Chapter 1379: Nightmare Come True [Seeking Monthly Tickets]
Gongyang Yongye thought it over and over again but still couldn't put his mind at ease.
[Though I am not a paragon of virtue, I know the value of a promise. Regardless of whether it is possession or a body swap, since I promised Lady Xiang to protect her, I will not easily break my promise.] He decided to take the risk and bind Xiang Zhao first.
Luo San felt increasingly uneasy as he listened.
He had actually wanted to ask Gongyang Yongye about his relationship with Xiang Zhao for a long time; the old man was taking Xiang Zhao far too seriously.
Could they be descendants of a long-lost gem who has been forgotten by the common people?
It doesn't sound like it; it sounds more like this old man is lewd.
Luan Xin said: "Let's try to contact her first."
If she has her own plans, forcibly interfering will only make things worse.
Gongyang Yongye was displeased but had no choice but to comply. He changed the subject, saying, "In that case, I will come again tomorrow. Minister Luan, please rest first. I will prescribe you a decoction to calm your mind and replenish your blood."
Luan Xin couldn't help but yawn, his head growing increasingly dizzy, but he managed to maintain a semblance of consciousness: "Then I will trouble you, my lord."
When Gongyang Yongye personally brewed the medicine and brought it over, Luan Xin was already fast asleep, half-leaning against the bed. That old bastard Luo San sat beside him with his eyes closed, holding a sharp weapon in his hand. The candlelight inside the tent flickered, and the shadow of the sharp blade swayed accordingly: "If Minister Luan were to open his eyes and see this scene, he would be scared sick even if he wasn't already."
Perhaps due to Luo San's guilty conscience, the latter was unusually attentive to Luan Xin's sickly state. It was truly strange that the dignified Marquis Che would condescend to offer to keep watch for him at night. Gongyang Yongye set the medicine aside, dispelling a wisp of martial energy to preserve its optimal efficacy and keep it at the ideal drinking temperature. He also found a corner to sit down, preparing for the night.
Luo San said, "Better safe than sorry."
What if these people are so shameless as to carry out an assassination?
Gongyang Yongye said, "Sigh, all this fighting and killing... is really boring. It's much more interesting to dream about studying medicine... Speaking of which, the medical practitioners in Kangguo are quite skilled at regenerating severed fingers, so could they also reconnect the head and body?"
He still had the head transplant on his mind.
Luo San scoffed at this, saying, "If that were possible, even a rank 20 Marquis would become someone else's meal."
Even a rank 20 Marquis could be besieged and worn down to death by relentless attacks. When faced with such dangerous things that defy human ethics and morality, don't think about what you might gain from them; first consider whether you might be targeted and become their source of sustenance.
Gongyang Yongye muttered, "Why so serious?"
He tried to enter a meditative state, but was unable to do so several times.
"Robert, could you please put your knife away?"
Martial arts practitioners are extremely sensitive to auras and repel anything that could threaten them—it's an instinct ingrained in their bones! Sharing a tent with Luo San made him very uncomfortable, and the old man was even holding a weapon, which made Gongyang Yongye unable to relax.
Every time I close my eyes, I feel like I'm being pricked by needles.
Luo San said, "Stay awake. Will staying awake all night kill you?"
Gongyang Yongye: "..."
——
Luan Xin realized he was dreaming.
The moment he opened his eyes, a familiar but noticeably more proper face loomed large before him: "What are you doing here?"
As soon as he finished asking the question, Luan Xin noticed that the surrounding environment had changed drastically.
Wasn't he in the Allied camp in the Central Region before he woke up?
Although the beams here are low and the decorations are simple, it is clearly not a tent. Most importantly, what is this person doing here?
This man had served under Qiu Cheng alongside him, and later served in Kang State for several years. Overwhelmed by the workload of the Ministry of Personnel, he suffered a mental breakdown and resigned, declaring, "The world is so vast; I must go and see it."
He had been out having fun for three years and had no desire to return home.
Not long ago, Luan Xin wrote to him, asking him to come back, but after hearing about the great victory in the southwest, the man calculated the time and then stopped replying.
Anyone who's worked in Kangguo knows that the period of integrating new territories is the busiest time. The Ministry of Personnel still treats men and women like beasts of burden. Even with high salaries, you need to be alive to enjoy them; following such a ruler can easily shorten your lifespan. If it weren't for the fact that while he was out having fun, he still secretly observed the people's conditions and reported the actions of officials in various places, Luan Xin would have sent people to arrest him.
result--
The person was right in front of me the moment I opened my eyes?
For once, Luan Xin moved with surprising speed, grabbing the other man's wrist as if afraid he would run away again. Just as he was about to speak, Luan Xin realized something, loosened his grip, leaving the other man completely bewildered. However, he hadn't forgotten why he had come.
I heard some bad news this morning.
Luan Xin had already figured out what had happened.
"Lady Consort is already..." Lady Miao refers to Miao Shu. Everyone knew about her relationship with Lord Qiu Cheng, and privately referred to her by the inappropriate term "Lady Consort," except for Luan Xin, who called her "Lady Miao." He knew that Luan Xin had briefly taught Miao Shu, and the two had a somewhat strained teacher-student relationship. Therefore, upon learning of Miao Shu's death, he immediately came to tell his colleagues this devastating news.
Seeing that Luan Xin did not answer, his colleague said to himself, "Fortunately, Shen Youli did not have anyone humiliate her; she was sent away with poison."
This exceeded the expectations of several of my colleagues.
They originally thought Shen Youli would throw the person into a brothel or reward some meritorious general, but unexpectedly, she directly gave him poisoned wine without saying a word: "I heard that she was given a choice: to commit suicide with a sword, or a white silk ribbon or a cup of poisoned wine. She chose the most painful one. A short pain is worse than a long one. Suicide will save her from suffering."
Luan Xin said, "My lord... Lord Shen has female soldiers under his command."
A colleague asked, puzzled, "What's the connection between the two?"
"If even she treats female prisoners of war this way, wouldn't others have even more reason to do the same if the female soldiers under her command were captured one day?"
You can't control the behavior of others, but you can control yourself.
His colleagues looked at Luan Xin suspiciously for a long time: "Have you changed your mind? You looked down on her yesterday, why are you speaking up for her today?"
Luan Xin: "...I'm just stating the facts."
"Do you know about what happened to the princess's mother?"
"Which one?" Luan Xin asked instinctively, then remembered, "You mean the matter of Miao Nujun's corpse being left to dry in the courtyard?"
When the news first broke, the old officials all thought Shen Youli was deliberately slandering Qiu Cheng. It wasn't until they saw the corpse in the courtyard that they realized Qiu Cheng was truly cold-hearted, and they felt somewhat disappointed. Some people defended Qiu Cheng, suspecting that Shen Youli had secretly instructed and threatened him. Later, this speculation was proven false; Shen Tang had never hinted at such a thing, and it was purely Qiu Cheng and his wife who were cowardly and mean-spirited.
His colleague nodded awkwardly, "Yeah."
He felt a little embarrassed.
Regardless, even a night of marriage can have a hundred nights of kindness. Miao Shu had been dutiful to Qiu Cheng and hadn't wronged him, yet she didn't even receive a proper burial after her death. Putting aside Shen Youli's attitude, even if she had a problem with it, Qiu Cheng, a grown man, had stepped forward to bury his concubine's body. Could Shen possibly send someone to stop the funeral procession?
There were no symbolic arrangements.
They just let people lie down under the courtyard like that.
Before his colleague went to see Luan Xin, he took a quick look from afar.
Luan Xin took a deep breath and said, "I'll go take a look."
His colleagues held him down, preventing him from moving: "What are you doing? You look so sickly, and you've been unconscious for four or five days. They couldn't even get you to take your medicine. Now that you've finally woken up, why are you running around like this? Don't you want this leg anymore?"
Luan Xin struggled in vain: "I know what I'm doing."
He was ill for a long time after the war, bedridden, and by the time he could walk again, things had mostly settled down. Miao Shu's body was collected and laid to rest by a military general who had received favors from her, and buried outside Xiaocheng. Every year, Luan Xin would send people to maintain the grave. The people of Xiaocheng didn't know who was buried there. In addition, Xiaocheng was developing tourism, collecting folk tales and adding some artistic embellishments to create a tourist attraction modeled after Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai, leaving Luan Xin speechless.
It's not easy to explain.
The Miao family had a terrible reputation in Longwu County.
In Xiaocheng, at least you can enjoy some grain offered by tourists.
Luan Xin could only hint to Xiaocheng not to go too far; with Miao Shu's personality, if she knew she was being betrothed, she might come running in her dreams. In the end, Xiaocheng pieced together many stories from the market, creating a version featuring a morally ambiguous female knight-errant and her suitors. Romantic tales could be few, but they couldn't be absent.
The common people love this kind of thing.
Luan Xin woke up at this time today, and as a teacher, he could no longer stay in bed to recuperate. He sent away his colleagues who came to visit him and limped over to find the place. However, his body was really letting him down, and it took him a long time to get there. Qiu Cheng rushed out as soon as he heard the news.
"Justice!"
Upon hearing this address, Luan Xin was in a daze for a long time.
He did not get to see Qiu Cheng one last time in real life.
"Greetings, Lord Wenyan..." He realized he had made a mistake as soon as the title left his mouth. He should have addressed him as "Lord" at this moment, and it was too late to correct himself. Qiu Cheng was always a thoughtful person. Hearing the change in address after only a few days, he felt a chill in his heart and a sense of loss. Then, seeing the corpse lying quietly in the courtyard, with signs of lividity and the stench of death, he stopped talking.
I felt a little guilty.
He also knew that his behavior was cowardly and cold-hearted.
An awkward atmosphere hung in the air. Luan Xin said weakly, "I heard that the Queen's body is left exposed here. I thought that since I couldn't do anything for her while she was alive, I should at least let her have some dignity in death. After all, she was poisoned by a cup of poisoned wine, and her appearance is gruesome. I imagine she wouldn't want others to see her like this. We should bury her as soon as possible..."
Qiu Cheng was somewhat embarrassed.
She wanted to blame Luan Xin for meddling, she wanted to tell Luan Xin that Miao Shu was poisoned because Shen Tang threatened and warned her, she wanted to say that she wasn't actually that heartless and despicable... A thousand words were stuck in her throat, and she still couldn't say the words of explanation: "That's exactly what I was thinking too."
Luan Xin's expression softened.
At this time, he was still a prisoner with an uncertain allegiance, his movement was limited, and he had little wealth. He could only borrow some money from other colleagues who were still financially well-off to buy a sturdy coffin and place Miao Shu inside. The next day, the military officer who had buried Miao Shu in reality came to him privately, saying that he was grateful for Miao Shu's life-saving grace and wanted to do what he could to take care of her funeral arrangements. Luan Xin said, "This journey involves leaving the city, General, are you..."
The military officer hung his head.
"Alas, I'm not afraid of being laughed at by you, sir. My whole family is gone, and I'm all alone now. Who will come to redeem me? I don't want to be a slave to that man surnamed Shen. Luckily, I have some strength. I can do hard labor to save up for my redemption."
Luan Xin recalled the martial arts school he later opened and the many children he adopted, and said, "In that case, I'll leave this matter to you."
He calculated the time and realized that Wenyan Gong was about to commit suicide.
The late lord's suicide in reality is a fact, but in the dream, he is still alive. Even if saving him is meaningless, it's still good to ease one's conscience. Luan Xin doesn't know when this dream will end, but before waking up, he'd like to see more of the people from the past. Luan Xin didn't go directly to Qiu Cheng; based on his understanding of Qiu Cheng, the crux of the matter lies with the eldest son's family.
Or rather, the ransom money sent by the eldest daughter-in-law, Qiu.
Accustomed to his healthy legs, he was now struggling to walk with his crippled one, which he found difficult to adjust to. Following his memory, he searched for his lord's location, but the guards along the way didn't see him at all. Luan Xin assumed it was a dream and didn't suspect anything. Soon he reached the window and, through the leaky windowpane, could see many large and small boxes inside, filled with dazzling gold and silver jewels.
"so much?"
The thought of all of these ending up in Xun Zhen's pocket made him laugh.
Over the years, the lord has certainly amassed a fortune, but as long as Xun Zhen lives, her debts accumulate, day after day, with no end in sight. Only the lord can tolerate Xun Zhen; any other lord would have kicked her far away long ago.
Who made Xun Zhen even more terrifying than Taotie?
Inside the room, Shen Tang picked at his ear: "You're saying this was sent by the Qiu family? To redeem the family of that lecherous old rookie? Didn't they say he offended the clan leader to death? This Qiu Dalang is quite magnanimous."
Luan Xin immediately sensed something was amiss upon hearing this.
"Why does my lord consider this ransom money a life-saving sum instead of a death warrant?" Gu Chi's voice was still the same one that Luan Xin disliked. "To kill without drawing blood is to strike at the heart. Qiu Dalang has disregarded past grievances and given away his wealth to save people. As someone who once fought and murdered his brothers, can Qiu Cheng accept this plea for help?"
Luan Xin pursed his lips.
It was indeed this treacherous minister whispering in the emperor's ear.
He was mentally prepared, but still wanted to kick Gu Chi in the face.
"If I were a novice lecher, I would probably accept it with shame. At worst, I could go back and bow my head to Qiu Dalang, then keep a low profile and live a comfortable life as a wealthy man, at least without worries about food and clothing. However, given the novice lecher's temperament, it's hard to say. He would probably be terrified and angry. He would worry that Qiu Dalang had ulterior motives for doing this, and be angry that the two brothers' situations had been reversed, and that he himself had to be reduced to relying on Qiu Dalang's charity to survive..."
"Yes, people are prone to judging others by their own standards." Gu Chi's thin lips curled slightly as he spoke sarcastically. "You see everyone as your kind because you are a certain kind of person yourself. If Qiu Cheng is a hypocritical gentleman, how could his own brother be an honest gentleman in his eyes? My lord, would you be interested in making a bet with me? Let's bet on what will happen to Qiu Cheng when the news of the ransom reaches his ears?"
What are the benefits of winning a bet?
"It is up to our lord to decide."
"Okay, you said it!"
The two agreed to write words on their palms and then show them at the same time.
Upon seeing the result, Shen Tang sighed in disappointment.
"Sigh, the betting is off."
Because they all wrote the character "死" (death).
Through the leaky window, Luan Xin's already pale and weak face went deathly still for a moment. A buzzing sound filled his ears, and he felt the world spinning. His worst fears had been confirmed with his own eyes! His lips trembled as he murmured, "It's fake, it's all fake..."
Luan Gongyi, this is just your dream.
Dreams are not reality.
Luan Xin staggered backward, forgetting that he had a crippled leg and couldn't exert any strength. This caused his precarious balance to be broken instantly, and he almost fell to the ground in a sorry state, rolling onto the corridor and getting covered in mud.
Small, sharp pebbles cut his palm.
＿|￣|●
These past few days, scrolling through Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book), you'd think I'd somehow managed to use a VPN again—the screen is filled with English, it's painful for my eyes… English is something you just forget about after the college entrance exam…
(End of this chapter)
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