Chapter 129 The Scholar Who Favored His Concubine Over His Wife (Part 21) Pursuing Pure Love...
Historical records only mention a few words about Emperor Wenyuan, the founding emperor of the Great Wei Dynasty, personally leading the expedition.
"In the ninth year of the Wenyuan era, the emperor arrived at Qizhou and personally supervised the battle, which moved the soldiers to tears. However, fate was not on his side. The emperor was hit by two arrows, broke through the encirclement and fled. He hid in a farmer's house at night, and escaped back to the capital in an oxcart. The entire army fled."
Emperor Wenyuan, who rushed back to the capital, was sometimes lucid and sometimes delirious. In his half-dreaming state, he seemed to return to the battlefield of the Battle of Qizhou, seeing the soldiers of Great Wei falling under the enemy's fire, hearing the neighing of warhorses and the shouts all around him. He wanted to rush forward to command the battle, but found that he could not move at all, and could only watch helplessly as the Great Wei's battle flag fell to the ground and was slowly crushed by the wheels of a cart.
He lost.
After the battle, Song Ce stood on the city wall, gazing silently in the direction the Wei army had departed. Liu Wanyao gently walked to his side, took his hand, and whispered, "Husband, it's all over now."
Upon hearing this, Song Ce turned to his wife and said with a wry smile, "My wife, it is indeed over. But although we won the battle, countless people died or were wounded. Lately, I have often thought about whether there is a safer way to allow the people to live a good life without the bloodshed of war?"
Liu Wanyao leaned on Song Ce's shoulder and comforted him, "Husband, no matter what, Qizhou and Wei will eventually have a war. Now that Qizhou has been saved, our lives in the city will get better and better in the future."
"I hope so."
After this battle, Qizhou City became famous, and people from surrounding counties flocked to it with their families. In addition to repairing the city walls, Wang Su was also busy settling the refugees and helping them to settle down in Qizhou. As for the Great Wei Dynasty, this great defeat severely weakened it, and Emperor Wenyuan fell ill and never recovered.
The ministers watched as Emperor Wenyuan, seated on the dragon throne, covered his mouth with a handkerchief and coughed softly from time to time, and dared not utter a word in fear.
"The Qizhou Guard... the city's garrison is well-trained. With the current military strength of our Great Wei, I fear... I fear we cannot defeat them. If... any of you, my beloved minister, can completely recapture Qizhou, I... hereby swear that I will grant you the title of a king of a different surname, and you will enjoy... ten generations of glory."
At this point, Emperor Wenyuan turned his gaze to the eldest prince Xiao Yunqi, the third prince Xiao Yunshan, and the fourth prince Xiao Yunzhan at the front, coughed heavily twice, and then said: "Eldest, third, and fourth princes, if any of you three can capture the rebel Song Ce and the traitor Wang Sushou alive, the position of crown prince will be yours."
Upon hearing this, the three of them suddenly looked up, especially Xiao Yunqi, who looked incredulous.
The reason is simple: if Emperor Wenyuan doesn't appoint a crown prince, the throne will naturally be his after his father's death. But now, Emperor Wenyuan has made such a statement, clearly intending to make his third and fourth sons compete with him!
Xiao Yunqi wanted to step forward and say something, but was stopped in his tracks by a look from Prime Minister Zhou.
"Yes, Your Majesty, we will obey your decree." The three replied in unison.
After the court session ended, Su Tianshi sighed as he walked out of the palace.
"Doctor Su, please wait!" The Fourth Prince, Xiao Yunzhan, strode out of the hall and called out to Su Tianshi.
"Greetings, Fourth Prince." Su Tianshi took half a step back and bowed.
"Why must we be like this?" Xiao Yunzhan helped him up and said familiarly, "I saw you chatting and laughing with a distinguished young man in white at the gathering in the West Garden. I wonder if the occasion would be so kind as to introduce you to him today?"
"Does Your Highness mean Young Master Lin?" Su Tianshi asked.
"I don't know his identity, but I feel that he must be very talented to shine so brightly at the West Garden Gathering and attract so many scholars to bow down to him. In the future, he may be able to serve my Great Wei Dynasty," Xiao Yunzhan said cheerfully.
Su Tianshi bowed again, a troubled look on his face: "Your Highness, that Young Master Lin is by nature carefree and dislikes getting involved in court affairs. A few days ago, he happened to hear that my ancestral home was Qinghe, so he came up to talk to me for a few minutes."
"Oh? Why is that?" Xiao Yunzhan asked.
“This young master Lin is from Qinghe. He was separated from his younger sister many years ago and searched all over Qinghe without success. Hearing that I had just returned from Qizhou City a few days ago, he came to inquire about his sister’s whereabouts,” Su Tianshi said.
"So that's how it is." Xiao Yunzhan paused, about to say something, but was interrupted.
"Fourth Brother, Doctor Su, what are you two talking about? You seem to be getting along very well?" Xiao Yunqi asked loudly as he approached with two palace servants.
"Greetings, Your Highness." "Greetings, Elder Brother." The two bowed in unison.
"Get up quickly, no need for formalities." Xiao Yunqi's eyes held a hint of coldness as he feigned calmness and said, "Is it some unknown secret?"
"That's not the case, eldest brother, don't overthink it."
Seeing the subtle exchange between the two brothers, Su Tianshi hesitated for a moment before finally speaking the truth: "His Highness the Fourth Prince is eager to find talented people and would like me to introduce him to a commoner scholar."
Upon hearing the word "commoner," Xiao Yunqi couldn't help but shudder. If he remembered correctly, the ruthless and decisive fiend of Qizhou City was a commoner.
"Oh? What's so special about this person that Fourth Brother values him so highly?" Xiao Yunqi narrowed his eyes and asked casually.
Xiao Yunzhan smiled and met Xiao Yunqi's scrutinizing gaze, then smiled nonchalantly: "I only happened to see this person at the gathering in the West Garden, which is why I became somewhat interested. If you are also interested in this person, why don't we brothers go and meet this Young Master Lin together?"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yunqi lightly tapped his palm with his folding fan, producing a rhythmic "tap-tap" sound.
"Fourth brother, although we are not born of the same mother, we are still princes of the Great Wei. To lower yourself to meet a mere commoner like this would only make you a laughingstock to the whole world. What would become of the dignity of the Great Wei royal family? Moreover, this young master Lin's background is unknown. What if he has ulterior motives and takes this opportunity to scheme against you? Wouldn't that be a case of losing more than you gain? Father is seriously ill now. Instead of wasting your energy on such a trivial person, you should think more about how to reclaim Qizhou." After saying this, Xiao Yunqi turned and left with his palace servants.
"Fourth Prince, what do you think?" Su Tianshi asked, bowing as beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
"Very well, I have other important matters to attend to. You may leave now!" Xiao Yunzhan sneered, then turned and left.
Meanwhile, in the capital city, inside the Dongli Inn.
Lin Xitang held a thin letter in her hand, frowned as she looked at the honest-looking merchant in front of her, and slowly asked, "You mean, a month ago, someone in Qizhou City asked you to deliver this letter to room number three in the Dongli Tianzi building?"
"Yes, Young Master Lin," the merchant replied.
“But I only checked into this place five days ago. Are you sure you didn’t send it to the wrong person?” Lin Xitang asked.
"This... are you Young Master Lin Xitang?" the merchant asked hesitantly.
"It's me."
"That's right." The merchant breathed a sigh of relief and said with a simple smile, "Then I haven't delivered it to the wrong person. This letter is for you."
Lin Xitang: "..."
After seeing off the traveling merchant, Lin Xitang didn't even eat lunch and went straight back to her room.
After reading the thin letter, he suddenly stood up, hastily packed his bags, and headed out of the inn.
"Hey! Young Master Lin, where are you headed?" the waiter asked with a smile.
Lin Xitang shook her head, placed a silver ingot on the counter, and quickly left the Dongli Inn.
...
Qizhou City has just defeated the Great Wei army, and the whole city is celebrating. At this moment, in a grand mansion on Jiqing Street in Qizhou City, red silk is hung high and joyous music is playing, creating a lively scene.
"Hey, have you heard? The young man getting married today is quite remarkable!" a middle-aged man on the outermost layer said mysteriously.
"Stop keeping us in suspense! Tell us, what's his background?" A peddler carrying a load from nearby approached and asked.
"I heard that this young master was originally a beggar. He was favored by Mr. Song and has been working for him ever since! Now, he even takes Mr. Song's surname. When we see him in Qizhou City, everyone respectfully calls him Young Master Song!" the middle-aged man said in a low voice.
"It's true that everyone has their own destiny. It's truly enviable that a beggar can have such abilities!" the peddler exclaimed.
"Who says otherwise? Do you know whose daughter this young master Song is marrying today?" The middle-aged man once again kept everyone in suspense.
The people around him flattered him and urged him to tell them quickly.
"I heard that Young Master Song's wife was originally a maidservant bought by Mr. Song to serve his wife. Later, she studied hard and became a teacher at the Qizhou County Free School! When Mrs. Song saw this, she simply released her from her contract, restored her original surname, and gave her a respectable status! So, over time, Young Master Song and Mr. Chen took a liking to each other..." the middle-aged man said smugly.
"Sir, were your ancestors storytellers? This story is truly excellent!" The peddler took the opportunity to call out to the surrounding people and sold a few items. When he had a little free time, he couldn't help but tease them.
"You rascal, you really know how to shut people up!" The middle-aged man flicked his sleeve and simply ignored him.
"Oh, sir, please forgive me, sir, please forgive me!" The peddler took out a pair of red ribbons from his load. "These ribbons are my apology to you, sir. On this joyous occasion of young Master Song's wedding, may your daughter also share in the happiness!"
"Oh well, never mind..."
At this moment, Chen Shuang, sitting upright on the wedding bed, quietly lifted a corner of her veil and looked around the bridal chamber.
Song Shan clearly cared about her, and the room was furnished according to her preferences. The thought of that tall, handsome man soon becoming her husband filled Chen Shuang with joy.
Just before her wedding, the lady of the house called her to her room and gave her a whole box of heavy dowry. She reached out and stroked the exquisite dark patterns on the wooden box, her eyes welling up with tears.
How could she ever repay the great kindness of the lady and the gentleman?
As the wedding candles flickered, Chen Shuang gently lowered her veil, her heart filled with anticipation for their future life together.
She didn't know when, but the joyful music outside gradually subsided. Chen Shuang sat upright for a long time, until her consciousness began to blur. Soon, she leaned against the bedpost and slowly fell asleep.
"Good Shuang'er, I will treat you well in the future."
A faint male voice drifted from afar, and Shuang'er was startled to find that the person holding her hand was none other than Mr. Song Ce.
“Come, drink this nuptial wine with me, and we will be husband and wife for a long time to come,” Mr. Song said gently.
A long-lasting marriage? Mr. Song and his wife are a loving and devoted couple. What kind of marriage are she with Mr. Song? Besides, ever since Mr. Song bought her, his wife has never mistreated her, always treating her like a younger sister. His wife treats her so well; how could she possibly do anything to betray her?
No, don't!
Chen Shuang was startled, gripped the quilt tightly with both hands, and suddenly opened her eyes.
"My lady, are you tired today?" Song Shan asked gently, his large hand pressed firmly against the bedpost to prevent Chen Shuang from bumping her forehead.
"I... I'm fine, it was just a dream."
Thankfully, it was just a dream.
It was just a dream.
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Author's Note: Xiaoshan's initial age was 12 and Shuang'er's was 14. Over the past four years, Xiaoshan has become 16 and Shuang'er 18. [Lop-eared rabbit head]
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