noffsinger Chapter 772: Contentment is the Key
Chapter 772: Contentment is the Key
The cold wind was like a sharp blade, making the vermilion lacquered pillars of the Liangyi Hall buzz.
The tiger talisman glowed with a faint cold light, and the gilded patterns seemed like a living Taotie under the flickering candlelight, swallowing and exhaling the clouds of history.
He looked at the tiger talisman, and in a trance, the past thirty years came flooding back like a tide.
The first thing that the tide of memory flooded over was that stormy morning at the Mingzhou Harbor.
The eighteen-year-old boy walked barefoot on the shaking sampan, holding a broken sword salvaged from the shipwreck in his hand, and the salty sea water poured down on his head.
The waves roared past, carrying pieces of wood. When the setting sun dyed the river blood red, the young man landed on the Japanese island, and a seed called "ambition" had been planted in his heart.
Later, he flipped through the yellowed military books under the oil lamp in the military camp.
In his eyes, those difficult and obscure texts were essential to the path to glory.
Every late night, when the soldiers in the same tent were snoring loudly, he would simulate one virtual war after another on the sand table in the dim candlelight, with the dream of making great achievements in his heart.
The most unforgettable scene is the one where he knelt in front of Li Ji and swore an oath.
On the martial arts field outside Luoyang, flags fluttered in the sky. The white-haired Li Ji was leaning on a cane, looking at the high-spirited young man in front of him.
"Tianyan, the world may seem peaceful, but undercurrents are surging. If you choose to take this path, you must be prepared to be crushed to pieces."
Wu Tianyan kowtowed deeply, his forehead pressed against the scorching yellow earth. "I, your disciple, am willing to dedicate all my life's learning to protecting the vast land of the Tang Dynasty!"
The oath drifted away with the wind, but took root in his heart and became the belief that supported him through countless difficult years.
"Tianyan!" Li Zhi's voice brought him back to reality like thunder.
When the emperor stood up, the golden dragon on his robe sparkled in the candlelight.
"Are you willing to share my worries?"
Wu Tianyan raised his head suddenly, veins popping out on his forehead.
Over the years, he has gradually established his foothold in the turbulent court. How can others understand the struggle and endurance he has gone through?
At this moment, all the grievances and resentment turned into boiling blood in his chest: "Although I am over thirty years old, my blood is still hot! If Your Majesty trusts me, I am willing to lead a million strong army and let the flag of the Great Tang Dynasty be planted all along the shores of the Western Sea!"
Before he could finish his words, the tiger talisman had already slammed heavily on the table, causing a few drops of ink to splash out of the inkstone on the table.
"Alright! I'll issue an order tomorrow morning! If anyone dares to talk about retreating again, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
By the time Wu Tianyan left Liangyi Hall, the sky in the east was already turning pale. The overnight snowstorm seemed to have abated, and the remaining snow formed a mottled silver carpet beneath the palace walls.
He subconsciously clenched the half-cold wheat cake in his sleeve, which he had hurriedly stuffed into his pocket last night.
The cake was frozen like a stone, but it reminded him of the days when he and Lai Fu shared half a moldy cake in the village.
At that time, they were just two homeless orphans. Lai Fu always said, "Brother Ergou, when we grow up, we must find a place with hot meals to eat and a warm bed to sleep on."
Later, Wu Tianyan started doing business, and Lai Fu followed the caravan to engage in water transport.
Later, the gears of fate began to turn, and they chose to capture the Japanese island.
In the fourth year of Yonghui, the winter in Mingzhou, Zhejiang Province was particularly wet and cold.
Lai Fu was hiding in the armory, carefully registering the navy's equipment, checking every piece of armor and every scimitar clearly.
Although this position was of low rank, he was happy with it. After all, compared to the bloody battlefield, life here was as peaceful as a clear spring.
He could not forget the brutal war on the Japanese island.
At that time, he followed Ergou, and his brothers fell one after another, and they were trapped for a whole year.
From then on, he vowed never to set foot on the battlefield again.
Now, what he looks forward to most every day is walking home on the bluestone road as the sun sets.
When he pushes open the mottled wooden door, his wife will bring him steaming hot meals, and his young son will throw himself into his arms, calling him "Daddy" in a soft voice.
In his eyes, such ordinary days are more precious than any military medals.
These days, he often thought of Ergou, the brother who once depended on him.
I heard that Ergou became the Minister of War, the highest position in the country.
Lai Fu occasionally passed by a bookstore and saw the imperial court's bulletin posted on the wall with Wu Tianyan's name printed on it. He felt both proud and a little nervous.
Several times, he picked up the pen to write a letter to ask Ergou how he had been doing these years, but the tip of the pen was hovering over the letter paper and he couldn't put it down.
He always felt that since there was a huge gap between their statuses, would his letter cause trouble for Ergou?
That afternoon, there was a sudden noise outside.
Lai Fu had just finished counting the last box of arrows when his colleague Lao Zhang ran in breathlessly, his face flushed with excitement. "Lai Fu, Lai Fu, did you know that His Majesty has awarded Wu Tianyan the title of General of the Western Expedition? He's leading an army of 1.5 million westward!"
"Now, we are on our way!" There was envy and admiration in Lao Zhang's voice.
Lai Fu's hand holding the account book trembled slightly, and the handwriting on the account book suddenly became blurred.
He seemed to see again the young man waving a sword by the river, the brother Ergou who always said he wanted to make a name for himself.
Unexpectedly, after so many years, Brother Ergou really did it.
Seeing Lai Fu standing there in a daze, Lao Zhang quickly pushed him and said, "Silly boy, you're in luck! Everyone knows that Wu Tianyan is your best brother! When he returns victorious, you'll be so famous, and he will definitely support you! When you go to Chang'an, brother, don't forget us poor colleagues who are still in Mingzhou!"
Lai Fu woke up as if from a dream and slowly shook his head. He walked to the window and looked out at the mist-shrouded river in the distance. Merchant ships were slowly passing by, their sails rustling in the wind.
"I don't have such ability or such good fortune. I am already content with the life I have now."
"The most important thing in life is to be content."
As dusk deepened, Lai Fu packed up his things and headed towards home.
In the cold wind, he wrapped his cotton coat tightly, but a smile unconsciously appeared on the corner of his mouth.
At this moment, there is no grand dream in his heart, only concern for his family and cherishment of this ordinary life.
Thousands of miles away, Wu Tianyan was leading a huge army towards an unknown battlefield.
The two former teenagers, at the crossroads of fate, took completely different paths in life, but they are both pursuing their own destiny in their own worlds.
When Lai Fu returned home, his wife was holding their son at the door, looking out. Seeing him, the child ran over cheering.
Lai Fu smiled and picked up his son, walking into the warm house. On the dining table, a few simple dishes were steaming.
At this moment, time seemed to stand still, and all the hustle and bustle had nothing to do with him.
He only wants to maintain this simple happiness, watch his children grow up, and accompany his wife in her old age.