Chapter 67 Greed
The King of the North tilted his head slightly, his expression calm.
He silently accepted the slap.
Yu Wanyin's hand, which had just slapped him, was still slightly numb. She stared silently into his deep blue eyes and said, "Don't you know that taking something without asking is stealing?"
The more she acted this way, the more one felt that her icy composure was a harbinger of something being torn apart.
She didn't even have the energy to generate any significant emotional fluctuations or reactions.
"So what if I stole it?" King Bei Chi looked up at her.
He admitted that when he was twenty, he intercepted the first letter.
At first, it was just a routine matter, checking incoming mail.
It was a letter written in Chinese.
He found the translator and understood that it was a little girl of only eight or nine years old, who was just able to write a complete letter to her family.
The handwriting is erratic and rounded.
It's as if you can see through the handwriting that the still-childish, yet clever and studious girl is leaning over the table, using her innocent voice to let her family know she's safe.
Inquire about the family's situation.
She said that after she went to school and learned to read and write, she no longer needed her father to relay her letters.
That was the first letter she was able to communicate with her family on her own.
He wondered why a girl from the Western Regions would end up in the Central Plains.
Unfortunately, no one will reply to the address she sent her letter to.
Having nothing else to do, he replied to her letter.
I thought this matter would just pass like this.
Three months later, he received another letter.
It was sent by her.
Her handwriting is more fluent now, which shows that she has been attending school for some time.
She always told her family that she was much better and to put their minds at ease.
A healthy child won't tell others that she's much better.
The child's ability to conceal is still a bit lacking.
He could tell at a glance that she was not in good health.
She is Shan Chenjun's younger sister, and it seems she is trapped in the Central Plains.
She has a stepmother, a selfish father, and several younger siblings who treat her like an outsider.
He thought that the people of the Central Plains still couldn't raise their children from the Western Regions well.
Those Central Plains people who always refer to the Northern Chi as barbarians, who pride themselves on their impeccable manners, are really nothing more than that.
They are all barbarians who bully the weak.
He does not deny that such rules are wrong.
The law of the world is that the strong prey on the weak.
Either acknowledge it and accept it, or overthrow it.
But the weak usually lack the ability to overthrow it.
He knew Shan Chenjun's personality well, and when he was bored, he learned to write Chinese characters.
I tried to chat with her in Shan Chenjun's tone, telling her about the current prosperity of the Western Regions.
He said he would bring her back if he had the chance.
At first, it was just out of a little sympathy for this child I had never met, or perhaps out of guilt that her letters could not be received.
But in reality, he doesn't experience these kinds of emotions very often.
He had no interest in feeling sorry for the weak.
They even despise the weak, using weakness as a justification to demand tolerance.
But she is not weak.
Strength and weakness are not necessarily just superficial differences in power or influence.
That was the most basic understanding people had at that time.
The strength and resilience of the soul can also be contained within a fragile body.
She was childlike but gentle.
Such a young child can reveal an extraordinary clarity and brightness between the lines.
Clear springs and bright moonlight fall into my heart.
During the years he and his brothers were vying for power.
A letter of reassurance every few months was the best medicine for his long sleepless nights.
She had a hard life, but she only talked about happy things, about the prosperity and flourishing he longed for.
He was much older than her and more clear-headed.
They knew that most places in the Central Plains were not like this; they were in dire straits.
She has a clear understanding of the world and can keep quiet amidst the noise.
She must have hoped that the days to come would be as described in the letter.
He was the same.
However, unlike others, he has always believed that the winner is king and the loser is a bandit.
Only those in positions of power have the authority to set the rules and create the prosperity they desire.
Only destruction can tear apart rotten flesh and bring forth new life.
All of this is predicated on first possessing and obtaining.
Gradually, he gained the power to set rules and became the ruler of the country.
Her speech and mannerisms have shed their childishness, revealing a cool, clear spring that flows quietly and profoundly.
He watched her grow up and, through the words of her family, told her that the new king loved his people like his own children and that the country was running smoothly.
They asked her how she was feeling and if she wanted to come back so they could go and pick her up.
She said she was getting married.
She can't go back.
Just then, the Emperor of Dali died suddenly, and the best opportunity arrived.
He didn't want to wait any longer.
He had thought of a hundred ways they could meet.
I had considered this scenario before.
So what if it's stolen?
He was completely at ease, saying, "What matters is what you get."
How naive must he have been to believe that a virtuous person could possess everything?
Burning, killing, and looting.
They are all means of possession.
Yu Wanyin didn't want to hear anything. "Where are they?"
"Who?" He walked towards her. "Those family members you haven't contacted in over a decade?"
"What if they forget you? Ten years have passed. Where you are doesn't seem to matter to them, but where they are doesn't matter either."
Yu Wanyin looked at him, "They're not important, but are you important?"
The King of the North knew she needed time to accept it. "It's just a matter of identity. I'm the one corresponding with you. What you want to see and what you want to get from the letters."
"These are all things that only I can give you."
Yu Wanyin took a deep breath.
She walked around him and toward his desk, looking at the sheets of paper spread out there.
She picked up a handwritten letter from herself, which read, "Why do you think that what I want comes from lies?"
As she spoke, the letter in her hand touched the candlestick and oil lamp beside her.
The flames licked the paper, slowly rolling it up and devouring it.
The firelight illuminated Yu Wanyin's beautiful face, burning silently in her eyes.
The King of the North Chi observed her actions and said, "Apart from her identity, nothing else is a lie."
“Besides this identity, I have absolutely no need to send letters to others.” Yu Wanyin let go.
The letter, its flames growing stronger, landed on the table, sending up scattered sparks.
He lit the parchment and letters on the table, and flames climbed everywhere, quickly engulfing the entire table and swallowing all the letters.
A wave of heat swept through, and some scattered pieces of paper drifted out, igniting the fleece blanket.
The King of the North, seeing the rising fire, did not stop her.
He treated it like watching a child throwing a tantrum.
If burning it makes you feel better, then burn it; there's plenty of time in the future anyway.
He walked slowly towards her. "But what if this identity never replies to you again?"
Yu Wanyin looked at him through the slowly spreading fire and asked again, "Where are they?"
"Come with me, and you will know."
Yu Wanyin found it laughable, "This isn't something you said I wanted, is it?"
"I was coerced into entering your camp by you."
"Come with me, conquer those places you don't like, take over the land, and return to the Western Regions. What you want, where you want to go..."
“This is what you want,” Yu Wanyin interrupted him. “Your Majesty should not impose your own desires on me. Don’t assume that I want it too.”
"So that everything you do is perfectly reasonable and has a reason."
"You just happen to be prey that you also want to obtain during your conquest."
"So you kidnapped me as well, and disguised the deception as a benefit."
"You don't think I should be grateful that Lord Bei Chi offered me terms, do you?"
"But what difference is there between me and the territory you've trampled underfoot?"
"It's nothing more than your spoils of war."
"You earned your success through robbery and deception," Yu Wanyin asked him amidst the raging fire. "Otherwise, would you dare tell me where my family is?"
Someone outside noticed the fire inside the tent and rushed to the tent entrance to inquire, "Your Majesty."
The Northern Chi King let the flames spread freely beneath his feet and walked towards the person in the center of the fire. "I know you are dissatisfied."
Yu Wanyin looked at him and said, "Then you should get lost."
He suddenly laughed, "Yu Wanyin, I allow you to make a fuss, think whatever you want."
"But you should know that you are already in my hands."
He stopped in front of her with ease, "There is no one in my life who cannot be smoothed out."
"Over the years, I have always been able to get what I ask for."
Her reactions were exactly as he had anticipated.
So what if I'm angry?
Conquest and plunder will naturally breed resentment.
He believed that anger was a matter of course.
But no matter what, what she wanted had already been revealed in her writing.
All of this is what he can give her.
Anger will eventually subside; what matters is having it.
Just like the lands he conquered, so what if there was public resentment?
As time goes by, things will eventually calm down.
As long as he flattens and conquers.
There will be a future.
The fire spread along the carpet and climbed up the tent curtains next to it.
What came into view was a blazing inferno, with flames even reaching the hem of Yu Wanyin's plain-colored skirt.
But she seemed not to see it, remaining silent and motionless.
The King of the North stepped forward and said, "Come out with me first."
Yu Wanyin took a step back, and behind her were the burning tent beams, teetering on the verge of collapse.
She may know, or she may no longer care about the environment she is in.
She was somewhat detached and dazed, as if her soul had been shattered.
The King of the North stepped forward and was about to pick the man up in his arms.
Suddenly a sharp wind blew by, carrying with it the smell of scorching sparks.
He reacted quickly and dodged, but he was a step too slow, and the hairpin in Yu Wanyin's hand pierced his chest! Judging from the direction she originally aimed, it should have been his neck.
She wanted him dead.
The King of the North frowned, and Yu Wanyin's hairpin went in an inch deeper.
Even she could hear the sound of that force digging into flesh.
But her expression remained numb.
The attendants outside, disregarding the Northern Chi King's permission, rushed into the tent upon seeing the fire, shouting, "Your Majesty!"
Upon seeing Yu Wanyin's actions, he immediately drew his long sword, shouting, "Insolence!"
The King of the North spoke in a deep voice, "Step back."
Just as the attendants were hesitating about whether to step forward, a sudden shout of soldiers rushing into the camp rang out from outside!
The noise and commotion swept in along with the sound of exploding weapons.
Another soldier rushed in from outside, shouting, "Your Majesty, someone has broken in!"
The Northern Chi King had no choice but to pull Yu Wanyin away, tie her hands behind her back, and imprison her in front of him. "You can kill me, but only if you never want to know the whereabouts of your elder sister."
"And I never want to see them again."
“Yu Wanyin, I’m not in a hurry. I’ll wait for you to come and beg me.”
As he spoke, he pushed Yu Wanyin to a female guard standing nearby, saying, "Keep an eye on her."
The female guards immediately bound Yu Wanyin's hands and led her out of the tent.
No sooner had they stepped out of their tents than soldiers stormed in.
This was, after all, just a place to rest; the camps were scattered and the troops were insufficient.
Moreover, a large number of troops are still stationed in the camp today to deal with the sudden attack.
No one expected that troops would invade this area again.
Rong Si overturned the soldiers and officers who blocked his way, threw them onto the tents beside him, and destroyed the surrounding camps.
Clear the road and you can see the burning tents in the distance.
A properly maintained tent will not easily catch fire.
Of all the unusual circumstances, she is the most likely to be present.
Rong Si stared intently at his target and charged straight toward his trusted confidant, whose camp was ablaze.
The fire started spreading simultaneously inside and outside the camp, and the booming sounds of gunfire from the surrounding area brought by the Rongsi (military forces) broke out from time to time in the mountains.
Rocks rolled down the mountain one after another.
Upon seeing this, the female guards immediately led Yu Wanyin away from the back.
The remaining troops all went into battle to stop the Rong Si group who had suddenly broken in.
The female guards stuffed Yu Wanyin into the carriage, and while they were trying to stop them, they quickly rode out of the camp and headed towards the Northern Chi camp.
Meanwhile, high on the mountain, Chu Yu quietly watched the endless flames of war raging in the mountain stream.
They adopted a nonchalant and detached attitude.
He held a folding fan in his hand and fanned himself gently.
It seems his strategy is somewhat effective.
Order the Rongsi to first block their entry into the camp, and then set off some bluffing firepower outside the Beichi camp.
They just need to stay away from the camp for a short while.
There is a possibility that they could catch up with the person and abduct them.
Rong Si acted swiftly and decisively, and truly succeeded in his robbery.
In any case, he had already delivered the message to Rong Si, which could be considered as doing his utmost.
Chu Yu was just bored and came along to watch the fun.
What he enjoys most is watching two tigers fight, a scene that has nothing to do with him.
Chu Yu watched as Rong Si broke through layers of enemy lines and went deep into the camp. Then he quickly spotted the female guard who was leading the escape and spurred his horse to catch up. "It seems that Rong Si cares a lot about his wife."
The Northern Chi soldiers attempted to catch up but were successively killed by Su Fang and his men.
Occasionally, scattered soldiers would follow closely behind Rong Si to block his way.
He picked up his bow and arrow, aimed at the enemy forces ahead, and was about to let go when the enemy suddenly turned around and headed straight for the pursuing Northern Chi soldiers.
aggressive.
He deflected the swirling arrows with his longsword, severed the neck of a Northern Chi soldier with a single stroke, then picked up the longbow, spurred his horse, and aimed at the fleeing female guards ahead.
Rong Si pulled the bowstring to its lowest point and then suddenly released it.
The arrow flew from the bowstring and struck the rut of the carriage.
An arrow slipped through the rapidly rolling ruts and was instantly jammed.
The forced dragging made a "crack" sound between the wheels.
The carriage shook violently and could no longer move forward.
The female guard urged the horse twice more to no avail. Just as she was about to bring the person out, she turned around and faced Rong Si's long sword head-on!
Rong Si dealt with the female guards and climbed onto the other side of the carriage.
The curtain was drawn back, revealing Yu Wanyin with her hands bound, sitting blankly on the carpet in the car.
She didn't even know he was there.
Rong Si strode forward, "Yaoyao."
He wanted to wipe the ash from Yu Wanyin's face, but his hands were dirty too, and the more he wiped, the dirtier it got.
Rong Si quickly abandoned the idea of helping her clean up, and instead took her out of the carriage and put her on a horse.
Chu Yu watched the scene end and was about to leave when, by sheer coincidence, he caught a glimpse of the figure Rong Si was carrying out.
Chu Yu's steps, which were fixed on the scene, suddenly stopped. His pupils contracted slightly as he stared intently at the distant, somewhat blurry outline.
For a moment, the sound of bombing not far away made his heart tremble.
But Rong Si acted too quickly, leading his men to escape through the ravine.
Chu Yu's relaxed expression vanished. He snapped his folding fan shut with a "whoosh," turned around, and mounted his horse!
Without saying a word, I went down the mountain and followed them!
The heavy thud of hooves on the ground sounded like the beating of a heart.
Wu Zhou, who was standing to the side, hadn't yet realized what was going on when he saw Chu Yu urge his horse away and hurriedly followed.
Rong Si released a wisp of red smoke from his hand, which rose into the air.
Not far away, Su Fang, who was still in the camp, saw the wisp of red smoke and understood, so he led his men to retreat.
Rong Si led the person to a safe place in the countryside, far away from the Northern Chi camp. As they ran, he noticed that the person in his arms was unusually quiet.
Rong Si looked down at her, and sensing something was wrong, couldn't help but rein in his horse and stop.
Rong Si looked around to make sure it was safe, then took out a dagger and cut the ropes binding Yu Wanyin's hands.
The rope left a red mark on her delicate wrist, but she didn't even cry out in pain.
Rong Si frowned. "Yaoyao?"
Yu Wanyin did not respond.
Rong Si turned her around and looked at her, her eyes still lowered and her expressionless.
"Say something, don't scare me."
Rong Si had never seen Yu Wanyin like this before.
Even when she's angry or unhappy, she'll still vent her frustration on him.
The silence now made him uneasy.
Rong Si held her waist, lifted her up and placed her sideways on the horse's back, so he could see her expression clearly.
Yu Wanyin's cheeks were still covered in smudges.
There was only dust at first, but then he accidentally smeared blood on it.
Rong Si searched around and finally found a clean handkerchief, which he used to wipe the dirt off her face.
When I touched her eyelashes, I saw them tremble twice.
Then, as he was wiping, a drop of water suddenly fell onto the back of his hand.
Wet the handkerchief in his hand.
Then came the second drop, the third drop...
Crystal-clear tears shattered on the back of his hand, while new ones rolled down from her bright, expressive eyes.
Rong Si stopped wiping, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper, a sense of panic rising in his heart. "Don't cry."
"Yaoyao, don't cry."
Unexpectedly, the more he said that, the harder she cried.
Like beads from a broken string, they soaked her cheeks.
Rong Si became increasingly flustered, but he couldn't wipe away her tears no matter what he did.
It felt as if a giant hand was squeezing his heart, making it hard for him to breathe.
He spoke in a deep, menacing voice, "Did he bully you?"
"Let's go back. I'll send troops over, and we'll take down their camp!"
Rong Si was about to turn around.
Yu Wanyin grasped his wrist, her voice choked with sobs as she whispered, "I can't go back."
Rong Si could tell that what she meant by going back was not the same as what he meant by going back.
"Why can't we go back? We can go back."
"I'll take you back."
"Wherever you want to go back to, I can take you there."
Yu Wanyin was still somewhat lost in thought when she said, seemingly out of the blue, "I also broke the hairpin you gave me."
"I'll fix it if it's broken."
“It can’t be fixed.” Yu Wanyin began to sob as she spoke, her breath coming in disarray. She probably didn’t even know what she was saying. “I burned the wires, and the rest got stuck on him.”
"But he didn't die."
"If it can't be fixed, then forget about it," Rong Si said, wiping away the increasing tears on her cheeks haphazardly. "I'll buy you another one."
"Let's buy ten, eight, or a hundred."
"Once I bring him to you, you can poke him however you want, we'll turn him into a hornet's nest."
Rong Si couldn't stop her tears, so he simply pressed her against his chest with his large hand.
He let her wipe her tears on his clothes.
"Forget it, crying won't change anything."
"Just cry it out."
Yu Wanyin could no longer hold back. She leaned against his chest, clutching his clothes tightly, tears streaming down her face. "Rong Si..." A deep voice came from his chest, "I'm here."
"I feel like I have no home anymore."
She had imagined a thousand different scenarios for meeting her family.
I've imagined a thousand different scenarios of returning to Shanshan.
Or perhaps some dangerous mishap occurred on their way to meet.
For the rest of her life, she could no longer set foot in Shanshan and could only find solace in letters.
But I never thought of that.
It's all fake.
She had longed for freedom and reunion countless times, but it was a beautiful dream woven for her by those who wanted to deprive her of her freedom and prevent her from reuniting with her family.
In this world, those who yearn for peace find no peace.
A person who is rich and complacent will never be satisfied.
A power struggle among the greedy to reach the pinnacle.
The bodies of ordinary people must always be placed on high-rise buildings.
But all she wanted was to go home and find peace.
The person far away just wanted to wait for her to come home.
In the war-torn heart of the Central Plains, no one could return home.
Rong Si felt a pang in his heart as she cried.
He gripped the reins tightly.
Everything seemed to quiet down between heaven and earth.
The mountain wind rustled the ground, and the grass and trees whispered, but no one heard it.
Chu Yu's horse stopped in the dark depths of the dense forest in the mountains.
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