Hedeng County was mostly the residence of the high-ranking officers of the Black Flag Army. Due to the return of a certain troop, the mountain and the foot of the mountain seemed to be bustling with activity. As they turned around the small path at the waist of the mountain, they could see figures running to and fro. The flickering lights in the night also increased.
After turning around the small path at the waist of the mountain, the voices of the people gradually faded away. The back of the mountain was where the tombs were. A huge black tombstone stood in the night sky. There was a fire nearby, and someone was keeping vigil. Behind the huge tombstone were many smaller tombstones.
"… The Battle of Little Cang River, including the northwest, the Zhong Clan … The ashes and cenotaphs of more than 43,000 people were built here. Those who passed away later were buried below. In the early years, we fought all over the place. It took a lot of manpower just to make the tombstones. Later, someone said that the people of Huaxia were one family, and since there was no food to eat, we might as well bury them all in one tombstone and leave our names. I didn't agree. The small tombstones now are all the same. The craftsmen who made the tombstones were very skilled, but now they are making landmines … "
The two figures walked forward together. As they walked, Su Tan'er introduced the surroundings softly. Ning Yi had been to Hedeng County once four years ago. After that, he had only seen it from afar a few times. Now, there were new places and new things in front of his eyes. As they approached the tombstone, he leaned on it and touched it. There were rough lines and pictures on it.
"General Zhong … was someone I wanted to stay …" Ning Yi sighed. "What a pity, Zhong Shizhong, Zhong Shidao, Zhong Lie …"
"How is the Zhe Clan?" Tan'er asked in a low voice.
"… Dominating the northwest." Ning Yi smiled. "It's a pity there aren't many people left alive in the northwest."
During the Battle of Little Cang River, the Zhong Army assisted the Huaxia army against the Jurchens. In the fifth year of Jianshuo, Ci Bushi and Shu Lie went south to migrate the northwest residents while Zhong Lie defended Yanzhou. Later, Yanzhou fell and Zhong Lie died. Then, Little Cang River was also broken by the army. Ci Bushi occupied the northwest and tried to trap the Black Flag Army. Unexpectedly, the Black Flag Army invaded Yanzhou through a secret passage. After a great battle, countless Jurchens elites were slaughtered. Ci Bushi was captured by Ning Yi and killed on the city wall.
In the battle of Little Canghe, even if millions of people from the Central Plains died, the Female Zhenren did not care. However, in the battle against the Black Flag, the War God Wanyan Loushi died first, and then the great general Ci Buxie died. Together with the tens of thousands of elites who died, this was the greatest pain the Female Zhenren felt. As a result, after the battle, the Jurchens massacred the northwest. Cities and towns that were previously on the side of the Huaxia army or did not move during the battle were almost all massacred. Then, they wantonly announced, "This is all because of the Black Flag Army. If you did not resist, this would not have happened."
After the massacre at the end of the sixth year of Jianshuo, plague and famine spread in the northwest in the seventh year. Then, there was a trend of thousands of miles of uninhabited land. Other than the Western Army that was taken in by the Black Flag Army and the twenty thousand northwest residents who moved south, there were probably only a few cities ruled by the She Family left in that area.
When Black Flag first went to the northwest, it was to meet up with Lu Liang, and he also hoped to find a relatively sealed place for the Four Wars, where he could properly refine the tens of thousands of soldiers of the Wu Rui Camp while not being too affected by the outside world and still being under great pressure. Later on, the development was tragic and tragic, the merits and demerits were already difficult to discuss. What accumulated was already a monstrous blood debt that could not be described in detail.
Ning Yi's mood was complicated. He stroked the tombstone and walked over. He saluted the guard not far away, and the other side also saluted back.
"… Most of the people in the northwest died. The Central Plains also cut off contact with the other side to protect themselves. Therefore, not many people cared about the disaster of Western Xia … Those Mongolians slaughtered the Silver Stream and killed their way over one city after another. They also had two conflicts with the Jurchens in the north. They came and went like the wind, and the Jurchens did not gain much advantage. Now, it seems that Western Xia is about to be digested …"
"It sounds very powerful, but I still don't understand why you attach so much importance to them." Tan'Er thought for a moment. "One mountain cannot have two tigers. Their war in the north is not necessarily a bad thing."
"War can destroy people, but it can also sharpen people. They will destroy people like the Wu Dynasty, but they will sharpen people like the Jin Kingdom. " The forest of tombstones extended forward. Ning Yi held Tan'Er's hand and walked forward under the light of the lanterns. "After the capture of Liao and the occupation of the Central Plains, many of the older generation of the Jin Kingdom died. After the death of Aguda, Zong Wang, and Lou Shi, the younger generation came to power and began to think about enjoying life. Those old generals have suffered for their whole lives, so they don't care about the extravagance of children. This is always the case when the poor suddenly become rich. However, the foreign enemies are still there, and they will always be able to keep them alive. The Black Flag and the Mongolians are both such foreign enemies. "
Tan'Er laughed. "In that case, it's better if we are a little weaker."
Ning Yi also laughed. "In order to corrupt them, we will also be weak, and then the winner will never be us … The Mongolians are different from the Jurchens. The Jurchens are poor and dare to fight with their lives, but to put it bluntly, they are fighting for a better life. The Mongols worship martial arts and believe that everything under the sky is the hunting ground of the Immortals. Ever since Temujin brought them together, this kind of thinking has become even more intense. The reason they fight … is not for a better life … "
"Then why?"
"To fight is to live a better life." Ning Yi's tone was calm and slow. "When a man is alive, he has to chase more ferocious prey. He has to defeat stronger enemies. He has to plunder the best treasures. He has to see the weak cry. He has to rape women … Only those who can run freely in this hunting ground are the strongest. They see fighting as the essence of life, so they will not stop easily. "
Tan'Er fell silent.
"After the Western Xia's Yinchuan was conquered, the whole country lost its courage. The Mongolians massacred the Yinchuan and took the captives to conquer other cities. As long as there was any resistance, they would kill everyone in the city. They were intoxicated with this process. When they fought with the Jurchens, they used light cavalry and guerrilla warfare. If they couldn't win, they would immediately retreat, and the Jurchens wouldn't be able to catch up. After the Western Xia was digested, these people either went west or entered the Central Plains … I hope it's not the latter. "
The two talked as they walked. When they came to a tombstone, Tan'Er pulled Ning Yi's hand. Ning Yi stopped, looked at the words on the tombstone, and put the lantern in his hand to the side.
This was the tomb of Su Yu.
The old man passed away more than two years ago.
As Tan'Er's grandfather and the backbone of the Su family for many years, this old man actually didn't have much knowledge. When he was young, the Su family was still a small family that ran a cloth business. The foundation of the Su family started from his father's generation, but in fact, it was under the hands of Su Yu that the family rose to glory. The old man had five children. Two of them died young, and the remaining three were mediocre. When Su Yu was old, he had to choose the young and intelligent Su Tan'er as his successor.
This was the old man that Ning Yi admired. Although he wasn't as brilliant as Qin Siyuan and Kang Xian, he did support a big family with his dignity and honesty. Thinking back to more than ten years ago, when he first woke up in this body, although he didn't care about the identity of marrying into the family, if the Su family really made things difficult for him, he was afraid that he would also have a hard time. But at the beginning, although he "knew" that this grandson-in-law was just a poor scholar with shallow knowledge, the old man actually took good care of him.
The old man didn't read much since he was a child, but he was very concerned about the knowledge of his children and grandchildren. He spent a lot of effort to build a private academy, and even let the girls of the third and fourth generation of the family enter the academy. Although the academy was mediocre from top to bottom, such efforts were indeed the right way for a family to accumulate wealth.
Later, when Ning Yi and Su Tan'er supported the Su family, the old man didn't care too much. After the Liangshan massacre case, Su Yu was depressed and handed over everything to the old man. Both Ning Yi and Su Tan'er understood that although the old man no longer cared about the family, he still looked forward to the revitalization and leap of the Su family. Later, the development might be as he wished, until … the regicide and rebellion.
It was difficult to understand how the old man viewed these things. Even if the old man's vision went beyond Jiangning, he probably couldn't reach the whole world. Not many people knew how he viewed his son-in-law's regicide and rebellion. At that time, the old man's health was not very good. After thinking about these things, Tan'er even cried to Ning Yi, "Grandpa will die on the way …" But the old man stubbornly went to Liangshan.
In the years that followed, the old man quietly watched all of this. Gradually, his silence turned into agreement. At that time, Ning Yi was busy with work and didn't have much time to visit Su Yu. But every time they met, the two of them would have a conversation. He gradually felt proud of the Jurchen disaster and the resistance of Little Canghe. As for the many things that Ning Yi did, he would raise some questions of his own and listen quietly. But it could be seen that he naturally couldn't understand everything — after all, he didn't read many books.
Five years ago, when the war was about to start, the old man followed everyone to the south. It was more than a thousand miles, but during this process, he didn't complain. In fact, if the accompanying Su family members did anything bad, he would call them over and beat them with a cane. In the past, he thought that the only person in the Su family who was decent was Su Tan'er. But now, he was proud of Su Wending, Su Wenfang, Su Wenyu, Su Yanping, and the others who followed Ning Yi.
But the old man was, after all, too old. After arriving at Hedeng, he lost the ability to move and became muddle-headed and clear-headed. In the fifth year of Jianshuo, when Ning Yi arrived at Hedeng, the old man was in a muddle-headed state and didn't communicate with Ning Yi again. That was the last time they saw each other. In the early spring of the sixth year of Jianshuo, the old man's physical condition finally started to deteriorate. One morning, he woke up and asked everyone about the situation of the war in Little Canghe and whether Ning Yi and the others had returned in triumph. At this time, the war in the northwest was at its most tragic period. No one knew what to say. It was only after Tan'er and Wen Fang rushed over that they told the old man the whole situation.
The old man passed away on that day. In his last moments of consciousness, he said a few words to the young people around him and the children of the Su family to encourage them. When he asked Tan'er to pass the message to Ning Yi, his mind was already muddled. Later on, Su Tan'er also wrote these words in a letter and sent it to Ning Yi.
"… Your father and I … arranged a marriage for you in a forest … You were still young and you fell down while walking … Many people came, including the Su family … the Ning family … At that time, Suyun was still alive. She had been sick for a long time and only came out after dressing up … In the forest, under the grape trellis, there were many people …" The old man's memory seemed to have stopped at that forest thirty years ago. That was the forest of the Su family. At that time, Jiangning was still peaceful and Tan'er's grandmother, Kang Suyun, was still alive. Everyone was young. The old man reminisced for a long time. The light in his eyes gradually faded and he only held Tan'er's hand in the end. When Tan'er leaned over, she heard the old man say in a low voice, "… the backbone of the world …"
That was probably because he wanted Ning Yi to be the backbone of the world.
Tan'er also wrote this in a letter and sent it to him.
"When Grandpa left, he must have been very satisfied. In the past, he probably thought that his family couldn't be successful. Now that Wen Dingfang and Wen Fang are married, their family is successful, and their children are studying and sensible, Grandpa was actually very happy in the last few years. During the two years with Deng, his health wasn't good. He always told me not to tell you that people who work hard don't have to worry about their family. There were a few times when he told Wen Fang and the others that after traveling from the south to the north and from the north to the south, he could be considered to have seen the world. In the past, when he walked around with goods, it was all fake. So, there's no need to be sad for Grandpa. "
They placed a few symbolic offerings in front of the grave. The night breeze blew gently. The two sat down in front of the grave and looked at the scene of the spreading tombstones below. For more than ten years, the old people passed away one after another. It wasn't just Su Yu. Qin Siyuan, Qian Xiwen, Kang Xian … The old people gradually passed away, and the young people who shouldn't have left also left in large numbers. Ning Yi held Tan'er's hand, raised it and put it down again.
"Five or six years ago, before the war started, I went to Green Wood Village and chatted with Grandpa. Grandpa said that he actually didn't know how to teach people. He thought that by running an academy, people would learn to be good. He spent money to hire teachers. He had beaten and scolded the children, but the children were stubborn and mischievous. He thought that the children would all be like Su Wenji. Later, he thought that only you, Tan'er, could bear the responsibility in the family … "
"But later, he found out that it wasn't like that. It turned out that he just didn't know how to teach. A sword's edge can only be sharpened. As long as they were sharpened, Wen Ding and Wen Fang could also make the Su family proud. It's just a pity for Wenji … I think, when the old man thinks about Wenji, he will always feel sad …"
What they were talking about was the massacre in Liangshan more than ten years ago. At that time, Su Wenji, who was scared out of his wits by the massacre, shouted to hand over Tan'er who was hiding in the crowd. The old man came out and stabbed his grandson to death in front of everyone. People weren't plants or trees, so they couldn't be emotionless. In that massacre, nearly half of the Su family was massacred. But later on, the old man still couldn't let go of the fact that he had killed his grandson with his own hands …
"At that time, I taught a class in Little Cang River and taught a group of people who could do things. I told the old man that if the sky fell, how could a few people bear it? In the end, everyone had to bear it. Whether it was me, Wen Ding, or Wen Fang, what we did was our duty … The people of the world are the backbone of the world … Grandpa might have thought of this in the end …"
"Yes," Tan'er replied softly. Time passed, and the old man only lived in memory. There wasn't much meaning in asking in detail. People met because of fate, and fate would eventually come to an end. It was because of this regret that they could hold each other's hands tightly.
In the distance, there were flames rising, and the faint sounds of fighting could be heard. The day's search was just the beginning. After Ning Yi and the others arrived, there were bound to be some fish that had escaped the net. If they wanted to spread the news, the second round of investigation had already begun under the leadership of Red Grape, Watermelon, and the others.
"Let's go back first." The two of them held hands and walked around the mountain path, heading towards the brightly lit courtyard in the distance. Over there, there were many people already waiting.
In the late autumn of the eighth year of Wu Jianshuo, Ning Yi returned to Hedeng. At this time, the Black Flag Army, after walking through the initial mud, finally began to expand into a huge monster. During this period of time, the world was silent in tension. Ning Yi and his family finally spent a rare period of leisure time here.
*****
Lin 'an, Heavenly Prison.
At the first glimmer of dawn, the servants and guards of the Princess' residence walked through the long corridors of the Heavenly Prison. The steward directed the prison guards to sweep the paths in the Heavenly Prison. The people in front walked into the cells inside. They brought hot water, towels, shaving, clothes, and other items to change the clothes of a prisoner in the Heavenly Prison.
The prisoner was called Qu Zonghui. He trembled in fear from such actions. He resisted for a while, and then asked, "What are you doing … killing me … killing me … I'm the son-in-law, I'm a member of the Qu family, you can't do this … can't do this …"
His shouting was soon stopped under the steward's serious gaze. He trembled slightly as he allowed the servants to thin his hair, shave his beard, and tidy his long hair. After finishing, he also became a handsome and elegant young master — this was the good appearance he originally had. Not long after, the servants left. After a while, the Princess came.
Her appearance was dignified, and her clothes were loose and gorgeous. She looked somewhat like she was getting married. No matter what, it was very formal. But Qu Zonghui was still frightened by that calm gaze. He stood there, forcing himself to be calm. In his heart, he did not know whether he should kneel down. All these years, he had ostentatiously appeared to be fearless. In reality, in his heart, he was already very afraid of this Princess Royal. He only knew that she would not care about him.
But this time, he knew that things were not the same.
Zhou Pei sat down in the cell. The servants outside the cell had already left. There was only a silent guard in the shadow not far away. The flame swayed in the oil lamp. The surroundings were quiet and gloomy. After a long time, he heard Zhou Pei say, "Son-In-Law, sit." Her tone was gentle.
Qu Zonghui slowly sat opposite her. Zhou Pei faced him like this, looking at him calmly for a very long time. All these years, other than that long talk after their marriage, this was probably the longest time Zhou Pei had looked at him.
"I have a responsibility to you." Not knowing when, Zhou Pei spoke softly. Qu Zonghui's lips trembled, "I …" He could not say anything in the end.
Zhou Pei did not care about his words. She only looked for a moment and spoke in her memory.
"When I was a young girl, I had a master. His talent was unrivalled and no one could compare to him …"
The Heavenly Prison was quiet like a ghost town. Qu Zonghui listened to those quiet words and his body slightly trembled. He knew who the Eldest Princess' master was in his heart and he was not afraid of this. However, after being married for so many years, when the other said these words to him for the first time, the smart him knew that this matter was about to blow up … He could not guess what would happen next …
"… I was young at that time. Although I was convinced by his talent, I never admitted it. I did not understand many of the things he did and I did not understand many of the things he said. However, unknowingly, I cared about him … The admiration from my childhood could not be considered love, of course it could not be considered … Son-In-Law, after I married you, I no longer had him in my heart. However, I was very envious of the relationship between him and master's wife. He married into the family, just like you, Prince Consort. When they got married, he and Shiniang did not have any feelings for each other. Later on, the two of them came into contact with each other and understood each other. Slowly, they became a family who helped each other in times of need. I was very envious of this kind of relationship. I wanted … Son-In-Law to have this kind of relationship … "
"This was a big mistake on my part …"
"I married you with such childish thoughts and talked with you for a long time. I told you that I wanted to slowly understand you and slowly be with you … A girl in her teens was really naive. Son-In-Law, if you heard this, you might think that I had no intention of making an excuse to you … Regardless of whether it was true or not, this was my mistake. I never thought that you would not have such interactions, feelings, and help each other in difficult times outside. The scholars that you interacted with were all ambitious and indomitable people. I humiliated you and you agreed on the surface, but in the end … in less than a month, you went to a brothel to visit a prostitute …"
"My childishness has ruined my lover, and ruined your life …"
The calm voice narrated the entire time and this voice floated in the prison cell. Qu Zonghui's gaze alternated between fear and anger. "You, you …" He had resentment in his heart and wanted to explode, but in the end, he did not dare to do so. Opposite him, Zhou Pei only looked at him quietly. In her gaze, a drop of tears fell down her cheek.
"… In the next ten years, the Wu dynasty suffered a great disaster. We wandered from place to place, running back and forth. I had a burden on my shoulders, and in the end, you also … let go. You went to the brothel to visit prostitutes, stayed overnight, drank with a group of friends, and caused trouble. When you ran out of money, you came back and asked the manager for money. You even smashed the manager's head, but I didn't care. You took the three hundred or five hundred taels. Even if you said outside that I treated you badly, I … "
She paused and lowered her head. "I thought that I was broad-minded, but now that I think about it, I feel guilty."
"You, you, you … You finally know! You finally said it! Do you know … you're my wife. You let me down … "Qu Zonghui finally shouted from the other end of the prison cell.
Zhou Pei looked to the side, quietly waiting for him to finish speaking. After a while, she said, "Yes, I let you down. I also let you down … the family you killed … Thinking back, in these ten years, my heart always hoped that my lover would one day become a mature person, that he would let go of the enmity between us and repair our relationship … These years, the imperial court has lost half of its territory. The imperial court retreated to the south, and the refugees from the north kept coming. I am the Eldest Princess. Sometimes, I also feel tired … There were times when I saw you quarreling with someone at home. Perhaps I could go over and talk to you, but I couldn't. I am twenty-seven years old. The mistakes of ten years ago can be said to be childish, but ten years later, I can only bear it. And you … are twenty-nine, right … "
"In these ten years, you've been visiting prostitutes, spending money, and bullying others. I closed my eyes. Ten years, I'm getting more and more tired, and you're getting crazier and crazier. Visiting prostitutes in the brothel is still a consensual thing. I don't care if you raise a skinny horse outside. I won't sleep with you. You have to have a woman by your side. When it's time to spend, it's good … But you shouldn't kill people, living people … "
Her hands were clasped in front of her body, and her fingers were twisted together. She looked at him coldly. Qu Zonghui shook his head. "I, I was wrong … Princess, I will change. We … we will be together in the future. I, I won't do those things anymore …"
As he said that, he stretched out his hand and took a few steps forward. It seemed that he wanted to hug Zhou Pei, but feeling Zhou Pei's gaze, he didn't dare to do it. Zhou Pei looked at him and said coldly, "Go back!"
Qu Zonghui stepped back.
Zhou Pei's gaze calmed down again. She opened her mouth, closed it, and opened it again before she spoke.
"My master, he was a man of indomitable spirit. He killed bandits, he killed corrupt officials, he killed resentful soldiers, he killed female Zhenren. He … his wife did not have any feelings for him at first, and he was not angry or annoyed. He never treated his wife in a way that would destroy himself. Prince consort, you were a bit like him at first. You were smart, kind, romantic, and talented. At first, I thought that you two were a bit similar … "
"I spent ten years. Sometimes I was angry, sometimes I felt guilty, and sometimes I reflected on whether I was asking for too much … Women can't wait. Sometimes I thought that even though you've done so many wrong things for so many years, if you suddenly repent, come to me and tell me that you won't be like this anymore, and then you reach out to hug me, how good would that be? I … I might forgive you too. But not even once … "
"I was childish for ten years, and you were childish for ten years as well … A twenty-nine-year-old man playing with a woman outside, killing her, and then killing her entire family. You're no longer a child. The master I admired, he even killed the Emperor himself in the end. Although we can't live under the same sky, he's really amazing … The man I married, because of a girl's childishness, ruined his life, and destroyed someone else's family. He's really … worse than a pig or a dog. "
Zhou Pei's fists clenched tightly on her thighs, and she gritted her teeth. "Beast!"
Qu Zonghui knelt down in tears, begging for mercy. Zhou Pei's tears were already flowing down her cheeks, and she shook her head.
"I can't kill you," she said. She said, "I want to kill you, but I can't. Imperial Father and the Qu Family, both forbade me not to kill you. But if I don't kill you, I would be letting down the family that died unjustly. They are also citizens of the Wu Dynasty, and I can't just watch them be killed by someone like you. I originally wanted to castrate you … "
When she said this, even the crying Qu Zonghui froze in shock.
"I originally wanted to castrate you," she said, shaking her head. "I wanted to make you unable to harm others, but I knew that wouldn't work. When the time came, your heart would be filled with resentment, and your mind would become even more twisted to harm others. Now that the three departments have proven your innocence, I can only carry your sins to the end … "
"I was wrong, I was wrong …" Qu Zonghui cried, kneeling and kowtowing repeatedly. "I won't do these things anymore. Princess, I respect and love you, I did all of these things because I love you … Let's start again …"
"We won't start again, and we'll never be able to stop." A mournful smile appeared on Zhou Pei's face, and she stood up. "I've tidied up a courtyard in the Princess Residence for you. You can live there in the future, and you can't see anyone, and you can't take a step out. I can't kill you, so you'll live. But to the outside world, you'll be considered dead, and you can't harm anyone anymore. Let's live next to each other for the rest of our lives. "
She walked towards the outside of the cell. Qu Zonghui howled and threw himself at her to pull on her skirt, begging for mercy and loving her. Zhou Pei struggled to break free, and a piece of her skirt was torn off, but she didn't care.
"Our fate is over …"
She looked at him for a moment, walked through the dim corridor of the cell, and gradually disappeared from Qu Zonghui's sight.
On this day, Qu Zonghui was brought back to the Princess Residence and locked in that courtyard. Zhou Pei didn't kill him, and the Qu Family didn't make much trouble. However, Qu Zonghui couldn't see outsiders anymore. He shouted for repentance in the courtyard, apologizing to Zhou Pei, apologizing to the deceased. This process lasted for about a month, and he finally started to curse in despair. He cursed Zhou Pei, cursed the guards, cursed the people outside, and in the end, he even cursed the Imperial Family. This process continued for a very, very long time …
Everything in the world was just a process of meeting and parting.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
