son-in-law

Chapter 1316 Inner Demons (Part 2)

The moonlight was perfectly round, and the river water rippled under its glow.

Several children were playing by the riverbed, splashing water with twigs for a while, skipping stones, and then chattering amongst themselves.

"right here!"

"That's right, this is the most urgent place!"

Do you even have the guts?

"Who's afraid of who!"

They quickly stripped off their clothes, and then jumped in with a bang.

The guards on duty ran over, blowing their bamboo whistles.

"Get on board! Get on board! Whose kids are these?! We told them not to go swimming at night—"

After a chaotic scene, the children were finally brought up. Upon closer inspection, they were all at least as bad as officers of the regimental commander rank. Some of them were still arrogant, saying, "My swimming skills were taught by Teacher Jin'er! I won't die!" Others said, "I'm a man! I won't die either!" The sentries, who were used to seeing high-ranking officials, kicked them in the buttocks one by one, and then dragged them from house to house to search for their loved ones. That night, it was inevitable that a few more of them would be chased and howled like ghosts.

Ning Yi secretly watched from the shadows of the trees, then covered his forehead and laughed for a while, feeling annoyed.

I had taken care of some things in the afternoon, and my head was still a bit sore. When I laughed, it was a bitter laugh. Then I waved to Du Sha and another guard: "The last one with his bare bottom, is that Old Che's kid, Che Honglin?"

"Hmm." Du Sha nodded to the person next to him, then turned to look at one end of the woods, where the guard known as Old Cart was also standing in the darkness.

“Make him work overtime tonight, don’t let him go home, lest he hurt the child…” Then I thought: “Why was he left with only his bare bottom, where are his pants…”

"A group of people were fighting over clothes just now, and it looks like his fell into the water..."

"No, it was Luo Qing who insisted on wearing his pants; the ones that fell into the water were Luo Qing's."

"Well, they're all talented..."

"Pfft..." Someone chuckled.

Under the calm night sky, a small incident stirred up ripples for a moment, before returning to stillness. Ning Yi walked to the riverbank, picked up a few pebbles, and skipped them across the water several times. He had practiced martial arts for over ten years, possessing considerable strength and skillful angles of motion, making his skipping extremely beautiful, far overshadowing the children. Afterward, he sat down on a low-lying tree trunk by the river, seeking a moment of tranquility.

The tree trunks along the riverbank drooped low like a reclining chair, offering a very comfortable spot to lean against. Ning Yi had discovered this wonderful place by chance, and he had grown accustomed to it. Someone even came to clean it regularly. Ning Yi sat there, looking at the spotlessly clean environment, and suddenly frowned again. But then he simply sat up, feeling slightly irritated.

He stood up, looked at the moon, and continued walking along the riverbed. After walking for a while, a figure came from the side: "Brother-in-law."

Turning his head, he saw a young and spirited woman in the moonlight, with only a faint scar on her face. "Xiao Qi," Ning Yi said with a smile, "your sister sent you here."

"Yes, my sister said you're refusing to eat because you're angry."

“I’m not being spiteful. She’s an empress dowager who can control everything at home. She’s ganging up on me and isolating me. Can’t I even go out for a walk to clear my head? Look, I’m already out of her sphere of influence, and she still sent you out to monitor me.”

"Brother-in-law, my sister is about to cry."

"Go ahead and cry, it's not the first time."

Ning Yi sneered, displaying his sigma-like nature, and continued walking forward, with Xiao Qi pursing her lips and following behind.

After walking for a while, Ning Yi spoke up: "Xiao Qi, do you think... with such a large area here, the Su family really hasn't done anything like... bullying men and women?"

“Brother-in-law, you’ve practically demolished the Su family’s property, and they’ve all gone to the government. All that’s left are those last few assets, and my sister’s been cracking down on them every few days, afraid of embarrassing you. But then you went back to Zhang Village and, without even asking what happened, you stabbed them in the back. Of course, the family will say something, and they won’t get their dividends this year. I was just telling you this…”

“…Yes.” Ning Yi paused for a moment. “Xiao Qi, you see, even though the rules and regulations are several times stricter than others, your businesses can still grow at a much faster pace. Why? Because in reality, the government has given all your businesses the green light and put all the resources on the table for you to choose from. If the rules were the same, what would happen? If I didn’t occasionally cut corners, the Su family would be on top of the world in no time…”

“Brother-in-law, you admit that the Su family no longer bullies men and women. I have no objection to you taking down the Su family's business. I am irrevocable. But it is unreasonable for you to get angry with my sister over this.”

“Uh…” Ning Yi hesitated for a moment, “If you insist on being reasonable…”

"It was what you said in class back then, brother-in-law: everything should be based on reason."

“…Alright, then I was wrong.” Ning Yi smiled and sighed. “But my argument with your sister had other reasons.”

"What is it?"

I won't tell you, you guess.

The two continued along the road in the night. Xiaoqi kicked a pebble on the ground.

“I can’t guess,” she said. “But brother-in-law, in the two years since we defeated the Jurchens, especially after the start of the local government, you haven’t been very happy. Why is that?”

"..."

Ning Yi remained silent for a long time.

"...Isn't it obvious?"

"It's still about conquering the world... and ruling the world, isn't it?"

“Yes, I think so.” Ning Yi smiled. “In the past, we faced a huge problem together. Some were passionate and enthusiastic, while others were calm and collected. We worked together, even tightening our belts, for a common ideal to defeat that formidable enemy… Now, the enemy has become ourselves. Moving forward, it’s hard to laugh anymore. Let me give you an example… Tian Wenqiu is your classmate, right?”

"He... wears glasses?"

“Yes, it’s that guy who picked up a pair of glasses in the Xiaocang River and wore them all the time, and ended up ruining his eyes…” Ning Yi looked at Xiao Qi, “He’s going to be dealt with, that’s the list that was submitted today.”

"..." Xiao Qi fell silent.

Ning Yi shook his head: "His problem isn't that serious, but there's another person on the list. We fought side by side at Xiaocang River and he left a deep impression on me... For the past year, I've been killing someone I know every other day."

On a summer night in June of the lunar calendar, the wind on the Chengdu Plain was still cool enough to make one feel refreshed. Ning Yi walked slowly forward and raised his hand: "Of course, not all of them are as serious as killing, but..." But in the end, he couldn't say anything more.

Xiao Qi followed quietly behind.

Ning Yi sighed softly: "A few days ago, when I visited your Second Brother Qin, he asked me if we needed to take such a radical approach. I gave him a very high-sounding reason. I told him that if we could hold ourselves to high standards, even weeding out all the unqualified people, the people of the world would benefit the most. That's certainly true, but the list presented to me consists of living, breathing people. Some of them have performed heroic deeds, and now that Chengdu is doing well, they want to live a better life. Some of them don't even understand what they did wrong. 'Mastering literary and martial arts to serve the emperor'—that's the 'serving,' and even 'serving' means making money. The so-called 'serving the people' isn't something everyone can understand. Xiao Qi, do you understand?"

“I…” Xiaoqi hesitated for a moment, “I… I’m the daughter of a merchant family, but I’ll do whatever you say, brother-in-law… I don’t spend much money.”

"That's because you're tolerant of me."

Ning Yi looked at her, smiled, and patted her head. He gazed into the distance: "I am drawn to two lofty goals, wanting to bring them to fruition, wanting to push them forward simultaneously. But now, the goals of capitalist development and the goal of equality for all are in conflict from time to time... In fact, there are deeper issues. Our Huaxia Army, from the very beginning, set its goal as resisting foreign aggression and defeating the Jurchens. Halfway through, we talked about the four classes of people and the investigation of things. The ultimate goal in everyone's heart is still to defeat the Jurchens and live a good life—ultimately, to live a good life. Now, with every step forward, I can feel the dust falling from my body..."

As they talked and walked, they unknowingly reached the nearby hillside. Ning Yi looked at the flickering lights of Zhang Village: "On the other hand, sometimes I wonder if I... still understand the suffering of people in this world..."

He smiled at Xiaoqi: "Xiaoqi, you go back first. Your argument with your sister isn't a big deal, don't worry... I'll deal with her properly when we get back."

"...Oh, oh." Xiaoqi blinked, hesitated for a moment, and finally shrugged and ran away.

Ning Yi smiled, sighed, and found a chair to sit on on the platform halfway up the mountain.

Looking down at the lights, at this moment, he could clearly perceive in his heart that Zhang Village was a place developed under his will.

He occasionally walks the streets here, sometimes watching the village children running around, chasing and playing. But can this place represent the lives of people all over the world? Actually, no. Sometimes when he sees this place, it's more like seeing the government compound of the 1980s before his rebirth.

Because he subconsciously believed that this was a form of development, the village gradually transformed into this appearance.

The same feeling occasionally occurs in Chengdu.

The myriad lights shining in those homes are undoubtedly a sign of progress.

The study of natural philosophy took root and flourished through the power of the Huaxia Army. Capital, nurtured within it, further propelled the great power of this study, allowing him to sense a force, a budding force, that existed before his transmigration. The so-called will and power of progress took root in this world through him. He simultaneously propelled two bright imaginations, like a giant tightening the noose that held the world forward. The brilliance of civilization thus took root in Shu. However, as he tightened the noose with all his might, countless contradictions and conflicts, forming resistance, could still be clearly transmitted from beyond his sight, crackling in his ears.

Some of these contradictions had already appeared in the world he had experienced. In the modern history that had endured a century of humiliation, people carried out even more radical reforms in pursuit of progress. Some of these radical methods and ideas were far more powerful than those of the Chinese army today. For example, there were voices calling for the complete abolition of Chinese characters and the overthrow of Chinese culture. The reason they were so radical was because the humiliation was too long and painful, and almost all voices that resisted this progress were to be completely crushed.

But today's Wu Dynasty has experienced too little hardship, and no one can prove whether it is necessary to advance recklessly. As Ning Yi pushes forward recklessly, what is crushed along the way amidst the friction is the will of individual people.

Just like back in Xia Village, and just like when they rose up to kill the emperor, no one ever made a promise that they were rebelling to serve the people.

When Ning Yi was ready to take action, all obstacles were merely abstract concepts. He passionately resolved to act with the goal of progress. However, as everything surged forward, the friction that followed came from specific individuals, many of whom he even knew. Over the past year, the standards for investigating and handling dereliction of duty and hedonism within the military had undergone several major discussions and adjustments. Faced with lists of names and concrete information, Ning Yi also experienced unbearable pain and insomnia.

Am I doing the right thing? Should I have struck the right balance? Capital fuels greed, and I want officials to stop and become honest. Are there any missteps in the process, or at least, are there areas that should be adjusted? Should we let this era develop in a direction more in line with the status quo? Or should we simply push forward forcefully, allowing the will of the four classes of people to take root in the hearts of the people through our long-term persistence?
Or, if I continue to be this hardline, how far can I actually get...?

He had no idea how complex the thoughts of the great man had been, or how resolute his will had been.

In his previous life, he was responsible for the livelihoods of many people and endured immense pressure and trials that ordinary people could hardly bear.

However, now that he's come this far, some of the criticisms he's faced make him hesitate.

Is he truly selfless? Can he really be? The house he lives in is already much better than the average person's. His family owns the Zhuji and the Su family, which are behemoth businesses. He has eight women, and he even has a great appetite.

He knew that the winch in his hands might still turn a little further in some aspects, but for every inch it moved forward, hundreds or thousands of people would be presented to him as names on his desk. Of course, some truly corrupt individuals would be exposed, but as reforms progressed to a certain point, many matters could no longer be decided with a grand, impassioned stroke of the pen.

On the other hand, images from the three eras would occasionally appear before his eyes.

When he arrived in this era, he quietly observed the Wu Dynasty from the perspective of an outsider. In some aspects, he appreciated it with a detached attitude, and in others, he enjoyed it casually. Later, he became a part of it. For the humiliation suffered by this era, he began to enter this world to save the whole society.

But he didn't truly experience the ways of the world like those at the very bottom of society.

As he reformed the world, Chengdu gradually took on the appearance of modern China. Sometimes he felt proud and even thought that this was the direction of world progress. But as the friction from the outside came, he occasionally had doubts: Do I still know what the world is really like?

Some people he knew gradually ended up on the list and were removed from it. Others came up to him and told him that the Chengdu officialdom was now far more transparent than in any previous dynasty. He dismissed these people with some disdain, but gradually he also began to think about what kind of place the public imagined society to be.

Before taking action, he had conceptually considered these things. Now that they had become a reality, even though his understanding of progress remained firm, his personal emotions were undoubtedly painful. Sometimes, he imagined the sages of another era, wondering: if I were more honest, more selfless, if my desires were purer, would I be more justified and less pained when I did these things?

How did those people move forward? Did they advance with unwavering enthusiasm, or did they also deliberate daily and hesitate frequently?
Three years into the Wu Zhenxing era, and twenty years into this world, Ning Yi and Ning Liheng, now in their forties, have become mentors to many, but at this moment, they also feel their own pressure and helplessness.

There are too many things going on.

He walked along the moonlit mountainside, and after a while, he returned to the back of the small courtyard where he lived, which could be called "home". Su Tan'er was sitting on the crossbeam outside the back door waiting for him. The two had argued about the Su family's business during dinner, and he went out to clear his head in anger, but there was a deeper reason behind it.

We still have to coax them.

He waved his hand behind him, sighed, and walked over. Su Tan'er was sitting there, resting her chin on her hand, her eyes a little red.

"Is the Empress Dowager still angry?"

"There is no Empress Dowager." Su Tan'er wiped away her tears and sniffed. "The news that you scolded me during dinner has already spread. I guess I'll be banished to the Cold Palace tomorrow, and the entire Su family will probably be exterminated."

"Ha, Pigsy, you're turning the tables! In Zhang Village, who would I dare to exterminate with their entire family? Everyone knows this is your territory. You dare to isolate me just because I argued with you..."

"You refused to eat, then smashed your bowl and left. After you left, no one dared to eat!"

"You're deliberately trying to cause trouble."

"I'm going to find fault! I'm afraid I'll run out of faults to find next!"

"I think you need a good beating..."

Ning Yi curled his lip, grabbed Su Tan'er's hand and pulled her into the courtyard. Tan'er struggled a little, but was still held back. "I'm going to teach you a lesson today!"

"Don't act like a little kid..."

"That's all for today, otherwise we'd never know who would be the head of the household..."

"Don't try to fool me like that..."

The two were of different sizes, and Su Tan'er was almost lifted up by one hand. She tried to bite Ning Yi's shoulder, but couldn't get the bite through. Her cheeks were puffed out as she was carried into the courtyard and up the steps.

"Don't do this, people are watching..."

"It's good that someone's watching..."

The two shoved and jostled their way into the room, while the cats and dogs around them watched quietly. After a while, the woman was thrown onto the bed and her clothes were torn. The two were an old married couple, but doing this occasionally still gave them a bit of excitement. However, Su Tan'er wasn't in the mood for this; she curled up in a ball, her eyes filled with grievance. Afterward, she was manipulated and bullied in various ways until she almost cried.

After a long while, the commotion in the room finally subsided. Tan'er lay there, pinned down by the exhausted Ning Yi. She shook her head and whispered, "I still don't agree to you going out. This time is different from last time; you can't go."

Ning Yi lay there and sighed, "It's just a concept, I only mentioned it once, and you treat me like this..."

“I know you want to go out and see the world… You’ve been like this for the past two years. You feel surrounded and restricted by a group of people. You don’t like the Secretariat taking your newspapers, you don’t like others following you, you feel like you’re no longer an ordinary person. I know what’s on your mind. But this time is different from your faked death last time. If you leave the Southwest, Zou Xu will definitely try every means to kill you, and there are also those people in the army who oppose you… You’re unhappy, you can destroy the Su family’s things, you can bully me, that doesn’t matter. But I just don’t approve of you leading troops out of the Southwest…”

Pinned beneath him, completely naked, Tan'er was unable to move. But at that moment, Ning Yi felt as if he were the one who was unable to move, and he sighed softly.

"Qin Lao Er's injuries have flared up, and he can't leave. He Zhicheng can lead troops, but he can't shoulder the heavy responsibility of land administration. Every place has its own situation, and it's different here. Only if I go can I guarantee that things will be implemented to the greatest extent possible. Only by ensuring land administration can we improve the logistical supply chain to the Jin region. Zou Xu has caused too much trouble this time; there's no other way to handle it properly… You know what's on my mind. Why don't you go help me with land administration? I can sit at home and be a local tyrant…"

"If you want me to go, I can go!"

"You can't go." Ning Yi hugged her and mumbled, "I'm holding you down."

The night was hazy, and a gentle summer breeze wafted in through the gap in the window. Su Tan'er struggled a few times and whispered, "I want to turn over..."

Ning Yi then moved, turning her body over, and then pressed her down again.

The woman was pinned down, and in the dim light of the night, she looked at him intently. She reached out and touched his temples, where his hair was already turning gray. After a while, she choked out, "Ning Liheng, you're being unreasonable..."