Chapter 404 Some chess games mean certain death upon entry.
"There's nothing inconvenient about it," Mo Wen waved his hand. "It's definitely tuberculosis."
With a furrowed brow, she said, "Tuberculosis is curable, so why not treat it?"
As if guessing what Sheng Sheng wanted to ask, Su Wenyuan answered her question first: "Teacher's illness is half physical and half mental. If the mental illness is not cured, the physical illness will be difficult to cure."
Why do you say that?
"My physical illness is due to my advanced age, and my tuberculosis has been accumulating for a long time, penetrating deep into my bones. Ordinary medicines can hardly cure it; they can only delay its progression. As for my mental illness, the Song Dynasty is currently in turmoil and falling apart. Looking at the people behind these forces, even if a battle is fought to a conclusion, it is unlikely to be a good outcome. I am deeply worried about the future of the Song Dynasty."
"Indeed, I often wonder if it was right or wrong for me to stay out of this internal strife. If I had chosen to side with one of the forces from the beginning, would things have changed?"
"How could that be!" the voice said solemnly. "According to what Young Master Su and Grandpa Mo said, those people currently engaged in fierce internal strife in Song probably don't actually have anyone capable of shouldering great responsibilities. If they are not worthy of being assisted, why should we assist them? Even if we do help them ascend to a high position, what if they turn out to be a tyrant? Wouldn't that be aiding and abetting evil, pushing the people of Song from one fire pit to another?"
Mo Wen paused for a moment.
Looking at the bright-eyed, determined young girl in front of him, he was filled with mixed emotions.
Throughout his life, he met countless people, including many sycophants and scholars who only talked about their ambitions.
He never imagined that, with half his body buried and having lived for over eighty years, he would hear such insightful and sharp observations from a young child.
He had never thought of such a simple truth.
Mo Wen suddenly burst into laughter: "Hahahaha, wonderful, wonderful!"
A confused voice asked, "Hmm?"
"Although Your Highness is young, it is precisely this straightforward and simple nature that allows you to see things most clearly. For many years, I have pondered this, always thinking of using my own strength to save the collapsing edifice. But I did not know that in this world, some games are dead once you enter them, and once a move is made, there is no going back. No matter how much you struggle, you cannot escape the predetermined fate."
Sheng Sheng felt that every time the old man spoke in such a profound and unfathomable tone, she subconsciously couldn't understand him.
It wasn't that she couldn't understand his words, but his tone reminded her of the Grand Tutor giving lectures in the Wenhua Hall.
Sheng Sheng smiled and said, "Hehe."
Before she knew it, she had talked a lot. Sheng Sheng had only come to digest her food after lunch, but now it was time for her to take a nap.
Seeing that the pot of tea had been finished, Sheng Sheng took his leave, leaving the space to the teacher and student.
"Sheng Sheng should go back for her afternoon nap. Grandpa Mo and Young Master Su, let's chat some more next time!"
"Respectfully seeing off Your Highness the Princess."
After the little girl's figure disappeared with a bouncy gait, Su Wenyuan said, "Teacher, this princess is straightforward and lovely. From her few words, I can feel that she must have grown up in an environment filled with pure and intense love. I used to think that all the royal families of the world were similar to the royal family of my Song Kingdom, full of open and covert struggles that were exhausting. But now it seems that I was too narrow-minded."
After saying this, Su Wenyuan shook his head with mixed feelings and sighed, "If our Song Kingdom could be like this, it would not be in such a chaotic state as it is now, and the people would not suffer. It is a pity that our Song Kingdom's agricultural technology has always been among the best in the country, but now it has been affected by this and has stagnated."
On the table, a tea stove was brewing new tea. Mo Wen stared intently at the steaming spout of the teapot, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with Su Wenyuan's words.
Seeing this, Su Wenyuan assumed that his teacher was as sorrowful as ever about the current state of the Song Kingdom, and he couldn't help but feel sorrowful as well: "Teacher, you taught your students that if they wanted to use what they had learned to serve a worthy master, they must choose someone worthwhile. But looking at the entire Song royal family, which of those princes is worthwhile?"
Mo Wen narrowed his eyes slightly, and his cloudy eyes suddenly shone with a glimmer of light.
He recalled the second sheet of paper in that letter. The handwriting on that sheet was completely different from the first sheet. It was not from the Second Prince of Yu, but from—the Ninth Prince Pei Ji, whom they had just been discussing.
The boiling water, upon contact with the cold air, turns into fine steam that drips down the edge of the teapot.
Mo Wen suddenly smiled, stroked his beard, and said, "Don't worry, there's still a chance."
Su Wenyuan hurriedly asked, "Teacher, what do you mean by this?"
Mo Wen changed the subject again, revealing the most hearty laugh he had shown in recent days, and personally brewed a pot of new tea.
"From today onwards, you will closely monitor the court's movements through the various spies lurking within Qingyang City, and compile them into a book, leaving no detail unattended and striving for accuracy. Also, collect all the important events from the past five years and record them as well."
Su Wenyuan was taken aback, confused but excited: "Yes, teacher."
*
After resting at the Mo residence for two days, the group bid farewell to Mr. Mo Wen and continued on their way to their destination.
Previously, Su Wenyuan had briefly mentioned the old man Mo Wen's health condition. Although Sheng Sheng understood that it was indeed extremely difficult to treat the old man at his age, and that the old man himself was not very concerned about it, Sheng Sheng still inquired about his condition carefully before leaving. He planned to ask the divine physician Shen in Jin State if there was any way to cure him.
Despite being a highly influential and respected figure in the literary world, Mo Wen was down-to-earth and acted like a kind elder.
Putting aside the jade pendant he gave them, they were also taken good care of during their two days at the Mo residence.
Perhaps Mo Wen himself has long since come to terms with life and death after living for so many years, but Sheng Sheng simply cannot do nothing.
He pondered that even if it couldn't be cured completely, it would be good if it could alleviate his cough a little.
Two days ago, after Xie Yun-yang learned that Sheng-sheng and Mo-wen had a long talk, out of courtesy as a junior, he went to Mo-wen yesterday to greet and thank him.
As luck would have it, when Xie Yun arrived with Sheng Sheng, Mo Wen was discussing the current situation in the Song Kingdom with Su Wenyuan. Logically, Xie Yun, as the Crown Prince of the Yu Kingdom, should have avoided the discussion, but Mo Wen didn't care at all and smiled, inviting them to stay and listen.
As they listened, Mo Wen suddenly asked them to share their thoughts, and then subtly probed about Pei Ji through Sheng Sheng's voice.
They claimed to be inquiring about Pei Ji, but in reality, they were trying to find out Pei Ji's opinions on these matters.
Sheng Sheng pondered that Mo Wen probably knew something about Pei Ji's thoughts because she was friends with him, so he tried to find out from her indirectly.
Later, somehow, the four people from different countries began to discuss the way to govern a country.
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