Chapter 226 The King of a Lost Nation 26

On this morning, Nan Liujing and several guards rode out of the city to inspect the spring ploughing situation.

They did not speed up in the city until they were out of the city gate, then they whipped their whips to speed up.

The common people who lined up to enter the city were already used to it, only those who had just arrived in Yongning City saw something new.

"Are there still noble sons who don't ride horses in the city these days?"

"Is this your first time in Yongning City?"

"Father, how did you tell?"

"That black horse is the mount of Young Master Yao Nan. Everyone in Yongning City knows it."

"So that person is Young Master Yao Nan. It's not surprising if it's him. I often heard people mention his reputation when I was doing business in Shanhuai County."

"Are you also doing business in Yongning City? Recently, many merchants from other places have come to our city."

...

After inspecting outside the city until noon, Nan Liujing returned to the city, picked a noodle restaurant on the roadside to eat, and then led his horse back to the county government.

As soon as he arrived at the door, Guisheng came out to greet him.

Nan Liujing handed the reins to the servant: "Guisheng, what happened?"

"Young Master, not long after you went out today, a man came to the county government office and stuffed a letter into the gatekeeper's hand." Guisheng briefly introduced the situation while handing over a letter.

Nan Liujing lowered his eyes and glanced at it, and was stunned.

He knew why Guisheng had given him this letter on purpose.

Because on the envelope, there was a special wax.

He had only seen this wax in one place. That was on the relics left by his mother.

"Let's talk inside." Nan Liujing said.

Guisheng understood and went into the house with Nan Liujing.

Nan Liujing pulled out a dagger, scratched the cowhide envelope, and took out the letter inside.

On the clean letter paper, there was only one simple sentence——

【Yao Nan, is it the Nan from the mother’s Yao family】

Nan Liujing closed the letter paper and let out a long breath: "Where is that person?"

Guisheng said: "I asked him to go to the side hall to rest. Master, do you want to go and see him?"

Nan Liujing asked Yao Rong in his heart: "Teacher, do you think that person is an old acquaintance of the Yao family?"

[Probably.]

[This kind of sealing wax is specially made by the Yao family, and outsiders cannot forge it.]

"Then should we go and see him?"

[Let's go and see him.]

Nan Liujing turned his head and looked at Guisheng: "Guisheng, take me there."

"Okay." Guisheng hesitated, and added, "Master, that person's condition is not very good, you should be mentally prepared."

How bad is the situation?

When Guisheng pushed open the door, the sunlight rushed into the house through the crack of the door, and Yao Rong finally saw the man clearly.

The first thing he noticed was the fierce scar that ran from his left eye to his cheek.

The second thing he noticed was the crutch that he placed on the edge of the table and his badly worn left shoe.

Finally, he noticed the messy gray hair at his temples.

He sat there quietly, his back slightly hunched, with a heavy look of old age, like a weathered guest who suddenly visited after many years and knocked on the door of memory again.

***

General Yao had three sons and one daughter, all born to his first wife.

The eldest son and the second son were born when General Yao was young. General Yao had a bad temper at that time and thought that children should be thrown directly into the battlefield for training, so the first two sons grew up in the military camp.

When his daughter and youngest son were born, General Yao had become a veteran with a long history of battles and his temper was better than before.

He looked through all the classics and finally named his daughter Yao Rong.

The youngest son was called Yao Shengan.

The youngest son's personality was not like the eldest and second sons. He was naughty and mischievous.

He could climb up the roof and tear off the tiles when he was three years old. When

he was five years old, he climbed a tree. Because he couldn't get down and was too proud to tell others, the whole family searched for him in the mansion for a long time and were so anxious that they wanted to report to the police. In the end, Yao Rong heard the snoring coming from the tree and found that he was sleeping soundly on the tree.

When he was seven years old, he took advantage of the teacher's nap to burn the teacher's beard. When he was nine years old,

he knew how to take his elder sister to watch the third place in the imperial examination parade.

When he was twelve years old, Ji Yushan's youngest son bullied poor students in the school. He couldn't stand it, so he took a few guards to put Ji Yushan's youngest son in a sack.

Ji Yushan's youngest son refused to take this loss and went directly to the Imperial City Division to sue him.

He was taken to the Imperial City Division, refused to admit the incident, and used words to provoke Ji Yushan's youngest son, causing Ji Yushan's youngest son to attack him.

In front of everyone in the Imperial City Division, he openly beat Ji Yushan's youngest son again, and even argued that it was Ji Yushan's youngest son who started it first.

Later, General Yao was so angry that he had a fierce meal and asked him to apologize to Jifu. The family began

to choose a husband .

Essence Old General Yao was troubled by his perverse reasoning and wanted to pick up a stick to beat him up again: "According to your standard to choose a brother-in-law, do you want your sister to never get married?" Yao Shengan snorted coldly: "Anyway, it can't be these people."

Just when Yao Shengan was busy selecting a wife for his sister, an imperial decree suddenly came down from the palace, conferring Yao Rong the title of second-rank Zhaorong.

It was not a formal marriage, and there was no bridal robe. She

just entered the palace and became a concubine in the harem.

Military families, especially military families like the Yao family, were most afraid of offending the emperor, but when Yao Shengan heard this while kneeling on the ground, he wanted to draw his sword and kill people.

How dare the man on the dragon throne do this!

The daughter of their Yao family didn't even care about the position of empress, but that man dared to humiliate his sister!

It was the old general Yao who held Yao Shengan down.

The eunuch who announced the decree may have sensed Yao Shengan's anger and murderous intent, so he sped up his speech to finish reading the imperial decree and didn't dare to stay for a moment.

The young man, who always stood tall and refused to yield in front of his father, bowed his head to his father for the first time and begged his father to find a way to make the emperor take back his decision.

Old General Yao sat there for a long time, and finally said with a wry smile: "The imperial edict has been issued, and there is no possibility of changing it."

"What's more, the daughter of the Ji family has also received this imperial edict. The struggle between the Yao family and the Ji family is getting more and more intense. In order to maintain a balance, His Majesty must let your sister enter the palace. Just think of it as..."

"Just think of your sister as a sacrifice for the family."

Yao Sheng'an looked at his father in disbelief, unable to believe what he heard.

Although he always makes his father angry, in his heart, the person he admires the most is his father.

The cornerstone of the country, the backbone of Daye.

He has been in the army for more than 30 years and has fought in hundreds of battles, big and small.

His father was the military god in the eyes of the people of Daye, and also a great hero in his mind.

But now, the father who was omnipotent in his memory and always protected his family from wind and rain, was so helpless.

"I can accept the sons and daughters of the Yao family sacrificing their lives for the family and the people of Daye, but I can't accept my sister sacrificing her marriage."

General Yao looked at his little son calmly and sadly, and asked, "What can you do?"

Yao Shengan's face turned pale.

General Yao asked again: "What can you do if you cannot accept the fact that even I cannot change?"

"Yao Shengan, who do you think you are?"

"Others respect you, not because of you as a person, but because of your surname. Don't think that everything in the world can go according to your wishes just because you can walk around the capital."

Yao Shengan lost the strength to refute.

He pushed away the servants who were blocking him, staggered out of the main hall, and locked himself in the house for two days and two nights. He didn't eat a grain of rice or drink a drop of water.

Just when everyone was worried and wanted to break in, General Yao arrived at his door.

"If he wants to die, let him die in there. I will pretend that I don't have this son."

After a long time, there was finally movement in the house.

Yao Shengan opened the locked door and walked out with his head down.

He finally accepted it all and became much quieter.

On the day Yao Rong was brought into the palace, he personally carried Yao Rong on his back on the sedan chair.

"Sister, wait for me to go to the border to build a career."

Then he left the capital without looking back and went to the border.

Since then, the wind and frost have been fierce, the family has changed, and more than 20 years have passed since he was separated from his life and death.

Until today.

***

From the moment Nan Liujing appeared at the door, the man's eyes had been on Nan Liujing's face.

But rather than saying that he was looking at Nan Liujing, it would be better to say that he was looking for someone's shadow through Nan Liujing.

"Yao Shengan?"

Yao Shengan said in a hoarse voice: "No one has mentioned this name for a long time."

After confirming the other party's identity, Nan Liujing changed his words directly: "Uncle."

Yao Shengan was stunned, and then he showed a faint smile: "You don't look like Emperor Yongqing, but more like our Yao family."

Nan Liujing sat next to Yao Shengan: "Isn't this a good thing."

"It's a good thing. If you look like Emperor Yongqing, I might not be able to talk to you calmly now."

Nan Liujing straightened the upside-down teacup and poured himself a cup of tea: "If I look like Emperor Yongqing, I decided not to look in the mirror for the rest of my life."

Yao Shengan laughed, but the smile was fleeting, and he soon returned to his sad look with drooping eyebrows.

Nan Liujing drank a cup of tea in silence before asking, "Uncle, have you just arrived in Yongning City?"

"I just arrived this morning and came directly to the county government office."

"You must have been waiting for a long time."

"It's OK. There's tea and cakes to kill time."

"If you haven't found a place to stay yet, why don't you stay in the county government office? I'll have someone prepare a room for you."

Yao Shengan thanked him, "Then I'll trouble you."

"Uncle, you don't have to be so polite."

The two were speechless again.

They were each other's only relatives in this world, but today was the first time they met, and it seemed that everything they talked about seemed abrupt, as if they had to be careful in everything they did, for fear that they would accidentally say something that would touch the other party's minefield.

"Uncle, why don't you go downstairs and wash up first? I'll ask the kitchen to prepare a table of dishes. We can reminisce while eating tonight." Nan Liujing thought for a moment and suggested.

"Okay." Yao Shengan picked up the crutches beside him and stood up with the crutches.

Nan Liujing stepped forward subconsciously: "Let me help my uncle."

"No need." Yao Shengan avoided, "I can do it myself."

Seeing his insistence, Nan Liujing said nothing more and watched Yao Shengan leave with Guisheng.

When Yao Shengan's figure disappeared from his sight, Nan Liujing sighed and said to Yao Rong: "I thought my uncle was still alive, but I didn't expect it would be like this when we met."

Yao Rong sighed.

The first time she saw Yao Shengan, she thought to herself, how could their Yao family's young general become like this?

How did he survive all these years?

Did he ever have the thought at some point that he could die on the battlefield with his father and brother, instead of carrying all the sins and living in the world in such a wolfish manner?

But in the end, what Yao Rong thought was -

[It's good to be alive.]

"That's right, it's good to be alive. As long as you are alive, there is still hope."

Nan Liujing walked out holding the sword. He hadn't practiced sword today: "Teacher, there is one thing I don't understand."

[What place.] "

For the past eighteen years, there has been no news from my uncle. Why did he suddenly appear in front of me?"

He was sure that Yao Shengan was his uncle, not someone else pretending to be him.

Because Yao Shengan could fool anyone in this world, but he couldn't fool...

his teacher.

[You can ask him tonight.]

***

In the evening, Guisheng personally went to the kitchen to cook a few dishes.

Yao Shengan walked into the main hall with a cane. After seeing the dishes on the table, he looked happy and sad: "There are many dishes here that my sister likes to eat."

Nan Liujing said: "I don't know what you like to eat, so I prepared some casually." Yao

Shengan picked up the chopsticks: "As long as I can fill my stomach."

He is no longer the young general of the Yao family who never tires of fine food.

After taking a bite of the braised fish and putting it into his mouth, Yao Shengan was surprised: "This taste..."

"Do you think it tastes familiar?" Nan Liujing pointed to Guisheng on the side, "Guisheng is the person left to me by my mother. I am grateful for his care over the years."

Yao Shengan suddenly realized: "I heard my sister mention him."

After that, Yao Shengan only occasionally picked up other dishes, and most of the time he stretched out his chopsticks towards the braised fish.

Nan Liujing was afraid that he would be upset, so he quickly asked someone to serve two cups of tea: "Uncle, if you like braised fish, I will ask Guisheng to cook it for you next time."

Yao Shengan put down his chopsticks and took the teacup: "No need to bother."

What he missed was not the taste of the food, but the past time. But the person who would compete with him for the braised fish was no longer there.

Eating the braised fish with a similar taste again would only deepen the sadness of things changing and people changing.

The unfiltered tea leaves were floating in the cup. Yao Shengan didn't drink the tea, but just stared at the half tea leaf: "I didn't expect you to call me uncle directly."

"Why?"

"If it wasn't because of me, there wouldn't be any subsequent events."

"How could uncle think so?" Nan Liujing shook his head, disagreeing, "Emperor Yongqing has long wanted to kill the Yao family. He just lacks an excuse to do it. If it's not uncle's case, there will be other things. Uncle, don't blame yourself." Yao Shengan raised his

head and smiled bitterly.

Don't blame yourself?

How can you not blame yourself?

He knew that Emperor Yongqing had long wanted to get rid of the Yao family. He knew that even if it wasn't this time, it would be the next time...

He knew this truth, but so what.

Emperor Yongqing and the Ji family used his name to attack his father and brother. The Yao family's reputation for a hundred years was ruined because of him.

His elder sister also died indirectly because of his difficult labor.

For so many years, he hated himself in his dreams at midnight. Why was he caught at that critical moment?

If it was one month later...

even one month later...

would his elder sister be able to give birth to a child safely, and would not die so painfully and alone in the cold palace; would his elder sister's only child no longer need to bear the curse of "unknown".

"I know how much my elder sister is looking forward to your arrival. She would mention you every time she wrote to me, but she left the world forever without even seeing you."

"She is the person I want to protect most in my life, but it turns out that the biggest storm in her life was indirectly caused by me."

"This is what I can't forgive myself for the most."

Many times, a person's pain often comes from his unwillingness to let himself go. Nan Liujing thought for a moment and said, "Uncle, if my mother was still alive, she would not blame you, but would be glad that you are still alive."

"And I think so too."

"You think that without this incident, maybe my mother would be able to give birth to me safely, and maybe I would be able to grow up safely in the palace, but I don't think so."

"The Yao family blood in my mother and me is the original sin. Even if Emperor Yongqing is willing to let us go, the noble concubine will definitely not let us go easily."

At this point, Nan Liujing raised his hand, patted Yao Shengan on the shoulder, and said softly: "Uncle, everything that is happening now is the best outcome after many people's efforts to fight."

"So don't imagine those old things that can never be changed, and don't blame yourself for your imagination."

Yao Shengan felt the warmth and strength of the shoulder, and suddenly tears flowed down his face.

He thought, he is worthy of being my elder sister's child.

How come even the tone of his voice when he speaks is the same as my elder sister's.

In the endless space, Yao Rong noticed something was wrong from the moment Nan Liujing said "I'm just glad that you are still alive in this world."

She suddenly recalled that when she saw the letter at noon today, Guisheng asked Nan Liujing if she wanted to see Yao Shengan. Nan Liujing's first reaction was not to answer "yes" or "no", but to ask her if she wanted to see him.

It seemed that in this matter, her wish was the most important.