"By the way, I haven't had the chance to ask you. Why did you want to kill Song Xian?"
Ning Yi had never mentioned this before. Now that they were more familiar with each other, he asked. Lu Hongti narrowed her eyes. The sky outside the window was gloomy. The chicken on the charcoal stove sizzled and dripped with oil. Ning Liheng stood there, blinking innocently. After thinking for a while, Lu Hongti's gaze softened and she looked out.
With a whoosh, it started raining outside. In the blink of an eye, all of Jiangning was covered.
"My family used to live west of Yanmen Pass, on the Luliang Mountains." After a long time, Lu Hongti said this.
"Ever since the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan Yun were lost, the Hu people went there every year to kill and plunder. There was no peace. Nine out of ten houses were empty. People lived there and farmed. Every year, they moved around the surrounding mountains like wandering ghosts. But the older generation said that it was hard to leave one's homeland … Perhaps you don't understand how it feels to be born there …"
Ning Yi was silent for a while. "Happy on the banks of the Fen River, gathering with the Hu people in the south of Jinzhong, weeping on the Luliang Mountains, dying at Yanmen Pass …"
"Heh." She nodded with a smile, "A few years ago, everyone had already lived in the mountains. In fact, we had been heading south, but we couldn't have moved too far. When the young people went up the mountains, they were the bandits of Lüliang. We were all Han people, and when the Wu Dynasty's army didn't come, the Hu people came south every year. They didn't treat us as humans, and fought with the Hu troops every year. When we met a small group, we swarmed them, and when we met a large group, we quickly hid. We also robbed the Hu merchants, and we robbed all the merchants that passed by. The Han people were spared, and the Hu people were all killed …"
The Han people were spared, but the Hu people were all killed … "" The Wu dynasty didn't treat us as their own. Sometimes, an official would go over and say that they wanted to recruit us. They tried a few times, but they still fought with the Hu people. They wanted us to work for them and didn't give us anything. Sometimes, they said that we were bandits and came to wipe them out … "
Lightning flashed through the window. The rain was getting heavier. Ning Yi flipped the roast chicken and sprinkled something on it.
"When I was six years old, my father was killed by the barbarians. I followed my master to learn martial arts and wandered Jianghu. When I was thirteen, I returned to Lüliang. My mother was already dead, so I went to the mountains and fought with my master every year … A hero must serve the country and the people? I've never thought that everyone would lead … inhuman lives … "
She paused for a moment, "Then … a few years ago, Song Xian led his troops into Mount Lu Liang. At first, he said that he wanted to enlist Qin Ye's help. They gathered the people from the nearby villages, surrounded them, and killed them all … Liao said that the Luliang Bandits were from the Wu dynasty and asked the Wu dynasty to deal with them. Song Xian took the heads of these bandits and sent them to his superiors! Curry favor with Liao! He killed all the old and children, saying that they were bandits who killed without batting an eyelid … Because of this, he was promoted. Some of the people in the mountains had their relatives killed in there. The people I knew in the village were also killed. Some people … came to seek revenge on him, but were killed again. Their blood was spilled in vain. There were still some people who wanted to come out. I didn't allow it, so they had to do it themselves … "
"That's why I had to kill him. During the New Year's Eve, I didn't manage to hit him. I was still confident. A few days ago, I tried to kill him again, but I was tricked by him instead. At that time, I thought that if this continued, I might not be able to kill him … After all, a person's strength is limited … "
"You want to learn martial arts. I learned from my master for so many years. Every year, I fought in the battlefield and killed countless people. There were a few times when I crawled out from a pile of corpses, not knowing whether I was dead or alive. Now, I want to kill Song Xian, but I'm still injured to this extent. A scholar has the ability to fight against ten thousand people. That's better than anything else. Why bother to become a bloodthirsty butcher … "As she spoke, she pursed her lips and smiled.
Ning Yi thought for a while, then shook his head and smiled. "I'll stick to my curiosity … We'll talk about this later. The chicken is fine."
As he spoke, he took the roast chicken and used a knife to cut it open. Instantly, an even stronger aroma filled the room. Then, he added some sauce and passed it over.
"How is it?"
"It's very delicious …"
"I'm preparing to release a new product. My technique is still considered amateur, but these ingredients are very well matched."
"Doesn't your family sell cloth?"
"Friend … If one day, you can eat this roast chicken in Lu Liang Mountain, I'll give you something …"
"Oh, what?"
"It's a crooked way … Something like summoning the wind and rain, casting beans to transform soldiers, and so on …"
"Then it's a deal?"
"Yes."
The casual conversation in the room was drowned out by the roaring thunder and rain. In a restaurant at the other end of Jiangning, Li Pin was looking at the curtain of rain outside and talking to Shen Miao beside her.
"… Yan Zhen has already started to make preparations these days. In about half a month, he will leave Jiangning for Rao Zhou."
"Didn't you say that he will leave in July?"
"There's still a long way to go, so it's probably better to leave early so that there won't be any accidents or delays on the way … Also, after arriving at Yamping, I'm afraid I'll have to make preparations in advance so that I can smoothly take over the position."
"That's fine." Li Pin smiled and nodded.
Shen Miao took a deep breath. "Some time ago, I heard that you and Yan Zhen had some disagreements, so I came to ask. After all, you are all friends, and it's not a big deal. I don't want you to take it to heart."
Li Pin thought for a while. "This matter isn't a disagreement. I understand Zishan's good intentions. However, this isn't because I'm angry at him, but because he has some unresolved matters in his heart. "
Shen Miao frowned and thought for a while. "I see … that's right, what does De Xin think of Yan Zhen?"
"It's not good to say such things behind his back."
"Haha, no matter. He is about to leave, and I'm afraid we won't see him for many years. If he has a knot in his heart, I'm not worried. However, I've always trusted De Xin's character. You've always had a good eye for people, so I really want to know a thing or two. This matter is just a casual chat. It definitely won't spread to the ears of the three of you. "
Li Pin thought for a while and shook her head. "It's not a big deal. You and I have known Yan Zhen for many years. He has knowledge, ability, and vision. If we were to compare, you and I are both inferior to him. It's just that in these many years, have you ever seen him suffer a loss in anything? "
"Uh, suffering a loss … actually there were a few. However, Yan Zhen is also an open-minded person and didn't take it to heart …"
"What if I say … he has never suffered a loss?"
"Hmm?"
"Brother Zishan, Gu Hong is … arrogant. Of course, he also has the reason and talent to be arrogant. In these years, he has extremely high requirements for himself. Many times, it really makes people feel amazed. The conduct of a gentleman should be like this. It's just that sometimes, his views are a little too extreme, and he pursues his goals excessively. However, it's hard to say whether this is good or bad. "
Shen Miao smiled and nodded. "De Xin is really good at reading people. Yan Zhen does indeed have such a bias. A few days ago, he told me that a person should face his heart. Actually, I feel that it's reasonable. He also said that in the future, when he becomes a county magistrate, what he needs to do is to solve the problems in front of him. In these matters, he should be cold and selfless, and only pursue his goals. Compared to those virtuous officials who are benevolent in heart but are actually bound by many rules, he would rather be a capable official who doesn't seek good or evil on the surface and only seeks to do things properly. His way of thinking is really admirable … "
Li Pin looked at him and paused for a while. Then, she smiled and said, "Indeed, in this world today, there are many rotten scholars, but not many who do things properly. If Yan Zhen has such a way of thinking, it's really a blessing for the people …"
As for Gu Yanzhen, he actually had some admiration for her. He could vaguely sense that he had met Du Jue before, and that was one thing. But if he were to bring out some groundless things to accuse him of, that would be too much. Shen Miao actually didn't come today to discuss, but to be a peacemaker. However, he didn't understand that this matter was indeed because there was a grudge on Gu Yanzhen's side. Perhaps this grudge wasn't because of his concealment, but because of the words "I know your character". That day, although Gu Yanzhen was overbearing, perhaps he really shouldn't have said such words.
King on the outside, sage on the inside. Which was more important, the 'king' or the 'sage'? These two methods had been debated for many years. Of course, the path of the golden mean was never extreme. The judgment of all things was actually quite complicated. In these few years, capable officials were indeed much more useful than rotten scholars. In the future, if Gu Yanzhen proved that he was indeed a capable official, he should also pay him a visit and apologize for his words … hopefully that was the case.
After that, the topic naturally revolved around Shen Miao. While the two of them were conversing in the restaurant, in Takeshi's main restaurant a few streets away, Gu Yanzhen was sitting at a table with a servant, quietly tasting all kinds of dishes. The servant beside him was tall and had a ferocious knife scar on his face. He was Gu Yanzhen's trusted follower and was called Old Six. In reality, he was also his bodyguard. In the past three months, this was the first time he had taken the initiative to approach a place related to Nie Yunzhu. Of course, it wasn't to bring people to smash the restaurant. At this time, he was only quietly waiting for her to appear.
Because it was raining outside, business in the restaurant wasn't very good. In the heavy rain, it wasn't very bright either. Thus, they lit up the oil lamps, and the light flickered in the restaurant.
At this time, Nie Yunzhu was actually in the restaurant. However, as a woman, she didn't need to be open and aboveboard when it came to these matters. In this era, there weren't many men and women who were open and aboveboard. Of course, when it came to the treatment of Ning Yi, she more or less used a double standard. Thinking of the previous time when he forcefully held her hand, she didn't want to go out again. He shouldn't have held her hand, and she shouldn't have hit him. Thus, she quietly waited for time to pass. However, when it was close to evening, the dishes in front of her were completely cold, but Gu Yanzhen was still sitting there steadily. She had no choice but to walk out, and at the other side of the table, she bowed, "Young Master Gu."
Gu Yanzhen raised his head and looked at her, revealing a smile. He had always been cultured and elegant, and at this moment, his smile gave people a good impression. It was relaxed and open-minded.
"In about a few days, I will be leaving for Rao Zhou to take up my post in Leping. Thus, I thought that I should come and bid farewell to you."
Nie Yunzhu thought for a moment, "Yunzhu has nothing else to give you. I only wish for Young Master to have a smooth journey and a successful career."
"Your words remind me of three years ago …" He lowered his head and smiled lightly. Then, he stood up, looked at her and took a deep breath, "If I … If I say it again sincerely, I am willing to marry you, Yunzhu, and let you, Yunzhu, follow me to Leping. Would you be willing to think about it carefully, or nod your head?"
*****
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