Nangong Zheng didn’t know how to begin, as she looked at Nangong Xin, after a moment, she only said that she hadn’t expected it either.
Nangong Xin was not a fool. Looking at Nangong Zheng, she tentatively asked, "Brother Zheng, do you now have other thoughts? You just arrived in Capital City today, and you met the Princess today; did you show up intentionally wanting to see her?"
Otherwise, she didn’t believe he couldn’t have hidden himself for three to five days before being discovered by Su Rong, or, that by the time Su Rong found him, he would have already left Nanchu and gone to Dawei. After all, nobody expected him to come back to Nanchu, and Su Rong wasn’t clairvoyant, so she certainly wouldn’t anticipate it either.
Nangong Zheng nodded, "Great-aunt, tell me about the situation in Nanchu after the main lineage of Nangong family withdrew from Nanchu."
Nangong Xin thought for a moment, "You need to share your thoughts first, and then I can decide whether to talk to you. Otherwise, I can’t betray her while living on Su Rong’s generosity."
Nangong Zheng nodded, "Great-aunt, is the Princess very good?"
"Yes, she is very good."
Nangong Zheng was silent for a moment and then spoke truthfully, "I think grandfather might have been wrong, joining hands with Dawei to seize power in Nanchu, was probably the worst thing he did."
Nangong Xin thought for a while, and responded earnestly, "Perhaps, from his perspective, it wasn’t a mistake. After all, the Nangong family was powerful, just one step away from the summit, who wouldn’t want to become the supreme ruler of a country, to take control of the rivers and mountains? Especially when the Princess was weak at that time, he had every chance to win."
"So, you think he wasn’t wrong? But why didn’t you choose to rise and fall with the Nangong family?" Nangong Zheng asked.
Nangong Xin said, "I advised him, but he didn’t listen, and at that time, I was fond of the King, willingly making my own choice for his rivers and mountains. After all, I was married into the Nanchu Royal Family, and as the saying goes, a daughter married off is like water spilled. Having been listed on the jade register of the Nanchu Royal Family, with the Nangong surname already crowned with that of Chu, even if the King didn’t favor me, I couldn’t bring myself to betray him, to stab him in the back."
Even though their relationship had never been smooth, and they now held mutual disdain, she had liked him since her youth, a fondness that spanned many years, and that affection still didn’t make her feel much regret. She simply never captured his heart, that’s all.
He was a man of deep feelings, his affection for Zhenmin undiminished over twenty years, seemingly wasting a lifetime on her. She wouldn’t mock him, on the contrary, it was simply her fate not to be cherished in his heart.
Nangong Zheng nodded, "So, great-aunt, I am different from you, I shouldn’t question grandfather, right?"
"Not necessarily," Nangong Xin shook her head, "Your elder brother has instructed you well, yet he himself was too arrogant. He thought by uniting the Nangong Family with Great Wei to crush Su Rong would be as easy as crushing an ant. He underestimated Su Rong, and he didn’t take seriously the years I tried to kill her. He really believed I was soft-hearted and reluctant to take Su Rong’s life, when in fact, the first time, I truly wanted her dead—it’s just that I failed to kill her that year when she was a mere seven years old. Afterwards, even though I left some leeway and did not put forth my full effort, there was always eighty percent attempt from the assassin. Had she been a weakling, she would have died at my hands long ago. But she wasn’t. My brother didn’t face this reality and didn’t take Su Rong seriously, only getting angry at me for hiding her identity, so he ended up foolishly being assassinated in his own residence by Xie Yuan. His death is one thing, but it’s another that you had to carry the entire Nangong Family, paying for his ambition and arrogance."
She looked at Nangong Zheng, "Zheng’er, you don’t have to worry about him; you’re not just his grandson, you are the descendant of the Nangong Family, the hope of the Nangong Clan. I’ve heard about the current state of Great Wei, how with its overwhelming advantages it failed to subdue Daliang, allowing Jibei’s General’s Mansion to be incited from within, with Zhang Ping’s two sons stabbing him in the back. This was Zhang Ping’s failure, but it also suffices to show Su Rong’s capabilities, Yuan Zhao’s failure. Invading Nanchu, Yuan Zhao led eight hundred thousand soldiers, siege cannons at six gates, with the entire Nangong Family forces in action, yet they still couldn’t flatten Nanchu or capture it. This is also Yuan Zhao’s incompetence. He may be talented, and perhaps his talents are not without merit, but they’re insufficient when compared to Su Rong. Great Wei, despite its obvious advantages, was turned from victory to defeat by a combined Daliang and Nanchu. How can you trust that he can recover within a decade, able to withstand a joint force from Daliang and Nanchu in ten years?"
Nangong Xin continued, "Ten years, is nothing but a time for Daliang and Nanchu to recuperate and strengthen their militaries, just a decade-long postponement of Great Wei’s fall. This is clear for all to see. The heir of Great Wei is inferior to the heirs of Nanchu and Daliang. Both nations have gathered countless talented and capable people, the Nanchu Princess does not hesitate to make full use of even the distant branches of the Nangong Family. Why worry that the wise and able won’t flock to the Nanchu Imperial Court? Daliang is the same. Crown Prince Yan Huisheng already has a reputation for benevolence, with many talented people under his command. And look at Great Wei—what does Crown Prince Yuan Zhao have now? Doesn’t he make you see no hope? Even a vast nation losing some cities is just like losing a piece of a sleeve, not even half an arm. But to have lost the hearts of the people, the subjects’ trust and esteem, to have court officials who only tremble and cannot stand tall and unafraid when facing Daliang and Nanchu... You struggle for the future, not knowing that behind you, countless court officials are likely uncertain about it too."
Nangong Zheng pursed his lips, "Great-aunt sees things very clearly."
"You see them clearly too; otherwise, you wouldn’t have quietly, without the Crown Prince of Great Wei’s knowledge, returned to Nanchu in such a short time to see the Princess. Between hatred and the future of the Nangong Family Clan, you struggle and make choices." Nangong Xin looked at him, "Zheng’er, each person must take responsibility for their choices. Your grandfather’s choices and his outcome are not yours, and you shouldn’t carry them. It’s wrong for you to bear the death of one man; you are the descendant of the Nangong Family, the pillar of the Nangong Family. That is what you ought to carry."
She sighed, "The Princess has a broad mind; otherwise, any other person would decree the execution of nine familial generations for treason. Even if you wish to turn back, the Nangong Family has no path of return."
She added, "I also once thought of death, but then I realized, dying would be truly worthless. At least alive, I can care for the Nangong Family’s Ancestral Tomb, ensure that on holidays there is someone to offer incense, to burn something valuable. In the past, the ancestors of the Nangong Family, along with the Grand Ancestors of Southern Chu, established Nanchu, vowing eternal servitude, letting the family prosper for generations. It was your grandfather who harbored ambition in this generation. Otherwise, with the Nangong Family’s wealth and honor, why end up like this? Forced to flee to Nanchu, among the prominent families in Great Wei, you must find it difficult to establish the Nangong Family, right? Many things, despite your intelligence and talent, are not as they once were? Perhaps they are not living as well as I am now."
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