"Liheng has great potential. Are you disheartened now?"
Ning Yi had not told anyone that he wanted to leave. Yao Zunian, Jueming, Wenren Bu 'er, and the others were a little surprised when he said it now.
Among the people of the Qin's Mansion, Yao Zunian was old and used to the ups and downs of the official world. Before Jueming became a monk, he was a member of the royal family. On the surface, he was a rich and idle person who acted as a middleman. Even if the situation was turbulent this time, he could always go back to his leisure. At most, he could be cautious and not play his part. But since he was a member of the Zhou family, he could not give up the imperial court. And Wenren Bu 'er was one of Qin Siyuan's personal disciples. Because of his deep involvement, there were not many people who came to instigate him to defect.
Relatively speaking, Ning Yi had much more space to maneuver. Tong Guan and Cai Jing expressed their goodwill one after another. At this time, even if he suffered a little, he could go anywhere in the world. Although the Qin family's business was suppressed, when it was in danger, they could not say that they had suffered a setback and quit.
Of course, after so many years in the officialdom, they had seen many young people who quit after suffering a setback. But Ning Yi had great ability, and his temperament was also different from ordinary people. It was a pity that he wanted to leave.
But Ning Yi shook his head. "Previously, when I was reading a legendary novel, I read a story about … a little ruffian from a brothel in Yangzhou came to the capital and did a great thing for the country and the people …"
At this moment, there was a mournful atmosphere outside. A few of them were angry, but since they were sitting there and chatting, they would occasionally smile. Ning Yi's smile also contained a hint of mockery and exhaustion. Everyone waited for him to continue, and he paused.
"… Speaking of this little hoodlum, in Yangzhou, he is a crafty and deceitful fellow. He likes to listen to stories the most, and he admires the deeds of the heroes of the underworld in the books. One day, he really ran into the rebels of the underworld …"
Ning Yi's tone of voice was flat as he recounted the story. Naturally, it was only the gist of it. He said that the little hoodlum and the rebellious thieves got entangled, and later on they became sworn brothers. Although the rebellious thieves looked down on him, in the end they brought the little hoodlum to the capital. His purpose was to meet up with the people in the capital and stir up trouble. Who would have thought that by a freak combination of factors, the little hoodlum would meet up with the old eunuch who came from the Palace?
"... In this manner, he assumed the identity of the young eunuch. Since the old eunuch is blind, he won't be able to recognize him. He kept thinking about how to get out of the palace, but the palace was tightly guarded. How could it be so simple … One day, the steward eunuch of the palace asked him to clean the study, and he saw a dozen little eunuchs fighting … "
"… By a freak combination of factors, he and the young emperor became brothers. Later on, with the support of the young Emperor, he went on a killing spree and was successful in every endeavor … "
His story was very simple. Listening up to this point, everyone had a general idea of what he meant. Yao Zunian said, "The idea behind this story is quite interesting." Jueming laughed. "It's not that simple," he said. "Throughout history, in the royal family, there have been people who have brotherly relationships, or even more than brotherly relationships … Hey, if you want to be more appropriate, like Dong Xian of the Han Dynasty, if you have great ambitions, you might be able to achieve great things."
Jueming's laughter sounded a bit frivolous. Dong Xian of the Han Dynasty was the main character of the story "Cut off the sleeve". He said that Emperor Ai of the Han Dynasty liked him and doted on him. The two of them were inseparable, sharing the same bed and pillow. One day when Emperor Ai of the Han Dynasty woke up, he found that his sleeve was pressed down by the other. He was worried that pulling out his sleeve would disturb his lover's sleep, so he used a knife to cut off his sleeve. Apart from this, Emperor Ai of the Han Dynasty rewarded Dong Xian countless times. He even said to Dong Xian, "I wish to imitate Yao, Chan, and Shun, how about it?" He even wanted to give him the throne of the Emperor.
Several years after Emperor Ai of the Han Dynasty passed away, Wang Mang usurped the throne.
Jueming's words were mischievous. Yao Zunian, Wenren, and the others also smiled.
Ning Yi also smiled. "It's just that, if everything has to be like this, then there's no point in doing things."
They were silent for a moment. Yao Zunian looked at Qin Siyuan. "When His Majesty first ascended the throne, he actually valued and doted on me. Otherwise, it would have been difficult for him to have the plan to conquer Liao."
When Yao Zunian brought up this matter, Qin Siyuan also sighed slightly. "Actually, when His Majesty first ascended the throne, he wanted to pull himself together and work hard. This old man's way of doing things was often resolute, so it was to His Majesty's liking. But then, this is now. In His Majesty's heart, there were … there were many more considerations. It's just that, even though all of you were involved, this old man was unable to understand His Majesty's intentions, which led to mistakes at every step. Shao He's death can be considered … a punishment for this old man. "
To speak of Qin Shaohe's death in such a tone, the second half of the old man's speech became more and more difficult. Yao Zunian shook his head. "His Majesty's thoughts these past few years … Alas, no one expected it. You can't be blamed."
"Now that Taiyuan has been lost, if Nuzhenren comes again, it will be too late to say all this." Ning Yi took a sip of ginseng tea. "Let's put aside the matter of benefiting from both sides. I will return to Jiangning, or ask some friends to take care of me, then open Takeshi, become a rich man, a local tyrant, or pack up my baggage and go further south. I don't want to participate in the Bianliang matter anymore. Although I'm not a small hoodlum, I married into the family. In this world's affairs, I've tried my best to come here, and it's enough. "
"Since it's the affairs of the world, where can Liheng run to as a person of the world?" Yao Zunian sighed. "If Nuzhenren comes again, Liheng also knows that the people will be plunged into an abyss of suffering. If he returns like this, how can the common people be wronged? Although this matter is chilling, as a Confucian, we might be able to fight for a chance of survival if we stay here. Marrying into the family is a small matter, and getting rid of his status is just a small matter. Liheng is a great talent, he shouldn't leave. "
"Amitabha," said Jueming. "After this matter, it will be difficult for this monk to be of any use in the capital. But Liheng is different. This monk would like to ask Liheng to reconsider. If I leave now, the capital will not be able to escape disaster. "
"Even if I stay, I'm afraid the capital will not be able to escape disaster. This is a disaster for the Wu dynasty, not just the capital."
"It's always an extra bit of strength. Earlier, Liheng said that he went north to do things because he saw people in misery, out of the compassion in his heart. If you go now, how will his compassion be appeased? "
"A gentleman stays away from the kitchen. When he sees the living, he cannot bear to see the dead; when he hears the sound, he cannot bear to eat the flesh. I have a compassionate heart, but that is only my compassion. In reality, heaven and earth are heartless, treating all living things as straw dogs. If the tens of millions of people in the Wu dynasty are truly massacred, that is the sin and karma of those tens of millions of people. When external rebels come, it will take tens of millions of people to resist together. I have done my best. The Cai and Tong people in the capital cannot be trusted. If the Perfected Woman descends north of the Yangtze, I will naturally resist. As for the tens of millions of people who are going to die, then let them die. "
Jueming frowned. "But how can those old people, women, and children in the capital have the power to resist?"
"But heaven and earth are heartless. How can they let you go just because you are old, women, and children?" Ning Yi's gaze didn't change. "Because I am in the middle of it, I have no choice but to exert my strength. Everyone is the same. It's just that everyone exerts their strength for the common people of the world, and I exert my strength because of my compassion. Logically speaking, whether it is old people, women, or children, in this world, apart from exerting their strength to resist, what other method can they use to protect themselves? They have been violated, and my heart is uneasy. But even if I am uneasy, perhaps it will end here. "
Then he smiled bitterly. "Of course, the main point is naturally not them. There are hundreds of thousands of scholars and millions of people in the court. If they do something wrong, naturally everyone will be beaten. Then let's fight, let's run … I have already exerted all my strength and put my life on the line. Perhaps when I was injured, I will leave behind a lingering illness that will be difficult to recover from for the rest of my life. Now that the situation is like this, I can only run. If more people die, even if I cannot bear it, I can only say that they deserve it. "
His words were cold, and everyone fell silent. After a while, Jueming also sighed. "Amitabha. This monk is thinking of what Liheng did in Hangzhou. Although it seems unreasonable, if everyone has the will to resist, if everyone can understand this meaning, then the world can be at peace for a long time. "
Ning Yi laughed. "Great Master Jueming, you keep talking about resistance. You are not like a monk."
"Liheng's way of thinking is different from ours," Yao Zunian said. "This is also good. In the future, if we can write a book and pass it down, it can be regarded as a great source of knowledge."
Although Ning Yi's words were cold, Yao Zunian, Jueming, and the others were not ordinary people. One person could save ten million people out of compassion, but ten million people should not wait for one person or a few people to save them. Otherwise, if they died, it would serve them right. What kind of unyielding and precious willpower was revealed behind this concept? It would not be an exaggeration to say that this was the true meaning of the heartless heaven and earth.
He did not owe the common people anything.
Ning Yi shook his head. "Writing or whatever, that is your business. When I go to the south, I will operate Takeshi again. I am interested in setting up a private school or something like that. I will print the Prime Minister's books. If Master Nian and Great Master Jueming have any writings, I will be able to make some money. Actually, this world belongs to the people of the world. When I leave, everyone else leaves, who knows if others will be able to support it? Perhaps we have been a bit too arrogant. "
"I hope so," Yao Zunian said with a smile. "When the time comes, even if I am just an idle old man, my heart will be at peace."
"But the situation in the capital is still unclear. If Liheng wants to retreat, it will not be easy," Jueming warned. "He has been valued by Grand Preceptor Cai and Prince Tong. If he wants to retreat now, it will not be easy. It is good that Liheng knows what he is doing."
"I know."
"If this matter succeeds, and we still have the strength to spare, we will naturally help Liheng," Jueming said. "That is fine. If the path does not work, I will float on the sea. As long as you take care, there will be a day when we meet again. "
They chatted about this and that for a while. The ups and downs of officialdom and the ups and downs of power made one sigh. But to important people, this was a common thing. With Qin Shaohe's death, the Qin family would not be forced into a corner. After that, even if Qin Siyuan was dismissed and censured, there would be a chance for him to rise again. And even if he could not rise again, other than accepting and digesting this matter, what else could he do? Cursing the unfairness of fate, the darkness of the court, and drowning his sorrows in wine, what could it change?
After all, this was not an age where powerful officials could rule. There were many powers in the court. If the Emperor wanted to usurp Cai Jing's position, Cai Jing could only look on and accept it.
After the memorial service for Qin Shaohe, the sky was already beginning to brighten. Ning Yi returned to Takeshi. Sitting on the roof, he thought back to what had happened along the way. From the spring of the seventh year of Jing Han's reign until now, it had just been seven years. From an outsider to gradually entering this era, the aura of this era had actually seeped into his body.
From Jiangning to Hangzhou, from Qian Xiwen to Zhou Dong, he had come north out of compassion. He had originally thought about doing some things, and if things did not work out, he would leave. Given his understanding of the darkness of society, it was not that he did not have any expectations of what kind of resistance he would face. But during this period of time, he could not help but want to do more and better. For this, many times, he had indeed put his family's life on the line, wanting to carve out a path. And in reality, this was already far beyond his initial thoughts.
In his initial plan, he wanted to do something that absolutely could not endanger his family, and at the same time, he absolutely did not want to throw his life away.
If all of this could really be done, it would really be a good thing. Now that he thought about these things, he often remembered that in his previous life, he had messed up the development zone. His once bright intention had ultimately distorted his path. In this place, he naturally used many unusual methods, but at least he had not taken a wrong turn. Even if he wrote it down, it would be enough to comfort future generations.
If he could do it, it would really be a perfect thing.
But of course, life did not always go according to one's wishes. When Yunzhu wanted to do something, he repeatedly told Yunzhu not to forget her original intentions. Now that he looked back, since he could no longer move forward, he might as well let go. In fact, as early as a few years ago, when he calculated these things from the perspective of a bystander, he had already thought of this result. It was just that the deeper one went into things, the easier it was to forget those sober warnings.
It was just that he had not yet done what he had promised Hong Ti — he would do it in the future.
As for this side, so be it.
Once one side lost power, what awaited next was a power struggle between the Emperor and the Imperial Court. What came next was complicated, but the direction was set. Perhaps the Prime Minister's residence would take some actions to protect themselves, but the overall situation would not make people feel good. Regarding this, Ning Yi and the others already had an idea. What he needed to do was to try his best to preserve the truly useful parts of Takeshi during the period when the Office of Secret Investigations and Takeshi were separated.
Since he had already decided to leave, perhaps it would not be too difficult.
That was his estimation.
The development of history was like a torrential torrent. If one looked at the future and looked at the future, if everything was as Ning Yi, Qin Siyuan, and the others had predicted, perhaps the Jins would return after this, and even later, the Mongols would rise again. That demon Genghis Khan, Temujin, would still ride his cavalry and wield his spear, sweeping across the world and plunging the people into misery and suffering. But during this period, the fate of the Wu dynasty might be slightly different. Perhaps it would prolong its life by a few years, or perhaps it would establish a foundation for resistance.
But even if the tide did not change, there would always be unexpected waves crashing and rising from the torrent. In March and April of this year, as the situation continued to develop, all sorts of things appeared that still made people feel somewhat alarmed. And just like when the Prime Minister's residence was in high spirits, the sudden change in the Emperor's intentions brought about astonishment, when hints of evil appeared frequently, only then did Ning Yi and the others suddenly realize that the evil intentions had actually become so dark and deep. Their previous estimations had actually been too simple.
The waves crashed against the rocks. The water split apart with a bang.
At that moment, the setting sun was so dazzling. Then came the trampling of iron hooves, the dancing of spears, the slaughter of Asuras, the spilling of the blood of the Azure Dragon, the burning of the Karmic Fire, and the long night when millions of people in the world fell into hell …
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