Chapter 6

"If you want to go to the battlefield, we won't stop you, but you should never be disrespectful to Master Xu. He is the master you kneel down and kowtow to acknowledge. Don't forget the reason for this trip. Although we are not refugees, we are not refugees. But it’s not a leisurely trip!”

Ling Jing had a smile on her face, a cold look in her eyes, and spoke clearly and clearly: "Master is righteous and worked tirelessly to protect me, the weakling of the Ling family, who traveled thousands of miles to his hometown. If he didn't have the heart to love his disciple, why would he be like this? In the end, I’ll still have to bear your spittle!”

"Ling Feng, let's not talk about benevolence, justice, etiquette and wisdom for the moment. You are the eldest brother and I am the youngest sister. I shouldn't give you a slap, but I will not apologize to you today. When you decided to abandon your home and go to the battlefield to join the army to kill the enemy, As an ordinary person, I still have to give you some advice."

Her words were sonorous: "Although the second prince is only eleven years old, don't forget that the tiger father has no dogs. When he can distinguish objects with the naked eye, he is already used to seeing troops forming formations, and when he is babbling, he is already accustomed to reading military books. When he was a toddler, he had already held a gun and shot arrows and tightened the reins. At the age of three, he was stationed in Bingzhou and served as the prefect. At the age of six, he led troops to join his father's expedition. At the age of eight, he guarded the three states. At the age of eleven, he led a large number of troops to defend the state. "

Ling Jing sneered and stepped forward, forcing Ling Feng to retreat step by step. She said: "It is true that you are older than him, but compared with him, besides being a few years older than him, what else do you have? Can you use your hands to defeat him? If you listen to the wind, it will be rain. For this alone, you will lose completely! Not to mention the treacherous officialdom and the long-term war, you have no independent foresight! He is the prince, his own son, Zhenzhou, I wonder what father would risk his own son to die?! As long as the reinforcements are delayed and the prince has some shortcomings, the civil and military officials of the court will be waiting to raise troops to hold him accountable, and the whole family will be ready to go to see the emperor!"

Ling Dang stared at Ling Jing at this moment, as if he didn't recognize her. She was still dressed in coarse linen clothes, but it could not conceal her graceful and noble demeanor, as if she were at the head of the Zhaoming Palace, scolding a stubborn minister without hesitation.

There is not even half of the gentle and gentle attitude of the past.

Ling Jing stared into Ling Feng's eyes and continued: "If it were you who was guarding the state, as long as one of the links blocked you for a while, it would be a small matter to lose the battle. If someone in the court took advantage of it, it would not be said that you colluded to abandon the city. At this time, everyone is questioning you and killing you, do you really have a clear conscience? I will not destroy your ambition, let alone your majesty. I wish you abandon your whole family and go to the battlefield today, and in the future you will be crowned king and worship your brother-in-law."

After the last word fell, Ling Feng couldn't bear it anymore. He stepped back and knocked over the stove under the window. The pottery pot fell to the ground and broke into pieces instantly.

"If you don't mind me, second brother, I will definitely accompany you. Where can I die? At least I should die in a worthy place." Ling Huai suddenly spoke in a small voice at this moment.

Ling Huai spoke bluntly and said the word "death" softly, but it was like a heavy hammer hitting everyone's head.

In a war-torn year, the whole family has been relocated, and the future is uncertain. There is no young and strong man to guard the Ling family. No matter how scheming and capable they are, they will become nothing more than a mere fish sooner or later.

Ling Cen suddenly wailed at the top of his lungs: "I don't want to die! Even if we die, we won't be separated! Big sister, if our family wants to die, we must die together, bury a handful of loess in a pile, and don't become lonely ghosts! Even if we die, we will die together." If you don’t want to eat the incense offered by you, second brother, let’s go find mother. Anyway, a lot of people died in the war, so our family is going to grab wild food! We can’t be hungry no matter what..."

His voice almost lifted the roof off the house, which shocked the seventh brother and started to practice his voice. Every sound was louder than the last, and he howled so loudly that it hurt people's ears.

"Shut up!" Ling Qiong was howled so hard that her temples bulged. A Hedong lion's roar immediately calmed Ling Cen, who was in tears.

"Why don't you sleep up in the middle of the night to mourn?!" the neighbors yelled at the top of their lungs.

Ling Qiong rubbed her temples, not forgetting to give Ling Cen a blow on his head, and gave a stern order: "Sleep!"

Ling Jing quickly turned around and picked up her seventh brother, humming a little tune to coax him, and instructing Ling Huai to go downstairs and ask the waiter to borrow a jar.

Ling Dang quickly took the dry firewood from Master Xu's hand, ran to the window, lifted the small stove beside Ling Feng's legs, took the opportunity to peek at him, and saw Ling Jing looking this way. She was so frightened that she hurried to the door. jump up.

I spent the whole night speechless, and when I woke up, I was on the bumpy road again.

The night Ling Feng stayed in the tavern, he was slapped by Ling Jing, which seemed to make him mute.

He concentrated on driving and no longer looked at the people and scenery on the road, nor did he take the initiative to strike up conversations with people. Everyone knew that he was pretending to be depressed, but no one dared to step forward to explain it to him.

Yuzhou, on the border with Kyoto, is a fertile water county, with merchants and ships constantly coming and going, and the locals' soft voices are like the softness of water.

From Ganzhou to Yuzhou, in order to avoid the war-torn state, we had to take a detour to Cizhou Ferry, then take the waterway, winding the river across three states to reach Yuzhou Weidu.

The group abandoned their car and drifted for three months before landing.

Yuzhou, Shangfucheng.

When I entered the city, I saw shops lined up in rows, street vendors shouting and singing, and the streets were densely packed with people with mixed accents and different styles of clothing. It was really lively.

Ling Jing carried her seventh brother on her back and led the way, weaving and circling all the way before stopping at a deep alley paved with blue bricks.

The houses in the alley are next to each other. The red lanterns put on for the New Year are still hanging on the doors of every house. Couplets are pasted on the door frames, and a pair of ferocious-eyed door gods are pasted on the door.

Ling Jing led them to the innermost door. There was still a door god on the door, and the original bright color could not be seen. The paint on the door was mottled, the door knocker was rusty, and a big lock was alone. I am looking forward to returning home from my old friends.

"A Dang, do you have the key with you?" Ling Jing held the door lock and turned to ask Ling Dang.

"A Dang?..."

Ling Dang stared at the eaves of the door in a daze. The memory of this house gradually came to life in his mind, and the sounds and shadows around him gradually became blurred.

When she first arrived, she was still a newborn baby. She thought she was a new baby, but she didn't expect that she was wearing a book.

At that time, the Ling family was relatively wealthy. There were maids and women at home, there were guards and thugs in front of the door, and Master Yan lived at home to teach. Although their food and clothing expenses were not as high as those of the princes and grandsons, they still had silks and satins cut with care.

She thought she had a good pregnancy and would be able to live a comfortable life. She never thought that since she was born, her life would become more and more frugal day by day. In the end, Mrs. Li started to move.

The farther we move, the more children we move, and the family becomes poorer as we move.

She hated Li's Bodhisattva with all her heart. Even though her life was unsatisfactory, she couldn't bear to see others struggling to survive in the sea of ​​misery.

Seeing the mother-in-law of the male and female protagonists together on the stall, she felt so sick that she vomited blood and died.

After putting together the male and female protagonists but not being able to summon the dragon to make a wish, what is she trying to do? Purely well-intentioned people will suffer big losses sooner or later.

"A Dang?"

The call separated Lingdang from the emotional fluctuations of the past. She opened her eyes in confusion and looked at the concern in the eyes in front of her. The world-weary resistance in her heart disappeared instantly.

"Are you okay?" Ling Jing held her seventh brother with one hand, stretched out a hand to touch her forehead, her eyes full of worry, "Are you sick? You don't have a fever."

"What are you thinking about? You are so absorbed in it?" Ling Qiong rubbed the top of her head.

Ling Feng held Ling Cen on his shoulders, and everyone looked at her without blinking.

Ling Feng opened the corners of his mouth stiffly, a smile that wasn't really a smile appeared on his face, and he couldn't hide his worry as he called her, "Little sister? Do you miss your mother again?"

"Did Fourth Sister lose her key?" Ling Cen guessed, grabbing the braid on Ling Feng's head.

Master Xu led the horse to the side and said comfortingly: "It doesn't matter if I don't have the key. Ah Feng is very strong. It won't be a problem to unscrew the door lock with one hand."

Lingdang said hurriedly: "No, it's in the bag."

She raised her hand to take off the baggage on her shoulder and get the key. When she moved her hand, she realized that Ling Huai was holding her hand silently.

Ling Dang shook his hand in return and comforted him, saying, "Don't worry, it's just that I've been away from home for too long and I can't recognize him anymore. I don't dare to recognize him for a while."

"Yeah." Ling Huai relaxed his hand.

I took out the key and opened the door. The garden in front of the entrance hall was covered with grass buds, and the greenery spread to the stone steps of the front hall.

There is a large water tank in the courtyard, with green lotus leaves and waterweed leaves floating on the water. The water is crystal clear, and you can clearly see a thick layer of mud accumulated at the bottom of the tank.

The ancestral house of the Ling family is a large house with four entrances. The pillars and slates in the house are not too shabby. The sheets, quilts and clothes collected in the cupboards when moving are brand new. Because they have been uninhabited for a long time, there is a musty smell that chokes the throat.

As soon as I get home, I clean the yard non-stop and look forward to the good weather to dry my clothes and quilts.

Ling Feng and Master Xu climbed over the wall and repaired the roof; Ling Qiong went out to buy new furniture at home and continued to develop her business; Ling Cen walked around the streets and asked the children next door about their parents' problems, and borrowed some gadgets for the family. make.

After more than a month of busy work, the windows of the house were finally clear and clean, everyone began to live their lives step by step, and the house became full of vitality. "I asked someone to find out that there is a Chongwen Academy in the city, and it hires all respected old gentlemen." Ling Qiong fiddled with her abacus, "It's not far from home, and although the tuition is a bit expensive, our family doesn't have to pay for it now. A few dollars, I just have to go to the ferry tomorrow, and I can take you two to the academy to register."

"Sister, can't you invite your husband to teach at home?" Ling Cen twisted his body and acted coquettishly. He didn't want to go to the academy and be governed by various rules.

Ling Jing flicked him to death and said angrily: "I haven't made much money yet, but you have learned to be arrogant and enjoy life first? I'm warning you, if you dare to cause trouble in the academy, I will immediately punish you." You send the state to fight!"

Ling Feng happened to be passing by the accounting room carrying a bed frame. When he heard this, he suddenly stopped and turned his eyes.

Ling Cen saw that something was wrong and ran away.

Ling Huai nodded to Ling Feng and said hello, "Second brother."

"Yeah. Just now..."

"I still have some books to finish, so I'll leave for now." Ling Huai casually found an excuse and left.

Ling Qiong held her forehead with one hand, covering her ears to avoid meeting Ling Feng's eyes, and kept banging her abacus.

Ling Feng's unblinking dry eyes made her heart pound, and she kept thinking to herself: I am only responsible for making money to support the family, not taking care of things.

After a stalemate for a while, Ling Jing passed by carrying a flower pot and shouted to Ling Feng who was standing on the post: "Second brother? What are you doing there with a bed frame? Are you trying to clear your head?"

As soon as he heard Ling Jing's voice, Ling Feng straightened his back immediately, responded to her a few times dryly, and disappeared after a few steps.

It's like a mouse meeting a cat.

Lingdang opened the secret compartment at the head of the bed, took out a baggage, and took out two memorial tablets, one new and one old.

She looked at it for a while, then put back an old tablet and walked out with the new one, heading straight to the ancestral hall to offer incense to Li's tablet.

Turning around, he saw Ling Feng coming in with the curtain raised.

Ling Feng lit the incense, knelt on the futon and kowtowed three times.

He didn't stand up, turned his back to Lingdang, and said directly: "Little sister, do you hate daddy?"

Ling Feng and her were Li's biological children. They were real brothers and sisters, and he was the only one who could call her little sister.

"I don't hate him." I have never seen Cheap Daddy, and I can't hate anyone as much as him, a faceless man.

"If second brother also goes to the battlefield, will you hate me?" Ling Feng stood up and asked Ling Dang by his shoulders.

"Then why does second brother have to go?" Ling Dang asked without answering.

"I can't bear to see that the people are displaced. If the war in the territory becomes uneven, one day it will reach Kyoto. My family is not at peace, my country is not at peace, and my heart is not at peace. How can a dignified man be afraid of life and death? He doesn't care about success or failure, and he doesn't care about gains and losses. When dad could do it, I That's okay." He said decisively.

"I admire your righteousness. Then have you ever thought about us?"

"I've thought about it! I've been thinking about it day and night these days, but what can I do if I stay at home? Repair and pick up roof tiles, move furnishings, look after the home and care for the home. My eldest sister has hired servants and I can't be used. She's full of business experience. , I will be able to protect my family's food and clothing. I earned a man's body in vain, and I can't use my fists and feet to break the locks every day, and I am not a warrior who can decipher the truth in books and scrolls. I am stuck at home with nothing to do, and I have no brute strength. , why not go to the battlefield and kill the enemy! Taking one more enemy's heads will give me more peace in the Great Zhou Dynasty, which is the only thing I can do right now!"

"What if the eldest sister gets married?" Lingdang asked him sharply.

"Also, Master..." Ling Feng's lips suddenly turned pale, and he didn't have enough confidence to speak.

"He is your master. His surname is Xu, not Ling. He will leave the Ling family sooner or later." Ling Dang said with heartfelt words.

"Then what do you want me to do?" Ling Feng's eyes were splitting, and he kept shaking Ling Dang, "Be a show-off, bite the eldest sister like a leech, and raise her at home, waiting to get married and have children. , just to continue the incense of the Ling family? I will go crazy."

"If you die on the battlefield in the future, not because you died in a heroic battle, but because you were framed and framed by someone in power, would you be willing to do so?" Ling Dang's eyes turned red.

She is a book wearer, and she is also a member of the authorities. After so many years of facing each other day and night, she is like a stone that should be covered with heat. She really can't be a bystander.

Because he knows the ending, and because he is unwilling to read the book, he will feel even more unhappy for the people in the book.

She also wants to change, and she also wants to do her best to find a satisfactory future for you.

“You will reap what you sow, and no matter what fruit you sow, it will be my own fruit, and I am willing to do so.”

He smiled brightly, and his words were sincere and solid.

The family sat around the table, talking and laughing while having dinner.

After everyone at the table had finished eating, and Master Xu was clearing his mouth with a bowl of tea, Ling Feng knelt down in front of him with a plop, kowtowed several times, and bluntly stated his intention to leave for Zhou.

"I don't agree!" Ling Jing, who was feeding her seventh brother, threw the spoon on the spot, causing a circle of soup to splash out of the bowl.

The whole room was as silent as a chill.

Ling Feng knelt in front of Master Xu without getting up, and broke the dead silence in the room with a forced voice, "Little sister agrees."

Ling Jing suddenly turned to look at Ling Dang, and the others followed suit.

Ling Dang took the soup bowl that Ling Jing had put down and continued to feed his seventh brother, completely ignoring everything happening around him.

For a moment, everyone looked at them and looked at each other.

Ling Jing stared at Ling Feng for a long time, then turned back to stare at Ling Feng, biting her tongue and saying: "A Dang is just a child, what does she know? As long as I don't agree, no one can leave even half a step away."

"I'm leaving tonight." Ling Feng gritted his teeth and closed his eyes. He tried his best to ignore Ling Jing's pressure and kowtowed to Master Xu three more times, "Please forgive me for being unfilial."

Master Xu let out a long sigh and put down the tea bowl, but said nothing.

Ling Feng stood up and walked resolutely out the door. When he passed by Ling Qiong, he said, "Sister, I will leave the house to you."

"Aren't you talking nonsense?" Ling Qiong looked away with trembling eyelashes.

"Second brother!" Ling Cen held onto Ling Feng's thigh with tears in his eyes, "Don't leave!"

"Be obedient at home and don't be naughty." Ling Feng rubbed his head, pushed him away slightly, and continued to the door.

"You dare to step out of this door today. From now on, you will have nothing to do with our Ling family!" Ling Jing threatened with a cold look.

He paused at the threshold, turned around and bowed, "Take care."

He turned around, walked out of the house, and strode towards the front hall to hit the horse post.

Ling Jing watched him disappear outside the door without blinking an eye, standing at the table trembling with anger.

You can hear a needle drop in the house.

With red eyes, she suddenly raised her hand and swung down the bowl on the table that she hadn't had time to clear away. The bowl crashed with a crisp sound and instantly shattered into porcelain pieces.

(End of this chapter)

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