When they returned to the small courtyard on the hillside, quite a few people had already gathered, inside and out. Search: \(¨Complete¨ Book¨ Divine¨ Station¨) to read premium literature for free.

Ning Yi entered the courtyard and glanced towards the room. Tan'er had already returned; she sat by the bed, watching Ning Xi on the bed with a pale face. Little Ning Xi, with a bandage on his head, was stammering an explanation to his mother. Ning Yi asked the doctor at the door a few questions, then his expression relaxed slightly as he walked inside.

"Dad," Ning Xi said, looking at him from the head of the bed, pouting slightly. "I really was trying to catch a rabbit... I almost caught it..."

Ning Yi went over, pinched his cheek, and then looked at the bandage on his head. "Does it hurt?"

"It didn't hurt at first, but now it hurts a little."

"It's okay." Ning Yi smiled, then waved towards the door. "The doctor said he's fine, what are you all doing here! Ning Xi, look who's here to see you."

"Grandpa Zuo." Ning Xi bowed to the old man who followed in. Zuo Duanyou had a serious expression. He hadn't shown much affection to Ning Xi when they ate together the night before, but now he couldn't keep a straight face. He reached out to support Ning Xi's shoulders, helping him lie back down. "Don't move, don't move, what happened?"

"I went to pick wild vegetables with Chu Yi. We have guests, and they don't eat much. Later, I found a rabbit, and I went to catch it. Then I fell and hit my head... I caught the rabbit, it was this big, but I fell and scared Chu Yi, and the rabbit ran away..."

As the child spoke, he gestured, looking quite dejected. He had finally caught a rabbit, injuring himself in the process, and Min Chuyi had let it go. It was all for naught.

Zuo Duanyou glanced back at Ning Yi. Ning Yi was comforting Su Tan'er. "Boys will be boys, they need to fall and scrape to become men. The doctor said he's fine, don't worry." Then he went to the side and comforted the guilty-looking female soldier. "Children need their own space. I told you not to follow too closely. This isn't your fault, you don't need to blame yourself."

The minor commotion gradually subsided. The atmosphere in Xiaocang River appeared peaceful, but it was actually tense. The internal food shortage was one problem, and outside Xiaocang River, there were various enemies watching them. Everyone knew this in their hearts, even if they didn't say it. Ning Xi's sudden accident had led some to believe that the external enemies had finally made a move, and they had all come to check. Seeing that it wasn't, they dispersed.

Little Ning Xi bled from his head, and after persisting for a while, he fell asleep from exhaustion. Ning Yi saw Zuo Duanyou out, then went to deal with other matters. The old man, accompanied by his attendants, walked on the hillside of Xiaocang River. It was the afternoon, and in the slanting sunlight, the sounds of training echoed from the valley from time to time. Construction sites were bustling with activity, figures hurrying about. In the distance, on the reservoir, several small boats were casting nets, and some were fishing by the water's edge, catching fish to supplement the valley's food shortage.

These things, as they appeared in his field of vision, seemed ordinary. In reality, however, there was an atmosphere brewing that was unlike anywhere else. A sense of tension, a sense of crisis, and something that contradicted that tension and crisis. The old man had seen many things in this world, but he still couldn't understand the reason Ning Yi refused to cooperate with the Zuo family.

As the head of a large family with roots throughout Hedong Road, he had come to Xiaocang River with considerations of profit, of course. But on the other hand, he had started planning and attempting to make contact last year, and a large part of that was due to his friendship with Qin Siyuan. Even if he had demands of Xiaocang River, he would never be too excessive. The other party should be able to see that. It was with this in mind that the old man had taken the initiative to bring up the matter today.

Just to avoid being subject to the Zuo family's conditions? To refuse so decisively? Did he really have a way out? This place... was clearly walking on the edge of a cliff.

He thought about these things in his heart, then had his attendants go into the valley to find the spy he had originally placed inside Xiaocang River, to ask about things one by one, to confirm the fact that the valley was short of food. This only deepened his doubts.

However, in the valley at this time, some things were also happening quietly, in places he didn't know or care about.

To supplement the soldiers' daily meat rations, the kitchen in the valley had started slaughtering warhorses. This evening, some soldiers found small pieces of horse meat in their dishes. When this news spread, half the dining hall fell silent. Then, a soldier, acting as a leader, placed his bowl and chopsticks in front of the dining hall counter and asked, "How can you kill horses?"

Many people stopped eating because of this. Someone said, "Has the valley reached this point? I would rather go hungry than eat horse meat!"

"We don't need meat with every meal! We're used to being poor, we can eat wild vegetables and tree bark!" someone echoed.

Everyone felt anxious and uncomfortable, but fortunately, the dining hall didn't descend into chaos. Shortly after the incident, General He Zhicheng arrived. "Treating you like people, and you're still not comfortable, are you!?"

The discipline in the army was good, and soon after, he suppressed the matter.

At the same time, on the opposite side of the dining hall, a group of young soldiers with knives and spears entered the dormitory, looking for Luo Ye, the initiator of the Huayan Society, whom they trusted more at this time.

"Brother Luo, have you heard about what happened today?"

Luo Ye had just returned from training, covered in sweat. He turned his head and looked at them. "What happened? What are you doing?"

"The Ning family's eldest son had an accident. They say he saw blood by the mountain. We're guessing that the cowards outside couldn't hold back any longer and are going to start a fight!"

These people were all excited, their eyes bloodshot. Luo Ye frowned. "I heard about Young Master Ning Xi being injured, but he just bumped his head while catching a rabbit. What are you guys doing? Putting that aside, even if something really happened, is it up to you to decide whether or not to fight?"

The crowd was slightly stunned. One person said, "We really can't stand it anymore. If they really attack from outside the mountain, we have to do something. Brother Luo, can you speak on our behalf and ask Mr. Ning for permission to fight!"

"You're being impulsive!" Luo Ye said. "Besides, that's not what happened at all. Who are you going to fight! You say you want to do great things, can't you be a little calmer?"

After hearing that something had happened, everyone had rushed over without thinking. Now that it turned out to be a rumor, the atmosphere gradually cooled down. They looked at each other, feeling somewhat embarrassed. One of them slammed his steel knife on the table and sighed. "What great things are there to do? Seeing that the valley is starting to run short of food day by day, we... want to do something, but we can't even get started. I heard... they killed two horses today..."

This person felt dejected when he mentioned the killing of the horses. Luo Ye had just heard about it as well, and he frowned slightly. Then another person sighed. "Yes, this food situation, I don't know if there's any way to solve it."

"Don't you trust General Qin and Mr. Ning?" Luo Ye said. "The higher-ups haven't been slacking off for a single day."

"Of course, we trust them, but seeing that even the warhorses are being killed, we're worried. What are we going to fight with if the warhorses are all gone? Brother Luo, you originally said you knew some powerful families on the outside who could come up with some solutions. After you talked to Mr. Ning about it, you didn't mention it anymore. If you know anything, tell us..."

"I guessed at some things, but it's not good to say." Luo Ye shook his head. "In any case, you should all put in more effort during training, that's all. The higher-ups will find a solution!"

"Training every day, who here has been slacking off!"

"Yes, worrying like this, I really feel... it's better to have a fight. Now they've started killing horses. Even if Mr. Ning still has clever plans, I think... I still feel uncomfortable..."

"Brother Luo, if you know, just tell us, we won't spread it around."

"How could I know everything about the plans Mr. Ning and the others are making? It's just some guesses I've had these past few days, and I'm not even sure if they're right." Everyone clamored. Luo Ye frowned and said in a low voice, "But I estimate that this matter will be resolved in the next few days—"

The clamor in the dormitory didn't stop for a while. In the valley, shrouded in unbearable summer heat, similar things were happening from time to time in various places.

The old man in the room on the mountain heard some detailed reports, and he was even more certain that the food shortage in Xiaocang River was not a false claim. On the other hand, these trivial matters were also compiled into long and short reports every day, categorized, and passed on to the few high-level officials in Xiaocang River. Every day at sunset, Ning Yi, Su Tan'er, Qin Shaoqian, and others would gather briefly in the office to discuss the meaning behind these pieces of information. And on this day, due to the accident that Ning Xi encountered, Tan'er's expression was not happy.

Some things were decided. Qin Shaoqian left from here, while Ning Yi and Su Tan'er ate a simple dinner together. Ning Yi comforted his wife. Only when they were alone did Su Tan'er's expression become a little weak. She nodded and snuggled with her man.

As the sunset gradually faded, when the sky was about to run out of afterglow, Zuo Duanyou, who had eaten dinner accompanied by Qin Shaoqian, came out for a walk on the mountain and met Ning Yi, who was walking back from the mountain road. For some reason, Ning Yi had changed into a new set of clothes, and he cupped his fist in greeting and smiled. "Old man, you're in good health."

Zuo Duanyou looked at him. "Mr. Ning, do you have something to do?"

"I have something to do tonight, but I'm free now."

"Then accompany this old man for a walk."

"Sure." Ning Yi spread his hands. "Lord Zuo, please."

On the mountain road swept by the night breeze, the two walked one after the other. Zuo Duanyou leaned on his cane and walked for a while, then slowly opened his mouth. This time, his tone was much more peaceful. "Over the years, this old man has always believed that those who wield power in a place should not act on impulse."

Ning Yi respectfully nodded beside him.

"When this old man spoke this afternoon, I thought there was not much room for discussion. Now I'm just curious, what percentage of your words today, in Liheng's opinion, were impulsive?"

"...Not a single percent."

"This old man thinks so too. So, I'm even more curious."

Zuo Duanyou supported himself with his cane and continued forward.

"The food shortage in the valley is not fake."

"It's not."

"The Jin people have sealed off the north, the Western Xia are surrounding the southwest, and as far as this old man knows, no one in the Wu Dynasty dares to secretly trade with this area of yours. Your Qingmu Fortress is currently cut off from all trade routes and is powerless to do anything. Are any of these pieces of information wrong?"

Ning Yi was silent for a moment. "We sent some people out to connect with some wealthy households according to previous information. Some of them succeeded. These are fair trades, but the harvest is not much. There are those who want to help in secret, but a few families who risked coming to talk about cooperation asked for exorbitant prices, so we rejected them. Qingmu Fortress is under a lot of pressure, but it can hold on for the time being. Ci Bushi is also busy arranging the autumn harvest and can't worry about this desolate mountain range. But no matter what... it's not wrong."

"Are you afraid that my Zuo family will also ask for exorbitant prices?"

"That's not the case." Ning Yi replied.

"Good." Zuo Duanyou nodded. "So, you have no way forward, but you still reject this old man, and you're not acting on impulse. These things put together are very strange. What's even stranger is that since you're unwilling to do business with this old man, why are you spending so much time with me? If it's just out of respect for Qin, you don't need to do this. Giving gifts to others must be for a reason. You're contradicting yourself. Either this old man has really missed something, or you're lying. Do you admit that?"

He was old, but although his hair was white, his logic was still clear and his words were fluent, enough to show a bit of his former brilliance. Ning Yi's answer was not hesitant.

"The old man thinks very clearly." He smiled calmly and frankly informed him, "I'm accompanying you out of respect as a younger generation, and another point is that Lord Zuo came at the right time. I want to leave Lord Zuo with a memory."

"Oh? A memory?"

"Yes, someday, when the Jurchens occupy the entire area north of the Yangtze River, power changes hands, the people live in poverty, and the Zuo family faces disintegration and ruin, I hope that the Zuo family's descendants can remember a place called Xiaocang River."

Ning Yi's words were calm, as if he were talking about a very simple matter, but they were like needles, piercing the heart. Zuo Duanyou frowned, and a trace of anger flashed in his eyes again. Ning Yi, however, supported one of his hands beside him, and the two continued to walk slowly forward.

"Lord Zuo, don't be angry. At this time, I admire your courage and魄力 in coming to Xiaocang River. Because of Qin Xiang's favor, Xiaocang River will not do anything out of line to you. The words I speak are all from the bottom of my heart. We may not have many opportunities to spend time together, so I'll tell you what I'm thinking. You are a contemporary great scholar, you have seen countless people, you can slowly think about whether what I said is delusional or deceptive in the future, there is no need to rush."

"...Oh? How do you mean?"

"The Jurchens are withdrawing north, the imperial court is going south, and it is already a foregone conclusion that everything north of the Yellow River will be abandoned to the Jurchens. The Zuo family is a large family in Hedong with deep roots, but no one can say for sure what kind of impact they will be subjected to when the Jurchens come. This is not a nation that follows the rules, at least, they don't need to follow them for the time being. To rule Hedong, they can cooperate with the Zuo family, or they can kill everyone in Hedong and then talk about surrender. At this time, it is natural for you to seek a safe way out for your clan."

Zuo Duanyou's gaze was steady, and he didn't speak.

"There is too much to talk about when it comes to how to seek a way out. One thing is certain, Xiaocang River is not the primary choice, it's not even the secondary choice. You can't expect us to block the Jurchens when they come. But you came here in person. You didn't know me before, and you hadn't seen Shaoqian for many years. A large part of the reason you chose to come here in person was because of your relationship with Qin Xiang. There are several possibilities for you coming here. Either things are settled, and Xiaocang River secretly becomes an arm of your Zuo family, or things don't work out, and you go back safely, or you are kept as a hostage, and we ask the Zuo family to provide food to redeem you, or, the most troublesome thing, is that you are killed. During this time, we also have to consider the possibility of the imperial court or other large families finding out about your visit. In short, it is a losing proposition."

"Despite these possibilities, you still came. I can guarantee that you will definitely be able to return home safely. You are a person worthy of respect. But at the same time, one thing is certain, Xiaocang River will not accept any of the conditions you propose from the Zuo family's position. This is not a trick, this is a matter of business."

The expression on Zuo Duanyou's face remained unchanged. "Oh, then why is that?"

"The reason why the Wu Dynasty has come to this point is mainly due to people like Zuo Houwen and Zuo Jilan, Lord Zuo's cousin and grandson. Do you agree with what I said?"

With a thud, Zuo Duanyou's cane struck the ground. He turned his head and looked at Ning Yi, his eyes blazing, his face like a fierce tiger, ready to devour someone.

"So, at least for now, and for a long time to come while I can still control things, the affairs of Xiaocang River will not allow them to speak, not even half a sentence." Ning Yi supported the old man and said calmly.

Zuo Duanyou said, one word at a time, "If anyone said such a thing, this old man would think they were crazy."

"What you said is the truth." Ning Yi nodded, not angry. "So, when the world collapses one day, and the Jurchens kill the Zuo family, at that time you may have already passed away, your family members will be killed, and the women will be humiliated. Then they will have two choices. The first is to submit to the Jurchens and swallow their humiliation. The second is that they can truly change,

and become a good person and a useful person in the future. Then, even if the Zuo family's billions of wealth have been scattered, and there is not a grain of rice in the granary, Xiaocang River is willing to accept them as part of this place. This is the memory I want to leave, and it is an explanation to you, Lord Zuo."

Ning Yi held Zuo Duanyou's arm. The old man supported himself with his cane, but he was just looking at him and didn't plan to continue forward. "Now this old man is somewhat sure that you are crazy. The Zuo family does have problems, but before that happens, your mere Xiaocang River is probably already gone!"

"That's also a possibility." Ning Yi slowly released his hand.

"So, you actually have a way to deal with the current situation?"

The night wind blew in gusts, stirring the clothes of the two men on the mountain. Ning Yi nodded, looked back down the mountain, and after a long while, said, "Some time ago, my wife asked me what we could do. I asked her, you look at this Xiaocang River, what does it look like now? She didn't guess it. Lord Zuo, you have been here for more than a day, and you have asked some people and know the details. What do you think it looks like now?"

The scattered lights gathered in this valley. The old man looked at it for a moment.

"On the edge of a cliff, with no way forward and pursuers behind, the inside seems peaceful, but in reality it is restless and suffering from the five aggregates. It is shaped like an egg on its end."

"Lord Zuo sees the big picture from the small, you are right." Ning Yi laughed. He stood there with his hands behind his back, smiling and looking at the lights below, and after looking for a long time, his expression became serious. "Lord Zuo, everything you see is right, but the method of deduction is wrong. Excuse me for speaking frankly, the people of the Wu Dynasty have become accustomed to thinking like the weak. You think back and forth, calculating everything, but you overlook the first way out that is right in front of you. This road is difficult, but the real way out is actually only this one."

"Ignorant junior." Zuo Duanyou smiled and spat out these words. "What you are thinking is the mindset of the strong?"

"It's about to begin. The result is hard to say, of course. The distinction between strong and weak may not be accurate. Saying it's a madman's idea might be more fitting." Ning Yi smiled and cupped his hands. "There's still a meeting to be held, so please excuse Ning Yi for leaving first. Lord Zuo, please help yourself."

With a thud, the old man struck his cane on the ground again. He stood on the mountainside, looking at the lights spreading below, his gaze serious. He seemed to no longer care about the latter half of Ning Yi's words, but he was still thinking about them over and over in his heart. In his heart, after this conversation, this junior who was leaving was indeed like a madman, but only the metaphor of strength and weakness at the end made him a little concerned.

Because Zuo Houwen and Zuo Jilan had rejected a path to survival directly and cleanly, Zuo Duanyou had never seen such people in his life. Even Wang Qisong, who had once been upright, would not be so pedantic.

There was no mistake, broadly speaking, these useless sons and officials of wealthy families had ruined the Wu Dynasty, but which family didn't have such people? Water that is too clear has no fish. The Zuo family was still in his hands, Zuo Duanyou's hands, and that was a positive thing. Even if he passed away like this, the person who took over the Zuo family would be a powerful patriarch. The Zuo family's help to Xiaocang River was a true act of kindness in a time of need. They would certainly demand some privileges, but they would not go too far. This Ning Liheng actually demanded that everyone be able to see the big picture, and rejected the entire Zuo family's assistance for the sake of people like Zuo Houwen and Zuo Jilan. Such a person was either a pure idealist, or they were really crazy.

A pure idealist cannot accomplish anything, and a madman cannot accomplish anything either. And the most confusing thing was that, even after getting to this point, Zuo Duanyou still couldn't figure out what the so-called "madman's idea" was.

He raised his head, and the mountain wind was blowing warmly. The moon and stars in the sky were bright. Ning Yi's figure left this hillside, and on the other hillside, the lights were bright in a wooden house. All the officers above the company level in the Black Flag Army of Xiaocang River, plus senior personnel in the areas of internal affairs, staff, and intelligence, a total of sixty-eight people, were arriving one after another and entering the room.

Soldiers walking in the room distributed a transcribed document to them one by one. According to the title of the document, it was a decision made at a high-level meeting in Xiaocang River on the eighth day of the twelfth month of last year. Most of the people who came to this room were literate. As soon as they received this document, small-scale discussions and commotion broke out. Under the gaze of several officers, including He Zhicheng and Liu Chengzong, the discussions slowly subsided. The faces of everyone turned into a strange, excited red, and some people's bodies were trembling slightly.

After a moment, Qin Shaoqian and Ning Yi entered from the door one after another, and Su Tan'er, with a serious and thin face, attended the meeting with a small notebook in her arms.

This day was the twelfth day of the sixth month of Jingping 2nd year. It had been a full year since Ning Yi's assassination of the emperor in the Golden Palace and the Wuri Camp's uprising. During this year, the Jurchens had gone south again, broken Bianliang, and overturned the entire Wu Dynasty. The Western Xia people had broken through the northwest and had also begun a formal invasion to the south. The entire rebel army, hiding in these mountains in the northwest, was about to be forgotten in this mighty torrent of upheaval. At the moment, the biggest thing was the enthronement of the new emperor of the Wu Dynasty in the south, and the estimation of the Jurchens' next reaction.

But soon after, the actions of this army hidden in the northwest mountains, which had reached the extreme of madness, were about to sweep over.

——Shocking the entire world!

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