Rong Tang was amazed by Su Huaijing more than once.
Because of his knowledge, words, deeds, character, and even more so his transformation.
He stood there for a long time, listening to Su Huaijing's words, but what came to his mind was the ending that was not written in the original book and was told to him by the system.
The emperor does not love the people, the monarch is consumed by hatred, Dayu is plunged into war, the people are living in misery, and the world line collapses and is destroyed.
When these stories appear in electronic text composed of light symbols and pixels, it is difficult to have a real feeling. But when readers enter the story and become a speck of dust under the wheel of history, witnessing the future and past that do not exist in the original work and have been changed, everyone will inevitably be moved or look forward to it.
Rong Tang thought that Su Huaijing had really changed a lot.
From the sentence "If you are abandoned by the people, can you let the people down?" at the flower-picking party, to reading ancient books and running to the food stores day and night during the seven days of heavy rain in the south of the Yangtze River, trying hard to save every person within his ability.
In the carriage before the palace banquet on New Year's Eve, he told Rong Zheng about his speeches about the king, the people, education, and production; and now in the spring light, this is the early sprout of equal rights awareness under the thousand-year-old tradition.
Whether as a vested interest in the feudal imperial system, as a favored party in an environment of gender inequality, or even as a villain with a broken family and full of hatred, Su Huaijing has really changed a lot, and his growth and transformation are amazing enough.
Rong Tang stood under the camphor tree, looking up at Su Huaijing's face, where spots of light flashed from time to time due to the swaying shadows of the tree. Another picture flashed through his mind.
It was a hazy autumn day, dark clouds were gathering in the sky, and it seemed that a rainstorm was approaching in the capital.
In front of the Wukang Marquis's mansion, the usually quiet long street was now filled with countless civilians. Tall and handsome horses were galloping from the direction of the imperial palace. The third and fifth princes were ordered by their father to supervise the confiscation of property. The Shaoqing of the Dali Temple stood in front of the door, holding a list of names in his hand and comparing them one by one.
People were constantly being escorted out of the mansion by the imperial guards. Ke Hongxue stood beside Mu Jingxu, protecting him from the servants or concubines who might pounce on him at any time.
That was the sign that Sheng Chengli had officially entered the fight for the throne, and Rong Tang had to go and see it.
The sixteen-year-old male protagonist is growing up, and the gloom and inferiority brought by years of imprisonment in the cold palace have faded from his eyes. Standing under the sky, he is no different from every prince who grew up favored by the emperor.
Rong Tang was in poor health and easily felt sleepy, especially when the weather was about to change, and he felt a dull pain in his bones.
He stood at the edge of the crowd and watched for a while, then wanted to leave, but at this moment, Qin Pengxuan was pushed out.
The dissolute young man who indulged in sensual pleasures had lost all his manners and dignity. When pushed by the soldiers, he staggered forward and looked extremely embarrassed.
Rong Tang had no interest in him either. He glanced at him lazily and was about to turn around when he suddenly saw Qin Pengxuan's expression suddenly change, and he stretched out his hand and pointed in a direction with trembling hands.
He seemed to have no strength left in his body. He raised his hand and quickly dropped it again. He opened his lips to say something, but when the words came to his lips, not a single complete and coherent syllable came out.
Rong Tang was surprised. He looked in the direction he pointed and saw Su Huaijing hiding in the crowd.
That was the first time they met.
The sky in the capital was dark and gloomy, like a traditional Chinese painting splashed with thick ink. In front of the courtyard of a wealthy family, there was a half-dreary and half-excited atmosphere.
Rong Tang stood at the edge of the crowd and saw a young man who was both stunningly handsome and cold and damp.
He was cold and damp, like a demon that had crawled out of a deep pool. Even with a smile on his face, as long as he stood there, people would feel scared and panicked.
He knew who it was without any system reminder.
The first meeting with Su Huaijing perfectly fits the description of the villain in the original novel of "The Emperor's Journey": a poisonous snake hiding in the dark.
But Rongtang inexplicably felt something was wrong.
He couldn't even tell what was wrong. He only knew that his body, which was already aching from the changing weather, became extremely painful at that moment. It felt like his heart was being strangled. Even his breathing became rapid and he felt like he would die at any moment.
There was no reason and it never happened a second time.
When I met Su Huaijing again, all the darkness and dampness on him had disappeared, leaving only his handsome face and a temperament as bright as the moon.
So Rong Tang thought that the quick glance in front of the Wukang Earl's Mansion was probably an illusion, and Su Huaijing had never been so damp and gloomy.
He should have been like he is now, with the spring breeze and warm sunshine caressing him, being a bright and resolute young man, going to his ideal country of equality and prosperity.
Rong Tang was stunned for a moment, and Su Huaijing smiled and asked again: "Is it okay?"
The ending tone was a little soft and sticky, which was the hook he always used when he was acting coquettishly with Rong Tang.
Rong Tang thought about it and didn't respond easily.
He knew what Su Huaijing wanted him to work hard for, and he also knew that Su Huaijing knew what he was going to say, and Rong Tang was also looking forward to it.
He was asking, or requesting, Rong Tang to have more desire to survive, to live a few more years, and to accompany him to witness this grand and prosperous era.
Rong Tang really wanted to agree.
He also felt that he could agree to it.
If the Way of Heaven is truly the Way of Heaven, and if such a Su Huaijing finally ascends to the throne, the Way of Heaven has not determined that the small world will collapse and be unable to function.
But what about Rongtang
Is he bound to the male protagonist or to this world
He used to think that he could only be bound to Sheng Chengli, but the two clouds that were constantly fighting in the system space, the body that did not deteriorate after giving up the system mission, and even the hero's repeated setbacks, all made Rong Tang begin to doubt.
What if... the object he was bound to was not Sheng Chengli from the beginning, but this world
So what will be his final outcome
Su Huaijing saw that he hadn't responded for a long time, so he reminded him, "Tangtang?"
Perhaps it was because there were too many people, or perhaps the spring scenery was too charming.
Rong Tang looked into his eyes, was stunned for a moment, and nodded uncontrollably.
“I try hard,” he said.
Try to live longer, try to see what you want.
Su Huaijing's eyes lit up and he immediately became happy. He opened his mouth and was about to speak, but Rong Tang quickly added: "But nothing is absolute. Some things will not necessarily yield results just by working hard. You... don't have too much hope."
Su Huaijing was slightly stunned, and he couldn't tell what emotion he felt. The joy he had just felt was suppressed by Rong Tang's actions. He felt confused and distressed at the same time.
The one who is in poor health is Rong Tang, and he is also the one who advises others not to have too much hope.
Su Huaijing sighed silently, chuckled and said, "Okay."
He paused, but added: "But Tangtang, you also know that nothing is absolute in this world. There will always be a turning point."
Rong Tang stared at the two clouds that were competing against each other in the space. He warned himself not to take chances, but at the same time he couldn't help but look forward to a turnaround.
They waited for a while, and Ke Hongxue finally finished chatting with the students of Linyuan Academy. He nodded slowly, then protected Mu Jingxu and withdrew from the crowd. Lu Jiaxi hurriedly followed the two seniors.
As the crowd dwindled, Ke Hongxue put his arm down, unfolded his folding fan, waved it casually, and asked with a smile: "Since Lord Su has been promoted, shouldn't he treat us to a meal?"
"Let's go to the Liujin Building," Ke Hongxue said. "After dinner, we'll go to the Ziyu Troupe. We'll be able to catch the new play starting at noon."
The behavior of a romantic playboy is fully reflected in Master Ke.
Fortunately, there was nothing in the Censorate and the Dali Temple that required Su Huaijing and Mu Jingxu to deal with urgently, so they took little Lord Lu with them and went from the Imperial Examination Hall to Shuling Street, and then from the Gilded Tower to the Ziyu Class, stealing half a day of leisure from their busy lives.
There is hot tea and melon seeds in the audience, and life in the play is being sung on the stage.
Not long after Su Huaijing sat down, he whispered to Rong Tang that he was going out for a while, then he gave Mu Jingxu a look, and the two of them left the table together.
Lu Jiaxi likes to listen to operas, and Ke Hongxue is even better at appreciating operas. Rong Tang glanced in the direction where Su Huaijing left, then retracted his gaze and listened to the singing of the Qingyi Huadan on the stage while peeling melon seeds.
Until the candlelight around suddenly dimmed, the curtain on the stage was slightly drawn, malicious laughter was frequently heard from the seats, and the people sitting in the front row stretched their necks to look.
Lu Jiaxi was puzzled: "What happened?"
Rong Tang turned his head and glanced at the play list written on the side of the stage, and his heart suddenly panicked.
Ke Hongxue sipped the tea leisurely and said slowly, "It's just the characteristic of the Purple Jade Class. Just watch it."
Rong Tang felt very uneasy and started looking towards the exit again. He even wanted to look for Su Huaijing, but an ambiguous moan happened to be heard from the stage.
Rong Tang: “…”
The system realized it belatedly: [Host, is this the storybook you read last year? ]
Rong Tang: “…” Stop talking, stop talking.
He really didn't know that the people of Dayu could be so open-minded!
How did the little yellow storybook get adapted into a play and performed on stage? Fortunately, Su Huaijing was not there, otherwise he would not know how to explain it.
Lu Jiaxi's face flushed red and she avoided looking. Rong Tang didn't dare to look anywhere. From time to time, there were cheers from the spectators around him.
Rong Tang felt that he was not so sociable. He even went to see Ke Hongxue, trying to figure out how this man could sit there and sip tea while listening to opera without blushing or getting nervous.
But when he turned around, he saw Ke Hongxue's expression was indifferent. She seemed to be listening to the opera, but in fact, like him, her eyes would always inadvertently slide across the door curtain, as if she was waiting for someone to return.
At this moment, Rong Tang suddenly realized something: Ke Hongxue always seemed to be at ease and always enjoying the company of beautiful women, but it seemed that he was the one who had been left behind all along.
It's clear that I'm always chasing, but I can never catch up.
-
There was a private room in the front yard of the Zi Yu Ban. The servant led people in and then left.
Su Huaijing sat down and poured a cup of tea for Mu Jingxu, motioning him to sit down.
Mu Jingxu asked: "Do you have something to tell me?"
Su Huaijing smiled and said, "Brother, I told Tangtang something outside the Imperial Examination Hall today."
Mu Jingxu looked at him and heard him say, "I said that my elder brother once wanted to establish a girls' school, and I also said that one day women from Dayu could also enter the government."
Mu Jingxu paused for a moment, as if he was a little stunned, but soon his expression relaxed again, and he was somewhat relieved: "Xiao Qi, you have grown up."
Su Huaijing did not comment, and said: "But when we talked about this, I suddenly remembered what you said before. You said that you helped Sheng Chengli and gave Ke Hongxue an excuse to choose a wise leader for the world."
Mu Jingxu's expression froze slightly, and he didn't say anything. Then he heard Su Huaijing continue to ask: "Is this just an excuse?"
He smiled, but couldn't hide his doubts: "If this is not an excuse, you poisoned Sheng Chengli, then who is the 'wise leader' you really want to support? Or, why do you want to support others?"
"In terms of status and seniority, no one in this huge royal family can compare to you. You can walk back to the capital from Lingnan and stand on the throne, so how can you not be able to restore order and ascend the throne yourself?"
It was not that Su Huaijing blindly trusted his brother, but he knew very well that after the incident that year, if his father had passed away and his elder brother had died in the battle, and the man in front of him had not gone to Jiangnan, he would have been the master of the world.
He used to be able to guess through many people, but then Rong Tang came along, and Su Huaijing found that he could not see through him.
And after Tangtang had hidden nothing from him, he suddenly realized that his brother had never told him everything.
In fact, Su Huaijing did not necessarily require his brother to confide everything in him. He accepted that there were some secrets. But now that the secret had obviously caused trouble to Mu Jingxu himself, he felt that he should know.
Mu Jingxu was silent for a long time, so long that Su Huaijing thought he would not say anything, then he spoke softly and asked, "Have you been to Northern Frontier?"
Su Huaijing was stunned for a moment and replied, "No."
"North of the Northern Frontier is the Dasui Kingdom. The Emperor and Empress of Dasui have been married for many years but have never had any children. After the war ten years ago, a newly born Crown Prince appeared in the Dasui Palace."
As the sun was about to set, Mu Jingxu said, "I saw the child from a distance, and his features resembled those of an old friend."
Su Huaijing's pupils widened in shock, and he almost thought he was hallucinating.
Mu Jingxu lowered his head, looking at the tea leaves floating up and down in the teacup, and said softly and weakly: "I don't know if what I did is right or not. I don't even know if it's worth it or not. I don't know if he is willing to come back, and I don't know if doing this will be like the traitors back then, risking handing over the mountains and rivers to others."
"But I thought, as long as he is willing to come back, I should help him remove the obstacles along the way, just as... fulfilling my responsibility as his third uncle, what do you think?" Mu Jingxu asked.
He had kept these words in his heart for years and couldn't tell them to anyone. Now that he had said them out loud, he began to feel relieved.
"Axue always blames me for not being honest with him, not opening my heart to him, but Xiaoqi, do you know? I have personally seen my confidants die for me, touched the bones of my elder brother and General Wei in the northern border, and broke my own bones; I have also personally sent a good minister to prison, and forcibly cut the tendons of my own uncle. How do you think I have come to this point with my humble status?"
"My hands are stained with countless blood, mine, my friends', my family's, my enemies'... I can't even count them all, so why would I drag others down with me?"
Mu Shaoqing has always been cold and ruthless, and he didn't even show much emotion when he said this.
"When I first entered the academy, the students there said I was as cold as a piece of wood, but do you know what Ke Hanying said?"
Su Huaijing was speechless for a moment and shook his head in confusion.
Mu Jingxu gave a slightly unfamiliar smile: "He said that I am not cold as ice, but as cold as the snow on the mountains, pure and proud. He is not a pure and kind person, so he is not worthy of being with me."
Mu Jingxu was silent for a long time, then shook his head gently: "But I am not, he is."
Ke Hanying is the cold snow on the mountains and the brilliant spring in the world.
And he is just a skeleton walking in the world.
If he didn't have a relative far away in a foreign country, he should have been buried alive with the soldiers who followed him south.
Mu Jingxu, Jingxu, good time.
But he will never be able to enjoy a good time again in his life, and is destined to live with the rats in the dark prison.
Until the bones were buried in the ground and then covered by a heavy snow, these decades came to an abrupt end.
(End of this chapter)