Meng Gexing wasn't joking.
The government didn't know exactly how many members the White Lotus Cult had, but he knew very well.
He knew very well how the Ming Dynasty was founded and how the Zhu family seized power. The founding emperor, Taizu, was just a peasant who seized power by leading a peasant uprising. The situation he faced now was exactly the same as that man's back then.
Qingchen froze, not only because he had embraced her, but also because of the words he had blurted out. She had just been covering her chest with her arms, but now she pushed him away forcefully, saying, "You've had too much to drink. What nonsense are you talking about!"
Just now, her soft, warm body had suddenly entered his arms and then quickly left. Meng Gexing only felt the soft touch and smelled the delicate fragrance, but he was somewhat oblivious to the fact that she was actually a woman. He took a breath, tilted his head to look at her, and smiled slowly, saying, "I'm not drunk, and I'm not talking nonsense. What do you think I'm recruiting so many followers for? To spread Buddhism and save all sentient beings?"
"Can Buddhism be eaten as food?" he continued. "Haven't you seen what kind of world this is? The government is corrupt, officials are incompetent, the law is abandoned, and the people are starving every day. For a mere bite of food, they have to be subservient, without dignity or freedom. We are all human beings, why should they suffer such injustice? If they suffer injustice and don't fight back, what's the point of living?"
A moment of silence.
Meng Gexing added, "When you're imprisoned, how can you not yearn for freedom? If you want to live a good life, of course you have to fight for it yourself."
Qingchen didn't answer. She was well aware of the state of the world; everyone had their own way of facing or even changing it. Song Yue's and her methods were certainly one, but Meng Gexing's insistence wasn't necessarily wrong. She had no right to deny his methods, or to say that her own was superior. Change was, after all, a word with many conflicting interpretations.
Just like freedom, it is the most primal and natural aspiration of humankind.
Throughout history, countless people have sacrificed themselves for this word, countless others have eked out a living, and countless others continue to fight for it...
Meng Gexing picked up his wine glass, took a sip, and licked his lower lip. "Alright, it's New Year's Day today, let's not talk about that now. Come on, I'll take you to see the fireworks."
Qingchen calmed himself down and decided to put aside the overly serious and cruel topic for the time being, and nodded.
In the courtyard, the villagers were setting off firecrackers and fireworks.
Yunnan has many fireworks artisans, especially skilled at making all kinds of fireworks. Meng Gexing specially had someone buy a batch of fireworks yesterday. The fireworks burning in the courtyard right now are "wooden frame fireworks," which are three zhang (approximately 10 meters) high. The inside of the fireworks is connected by fuses, and they can burn continuously for several hours, producing various colored lights, shooting stars, and firecracker effects.
Meng Gexing smiled, his eyes slightly narrowed. "How is it? Do you like it, Lord Shen?"
Qingchen didn't answer, but a smile unconsciously crept onto her face.
How could she not like it? The sounds of firecrackers and laughter filled the night sky, a vibrant and colorful spectacle she hadn't experienced in a long time. The night breeze carried the scent of peach blossoms, and the cool air tickled her pores, as if afraid people would forget that this night was both the last day of the year and the first day of the new year.
Festivals don't actually exist in the world; they are merely imprinted in people's hearts.
Just then, a little boy ran over and hugged Meng Gexing's leg, saying, "Brother."
Meng Gexing lowered his head and tightened his loose collar. "You're awake? I just had some New Year's Eve dinner with Lord Shen. Are you hungry? Greet Lord Shen first, then go eat."
The boy shook his head. "I'm not hungry." Then he looked at Qingchen and said obediently, "Greetings, Lord Shen."
Qingchen smiled and said, "Hello."
"Thank you so much for the bellflower soup you made for me that day, sir. It saved my life." The child opened his bright eyes and said obediently, "Sir, you are a good person."
"No need to be polite." Qingchen patted his head, then looked at Meng Gexing and said deliberately, "Your younger brother is much more sensible than you."
“Really… I raised my younger brother.” Meng Gexing smiled awkwardly. “Our parents died early, so he barely saw them. I taught him everything.”
"..."
This was something Qingchen neither knew nor expected. The person whom so many followers believed in and followed was actually both an older brother and a parent. How could such a frivolous and reckless person raise such a calm and sensible child?
"Luckily, he's not like you," she said.
Meng Gexing chuckled and patted the child on the shoulder, "Lord Shen praised you. Go eat!"
The child hummed in agreement and ran off. Meng Gexing kicked away the red paper scraps from the firecrackers at his feet, crossed his arms, and suddenly said, "What you heard was all fake. I made it up."
As Qingchen watched the fireworks, he said somewhat dismissively, "What's fake?"
“My background,” he said, “is all false. I was born into a wealthy family, my parents left me a lot of wealth, I was learned, and I had extraordinary wisdom. I was just a farmer, a poor farmer, just like those people you see in the fields who cry their hearts out over a little bit of food.”
Qingchen looked at him quietly and listened to him tell his story.
“I’m a person who cares about my image, and I don’t like people talking about my background. As the leader of a religion, I can’t admit that I’m actually the same kind of people as my followers.” He turned to look at her. “You understand?”
"Um."
“My parents died shortly after my brother was born. Not for anything else, but for that one peck of rice tax. Just one peck.” As he spoke, a trace of sadness appeared on his face as he recalled the past, an expression Qingchen had never seen before. “That year there was a poor harvest, and because they owed that one peck of rice, the government ordered their yamen runners to beat them to death. I was holding my brother, and I saw it with my own eyes.”
Qingchen frowned.
“When the taxes aren’t enough to pay, they whip the people. But the amount of tax money they’ve embezzled from top to bottom is far more than just a peck of rice,” he said. “The lives of us ordinary people are ultimately worth less than an inch of silk on their bodies.”
Qingchen sighed softly upon hearing this. No wonder he hadn't refuted her at the dinner table when she called him a commoner. He was born a commoner, and before his parents died, he always believed he should be protected by the government, not bullied. Unfortunately, the world had disappointed him.
Without the protection of the government and his parents, it's no wonder he sought the protection of gods and Buddhas in his heart and joined the White Lotus Sect.
"So when you said I was a commoner, I didn't refute it, because that's what I am," he laughed. "I'm a commoner who's inferior to you, an official, and can never raise my head to look you in the eye."
Don't say that.
"Then what should I say!" he quickly replied, sounding somewhat agitated.
This time, it was Qingchen's turn to fall silent.
He's right. Reality is inherently too cruel to be spoken of. The fact that one can talk about these things so calmly is because time has filtered out much of the pain.
The source of her suffering was her colleague, a Ming Dynasty official just like her.
Meng Gexing stared at her intently. After those words had slipped out, his emotions gradually calmed down. Those people were officials, and she was an official too, but he could sense that she was different from those who had killed his parents. Although his words hadn't been directed at her, they had affected her. Seeing a hint of remorse on Qingchen's face, he suddenly felt a pang of regret and a sense of remorse.
He didn't want to make her feel bad.
"But I was lucky and found some money. I also met a kind person who taught me how to do business." Meng Gexing curled the corner of his mouth, trying to ease the heavy atmosphere caused by his story. "Let me tell you, I don't actually believe in Buddhism, but Amitabha Buddha still blessed me."
This was a joke, clearly meant for Qingchen, but she couldn't laugh at all.
It is said that newborns are fearless. All fear and insecurity are gradually learned during the growth process. Every species has an instinctive affinity for its own kind; in times of fear and panic, they instinctively seek the protection of their fellow human beings. In other words, when people encounter hardship, they will first seek help and protection from officials who are also human.
The emergence of Buddha and the belief in deities came later than this trust in one's own kind. Because people found no help from their fellow human beings and were instead oppressed by them, they could no longer find solace in the real world. Therefore, these bewildered people ultimately sought an illusory outlet—omnipotent gods and Buddhas who would protect them. This kind of faith arose passively, inherently carrying a fatalistic sorrow, a kind of helplessness in the overall development of humanity.
However, what is even more tragic and frustrating is that people eventually discovered that gods and Buddhas cannot protect everyone.
Meng Gexing's experience is precisely a microcosm of this tragic and helpless reality.
During their brief silence, Meng Gexing was unaware that Qingchen was lost in thought.
He didn't know why he felt like someone who could never speak in front of this person. Once he was able to open his mouth, he wanted to empty himself completely and tell her all the secrets that had been accumulating in his heart for many years.
In that case, he wouldn't even dare to tell his brothers who had followed him for ten years.
The leader of the White Lotus sect claimed he didn't believe in Amitabha Buddha, much like an emperor claiming he didn't believe in Heaven. Whether they believed or not wasn't important; what mattered was that faith was a tool for them to maintain their rule. Without this tool, they would have no reason to be revered by the world and would no longer be high and mighty.
These words came from the bottom of his heart, and Qingchen naturally felt them.
When someone suddenly becomes willing to confide in you, it means they trust you, and you are somewhat touched.
"I shouldn't have said that." Meng Gexing scratched his head, somewhat annoyed. "It's a festive holiday, it only comes once a year, why the hell did I say these things? I was wrong, please don't mind, Lord Shen."
Qingchen laughed and said, "You've always been an oddball, and you do odd things. It would be abnormal if you didn't do something that spoils the mood."
He chuckled twice, then suddenly leaned closer to her, "You know me so well?"
He had reverted to his reckless nature.
Qingchen flinched and glanced at him. "Meng Gexing, could you please stop getting so close to me all the time?"
"No!" he answered crisply, then looked at her with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Didn't Lord Shen say he dared to face the people directly? Why are you treating me, a commoner, as a special case?"
His eyes shone brightly, his handsome brows and eyes reflected the moonlight, a strand of hair slid down his cheek and brushed against his collarbone. He was as alluring as a wolf.
Qingchen sighed helplessly, "I'm not going to play along with you anymore, I'm going to sleep."
"no."
She ignored him and turned to leave.
She had only taken two steps when a flurry of tiny, fragmented things began to fall from above. Upon closer inspection, Qingchen realized they were red paper scraps from exploding firecrackers. These scraps landed on her head, shoulders, nose, and even her collar.
She turned around helplessly and saw Meng Gexing holding a handful of water, which he was scattering high into the sky above his head. He was tilting his head back, his chin and neck forming a beautiful line, and the corners of his mouth were turned up, like a child who had gone wild with fun.
Red paper scraps scattered everywhere, drifting gently down in the quiet night. The two of them faced each other, neither willing to give in, both covered in red paper dust. One person like this would look somewhat disheveled, but the two of them together created a rather festive appearance.
Qingchen originally wanted to blame him, but stopped speaking as soon as she uttered the word "you".
She suddenly felt that the scene was beautiful. Red paper fluttered down from the sky, and behind Meng Gexing were peach trees in full bloom. Red lanterns swayed gently in the wind, their flames blazing, and smiling faces were everywhere... This kind of beauty was simple and pure. There were beautiful things in this world, and their eyes could still see them.
Truly, those were the most beautiful years of my life.
Seeing Meng Gexing grinning foolishly, Qingchen simply bent down, picked up the scraps of paper from the ground, gathered them up, and threw them at him, saying, "If you like playing, you can have them all!"
The paper scraps flew towards Meng Gexing, who was caught off guard. He could only laugh and use his left and right hands to block them in turn. "You clearly like it too, so why don't you dare to admit it!" As he spoke, he bent down to gather his "weapon".
Seeing his menacing approach and realizing her hands were empty, Qingchen was about to run away to find a place to hide when Meng Gexing had already taken three steps in two to reach her and grabbed her arm. "You think you can just run away after you've finished hitting me!"
With no way to avoid it, Qingchen had no choice but to surrender. He tried to act tough while dodging, saying in a serious tone, "I'm not playing anymore, I'm not playing anymore. What's so fun about that? I'm going to sleep..."
"It's still early, Lord Shen." He suddenly pulled her in front of him, almost chest to chest, his dark eyes fixed on her, and said with a half-smile, "I've seen shameless people, but I've never seen anyone as shameless as you!"
The moment Qingchen met his eyes, she felt as if she were seeing a clear night sky full of stars, and her heart skipped a beat.
Just as she was about to struggle, Meng Gexing suddenly revealed a cunning smile, placed the hand holding the paper scraps on her head, and spread his fingers. Red fragments immediately fell on Qingchen's head, and she instinctively took half a step back, shaking her head and blinking repeatedly, but her lips and tongue were not spared either.
Meng Gexing's hearty laughter soon reached her ears.
He laughed triumphantly, so much so that he couldn't straighten his back.
Shen Qingchen glared at him, straightening her robes as she said indignantly, "Which bastard cheated when no one was looking!"
Meng Gexing raised his head slightly, a half-smile on his face, looking like he'd gotten the better deal but was still acting innocent. He said in a clear, gentle voice, "Look how dumbfounded I am, who can I blame?"
"..."
At this moment, one of Meng Gexing's men came and said, "Boss, the time has come; it's time to put the jar down."
Meng Gexing nodded and said to Qingchen, "Let's go, Lord Shen, let's bury the wine jar together. It's our custom here to bury some wine during the New Year. Since you're here, why don't you bury one yourself?"
After picking off the last bit of debris from his body, Qingchen exhaled and nodded.
The two arrived at the peach tree in the courtyard, where they saw that someone had already dug a pit under the tree, and there were about ten jars of wine piled up on the ground next to it.
Yunnan enjoys a spring-like climate year-round and abundant flowers. Locals not only like to use flowers in cooking and medicine, and to make pastries and snacks, but they also enjoy using flowers to brew wine.
As Meng Gexing worked, he said, "This is peach blossom wine. It's made with the earliest blooming peach blossoms of the year. We buried it during the New Year so we can drink it later. It has a good meaning."
A gentle breeze carried the fragrance of peach blossoms throughout the courtyard. Qingchen gazed at the jars of peach blossom wine and couldn't help but recall a melody he had heard somewhere before.
The fragrance of peach blossoms fills the air, peach blossoms bloom in abundance, and peach blossom wine is brewed under the peach trees.
The peach blossoms are red, the peach blossoms are pretty, and they laugh and talk among the peach petals.
Springtime is wonderful, and everyone is happy...
Seeing Qingchen lost in thought, Meng Gexing came over with a wine jar and asked, "What's wrong?" In the moonlight, his face was exceptionally handsome, and the upturned corners of his eyes resembled a peach blossom, seemingly full of affection, more charming than a flower.
Qingchen shook her head, took the wine jar from his hand, and placed it in the hole in the ground. After all the dozen or so jars of wine were on the ground, she and Meng Gexing together covered them with soil and buried them.
As Meng Gexing buried the wine, he looked at her and said, "Let's do it in ten years. Ten years from now, we'll drink these together. You'll be thirty and I'll be thirty-six. We'll both be in our prime, have seen everything we need to see, and still have hope in our hearts. Drinking these wines together then will surely be a unique experience."
Ten years sounds like a long time, yet it feels like it's just around the corner.
Qingchen was silent for a moment before replying, "Okay."
Meng Gexing curled the corners of his lips. "Then it's settled. Both of us must be together to open the jar. If one of us is missing, the other must not drink alone either."
"……good."
Ten years later, who knows where they'll end up? A reunion will likely be difficult. And this wine…
Regardless, today is a special day, a day of extraordinary significance. She didn't want to say no to anything Meng Gexing said, as long as it was within her power, otherwise it would seem like she was ruining this beautiful occasion. It was a way of expressing her gratitude, thanking him for giving her a different kind of Lunar New Year's Eve.
After tonight, she will revert to being his Yunnan Provincial Governor, while he will remain the White Lotus Sect leader she must be wary of. She will still be an official, and he will still be a bandit; they will still have to outwit and outmaneuver each other, striving and fighting to uphold their respective wishes.
After burying the wine, Meng Gexing and Qingchen stood facing the peach tree for a while, while the others in the village went off to do their own thing.
As the moon was half-hidden behind the clouds and the light in the courtyard was dim, he took her hand and gently led her to lean against the peach tree.
Qingchen was a little stunned. "What are you doing?"
Meng Gexing faced him, one hand supporting himself on the tree trunk behind her, the other lifting her chin, her eyelashes slightly lowered, and said, "Want to kiss me? I've never kissed a man before... Tonight, I really want to try."
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