Chapter 86 The Night Before Dawn: Until We Meet Again!
The Li village hasn't been this lively in a long time.
Even before the mist had dissipated, the clanging sound of axes chopping wood already echoed through the valley.
The villagers each had their own tasks: some were cutting timber into sizes that would make it easy to build houses, while others were clearing the land where houses would be built, removing weeds and shrubs.
A little girl, about five or six years old, ran over, tugged at her older sister's sleeve, and looked up at her, asking, "Big sister, what are you all doing? Are you building a new house?"
The eldest sister was gathering branches and thatch to prepare for the roof. Upon hearing this, she stopped what she was doing, wiped the fine sweat from her forehead, squatted down to be at eye level with her younger sister, and said in a gentle voice, "Yes, we're building a house for the new family members. The clan chief's benefactors are coming to stay in our village for a while, and we're preparing a place for them to settle down in comfortably."
The little girl blinked, trying to process these concepts that were still somewhat unfamiliar to her, and finally just nodded blankly.
Her attention was quickly drawn to a branch next to her.
The branch was very straight, with a few red leaves still clinging to its tip, making it look especially beautiful in the morning light.
The children love to pick up these tree branches and play with them as swords.
But the younger sister didn't dare to touch it, afraid that her older sister would take it and use it. She just looked up at her older sister longingly.
Seeing this, the older sister couldn't help but laugh, picked up the branch and handed it to her younger sister: "Here, play with it, but be careful not to go too far."
"Thank you, big sister!" The little sister immediately forgot everything with joy and ran off to play a game of chivalry with her friends, holding up her "sword".
On the other side, in Li Shan's wooden house, Wen Yu, Chen Miaozhi and others sat around with Li Shan, discussing their next move.
"...That's roughly the situation outside." Wen Yu told Li Shan all the recent rumors circulating outside. "Now that the capital is in turmoil, the new prefect of Luzhou has taken office and has strictly prohibited girls' schools and confiscated books. Our Luxi Academy is a big target and will probably be the first to be affected."
Chen Miaozhi said softly, "We need to prepare for the worst. We can only feel at ease after we move the children away first."
After listening to everything quietly, Li Shan said, "Our rules in the mountains are very simple: we repay kindness and share hardships together."
“If it weren’t for your help back then, our village would have been in turmoil. The girls from Luxi Village are Ayan’s classmates and our Li village’s honored guests. If you need anything, we will definitely help you.”
“This deep mountain forest may not have many other things, but it’s remote enough to hide people.” She smiled. “You can discuss your matters privately. As for the affairs of the village, I will make the arrangements.”
Wen Yu glanced at the screen and saw that the comments section was filled with emotion.
[It truly is a case of good deeds yielding good results; the help we provided back then has now become Luxi Academy's only way out.]
I suddenly feel a little sentimental; everyone is so kind.
Sister Li Shan, can I call you Mom? You're so reliable and reassuring...
[+1, do you need another daughter...?]
Ultimately, everyone agreed that, for the sake of safety, the teachers and students of Luxi Academy would be divided into several groups and gradually transferred to Li villages to avoid the turmoil for the time being.
The rest of the villagers remained still to avoid making too much noise and attracting attention.
Chen Miaozhi and others were responsible for organizing the transfer, while Wen Yu coordinated the process, secretly storing some of the grain in a hidden cave that Li Shan had told them about, in case of any unforeseen needs.
Although the students were apprehensive upon receiving the notification, they were, after all, young and excited about it all.
When we first enrolled, the academy gave each student a rattan book box.
Everyone's first reaction was to move the books. If someone really came to raid Luxi Academy, these precious books could not be lost.
They all went into the library at the same time and packed the books and textbooks from the shelves into boxes.
Everyone reluctantly left only after the library was completely emptied.
On the day of the evacuation, Wen Yu stood at the village entrance and watched everyone head towards the other side of the mountain, but she did not follow them herself.
She has more important things to do, and can only wish everyone a safe journey.
Danzhu did not accompany them this time either.
When Chen Miaozhi asked, she simply replied in a low voice, "I've stayed in the mountains long enough."
Knowing her predicament, Chen Miaozhi stopped trying to persuade her and gently comforted her: "If you stay down the mountain, take good care of yourself."
Seeing this, Wen Yu arranged for her to move her luggage into the Wen residence, so that she would have someone to look after her.
In the evening, Danzhu knocked on Wenyu's door.
As the two sat facing each other, Danzhu looked at the flickering candlelight on the table and suddenly asked, "Miss Wen, do you think I'm being a bit willful?"
She felt somewhat uneasy about refusing to follow the main group for her own reasons.
"Of course not." Wen Yu understood her feelings. Having finally left that environment, no one would want to go back.
She has some new plans.
Wen Yu pushed the paper on the table toward Dan Zhu and said slowly, "I have a plan that I need your help with..."
Danzhu picked up the paper and quickly read it, then exclaimed in surprise, "You're leaving?"
"right."
Wen Yu nodded.
Su Lin was just one step away from success, and she couldn't bear to watch everyone's efforts fail here.
Having been in this ancient world for so long, she has come to realize that only when women hold power can everyone have the opportunity to live freely.
Girls' schools were banned, bookstores were raided, and grain was seized... This is not how the world should be.
She's going to help.
But someone has to stay in the village.
Wen Yu grasped Dan Zhu's hand: "Luxi Village is now in your hands."
"If anything unexpected happens, go to the clinic and find Dr. Liang and Dr. Cui. They will definitely be able to help."
----
The young students stepped into the Li village and, without taking a break, curiously began to observe the villagers' wooden houses.
Li Yan also got busy, translating everywhere, and the mountain people and the new girl quickly became friends.
The wooden house was almost finished and was being completed.
The girls couldn't stay idle either, and went over to help, filling the air with laughter and joy.
Some of the older villagers couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
In the past, they were always wary of the "city people," but since their young master Li Yan went to study outside the mountains, their views have gradually changed.
In addition, the novel items that Li Yan brought back were always surprisingly useful, and some people were already thinking about getting along well with the "city girls".
A child who knew Li Yan well sidled up to her, tugged at her sleeve, and whispered, "Sister Yan, can we learn the books that the older girls are reading too?"
Before Li Yan could answer, Fan Yizhen, who had sharp ears, had already leaned over.
Although she couldn't understand it, she could tell from the child's bright eyes as he stared at their book box.
Li Yan smiled and translated for her. Fan Yizhen's eyes lit up, and she clapped her hands, saying, "Great! Once you're settled, we'll teach you to read and speak Mandarin!"
The child, having received confirmation, cheered and ran off to announce the good news.
In the evening, Li Shan hosted a simple dinner to entertain her guests from afar.
Large chunks of roasted sweet potatoes, fragrant mushroom soup, and freshly picked wild fruits filled the long wooden table.
Li Shan raised her bamboo cup and said in a cheerful voice, "Now that we're here, we're all family. There's a long road ahead, plenty of food and drink in the village, and plenty of ways to make a living in the mountains. Everyone, please settle in and don't be shy or reserved!"
In the cradle beside her, little A-Can, who could already babble, opened his big, dark eyes and curiously looked at the unfamiliar faces.
Ah Chao sat quietly by the cradle.
Li Yan walked over and sat down next to her younger sister. Her gaze fell on the well-worn literacy book beside her, and she gently stroked A-Chao's hair.
“Once the village school is built, you and all the other children in the village who want to learn can come to class together, okay? From now on, you won’t just have to read this one book.”
A-Chao suddenly raised his head and looked at his sister.
She was always sensible and knew that her older sister was carrying the hopes of the clan and going out into the mountains, so she was willing to stay by her mother's side.
She never complained, but simply kept her curiosity about the outside world to herself.
Li Yan understood this silent longing.
After a while, Ah Chao lowered his head and softly hummed in agreement.
When she looked up again, a faint smile played on her lips, and her eyes sparkled with a delicate light.
"Thank you, sister."
After the meal, Li Yan took the initiative to take care of her younger sister, while Wen Qingshi quietly came over and found A Chao.
"Ah Chao, come with us."
As Wen Qingshi led A Chao to the other side, A Chao inexplicably began to feel uneasy.
Beyond the jubilant crowd, in a quiet corner on the other side, a figure sat silently, clearing away the dishes.
Ah Chao recognized him at a glance; it was Wen Yue, whom she had been separated from for a long time.
He had grown quite a bit taller and was dressed neatly and cleanly, showing that they were both living well after they separated.
Wen Qingshi gently patted her shoulder and smiled, "Go ahead."
"Go see your brother."
----
In the Luzhou government office, the newly appointed prefect, Lord Luo, sat upright at his desk, his face stern.
During this period, he used an iron fist to shut down all girls' schools in the city one by one, acting swiftly and decisively without any leniency.
"Reporting to Your Excellency, the city has been completely cleared. However..." a trusted subordinate stepped forward and said, "Besides the prefectural city, I have also heard that there is an academy in Luxi Village, under the jurisdiction of Cangling County, that exclusively teaches girls and is quite famous. Its students even outperformed many other students at the literary competition and won first place..."
Prefect Luo, whose eyelids were half-closed, suddenly lifted them.
He had heard about this before he arrived, and the previous prefect, Lu Hongguang, had quite a few complaints about it.
He stood up and walked to the window.
The sky outside the window was overcast, with leaden-gray clouds hanging low over the eaves.
The streets were sparsely populated, and the few who were there walked hurriedly, looking anxious, a far cry from the usual bustling atmosphere.
"Send someone," he said, standing by the window without turning his head, "to investigate carefully in Luxi Village, to see if that academy is still open, and if there are still women gathering there."
"Yes!" the subordinate replied immediately.
Prefect Luo paused, then added, "The imperial court has explicitly prohibited the establishment of girls' schools. Anyone who is ignorant of the times and stubbornly resists, whether teacher or student, will be immediately arrested and brought to justice as a warning to others!"
----
Qin Xiangfu was not unprepared for this storm.
Her friend Tian Chunmei, with her extensive network of contacts accumulated over many years of running the bookstore, had already caught wind of the situation.
In the past, female businesswomen rarely corresponded with each other, but since the promotion of literacy books, they no longer need to rely on scribes to communicate with each other, and news travels very fast.
Fortunately, Tian Chunmei acted quickly and moved and hid the literacy books and printing blocks in the bookstore before the government could take action, thus narrowly escaping the search.
Women who had purchased literacy books either claimed ignorance or insisted that they had been lost or damaged when questioned by officials, tacitly guarding this secret.
However, the dissolution of the girls' school was a foregone conclusion.
Qin Xiangfu organized a final lesson, calmly announcing the government's ban to the students.
The audience fell silent for a moment.
After a long while, everyone finally started talking at once.
"Teacher, please take good care of yourself!"
"It's okay that we can't go to school, but you absolutely can't get hurt!"
Qin Xiangfu looked at them, trying to put on a comforting smile, but found her lips were heavy.
She turned around, picked up a cloth, and silently wiped the blackboard.
Until the last line of writing disappeared, the blackboard returned to its previous blank state.
She put down the cloth, took a deep breath, and faced her students again.
“It’s alright.” She smiled. “I believe the current turmoil won’t last forever.”
“One day, we will no longer have to sneak around like this. Women’s education will no longer be a taboo that needs to be hidden, but a natural thing like breathing.”
"I wish that all women in the world could stand tall and walk in the sunlight, learn and think according to their own will, and choose how to live, instead of being forever confined to their small homes and bound by worldly constraints."
The classroom was extremely quiet; you could hear the sound of wind blowing leaves outside the window.
Sitting in the first row, Zhang Cuiyi wiped away her tears and said loudly, "Teacher Qin, I promise you! Even if I can't come here, I will never put down my books, and I will never forget what I said today because of daily necessities!"
"I'm waiting for the day when we can sit in the classroom with our heads held high again!"
"I agree too!"
Count me in!
The women made promises one after another.
Qin Xiangfu looked at them, and her eyes finally welled up with tears.
She nodded vigorously.
"We'll meet again!"
---
The atmosphere was somber at the border between the northern border and the capital.
The emperor's condition was deteriorating, and there were rumors that the situation would be settled within half a month.
Princess Zhaoxin openly raised the banner of "purging the court of corrupt officials" and led her army back to the capital.
As the army marched, some people, intimidated by the criticism of "the princess interfering in politics" and "a woman leading the army," or pressured by their families, left midway.
However, many more people appreciated the princess's discipline and clear system of rewards and punishments, and admired her decisiveness on the battlefield, so they chose to stay.
Some officers and soldiers, after witnessing the chaos in the court, vaguely felt that perhaps this princess, who could lead them to victory, was the one who could truly bring stability to the country.
Therefore, those who chose to stay have unknowingly established their own position.
The biggest problem right now remains food supplies.
Su Lin did his utmost to raise funds from all sides, even using the secret contacts he had established years ago, and barely managed to gather a batch of supplies to relieve the immediate crisis.
However, when the army reached a strategic location on the outskirts of the capital, it was besieged by the two princes.
The enemy is holding a defensive position and avoiding battle, their intentions are quite clear.
They wanted to delay and deplete their supplies.
They were trapped for several days.
Should we retreat when our supplies run out, abandoning all our previous efforts, or should we risk a strong attack and fight to the death?
On the evening of the third day, the grain official reported again that the grain reserves were almost exhausted.
Meanwhile, the envoy sent by the eldest prince to persuade Zhao Xin's army to surrender arrived in front of the army.
The envoy persuaded, "Your Highness, out of consideration for your brotherhood, cannot bear to see weapons used against you, which would bring disaster upon the people."
"His Highness has stated that if Princess is willing to abandon darkness and embrace light, and support His Highness's right to the throne, after his ascension, she will be honored as the Princess Protector of the Nation, enjoying unparalleled honor and a lifetime of wealth and peace."
"Whatever kind of talented young man you desire to be your consort, Your Highness will grant it to you..."
Zhao Xin sat upright in the commander's seat. After listening to the envoy's words, he was not angry. Instead, he smiled gently.
Even now, do they still think such conditions can tempt her?
What is she in their eyes?
She now commands 100,000 elite troops, while her two good brothers can only hastily mobilize the Imperial Guards and some of the Beijing Garrison, putting them at a disadvantage in terms of both numbers and combat strength.
However, the troop movements at the border were not fast enough to stop her army.
They actually thought she would give up everything for such a small gain.
How absurd!
Time was actually on her side, but supplies were not.
We can't wait any longer.
She picked up the slightly cool tea beside her and took a small sip. She looked up at the messenger and said, "Then I would also like to ask the messenger to convey a message: If my brothers are more sensible, after I take over the Zichen Palace, I may grant them a title of Prince of Peace and Wealth, so that they may live out their old age in comfort and prosperity."
The envoy was stunned and could hardly believe his ears.
The princess's intentions are now crystal clear.
What she wanted was not the merit of following the emperor, but the supreme position!
----
That night, Su Lin once again stepped into Zhao Xin's command tent.
Only one lamp was lit inside the tent, its light flickering and illuminating Zhao Xin's serene profile.
She was deep in thought, staring at a detailed map of the capital's defenses, her fingertip lightly tapping a spot on the map.
"Your Highness," Su Lin approached, his voice low, "Are you really... decided?"
"Hmm." Zhao Xin didn't look up. "I've waited long enough."
So long ago, from my innocent childhood, I began to accept the fact that no matter how outstanding I was, the expectations would ultimately fall on my younger brothers.
As time went on, she accompanied her father in governing the country and realized that the side of the dragon throne was the highest position she, as a "princess," could reach in her life.
Over time, they came to see clearly the outdated order, the prejudices of the court officials, and the seemingly self-evident but actually unfair "natural law," which always favored men.
Since waiting and submission will not bring a good outcome, since heaven and earth did not give her this gift, then she will take it by herself, fight for it, and seize it!
Her fingertips landed heavily on the center of the map, pointing directly to the palace where she was born and raised.
In the eyes of the world, that palace belonged to her father, the emperor, and its future master would be one of her two younger brothers.
She was the only one missing.
But it didn't matter; she had already seen through it all.
Women who wish to leave their mark on history should choose to die speaking out rather than live in silence.
“We can’t delay any longer.” Zhao Xin looked up at Su Lin, his eyes no longer hesitant. “Tomorrow morning will be the decisive moment.”
When Su Lin's eyes met hers, he saw in Zhao Xin's eyes the same flame that burned within him.
They have fought with all their might to get to this point.
We must not give up.
She slowly nodded, about to speak and discuss the matter in detail, when a personal guard's voice came from outside the tent.
"Your Highness, Lord Su, a young lady outside the camp requests an audience. She says her surname is Wen and that she is an old friend of Lord Su!"
-----------------------
The author's note: The idea I wanted to convey at this point is:
Not everyone can become a savior; most people in the world are just ordinary folks like you and me.
But when everyone is doing their best in their own field, the myriad sparks of life will eventually converge into the light of dawn.
The world cannot be saved by one person alone.
But the outcome might be different if any one of them were missing.
Success doesn't have to be claimed by me, but I will definitely be a part of it. [Hugs]
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