Chapter 228 The King Who Lost His Country 28
[I understand.]
Yao Rong nodded and smiled: [Then why didn’t you tell me the second question if you guessed it.]
Nan Liujing pursed his lips slightly.
Yao Rong waited for a moment and asked: [Does this question embarrass you?]
“No.” Nan Liujing finally spoke, “It’s just that I have some concerns in my heart.”
[What concerns.]
“I don’t know why my mother didn’t reincarnate, but stayed by my side and became a training system for wise rulers.”
“…I’m worried that if your identity is revealed, it will be bad for you and I will lose you again.”
Nan Liujing didn’t dare to take any risks in this matter.
Anyway, as long as my mother was with him, it didn’t matter in what identity.
Yao Rong suddenly realized: [So you are worried about this.]
Nan Liujing asked cautiously: "Will this affect you, mother?"
Yao Rong glanced at the system beside her and shook her head: [Don't worry, this is the fact.]
"So am I overthinking it?"
[Yes.]
Nan Liujing pursed his lips, but his expression did not become relaxed, but even more depressed: "Then why didn't mother recognize me earlier?"
Yao Rong didn't know whether to laugh or cry: [Although it has no effect on me, there will be some restrictions.]
[What's more, as you said, whether we recognize each other or not, my attitude towards you is the attitude of a mother towards her child.]
Okay.
Nan Liujing accepted this explanation, but still felt a little depressed.
He tried to divert his attention.
"Then I'll ask mother two questions, too."
[You kid, you really don't want to be humiliated.]
Nan Liujing smiled and said, "Is it because of my performance in front of my uncle that mother guessed that I guessed your identity?"
[Yes, I was almost fooled by you.]
"Then I have a second question--"
Nan Liujing hesitated for a long time before speaking softly, "Why did mother become a system? Where are you now? Have you been living well these years?"
Yao Rong sat on the sofa, changed to a more comfortable sitting position, tilted her head slightly, and joked, [This is more than one question.]
The next moment, she returned to her seriousness, [Answer the two simpler questions first. I have been staying in a place similar to the Sutra Repository for these years, and I've been living pretty well. ]
[As for why I became a system... it was because I saw that you were having a hard time, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't change your life. I could only watch you starve and suffer in the cold palace. ]
[This kind of life continued for a long time, until you were twelve years old, a voice asked me if I was willing to save you as a wise ruler training system. I agreed without hesitation. ]
System: [……]
It was really afraid that its host's words would be discovered by the Space Administration.
If this was discovered, the mission completion would be deducted.
Nan Liujing listened quietly, his eyes fixed on the sky that was lit up a little bit, his expression calm.
The system was sweating, it couldn't tell from Nan Liujing's expression whether he believed these words or not.
[Host, can you fool him with this?]
Yao Rong said: [Actually, I am not lying to him.]
After a long while, Nan Liujing retracted his gaze: "Mother, will you feel bored staying with me all the time?"
Yao Rong told him in a very affirmative tone: [No.]
Nan Liujing's eyes were slightly moist: "I have always been worried that you will be bored."
[Then I can tell you with certainty: the process of me staying with you is like watching a persimmon tree grow up slowly.]
[You are already strong enough that you don't need anyone to save you anymore, but I still want to stay and watch the persimmon tree bloom, bear fruit, and grow into a towering tree to provide shade and shelter for people all over the world.
Nan Liujing has not yet become a wise ruler, and has not left a mark in history. How can she bear to leave at this time? "
Okay." Nan Liujing closed his eyes slightly, his eyebrows softened, "Mother, just wait and see. My uncle has handed the knife to me, you can see how I hold the knife."
"Hey, why are you up so early?" Yao Shengan's voice came from not far away.
Nan Liujing opened his eyes, stretched out his hand to hold the railing, and smiled brightly: "Uncle, I will tell you a secret."
"What secret?"
Nan Liujing said in a voice that only the two of them could hear: "I dreamed of my mother last night. She asked me to tell you that she is proud of you from the bottom of her heart."
Yao Rong smiled helplessly.
Yao Shengan was a little surprised, and his eyes turned slightly red.
He felt that Nan Liujing's words were probably just to comfort him.
But for some reason, he had a strange feeling that this was what his elder sister was thinking.
"What else did your mother say?"
Nan Liujing did not reply immediately.
Yao Rong understood what Nan Liujing meant.
Yao Shengan's pain came from his unwillingness to let himself go.
The only person who could persuade him to let himself go was her.
[Liujing, please tell him for me, just say--]
[He always felt that I sacrificed my marriage for the family, but he has also been sacrificing his life for the family for the past eighteen years. Don't be in pain because of what happened to me. Like him, I have never regretted my choice.]
[I believe that my father, eldest brother and second brother will also be proud of him. Nan Liujing
repeated everything without changing a word.
Yao Shengan tried hard to force a smile, but it was uglier than crying.
He was sure that it must be his elder sister who had told his nephew in his dream.
Because only elder sister knows what he cares about most and what is the most difficult obstacle to overcome.
***
Nan Liujing and Yao Shengan went to have breakfast together, and then Nan Liujing went back to his room to catch up on his sleep.
He didn't sleep too long this time, and woke up just after noon. After a simple wash, he went to the study, ground ink and picked up a pen, and wrote a letter to Qi Si and Liang Guangyu respectively.
Ten days later, a thin young man wearing a martial arts hat, followed by several subordinates, rode into Yongning City.
Half an hour later, the young man entered the county government office and took off his martial arts hat in front of Nan Liujing.
"Fourth Brother Qi, it's you." Nan Liujing stepped forward in surprise and hugged the dusty Qi Si.
Qi Si hugged Nan Liujing back tightly: "I haven't seen you for two years, and you are already half a head taller than me."
Guisheng served tea to the two of them and greeted Qi Si with a smile.
Qi Si had a good relationship with Guisheng and even asked about Guisheng's health. Hearing that Guisheng was fine, he was relieved.
After a brief reminiscing, Qi Si got to the point: "As soon as I received your letter, I went to see Lord Liang. After discussing with Lord Liang, I immediately set out to see you."
Nan Liujing said, "I didn't expect you to come in person."
Qi Si said, "This is a serious matter. I don't trust anyone except myself."
Nan Liujing handed a box to Qi Si: "Here are the things."
"Okay." Qi Si took it solemnly, "Give me two months."
After getting the things, Qi Si only had lunch in the county government office and was about to leave.
"Leaving so fast?" Nan Liujing tried to persuade him, "At least you can rest here for a night."
Qi Si declined his kindness: "I have been so excited since I received your letter that I can't sleep. If I don't finish this as soon as possible, I will never be able to sleep well."
"I want to talk to you more about the past."
"Don't worry, we will see each other again in two months at most."
"That's right, be careful." Nan Liujing patted Qi Si's shoulder.
Qi Si finally couldn't help but frown.
When he and Brother Nan first met, Brother Nan was much shorter than him, but he hasn't grown much in the past few years, but Brother Nan is already tall enough for him to pat his shoulder.
Nan Liujing laughed and stopped teasing Qi Si. He just stood there, watching Qi Si get on the horse and whip away.
The box he gave to Qi Si contained evidence of the crime of the person who was in charge of the North Division of the Dark Pavilion.
Eighteen years later, the person in charge of the North Division is now the second in command of the Dark Pavilion, in charge of the entire Second Division of the Dark Pavilion.
Nan Liujing didn't know what Qi Si and Liang Guangyu had done specifically, he just got the result he wanted two months later.
A major purge took place within the Dark Pavilion, and the second in command of the Dark Pavilion and the person in charge of the Dark Pavilion in the North Division were all executed.
Now the Second Division of the Dark Pavilion is taken over by Liang Guangyu.
And the person in charge of the Dark Pavilion in the North Division is Qi Si.
Nan Liujing smiled slightly as he watched Qi Si, who had stepped down from his horse and walked leisurely into the county government office to report to him.
From then on, the eyes of the court in the north were used by him.
***
That night, Nan Liujing took Qi Si to see Yao Shengan.
Yao Shengan was the only relative of Nan Liujing still alive in the world, so Nan Liujing took good care of him.
Knowing that Yao Shengan did not like the environment of the county government, Nan Liujing bought a courtyard for Yao Shengan on the street not far from the county government, arranged two servants for Yao Shengan, and asked the doctor to visit Yao Shengan every few days.
When Nan Liujing and Qi Si arrived at the courtyard, Yao Shengan had just finished seeing the doctor.
When hearing about Yao Shengan's identity, Qi Si showed surprise. But soon, thinking of the box full of evidence, Qi Si understood.
"I plan to hand over everything in that wooden box to Fourth Brother Qi." Nan Liujing said to Yao Shengan straight to the point.
"Okay." Yao Shengan nodded, "The person you chose will definitely be fine."
Qi Si showed a look of sharpening his knife: "Are there other evidences?"
Nan Liujing said: "Yes. But we made a big fuss in cleaning up the dark pavilion, so we can't take action against the other two people for the time being, otherwise it will arouse Ji Yushan's jealousy."
After Qi Si learned about the other things in the wooden box, he pondered for a moment and asked Nan Liujing: "Little brother Nan, what do you want me to do?"
Nan Liujing said: "I hope the people in the north can use it."
Qi Si thought for a while: "That may take more time."
"Is one year enough?"
"Enough."
Yao Shengan sat next to the two people, listening to their words quietly, feeling deeply moved.
He was obviously not old, but in front of these two young men, he couldn't help but feel that "the era already belongs to them".
No wonder his nephew could do so well.
In addition to his own outstanding abilities, he also had talented people around him to help him.
***
After reading the evidence, Qi Si spent some time to list a detailed plan and then showed it to Nan Liujing.
Nan Liujing thought for a long time and gave Qi Si some suggestions.
After listening to it, Qi Si nodded repeatedly: "This is a good idea, I will do it this way."
The plan they worked out was actually very simple.
That is to compile the story of the Yao family into a storybook, opera, and other forms that the common people like, and then mix in some private goods, such as setting up a corrupt official named Ji, and then putting all the things that Ji Yushan did on this corrupt official Ji.
This plan is feasible because the Yao family has a very high reputation in the North.
Although the Yao family no longer exists, as Yao Shengan said, the Yao family has been stationed in the North for more than 130 years, and has shed blood and tears for the North from generation to generation.
The common people are not so forgetful.
What's more, what was the situation in the North when the Yao family was there? What is the situation in the North
now that the Yao family is no longer there?
The common people's eyes were not blind yet, they saw it clearly.
In order to make the stories and operas more catchy, Qi Si spent a lot of money to hire someone to write them.
Yao Rong had nothing to do, so he also helped to create a lot of stories and operas.
Nan Liujing sent the things Yao Rong had written to Qi Si.
After reading it, Qi Si slapped his thigh hard: "It's amazing. It's really amazing. Even I, who know the truth, can't wait to rush in and kill the corrupt official Ji after reading this story, and then follow the general to make achievements."
Nan Liujing smiled, and agreed with Qi Si's evaluation in his heart.
He was the first reader of his mother.
"Then the rest of the things will be handed over to you, Brother Qi."
Qi Si's ability to get things done is indeed beyond doubt.
A month later, Nan Liujing went out to do some work and passed by three taverns along the way. There were storytellers in all three taverns.
The content of their stories was different, but the protagonists were all from the Yao family.
One of the taverns happened to be telling the story of the book written by Yao Rong.
Nan Liujing looked at the sky and saw that it was almost time for lunch, so he decisively got off his horse and went into the tavern to eat.
Yao Rong commented: [This storyteller is really good.]
Nan Liujing said: "I heard that the fourth brother Qi spent a lot of money to invite many storytellers from other places."
[The money was well spent.]
Some money can be saved.
Some money spent can really see the effect.
When Yao Rong and Nan Liujing were chatting, several people at the next table were also chatting while eating peanuts.
"The general in this story is so miserable. His parents, brother, sister and uncle were all killed by corrupt officials. He was also imprisoned by corrupt officials and almost lost his life."
"It's miserable, but it's true." The man gave a thumbs up. "There was a big chaos in the north, and the corrupt officials couldn't solve it, so they pulled the general out of prison and sent him to the north to fight with injuries. The general went there and won!"
"The northern common people in the story have generals, what do we have!?"
"Why don't we have them? Have you forgotten General Yao and General Yao?"
"Yes, yes, I'm confused. But... I always feel that the experience of the general in this story is a bit similar to that of General Yao..."
"Hey, I think so too. Do you think that what is said in this story is true? Was General Yao killed by corrupt officials?"
When one person connects the story with reality, more and more people will start to do the same thing.
The release of various true and false news has greatly enriched the lives of the people in the north, and also increased the hatred of the people in the north towards the court.
Because the corrupt officials in the story not only framed the general, a loyal and good man, but also increased taxes and conscripted soldiers for the people in the north, and ignored
the fact that the people in the north died from natural disasters and wars. The people in the north have personal pain about tax increases, conscription, natural disasters, and wars. They easily put themselves in the story, thus completing empathy with the characters in the story.
When talking about the generals leading the people of the north to kill corrupt officials, quell wars, and suppress natural disasters, the anger in the hearts of the people turned into pleasure.
They may not understand what this change of mood means now, but the seeds of resistance have been sown in their hearts.
***
In the blink of an eye, it was the end of the year again.
After getting through the initial stage, Nan Liujing's army had increased to 30,000 people, and Qi Mingxu also had 20,000 soldiers.
Six of the 16 cities on the border have already surrendered.
On the 29th of the twelfth lunar month, Nan Liujing and Qi Si rushed to Chang'an County to celebrate the New Year with Qi Mingxu and Jiang Ding. On the first day of the Lunar
New Year, Jiang Ding led a few people to the arsenal and went all the way to the deepest part of the arsenal: "I have developed siege equipment and trained a group of craftsmen. As long as the materials are sufficient, they can build several siege equipment overnight."
Nan Liujing asked: "How is the effect?"
Jiang Ding said: "Brother Nan, don't worry, ordinary cities will never be able to stop these siege equipment. Of course, a huge city like Kyoto is not something that can be easily taken down by siege equipment."
"It's enough." Nan Liujing said.
After the Lantern Festival, the court finally noticed that something was wrong with the situation in the north.
After all, the population of the north is still on the move, and many merchants will travel between the capital and the north. Even if Nan Liujing has been trying to control it, the abnormality of the north is still known to the court.
Among them, Yongning City has undergone the biggest change.
So soon, Yongning City welcomed the first batch of imperial emissaries.
County Magistrate Zhou and Master Shi were responsible for entertaining this batch of imperial emissaries.
Under their crazy operation of stuffing money, this batch of imperial emissaries concluded that "everything is normal in Yongning City, and the development of Yongning City is due to County Magistrate Zhou's efforts to govern the city."
Before County Magistrate Zhou and Master Shi could breathe a sigh of relief, the second batch of imperial emissaries arrived within two months.
This batch of imperial emissaries was not as easy to fool as the previous batch. They took a lot of money, asked about things they shouldn't ask about, and liked to play incognito.
Zhou County Commander broke out in a cold sweat and quietly went to find Nan Liujing: "Young Master Yaonan, the abnormality in our Yongning City may not be kept secret anymore."
Nan Liujing was reading a letter. When he heard what Zhou County Commander said, he handed the letter over: "If you can't keep it secret, then forget it. The court will not be able to take care of us in a short time." Zhou
County Commander took the letter and immediately understood.
Half a month ago, the Yellow River burst its dikes and hundreds of thousands of people were affected.
Not only did the court not provide disaster relief, it was also desperately oppressing the people.
The desperate people rushed to the granary, robbed the food, and finally raised the banner of rebellion and directly revolted!
The court is now busy sending troops to the south to quell the civil unrest, and it can't spare any time to take care of them for the time being.
"The world is going to be in chaos. Young Master Yao Nan, what should we do?"
"Wait."
"Wait for what?"
"I'm waiting for someone's reply."
Suddenly, there was a flustered sound of footsteps outside the study.
Qi Si rushed to Nan Liujing with a food box.
Nan Liujing's eyes fell on the food box: "What's in it?"
"It's golden cakes." Qi Si opened the lid of the food box, "You said, you wrote a letter to Master Liang, and Master Liang gave you a box of golden cakes in return, what does that mean?"
Nan Liujing reached out and picked up a golden cake, took a bite, and smiled: "I like to treat everyone to persimmons and golden cakes. Master Liang is telling me that he agreed to my request."
After putting away the golden cake in his hand, Nan Liujing looked up in the direction of Kyoto, and his tone was light, as if he was saying that the weather was really good today.
"The south is rebelling, so let's rebel in the north as well."