Chapter 281

Chapter 281

That night, there were destined to be those who could not sleep.

Before leaving, Yu Linlang wanted to take Qing Xuan back to the General's Mansion, but Qing Xuan refused without hesitation: "No, I'll stay with Old Uncle and the others."

Faced with this situation, Yu Linlang seemed at a loss.

Qing Xuan looked at her seriously and said, "I know who my parents are now, and my parents have found their son. We have all put a major matter to rest in our hearts. That's enough."

"During festivals and holidays, I will go to pay respects to you. On my birthday, if you are free, you can come visit me." Every word he spoke was quite earnest, clearly the result of deep thought, not a rash decision. "My master said I have no affinity with the Taoist temple, so I probably won't be a Taoist priest anymore. Once the government assigns us a place to settle, I'll leave the prefecture city with Old Uncle and the others."

"If we can get land, I'll farm in the countryside to make a living. If not, I'll find another livelihood. I can read, I know martial arts; I won't starve anyway."

"Father and Mother need not worry about me. Your child has grown up and can take care of himself," he said. "Father and Mother are eagles soaring in the nine heavens, with boundless horizons and ideals to pursue and responsibilities to shoulder. Your child is not an eagle; I have no ideals. I only want to live an ordinary, plain life."

Every word he spoke fell on Yu Linlang's ears like a hammer striking her heart. The pain almost rendered her speechless: "...Why is it so? Does Wu Yu still not want to recognize his parents?"

Qing Xuan frowned. He was not a fool; of course he understood her meaning, but he would not change his mind because of it. "Everyone has their own path to walk. Although I cannot walk the same path as my parents, I will always think of you in my heart."

Yu Linlang stared at him in a daze.

She had finally found her long-lost son, but she could not have him.

"Has Wu Yu already made up his mind?"

"Yes."

"...Mother understands."

Yu Linlang left in a trance, utterly dejected. She understood everything, even if her son had not said it explicitly.

Old Man Zhao hadn't taken in anything except the words "leave the prefecture city with Old Uncle and the others." His face, bitter as a goldthread, instantly shone with delight. He flailed his hands and feet in excitement.

Once the others were gone, he directly gave the child a slap on the arm and pretended to shout, "Ah, you little rascal! I never expected your background to be so impressive. Old Uncle really misjudged you; so you're actually a young master! Why would a young master be so set on suffering hardship with us? Farming? Do you even know how to farm? Looking for some other livelihood? Whether they give us land or not, our family can't lack land for you to farm!" He winked and gestured at him fiercely. They had the immortal land—was there any worry about work?

Qing Xuan covered his stinging arm, daring not to be angry or complain, silently enduring it.

"Will you really not reconsider? It's so nice being a young master—someone to serve you when you eat and even when you relieve yourself, no sun to burn you, no rain to soak you, and when you're tired, someone to massage your arms and legs. Country life is hard labor under the sky, facing the earth and turning your back to the sky. Spring plowing and autumn busy work, never a moment of leisure all year long. Don't think you can enjoy a comfortable life following us!"

"I'm not a young master." Seeing that Old Uncle's mouth was about to split to the back of his ears, yet still saying insincere words, he added, "I still owe Zhao Xiaobao grain. I've eaten quite a lot along the way."

"Hmph, you better remember that." Old Man Zhao was about to smile when he heard Qing Xuan say, "When the time comes, can I build my house next to Old Uncle's? I want to be neighbors with you." He thought it would be convenient to work together, and Zhao Xiaobao's secret had to be tightly guarded.

"You wish! There are plenty of people who want to be neighbors with our family. Can you compete with Zhao Shanao or beat Li Laiyin?" He looked at the child, completely unashamed of bullying him. "Of course, considering you're injured, I'm not unwilling to build an extra room. But, there's a little girl in the family, after all. Without any relation or recognized status, it wouldn't be appropriate for you to move in..."

"Oh, I really like the custom of Yanlin Prefecture—men marrying into the family isn't disgraceful; not finding a wife and being a bachelor is what's laughable."

"I have such a good daughter; I need to find her a handsome young husband. Preferably one who can read, knows some martial arts, and has the strength to farm. I'm not very demanding—just don't know which lad is so fortunate..."

"Old Uncle, I'm really worried!"

Qing Xuan: "..." As if he couldn't understand the insinuation.

He couldn't help but look at Zhao Xiaobao. The little girl had no idea what her father was scheming. She was fiddling with the long-life lock her mother had left on the table. Her big eyes were clear and innocent, her chubby fingers picking at the ruby on it, visibly liking it.

A thought he had never had before came to his mind. He paused, not responding to Old Uncle's bait, and walked straight over to pick up the long-life lock. He looked at her chubby face, which stared back blankly, and asked softly, "Do you like it?"

Zhao Xiaobao didn't know why he asked, but she nodded honestly: "Xiaobao likes it."

"Then it's yours." Qing Xuan directly put the long-life lock around her neck.

Zhao Xiaobao was still a bit confused. She looked down at the heavy long-life lock on her neck, touching the smooth, slippery big gem, and couldn't believe it: "Qing Xuan big brother, this is your long-life lock. Why are you giving it to Xiaobao?"

"Because you like it."

"Xiaobao likes a lot of things—gold bracelets, gold hairpins. Will Qing Xuan big brother give them all to me?"

"If you like them, they're all yours."

Zhao Xiaobao didn't understand why, but she was very happy. In her heart, Qing Xuan big brother was family, and whatever he gave her, she could accept.

Old Man Zhao's mouth almost split with a grin from the side.

Giving his own long-life lock to Xiaobao—wasn't that the same as nodding directly? Haha, he would tell his old lady the good news as soon as he got back. He had found a live-in son-in-law for Xiaobao!

He Jinyu, watching from the side, was dumbfounded. His cousin was unwilling to return to the General's Mansion but instead wanted to go to the countryside and be Old Uncle's live-in son-in-law??

Catching sight of him, Old Man Zhao suddenly slapped his forehead. He had forgotten something else.

He quickly pulled out those damned wooden tokens from his bosom, and from his belt he fished out a slip of paper. "One more thing, Jinyu. Old Uncle gives these to you. You decide for yourself whether to tell your aunt."

He Jinyu took the paper suspiciously. After reading the contents, his expression abruptly changed.

"Before we encountered Chen Er and the others, we ran into a group of bandits..." He recounted what happened that day: the tiger attack, Qing Xuan luring the tiger, their joint encirclement and killing of the tiger, then that group suddenly jumping out to claim the prey, attacking without cause, and finally the two sides fighting to death with heavy casualties. He told everything without concealment. "If it weren't for A Deng being clever and smearing snake venom on the knife, Old Uncle might not have had the chance to reach Yanlin Prefecture."

"When that group pulled out those wooden tokens, I was really intimidated. Common folk are most afraid of military lords, haha. Old Uncle is a coward; when I saw the tokens, I didn't want to fight them anymore, but they went too far."

Old Man Zhao didn't hide his timidity. There was no point in hiding it; that was just the truth. After being a peasant all his life, killing a few bandits didn't make him think he was some big shot. Impossible. Without Chen Er leading them, they would never have reached Yanlin Prefecture smoothly. Those city guards were no pushovers. Even facing the medical apprentices in the army medics' tent, they had to bow humbly.

Brute force meant nothing in the face of power.

Besides, fighting brought casualties. As long as they weren't at the point of starvation, he really didn't want a complete break.

The deaths of Zhu Laicai and the others had always been a thorn in his heart.

"We found these on the corpses. I didn't dare hand them over to Chen Er, nor to General Yu. Jinyu, Old Uncle gives these to you. You handle them as you see fit; whatever you do is fine." Even the sets of dark armor and weapons, Old Man Zhao hadn't thrown into the immortal land. They had been in the donkey cart all along. He had originally worried how to deal with the inspection at Yanlin Prefecture, but meeting Chen Er was an unexpected stroke of luck, sparing him from being questioned and saving him from having to make excuses to the villagers. "The armor and weapons are in the donkey cart. Later, have someone collect them. Old Uncle knows these things can't be shown to just anyone. Along the way, even Chen Er didn't know we were carrying these items."

He Jinyu looked at the wooden tokens one by one. As Qing Xuan had expected, these people were lurking in various important yet inconspicuous positions in the military camp: military cooks, grooms, supply soldiers, armor bearers, and even scouts from the Weirong Battalion...

He Jinyu clenched the slip of paper. He took a deep breath but turned to Qing Xuan instead and spoke about something seemingly unrelated: "Today's General's Mansion appears to be flourishing, but inside it's full of secret schemes and calculations."

"After Grandfather's death news reached the border, the officials and generals under Uncle began to stir restlessly."

"Last year, many people came to Yanlin Prefecture—not just refugees, but also men of insight: valiant warriors, those with the common good at heart, wealthy merchants, and migrating aristocratic families. These people are now either advisors under Uncle, conquering cities in Cangzhou, spreading culture in Yanlin Prefecture, or some are carting loads of silver, grain, salt, and medicine to Yanlin Prefecture."

The meaning hidden in these words, even if not made explicit, was understood by everyone present.

Old Man Zhao broke out in a cold sweat, wiping his forehead with his sleeve again and again.

"In this world, there are many ambitious men eager to establish extraordinary achievements, far-sighted strategists, generals, great clans, and even merchant families all placing their bets now," He Jinyu said in a calm tone, explaining the situation in Yanlin Prefecture, even the general trend of the future. "Only interests can form the strongest unbreakable bonds. Uncle's back courtyard grows livelier by the day, which shows the disputes in the front hall. The Duke's mansion is gone. Grandfather died in the capital, in the palace. Uncle will surely seek revenge. The Yu family is also wiped out, yet Aunt has never shown any intention of taking revenge. Every step she takes now, every protection and struggle, is only to consolidate her own position and that of the next generation."

"The Weirong Battalion is under General Han's command. His sister, Concubine Han, currently the most favored, is pregnant and due next month. Someone killed her battalion's scouts, an impostor took their identity and colluded with hidden spies to cause chaos in the army. That group stole the dark armor, destroyed weapons, burned the grain, and raised havoc. Concubine Han cried with her big belly, and General Han escaped with just a few dozen strokes of the board." Thinking of the chaos a few days ago, He Jinyu stared intently at Qing Xuan. "Besides Concubine Han, there is Concubine Liu, from a merchant family who provides money and grain. Concubine Huo, whose father is fighting at the front. The generals and local magnates often send beautiful concubines, or even noble war prisoners."

"Aunt has no family to support her. She only has a baby son still in swaddling clothes. The future is uncertain."

"If you return to the General's Mansion, all forces will undergo a major reshuffle. The situation will reverse instantly. You are the firstborn son. Countless people will support you. Those who haven't chosen a side will choose you. Those who have already chosen may change their minds. They will naturally fight for you. Power and wealth will be yours in an instant."

Perhaps he felt sorry for his aunt, unwilling to let her bear the burden alone. His younger cousin was still young, and Chen Wuyu had appeared at the perfect time; he truly did not want to see him give up everything easily.

He wanted to tell him the situation in Yanlin Prefecture, the fate of the realm, the predicament and pressure from all sides that his aunt and younger cousin were facing, and even his uncle's helplessness.

At this point, the various forces were intertwined and complex; some things were no longer within his uncle's easy control.

Now, even if he did not want to contend, countless hands were pushing him forward step by step toward seizing that position.

"Then it's even less advisable to send word." After he had said so much, Qing Xuan's brow furrowed, and He Jinyu even felt that this man was somewhat pigheaded and cold. "I understand your meaning. I'm just a stone—if I'm thrown into the river now, I'll draw attention from all sides."

"Then don't throw it," he said. "Mother still has another son, and she is not a weak woman. You should have more trust in her."

"I also don't like the wealth and power you mentioned," Qing Xuan said somewhat displeased. "I never blamed my parents for letting me get lost, nor will I take on the so-called responsibilities."

"If my existence will cause upheaval on all sides," he said, "then keep it a secret."

He originally only wanted to know who his parents were, and now he had already had his wish fulfilled.