Chapter 3146 He is old

"Did Luo Xingwen and the others really leave on their own?"

“…”

"Why?"

Seeing Nan Yan's puzzled expression, who was genuinely asking questions eagerly and seriously, Zhu Feng turned around and looked at her for a moment, then said with a half-smile, "You went into Xingluo Lake and stayed there for a while. You even met Luo Xingwen and his men. Didn't you figure out anything from their words and actions?"

"them?"

Nan Yan frowned and carefully recalled her memories of Xingluo Lake.

Speaking of which, although she lived in Xingluo Lake for quite some time, her contact with the people there was limited. It should be said that Zhu Chengjin had always been around her. The longest time they spent together was on the first night after she arrived at Tiangang Lianhuanwu. She met the four elders there, and the next day, she met Luo Xingwen.

I remember they talked a lot, but when I think about it, it wasn't that important.

What impressed me most was the way the people there addressed Luo Xingwen.

They all called him - "Old Man".

After thinking for a long time, she gently shook her head at Zhu Feng: "I really can't remember anything. I just remember that everyone in there called Luo Xingwen - 'Old Man'."

Hearing her say this, Zhu Feng's eyes flickered slightly.

Then, he couldn't help laughing again, looking at Nan Yan and said, "You are still young indeed."

When Nan Yan heard this, she immediately pouted: "What do you mean young? I'm already a mother of two children, I'm still young!"

Zhu Feng smiled and said, "No matter how many children a mother has, if she grows older but doesn't gain experience, and risks her life to go to Xingluo Lake but can't even see the people and things inside clearly, then she is still young."

Nan Yan became anxious and grabbed his sleeve and shook him.

"Your Majesty, please stop keeping us in suspense!"

Seeing her like this, Zhu Feng chuckled again and said, "Alright, alright, you're the mother of two children, and you just act like a spoiled brat."

He grabbed Nan Yan's hand with his other hand, led her back, and said as he walked, "Even though you didn't see anything, the most important thing is that you remembered it."

Nan Yan opened her eyes wide: "What did I remember?"

Zhu Feng said, "Remember this: those people call Luo Xingwen 'Old Man'."

"What's the meaning?"

"This is the reason why Luo Xingwen left Xingluo Lake, leaving an empty Xingluo Lake for me."

“……!”

Nan Yan was stunned for a long time, then sorted out her thoughts and finally came to her senses.

"He, he's old?"

"good."

“…”

Nan Yan gasped and was stunned for a long time.

She thought of many possibilities for the destruction of Xingluo Lake, such as betrayal by someone from within, or even Lu Linchuan betraying his adoptive father; or the navy on the Jiangnan side played a big role; or even the Shangshan Master of Huangling Temple, who was originally the nemesis of those pirates, might have taken action.

However, no matter how wild her imagination was, she could not think of this.

Because Luo Xingwen is old...

Zhu Feng sighed and said, "For years, Luo Xingwen and his men have occupied Xingluo Lake. The entire area is unmarked on the map of our Great Yan Dynasty. To ordinary people, he is indeed very powerful. Even in future history books, he will inevitably be mentioned in a prominent place."

“…”

"But there's a price to pay for this kind of thing."

Nan Yan asked, "What's the price?"

Zhu Feng smiled and said, "Do you know where Luo Xingwen is from? How old was he when he fought with Emperor Gao for the throne? How old is he now?"

Nan Yan shook her head subconsciously.

Zhu Feng said, "He is from Fuzhou. When he lost the battle for the throne against Emperor Gao, he was forty-four years old. Now, he is seventy-three."

Nan Yan gasped again.

Looking back, when I saw Luo Xingwen at Xingluo Lake, I did feel that he was old, with white hair. However, because he was energetic and had an upright posture, and because I thought at that time that they were in cahoots with Zhu Chengjin and completely regarded them as enemies, I naturally looked at him with hostility and ignored some common sense.

Now that I think about it, he is really, very old.

Zhu Feng said, "He and his men have been entrenched in Xingluo Lake for nearly thirty years. He hasn't returned to his hometown or seen his family again."

“…”

"What do you think a man wants when he gets old?"

This time, Nan Yan understood completely.

As Zhu Feng led her back, she whispered, "When people get old, they want to return to their roots."

“…”

"Furthermore, a man like him, I dare say, can be considered a hero. For a hero to be confined to a body of water devoid of human life for nearly thirty years, I imagine it must be very lonely."

Zhu Feng said: "This is why he left Xingluo Lake."

Nan Yan frowned and thought for a long time before finally figuring it out. She said, "So, from the very beginning, he had no intention of cooperating with Zhu Chengjin. On the contrary, he planned to betray Zhu Chengjin and make a deal with the emperor. This way, he could safely leave Xingluo Lake, and the emperor would reintegrate this area into the territory of the Great Yan Dynasty. Tiangang Lianhuanwu would no longer be a threat to the emperor."

Zhu Feng nodded slightly.

He said, "Actually, he should have had this plan long ago. However, at that time, he was entrenched in Xingluo Lake and his influence was too great. Too many people came to join him, and he was afraid that if he disbanded his troops and left Xingluo Lake, Emperor Gao would not forgive him, so he had no choice but to stay there."

“…”

"This becomes a vicious cycle."

“…”

"He has more and more men under his command, and these people, in turn, have clamped him down, preventing him from leaving. Although the outside world has changed from one dynasty to another, he is still in a difficult situation."

Nan Yan frowned, recalling when he arrived at Xingluo Lake and met Luo Xingwen, Li Chen and other four elders, the four elders had a heated debate about whether to send troops.

In the end, the ones who left with Zhu Chengjin were Li Chen and Fang Zhen, who had the most radical attitudes.

Now, one of these two people is dead and the other has been arrested.

Of the four elders, only two are left, Fu Zhiqiu and Shi Tianlu.

Nan Yan took a deep breath and said, "He, Luo Xingwen, deliberately let Li Chen and Fang Zhen, the two most radical figures, bring their men who were determined to fight the court to the end, and follow Zhu Chengjin out. In fact, he was sending them to their deaths."

“…”

"After getting rid of these people, the ones left are all his confidants."

“…”

"Or rather, it will be much easier for him to deal with it again."