In Hongwu, we started as rebels

Chapter 662 A tranquil mind reveals lofty ideals; serenity leads to far-reaching goals.

The news of the warehouse fire spread like wildfire throughout the entire city of Daning.

What drew even more attention from the public was the arrest of shopkeepers Huang Huai and Wang Ze!
Many residents in the north of the city are filled with anxiety.
They were afraid that if they were arrested, they would lose their easy job.

But even into the evening, the long queues on Anhe Street continued to stretch out.
Instead of closing up early, Kang Le Trading Company added more sales slots.

The implications of this have been somewhat understood by many intelligent people.

Meanwhile, a veiled message began to spread throughout the city.

The implication was that this queuing job was a livelihood arranged for them by the commander.

Huang Huai and Wang Ze were arrested for embezzling money.

Once this news spread,
In the afternoon, the many stewards who had been wandering in the alley mysteriously disappeared.
As a result, jobs paying ten coins became increasingly common.

This led many people to believe the rumor circulating in the city.
Meanwhile, in the commander's tent at the Daning Vanguard camp...
Qu Qingfeng, clad in armor, sat at the table, his face deathly pale, his eyes filled with deep terror.
He would occasionally reach for the long sword standing to the side.

Hesitation flashed in his eyes, followed by struggle.

The warehouse caught fire. Hu Chongyi and Shi Yu met with the commander.

He hasn't come out yet, which has made him think of many possibilities.

But without exception, they were all things that were detrimental to him.
Once these two reveal the grain-for-sugar deal, he'll be finished.

Amidst this unease, hurried footsteps sounded outside the military tent.

Qu Qingfeng shuddered and involuntarily shrank back.

He was somewhat afraid, afraid that they were soldiers who had come to arrest him.

But soon, a familiar face appeared at the entrance of the military tent, which relieved him greatly.

"How is it? Any news from inside the city?"

The visitor was his trusted confidant, Zhong Licheng, the deputy commander of the Daning Vanguard.

He was in his forties and had a very rugged appearance.

His beard and eyebrows had a light yellow hue typical of grassland people.

"My lord, Shi Yu and Hu Chongyi have both come out of the Military Command's office."
Judging from their expressions, they seemed somewhat..." Zhong Licheng hesitated.

"talk!"

Qu Qingfeng was furious and kept pounding on the armrest of the seat.

"They looked very happy and left the commandery chatting and laughing."

"call--"

Qu Qingfeng's body went limp at once.

After letting out a long sigh of relief,
A sudden surge of relief and relief at surviving a disaster welled up inside me.

It's over, it's over.
His biggest fear was that the warehouse fire would trigger the commander's investigation into the sugar stored there.

Now that the two are safe and sound, he has escaped unscathed.

Zhong Licheng paused for a moment, then whispered:
"My lord, you must still be careful."

If those two betray us in order to save their own lives, then we're in grave danger.

Qu Qingfeng's face darkened instantly, and he glanced at Zhong Licheng:

"What nonsense are you spouting! The two commanders have just taken office..."

They've already arrested one deputy commander, and now they want to arrest me, the commander as well?

Wasn't he afraid that everyone in the military command would feel insecure?

Do you think they didn't notice anything amiss with the grain last time?
They simply didn't investigate further to avoid negative repercussions.

Zhong Licheng hesitated, but ultimately didn't voice his thoughts. Instead, he sighed.

"Sir, you were very lucky to escape this time. You must never do such a thing again."

"Oh!"

Qu Qingfeng slammed his hand on the armrest with a thud, his face contorted in a grimace.

"They're making money off sugar? But I can't?"
"How can there be a system where officials are allowed to set fires while common people are forbidden to light lamps?"

Zhong Licheng stood there without saying anything more.

The adult before me, having experienced great ups and downs, has lost his former composure.

The military tent was quiet. Qu Qingfeng sighed and waved his hand.

"Go ahead, go ahead, these days have been truly nerve-wracking."
Go home, get a good night's sleep, and rest for a while. You'll be back to full strength next year.

Zhong Licheng cupped his hands in a respectful gesture:
"My lord, Lord Lu and Lord Liu have left the city with their subordinates, it seems they are going to welcome someone."

Qu Qingfeng waved his hand:
"Let's bring everyone back. There's no point in doing this now."
Since the two gentlemen have chosen to settle things amicably, we shouldn't resort to desperate measures.

"Yes!"

Only then did Zhong Licheng breathe a sigh of relief, as if a huge weight had been lifted from his heart.

Five miles west of Daning City, it was already getting dark.

Dark clouds rolled across the sky, and the hazy moonlight occasionally shone through the gaps, bringing a little light.

Lu Yunyi and the others waited there, quietly watching the end of the official road.

They ignored the cold wind whistling through the air.

After an unknown amount of time, faint lights appeared at the end of the official road.

At first it was just a tiny, barely perceptible spot, but it quickly turned into a long, winding, fiery red dragon.

The torchlight shone in the darkness, illuminating some faintly visible carriages and horses.

Amidst the howling cold wind, Lu Yunyi seemed to hear the sound of cart tracks crushing the ground.

"Brother Yun'er, you're here."

When Liu Heiying's voice rang out, Lu Yunyi snapped out of his daze and tugged at the reins:

"Okay, let's go."

The group sped towards the convoy.

The sound of horses' hooves thundered, and torches were lit one after another, illuminating the powerful muscles of the horses as they galloped.

It also illuminated the heroic men on horseback, each displaying their dashing figures.

As the two sides began to converge, Lu Yunyi immediately spotted the carriage at home that hadn't been used for a long time, but was always kept spotless.

The mottled marks on the wood prove that it is quite old.
It didn't run as smoothly as a new horse-drawn carriage; instead, it swayed a bit.

It was this shaking that instantly pulled Lu Yunyi's thoughts back to countless years ago.

The conversation of a family of three echoed in my mind.

"Dad, the carriage is so bumpy."

"Bear with it, don't be so delicate. It's already very good to have a carriage to ride in."

"mother"

"Alright, alright, we'll buy a new carriage when Yi'er grows up."

Lu Yunyi's vision gradually blurred until a cry of surprise pulled him out of his endless thoughts:

"Master!"

Lu Yunyi's gaze sharpened instantly as he saw a head peeking out from inside the carriage.
Clever and adorable, with a face full of surprise, she was waving her little hands incessantly.
"Young Master! Young Master!"

"Sister Qiuhe".

Lu Yunyi raised his head, his voice loud and clear, carried away by the breeze.

"what"

Hearing this familiar yet unfamiliar name,
Qiuhe froze on the spot, her cheeks instantly flushing red.
Her large, bright eyes were covered with tears, blurring the world before her.

The carriage slowly came to a stop, and another figure emerged from it.
Her hair was piled up at the back of her head, and her face was filled with anxiety and concern.

She spotted Lu Yunyi walking quickly towards her at a glance, and her voice choked up instantly. The loud shout she wanted to make turned into a soft gasp:

"My son."

"mother!"

On the contrary, Lu Yunyi's voice was louder than ever before.
The pace quickened, eventually turning into a jog.
Liu jumped out of the carriage, staggering slightly, but continued walking.
She stumbled and ran towards Lu Yunyi, her skirt stained with mud from the long journey.

The night wind ruffled the white hair at her temples.

Under the moonlight, she resembled drifting snowflakes, yet her eyes shone with an intense, fiery light.

"My son!"

The call finally broke through her throat, carrying a trembling sound born of longing.

Liu opened her arms, as if to embrace the child from her memories who always loved to curl up on her lap. Lu Yunyi slipped, his knees hitting the hard ground hard, kicking up a cloud of dust.

But he felt no pain at all, and the moment he threw himself into his mother's arms,

It felt like stepping back into the middle of the night when I had a fever as a child, when my mother held me tightly in the same way.

The warmth of his body, carrying the scent of medicine, seeped into his skin through his coarse clothes.

"My son."

Liu's trembling fingertips traced the dry, cracked wounds on her son's face, her heart aching.

"Son, are you tired?"

Lu Yunyi didn't speak, but simply pursed his lips tightly.
Qiuhe, holding a bronze lamp, caught up with him, looked up, covered her mouth, and tried hard not to cry.

In the warm yellow light, a tall figure slowly emerged from the shadows of the carriage.

Lu Jianzhi stood with his hands behind his back beside the carriage shaft.

His slightly aged face was hidden in the shadows, with only the jade pendant at his waist gleaming coldly in the moonlight.

He gazed at his embracing wife and children, his Adam's apple bobbing twice, his expression complex.
Unconsciously, his hands adjusted the loose ropes on the carriage.

"Go see your father."

Liu wiped away her tears and gently nudged her son.

Lu Yunyi looked up and met his father's gaze, which he hurriedly looked away from.
He repeatedly rubbed his palms against the hemp rope, as if trying to knead all his emotions into this mechanical movement.

Lu Yunyi took a deep breath and slowly stood up.
The pain in my knee was still there, but compared to the surging emotions in my heart at that moment, the pain was insignificant.

He walked towards his father, each step taken with a degree of caution.

"Father, I am an unfilial son, causing you and Mother to travel back and forth."

Lu Jianzhi paused, his fingers tightened slightly, and the hemp rope left several red marks on his palm.

After a long while, he slowly turned around, his gaze meeting his son's for a fleeting moment before quickly looking away, his eyes fixed on the flickering torches in the distance.
"You've lost some weight."

His voice was deep and hoarse, as if it had been weathered by wind and sand for a long time.

Lu Yunyi looked at the new gray hairs at his father's temples.
Looking at the undisguised weariness in his eyes,

I suddenly remembered how, when I was a child, my father would always reluctantly carry me on his shoulders.
Take him to see the mountains, rivers, and vast grasslands outside the city.

My father was so tall and upright back then, as if he could hold up the whole sky.

But now, bathed in moonlight, he appeared somewhat hunched over.

"Father, I'm sorry to have worried you and Mother."

Lu Yunyi lowered his eyes, his voice filled with remorse.

Lu Jianzhi snorted, reached out and patted his son's shoulder, the force neither too light nor too heavy:
"Officials should pay attention to their demeanor; what kind of appearance is it to cry and whine like that?"

Seeing that the atmosphere was a bit awkward, Qiuhe quickly smiled and moved closer:
"Young Master, Madam has been talking about you countless times along the way, hoping to see you as soon as possible."

And then there's the old man, who says he's not in a hurry, but he asks several times a day where we are.

Liu spat lightly and scolded, "You're so quick to talk."

Despite saying that, her face was beaming with a happy smile.

Looking at his mother and Qiuhe, and then at his awkward father, Lu Yunyi felt a warmth in his heart, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up.

These days, I've been experiencing various pressures and worries in Daning City.
At this moment, everything was dispelled by warmth.

"Uncle and Aunt, it's cold outside the city. Let's go into the city first."

Liu Heiying stepped forward, breaking the slightly tense atmosphere.
"It's getting late, and everyone is tired."

Lu Jianzhi nodded and gestured for Lu Yunyi to get into the car:
"First, sit in a car with your mother and have a good talk."

Lu Yunyi was about to refuse,
But Liu grabbed him and dragged him onto the carriage.

The carriage started slowly, its wheels crunching over the gravel road.

Holding her son's hand, Mrs. Liu chatted on and on about the trivial matters at home.

From the old hen in the backyard laying a few eggs, to the newlywed bride of the Wang family next door,
Each and every one of these seemingly ordinary little things captivated Lu Yunyi.

Outside the car, Lu Jianzhi and Lao Zhang sat together.
Looking at the distant city of Daning, which was faintly visible in the night, it resembled a lurking giant beast.

Old Zhang grinned, revealing his yellowed teeth:
"Master, the young master has truly made something of himself. These soldiers around him are all exceptionally elite troops."

I've heard that the young master is now one of the top officials in Da Ning.

"In just two years, young master has already achieved so much."

Lu Jianzhi's expectations for the future have all vanished.
Gazing at the shadowy figures faintly visible on the city walls, a deep sigh escaped his throat:
As Cao Cao once said, "It is like morning dew; the days gone by are many."

Yun Yi's brilliance is too dazzling; he may become a firefly in a grave.

He stroked the jade pendant at his waist, the coolness spreading from his fingertips.

“In the past, Wen Zhong assisted Yue in destroying Wu, but in the end, ‘when the birds are all gone, the good bow is put away.’”

Han Xin conquered Chu and was enfeoffed as a king, but he could not escape the calamity of Weiyang Palace.
Yun Yi's sudden rise to a high position was like riding a horse off a precipice.

Old Zhang's hand holding the reins trembled slightly, and he managed a weak, simple smile.
“Master, the young master is exceptionally talented, and His Majesty is kind and benevolent. How could this be?”

Lu Jianzhi cut him off, the sound of withered leaves being crushed by wheels mingling with his worry.

"Back then, Meng Tian commanded 300,000 troops along the Great Wall, and with a single imperial edict, he committed suicide in Yangzhou."

Tan Daoji, who commanded the elite troops of the Northern Army, became a figure of eternal regret for his self-destruction.
At this point, one's own abilities become a death warrant.

He suddenly turned to look at the carriage, a rare look of worry in his eyes.
"From small things, we can see big things. Whether it is the struggle between civil and military officials or the struggle between the old and new orthodoxy, the various forces are intertwined, and the higher you go, the more dangerous it becomes."

After speaking, Lu Jianzhi seemed to be talking to himself:

Let's not talk about such unlucky things.

Before he could finish speaking, the carriage curtain moved slightly.
Liu peeked out, her eyebrows raised in anger!

"We finally get to see each other, why are you saying such unlucky things? If you had known this would happen, you should have just stayed at home."

After saying that, Liu Shi pulled her head back.
Lu Jianzhi remained silent for a moment, a helpless expression on his face. He put the jade pendant into his pocket and gently shook his head.
"A tranquil mind leads to lofty ideals, and serenity leads to far-reaching goals."

At that moment, Lu Yunyi's steady voice came from behind the curtain.

"Mother, it's not that Wanyi and the others didn't come to pick you up."

Rather, it was because the young man, a newly appointed official, had clashed with some people, causing unrest both inside and outside the city.

"It's alright, we'll see him soon, Mother, don't worry."
I heard that Chu Ting and Ling Yun are both from wealthy and noble families? What do they look like?

"Of course, that's excellent."

In front of the vermilion gate of the Lu family mansion, four lanterns illuminated the screen wall in a bright red glow.

Liu Wanyi wore a brocade ruqun with subtle gold thread patterns.

The mutton-fat jade pendant at her waist swayed gently as she paced back and forth.

Mu Chuting half-covered her red lips and temples, her pearl hairpin trembling slightly in the night breeze.
Deng Lingyun clutched her embroidered handkerchief, twisting the fabric into layers of folds with her fingertips. The three of them would occasionally tiptoe and look towards the end of the long street.

"I'm coming!"

Mu Chuting suddenly grabbed Lingyun's wrist.

In the distance, torches gathered like fireflies, and the sound of wheels rolling over bluestone slabs grew louder as they approached.

Deng Lingyun was a little nervous and quickly straightened her hairpin.
Liu Wanyi then stepped forward and walked down the steps.

The three of them unconsciously straightened their backs, their clothes fluttering slightly in the night breeze.

The carriage slowly came to a stop in front of the Lu residence. The curtain was lifted, and Liu's gentle face appeared before everyone.

She spotted Liu Wanyi at a glance, and reached out her hand with a smile:

"Wanyi, it's so soon we meet again."

Liu Wanyi curtsied and said, "Mother, I wish I had known you would come with Wanyi."

As she spoke, she carefully helped Liu out of the car.

Liu held Liu Wanyi's hand, and at this moment, Mu Chuting and Deng Lingyun also stepped forward.

Liu Wanyi quickly introduced:
"Mother, this is Miss Chu Ting from the Mu family, and this is Miss Ling Yun from the Deng family."

Mu Chuting gave a graceful and poised bow, her voice clear and melodious:
"Greetings, Mother."

Deng Lingyun blushed slightly and gave a slight curtsy:
"Grandma."

Liu's smile immediately brightened, and she stepped forward to take their hands:

"You are all good girls, please don't stand on ceremony, let's go inside and talk."

Lu Jianzhi stepped down from the other side of the carriage, his gaze sweeping over the three of them, but he said nothing.

Knowing her father's old-fashioned nature, Liu Wanyi quickly spoke up:
"Father, Mother, please come in. A welcome banquet has been prepared at the manor."

(End of this chapter)