Fu Shifeng

Chapter 265 Cultivating yourself and raising your family
After descending from the mountain, Changqing and his two men found a group of surviving villagers who had fled the village, informed them that the gluttonous beasts had been eliminated, and asked them how to dispose of the corpses of the dead.

Although gluttonous beasts are mainly found in the mountains, in the Wuyue land in the south of the Yangtze River, there are often practitioners who live in famous mountains. Although most of them have no involvement in the secular world, they will occasionally take action to drive away gluttonous beasts when they encounter them.

In the past few months, in the process of eliminating the gluttonous beasts, Changqing also met a group of Buddhist and Taoist monks from the south of the Yangtze River. They greatly appreciated Changqing's move, and the reputation of Wulingzhuang also spread.

Seeing that the traces of the gluttonous beast were gradually disappearing, and even some remote villages had no news of similar monsters harming people, Chang Qing and his party returned to Wuling Village.

However, it was not until Changqing returned to Wulingzhuang that he found out that Su Wangting and Lu Linzhi happened to come to visit with gifts.

"Brother Fu? Why are you here?" Compared to the eldest brother whom he had never met a few times, Chang Qing was obviously closer to Su Wangting.

"Prime Minister Lu ordered us to come to Jiangnan to take up our duties, and come to arrange your marriage." Su Wangting said with a smile.

"Marriage?" Changqing was stunned. Although he heard that Cheng Sanwu and Afu sent a message to Chang'an, he originally thought that Prime Minister Lu would not take it seriously, but he did not expect that he would actually send someone.

"We have already talked with Mrs. He, and we all feel that this marriage is beneficial to both parties." Lu Linzhi tried his best to show the demeanor of an elder brother and a father, patting Chang Qing on the shoulder: "You also understand that my father is busy with official duties. He has no time to ask about your marriage. He is very pleased to hear that Wulingzhuang is willing to recruit you as his son-in-law."

However, Changqing didn't appreciate it very much and asked coldly: "He also knows how to be happy?"

Lu Linzhi couldn't help but laugh. He had no contact with Changqing in the past, and he had no brotherhood in the first place.For him, it was just that as the envoy of Jiangnan East Road, he had to establish good relations with the local powerful families, especially local sects such as Wulingzhuang and Huzhou Guan family.

After all, Changqing was just the offspring of a lowly singing prostitute in their Lu family. If he hadn't been successful in cultivating Taoism, how could he have gained the respect of his father?With such a background, it would be considered lucky to be able to join a wealthy family in the south of the Yangtze River and get married, so why should you still want to be picky?
Originally, Changqing was still in a dilemma about whether to marry Wulingzhuang, but seeing Lu Linzhi now made him impatient. As long as there was a chance to take advantage of his marriage, Lu Yan would not Will let it go, just like a gluttonous beast that smells blood!
Lu Linzhi wanted to scold him as his eldest brother, but Changqing waved his hand: "I have been traveling for many days and am very tired. I'm going to rest first."

"You..." Lu Linzhi was slightly sullen, but Su Wangting could see that both parties were unhappy, so he quickly dissuaded him: "It's us who are being rude. Changqing, you go and recuperate first. We can talk about it later when we have free time in the future."

Watching Chang Qing leave, Lu Lin flicked his sleeves and said angrily: "Such a fool is really impudent! My father ordered me to come and arrange his marriage. Not only is he ungrateful, but he is so arrogant. Just for one crime of unfilial piety, he can be sentenced to death." He was exiled three thousand miles!"

Su Wangting repeatedly comforted him: "Don't be angry, Mr. Changqing. He has been practicing Taoism since he was a child, and it is inevitable that he will be contaminated by the arrogance and arrogance of people outside the country. The teacher asked you to handle the marriage, and I also hope that he can restrain his frivolous temper in the future."

"I hope it's true as you said." Lu Linzhi sighed: "I just don't understand why my mother wants me to take care of this son and prepare enough goods to send him. If it weren't for the internal affairs department, let alone my father. If I ask people to help me, that boatload of wealth will probably fall into the hands of the rebel party."

Su Wangting remained silent. When Changqing and her son were kicked out of Lu Yan's house, he was ordered to take care of their subsequent settlement. Looking back now, he realized that there were some strange situations, but he had not noticed them in the past.

Su Wangting knew that Prime Minister Lu was by no means a person obsessed with sex. Before he became Prime Minister, he was so preoccupied with paperwork and government affairs that he had no time to buy property or raise singing girls.

It would be better to say that Changqing mother and son suddenly appeared in Lu Yan's home as if they fell from the sky.

Moreover, Su Wangting learned from the maids of the Lu family that Changqing's mother had almost no contact with outsiders, and the maids and maids of the family were not allowed to enter the courtyard where Changqing's mother lived without permission.

Even before and after Changqing's mother gave birth, she was taken care of by Lu Yan's wife, which was completely bizarre.

Is a geisha from a humble background worthy of being treated like this by the wife of a minister?Even if the madam is kind-hearted, this kind of behavior seems unnecessary. On the contrary, it will mess up the hierarchy of status in the family.

In Su Wangting's impression, Prime Minister Lu's wife was a dignified and polite lady who managed the household well and should not act ridiculously or out of place.

But what if there is nothing wrong with respecting status?
Su Wangting looked as if nothing had happened, but his heart suddenly beat like a drum.

What's more, Prime Minister Lu never demanded that his concubines should distinguish between superior and inferior, and only looked at talents. He was even criticized by the imperial censor for indulging cruel officials.

In this case, with his evergreen talent and learning, he should stay in the Prime Minister's Mansion to be trained and trained, with a view to being entrusted with important responsibilities in the future.But why were most of his arrangements left to his own devices?Even Changqing doesn't interfere much in matters of marriage, almost letting Changqing decide on her own.

As the night got darker, Su Wangting was still thinking. He asked the chef of Wulingzhuang for a pot of wine, and then came to Changqing's courtyard to visit.

"Brother Fu hasn't gone to bed yet?" Changqing asked as he opened the door.

"I'm older and sleep less." Su Wangting laughed at himself and shook the wine bottle: "Why don't you have a drink with me?"

Changqing nodded to greet them. It was early summer and the night was sultry, so the two of them took advantage of the cool air in a bamboo pavilion in the courtyard.

After changing cups, Su Wangting took the lead and asked in order to avoid being exposed, "I heard that Cheng Sanwu and Miss Afu have been very busy recently?"

"Yes." Chang Qing was a little absent-minded, unaware that the other party might know the current situation of the two people better than he did: "The imperial anti-rebellion troops have arrived, and someone needs to explore where the rebels are gathering, so they asked Cheng Sanwu to act as a scout. As for Miss Afu, she wants to investigate whether officials from all over the south of the Yangtze River are colluding with the rebel party, and she is nowhere to be seen on weekdays."

"It seems that everyone is very busy." Su Wangting sighed.

"I forgot to ask earlier, what official duties did brother Fu come to Jiangnan for?" Changqing asked.

"It's nothing more than checking taxes and the like." Su Wangting did not go into too much detail and said instead: "We have also traveled to various prefectures and counties during these days, and maybe we need to widen and dredge a section of the ancient canal."

"I hope it won't cost people or money. After all, the people in Jiangnan have just experienced a lot of turmoil." Chang Qing said.

"Of course we won't do anything nonsense." Su Wangting saw that the other party's mind was elsewhere, so he asked: "What about you, Changqing? I heard that you were slaying demons in Jiangnan recently?"

"That's right." Chang Qing unknowingly explained: "They are a group of ferocious and brutal demons, but... they were originally ordinary people, but they were infected by external forces. Not only did their bodies and bodies change drastically, but their minds were also no different from those of beasts."

Su Wangting frowned and nodded: "In this case, if you want to destroy these monsters, you need to find the source and eradicate them completely."

After hearing this, Chang Qing stood up suddenly and looked at Su Wangting in shock, as if he had heard some shocking words.

"What's wrong?" Even though Su Wangting was smart and astute, he didn't know the reason at the moment. "Eradicating the demon... I'm afraid it won't be easy." Changqing noticed the gaffe and sat down again.

Su Wangting poured the wine and said: "I can't handle this kind of thing as an ordinary person, so I have to rely on a monk like you. It's not easy even for you, so I can't even think about it!"

Changqing looked at the wine in the glass, stepped out of the bamboo pavilion, and looked up at the night sky. Seeing the moon and stars were sparse, he couldn't help but think of what Master Wen had said before, so he turned around and asked:
"I'm very curious. When Cheng Sanwu was in the Western Regions, did he ever get mad and commit murder everywhere?"

Su Wangting didn't understand why Changqing suddenly asked about this matter, so he said: "It depends on what it means to be crazy and commit crimes everywhere."

"Regardless of right and wrong, killing indiscriminately."

Su Wangting smiled bitterly and asked: "Changqing, did Lao Cheng do something that made you uncomfortable?"

Chang Qing was slightly surprised and could not help but marvel at Su Wangting's keen eyesight as always. He could only say reluctantly: "It's almost the same, but I can't say."

Su Wangting also came outside the pavilion and heard the gurgling stream outside the courtyard in the distance. Although it was quiet at night, it was not as dangerous as spending the night in the desert of the Western Regions.

"Jiangnan is really a place with beautiful mountains and beautiful waters. It is indeed a place to raise people." Su Wangting nodded in approval, and then said: "It's different in the Western Regions. In the desert, a pot of water and a piece of cake can make people risk their lives. If you bring money with you, Goods are destined to be coveted by people from all walks of life. There is no right or wrong here, but those who go out to do business to make a living, most of them have to bear the burden of several lives. "

Changqing glanced at Su Wangting and knew that the other party might have misunderstood, or that he had not explained clearly.

"Lao Cheng... you can say that he keeps his word as a knight, but he also has the problem of knights despising life." Su Wangting continued: "In order to gain a foothold in Quzhi City, Baochang Society relied on the strong to bully the weak. , oppressing orphans and widows, Lao Cheng and I have done a lot of things. Some dirty jobs that are not visible to the public, often rely on Lao Cheng to do his best. People like him are not suitable to hang out in the Taiping world. He may violate the law at least, and become a party at worst. Disaster."

Chang Qing lowered his head and said nothing. He finally understood that Cheng Sanwu did not tell Su Wangting his true situation at all.

But this concealment is not out of distrust. It is precisely because Cheng Sanwu attaches great importance to Su Wangting and would rather bear the responsibility alone than reveal it.

If Changqing and Afu hadn't experienced the battle at Yongning Temple with them, Cheng Sanwu would still have refused to say more.

More importantly, Chang Qing remembered that when Wen Fuzi and Chi Yang came to Wuling Village one after another, they all felt that Cheng Sanwu must have left a back-up plan when facing the Taotie disaster. It was nothing more than Changqing or Afu. body.

But the result was beyond everyone's expectations. Cheng Sanwu's method of containing Taotie was to be by Taotie's side from the beginning.

It can be seen that Cheng Sanwu has no intention of letting others risk dealing with Taotie. He knows better than anyone else that it is his responsibility.

"I actually don't think Cheng Sanwu despises life." Changqing tried to put himself in his shoes, but when he thought that he had to face such an ancient evil alone, and even a slight mistake would lead to endless disasters, just thinking about it made him feel... Can't breathe.

Does Cheng Sanwu really hate Fu Shifeng?Perhaps, Chang Qing even felt that in that situation, apart from hating Fu Shifeng, Cheng Sanwu probably had nothing to maintain his integrity.

Just a group of relatives infected by gluttony can wreak havoc in a rural village until every room is empty. You can imagine what kind of terrifying existence Cheng Sanwu has to face.

When Chang Qing thought that Cheng Sanwu was not as ignorant and reckless as he appeared, he felt even worse.No matter how brilliant your wisdom is, facing such disasters and evils, it will only give rise to endless troubles.

"I said, I left Lao Cheng in your care." Su Wangting suddenly smiled.

Changqing thought this sounded a little weird, and turned to look at Su Wangting, listening to him continue: "Actually... I can probably guess that Lao Cheng has an extraordinary background, but there are some things that he won't tell me, so I won't ask. Yes. If we are too close together, we will lose room for each other and make it difficult to get along."

Chang Qing was speechless. Su Wangting had an eye for people that he might never be able to match in his lifetime.Thinking that the other party was a former disciple trained by Lu Yan, Changqing felt even more mixed emotions.

"If Lao Cheng has done something bad, I hope you can correct it." Su Wangting said in a sincere tone: "If he really commits a heinous and unforgivable crime... give him a break and save us from the entanglement in our hearts. "

Chang Qing suddenly remembered that Master Wen once asked himself if he was willing to kill Cheng Sanwu for the sake of the world.Unexpectedly, at this moment, Changqing was told similar words again.

"I'm afraid I can't afford it." Changqing always felt that both Master Wen and Su Wangting thought too highly of themselves.

"Then learn to take responsibility." Su Wangting said.

Changqing smiled and asked, "Brother Fu, please teach me."

"Do you really want to learn?"

"Think!" Changqing nodded seriously.

Su Wangting then said: "If a man wants to learn to take responsibility, the best way is to get married and start a family."

Chang Qing's expression froze. He never expected that the other party would suddenly change the topic here.

"I'm not kidding you." Su Wangting patted Chang Qing on the shoulder: "For a person, getting married and starting a family is not just about male love and female love. On the contrary, after being together for a long time, no matter how loving a couple is, they will become dull and boring. , at this time, you have to learn to live with people you no longer love for a long time. If you are having children, you have to learn to take care of others, and take care of those who can't express their own gains and losses, likes and dislikes, and can only make noises."

"Where did Brother Fu learn these principles?" Changqing was greatly admired.

Su Wangting smiled faintly: "This is the most common way of cultivating oneself and managing one's family. Ask me where I learned it... I just read the principles in books. When I get married and have children, I will naturally understand it."

"Brother Fu wants me to marry Wulingzhuang?" Changqing also understood that Su Wangting came here to convince himself.

"Unlike Da Langjun, I don't need you to marry into a wealthy family." Su Wangting said calmly: "Actually, Prime Minister Lu has never forced you to do anything. It is up to you to decide what to do in the end."

(End of this chapter)