Chapter 25 "That's right, it's the Qin family you were thinking of."
Gu Wan asked him, "Do you want any gift?"
Xie Ci was still in a daze at the time. After a while, he said, "...I want to cook you a meal."
He didn't really want anything. So he thought, cook me a meal. It would be enough for the whole family to get together and have a meal. But the thought flashed through his mind, and he felt it was not right. He shouldn't ask Gu Wan to cook for him, so when he said it, he turned it into cooking for her.
This is the mental journey.
Gu Guan laughed out loud, rocking back and forth. Seeing Xie Ci come back to his senses with an embarrassed look on his face as if he wanted to bite off his tongue, she laughed even louder.
"Come on, let's go cook!"
After clapping his hands and laughing, Gu Guan stood up and pulled Xie Ci to the small kitchen of the inn.
The ox-horn lanterns on the eaves of the corridor swayed, casting a layer of yellowish warm light on the creaking wooden corridor. The night was quiet. The two walked through the courtyard and came to the small kitchen in the northwest corner.
This time, Gu Wan requested a room in the upper room. The courtyard was equipped with a small kitchen and fresh rice, flour, meat, and vegetables for guests. This courtyard was usually occupied by distinguished guests accompanied by servants and guards, but tonight, there were none. The moonlight on the green steps was as cool as water, and the courtyard was silent.
Gu Guan pulled Xie Ci into the small kitchen and turned on the light. Xie Ci rolled up his sleeves to help, but was stopped by her. She smiled and said, "The birthday boy doesn't have to work. You can have a day off today."
Xie Ci was arranged to sit on a small stool, watching Gu Wan gesture with a large kitchen knife and start scrubbing the pots and vegetables, kneading the dough and cutting the meat.
Gu Guan’s cooking skills are actually quite good. In his previous life, he lived alone after graduation and suffered from stomach problems. As he practiced, his skills improved.
Under the dim light of the oil lamp, the sound of the kitchen knife hitting the chopping board was light and fast, and with the sound of oil sizzling, Gu Wan stir-fried a small pot of tender and fragrant braised pork, then cut the noodles into thin strips, put two eggs on top, and sprinkled with chopped green onions.
Soon, three dishes and a soup were ready, and a bowl of hot longevity noodles was served and placed on the small table.
There was also wine in the small kitchen. Gu Guan tasted it and found it was sorghum wine, which was considered a vegetarian wine, so he also filled a gourd with it.
In a small room, with a yellow light, two people sat around a small square table with the residual warmth of the stove. Xie Ci originally thought that he would not like the braised meat with thick oil and red sauce, but when he put a piece into his mouth, the slightly spicy and burnt aroma and the rich taste of the braised meat instantly exploded on the tip of his tongue. His taste buds that had been through the harsh weather were instantly activated, his appetite was opened, and he suddenly had a strong desire to eat.
The whole person seemed to have suddenly returned to the bustling world from the cold hatred and hurried rush.
Xie Ci lowered his head and put the noodles into his mouth. The hardness between his brows faded under the dim light, and the tenderness on his face seemed to be still the innocent boy who handed her the buns under the porch in the heavy rain.
Gu Wan finished her small bowl of noodles, put down her chopsticks, and smiled at Xie Ci, who was eating seriously, for a moment. She asked him, "Xiao Si, do you have any wishes? I heard that wishes made today will come true!"
Really?
Xie Ci looked up and stared at the light for a long while. He put down his chopsticks, closed his eyes and prayed earnestly: Xie Ci has no other request today, but I hope that my family will be safe, that the injustice is redressed, and that my father, brothers and loved ones can rest in peace.
He prayed earnestly three times. Gu Guan poured three bowls of wine. The two of them poured one bowl on the ground, then picked up the wine, clinked it with the other, and drank it all in one gulp.
The sorghum liquor was quite strong. After finishing a bowl, his face and ears began to feel hot. Xie Ci cleared the dishes on the square table. The two of them stood up and returned to their room, walking along the half-open wooden corridor to the stairs at the end. The cold wind blew, and his cheeks felt cold and hot. Xie Ci felt guilty: "I didn't even celebrate your birthday." Gu Wan thought to herself, "I forgot. After all, it wasn't her birthday." She said, "How can we celebrate it at the Governor's Mansion?"
He stopped talking and asked Gu Wan, "What about you?
"Wan Niang, what do you want?"
"What do I want?"
The moon is bright tonight, and the stars twinkle in the cool breeze. Gu Guan tilted his head and thought, "A bright blue sky, a peaceful and prosperous world?"
She burst into laughter after she finished speaking. It was mainly because of the police academy's DNA that was activated. It was a conditioned reflex, so she just said it. After she finished speaking, she found it very funny: "Isn't it very pretentious and empty?"
Red and expert, it's over, she has been brainwashed.
The wind blew her hair up, and she laughed heartily, her laughter flying with the cold wind. Xie Ci was slightly startled, but shook his head vigorously, "No, it's not!"
He suddenly thought of his father. When Xie Ci looked back, he saw only good things about his father. As a child, he had respected, feared, and resented his father, yet deep down, he always held a deep admiration for him. Tonight, he suddenly understood that Xie Xinzhong's very soul was filled with this kind of glittering something.
"Okay, let's go and go back to sleep!"
After Gu Guan finished laughing, he pushed Xie Ci towards the wooden stairs. But after all, everyone is doing well, that is the real good.
It would be too terrible if the country was in ruins and the people were miserable. She would rather be a peaceful person. Otherwise, if everyone was suffering, she would find it hard to swallow even if she had a good meal next door.
She patted Xie Ci's shoulder and said, "Keep doing your best, brother!"
The two walked one in front and one behind, asked the waiter to open an extra room, and climbed up to the door of the third floor. "Okay, go to bed early. We will take turns to keep an eye on you. I will call you in the middle of the night."
Gu Guan stuffed the second letter from Madam Xun and her second sister-in-law into his arms and pushed him into the room to sleep.
…
The moonlight was bright, draped over the eaves and roof like a veil, and cast its light through the half-open window onto the ground in front of the bed.
Xie Ci lay in bed, opened the envelope, and read the letter carefully. It was written in small calligraphy with flowers, gentle and beautiful. It said that Xiao Si's birthday was coming soon, and asked Gu Wan to comfort him more. Several pieces of paper, big and small, were spread out on the pillow in the hazy moonlight. Just now, Gu Wan also said: "Revenge must be taken, but don't let the past bind you."
Xie Ci took a deep breath, folded the letter paper one by one, placed the cover on his chest, and remembered what he had said the day before - "Hey, Xiao Si, it's up to you from now on. You have to carve out a place for our family to settle down!"
On the night of his seventeenth birthday, under the bright silver moon, he suddenly understood the meaning of the phrase "there is much more to life."
His heart felt heavier, yet at the same time, it seemed to feel a little lighter. He found it difficult to express in words all the complexities.
But overall, he was more relaxed than before.
Xie Ci carefully wrapped the letters in oil paper and stuffed them into a calfskin bag, then lay down again. The crescent moon was crescent-shaped, and he stared at the silver-like moonlight, thinking of Gu Wan again.
Xie Ci tossed and turned for a while but couldn't fall asleep. Finally, he pulled out the silver chain from his neck. This time, he was not looking at the note, but the exquisite silver buckle.
He felt that he was acting weird recently. When he was with Gu Wan, his emotions would fluctuate greatly without him noticing. He seemed to have a problem where his heart would beat faster or miss beats for no reason.
He felt awkward, but also inexplicably happy, a feeling that emerged quietly from somewhere.
He played with the exquisite buckle for a long time, snapping it back and forth, and fell asleep without knowing when.
In his dream, he saw his mother, sister-in-law, younger brother, nephews, nieces, his deceased father, brothers, and Gu Wan.
She smiled, they smiled too, and everyone gathered around him to celebrate his birthday, his seventeenth birthday.
…
I drank a big bowl of sorghum wine as a thank you and had a good night's sleep.
As for Gu Wan, he was leaning against the window frame and sitting on the windowsill.
Next to her was a wine gourd that was brought up from below. Looking up, she saw the faint moonlight, quietly shining on the roofs and treetops, the streets and alleys, all the way to the eaves and tiles at her feet, a cool and bright silver-white color.
She stretched out her hand and caught the silver.
Soft, but real.
Gu Guan sighed. At first, she couldn't help but feel a sense of unreality as if she had loaded a new game, but today, she finally realized that everything was real.
——She settled down in this dynasty.
In the past, Gu Wan didn’t dare to think deeply about it, because she was actually very happy in modern times, but at this moment she thought seriously that she must try to let go of the past and live a positive and serious life, just like before.
She has a new family now too.
Then, she can continue a meaningful but less ordinary life.
That's pretty good, isn't it?
Gu Guan shook his head vigorously, and finally, he poured two bowls of wine from the wine gourd. He drank one bowl while gazing at the moonlight like a veil, and sprinkled the other bowl on the roof tiles outside the window.
This bowl of rice will be given to the unlucky guy who got hit!
She looked up at the moon.
…
Early in the morning, the thin morning light dyed the windowsill with a layer of gold, and a few little sparrows were jumping around and chirping.
There was no trace of last night on Gu Guan's face. Bathed in the golden morning sun, she was like the morning light and the sunshine.
As the New Year was drawing to a close, the streets and alleys were bustling with people early in the morning. The two washed up, had their meal, left the inn, and walked through the alley to the front door of the second house.
Luo Qian had already carried two bags on his back. On the steps in front of the main door, Xun Xiao looked at Xie Ci coldly.
The young master who once rode his horse freely across the street is now standing beside a yellow wall with residual snow in a dark blue and black tight-sleeved suit. His brows and features are calm and his temperament has settled down all of a sudden. He has grown up so fast.
Yes, Xun Xiao sneered, who can not grow up overnight?
"If you want to know the details of the treason case, follow me."
Xun Xiao said coldly.
He walked quickly out of the small courtyard with yellow walls and came to the inn at the entrance of the alley. Luo Qian had already led out two fast horses. Xun Xiao took the black one, jumped on it, and quickly galloped out.
Xie Ci and Gu Guan followed closely behind.
The group crossed the Funiu Mountains, went around the Longzhou Pass, went straight out of the pass, and then went back to the outside of the Feishan Pass in Suzhou.
Amidst the vast expanse of brown, yellow, and white mountains, and patches of withered yellow grass, Xun Xiao pointed with his whip at the foot of a slope blind to Suzhou's largest beacon tower. "See? Fifty miles north of here, there's a small stone town called Supo."
At the junction of the border between Guanwai and Beirong, there is a large mixed-inhabited area, where there are Han people, herdsmen, Qiang, Di or other mixed-race people. They rely on the mountains for their livelihood. These undulating mountains can support many people. Some of them live in settlements, while others migrate seasonally, making a living by grazing and hunting, but once they encounter a war, they will migrate and flee.
In fact, the area outside the Great Wall is not as barren as you might imagine, with endless yellow sand and no grass growing. In many places, there are still abundant water and grass.
There is endless yellow sand and no grass, but in many places there are still abundant aquatic plants.
There are also many caravans that venture in and out.
This is also why it facilitates many transactions that require no public presence.
"At the end of the year before last, my uncle wrote to me saying he'd discovered a Northern Army garrison was secretly trading salt, tea, sugar, cloth, and even iron weapons with the Northern Rong tribe!"
The latter was a crime forbidden by the imperial court, which was simply outrageous!
Xie Xinzhong was furious and started an investigation personally. In the end, he discovered a huge smuggling network.
"He obtained solid evidence and personally came to Suzhou, leading his troops through the border to capture the smuggling group."
The subsequent events are also roughly mentioned in the key files.
Who would have thought that after Xie Xinzhong personally led his troops out of the border, he became the mastermind behind the smuggling line. This network was opened for him!
Finally, the twelve generals testified at the same time, and the charge of treason was established!
Xun Xiao knew the details of the previous events, but before all of the above could happen, he was trapped in a sea of fire, burned to death by the flames, and his mother died suddenly.
The north wind was as sharp as a knife, blowing across people's cheeks and necks, making it difficult for Gu Wan to open his eyes.
Amidst the vast expanse of white, Xun Xiao sneered briefly. His hoarse voice was filled with sarcasm: "See? It's right here."
White snow covered the vast grassland, and the setting sun was bloodshot. "Your father was seriously injured here, and your eldest brother died on the spot."
The laughter was hoarse and unpleasant to the extreme. As he restored the details one by one, Xie Ci remained motionless.
He stood on the grassland where the north wind was howling, and looked around, seeing the withered yellow and pale snow, with no sign of life.
Just like the thrilling scene that changed his life a year and a half ago.
He was independent for a long time until he felt Gu Wan coming to his side.
Gu Wan was a little afraid to speak and stood there for a long time. Until the bonfire was lit and the water boiled, she came over with the clay pot.
"Xie Ci, are you okay?" she asked cautiously.
Xie Ci took the water pitcher but shook his head: "Don't worry, I'm fine."
He pulled Gu Guan back a few steps and squatted behind a sheltered mound. It was very cold, so he gave the hot water to Gu Guan. After she finished drinking it, she said she didn't want to drink it anymore. Only then did he tilt his head back and gulp down the water, then threw the can into the snow.
"Don't worry about me, I'm fine."
Yes, Xie Ci had already known that these things would be like this, but now he knew more details and the background of this so-called treason and smuggling line.
"I knew it a long time ago." As for the eldest brother, he said softly, "It won't be worse than having your head and body separated."
At first, I thought that the Northern Rong’s surprise attack and my death on the battlefield was actually a good thing.
Xie Ci took a deep breath, and quickly digested the matter. His fingers groped for the delicate buckle under his neck and rubbed it for a moment. He said, "Wan Niang, I plan to recruit Xie Jiawei back."
Xie Ci became more eager to regain his power.
Xun Rongbi had his own guards, and the Xie family, which had been generals for generations, naturally also had guards. When the Xie family got into trouble, the Xie family guards were the first to be hit and scattered, but even though they were separated into many places, there would always be a spark of hope left.
In the past, he was unwilling to believe it because he was attacked from all sides, but when the thought of regaining power came to his mind, Xie Ci naturally thought of Xie Jiawei.
Gu Wan's spirits immediately brightened. She knew Xie Jiawei! She even knew that Xie Jiawei was truly loyal, because in the original storyline, the part of Xie Jiawei who had survived the disaster was still searching for Xie Ci years later, refusing to believe that he was dead until Xie Ci's stunning rebirth.
Her voice immediately became a little excited, "Okay! How do we recruit him back?"
Xie Ci certainly couldn't make a big fuss about it. Even at this moment, he was still on guard. "If they were interested, they would definitely be able to find out something about Suzhou. Wait until they can track us down."
Gu Guan thought about it and felt that this was appropriate. After all, they didn’t know where Xie Jiawei was now.
After saying this, Xie Ci finally showed a little bit of annoyance. He took out the two letters he had opened last night from the cowhide bag.
At the end of the letter, Madam Xun and Xie Mingming finally told Second Sister-in-law Xie, First Sister-in-law Xie, and Third Sister-in-law Xie that they were coming to the northwest. Even if the family couldn't be together, they still had to help each other. It wasn't right for one person to suffer while the others enjoyed peace.
After Xun Rongbi's incident, Xie Ci and Gu Wan wrote a letter to inform Xie Ersao, firstly to make the matter clear, and secondly and most importantly, to ask her to be more careful and vigilant.
But Mrs. Xie quickly replied, saying that Madam Xun already knew that Xun Rongbi had testified against the Xie family.
This is known on the streets and even among storytellers. After hiding it for so long, it can no longer be concealed.
I won’t go into the details of what happened at home, but in the end, Mrs. Xie told the whole family about the follow-up.
Not to mention how sad and painful Mrs. Xun was, the whole family finally decided to move north, not wanting Xie Ci to bear all this alone.
First it was Mrs. Xun Xie Mingming, and finally even Second Sister-in-law Xie compromised.
——The family initially thought that the investigation would be difficult, but who could have imagined it would be like this. It is hard to imagine the thrilling and helpless experience that Xie Ci and Gu Wan had to go through.
Xie Ci showed the letter to Gu Wan and gave it to her for safekeeping. Madam Xun Xie Ersao asked him to tell her the address, but Xie Ci was unwilling to do so. "I don't need them. I can do it alone."
The snow was white and the setting sun was fading. Xie Ci looked back, his young and handsome face reflected in the snow and twilight, with a kind of breathtaking perseverance.
He said, “I always do it!”
"My father and brothers have lived their lives in loyalty and integrity, without a single flaw that could truly be criticized. I believe I can do the same!"
As long as there is no problem with the foundation, they are all false accusations. In time, he will definitely clear their names and seek justice for them!
Gu Wan was about to say something when he heard the crunching sound of snow being stepped on from behind him. Xun Xiao sneered coldly, "The righteous path in the world is always in ruins."
It's okay as long as it's not justice.
He thanked her unhappily and stood up suddenly.
The two looked at each other coldly.
Xun Xiao examined Xie Ci in front of him with a cold gaze, "I know you want to regain the power of the Xie family."
"Can you really do that?"
Only if Xie Ci can really win over the old members of the Xie family will Xun Xiao feel that it is worthwhile to act together with him.
“I haven’t found out who is further along this smuggling line.”
This is not something that can be detected from the outside, but Xun Xiao can be sure that this is a huge smuggling line that involves more than just the interests of one person. There must be one or more high-ranking military figures behind the scenes.
"Of the twelve generals, six were your father's trusted generals. Three of them have already rebelled. Another had his only son kidnapped. One was set up by a thief. The last was caught with corruption."
"Besides the six trusted confidants, there are several of your father's true loyalists who would rather die than surrender."
Two of them held considerable military power, "but one of them is already dead, and the other is not dead but will be dead soon."
He was smeared and framed, but the Xie family was implicated and the former was pulled out as well.
"The Qin family is now in a precarious situation. If we can't find a way to rescue them, they will be finished soon."
Xun Xiao stared at Xie Ci and raised his eyebrows: "If you want to regain your power, you have to hurry up and start from here."
Otherwise, if it was a little later, the situation would be too late.
Xun Xiao's eyebrows were twisted and raised like a ghost, which was particularly scary at close range in the twilight, but Gu Wan was not afraid.
Instead, her heart skipped a beat. "Qin family, which Qin family?"
She suddenly remembered that Xie Ersao’s maiden name was Qin.
Xun Xiao chuckled twice: "That's right, it's the Qin family you were thinking of."
The author has something to say:
Start to regain power! Ah Xiu touched his chin. This book should also be called "The Life of a Hero's Tempering and Transformation" or "The Life of the Founding Emperor Taizu"
But don't be too anxious, let's follow Xiao Xie and Wan Wan haha
Ah Xiu is here! Today is the draft box launch. Haha, Ah Xiu needs to improve her sleep schedule recently. It's a rare Saturday, so I'm probably almost asleep in bed now. A big kiss to you all! See you tomorrow at noon~ (/≧▽≦)/
Finally, I also want to thank "Love Grid Cat" for throwing the grenade. Love you~
.
And to all the big darlings who watered Wenwen, muajiujiuji!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com