Chapter 60: Persuading Huai'an to surrender by forcing him to confront the goddess? ...
Ningzhai.
“Sigh, a few years have passed in the blink of an eye, and Huai’an is almost of age,” the middle-aged man sitting opposite Ning Huai’an sighed. “If Brother Ning knew this in the afterlife, he would surely be very pleased.”
Another middle-aged man asked with concern, "Huai'an, what did Brother Fang say about your coming-of-age ceremony? Who will perform the capping ceremony for you, and who will give you your courtesy name?"
“After Brother Ning’s passing, Brother Fang is practically Huai’an’s father. It’s perfectly acceptable for Brother Fang to perform the coming-of-age ceremony and bestow a courtesy name upon him,” said the slightly overweight middle-aged man.
A regretful expression appeared on the face of the gray-haired, thin man. "That being said, Huai'an is not what it used to be. I'm afraid the second-in-command..."
Ning Huai'an put down his teacup and looked at the uncles sitting in front of him. They were all his father's brothers, and after his father passed away, they supported him, the young boy, to become the leader of the mountain stronghold.
Later, he joined the goddess in Yunhe County and formed the goddess's first army, fighting several battles to protect the goddess.
They came to see him tonight, and he initially thought it would just be a simple reunion, but looking at them...
Ning Huai'an's sharp features suddenly softened, and he said softly, "Second Uncle Fang has already spoken with the goddess. On the day of my coming-of-age ceremony, the goddess will come to crown me and give me a courtesy name."
goddess?
The middle-aged men looked at each other.
The eldest among them subconsciously stroked his beard. "Oh, the second-in-command found a goddess? Well... that's pretty good."
The others chimed in, "Yes, yes, the goddess herself bestowed the crown and bestowed the name upon them—a privilege that others can only envy."
“Our Huai’an is the goddess’s great general.”
Ning Huai'an echoed, "Yes, the goddess is always very easy to talk to."
He was waiting for them to reveal their true purpose.
The slightly overweight middle-aged man smiled gently and said, "Huai'an will be twenty soon, it's time to consider marriage."
"Many young men the same age as Huai'an are already fathers, but Huai'an is still unmarried."
"Only by seeing Huai'an get married and have children can we old folks have something to show Brother Ning when we die." The middle-aged man's eyes reddened as he spoke.
Several uncles and elders, following up on the marriage proposal, asked Ning Huai'an, "Does Huai'an have a girl he likes?"
"No matter how busy you are in the military, you should still make time to think about starting a family."
Has Second Brother Fang mentioned your marriage?
"I'm afraid it will be difficult for the second-in-command as well. The girls from Anling are not good enough for our Huai'an."
"That's true. Our Huai'an is handsome and imposing, and now he's a general with outstanding military achievements. His future is limitless! He can even marry the daughters of princes and nobles!"
"Yes, Huai'an can't just marry any girl."
Upon hearing this, Ning Huai'an understood his uncles' purpose. He didn't show it on his face, but he sighed deeply in his heart.
He said, "Uncle Fang is very concerned about my marriage, but I only want to marry a girl who understands me."
Several middle-aged men immediately perked up upon hearing this, "Hey Huai'an, what are you saying? What do you mean by being of one mind?"
“Huai’an is still young. Little does he know that when it comes to choosing a wife, it’s not just about whether she suits your taste, but also whether her family can help you.”
“Huai’an, if you are in the right place at the right time, you could become a founding general. That would be truly glorious for your ancestors, and Brother Ning would be able to rest in peace.”
"The founding general, then only those noble ladies from the capital are worthy of our Huai'an."
Ning Huai'an smiled and said, "A new emperor brings a new court. If this dynasty is overthrown, what difference will there be between those princes, nobles, and descendants of famous families and the common people of Anling County?"
Uncles and elders: "..."
The slightly overweight middle-aged man subconsciously said, "Their ancestors..."
Ning Huai'an picked up his teacup and took a sip. "Three generations from now, the once-powerful families may be digging in the ground, while the former commoners may be pontificating in the imperial court. Whose bloodline is any more noble than anyone else's?"
He put down his teacup, which made a crisp sound as it landed on the table. "Just as my uncles and elders have said, if I, Ning Huai'an, am capable of becoming a founding general, no matter what my wife's background is, who would dare to look down on her?"
The middle-aged men looked at each other, not expecting Ning Huai'an to say such a thing.
It's really strange, which man wouldn't want to marry a noblewoman from a good family with a good background in the capital?
The oldest man spoke up amidst the pleading looks from the others, changing the subject: "Huai'an is right. If the opportunity arises, we former bandits might very well be able to rise above those high-ranking officials."
“But Huai’an,” he said earnestly, gazing at Ning Huai’an, “to achieve success and fame, it’s not just about your personal abilities, but also about having the right opportunities. If you can encounter a benefactor…”
Ning Huai'an interrupted him, "Kunbo, what you're saying," the young general frowned slightly, his tone questioning, "isn't the goddess a noble person?"
"Of course not! The goddess is a benefactor to all of us. If it weren't for the goddess, we would all be lost now..." The other person was startled and quickly retorted.
Another person chimed in, "But Huai'an, the Goddess is, after all, a woman. She can't lead us to conquer the world. Sooner or later, she'll have to rely on some power."
Realizing that Ning Huai'an already knew their purpose, the slightly overweight middle-aged man gritted his teeth and said, "If that's the case, why did the Goddess refuse Sun Yannan?"
"With your talent, if you join Sun Yannan's ranks now, you will surely become his capable assistant in the future. When Sun Yannan gains power, you will be granted titles and honors, bringing glory to your ancestors."
"But the goddess is unwilling, and is dragging you along for no reason. When Sun Yannan's army besieges the city, Huai'an, you'll be a surrendered general. How can that compare to surrendering now..."
Ning Huai'an's face darkened. He stopped being polite with his uncles and asked directly, "How much benefit did you receive?"
The uncles and elders were stunned.
Ning Huai'an sighed heavily, "Official positions, money, women—how much did Maozhou offer you that made you willing to betray the Goddess?"
"We didn't betray the Goddess!" The short, middle-aged man immediately exploded upon hearing this. "We were doing this for your sake, for the Goddess's sake!"
The others also got excited:
"That's right! The goddess herself can't become empress, so why not choose the one with the best chance?"
"The goddess doesn't care about high positions and generous salaries, but we do!"
"What benefits will we gain by following the goddess?"
"If we had just agreed to Sun Yannan's request, we would have had the opportunity to follow him in conquering the world, and we would have received a share of the rewards from the imperial court in the future. But the goddess just wouldn't agree!"
“Sun Yannan has already promised the position of Goddess Imperial Advisor, what more could the Goddess possibly want?”
"If the goddess truly pities all living beings, then..."
The door was pushed open, hitting the wall with a loud thud.
Everyone in the room was startled.
They looked towards the doorway and saw Fang Qin standing there with a dark and sullen face.
Fang Qin sneered, "So, you keep calling him Brother Ning, but all you want is to send his only beloved son to his death?"
Several middle-aged men who dared to act like elders in front of Ning Huai'an couldn't help but feel guilty when they saw Fang Qin's anger.
"Brother Fang, what you're saying is too harsh. We're clearly doing this for Huai'an..." the short, middle-aged man quickly defended himself.
Fang Qin walked in and scoffed, "For Huai'an? For Huai'an's sake, you persuaded him to go to the Goddess and force her to abdicate? Do you really think the Goddess won't kill someone?"
We ants are fortunate to be favored by the goddess, which allows us to survive.
Where did you get the audacity to think you could threaten the goddess?
She has no shortage of ants who believe in her; killing one batch and replacing it with another, is that so difficult?
An hour later, Ning Huai'an bound several of his uncles and sent them to the military camp to be guarded.
Ning Huai'an and Fang Qin went to the Goddess to request an audience with He Qinglan.
Beg her forgiveness.
He Qinglan: "?"
She looked down at the two kneeling on the ground and smiled faintly, "You two are quite sentimental."
Ning Huai'an respectfully prostrated himself on the ground. "They were my father's brothers. They were bandits with my father back then and had a life-or-death bond with him. After my father passed away, they truly treated me like their own son and supported me wholeheartedly."
"They have been misled by profit and have made a mistake. But please, Goddess, forgive them, for they have not caused any harm."
Fang Qin also said, "Goddess, they have followed us in battle for so long, protecting Yunhe County and repelling the enemy forces that attacked the city. Even if they have not made any great contributions, they have certainly worked hard. Please forgive them, Goddess. From now on, Huai'an and I will definitely supervise them carefully to prevent them from making any mistakes."
The two people kneeling on the ground had their hearts in their throats.
They knew that the goddess had been fishing recently. Cheng Hui had given them instructions, both overt and covert, telling them not to interfere and to let the fish jump out of the water so that they could catch them all and make an example of them.
But now they discovered that an acquaintance was about to betray the goddess. Before the acquaintance could act, they captured him, tied him up, and imprisoned him.
These men have trained hard and fought alongside the goddess since they began following her. They have all made military contributions in defending Yunhe County and Anling Prefecture and in capturing several county towns.
Now, he has betrayed the goddess merely to accept benefits from Maozhou in order to persuade Ning Huai'an to surrender.
I haven't done anything that would truly offend the goddess.
If punishment is to be imposed, it should not be severe.
They prevented their acquaintances from making mistakes and averted the possible punishment from the goddess.
If the goddess is angry, they can only bear her wrath.
He Qinglan looked at them calmly, and after a moment, said, "Fine, for the sake of the two of you, this matter ends here. You can deal with it according to military law."
Fang Qin and Ning Huai'an looked up in shock, staring at He Qinglan in disbelief.
Ning Huai'an stammered, "You...you won't..." You won't punish us?
Fang Qin kowtowed to the ground, saying, "I am willing to accept the punishment."
He Qinglan said in a calm tone, "I'm very curious about what kind of image I have in your hearts."
Haven't I always acted exceptionally kind?
Ning Huai'an: "..."
Fang Qin: "..."
Sweating profusely, they continued to kowtow, "Thank you, Goddess!"
Gyeongju.
Several disciples of the Legalist school entered their teacher's courtyard and greeted their teacher's wife and junior sister.
The junior sister glanced at them, then at the study, and whispered a reminder, "My father started going crazy this morning after reading some book, and he told me to go and call you here."
The senior students were bewildered: "?" Gone mad?
What book?
The junior sister shook her head, "It was sent from Maozhou."
A tall senior brother handed a bag of snacks he had just bought from the street to his junior sister, saying, "Thank you, junior sister."
They went to the teacher's study and knocked on the door.
The teacher's voice came from inside the room, "Come in."
The group pushed open the door and entered the room, only to see the usually aloof teacher with a slightly manic expression, waving a paper book in his hand at them, "Come on, take a look at this book!"
The group: "..."
They stepped forward, took the book from the teacher, and opened it.
This is a paper book, written in a font they've never seen before, and read from left to right.
The text also uses punctuation.
Several Legalist disciples flipped through the book with surprise and curiosity.
As we read on, we were all amazed by the ideas in the book.
"This...this..."
"Oh dear, oh dear, who wrote this? It's incredible..."
How could he hold such a view?
"But what he said, upon closer examination, makes a lot of sense..."
Pei Wenzhao, the leading figure of the Legalist school today, said with delight, "The author of the book is Zhu Youchuan of the Zhu family, who is currently in Anling County, Jinzhou."
The old man casually flicked his sleeve, "Pack your things, we're going to Anling."
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Author's Note: It's starting to get warmer QAQ
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