Amidst laughter and merriment, the people of General Mountain welcomed the first snowfall of winter, marking the beginning of their first cold winter since the great flood.
This day was full of ups and downs. Xie Xiao experienced all the bitterness, sweetness, and spiciness in one day. After returning to Black Wind Village, he went to his mother's residence.
Ms. Su was putting her two children to sleep. Next door, separated by a wooden wall, lived her eldest son and daughter-in-law. She usually put the children to sleep.
"You've finally come?" Su said. He hadn't visited her since their last conversation. "I heard you're planning a rebellion?"
Although she was at the back of the village, it didn't mean she knew nothing.
Su's bluntness startled Xie Xiao, who gave a self-deprecating laugh, "I was originally a bandit, what's the difference between me and a rebel?"
Su gave him a calm, indifferent look. "Come with me."
She walked to the wooden table by the window, where there was a memorial tablet for Xie Xiao's father, Xie Geng.
"Kneel down."
Xie Xiao did not refuse. He knelt down readily, kowtowed three times, then stood up and lit an incense stick for his father.
Madam Su sighed, "Your father joined the army at the age of twenty and followed General Li, remaining loyal to the Emperor and protecting our Great Yin Dynasty for his entire life. Yet you rebelled with General Li's daughter. How can you face them? Furthermore, you have branded our Xie family as rebels. What will happen to your elder brother in the future?"
"The Emperor will send troops to wipe you out sooner or later. How will you protect your brothers then? You had a great opportunity to surrender to the Emperor, but you chose the opposite path, killing the prefect and capturing the county princess. How can you turn back now?"
Xie Xiao sneered, "I have no intention of turning back."
Su opened her eyes slightly.
"Mother, after the natural disaster, did you see the Emperor send anyone? Did those princes and officials come? Aren't they all just looking out for themselves? Why are you still so concerned about the Great Yin Dynasty?"
Xie Xiao said very seriously, "It was my father who told me that the survival of a country depends on the survival of its people. If the country ceases to exist, the people will also cease to exist. I am willing to use my meager strength to protect my brothers and family, save the people from suffering, and restore peace and prosperity to the Great Yin Dynasty. She and I share the same idea."
Madam Su's expression changed drastically. "You—she has the same idea? Your mother reminded you last time that although that woman is General Li's daughter, she gave General Li's merits to the Song family in order to marry Song Zhijing. Now, aren't you afraid that she's encouraging you to rebel for wealth and glory?"
Xie Xiao laughed and said, "How could she have instigated it? If anyone was instigating it, it was my son who won her over. Besides, the old Li Ruo is dead; the current one is the real Li Ruo."
This is the Li Ruo he knows.
"Moreover, General Li did not object." That's why the miracle happened, and he even gave her so many overseas gifts.
"No objection? The person is gone, how would you know?"
Xie Xiaodao was too lazy to answer, and bowed three times before his father's memorial tablet. "Father, your son is engaged. I hope you can know this in the afterlife and bless us. If you see General Li, tell him that I want to marry his daughter and spend my life with her through thick and thin, never to be separated from her."
Mrs. Su was shocked again, "What? You're engaged?"
"Yes, son knows he can't get your blessing, but I hope you won't object."
Madam Su's face stiffened, and before she could speak, Xie Heng suddenly came out from next door. "Well, from agreeing to the exorbitant dowry to the engagement, you haven't asked your mother a single question. Do you even care about your mother?"
Xie Xiao smiled, but there was no smile in his eyes. "If there wasn't, I wouldn't have left you here."
After saying that, he walked out, but turned back at the door and said, "Brother, the world has changed."
Xie Heng exclaimed, somewhat agitated, "What has changed? Don't make excuses for your disregard for human ethics."
Unfortunately, Xie Xiao had already gone far away.
Xie Heng pointed at his retreating figure, his fingers trembling. "Mother, look! He's really gone too far! Saving the people, bringing peace and prosperity to the Great Yin Dynasty—he's just a bandit! Does he have that kind of ability?"
Xie Heng admitted that he was jealous. He had read so many books, so why was he inferior to a bandit?
He can't even recognize all the characters.
On Ziyang Peak, Li Ruo was counting the treasures he had collected from Beishan. As expected, fortune favors the bold, with three large boxes full.
However, she had one question.
Are these things really from the Prince of Jiangning?
The gold and silver treasures held by the Prince of Jiangning at Huaqing Temple on Qinghua Mountain were less valuable than grain during the natural disaster, so there was no need to move them from Huaqing Temple to Beishan.
If it's not his, then whose is it?
Moreover, since he was on Qinghua Mountain and wasn't originally from Yuzhou, why was he so familiar with the terrain of Beishan and managed to slip away through the treacherous mountain path in the blink of an eye?
That's interesting.
Li Ruo didn't exchange the three boxes for points for the time being, but instead examined them carefully.
Many of the women's headdresses were still covered in mud, and several precious jade pendants were even engraved with surnames or given names.
Li Ruo took several hairpins and jade pendants and went to discuss them with Liao Fusheng.
Liao Fusheng wasn't in his room. Old Mrs. Li said he was up in the tower and seemed to be in a bad mood.
When Li Ruo asked why, Old Lady Li said, "It's probably because when you were released from Beishan, Xie Xiao and I scolded him a few times. Ah, I was just anxious, so my tone was a bit harsh."
Grandma Li felt very guilty.
“It was my insistence that I go, so please don’t blame him,” Li Ruo said before walking up.
Liao Fusheng was sitting by the railing, facing the water outside. The wind made his face look a little pale, giving him a pitiful appearance.
Li Ruo chuckled.
He suddenly turned around, paused for a moment, and said, "It's cold. Why didn't you rest? Why did you come up here?"
"Then why don't you rest? Aren't you tired after working all day?" His bewildered look made Li Ruo want to pat him on the head.
The tower was already quite narrow, and Li Ruo felt there wasn't enough room when she went up.
"Hey, move over a bit, I want to sit down too."
Liao Fusheng quickly moved to the side, almost touching the wall, his face regaining some color, turning slightly red.
Don't take Grandma's words to heart; she's just worried and confused.
“I don’t blame her, I blame myself for not stopping you.”
Li Ruo laughed and said, "It's my fault for not listening to you, how can I blame you? Besides, you told me to bring more people, but I only brought Chen He, so I should blame myself."
"No, it's my fault. I was careless. I didn't expect you to meet the Prince of Jiangning." He thought she was a fairy and wouldn't get hurt. He was wrong.
Li Ruo was speechless for a moment. "Who can predict unexpected events? And it's not necessarily a bad thing. He was hit by my unique hidden weapon. If it's not treated properly, the wound might get infected and he might die. Besides, I also robbed him of his food and treasure. He'll be furious."
As she spoke, she took out the jade pendants.
"Let me show you, these are the words on it."
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