Chapter 114 (To My Husband)
When faced with peasant uprisings, the imperial court usually chooses to suppress them or offer them amnesty. Now that the imperial court's military strength is insufficient, the best way is to offer them amnesty.
Cheng Hao also sent people to negotiate with the Taiping Army several times, but the Taiping Army never responded.
Apart from the Taiping Army, the rebel army that had originally revolted in Xinzhou had also reached an agreement with the Taiping Army and elected the Taiping King as their leader, so their forces had grown even stronger.
In addition, large and small uprisings broke out in various parts of Daxia. Cheng Hao has spent a lot of time trying to win over the rebels, and fortunately, it has been effective. Most of these small uprisings have been suppressed.
Of course, the biggest threat is still the Taiping Army, who are now eyeing Bianjing with covetous intent. If the Taiping Army were to actually capture Bianjing, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Cheng Hao promised the Prince of Taiping an official position, and then added various benefits, big and small. Finally, three days later, the Prince of Taiping replied that they could discuss the details.
Logically, after Cheng Hao promised him an official position, the Prince of Taiping should have withdrawn his troops. However, the Prince of Taiping did not respond in time, but only asked to meet, probably because he felt that what he had given was not enough.
The situation is different now. It would be best to avoid war if possible. Besides, the Taiping Army was forced into rebellion by coercion, so there was a reason for it. Cheng Hao replied in agreement.
Jiang Ru had dealt with the Taiping King before. The Taiping King was a rough man and didn't seem like someone who would negotiate for the sake of an official position. Of course, he might also want to seek peace. However, Jiang Ru was still cautious and reminded Cheng Hao: "We must continue to keep an eye on the Taiping Army, lest they attack Bianjing when we are not paying attention."
After thinking for a moment, Jiang Ru felt it still wasn't enough: "Why not send someone else to negotiate? If Godfather stays in Bianjing, I'm afraid they'll use a feint attack."
Bianjing cannot be without Cheng Hao in charge. The matter of surrendering the government can be entrusted to others. There are capable officials in the court. We can gradually increase the bargaining chips, and perhaps the Prince of Taiping will agree.
That makes sense. Cheng Hao has finalized a list of people, all of whom were his former colleagues who served as officials together. Jiang Ru thought for a moment and said, "Why don't I go along too? I can also sound out their opinions."
Just as Cheng Hao was about to refuse, Jiang Ru continued, "I will take good care of myself."
Cheng Hao felt more at ease leaving this matter to Jiang Ru, so he could only agree and instruct Jiang Ru, "Don't wander off, and remember to stay close to Lord Wang."
Lord Wang was the official appointed by Cheng Hao as the pacification commissioner, and Jiang Ru nodded in agreement.
Two days later, the officials of Bianjing and the Taiping Army agreed to hold peace talks in Yingchang Prefecture. The day before, Jiang Ru went to Yingchang with Lord Wang in advance. After staying in Yingchang for one night, they arrived at the place they had agreed to meet.
Initially, to show the court's sincerity, Lord Wang had already arranged the official residence and planned to entertain Prince Taiping properly. However, at the last minute, perhaps fearing an ambush by the court, Prince Taiping changed the location.
The group arrived at a secluded restaurant. Before this, Lord Wang had already sent people to seal off the restaurant, and now only government officials and Taiping soldiers were inside.
The Prince of Taiping had not yet arrived. Jiang Ru stood by the window and waited for a long time. Finally, the Prince of Taiping appeared. Jiang Ru glanced at the person walking in front, and with just one glance, she realized that this was not the Prince of Taiping.
The Prince of Taiping was several sizes bigger and taller than the leader.
Jiang Ru turned around and glanced at Lord Wang. She quickly walked behind him and whispered, "It's not Prince Taiping who's here."
Lord Wang was taken aback for a moment, and immediately realized that Prince Taiping still did not trust the court and therefore dared not show himself. Prince Taiping had sent someone to test the court's opinion first.
Before long, "Prince Taiping" entered the private room, followed by several of his subordinates, none of whom had friendly expressions.
Lord Wang spoke first, stating all the conditions that had been agreed upon beforehand. Prince Taiping, who was sitting at the front, finally raised his head. He had an excessively young face, the appearance of a young man, with heroic features and slightly dark skin. Even when he tried to appear serious, he couldn't hide his age, as if he was pretending to be mature.
Lord Wang was also somewhat dissatisfied, thinking to himself that the Prince of Taiping really looked down on him and sent such a person to fool him.
The Prince of Taiping spoke up, "It seems the court's sincerity is still not quite enough."
He must have just gone through puberty; his voice had a youthful depth and was slightly hoarse, unlike his previous childish voice. But this voice still stirred up a storm in Jiang Ru's heart.
Jiang Ru was originally dressed as a subordinate standing behind Lord Wang. She was shorter than the average subordinate, but because she was standing to the side and behind, she was not very conspicuous.
She raised her head without making a sound and saw the face of the Prince of Taiping.
The face that was still quite childish a few years ago has completely lost its immaturity. The features are sharp, even the dark eyes are brighter, the skin is slightly darker than before, and the eyebrows and eyes have a more stern look when slightly lowered. It is no longer the snotty-nosed child from a few years ago.
Jiang Ru's eyes widened suddenly.
Who else could this person be but Zhang Xingjun?
Don't think that just because he's grown taller, more mature, and stronger, Jiang Ru won't recognize him. She'd know even if he turned to ashes.
Previously, Jiang Ru had never imagined that Zhang Xingjun would be so wild. He used to become a bandit when he couldn't make a living, but now he's gone and rebelled against the imperial court.
She knew this kid had been a troublemaker since he was a child. Did Aunt Zhang know he was starting a rebellion? At least a few years ago he became a bandit because he couldn't get enough to eat, so what's the reason now?
Jiang Ru's lips twitched twice. It wasn't that she thought Zhang Xingjun was wrong, but now Zhang Xingjun was on the opposite side of the imperial court, which was a bad sign.
If the Taiping army refuses to negotiate, the imperial court will definitely send troops to suppress them, and then it will be a question whether Zhang Xingjun will survive.
The more he thought about it, the stranger it seemed. The Taiping army hadn't passed through Jinzhou, and it was hundreds of miles away. How did Zhang Xingjun even manage to join the Taiping army?
Lord Wang has already begun to negotiate with Zhang Xingjun, using official language to say that the court's sincerity is already sufficient.
At this moment, Zhang Xingjun tapped on the table, crossed his legs and leaned back in his chair, adopting the posture of a complete brute. If he could have a blade of grass in his mouth, he could easily go to the roadside and pretend to be a thug.
After all, he was her younger brother whom she had known for several years, and whom Pei Wu had watched grow up. Jiang Ru really didn't want him to go down a different path, and she certainly didn't want him to die.
Of course, if the Taiping army won, she and Pei Wu would be the prisoners, but the possibility of that was too small, and she did not want to stand on the opposite side of Zhang Xingjun.
Zhang Xingjun over there was still pushing his luck, saying that besides the Taiping King, the Taiping Army still had six teams of generals left, and that they should be granted titles no matter what, and not only that, the titles they were granted could not be low.
Putting aside whether or not they can be granted official positions, if they were, all these rebels could become officials. What would happen to the scholars who have studied for ten years? They might as well all join the rebellion.
Lord Wang tried to persuade Zhang Xingjun with a lot of words, but Zhang Xingjun refused to respond.
Lord Wang's expression grew increasingly grim as he spoke, concluding that the Taiping Army had no intention of accepting the amnesty and was merely trying to stall for time.
Jiang Ru listened helplessly. She knew that Zhang Xingjun was not very bright. He must have been instructed by someone to do this. After all, he was not the Prince of Taiping. If the Prince of Taiping wanted to negotiate, he would not have this attitude. He must have been instructed by someone.
Jiang Ru coughed twice suddenly, standing behind Lord Wang.
Lord Wang paused, thinking Jiang Ru was giving him some kind of signal. He turned to look at her, but Jiang Ru only coughed a few times and then made no other move. Only then did Lord Wang look away.
Even after several years, Zhang Xingjun, who was so familiar with Jiang Ru, instantly caught that familiar cough. He suddenly looked up at Jiang Ru, who innocently blinked at him.
Before coming, Jiang Ru had dressed up, darkening her face to look like a delicate scholar. Since Zhang Xingjun didn't look at her specifically, he didn't recognize her.
Hearing the familiar voice, Zhang Xingjun realized something was wrong. He looked at Jiang Ru's face, an extremely familiar face. Even though her face was blacked out and her features were made to look more masculine, Zhang Xingjun could still tell that it was Jiang Ru.
The last time they met, Jiang Ru came with the imperial court to provide disaster relief, while Zhang Xingjun was a bandit. This time, Jiang Ru came with the imperial court to offer amnesty, while Zhang Xingjun directly became a rebel.
Zhang Xingjun's expression froze for a moment, he put down his crossed legs, and even the arrogance on his face dissipated considerably.
Jiang Ru's presence here means that Pei Wu is likely also nearby. Even if he isn't, he will eventually find out that he has joined the rebel army.
Even though he knew this day would come, Zhang Xingjun still felt guilty and even stammered for a moment when he spoke.
But he quickly reverted to his original stance. Although he seemed a bit uneasy, he did not back down and continued to say that the court had not given enough.
Lord Wang was furious. He even disagreed with the highest concession that Cheng Hao had agreed to beforehand. The court's focus was on appeasement, but it could not back down again and again. Lord Wang's expression darkened, and in the end, he only asked Zhang Xingjun to consider it again before turning away.
Jiang Ru hurriedly followed, glancing back at Zhang Xingjun. Zhang Xingjun was also looking at her, his gaze slightly complicated.
Jiang Ru sighed and followed Lord Wang away first.
The attempt to recruit them failed to achieve a good result, and both groups returned to their respective posts. Jiang Ru felt a mix of emotions and wanted to write a letter to Pei Wu, but she was afraid of disturbing him.
Since Pei Wu went to Hedong, he has only sent two letters to Bianjing, most of which were about military affairs. In addition, Pei Wu also wrote two letters to Jiang Ru, telling her almost everything that happened on his journey, in great detail. The letters filled several pages, and Jiang Ru read them over and over again.
She would write a letter to Pei Wu every day, but she never sent it out. She always felt that it would bother Pei Wu, and she was also afraid of causing trouble for others.
Now that Zhang Xingjun has joined the rebel army, Jiang Ru doesn't know what to do, only thinking that it would be better if Pei Wu were here.
Jiang Ru leaned dejectedly against the window. She had given Zhang Xingjun a meaningful look earlier that day, but she didn't know if he had understood or if he would come to see her.
They had known each other for longer than they had been apart, but Jiang Ru felt that even if they were separated for a long time, Zhang Xingjun would not turn against her.
And Zhao Jing, Jiang Ru doesn't know anything about Zhao Jing. Zhang Xingjun has always said he wants to marry her, so why did he suddenly start a rebellion?
Jiang Ru's mind was racing with a jumble of thoughts when she heard a soft sound outside the window. She looked up and saw a dark figure leap over the courtyard wall and land gracefully on the ground.
Jiang Ru knew that Zhang Xingjun might come looking for her, so she had the guards give her a break beforehand. However, there were still quite a few guards hidden in her courtyard. As long as someone showed any intention of harming her, the guards would come out.
Judging from his figure, it should be Zhang Xingjun.
Jiang Ru sat up straighter and watched the figure approach. Judging from his expression, she knew he was going to climb out the window. She pointed to the other door, and Zhang Xingjun reluctantly went through the main entrance.
Once the person entered the house, Zhang Xingjun removed the black cloth covering his face, revealing the face he had seen during the day.
A few years ago, Zhang Xingjun was only slightly taller than Jiang Ru, but now he is more than a head taller than her. Jiang Ru looked up at him and sighed helplessly.
Zhang Xingjun has indeed changed a lot. If Pei Wu is the type who looks thin when dressed, then Zhang Xingjun looks strong even when dressed, like Erniu, the hardworking neighbor, who is simple and unpretentious and looks rather clumsy.
Their eyes met, and Zhang Xingjun spoke first, calling out to him, "Jiang Ru."
The familiar way she addressed him—even though she was younger than Jiang Ru, she always refused to call her "sister," but she would respectfully call Pei Wu "Brother Pei."
Upon hearing this address, all of Jiang Ru's frustration temporarily dissipated. She looked at Zhang Xingjun for a long time before asking, "What are you doing here?"
Zhang Xingjun also spoke up at the same time: "Why are you here, Brother Pei?"
Jiang Ru glared at him, annoyed. "I asked first. Explain yourself: why did you join the rebel army? And shouldn't you be in Jinzhou? How did you end up here?"
Zhang Xingjun hesitated for a moment, then explained, “I said in Jinzhou that I would join the army someday, but Jinzhou didn’t need many soldiers, so I could only choose to go to the border. Later, when we fought against the Northern Qi, I went to Yanshan Prefecture. But the Great Xia was defeated, and the commander fled. If I returned to the Great Xia, I would be a defeated general, so I went to Weizhou.”
Clearly, Weizhou also lost.
If Zhang Xingjun had gone to Zhen Ding Prefecture to seek refuge with Xie Jun, things wouldn't have turned out this way. But unfortunately, he ended up taking these few routes.
The prefect of Weizhou surrendered to the city, abandoning them. Weizhou was defeated one after another. Zhang Xingjun was already a captain at that time. The eunuch sent by the court gave chaotic orders, which led to the defeat. Zhang Xingjun fought desperately and managed to retreat with the few remaining men.
It was around that time that he developed rebellious intentions, and when the court completely abandoned them, he led his men to join the Taiping Army.
Because of his outstanding martial prowess, he quickly gained the favor of the Prince of Taiping, so he was sent here for today's negotiations. Unexpectedly, he encountered Jiang Ru here.
After saying all this, Jiang Ru thought wistfully that Zhang Xingjun was truly lucky to be alive.
She couldn't help but ask, "What about Zhao Jing?"
Zhang Xingjun was silent for a moment: "Jingjing and I made a promise that if I can't go back, Jingjing won't have to wait for me anymore."
Jiang Ru was also speechless.
She looked at Zhang Xingjun for a moment: "Your brother Pei is now the Prince of Liang. Can you persuade the Taiping Army to surrender? We will keep our promises and will not go back on our word."
She paused for a moment, then continued, "It was indeed the court's fault for not doing its job before, but that will never happen again. You know, your brother Pei has always cared about the people. Now that he is the Prince of Liang, he will not let what happened before happen again."
Zhang Xingjun has grown up and is no longer as mischievous as before. He has become much more mature. He didn't answer Jiang Ru's question directly, but instead asked, "How are things between you and Brother Pei?"
He refused to answer Jiang Ru's question. Jiang Ru glared at him, but considering that he was also worried about Jiang Ru and Pei Wu, she still told him: "Your brother Pei and I are doing well. Your brother Pei was transferred to Tanzhou before, and we got married in Tanzhou. But now Da Xia is at war, so we called on the righteous army to support us. Your brother Pei is in Hedong now."
The area east of the river is Weizhou and several prefectures that surrendered to the Lu army. Upon hearing this, a trace of regret flashed across Zhang Xingjun's face: "If I had left later, I might have been able to meet him again."
After saying that, he glanced at Jiang Ru's hair and said sincerely, "I knew you and Brother Pei would get married sooner or later. I wish you and Brother Pei happiness."
Jiang Ru frowned more and more as she listened. She interrupted Zhang Xingjun: "I've finished speaking. You should answer my questions now."
Jiang Ru repeated again: "Since you have been highly valued by the Prince of Taiping, your words should be useful, right? Can you persuade him to stop thinking about attacking Bianjing? Bianjing is now under the control of the Duke, and it is not as easy to break through as before. If we fight now, the Taiping Army is likely to lose."
She made it very clear that although the Taiping army had indeed grown much stronger, the biggest drawback of such an army was its instability. If disagreements arose later, it would easily fall apart.
Moreover, they should avoid fighting if possible. Jiang Ru was not lying to Zhang Xingjun. If the Taiping Army were to fight the imperial court now, they would most likely lose.
Zhang Xingjun shook his head, not afraid to tell Jiang Ru, "The so-called surrender was something the Prince of Taiping never intended to agree to."
Jiang Ru was taken aback. Zhang Xingjun looked into her clear eyes and said in a low voice, "The Prince of Taiping has already sent troops to attack Bianjing. He sent me here to negotiate, just to make the court relax its defenses."
So that's how it is. That's why the Prince of Taiping didn't come at all; he had already gathered his troops to attack Bianjing.
The Taiping army should have already launched their attack, which is why Zhang Xingjun was able to tell Jiang Ru, because even if Jiang Ru went back to report now, it would be of no use, as they had already started fighting.
However, it wasn't just the Taiping Army that was wary of the imperial court; the imperial court had never trusted the Taiping Army and had already begun its defenses. If the Taiping Army were to launch an attack, the imperial court would not sit idly by and wait for its demise.
Jiang Ru didn't know what to say for a moment. She only said, "But the Taiping Army may not be able to capture Bianjing."
Zhang Xingjun said, "I know."
If the Taiping army is defeated, even the lowest-ranking soldiers may not be punished for their numbers, but leaders like Zhang Xingjun and the Taiping King will certainly be dealt with.
Jiang Ru said anxiously, "Since you know that your brother Pei is now in charge, if the Prince of Taiping insists on attacking Bianjing, can't you go back to bid farewell to the Prince of Taiping and withdraw from the rebel army?"
Zhang Xingjun shook his head: "The Prince of Taiping was kind to me. He saved us when my brothers and I were injured."
Jiang Ru fell completely silent this time.
Just as Jiang Ru knew that the Taiping Army had a high probability of losing, Zhang Xingjun was probably not unaware of this either, but he still chose to follow the Taiping King.
The reason was that the Prince of Taiping had been kind to him.
Jiang Ru couldn't help but ask, "What if you die if you go with him?"
Zhang Xingjun remained silent for a long time. In the ensuing silence, he said firmly, "If I die, then that is my fate."
Jiang Ru was speechless. She didn't think Zhang Xingjun's actions were wrong, but she couldn't get over the emotional barrier; she didn't want Zhang Xingjun to die.
But now that things have come to this, what can she do to stop it? Even if Pei Wu were here, he might support Zhang Xingjun, even if they were on opposite sides.
Her eyes were filled with sorrow, and Zhang Xingjun simply looked at her and said, "Don't be sad, Jiang Ru."
After saying that, he continued, "Please apologize to Brother Pei for me. I believe that even if I die, Brother Pei will not blame me."
After saying that, he seemed to sigh and said, "I wonder if I'll ever see Brother Pei again."
Zhang Xingjun glanced at Jiang Ru one last time: "If I die, write a letter to me and Jingjing, and tell her not to wait for me anymore."
Jiang Ru's eyes reddened without her noticing. She never expected that seeing Zhang Xingjun again would be like this. She just stared at Zhang Xingjun, trying to find a way to get him to stay, but her mind seemed to go blank, and she couldn't say a word.
After a long while, Zhang Xingjun glanced at the dark night outside the window and said, "I should go."
Before Jiang Ru could speak, he continued, "I'm leaving, sister."
In all these years, the only time he called Jiang Ru "sister" was under such circumstances. Jiang Ru reached out in vain to grab him, but his figure had already climbed over the window. He was extremely fast, and Jiang Ru couldn't catch him. She only touched air. When she turned around again, he had disappeared into the thick night.
As if she had never been there, Jiang Ru was left alone in the room again.
Jiang Ru stood there, her body growing colder and colder. She looked ahead and seemed to see someone in front of her. Several years had passed, and he had grown into a big boy.
At only fifteen years old, he had such big ideas, and even dared to join the uprising, unafraid of death.
Jiang Ru didn't know who to tell this story to. A gentle night breeze blew, causing the curtains by the window to flutter. The room was so quiet that only the sound of the wind could be heard. Jiang Ru walked to the window blankly.
On the table was a letter, Jiang Ru's daily routine to Pei Wu, with the words at the beginning: "To my beloved husband."
Jiang Ru had written a lot of rambling words, mostly her own random thoughts. She sat down by the window and picked up her pen.
She had originally intended to use a different piece of paper, but as she raised her hand, Jiang Ru decided to continue writing the letter. She simply couldn't accept what had happened today, and she could only ask Pei Wu for advice.
In her letter, she wrote about Zhang Xingjun's situation and added at the end: I really don't know what to do. If it were you, what would you do? The rebels are about to fight the court. I can't persuade him. I'm afraid he will die. I know asking you is probably useless. It takes more than half a month to exchange letters, but I still want to ask you because I really don't know what to do.
Towards the end, she became almost incoherent, unable to remember what she had written, and stopped writing in frustration.
Even though the letter hadn't reached Pei Wu yet, and even though she hadn't seen Pei Wu's face, Jiang Ru could almost imagine his expression.
Pei Wu was initially slightly surprised, but after reading the letter, he smiled faintly. He might feel regret, but he didn't think Zhang Xingjun had done anything wrong.
Everyone has their own pursuits. For example, Pei Wu's pursuit is for peace and prosperity for the people. Jiang Ru's pursuit is simpler. She hopes to have enough to eat first. If she is doing well, then she will consider others.
Zhang Xingjun's initial pursuit was to become strong enough to protect his family and Jingjing, but now, he only seeks to have a clear conscience.
Jiang Ru closed the envelope, looked out at the night sky, and couldn't help but curse, "You're the one with the biggest ideas. I'll give you a good beating when I see you the next day."
But whether they would ever meet again, and what they would be like when they did, was still uncertain. Jiang Ru stared blankly at the night sky and whispered, "If I survive, I won't beat you up."
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Author's note: I'm late, I'm late!
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