Chapter Nineteen: When the World Changes, Old Hatreds Disappear

  Zhou Wenbo did not use any profound language, but used plain words to analyze the current situation and put forward his own suggestions, making it possible for Lv Shi, Zhou Dexiu and Zhou Deyu to understand the current dangerous situation, the reasons for their countermeasures and the effects that can be produced.

  Lü Shi may not be well-read, but she is by no means a foolish woman. After listening to Zhou Wenbo's plan for several days, she knew that this was almost the best countermeasure at present.

  She carefully sized up the handsome and elegant young man in front of her, who was talking eloquently. In the past sixteen years, she had never looked at this difficult-to-give-birth-to child so carefully.

  She met Zhou Deyan at the end of the Wei dynasty, and they grew up together. Their families were also very close, so she married 16-year-old Zhou Deyan at the age of 15. The two supported each other and went through these 43 years together.

  Although she wasn't a jealous woman, she instinctively disliked other women appearing beside Zhou De-yuan. Fortunately, her womb was powerful and in one breath gave the Zhou family five little ones. This ability to branch out and spread her roots even the most stubbornly conservative old people of the Zhou clan couldn't criticize her for anything.

  For many years, there was no woman beside Zhou Deyan except for a few maids.

  Until the war disaster nineteen years ago, our old home was looted by bandits and I was lucky to escape with my eldest son Wen Yuan when we went to visit De Yan in the military camp. All other family members were killed.

  She cried until her voice was hoarse; she and he had four clever and sturdy sons who all died.

  Her voice was ruined like this and would never again be as sweet and mellow as it had been in her youth.

  In the second year, several young and beautiful women were given by the then King of Jin to Zhou Dejian who had made great contributions.

  And she, that soft and weak woman, was the most beautiful and charming one among these women.

  When the aged her saw the young her gentle smile and the sparkle in Zhou De Yan's eyes, she knew she had lost, lost to youth, lost to beauty, lost to time.

  However, this time she could do nothing but desperately suppress the strange emotions in her heart and put on a hypocritical mask of gentleness and humility to warmly welcome that woman.

  Because this woman was given by her husband's lord, King Jin of Chu.

  Because she and Zhou Deyan have only one child left in their name, and she is already old and has no fertility.

  Because she knew that the fleeting light in Zhou De Yan's eyes was something she had also seen in her husband's eyes when she was young.

  Those two years were her most difficult days, almost equivalent to when she had just lost four sons.

  She watched with her eyes wide open as her husband spent almost every night at that woman's house, she watched with her eyes wide open as that beautiful woman's belly grew bigger day by day, and she watched with her eyes wide open as her husband revolved around that woman, his eyes filled with an almost uncontainable joy and doting.

  Fortunately, she finally died.

  A weak and feeble woman may be loved by men, but she cannot withstand the trials of childbirth.

  Who is like me? The day after giving birth to a child, I can go down to work.

  Unfortunately, she still left behind a boy.

  After her death, her husband quickly dispersed the remaining concubines and for sixteen years now, he has not taken in another woman.

  She didn't have much affection for the child, although the child had been adorable since he was little. However, she knew how much her husband liked the child, so she also maintained a proper closeness to him.

  After all, she's already dead, isn't she?

  The child grew up day by day and became more and more like his mother, so she was even less willing to see him.

  Fortunately, this child is also sensible, and has never cried or made a fuss since he was young. He is modest and polite, making it impossible for people to dislike him.

  This child was also very clever, and from the age of six, he asked his father to hire a teacher for him to teach him to read and write.

  At just six years old, she seems to be able to see that in her heart of hearts, he does not want to have anything to do with violence or the military, because those are things for her son, her grandson...

  And then there's the title of "Duke of Zhao Guo"…

  Thus, the nominal mother and son have been maintaining their nominal courtesy and communication until today.

  She suddenly found out that this child was incredibly excellent, just like young Zhou Deyan, and also just like that woman...

  She suddenly woke up from her memories and associations, realizing that her husband and children had already died.

  She went through the pain of losing her loved one again nineteen years later.

  She can still clearly remember the day she set out, her husband's confident guarantee and her son's filial and gentle smile...

  She knew that in this chaotic world, only by joining the army and having her own troops could she guarantee a peaceful life. This was forever etched into her bones from the day she lost four children, deeply printed in her mind.

  She was so proud and at ease, for she knew that her husband was a man of great military strategy and wisdom, who had won countless battles in his lifetime but had hardly ever been seriously injured.

  She still remembers her husband's promise that this would be his last expedition. After returning from the campaign, he would hand over power to their children and nephews, as they had both grown old and were no longer able to struggle on.

  Unfortunately, he died, dying in the midst of chaos, his body pierced by numerous arrows, and he succumbed to his injuries.

  She has been unable to sleep for several days, and as soon as she enters her dreams, it is her husband's bloody body and painful cries.

  She had not expected that her only hope, her only son who had grown up strong and healthy, would also die, killed in the chaos of war while trying to protect his father, her husband.

  Her poor son didn't even have a body left.

  Her eyes were filled with the image of the young man in front of her...

  He was so much like her young husband, looking at his bright eyes, she seemed to have returned to the time of forty years ago, making her so fond and fascinated...

  He is so much like that woman, looking at his gentle smile, reminding her of the day eighteen years ago, making her so jealous and hateful...

  Now, at 16 years old, he finally stopped hiding and covering up, stood out, and showed unprecedented talent and dazzling brilliance...

  Because she and he both knew that his father, his brother, her husband, and her son were all gone.

  She and he have no beam to shelter from wind and rain, they must stand out and strive for themselves.

  Her eyes gradually became gentle, after all, her husband's blood was flowing in his veins, and both her husband and the one she had left behind were gone. What was there for this old woman to be jealous of?