Chapter 136 The Scholar Who Favored His Concubine Over His Wife (The End) Taking Pure Love to the End…

"Sir, a spy reports that Emperor Wenyuan has secretly convened a meeting in the Imperial Palace and appointed Yuan Guanru as the commander-in-chief, with 80,000 elite cavalry, 50,000 infantry, and 20,000 light cavalry scouts, intending to attack Qizhou again." In the front hall, a black-clad man with an iron mask on his face knelt on one knee and whispered.

"Okay, I understand." Song Ce nodded and said to the man in black, "Shi Er, you've been traveling a long way, go and rest!"

"Yes, sir." Shi Er bowed his head, clasped his hands in a fist and bowed as he withdrew.

Gazing at the flickering candlelight in the front hall, Song Ce felt a surge of heroic ambition. Strength begets strength, weakness begets death! If the Great Wei comes, he will meet them! He will fight!

According to later records, in the fifteenth, sixteenth, and nineteenth years of the Wenyuan era, the Great Wei Dynasty launched three major sieges of Qizhou City, all of which ended in failure. During this period, the neighboring states of Jiao, Qi, and Lan seized the opportunity to unite and launch two separate attacks on the Great Wei. Overwhelmed by the allied forces, Emperor Wenyuan, in the twentieth year of his reign, had no choice but to recall all the troops besieging Qizhou City and instead focus on dealing with the three-nation coalition.

To raise funds for the front lines, Emperor Wenyuan continuously ordered the Ministry of Revenue to increase local taxes, leading to widespread resentment among the people of various prefectures. The five prefectures south of Qizhou City successively declared their secession from the rule of the Great Wei Kingdom and joined Qizhou City.

Emperor Wenyuan was furious, but with external troubles still raging and internal problems arising, uprisings were breaking out everywhere, and the Wei Kingdom's rule, which had lasted less than twenty years, was already teetering on the brink of collapse. He was angry and resentful, yet utterly helpless.

Finally, faced with the strong counterattack of Qizhou City and the relentless advance of the allied forces of the three kingdoms, Emperor Wenyuan sighed and personally wrote an imperial edict to proclaim to the world that the Great Wei Dynasty recognized Qizhou's independence. When the edict reached Qizhou City half a month later, the people of Qizhou cheered for more than three days. This is the origin of the famous "Qizhou separatism" in later generations.

Years later, as Emperor Wenyuan neared the end of his life, he summoned Crown Prince Xiao Yunzhan to his bedside, grasped his hand tightly, and instructed him that whatever means were used in the future, he must reclaim Qizhou City intact. He further instructed that the traitor Song Ce and the rebellious minister Wang Sushou must be whipped to vent his hatred, and that their entire families be exterminated, leaving no one alive.

The no-longer-young Xiao Yunzhan knelt on the ground, his eyes red, and swore, "Your subject will obey your father's last will." Emperor Wenyuan smiled with relief upon hearing this, and passed away that very night.

Soon after, Xiao Yunzhan held a coronation ceremony and personally named the country Renzhao, becoming known in history as Emperor Renzhao.

Emperor Renzhao, carrying on the legacy of his predecessor, launched three campaigns against Qizhou City, but suffered three defeats each time. At this time, the states of Jiao, Qi, and Lan, who had been eyeing the Great Wei Kingdom with predatory intent, once again united and launched a full-scale attack. The Great Wei Kingdom, having been engaged in years of war, had its treasury depleted, leaving the entire nation powerless to cope, and news of impending doom poured in from the front lines.

Upon hearing the news, Emperor Renzhao, who was sitting high in the palace, staggered and steadied himself on the dragon throne. A metallic taste rose in his throat, and he cried out, "My great Wei Kingdom was rich and powerful, with flourishing culture and military prowess. Why has it come to this? Why has it come to this!"

On that day, Emperor Renzhao issued an edict ordering all prefectures and counties to conscript all able-bodied men aged twelve to sixty from the Great Wei Kingdom into soldiers.

Such a forceful order immediately threw the various prefectures into chaos. Governors from each prefecture continuously reported that people under their jurisdiction were resorting to self-mutilation to escape military service from the Great Wei. The governor of Xuzhou even sent a secret letter to Qizhou city overnight, offering to surrender the city and only asking that the ruler of Qizhou treat everyone equally.

Upon hearing of the rebellion in Xuzhou, Emperor Renzhao suddenly vomited a mouthful of black blood and collapsed onto his dragon throne.

Three months later, the states of Jiao, Qi, and Lan once again joined forces to break camp, intending to directly attack the capital of the Great Wei. Unexpectedly, Qizhou City dispatched a troop of 10,000 elite soldiers from a thousand miles away to provide strong support to the Great Wei army in repelling the allied forces of the three states.

At the same moment the good news reached the capital of Wei, a letter from an old friend in Qizhou also arrived.

Emperor Renzhao, half-reclining on the dragon bed, stared intently at the thin letter on the golden plate and coughed heavily a few times.

"Bring the letter here," he said in a hoarse voice.

"Your Majesty!" The chief eunuch standing by his side looked at Emperor Renzhao, whose eyes were dark and swollen, and knelt down with a thud, his voice trembling, "You haven't slept for two days. I beg you to take care of your health!"

"Present it to me," Emperor Renzhao coughed twice, speaking haltingly.

“Yes, Your Majesty…” The chief eunuch, his eyes red, took the letter and presented it with both hands.

Emperor Renzhao, his hands trembling, struggled to unfold the letter. It contained only a short sentence: "In the past, I received your generous gift of a hundred taels of gold; now, I have assisted in repelling the enemy. The debt is settled. I wish you good health."

"Hahaha! Hahaha! Hahahaha!" Emperor Renzhao stared at the words "two-way agreement" and suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood. Blood splattered onto the letter and slowly slid down from his hand.

"Your Majesty? Your Majesty! Something terrible has happened! Someone come quickly..."

Half a month later, Emperor Renzhao, still ill, personally issued an edict recalling all troops stationed around Qizhou City. From then on, the Great Wei Kingdom and Qizhou City were governed by a river, with Great Wei in the north and Qizhou in the south, thus achieving a delicate balance.

In the following years, shops in the capital of Great Wei began to trade with various cities in Qizhou. The once deserted Jihe ferry crossing was now filled with sails, and the sounds of conversation and shouts rose and fell, making it extremely lively. Although the Great Wei's forced conscription of militia caused many people to move away with their families, most people were reluctant to leave their homeland and chose to stay in the country after seeing the obvious wealth of Great Wei.

From then on, Qizhou was changed from a prefecture to a kingdom. Neighboring countries sent envoys with gifts to Qi Kingdom to express their goodwill and seek to establish trade alliances between the two countries and jointly pursue commerce.

A century later, the "Biography of Emperor Yong'an" in Volume One of the Book of Revelation records:

Song Ce was a native of Dacheng County in the State of Dai, and his family were originally merchants. At that time, the Great Wei was powerful, while the State of Dai was declining day by day. The ruler of Dai wanted to reverse the decline and ordered the wealthy families of the prefectures and counties to contribute their wealth to support the army. Song Ce donated all his family's wealth and could not escape it. Ce's mother was weak and fell seriously ill after this incident. She died of worry and fear. His father was grieving for her and also passed away two years later.

Ce was intelligent from a young age and passed the imperial examination before reaching adulthood. However, after the fall of the dynasty, his achievements were disgraced. Ce harbored lofty ambitions and always cherished the desire to save the nation. He pitied the hunger of young children and was indignant at the corruption of Wei officials. He sighed and said, "The people's lives are so difficult. How can we save them?" So he visited the magistrate of Qizhou, Lord Su, at night. The two became close friends and talked by candlelight all night.

Three years later, Ce invented firearms and manufactured glass, established schools to educate children, and set up homes for the elderly to care for the orphaned and elderly. Qi was a period of great prosperity; the granaries overflowed, and the armor and weapons were of excellent quality. Emperor Wenyuan of Wei, suspicious because Qi had not paid tribute for three years, secretly sent his fourth son, Yun Zhan, to investigate. Zhan, posing as a tea merchant, questioned Ce: "You refuse to pay your annual tribute and amass armor to forge weapons; are you plotting rebellion?" Ce replied: "If a ruler does not care for the common people, what use are they?" Their words disagreed, and the matter was dropped.

Wen Yuan was furious upon hearing this and launched three campaigns, all to no avail. At that time, the states of Jiao, Qi, and Lan formed an alliance and attacked the border, keeping the Wei army exhausted. Wen Yuan withdrew his campaigns and turned his attention to defending against the foreign invaders. However, taxes became increasingly heavy, and the people could no longer bear the burden. Hearing this, the five southern states flocked to Wei to submit.

As the Wei dynasty declined, uprisings broke out one after another, forcing Emperor Wenyuan to issue an edict allowing Qi to establish his own independent regime.

On his deathbed, Emperor Wenyuan held the hand of Crown Prince Yunzhan and said, "You must punish the two traitors, Song and Wang, and restore Qizhou to avenge my shame!" Zhan wept and succeeded to the throne, becoming known as Emperor Renzhao.

When Emperor Renzhao ascended the throne, he launched three campaigns against Qi, all of which ended in defeat. At that time, the Three Kingdoms reunited, and the Wei army suffered repeated defeats. The emperor conscripted a large number of able-bodied men, but many people evaded the service. Xuzhou surrendered its city to Qi, and upon hearing this, Emperor Renzhao vomited blood and collapsed to the ground.

The three armies pressed on to Wei, and Ren Zhao was alarmed. Qi then dispatched more than 10,000 elite troops to reinforce them, and the three armies were defeated. Ce attached a letter saying, "I was once grateful for your kindness of a hundred gold pieces, and now I have helped you repel the enemy. The debt is settled, and I pray that you live in peace." Ren Zhao read the letter and vomited blood. He then stopped the war and made peace with Qi by dividing the river.

After Qi established his kingdom, he ascended the throne and made Lin Xiyue his empress, making her the only woman in his harem. His kingdom was named Yong'an, and he became known as Emperor Yong'an.

Yong'an moved to Li'an, opened trade markets, abolished the system of collective punishment, banned officials and prostitutes, and established a women's college. His benevolence towards the people and love for all things were witnessed by both gods and men. Later, people from all directions came to pay tribute and requested to establish trade and form alliances.

In the thirty-ninth year of Yong'an, the emperor died at Li'an Palace at the age of seventy-nine. His will stipulated a simple burial, and the emperor and his ministers wept bitterly. The inscription on the emperor's tombstone was written in his own hand: "I only seek harmony throughout the world; even if I bear the name of a rebel, I will have no regrets." The calligraphy was vigorous and still showed his integrity, moving all who saw it.

For the next hundred years, the Yong'an Mausoleum was shaded by pines and cypresses, and incense burned continuously throughout the four seasons. The people praised his virtuous governance as if it were still alive.

The postscript states: The policy was originally implemented by the people of Wei, who raised an army due to the tyrannical rule. Wei claimed that the policy was initiated by a rebellious minister, but in reality, it was forced upon them. Under their rule, no one picked up lost items on the road, the old were at peace and the young were content, and female historians were in charge of affairs, truly ushering in a golden age unprecedented in history. However, with the advent of firearms, the devastation of war was also a consequence of their policies.

******

Extra 1:

The capital of Qi Kingdom, outside the city of Li'an.

A woman with her eyes covered and a numb expression habitually huddled against the wall. Her clothes were tattered, patched upon patched, and a cold wind blew, revealing half of her scarred calf.

"Mother...Mother...Su'er...I'm hungry..." A boy of about fifteen or sixteen years old said intermittently, drooling.

The blind woman shuddered as if startled awake. She fumbled in the tattered bamboo basket behind her and finally pulled out half a slightly moldy flatbread. The boy, starving, snatched the flatbread and stuffed it into his mouth. The dry crumbs made him cough.

"Su'er, eat slowly, eat slowly..." The woman reached out tremblingly to pat the boy's back, her hoarse voice filled with tenderness.

Before she could finish speaking, a crazy man dressed in coarse cloth suddenly came bounding out from the street corner, waving his hands above his head and shouting, "Blind woman! Blind woman! Hehe!"

The blind woman trembled with fear upon hearing the voice. She quickly hid behind the boy, crying out in panic, "Su'er, Su'er, save your mother..."

The mentally challenged boy named Li'er tilted his head and grinned foolishly at the blind woman, saying, "No...no...it's Daddy...Daddy..."

The madman's saliva dripped down his chin. He suddenly snatched the unfinished flatbread from Su'er's hand, held it high above his head, and shouted, "I want to eat! I want to eat! Mi'er wants to eat flatbread!"

Li'er naturally refused. He reached out to snatch it, but was pushed away by the madman and stumbled to the ground.

"Chestnut...cake...Daddy...eat cake..." Chestnut grabbed the madman's clothes and cried out in a shrill voice.

The madman shook his head vigorously, pretending not to hear. He grabbed the flatbread and hopped forward until he turned into a secluded alley.

"Wah! Wah wah! Chestnut... cake... wah!" Chestnut, like a child, threw herself into the blind woman's arms, crying out in anguish for cake.

An older woman passing by on her way to buy groceries looked on with pity and took out a still-warm sesame cake from her cloth bag, handing it to Li'er. Li'er's eyes lit up, and she grabbed the sesame cake and began to wolf it down.

"Hey, ma'am, be careful, or this blind woman might try to take advantage of you!" A washerwoman carrying a wooden basin of dirty clothes waved to the aunt from a distance, looking at the blind woman with disdain.

"Sister, what do you mean by that?" the aunt asked.

"Tch! She's of such high status! She claims to be the Empress's elder sister, the dignified Miss Liu! Ever since she took her mentally challenged child from house to house a few years ago, begging for shelter, and no one paid any attention, she's been shouting here every day that she's a young lady from a prominent family. She's gone mad!" The laundry woman glanced at the blind woman and muttered.

The woman was startled and exclaimed, "Doesn't Her Majesty the Empress only have one brother? When did she get a sister?"

"That's why!" the laundry woman said, raising her chin slightly and whispering, "Be careful, this dementia is contagious!"

The woman nodded, then couldn't help but look over again, "And her eyes are..."

"Oh! It's quite pitiful, really. Her husband is mentally challenged. A couple of years ago, he found a basket of mushrooms somewhere, and she cooked them into soup, almost poisoning the whole family. Then, after some time, the woman went blind..."

The two women's voices faded into the distance. The blind woman shook her head, somewhat dazed, wondering who they were talking about. Was it her?

Was she truly a lady from a wealthy family? If so, how could she be so poor and destitute now?

The blind woman stopped thinking about these complicated issues. Hearing footsteps approaching her hurriedly, she quickly smiled and said, "Master, Madam, please have mercy..."

Unexpectedly, the person looked at her for a while and then asked the older woman standing nearby, "Is this the person you're talking about?"

"Yes, yes." The old woman looked at the blind woman with a sigh and said, "This woman has a mentally challenged son. I feel so sorry for her. If she could go to a nursing home, it would be better than begging here, wouldn't it?"

"yes!"

Chen Shuang nodded slightly, signaling the maids on either side to help the blind woman up. The woman was terrified, retreating repeatedly, and cried out in fear, "What...what are you doing..."

"Don't be afraid, Auntie." Chen Shuang also looked at her with sympathy and said gently, "A new nursing home has opened in the city. Come with us and you will be able to eat your fill and never go hungry or cold again."

"Really...really?" The blind woman could hardly believe it.

“Of course it’s true! Come with us!” Chen Shuang said.

"Oh... okay, okay..."

******

Extra 2:

When Xiaolan was very young, she didn't have a name. People would call her either "little brat" or "little beggar." The name Xiaolan was given to her by an old scholar who took pity on her in her early years.

She heard from the people nearby that the old scholar's surname was Zhou, and he lived in a secluded cemetery at the west end of Qizhou City. Xiaolan was puzzled as to why a literate gentleman would live alone in a place that even beggars like them considered unlucky.

When Zhou Xiucai handed her the cake for the third time, she secretly followed him all the way to the outside of the cemetery on the west side.

As soon as Zhou Xiucai returned home, he heard a rustling sound outside the wooden door and was immediately startled. He got up and peeked out, just in time to see Xiaolan huddled by the door, frantically arranging small yellow wild chrysanthemums at the entrance.

"What are you doing?" Zhou Xiucai asked kindly.

"Master gave me some cakes, and I want to bring him some flowers," Xiaolan said softly, her head bowed like a child who had done something wrong.

Scholar Zhou stroked his beard and smiled, asking, "Good boy, what's your name?"

“I…I’m called Little Beggar,” Xiao Lan said.

Zhou Xiucai was taken aback for a moment, then beckoned Xiaolan to come into the courtyard.

Xiao Lan hesitated for a moment. She glanced at the graves not far away and said fearfully, "Sir, I dare not go in."

"So be it, so be it." Zhou Xiucai shook his head and simply moved the table in the courtyard to the doorway, where the white paper on the table rustled in the wind.

“Child, let me teach you to read!” said Zhou Xiucai.

"Recognize characters? What does recognizing characters mean?"

“Recognizing characters is… um…” Zhou Xiucai paused, picked up his pen and wrote three characters on the paper: “人 (person), 天 (sky), 花 (flower),” and chuckled, “These are characters, this is 人 (person), this is 天 (sky), and this is 花 (flower).”

"Flower? Is it the flower from 'Little Beggar'?" Xiaolan asked in surprise.

“Yes, this is also a flower.” As Zhou Xiucai spoke, he slowly drew a chrysanthemum on the paper and handed it to her.

Xiaolan pointed to the wild chrysanthemums by the door, then to herself, and asked, "Are we all flowers?"

“Yes, you are all flowers. But using flowers as names is too petty. How about I call you Xiao Lan from now on? You are like the orchids and chrysanthemums by the door, growing vigorously even in the wild,” said Zhou Xiucai.

"Xiao Lan, Xiao Lan? That's a lovely name! I love it! Xiao Lan! Xiao Lan!" Xiao Lan happily spun around a few times, then asked the smiling scholar Zhou curiously, "Master, why...why do you live here?"

"Is there anything wrong with this place?" Zhou Xiucai asked in return.

"There are dead people buried there, aren't you afraid, sir?" Xiao Lan asked softly, pointing to the lonely grave.

“Of course I’m not afraid…” Zhou Xiucai’s eyes seemed to glisten with tears as he looked at Xiao Lan and murmured, “If she were still here, our child would be this age by now…”

"Who...who's still here, sir?" Xiaolan asked in fear, shrinking into her tattered clothes.

Zhou Xiucai shook his head, silently turned around, faced the lonely grave, and said nothing more.

Later, when Xiaolan grew up, she learned that Zhou Xiucai had lived alone here for nearly twenty years. He devoted himself to protecting his wife and child, who had died in childbirth, and never left until he grew old.

Never.

...

"Xiao Lan, Xiao Lan! Wake up! Her Majesty the Empress has given us all a day off today, why are you sleeping?" A female official in purple robes reached out and shook Xiao Lan, calling out to her.

Xiaolan slowly opened her eyes and murmured, "Ah, it's Ruxuan..."

"It's me!" Wu Ruxuan chuckled, grabbed Xiao Lan's hand, and said reproachfully, "The palace is closed today, let's go out and have some fun! I heard from Dong Ling that Shui Que Street..."

As Wu Ruxuan continued her rambling, Xiao Lan smiled slightly as she looked at Wu Ruxuan's hand gripping her sleeve tightly.

The child who was once called a little beggar is now a lady-in-waiting in the palace. Just as Zhou Xiucai had hoped, she has grown up to be a bright and spirited young woman.

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Author's Note: The "Biography of Emperor Yong'an, Volume One" in the *Book of Qi* is written using the format of the *Book of the Later Han*, and references the biographies of Dong Zhuo, Ma Yuan, Yuan Shao, and Liu Biao. There may be inaccuracies in the wording; please feel free to point out any errors!

My little cutie, who else would you like to see a side story for? Feel free to tell me, and I'll put it in the next chapter's "Something to Say," hehe [cat emoji]

Next story in progress, modern times in preparation! [Sprinkling flowers][Sprinkling flowers]