Chapter 464: Striving to Achieve the KPI (Forty-Four) [Seeking Monthly Tickets]
"Madam, please come down and rest for a while."
The boy quietly rubbed his aching back and buttocks from the bumpy ride. To avoid possible pursuit, he followed the escape route given by Mr. Yan'an, only to find it was all bumpy narrow paths. The carriage had no shock absorbers, and after a day and a night of driving, his back was almost broken.
"Thank you, young man."
The woman's voice was gentle.
The child said in a childish voice, "Thank you, brother."
Jumping off the carriage, the young man reached out to the woman, intending to take the child from her: "Young lady, you're heavy, let me carry you."
The child obediently stretched out his hands and rested on the boy's not-so-broad shoulders, watching his mother take out food and water pouches from the carriage. The three of them ate a simple meal. The child sat on the boy's left arm, his free right hand referring to the map given to him by Yan An.
He said, "If we follow this road for another three hours, we'll reach the next place. Mr. Yan'an said he buried some travel money there, enough for our food and clothing for the next few years. Alas, thank goodness we have silver and plenty of dry rations, otherwise how would we survive?"
As they talked, he noticed the woman's pale face and wisely stopped the conversation—alas, he was still a bit bewildered. He couldn't understand why that Mr. Yan'an had taken a liking to him, entrusting such an important family to him; wasn't this ridiculous?
Who wouldn't know that he was Zheng Qiao's "male lover"?
Because he bears a striking resemblance to Zheng Qiao in his youth, he was spoiled and pampered in every way. Although he sees himself as a "filial son," most people would assume he's on the same side as Zheng Qiao. However, Mr. Yan'an takes a different approach, seeking help from what outsiders consider a "sycophant."
Isn't this outrageous?
That's absolutely outrageous.
Just then, the child in her arms asked, "What is your brother thinking about?"
The boy said, "I miss your father."
The child's dark eyes seemed to be filled with confusion.
Why would she miss her father?
The boy sighed, and the woman looked over when she heard the noise.
He hesitated and asked, "I really don't understand. Why 'I'? It's not that I look down on myself, but I don't know many words and I don't have any skills. I'm just an empty shell... Is it because Zheng Qiao 'favors' me?"
The young man didn't know why he had acted so rashly. When Yan An came to his door asking him to take care of his wife and daughter, he agreed without thinking. When he came to his senses, he wanted to slap himself twice—escorting them away from Ganzhou to seek refuge with an old friend, not to mention how King Zheng Qiao would react to his betrayal, just the chaos and war along the way, with a young man and two women and children, he was practically easy prey.
Why did he abandon such a promising life of wealth and honor to wade into this mess? Despite his regret, the young man had no intention of betraying the mother and daughter and handing them over to Zheng Qiao. Instead, he traveled day and night, hurrying along the map.
Looking back into the distance, I feel lost and confused.
Leaving meant giving up wealth and a stable life, stepping into the chaos of war outside.
The future is uncertain, and life and death are unpredictable.
He just wants to understand why it was him.
Am I very familiar with Mr. Yan'an?
"Although I greatly admire Mr. Yan and am grateful for his efforts for the common people, this does not mean..."
He talked for a long time but still ran out of words.
The woman pondered for a long time and said, "Perhaps it's because you resemble Zheng Qiao in appearance but not in spirit. Zheng Qiao sees you as a way to make up for his 'past,' but you and he are two different people. You have a conscience, while he has lost it."
The boy only half understood what he was hearing.
The woman said, "Perhaps in Xingning's heart, you are a junior brother who still has a 'conscience' and wouldn't stand by and watch someone die..."
The boy was completely speechless. Good heavens, he'd become the stand-in for "young Zheng Qiao" in the eyes of these two fellow disciples?
But then, the woman's next words completely dispelled his dissatisfaction: "Zheng Qiao is beyond saving, but you still have a future. Staying there will only lead to a bleak future. Go somewhere else, and you might have a chance to soar to the heavens. Your future is limitless."
Two people who look alike have taken different paths. Zheng Qiao is determined to go down a dark road, while the boy in front of her, who looks just like Zheng Qiao in his youth, still has a chance to fight for a bright future... These two are like "junior brothers" making different choices at a crossroads.
This might just be a selfish thought on her husband's part.
The boy blushed after being told off.
"Me? Can I?"
For a butcher's son to have survived this long in this world is already quite an achievement, let alone talk about the future—that's too far off. As for a scholar like Mr. Yan'an, who can command the world with a wave of his hand and treat the common people as mere pawns, that's something I dare not even dream of.
The woman said, "The world is not yet settled, how can it not be possible?"
The boy blushed slightly, his eyes darting away shyly.
The woman felt another pang of pain in her heart upon seeing this.
She and Zheng Qiao were classmates.
However, she liked to stick close to Yan An; the two were childhood sweethearts, and her friendship with Zheng Qiao stemmed from Yan An, though she wasn't particularly close to Zheng Qiao personally. Nevertheless, they had spent carefree school years together. Zheng Qiao had also had a shy and innocent side.
There's no going back.
Her husband might not come back either.
Thinking of this, two lines of tears welled up in my eyes.
Before the tears could even roll down her cheeks, her small, warm hand wiped away one tear, and she said in a clear voice, "Mother, don't cry."
"Yes!" the woman gritted her teeth. "Mother, don't cry."
I struggled to force back my tears.
Seeing this, the boy sighed.
He didn't know what Yan An was planning, but judging from the way the other party was making a desperate gamble, entrusting his important wife and daughter to him, it seemed like he was facing a near-death experience. After a short rest, before nightfall, he continued on his way, not allowing himself to let his guard down.
The setting sun casts its glow over the empty forest; cold birds fly to the desolate garden.
As dusk settled and the sun began to set in the west, darkness descended.
The palace was surprisingly quiet under the cover of night.
Only the crackling sound of burning candlelight remained in the air.
Zheng Qiao had been feasting and reveling with civil and military officials until the moon set and the stars disappeared. He only fell into a deep sleep as dawn broke. When he woke up, the outside world was shrouded in mist, and he realized he had wasted another day. He rubbed his throbbing temples, his brows furrowed, and endured the torment.
"Someone come here!"
He called out, but no one answered in the hall.
"Guards! Are they all dead?!"
He couldn't contain his anger.
Still no one answered.
Zheng Qiao opened her eyes and got up.
Only then did he realize that the hall was eerily quiet and empty. Aside from the breathing of the palace maids and eunuchs, there was no other sound. Zheng Qiao keenly sensed something was wrong. His languid, drunken state vanished, replaced by a sharp, murderous glint in his eyes.
"Get out here!"
Something's wrong with this space.
Someone tampered with it.
After a while, a figure slowly approached the palace gate. As the figure became clearer, the tinkling of jade pendants at the waist and the gentle rustling of the hem of the robes could be heard, like a melodious tune. Only when the figure was close enough could it be seen clearly.
Zheng Qiao remembered the last time she saw Yan An; the man was terribly thin, his clothes hanging loosely on his body, his face haggard, clearly showing signs of illness, and his hair was gray. These were signs of aging, and for a scholar protected by his literary aura, they also meant decline.
He looks more than twenty years older.
What about the current peace and tranquility?
He has an upright posture, broad shoulders, and a narrow waist.
With long, flowing black hair and a handsome, refined appearance.
He wore a brocade scholar's robe, with a familiar sword at his waist, and his brows were full of youthful vigor and high spirits.
This person is also acting strangely!
ψ(｀)ψ
Yan An's bento box is already getting warm.
Try to get him to finish eating within two chapters.
P.S.: Don't rush Zheng Qiao's lunchbox, wait until I've sharpened Gong Xi Chou's blade.
PPS: The tentacle monster "Song of Thorns" has started a new book again. *slams the ground* (I haven't even finished one of my books yet).
I'll reluctantly give her a shout-out, hmph.
"The Records of Song Tan" is the title of the book.
In short: After transmigrating back from the cultivation world, I went back to my hometown to farm and sell vegetables via livestream! (If you're too lazy to search, you can click the link below to bookmark it, let's all wait together.)
PPPS: Yan An's character was established from the moment he appeared. It's true that he wanted to help save his junior brother, but it's also true that he harbored murderous intent after being utterly disappointed. Zheng Qiao understands this senior brother and knows that he's not the kind of person who would disregard morality for personal feelings. She also knows that she can't possibly satisfy this senior brother, so she suspects that he's up to something and tests him repeatedly.
It sounds like they're nesting dolls...
But that's roughly the idea.
PPPPS: You can't save a severely mentally ill patient unless you're a psychiatrist.
(End of this chapter)
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