Zhou Pei lowered her head. "I thought Teacher would say something different … I'm afraid I can't avoid it this time."
Ning Yi looked at her sympathetically. "I got married like that too, and it didn't end well. These things happened to everyone. Not to mention that it was difficult to avoid, it would be even more troublesome to avoid. With your current age, you can choose whoever the junma is. If you are a bit older, even if someone chooses you, there might be people who will criticize you behind your back. I heard that although those young masters who are comparable to Jun Ma's family background can't be said to be top-notch, their standards are not bad. You probably know them more or less. You can choose from them. What else do you want? "
"I, I still can't accept this." Zhou Pei said softly, "When I was young, I thought that even women could do many things. Later on, I realized that I couldn't. I also hope that my younger brother can become a useful prince in the future. Now, although he couldn't help the people, at least he could research things. It would be useful in the future. But … but in the end, I still couldn't accept it. Why couldn't I do what a man could do? I know those who are choosing the junma ah … they are all half-baked fellows. None of them … have any real skills. "
In reality, whether it was the Emperor's son-in-law or a junma, once one married into the royal family, they would have no chance with an official career. At this time, young people with true ideals and ambitions wouldn't choose this path. If it was those princesses that had been raised in the palace and had never been seen by others choosing a Prince Consort, some people would even avoid it like the plague. But for Zhou Pei's Prince Consort selection this time, many young talents in Jiangning City flocked like ducks. It was all because she often had the opportunity to show her face in public in the past. The Canton Princess had been beautiful since she was young. Now that she was fifteen years old, she had become even more dignified and beautiful. Apart from her beauty, she had received Kang Xian's education. She was also quite accomplished in the classics and history, poetry, literature, and painting. She was also a famous talented woman among the younger generation of Jiangning.
In the past, when Ning Yi taught classes, his views were often thought-provoking. That was taking advantage of modern people. But if one looked at it from an orthodox point of view, Ning Yi's attainments in this area were far inferior to the young princess. Because of this, although Ning Yi didn't get involved in the field of scholars and beauties, he knew that after the news of the young princess's marriage search, many young scholars were willing to bet their futures to win Zhou Pei's favor. As long as he wasn't the kind of eldest son who needed to inherit the family business, he could live a wealthy and idle life in the future. He could live in harmony with this talented female princess.
However, they only knew the young princess's talent, but they didn't know her character. At this time, when she whispered, none of those pursuers entered her eyes. Ning Yi shook his head. He felt that this little girl was biting off more than she could chew. "Who doesn't have half a bucket of water in the beginning? I'm about the same age as you, a child in his teens. As long as he has a good temperament, he will eventually become a bucket of water. You've learned too much from Prince Consort Kang. It's too unfair to use his standards to measure people. When Kang Xian was young, he probably wasn't even as good as these children. "
Regarding this kind of thing, Ning Yi couldn't persuade her too much at this time. If he had a daughter, he naturally wouldn't choose a husband for her at the age of fifteen. However, this matter with the young princess couldn't be changed at all. Her standards were so high that she might be able to find a good one right now. Wouldn't it be even more tragic if she dragged it to the age of twenty? Seeing that she was still pouting with her head lowered, he knew that he couldn't persuade her, so he didn't say anything else.
On this day, after bidding farewell to Zhou Pei and her brother, he went to visit Kang Xian again. When he returned home and entered the courtyard, he heard Tan'Er talking to someone in the room.
"… At this time, there are so many things to do at home, why are you guys going to join in the fun!"
"It's at a time like this that we want to be more useful. Second Sister, this is the matter of our Su family. Why are we all hiding in the back? What's going on … "
"What matter of the Su family? In the future, if this family has the surname Ning, you guys will rebel?"
"I … We're not talking about this. We admire Second Brother-in-law, but after all, it's revenge … We also want to make ourselves more useful. If we don't understand, at least we can learn …"
"Your Second Brother-in-law will risk his life in the past, and people will die at every turn. You want to learn? Well, I'll give each of you a knife. Now if you dare to say that if you're in danger and dare to commit suicide at any time, I'll let you guys go! "
At this time, the people who were talking to Su Tan'er were the young people of the Su family led by Wen Ding and Wen Fang. After the separation of the family, they were on the side of the first branch. This time, they knew the significance of Ning Yi going to the capital, so they asked to go with him. Although Su Tan'er was gentle and lovely in front of Ning Yi, at this time, her voice and expression were so stern that they didn't say anything for a moment. Although they were hot-blooded for a while, it was purely wishful thinking to say that they wouldn't be a burden if they were hot-blooded.
Ning Yi stood outside the window and listened with interest for a while. He felt that his wife's scolding was really more and more interesting. Xiaochan came from behind and saw Ning Yi standing outside the window. She wanted to say hello, but Ning Yi put up a finger to "shush" her, and then he hugged her. Xiaochan blushed. Although she also realized what Ning Yi was doing, standing outside the window with him and eavesdropping on Tan'er's scolding.
"Husband, I don't want to be separated from Miss …" After listening for a while, Xiaochan muttered softly.
"I don't want to either." Ning Yi hugged her and shook her with a smile. "But some things are better a month earlier. Anyway, we're going to be the vanguard. When I go to Liangshan, you still have to wait for Tan'er in the capital. You'll see her soon."
"Okay." Xiaochan nodded. Ning Yi said softly, "Do you know what we're going to do this time?"
This time, Xiaochan nodded hard. "To be the vanguard, to take revenge!"
"No, we're going to have a baby on the way there."
The two had been intimate for a long time, so it was not out of line to say such words. At this time, Ning Yi hugged Xiaochan from behind. Xiaochan held his hand and suddenly laughed, like a shy little beauty in a cartoon.
I'll go in and help. "After a while, Ning Yi let go of Xiao Chan with a smile when he felt that they had more or less finished talking. When he entered through the door, everyone in the room stopped. A few young people called him "Second Brother-in-law". Ning Yi waved his hand and said, "Go out first. Don't make your Second Sister angry." When they hurriedly ran away, he patted Wen Ding on the shoulder. "Don't worry. This time, you must have something to do. It depends on whether you can do it or not. After all, the Su family will rely on you in the future. Learn well. "
As he said so, their faces suddenly lit up. However, Su Tan'er, who was still angry, narrowed her eyes and looked over. After they went out of the room, she asked with grievance, "Husband, are you really going to take them there?"
Ning Yi sat on the edge of the bed. "What do you think?"
"How can we take them there for this kind of thing? There must be a lot of old people in the Office of Secret Investigations who are familiar with everything. If we take Wen Ding and Wen Fang with us, not only will things go wrong, but you will also have to save them in the end. What should we do? "She felt a little wronged and stared at Ning Yi. Ning Yi smiled.
"I've also thought about this for a long time. But I've already told you what the Office of Secret Investigations does, Tan'er. You know what it is, right?"
"Yes." Tan'er nodded.
"If you want to plan something well, the most important thing is intelligence. I agreed to join them for this. It will be much easier to take revenge on the people in Liangshan. But those who play with intelligence are not necessarily reliable. People who know too much are like toilets. When they need it, they need it. When they don't, everyone wants to avoid it … "
When he said this, his expression became serious. Su Tan'er listened carefully and frowned. "Husband, are you worried about … Prime Minister Qin and Prince Consort Kang?"
Ning Yi shook his head. "After all, I'm a little familiar with them. I'm worried about … something even higher." He gestured, and Tan'er fell silent. Then she looked at him worriedly. "Can't you … get out of this after solving the matter in Liangshan?"
"I still have some other things I want to do." Ning Yi smiled. At this time, he had already set a goal, which was to help Qin Siyuan and the others stop "Jing Kang." If things continued to develop like this, the Wu dynasty's army would be so weak. In the future, the Jin soldiers would definitely come south. When he separated from the watermelon, he had already prepared himself for this. As long as there was no large-scale disaster in the future, the Female Zhenren who occupied the northern land would soon be corrupted. At that time, the Wu dynasty would enjoy a hundred years of peace. He didn't want more. People couldn't guarantee what would happen after they died. The so-called peace for all ages was just a nice idea. But one thing was certain. Everyone had to fight for their own lives. Those who only hoped that others would help or save them would die. At least for him, he wouldn't feel the slightest bit of pity.
He naturally couldn't tell Tan'er about things like "Jing Kang." He paused for a moment, then said, "This time in the capital, since the family has been separated, if we want to do business again, we might as well make it a little bigger. I'll mention some things to Prime Minister Qin. If he agreed, the Office of Secret Investigations wouldn't be like this. But I'm afraid of accidents. I also want to have something in my hands. I'll bring two of my family members with me. Wen Ding and Wen Fang can stay at home. In addition, I want … Tan'er to help me with some things. You're the only one who can do it. "
Tan'er smiled and held his hand. "Your life is my life. If there's really such an important thing, Husband, if you don't think of me … I'll divorce you."
Ning Yi couldn't help but laugh. Then he held her hand with both of his hands. "I don't know what will happen in the end. No one will know about you. But if something really happens in the future, maybe you can help me … and help our family solve the problem."
Since ancient times, those who tried to reform never had a good ending. It was because between people, the effect of force was mutual. If you wanted to make a big change, you would inevitably encounter a big counterattack. It was the same if you wanted to stop some trend or tide. Ning Yi understood this. Because of this, from now on, he had to make preparations.
That evening, he chatted with Wen Ding, Wen Fang, and the others for a while. Naturally, he didn't tell them too much about his thoughts. Instead, he chose two people from among them to go north. These two people were cousins close to the first branch. One was called Su Wenyu, and the other was Su Yanping. As for Wen Ding, Wen Fang, and the others, they stayed here to cooperate with Tan'er. In fact, there wasn't much difference between people. The children of the Su family just didn't have much training, so their performance was mediocre.
At this time, when Confucianism was in power, it was generally advocated to change the world with one's own strength. The heavens were vigorous, so a gentleman should constantly strive to improve himself. A gentleman was like a dragon, and so on. Therefore, when the young generation of the Su family didn't have enough ability, they would always bite off more than they could chew. They wanted to steer the big boat and control the overall situation. Therefore, they were stuck in a dilemma. But if everyone could recognize the distance between themselves and the world, do what they should do first, and then think about other things, they might not be unable to become talents.
The arrangements related to the family were completed. That night, Ning Yi and Tan'er were lying on the bed. The child was gently rocking in the cradle beside the bed. The moonlight poured in from the window. The husband and wife didn't sleep, but they snuggled together quietly. In the middle of the night, the child wetted the bed and cried. Ning Yi got up and changed his diaper. He held the child in his arms and coaxed him. He sat on the chair beside the bed and sang softly. The song went like this:
"The herd of bison leaves the grassland without a trace. It knows that humans are coming. The earth waits for humans to come and reclaim it, to this most beautiful new world …"
Tan'er lay on the bed and looked at him quietly. She listened to the melody that didn't belong to this era with the stars, the moonlight, the small courtyard, and the bamboo forest outside the window. Three years ago, a soul came to this world and looked at everything in this era as a tourist. Now, he saw and felt many things, and finally decided to do something related to this era. At dawn, he would wake up from his sleep and enter a new world that belonged to him.
On the same night, in the warehouse of the side room of Prince Kang's Mansion, there was also a figure holding a lamp and patrolling between big boxes. At dawn, these boxes would be transported to the capital on a cargo ship. They would be sent to the palace as a tribute to the royal family and to celebrate their birthday. The items had already been prepared, and they had already been numbered. The figure calculated the position of each box according to the number. Then, she opened the box and moved out the gold, silver, and jewelry. She lay in the box and tried to dig a small hole with difficulty with a knife.
Everything was ready.
After digging the small hole, the slim figure holding the lamp in front of the box let out a long sigh of relief and nodded.
Life was like a game of chess. A real man can't win. Although she was not a real man, she was confident that there were women in this world who were not inferior to men. She wanted to go to a new place and see a wider world.
*****
That night, the husband and wife didn't sleep for long.
When he woke up in the morning, Tan 'er helped him put on his clothes. After breakfast, the whole family went to the dock of Jiangning together. Several large official ships were already waiting there, with colorful flags fluttering on the ships. In addition to Kang Xian, Princess Zhou Xuan of the Kingdom of Cheng also came. Many officials of Jiangning Prefecture also came because these few ships were going to the capital to celebrate the Empress Dowager's 50th birthday.
Because of some considerations, Kang Xian only waved at Ning Yi from afar and didn't come over to talk to him. Wenren Bu 'er also came. She boarded the ship earlier and didn't come to disturb the Su family's farewell.
"You have to remember home and come back safe and sound," Wang Yao said.
Tan'Er said this to Ning Yi in a low voice. She then told Su Wenyu and the others not to mess around and be a burden to her brother-in-law. She also told Xiaochan to take good care of her Husband.
"It's best if you have Husband's child." She whispered into Xiaochan's ear. Xiaochan blushed and didn't dare to nod.
From afar, Yunzhu and Jin'Er were led to a big ship by the servants of the Prince Consort's Mansion. When they looked over, Jin'Er stuck out her tongue at Tan'Er's back and made a face. Then she followed her Sister Yunzhu and hopped onto the ship.
Su Tan'Er smiled and glanced at the ship. The wind blew over and messed up her hair. The servants of Prince Kang's Mansion and the Princess Residence carried boxes to the ship. In one of the boxes, the young girl looked out through a small hole. She saw the hustle and bustle of the dock and the people's reluctance to part. At a certain moment, she almost brushed shoulders with Ning Yi, Su Tan'Er and the others. The young girl blinked her eyes in the box and watched Ning Yi's figure flash past her vision.
One by one, the boxes were moved into the cabin. With a bang, the young girl felt her box being put down. She lay in the box and waited for a while. Suddenly, there was another bang. A box landed on top of her box. She was stunned and carefully pushed it up. However, the lid was extremely heavy and didn't move even a little under her strength.
She hurriedly looked out through the small hole. It was difficult to decide whether to make a sound or not. After an unknown amount of time, there was another bang. A box landed in front of her and blocked her view …
*****
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