Chapter 223: Rich and Idle, Life is Like a Dream (Ending)
After entering July, Su Luo was often awakened by nightmares at night. The nightmares only contained one thing: a figure walked into the valley alone, and suddenly there were ambushes all around, and the figure was pierced by thousands of arrows and turned into a hedgehog.
Every time I woke up, I was still terrified, sweating profusely, and those words kept echoing in my ears...
"What if the result of changing history makes history happen earlier? Will the ending change? Or will the ending also come earlier?"
In August, Su Luo's nightmares gradually became less frequent. The war in Ningxia was in full swing, with frequent reports of victory. People on the streets talked about it with great relish, and many people made jokes about the war and circulated them widely.
"It is said that Lord Li Rusong personally led the troops to surround Ningxia City..."
It was another story about Li Rusong breaking the Yellow River and flooding Ningxia City. Su Luo and Qin Huai smiled at each other. These days, no matter where they went, they would hear about this legendary battle. The number of casualties was different, and even the names of the vanguards were different. The only thing that was the same was the name Li Rusong, and the storyteller was full of passion, wishing that it was him who broke Ningxia City.
A great victory... So the battle is almost over, right?
Thinking of this, Su Luo's mood would unconsciously improve.
"...Xiaobai and his son were trapped in the city, and Li Rusong broke into the city alone..."
"Listen, he's alone again." Su Luo said with a smile: "In two months, he will be a god."
Qin Huai smiled and said, "Don't worry, he will be back in less than two months."
Su Luo wrinkled his nose and was about to fight back when he heard a very unfamiliar joke...
"The father and son pretended to , and Li Rusong believed them and entered the city first. Unexpectedly, archers had already been lying in wait on both sides of the city wall. As soon as Li Rusong entered the city, thousands of arrows were fired at him. Even though Li Rusong was a skilled martial artist, he was no match for the heavy rain of arrows. He was hit by two arrows in the chest and back, and fell off his horse with a cry!"
Su Luo couldn't help but look in the direction of the storyteller. He was a middle-aged man in his thirties, with a dark and thin face. He was not like the usual storytellers with fair skin and delicate skin.
The middle-aged man stood up and bowed to the audience, "I am not really a storyteller, I just ran out of money, so I just wanted to collect some money for the journey. Please bear with me whether it is good or not."
There are many storytellers now, but most of the listeners listen in vain. When the story is over, they all disperse. The man was Seeing Su Luo and Qin Huai standing a little further away, looking at this side, he concluded that they also listened, so he came over and said with a wry smile: "Please bear with me, both of you."
Su Luo took out a dozen coins from his purse and handed them over, saying with a smile: "This is the first time I've heard your story. Hasn't Ningxia City been destroyed? Naturally, no one is willing to pay you for such a shocking story."
The man waved his hand and said, "I came from Ningxia City, and everything I said is true."
Su Luo was unwilling to believe it, "Everyone knows about the great victory in Ningxia."
"It was a great victory, but General Li was really shot by an arrow, but only in the chest. The arrow in the back was shot by me."
Su Luo frowned slightly, "I was hit by an arrow, and then what?"
"Then General Li was taken away by his subordinates who rushed into the city. It is unknown whether he is alive or dead."
"Nonsense." Su Luo cursed with a smile and said to Qin Huai, "Let's go."
The man stopped Su Luo and said, "Why doesn't this girl believe it? I have really seen General Li. He is tall and thin, with a very handsome face. He is not like what they say, big and strong, with a face like a demon. People would believe him if he was a scholar, but he doesn't look like a general at all."
"Maybe you've seen him somewhere, and you're telling me nonsense."
"Hey, you girl!" The man scratched his head, "Oh, right! General Li's left and right forwards are Liu Ren and Hummer. This is a pre-military appointment, so it can't be fake, right?"
Su Luo narrowed his eyes slightly, and suddenly felt that today's sun was so bright that it hurt his eyes.
"Luo'er."
When Su Luo heard the voice, he slowly focused his anxious eyes on the face in front of him. After a long time, he said "Hmm?" Then he remembered something and said to the storyteller, "Stop talking nonsense..." When he turned around, the storyteller was no longer there, and the sun had already set.
Su Luo's breathing became rapid, "I... I want to go to Ningxia City..."
Qin Huai seemed to have expected Su Luo to say this, and sighed softly, "I'll go with you."
"No, it's dangerous there..." Su Luo refused without a second thought, thinking that she couldn't let Qin Huai take risks with her. Qin Huai was stunned, looking at Su Luo, and remained silent for a long time.
"What happened to you?"
Qin Huai laughed at himself, "It was not until today that I really felt that I had lost to Zimao. You were willing to spend your entire life to bribe Zhou Chongwen to let me go, but you were willing to die with Zimao."
Su Luo was melancholy for a moment, "Of course I will die for you."
Qin Huai nodded, "I believe it, but you will let Zimao accompany you, and the two of you, to die with me."
Su Luo thought for a long time, then laughed out loud, with tears welling up in her eyes, "So that's how it is, but I told him at that time..." She told him that she treated him the same way as she treated Qin Huai; it turned out... they were different.
…
Half a month later, Ningxia City.
Li Rusong stared at the person in front of him for five minutes, but still couldn't believe that she would suddenly appear here.
The Ningxia rebellion was completely quelled ten days ago. Li Rusong led the reinforcements to rest on the spot. In two days, they would return to the capital.
Su Luo also appeared in front of him at this time.
"Did Qin Huai really let you come alone?" Li Rusong gnashed his teeth in anger. "What if we encounter the remaining members of the Xiaobai tribe on the way?"
Su Luo stared at him, eyes full of joy, "Great, you're okay."
Li Rusong frowned, "Why did you come? Just to see if I'm okay?"
Su Luo nodded, "There are rumors that you are about to die."
"So you came here?" Li Rusong's eyes were filled with anger. "When Qin Huai was about to die, you chose him, and when I was about to die, you came to find me? Can you be more focused? You chose him and then came to find me, you know how he felt!"
Su Luo lowered her head. "I know you would think so, but I came here this time just to tell you one thing, and then I'll leave."
Li Rusong didn't say anything, Su Luo raised her head, "I don't know how to make it clearer, I just want to tell you this. That day, that night you asked me, if something happened to you, would I treat you the same way I treated him, I said yes, but Qin Huai told me that I wouldn't. I thought you would die, so I came to you with the determination to die. Qin Huai said that I could exchange my life for his freedom, but I could die for you; I told him that I could die for him, and he said yes, I could die for him, but I must take you with me; I could die for you, but I didn't want to implicate him. Do you understand?"
Li Rusong was a little stunned. Su Luo pursed her lips and said, "That's what I wanted to say. I will stay in the city tonight. Tomorrow morning, I will go back with the caravan that brought me here."
When Su Luo walked out the door, she kept looking back hoping that Li Rusong would catch up with her or call her, but unfortunately, she was always disappointed.
Su Luo returned to the place where the traveling merchants stayed dejectedly. He didn't even bother to eat. He hid on the bed, with a hint of moisture in the corners of his eyes.
Did he still not believe in himself? Did he still feel that he was wavering and would rush to the arms of whoever was pitiful? Or was he using the wrong method and should learn from Qin Qing and use her "responsible" method?
In his dream, Su Luo felt a chill all over his body, and could not help but lean towards a source of warmth beside him. Su Luo greedily absorbed the slightly warm pine scent, curled up into a ball, wishing he could completely immerse himself in that intoxicating warmth.
Su Luo had woken up, but she didn't dare to move, fearing that if she moved, the warmth outside her body would leave her. She moved her ear very carefully to the solid chest, listening to the regular heartbeat, she seemed to be able to confirm something, so she gently reached out her hand and hugged the body beside her.
"I've already let go once." Someone sighed above his head, and a familiar voice sounded, "I wanted to ask you what you meant by those words, but now I don't want to ask, and you don't have to say it again. Whether I understand it correctly or not, I will never let go again in my life."
…
In the 17th year of Wanli's reign, during the Battle of Ningxia, Li Rusong, the general of Xuanfu, led six armies to quell the rebellion. When he was about to return from a great victory, Li Rusong resigned and his whereabouts are unknown.
In the 19th year of Wanli, the Wufeng Fleet of the Qianlou Bandit Group used the self-occupied Song Kingdom on the Japanese Island as its base and traveled along the coast of the Ming Dynasty, cooperating with the government to eliminate Japanese pirates at sea. The size of the fleet continued to expand and grow. It was suspected that the Ming Kingdom was supporting it from behind, and Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who unified the Warring States Period, did not dare to make enemies with it.
In the 21st year of Wanli's reign, the imperial court lifted the maritime ban on a merchant fleet, targeting the Japanese islands, and dumped the Ming Dynasty's stranded goods, thereby boosting the sales of new domestic products and promoting domestic economic growth.
In the 24th year of Wanli, Japan abandoned its plan to invade Korea because its economy was too dependent on the Ming Dynasty and it was warned by the Ming Dynasty. In the autumn of the 24th year, Emperor Wanli of the Ming Dynasty conferred the title of King of Japan on Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Toyotomi Hideyoshi wore the conferment clothes sent by the Ming Dynasty envoy and went out of the palace to accept the title.
In the summer of the 25th year of Wanli, Japan Island, Song State
A beautiful white beach with crystal blue water and fine sand. Not far away, a white wooden house stands quietly. Under the sunlight, the whole beach looks particularly fairy-tale-like.
"Honey..." A woman in her twenties was lying on a lounge chair by the beach, eating half a basket of lychees with relish, "The lychees are almost gone."
Not far away, a man in beach shorts was building a sand castle with a boy of about five or six years old. The man shouted, " Let Yunlang take it away from you tomorrow."
"And my toner..."
"Let Qin Huai bring it to you next time."
"Is he free?" The woman stared up at the sky for a moment, "Didn't they say they were going to hold a domestic economic promotion conference or something this year..."
The man smiled and said, "With the help of Wan Xiaozi and Liu Chengxuan, he has a lot less time. Last time I went back, Qin Qing said she wanted to come over to play, but she's pregnant again, and Wan Xiaozi is like crazy trying to stop her from doing anything."
"Haha!" The woman laughed without any image. "I really need to go back and embarrass him. He was so arrogant back then."
"Why do you need to do anything? We have Su Jiang. I heard that he now avoids Su Jiang whenever he sees her, and he never visits Liu's residence with Qin Qing."
"You deserve it!" The woman forcefully spat out a lychee pit. "Oh, by the way, remember to ask Wang Han to bring back some carrot ginseng next time he goes to Goryeo. Give it to Toyotomi as a return gift the next time he invites you to dinner. It's embarrassing to always have to take it after you've already eaten it."
"As you command, Queen."
The woman nodded with satisfaction, basking in the sun as she watched the two figures, one big and one small, busy and happy. She felt extremely satisfied, "Husband... where are we going for our honeymoon this year..."
"Maldives... Seychelles..." The man stood up, made an encouraging gesture to his son, patted his butt, ran back to the woman, chuckled and picked her up, "Why don't we just... go back to bed first?"
The woman dropped the lychee in her hand, put her arm around the man's neck, bit her lower lip and smiled like a thief, "Permission granted..."
The ruler of a county? There are so many rules; the richest man in Ming Dynasty? There is a long way to go; or to be a rich and idle person, with a husband and son, a warm bed, and a life like a dream, how much joy is there?
(End of the book)
