Chapter 1002: The End of a Journey
Three years later.
Early spring.
Dahan, Le'an Prefecture.
"Husband! Hurry up!"
A carriage stopped outside the yard, and Cui'er turned around and called out in a clear voice.
Soon, He Jing came out of the yard with a smile on his face, carrying a small bag in his hand.
Three years ago, not long after Wei Changtian left, the two got married.
No matter how much the He family opposed, He Jing still went against the crowd and married Cui'er as his wife.
After that, he passed the imperial examination and became a Jinshi, and was "exceptional" enough to return to his hometown, Le'an Prefecture, to serve as an official.
During his three years as an official, He Jing worked diligently and wholeheartedly for the people, and was deeply loved by the people.
In addition, Su Qi knew that he seemed to have some relationship with Wei Changtian, so he once again promoted him to the position of Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue at the beginning of this spring, and chose a day to go to Beijing to take up the post.
In just three years, He Jing went from being an ordinary juren to a third-rank official in Beijing. His official career could be described as smooth sailing, unprecedentedly.
He also knew the reason for all this, so he was not in a hurry to go to Beijing to take up his post, but instead planned to go to Shuzhou with Cui'er before that.
First, he had been busy with work for three years after their marriage and had little time to accompany Cui'er to travel and enjoy the scenery, so this time he made up for it.
The second is that he wanted to visit Wei Changtian and express his gratitude in person.
"Have all the presents been packed?"
Helping Cui'er onto the carriage, He Jing asked in a low voice, "And the letter that His Majesty asked me to deliver to Young Master Wei, did you remember it?"
"Don't worry, everything is ready."
Cui Er covered her mouth and smiled: "I'm not such a careless person."
"That's good, that's good."
He Jing gently took Cui'er's hand and said, "Cui'er, you have worked hard for the past three years. This time, let's travel along the way and take a good look at the beautiful scenery in the world."
"Well, it's all up to you, sir."
Cui Er smiled happily, and then she sighed in anticipation: "Husband, how come time flies so fast? It's already been three years."
"Sometimes when I'm idle and think about it, I always feel as if Master Wei left just yesterday."
"I don't know how Master Wei is doing now. I can't get much information from Le'an."
"By the way, I heard that there are newspapers in the capital as well?"
"After we move to the capital, I will definitely buy it every day to see if there is anything related to Master Wei."
“.”
The carriage moved slowly, carrying He Jing and Cui'er out of Le'an City and heading east.
After a period of turmoil three years ago, the Han regime is now very stable, the people are able to live and work in peace, and everything has returned to the prosperity of the Daqian period.
Although many people still do not recognize the "legitimacy" of the Han Dynasty, and some even still consider themselves to be Daqian people.
But at least, with an emperor like Su Qi who "puts the people first", people really can't find too many reasons to restore the old dynasty.
That’s right, Su Qi continued his style when he was the prefect of Linchuan Prefecture, and he should be the emperor who cares most about his subjects in the world today.
And this is actually the most important reason why Wei Changtian chose Su Qi.
It's just that he never told anyone else.
A month later, He Jing and Cui'er walked and played all the way, left Dahan, passed Dachu, and entered the territory of Xinfeng, a border town called "Chengjian".
Maybe it was because he had seldom traveled continuously like this before, but He Jing caught a cold on the day he entered the city.
After asking the innkeeper, Cui'er learned that the best clinic in the city was called "Jishidiang", so she immediately took a car to get medicine for He Jing.
The scene of people coming and going outside Jishiditang also showed that what the innkeeper said was correct. This clinic seemed to be quite trusted by the people in Chengjian City.
"Madam, there are too many people here. Why don't you wait in the car for a while? I will go get the medicine for you."
After parking the carriage, the coachman saw that there were so many people inside and outside Jishidiang, and he couldn't help but worry that Cui'er, a woman, might be bumped into.
Cui'er also had similar concerns, so she nodded and watched the coachman quickly walk into the clinic.
"One qian of ginseng, two qian of gastrodia elata, and five pieces of hawthorn."
"Take it. Remember to take it twice a day. Come back for more medicine in five days."
"Thank you, Miss Li! This is the twenty cents I owe you for getting medicine for my mother last time. I brought it to you this time."
"It's okay. If you don't have enough money, you can buy it on credit for a few more days. It's not a big deal."
"How can that be possible! I can never owe money to anyone but Miss Li! I will be struck by lightning!"
"Okay, I'll take ten cents, and you can take the remaining ten cents back to buy more wheat seeds this year."
“.”
"Oh, Miss Li is so kind-hearted! She looks like a fairy! It is a blessing for us Cheng Jiancheng to be able to practice medicine in Jishiditang!"
"Who says it's not true? I just don't know why Miss Li doesn't want to get married. So many people came to propose marriage to her before, but I heard that she rejected them all."
"Maybe Miss Li already has someone she likes."
"But I haven't seen Miss Li get close to any man."
"Okay, okay, stop talking, it's your turn."
Whispers echoed in the front hall. Although there were several people seeing patients at the moment, the line in front of Li Wutong was the longest.
The driver had just arrived, so he naturally thought that this beautiful woman had the best medical skills, so he lined up at the end of the line and waited for a full quarter of an hour before it was his turn.
"Miss, my master has caught a cold and I want to get some medicine to cure it."
It was the first time the driver saw a woman treating patients, and he didn’t know how to address Li Wutong. He had just heard that she was not married, so he simply called her “girl”.
Li Wutong didn't care. After carefully asking about the symptoms, he shouted to the pharmacy behind him: "Two cents of ephedra! Four cents of cinnamon twig! One cent each of fangfeng, angelica dahurica, and chuanwu."
Soon, the packed medicine package was passed from the pharmacy to the front hall. Li Wutong handed it to the driver and said softly:
"Give your master a slow boil and take it twice a day. He should be cured within three days."
"Thank you, girl."
The driver hurriedly took the medicine package and asked, "How much is this medicine?"
"Thirty cents."
"Okay? Thirty cents?"
The driver's hand that was about to take out the money paused, and his expression suddenly became a little strange.
He had often done the chores of getting medicine before, so he had a general understanding of the prices of various common medicinal materials.
So, this is too cheap, isn't it? "Miss, why are you only charging thirty cents? I'm afraid this medicine is not old medicine?"
The driver frowned and said, "Miss, my master is not short of money, you just need to prescribe the most expensive new medicine, no need."
"What are you talking about!"
A dissatisfied voice came from behind him. Before Li Wutong could explain, someone angrily said:
"Humph! You and your master are not from Chengjian Mansion!"
"Everyone in the Chengjian Mansion knows that Jishiditang never uses old medicine! Everyone knows that Miss Li has a kind heart!"
"I think you're asking for a beating!"
"Hurry up and apologize to Miss Li!"
"Yes! Hurry up and apologize to Miss Li! Otherwise we won't forgive you!"
“.”
In an instant, a group of people gathered around and demanded that the driver apologize in an excited manner.
The latter had never seen such a scene before, and had no idea that this female doctor was so loved in Chengjian City. He could not help but be stunned on the spot.
Fortunately, Li Wutong quickly stepped forward to rescue him, thus preventing the situation from further deteriorating.
Just as the disturbance in Jishitang was gradually calming down, Cui'er outside the house suddenly ran down the carriage and caught up with a woman in a pink dress, shouting breathlessly: "This, this girl! Wait a minute!"
“.”
She stopped and looked back, and when she saw Cui'er, there was a hint of surprise in the eyes of the woman in the pink dress.
To be honest, anyone would be surprised at this moment.
After all, the two look so similar.
“This girl.”
After adjusting her breathing gently, Cui'er moved a little closer.
She was just waiting in the car and got bored, so she lifted the curtain to look at the people walking on the street.
Unexpectedly, I saw a woman who looked very similar to me.
Suddenly remembering what happened three years ago, Cui'er immediately got out of the car and chased after him.
But now that she had really caught up with the girl in the pink skirt, she didn't know what to say for a moment, so she just gritted her teeth and asked directly:
"Excuse me, young lady. Is your last name You?"
“.”
Her eyes suddenly widened, and the expression of the woman in the pink dress immediately became extremely alert. After looking at Cui'er deeply, she turned around and walked into an alley.
Cui'er was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly chased after him.
But when she stood at the entrance of the alley, there was no one in the alley.
Standing there in a daze, Cui'er didn't know why the woman disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Obviously, judging by the latter's reaction, her last name should indeed be You.
As to whether it was the Miss You that Wei Changtian was looking for, Cui'er had no idea, and she didn't understand why she ran away.
Anyway, the person is indeed gone now.
After standing there for a while, Cui'er shook her head, turned around and prepared to leave.
But before leaving, she shouted loudly into the empty alley -
"Miss You! Master Wei has been looking for you!"
“.”
Three days later, He Jing recovered from his cold, and he and Cui'er left Chengjian City.
Cui'er naturally told He Jing about the matter of the woman in the pink skirt.
He Jing was not sure whether the former was the "Miss You", so he asked Cui'er if she had noticed any other details.
Cui'er recalled for a long time before finally remembering that the woman seemed to be wearing a peach blossom hairpin in her hair.
He Jing didn't say anything else, but just kept the matter in mind, planning to tell Wei Changtian after arriving in Shuzhou.
In this way, the two men traveled eastward for more than half a month, and finally left Xinfeng in early March, crossed the Mang River and a desert, and entered the Yuanzhou territory of Daning.
The "Yuanzhou City Massacre" five years ago was so tragic that both of them had heard about it a long time ago.
Now, five years have passed, and Yuanzhou City is still in ruins. Only on weekdays, people from Daning occasionally come here to mourn their relatives and friends who died in the tragedy.
However, Pingjiang County, which is not far from Yuanzhou City, has become increasingly lively and has become the closest border town to Xinfeng in the western border of Daning.
"Sir, I originally thought that Pingjiang was so close to Yuanzhou City that the people would not dare to stay here."
Walking side by side with He Jing on the long street, Cui Er said with a smile: "I didn't expect it to be so lively."
"Haha, I think it's because after Yuanzhou City was destroyed, this city became the stopover for caravans traveling between Daning and Xinfeng."
He Jing, who had passed the imperial examination and served as an official, immediately pointed out the key point: "Since ancient times, wherever there are more merchants, there will be prosperity. Now that the trade between the five countries is close, it is not surprising that Pingjiang can be so prosperous."
"Ah, I see."
Cui'er nodded as if she suddenly understood, and looked at He Jing with even more admiration.
But at this moment, the latter suddenly stopped, as if listening to something carefully.
"Husband, what's wrong?"
Cui'er looked towards the roadside in confusion, only to find a small school not far away.
The wooden plaque engraved with the words "Zhizhi" glowed with a faint golden light in the sun. The wooden window was open, and the faint sound of children reading could be heard drifting out from it.
"It was written by Master Wei, Moonlit Night on the Spring River."
Shaking his sleeves, He Jing said softly, "I guess the teacher is teaching poetry rules."
"Wow, Master Wei is really amazing. His poems are even taught in elementary schools like this."
Cui'er was not a literati, so of course she didn't know Wei Changtian's current status in the world of poetry. Therefore, she was very surprised to hear He Jing say this.
On the other side, He Jing didn't explain anything, just smiled, and then he and Cui'er walked through the school gate and continued to appreciate the customs and culture of Pingjiang City.
Soon, the two of them walked away slowly.
At the same time, in the elementary school named Zhizhi, a little boy of about eight or nine years old was whispering to his companions in admiration: "Hey, this Wei Changtian is really amazing. I think his poem is the best among the poems we recited!"
"My mother said that Wei Changtian is not only good at writing poetry, but also very good at fighting!"
"I heard that even the emperor would listen to him!"
"Really? Then he must be very smart!"
"You don't need to tell me that. I just don't know who is smarter, him or the gentleman."
"I think it is sir."
"I think Sir may not be as good as him."
“.”
Mixed in with the whispers and the sounds of reciting, a breeze blew through the window, ruffling the hair of the children in the hall.
The "gentleman" was sitting in front of a screen, holding an ancient book in his hands, with a gentle and calm expression.
Since the children would compare this person with Wei Changtian, it means that in the children's minds this person is extremely talented.
This is indeed the case.
This Zhizhi Academy has only been open for three years and is very small, but the children who are sent there learn much better than those in other academies.
Sometimes, even when children encounter some troubles at home, he can make them suddenly enlightened with just a few words. As long as they do what he says, any problem can be solved.
As a result, this young man, who was probably only in his thirties, was noticed by many wealthy and prominent families.
Some people wanted to invite him to their home to be a private tutor for their children.
Someone wanted to ask him to be a counselor.
There were also people who wanted to do business with him, without him having to contribute a penny of capital.
There is no doubt that no matter which of the above, the money earned and the fame gained will definitely be much more than opening a school here.
But he refused all of them and spent three years teaching and educating students in this primary school.
Oh, and he also married a very ordinary woman.
She is a girl from an ordinary family in the city.
His appearance was not outstanding, his figure was not slim, and he did not have the knowledge to match his appearance.
But he is kind, down-to-earth and hardworking.
More importantly, the girl treated him very well.
"My husband, have you left the palace?"
The door curtain was gently opened, and a woman in cloth poked her head in and whispered, "It's midnight, time for lunch."
"Hello, Master's Wife!"
"Master's Wife!"
"Meet Master's Wife!"
Before the master could open his mouth, the children in the hall started to make a noise, and it was obvious that they liked this mistress very much.
The teacher smiled and waved his hand, and the children immediately dropped their books and ran out of the school like the wind.
"Oh! It's time to leave class!"
"Go home for dinner!"
“.”
Like a group of ponies that had broken free from their reins, soon only a man and a woman were left in the hall.
"Husband, eat it while it's hot."
"You've been coughing badly these past few days, so I made some pear porridge."
While talking, he took out a small earthenware jar and a few side dishes from the food box.
The aroma of food lingers in the air, and the warm midday sun is pleasant.
"good."
The gentleman smiled, served a bowl of porridge and placed it in front of the woman, then served himself another bowl.
The two of them sat opposite each other, chatting about family matters while drinking porridge and eating vegetables. The breeze turned the pages of the book, and a peddler was hawking his wares on the street outside the window. The sounds from far and near were filled with the daily life of the world.
If one were to describe this scene of "loving couple", the man would undoubtedly be able to name many allusions and idioms in one breath.
Since the woman has never been to school, she probably can't tell the answer.
But she knew that she had already set her sights on the man in front of her, so she was willing to be nice to him.
Even though the man never told her where he came from and what earth-shaking things he had done In March, warblers are flying and grass is growing, and the early rice has sprouted green and tender tips.
The carriage was moving at a moderate speed on the smooth official road, with lush green rice fields on both sides.
The irrigation canal brought water from the distant river to the fields. Strange steel "huts" were emitting steam and rumbling sounds, bringing the water from the irrigation canal into the rice fields, which amazed Cui'er who was sitting in the car.
Two months after leaving the Han Dynasty, she and He Jing finally arrived at their destination, Shuzhou of Dashu.
Once you enter Sichuan, the scenery you see along the way is very different from that of other places. The most novel of them are the "iron houses" that can draw water from the irrigation canals.
"My husband, what are these?"
Lying by the car window, Cui Er asked blankly, "Why have you never seen it anywhere else?"
"It should be called a steam engine."
He Jing probably had heard of the steam engine before, so he could say its name now.
But after all, he had never seen the real thing, so he didn't know what it was used for.
"I think it's like a windmill, used to pump water for irrigation."
Steam Engine
Cui Er was still puzzled: "But there is no wind at this moment, how can this steam engine still draw water?"
"I don't know about that."
He Jing shook his head honestly and said with emotion: "Anyway, as long as Master Wei is in Dashu, it's not surprising that any magical things appear."
"Well, the people of Dashu must be living a good life."
Cui Er nodded and lowered the curtain: "At least with these iron houses, we don't have to work so hard when farming, and we don't have to worry about drought."
"yes."
He Jing looked into the distance and the outline of a majestic ancient city appeared at the end of his sight.
It was still early and the sun had not yet fully risen.
But even in this hazy morning light, Shuzhou City seems to exude an enviable vitality and freshness.
Cui'er is right.
Nowadays, the people of Da Shu really live a good life.
As for how good this "good" is, perhaps we can get a glimpse of it from a proverb currently circulating among the people of Dashu.
There is no need to ask heaven for help when farming, no need to worship officials when doing business, and no need to seek immortality when practicing.
Shuzhou City, Weiyang Palace, and Jinluan Hall.
".Your Majesty, this is my humble opinion on the construction of the first railway."
"Your Majesty, please make a decision as soon as possible."
Golden roof, jade pillars, double eaves and nine ridges.
Nearly a hundred court officials stood in the hall holding tablets in their hands, while the dignified and elegant Ning Yuke sat on the dragon platform.
You Wenzon, the prime minister of Da Shu, had just finished his "concluding speech", the most important of which was the "construction of railways".
Today, the Tiangong Bureau has already produced a "train" powered by a steam engine.
Then the next step is naturally to build railways and officially promote this new means of transportation.
Building railroad tracks is not difficult.
But considering various factors, the "planned route" of this first railway track is particularly critical.
The route suggested by You Wenzong is from Shuzhou City to Datong City, and he has just listed many benefits of doing so.
However, Ning Yuke will have to make the final decision on this matter.
But the latter thought for a moment, and slowly said: "Lord You, this matter is of great importance, let me ask my husband first before I speak."
Ask your husband first As the empress and the supreme ruler of Great Shu, Ning Yuke's words sounded strange.
But You Wenzong was not surprised at all. He said "I understand" and bowed before returning to the team.
The other court officials also looked calm, as if they were already used to what Ning Yuke had just said. "Anyone else want to report something?"
"Nothing to do, leave the court!"
At the eunuch's shout, Ning Yuke stood up and walked down the dragon platform, walked around a screen and disappeared.
A number of court officials also walked out of the Golden Palace, talking in groups of three or five as they headed out of the inner palace.
Just as everyone was about to walk down the long white marble steps, a visible white beam of light suddenly shot up into the sky outside the palace, instantly attracting everyone's attention.
“That is.”
Most of the civil servants looked confused and stared in the direction of the light beam.
However, the military officers were much calmer, and someone immediately explained:
"My Lords, there is no need to panic. This is a strange phenomenon caused by the breakthrough of the Second Stage Realm. It will soon dissipate."
"Hmm? Does this mean someone in the city has achieved a breakthrough to the second level?"
"Yes, judging from this direction, it should be Young Master Wei's residence."
"Ah, I guess it must be one of Master Wei's retainers."
"Hahaha! What a blessing! What a blessing!"
“.”
The mood changed from tense to relaxed. A group of court officials looked up at the beam of light dissipating, and then went about their business.
Since someone in the Wei Mansion has made a breakthrough, there is nothing to worry about.
However, their guesses were not entirely correct.
This column of light did indeed originate from the Wei Mansion, but the person who broke through was not Wei Changtian's follower.
It's "Master, Teacher."
Standing in the center of the crowd, Ah Chun pinched her fingers timidly and looked at Wei Changtian nervously.
"I, I think I'm at the second level."
“.”
His expression froze, and he looked at Ah Chun as if he were an alien. After a long while, Wei Changtian coughed and said:
"Well, not bad."
"But it's still a little slower than when I was your teacher."
After these words were spoken, Ah Chun did not have any doubts, but the people around him rolled their eyes.
"Sister Qin'er, how can your husband be so shameless?"
"Sister Liu Shi, hasn't my husband always been like this? Sister Yao'er, don't you think so?"
"Ah? I, I think my husband is fine."
"Geese, geese, geese! Jingyao, you! You never dare to say anything bad about your husband! I also think your husband is very shameless!"
"Right! Sister Wan'er, you think so too! Right!"
"That's right! Take the other day for example, he insisted that I wear those stockings. Qin'er, why are you blushing?"
"Ah, I, I'm wearing it too."
"Hmm? What color?"
"White, white"
"Really? Mine is black. Liu Shi, have you worn it too?"
"Me? I've been wearing it regularly since three or four years ago."
"ah?"
“.”
For some reason, the topic shifted to a strange topic, and Wei Qiaoling, who was riding a big black dog nearby, looked puzzled and seemed to want to ask what "stockings" were.
But before she could open her mouth, Wei Changtian, with an extremely embarrassed expression, waved his hand and interrupted her:
"Hey! Stop gathering here! Go back to the house!"
"oh."
All the girls looked at him with smiles, then each of them led a child out of the backyard.
"call"
Seeing everyone leave, Wei Changtian breathed a sigh of relief and once again looked at Achun, who was already a second-rank warrior.
"Ah-Chun."
"Master, I'm here!"
"Well, now that you are already a second-grade master, it is time for me to teach you some powerful self-defense moves."
"This sword technique is called Luoqiong, and it is extremely profound. I think even a master with such talent took me three days to master it."
"Wow! Master took three days! This sword technique must be amazing!"
"Humph, of course he is extremely powerful, watch out!"
“.”
The sword shadow flew up and down, inadvertently cutting off a few green leaves from the tree.
A gentle breeze descended from the azure sky, blowing the leaves high up and sending them to a carriage parked outside the Wei Mansion.
He Jing and Cui'er got off the carriage, looked at the words "Wei Mansion" on the door plaque, hesitated for a moment, and were about to knock on the door.
However, before they could touch the door knocker, a surprised voice came from behind them.
"Mr. He? Miss Cui'er?"
"Um?"
When they heard the sound, they turned around and saw a man and a woman standing just a few steps away.
The man looked unfamiliar, someone I had never seen before.
But the woman who was speaking looked familiar.
“It’s really you guys!”
Taking a step closer, Li Zimu smiled and explained, "Mr. He, Miss Cui'er, I once went to the capital of Daqian with Mr. Wei, and I met you once then."
"ah!"
After Li Zimu's reminder, He Jing and Cui'er immediately remembered the other woman who followed Wei Changtian besides Yang Liushi.
"I see. I didn't recognize you at first, please forgive me, young lady."
He Jing quickly bowed to Li Zimu and whispered tentatively, "I don't know, young lady."
"My last name is Li."
Li Zimu introduced himself with a smile, then turned to look at the man next to him: "This is my husband."
"Tang Chen."
The man also smiled and gave his name in time.
He Jing did not dare to neglect it and immediately bowed again: "Ah, I am He Jing, nice to meet you, Mr. Tang."
Tang Chen also bowed in return: "Mr. He, you are too polite."
“.”
Three years later, Tang Chen married Li Zimu.
The lives of other living Sons of Heaven have also undergone some changes.
Shen Ran returned to Dali and became the leader of Kuixing Academy.
Xu Quan and Zhili went traveling around the world, and a few days ago they sent a message saying they had arrived at the White Palace.
Chu An escaped the pursuit and now lives with Qin He in Shuzhou City.
And there is Ye Xuan who is ranked first but has never shown up before. It is said that he has become the most dazzling young generation in the world except Wei Changtian. The green leaves swayed to the ground slowly. The four people outside the mansion exchanged pleasantries for a while, and Li Zimu figured out the purpose of He Jing and Cui'er's coming to Shuzhou this time.
She first led the two of them into the main hall of the mansion and asked them to sit down, and then she immediately went to inform Wei Changtian.
Then, not long after, the latter's hearty laughter floated over from far away.
"Hahaha! Brother He! Miss Cui'er! Long time no see!"
"Master Wei!"
“.”
Standing up with some excitement, He Jing and Cui'er saw this familiar man again, which also announced that their journey across thousands of miles had finally reached the end.
Laughter rang out in the house, and was blown out of the window by the wind, rolling up the green leaves on the ground and sending them back to the branches.
The annual rings go around in circles, and spring and summer give way to autumn and winter several times.
Everything that happened in these six years is like a story that is both heart-wrenching and ordinary.
There are endless love and hate, there is a look back at the end, there are sun, moon and stars, there are black hair and white hair.
However, just like He Jing and Cui'er's journey, although they came to Shuzhou and met Wei Changtian, their lives did not actually end.
Therefore, the long river of time will continue to flow.
From this perspective, these seemingly turbulent six years seem to be just a ripple, a past that can never be returned to.
As for what these six years mean to the world, it may be difficult for those who are in it to explain it clearly, and perhaps it will be left to future generations to comment on.
But for Wei Changtian personally, before the story begins, he was lonely, selfish, and indifferent.
By the end of the story, he at least understood what love, responsibility, and gratitude are.
No matter how high a wave splashes, what truly gives it meaning is the river and sea that carries it.
Therefore, whether you are ordinary or mediocre, no matter whether you can see the future or not, you must always keep moving forward.
After all, the road is still long and the new story has not yet begun.
"Brother He, Miss Cui'er."
"It's been a hard journey."
(Complete book, complete) (End of this chapter)
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