Chapter 47: The Last Will of Liu Hong

  Zhang Rui left Luoyang, feeling suffocated in his heart. This time, the one he owed the most was Princess Wannian. Thinking of how much Liu Min had sacrificed for him, the shame in his heart surged even more. He thought back to when he first met Princess Wannian, that mischievous and playful little girl, who later became a dignified and elegant Han princess. He had promised to help her escape from Luoyang, but it seemed that this was something he would not be able to do in this lifetime.

  Zhang Rui pulled out the flute from his waist, and there was no particular melody in his mind, he just thought of the various things about the Princess of Wan, and the sound of the flute came out. The sound of the flute was low and mournful, a white-clad young man sat on a horse, walking alone on the desolate official road at dusk, the sound of the flute was melancholic like weeping and complaining. How many sorrows, how many deep feelings.

  "Since ancient times, there have been many sorrows and endless regrets. Alas! As his emotions reached a deep place, Zhang Rui unconsciously let out a sigh."

  "Since ancient times, there have been many sorrows and endless regrets. This sorrow is boundless and has no end. What kind of trouble has this young friend encountered?" A man in his thirties sat cross-legged on the side of the road, surrounded by trees, with a sword slung over his back.

  Zhang Rui was startled to hear someone calling out to him, this person was so close to himself, he hadn't even noticed, if it was an enemy sent by the Zhuhou, he would probably have been killed hundreds of times already.

  "Thank you, big brother. I was just thinking of some things from my past and felt a pang of sadness, which unintentionally showed on my face, making you laugh."

  "Haha, little brother is really a sentimental person, I don't know what's on his mind that makes him so sad. Why not tell big brother about it? Maybe talking about it will make you feel better?" The big man seemed to be very interested in Zhang Rui, as if he was determined to get to the bottom of things.

  "It's nothing, really. I just owe an apology to a girl. I promised to take her out of Luoyang back then, but now I've messed everything up and can't even go back to Luoyang myself. How can I possibly take her out of Luoyang?" Zhang Rui's eyes dimmed, filled with sorrow.

  "Little brother, how can a man lose confidence in himself? This will have a great impact on your future prospects. When things happen, it's not enough to just be sad. Many things are not just about appearance, you don't know what's going on behind the scenes! Remember, from now on, you should think more and ponder more. Come with me, maybe something unexpected will happen." Zhang Rui's gaze was firmly locked onto the big man, who seemed to appreciate Zhang Rui's serious and righteous character, and led him into the forest.

  Zhang Rui dismounted and walked a few steps into the forest, when suddenly it became bright in front of him. A horse carriage was hidden in the woods, and around the carriage stood a young man about Zhang Rui's age, also with a long sword on his back.

  "Shi Ah, go ahead and scout, I'll be here." "Yes, Master." The young man responded with a single word before disappearing. Shi Ah, Zhang Rui's heart was greatly shocked, this young man was actually Shi Ah... Then the identity of the man in front of him was about to be revealed, and who else could be sitting in the carriage? Who else would he personally guard? Since he had driven me away, why did he want to see me again.

  "Brother Rui, I miss you so much and am worried about you. I heard everything you said outside the forest just now. At this moment, Min'er is very happy. You still remember our promise, you haven't forgotten me." A figure jumped down from the carriage and rushed into Zhang Rui's arms. Who else could it be but Liu Min, the Wan Nian princess that Zhang Rui had been thinking about day and night?

  "Ming'er, how did you get here? This... has got me all confused." Zhang Rui hugged Liu Ming in his arms, this time he really didn't lie, what exactly happened, he was really confused.

  "Haha, little brother you're really cute, what I said to you outside the forest just now was all in vain." The big man laughed and said.

  "Master, don't tease Brother Rui, he's one of the few intelligent people in the world!" Liu Min said relentlessly. Liu Min actually called Wang Yue "master", and Zhang Rui became more and more confused, possibly because she had received too much information suddenly today. But thinking about it, since Wang Yue was the emperor's master, teaching the emperor swordsmanship, it wasn't a big deal to teach the princess as well.

  "Alright, you two get on the car first. Later there will be a time for you to talk, I have something to say to this kid." Another person came down from the car, wasn't it exactly Zhang Rui's thoughts? What does 'later there will be a time for you to talk' mean?

  Liu Min obediently got on the horse carriage, while Wang Yue also used caution as an excuse and went somewhere unknown.

  "Little one, aren't you puzzled? Why did I drive you out of Luoyang this morning, and now we meet again here?" The Emperor's tone was like that of an old man, and his words were no longer as stern as they had been earlier. Zhang Rui didn't speak, but instead prepared to listen quietly to what came next.

  "I had to do that this morning, as the man my daughter Liu Hong has chosen must be a top-notch extraordinary man. How could I have killed him? It's just that I need to put on a show for some people because I know I won't live much longer and I still want to protect some people before I die. As early as when you exposed Tang Zhou, I discovered that I had been poisoned. Do you think I still trusted Zhang Let at that time like I used to? Without Zhang Let's consent, who would have dared to approach Zhang Jiao with those two small eunuchs? It's just that if I die, it doesn't matter, but what about my child and the future of the dynasty? It's all because I trusted Zhang Let too much in the past, not even having a bit of my own power."

  "So I continued to pretend, believing that Zhang Letian was innocent, and continued to trust him as before, promoting my eldest uncle He Jin to the position of General-in-Chief to restrain him. Later, he said he wanted to establish the Western Garden Eight Commanders, I knew he wanted to extend his hand into the army, but I agreed without hesitation. You know? When you were thrown into prison, I was also scared to death, and I kept repeating in my heart, 'Quickly kneel down and beg for mercy, quickly kneel down and beg for mercy.' Fortunately, you are a good kid, and even old ministers like Huangfu Song and Zhu Xu came to plead on your behalf, and surprisingly, even Cao Cao would plead for you."

  "Kid, I'm very satisfied with your performance in the grand hall. A man should dare to take responsibility for himself. Even if you were rude to me, I'm delighted. Besides, Cai Yong is actually a good person, so his daughter shouldn't be bad either. You're quite lucky to have Min'er and yet still dare to have other women. Anyway, enough of that. The person I worry about the most is also the one I spoil the most - my Wan Nian. Now, I'm entrusting her to you. Take her away, leave Luoyang, this place full of gossip and intrigue. Only then can I depart in peace."

  "Are you asking me to take her away? I didn't hear that wrong." Today's surprise for Zhang Rui was really too much.

  "Yes, you didn't hear wrong, I'm letting you take Wan Nian away, and from now on, she's in your care. You little brat, if you dare to let her suffer even a bit, I'll haunt you as a ghost. Time is running out, I reckon Zhang Ren will definitely send someone to assassinate you, Wang Yue. Let Shi Ah send them out of Luoyang territory. We have to hurry back, or else if Zhang Ren finds out, they'll be in even greater danger."

  Liu Hong finished speaking and, together with Wang Yue, rode a fast horse, not looking back as they headed towards Luoyang City. "Father Emperor" Liu Min looked at the galloping Liu Hong, leaving behind tears of sorrow. A father, even if he has been criticized for being incompetent and tyrannical, can still take this step for his daughter, which is truly great from a father's perspective.

  Liu Hong seemed to have a feeling, turned his head and looked at Liu Min again, then continued to rush away. Zhang Rui had an illusion that when Liu Hong turned his head, there were also tears in his eyes. With the yin-yang eyes, Zhang Rui dared to confirm that he didn't see it wrong.

  "Sister Shī, Brother Zhāng, let's go now." This Shǐ ā really is unpredictable, don't know when he'll pop up again.