Bluestone Street.

After seeing Zhao Hao off, Hai Rui walked along the small river at the corner of the street for a long time.

Needless to say, Zhao Hao's proposal tempted him. But the family had just lived a peaceful life for less than a year after suffering so much. The mother was old, the wife had escaped death, and the little girl was only five years old; Han's belly had a new life.

This hard-earned stable life is as wonderful as a dream.

Hai Rui often woke up in the middle of the night, mistakenly believing that he was still in the dark imperial prison; occasionally he would see Zhong Di and Zhong Liang watching him from afar.

This made him more careful to protect everything in front of him, fearing that he would accidentally burst this bubble of happiness again...

Therefore, he could not agree to Zhao Hao and could only digest the shame, apology and unwillingness in his heart alone at night.

~~

Before he knew it, Hai Rui had walked onto a stone bridge.

He stood on the bridge and watched the dark water flowing quietly in the river. The water level was only one-third of what it was in summer. He suddenly thought of his own life. Maybe only one-third was left at most?

Thinking of this, Hai Rui laughed at himself, he was really shameless.

He was born on December 27th, the eighth year of the Zhengde reign, and will soon be 55 years old.

In this era, people’s life spans were clearly defined. The working class, who made up the vast majority of the population, had an average life span of only about 45 or 46 years old… This was the best record in all dynasties except the Qin and Han dynasties.

The average life expectancy of the gentry and officials who did not engage in production and had no worries about food and clothing was over 70 years old, 25 years longer than that of the common people who had to endure hardships.

This is because many rich people indulged in extravagance and died early, which lowered the average life expectancy. If people take good care of themselves and pay attention to health preservation, it is not uncommon for people to live to over 80 years old, and it is not uncommon to live to over 90 years old.

Hai Rui subconsciously believed that he still had one-third of his life left, and he obviously unconsciously distinguished himself from ordinary people.

Yes, I am already a senior official of the fourth rank. It would be hypocritical to describe myself as an ordinary citizen.

But he still couldn't help feeling guilty, as this was an identity he had always despised and despised the most.

I have been living a leisurely and peaceful life in Nanjing for the past year, relying on the support of the people! Officials retire at the age of 70, and I am far from the age of retirement. Am I going to live like this forever?

How is this different from those lazy and mediocre officials who suck the people's money but do nothing? !

Hai Rui felt a strong discomfort in his heart. He supported his knees with his hands and began to retch.

~~

It was not until three o'clock in the morning that he finally managed to calm down and return home.

Hai'an opened the door for him and saw that the yard was pitch black, with only the dim light on in the main room where his mother lived.

"My mother hasn't rested yet?" Hai Rui asked in a low voice.

Hai'an shook his head and bolted the door silently.

Hai Rui tiptoed to the middle of the patio and saw that the light in his wife's room was on.

Obviously Wang didn't sleep well either.

This is what they call a panic, right?

I have brought too much misfortune and fear to my family. I'm afraid my mother and wife have already developed a bad premonition.

Whether as a son, a husband or a father, he is totally incompetent.

Hai Rui couldn't help but show a look of guilt, just like the dim moonlight in the sky.

After hesitating for a moment, he deliberately slowed down his pace and walked towards the main house.

Lift the thick cotton curtain and gently push open the half-open door.

The charcoal brazier had long been extinguished, and it was only the first half of the night, but the room was already cold.

The room was dark, with only a small oil lamp lit by the bed.

Under the light, the mother lay on the bed with her back to him, one hand embracing the little girl who was sleeping inside.

"Eat meat, meat is delicious..." The little girl said in her sleep.

"Still eating." The sea mother laughed, obviously she was not asleep yet.

"Mother." Hai Rui called softly and sat on the stool beside the bed.

The mother didn't look back, still patting Xiaoya gently, and slowly asked in Qiongzhou dialect: "Why did you come back so late?"

"Mother, I have been thinking about something." Hai Rui also replied in Qiongzhou dialect.

"How do you want to convince mother?" Hai's mother asked. Although she was a little hard of hearing, Hai Rui did not lower his voice when speaking, so it was difficult for her not to hear.

"Mother knows everything." Hai Rui said with a bitter smile, "My son can't even get past himself."

"You are just kidding me." The mother sneered and said, "You are my flesh and blood. How can you hide your thoughts from me?"

"I really feel that I have no way to talk to you, mother," Hai Rui complained.

"Hmph!" The sea mother snorted angrily, "Listen, you're just thinking about how to convince me, and you're still saying you can't get past this level!"

"Uh..." Hai Rui was speechless after being asked by his mother.

"Mr. Zhao wants you to take over Lin Zhongcheng's job?" Hai Mu asked again.

"Yeah." Hai Rui nodded.

Hai Mu asked in confusion: "Where does he come from? How can he have the final say in the selection of Yingtian Governor?"

"Of course his words don't count." Hai Rui explained to his mother in a deep voice, "Ministers of the imperial court need to be recommended by the court. Simply put, the senior officials in Beijing vote to select the candidates and recommend them to your majesty for appointment. Your majesty usually won't refuse."

"So, he has connections with senior officials in Beijing?" Haimu was also born into a proper family and had been influenced by the environment for many years, so she had extraordinary knowledge.

"You can say that." Hai Rui whispered, "Last year he was in Beijing, and he recognized the eldest princess as his godmother. He and her opened a Laoshi company, and many powerful people have invested in it. For this reason, my son doesn't want to get too close to him."

"Don't be an ungrateful person!" The sea mother finally turned around and poked her son's head with her hand.

"My son was talking about last year." Hai Rui hurriedly explained, "In Beijing, I only listened to his words and didn't dare to believe him too much. But over the past year, my son has silently observed his actions, and I can finally be sure that his words and actions are consistent. He is acting to change the Ming Dynasty."

"Of course." Hai Mu said confidently, "Otherwise, with tens of millions of taels of silver and the support of the princess, he would be so happy all day long, why would he have the time to care about you?"

"Well, it seems so..." Hai Rui laughed bitterly, "I don't know why this kid wants to be so close to me. He is really wasting his good life."

"Aren't you the same?" Hai Mu sat up with the help of her son. She was born with strong yang energy and didn't feel cold at all even wearing only a middle shirt.

"Haha, maybe to some extent, birds of a feather flock together." Hai Rui laughed after he finished speaking.

"How can they be similar? You are so shameless." The mother finally smiled, then reached out and touched her son's graying temples, and said slowly:

"Didn't you say, 'A man's ambition is to govern the country and make the world his own'? Go ahead, your mother won't stop you."

"Mother?" Hai Rui's face was full of surprise. He hadn't figured out how to convince his mother yet, but he didn't expect that his mother had already let him go.

ps. Second update, please give me your monthly vote!