novelapdf Chapter 74 Wishing for the Next Life
Chapter 74 Wishing for the Next Life
Chapter 74 Wishing for the Next Life (Seeking First Subscription!)
The letter stated that Huang Qi, a salt worker from Changming Prefecture, had gathered thousands of displaced people and risen up in rebellion.
We must overthrow the local gentry and powerful families, as well as the imperial relatives and nobles, so that wealth and honor can be shared equally and the people's suffering can be alleviated.
The refugees had already suffered greatly in recent years, so naturally they responded to the call of the masses.
When the urgent report was received in Kyoto, there were already several thousand people there, and now there are probably even more.
Several counties and towns in Changming Prefecture have fallen, and the speed of the fall is astonishing.
Prefect Tang Baoyue went to the garrison and military camps for help, only to be told that the soldiers hadn't been eating well lately and were weak.
The Ministry of Revenue urged Huan'er to return as soon as possible, allocate funds for pay, and suppress the bandits quickly.
Chu Xun knew that A Qiao was straightforward.
I just didn't expect it to go this far.
Huan'er cupped her hands and said, "Uncle, I must return to the capital city now."
Knowing the urgency of the situation, Chu Xun said, "Go, be careful on the road."
Huan'er nodded, glanced at the room again, and then left.
Chu Xun sighed only after the sound of the wheels had faded away.
The Jing Kingdom has been established for less than sixty years, and has gone through three emperors. Has it already reached this state?
No wonder Huan'er said she couldn't wait; she really couldn't wait.
Time passed day by day.
Although the imperial court provided the army with pay, they went to Changming Prefecture to suppress the rebellion.
However, they overlooked a very important thing: this turmoil stemmed from the fact that the people had no land to cultivate.
If you can't get food, even if you're the King of Heaven, nobody will give you face.
Not only in Changming Prefecture, but also in other prefectures and counties, popular uprisings broke out one after another.
For a time, the Jing Kingdom, while not exactly riddled with problems, still left many important figures in a state of great anxiety and distress.
Even Emperor Chongming no longer supported Tang Shijun's opinion against paying the army with silver and instead waiting for the next batch of tax grain to be paid.
Huan'er personally escorted a large sum of silver to various military camps, leaving a very good impression on the officers and soldiers.
The Minister of Revenue claimed the national treasury was in deficit and refused to distribute silver, so it was this doctor who helped.
Disregarding the teacher-student relationship and considering the overall situation, they secured tangible benefits for them.
The Ministry of Revenue cannot collect tax grain, so there is no grain to pay salaries, but there is no shortage of grain in the market.
With money, you can eat your fill!
In the blink of an eye, it was the seventh year of Chongming.
Pingshui Town, Zhang Family Residence.
The elderly Zhang Sanchun lay in bed, no longer having the strength to speak.
He only managed to open his eyes after Huan'er stuffed the ginseng slices that Chu Xun had brought into his mouth.
Looking around at the people, Zhang Sanchun's gaze settled on Chu Xun and Zhang Anxiu, who both had full heads of white hair.
"Ah Xun—" Zhang Sanchun called out weakly.
Chu Xun responded and stepped forward, bowing, "Big Brother."
Zhang Sanchun shakily crawled out of the quilt with his thin, bony hand. Chu Xun understood and quickly shook his hand.
Zhang Sanchun said, "Father was right back then. My little sister will be able to live a good life with you."
Thank you.
This might sound abrupt to others, but the older generation understands why it's said this way.
Chu Xun shook his head slightly: "There's nothing to thank me for."
Marrying Zhang Anxiu was not forced by others, but was voluntary.
Although there are some minor regrets, it's been a worthwhile marriage after so many years of loving companionship.
Zhang Sanchun coughed a few times, and Huan'er quickly stepped forward and said, "Father, why don't you rest for a while?"
Zhang Sanchun shook his head; he knew his time was running out.
He then looked at his wife, Lin Qiaoxi, who was standing at the head of the bed. Although she was old, she was still as beautiful as she had been in her youth in his eyes.
Zhang Sanchun felt he should say a few more words.
After thinking it over and over, all he could come up with was a sentence and a half: "I'm too stupid."
"But chasing after the falling star that year was the smartest thing I ever did."
Lin Qiaoxi stepped forward with red eyes, about to speak, but saw that Zhang Sanchun's pupils were dull and lifeless.
She was stunned for a moment, then buried her face in her husband's body and wailed loudly.
"Brother!" Zhang Anxiu cried out.
Chu Xun sighed and stepped back, allowing people like Zhang Shaoheng and Xi'er to come forward.
The room was filled with sorrow, and the sound of weeping rose and fell.
In Huan'er's words, her father, Zhang Sanchun, had spent his entire life living for others.
Whether this way of life is good or bad, only Zhang Sanchun himself knows.
Zhang Sanchun's coffin was sent back to Songguo Village for burial.
The day of the funeral was supposed to be sunny, but Chu Xun still prepared an oil-paper umbrella in advance.
Qi Ermao was puzzled. The sun was shining brightly, and there wasn't a single cloud in the sky. Why was Xun Ge'er carrying an umbrella?
Could it be that they're worried their aunt will get dizzy from the sun?
After the coffin was lowered into the ground, everyone went forward to shovel soil.
Before long, a fine drizzle began to fall.
Chu Xun opened the umbrella and shielded Zhang Anxiu's head with it.
Zhang Anxiu's face was as white as her hair.
She leaned against Chu Xun, sobbing softly.
After a long time, the grave was erected.
Zhang Anxiu held Chu Xun's hand and whispered, "Brother Xun, I want to go for a walk at the Songliu Water God Temple."
Chu Xun knew she was upset, so he nodded and said, "Okay, I'll carry you there."
Zhang Anxiu shook her head, insisting on walking there herself.
I was stubborn when I was young, and I'm still the same now.
After Chu Xun told Huan'er, Huan'er was very worried: "Auntie's health—"
"It's alright, I'm here." Chu Xun said, and then led Zhang Anxiu toward the Songliu Water God Temple.
Qi Ermao wiped the rain off his face, watched the two figures disappear, and muttered, "Brother Xun is really amazing, he can even make it rain here?"
The distance from Songguo Village to Songliu Water God Temple is not short.
When I was young, walking dozens of miles was no problem.
But now that I'm older, I get out of breath after walking only a short distance.
But Zhang Anxiu only sat by the roadside to rest for a while before continuing to walk.
Chu Xun did not try to dissuade him, but simply helped him up.
After a long while, the two finally arrived at the bank of the Songliu River.
Zhang Anxiu stood at the bridgehead, glanced at the stone tablet that had withstood the wind and rain for many years, and reached out to touch Chu Xun's name on it.
"It's a bit too shallow," Zhang Anxiu said.
Perhaps in a few years, it will become blurred.
Chu Xun hummed in agreement and said, "After all these years."
"We're all getting old," Zhang Anxiu said, as he walked onto the stone bridge with his help.
The Songliu Water God Temple still stands, and every year people flock there to offer incense.
Wandering among the many vendors, Zhang Anxiu stopped and started, looking here and there.
Only when she stepped onto the temple gate did her pace quicken considerably.
The statues in the temple haven't been repaired much in recent years, and the gold paint on their surfaces has started to crack.
Zhang Anxiu walked over and slowly knelt before the statue whose face was still blurred.
Chu Xun glanced around. Shi Tou had said that if there really was a Pine and Willow Water God, he would surely be destroyed by the Underworld.
But no matter how much I tried to sense it, I couldn't detect anything unusual.
At that moment, Zhang Anxiu's prayer could be heard.
"By the God of Pine and Willow Water, believer Zhang Anxiu sincerely bows in worship."
"May the water god bless Xun Ge with a long and healthy life."
"I pray to the water god again, if there truly is an afterlife—"
"May I be a crow."
Chu Xun was stunned and looked down at his white-haired wife.
Zhang Anxiu did not ask to be reborn with him in the next life, but instead asked to be a crow.
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