In order to show her mercy, Man Niang had to take Yan Hong's life.
If he could explain all the previous events by saying that they were due to Man Niang's infatuation, this time, he finally gave up completely.
When he was young, his father used to take the "Records of Famous Officials" and "Records of Divine and Military Officials" and tell him the behaviors of all the outstanding civil and military officials in the past dynasties, one by one. "Literature has its own way of literature, and martial arts has its own virtue of martial arts. Without a firm mind and a straight body, one cannot resist the invasion of ghosts and monsters in the world." His earnest teachings are still fresh in his ears - he definitely doesn't want a woman with such evil intentions.
"But even so, I have never thought of letting her die, or let her suffer any other bad consequences. After all, she accompanied me through those days, and I don't want to see her again, but I also hope that she and her son can live a good life on their own and have enough food and warmth for the rest of their lives. If I say this, the old Duke will probably accuse me of being promiscuous again... Minglan, you...?" His eyes were anxious.
Minglan looked into his eyes calmly: "I understand, I understand."
Contrary to what many people assume, he is actually a man who values friendship. Because he lacks things, he knows how to cherish them all the more. Even the false beauty that once comforted him during his helpless and violent youth.
"What I don't understand most about Manniang is that no matter how ruthless I am, no matter how much I embarrass her, and no matter how much I sincerely reject her, she seems to live in her own world, resigned to her own thoughts, and insists on believing that I still have feelings for her."
Hu Zi was a little confused. "Does it mean I have to break her hands and feet, cut off a few of her fingers, before she will believe me?"
Letting Man Niang and her son go to Mianzhou was the only chance he gave Man Niang. In fact, he had already found several suitable families. If Man Niang continued to pester him, he would take Chang Ge'er away and raise him elsewhere. He had suffered the pain of being without a mother since he was a child, and he thought that no matter how wrong Man Niang was, she still loved her child.
Unexpectedly, before going to the battle, Shi Keng and his wife told him an old story. He immediately decided to take Changger away from Manniang as soon as he came back. However, he was still one step too late.
"Man Niang is like a bottomless pit, never to be found. We knew she could lie, but who knew she could kill? We knew she could kill, but who knew she could even kill her own family? She used her only brother and then discarded him—to achieve her goals, she would do anything, even the most sinister things."
He peeled off layer after layer of her skin, revealing something so smelly and ugly underneath. He was extremely confused and could not believe that this woman was Man Niang, whom he had once loved.
He remembered that when he saw Man Niang in Xiliao City, she was holding a wooden stick, hacking left and right among the starving people, so fiercely and accurately that no one dared to approach her and her son. He had known her for so many years and had always thought that she was weak and frail, and at most knew some fancy moves. It was not until this moment that he realized that her kung fu was more than good.
He broke out in a cold sweat at that moment, remembering the time when Man Niang rushed towards his pregnant wife. At that time, he thought it was an angry act of a desperate woman who wanted to die together with her. Now, thinking about it, even if Man Niang was holding Chang Ge'er at that time, she could still protect herself well while hurting Minglan - his heart suddenly became extremely cold and hard.
"It's my bad luck to meet her; it's even worse for her to meet me."
As time passed, he could now calmly give a simple explanation for himself and Man Niang.
Minglan straightened her stiff back, her mind seemed numb, she didn't know what to say or do. She looked up at Hu Zi's dull and peaceful face, and she actually felt a little sorry for him.
"That year I sent Man Niang and her son to Mianzhou. You blamed me..." He spoke with difficulty, "You were right to blame me."
Minglan opened her mouth to speak, but Hu Zi put his hand over it and said, "Just listen to me first." Minglan had no choice but to shut up and listen patiently.
"I don't want to make any excuses. You said I didn't treat you sincerely, and that's absolutely true. But I'm not born cold and indifferent. I've treated people sincerely before, but what happened in the end? I was deceived, bullied, and wronged. I had nowhere to turn and no one to trust... I could only jump out, walk out, strip off the second son of Marquis Gu's clothes, crown and jewelry, name, everything, dig out my heart, bow my head, start over, and learn anew."
The man's voice was low and hoarse, like two rough stones grinding against each other.
"Finally, I learned it. Think twice before encountering anything, the pros and cons, the good and the bad, the positive and the negative... I learned to resist calculations, and also learned to calculate others." He smiled bitterly, "Only by killing the former Gu Tingye can I survive."
A trace of moisture and heat slowly emerged in Minglan's eyes, and her heart felt sore and almost painful. A young man from a marquis's family probably didn't even know how much a bowl of noodles cost. It must be so difficult for him to make a living with nothing. She knew it, she knew it all.
"Back then, the situation was not good. So many people were eyeing us covetously, waiting for us to make a mistake. Old Geng was reported, Brother Shen was reported, and even someone as honest as Brother Duan was picked on. I can't compare to their close relationship with the emperor, so I can't make a mistake."
He reached out and wrapped his palm around Minglan's, saying in a pained voice, "After I learned you and your child were safe, the first thing I thought of wasn't worrying about you being scared or venting your anger, but how to steadily suppress the matter of Man Niang. You blamed me later, and you were right! I'm such a person, and I actually had the audacity to blame you for not treating me sincerely. What a bastard I am!"
He clenched his fists so hard that his knuckles were pale and crackling.
"When my grandmother was in trouble, you knelt by her bedside, crying so heartbreakingly, so openly. To seek justice for the old lady, you risked everything, life or death, wealth or status, refusing to turn back even at the cost of your life! Only then did I wake up from my dream—I realized that after all my journeys, after all my experience of gain and loss, I had forgotten the most important thing... I had forgotten how to treat others with sincerity..."
His voice was nearly hoarse, like he was tearing an old parchment. As he finished speaking, a tear fell. A crack appeared in the sky, and a ray of light suddenly appeared. Fate had never been a smooth road for him. He had overcome many hardships and endured many adventures. Looking back, he realized that he had lost the precious past.
Minglan choked out a sob and suppressed his fist with her backhand. "No. I'm narrow-minded. You have such a hard time doing your work outside. I can live such a glorious life now, not because I'm smart, not because I'm popular, and not because I'm good at dealing with people and doing things. It's just that you have a respectable position in the court, so everyone flatters me and praises me..."
Tears dripped onto their clasped hands, burning hot.
"You protect me in public and behind my back, and won't let me suffer even the slightest injustice. Who in the capital wouldn't envy me? It's me who's ungrateful, it's me..." Minglan bit down her lip, leaving a row of deep teeth marks, tears streaming down her face. "It's me who's afraid! I'm afraid that one day you won't like me anymore, what will I do then? That's why I always haggle over small details, not even an inch more or less, and I won't suffer any loss! I'm afraid that such a terrible day will come, and I'll be heartbroken to death!"
She finally burst into tears. The secret thoughts she had endured for so long were suddenly revealed under the sun. The reason for all this was so weak, so selfish, and so shameful.
"Actually, I've known your feelings for a long time. You treat me well, and you don't just want a wife who can manage the household and bear children. You truly love me, respect me, make me happy, and want me to live a carefree life... But I just pretend not to understand! Because I'm afraid, I'm afraid..."
Hu Zi clumsily wiped her tears with his sleeve: "You... don't cry, you can't cry during the confinement period..." As he spoke, he dropped another big tear.
Minglan cried even harder.
They hugged each other, head to head, body to body, tears flowing inexplicably, wetting their lapels and sleeves, like two wronged children, comforting and warming each other.
They all had their innocence and enthusiasm worn away by reality early on, and learned all kinds of pretense in life. They are wary and cautious towards people and things, and are unwilling to believe easily.
After climbing over mountains and crossing rivers, feeling suspicious, sad, hesitant, and going around in circles, I finally realized that what I wanted was right within reach.
——This was the last time Mannia appeared in their conversation and their lives.
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