novelraw Chapter 588: The Little Cannon Fodder of the Three Kingdoms — End
Chapter 588: The Little Cannon Fodder of the Three Kingdoms — End
To some extent, Sun Quan's worries were not unfounded.
How could Zhou Gongjin not be intelligent? The moment he first woke up and felt an unprecedented lightness in his body, he instantly understood everything.
Is there such a thing as a free lunch in this world?
The answer is, no.
His gaze paused on the two brothers before him, a flicker of fine light seeming to pass through his eyes. After a long moment, under their gazes filled with unconcealed concern, he suddenly smiled. His jade-like face, still carrying a trace of illness, was now entirely bright and open.
Like gentle light illuminating the world, like warm jade radiating brilliance.
"It's been so long since I've felt this relaxed and at ease. Comfortable!"
His answer was met with Sun Bofu's particularly hearty laughter from the side. The man shifted his body, unintentionally but forcefully squeezing his younger brother who had moved closer to the side.
"Hahaha, isn't that right! Once we've handled this pile of matters properly in a while, the three of us brothers must gather together and have a good, hearty drink dozens of times!"
His gaze paused on each of them for a moment.Sun Quan: "..."
Alright then! I worried for nothing.
Look at my fate of worrying over nothing!
Even so, the moment their eyes met, a hint of a smile also appeared in Little Quan's eyes.
In the year 225 AD, the Crown Prince officially led the triumphant army back to the capital. It was also this year that the land of the Central Plains, which had been ravaged by war for decades, was completely restored to unity...
Of course, this prosperous era was just the beginning.
***
It was several decades later when An Ning returned to the space.
In this life, perhaps due to abundant spiritual energy, coupled with her high position and great authority, and acting freely without restraint, she naturally lived a long time.
Especially after choosing to abdicate the throne to the Crown Prince at the age of sixty. That feeling of being free from all burdens, able to wander anywhere, was truly something.
With the new dynasty recently established, all sorts of lively events and happenings around her were virtually endless.
Not to mention Minister Zhen, and even later Chancellor Zhen, as she grew older, perhaps because there were more like-minded people such as Cai Yan, Huang Ying, and others, she actually became more fond of bustle and excitement.
In her earlier years at court, it was somewhat better. Although she always loved to come and pester her, she could still hold back somewhat. The dignified, refined demeanor of a cultured official was maintained perfectly in public.
After retiring, it was completely impossible to keep her confined. In the villa specially built by An Ning for meritorious officials during her reign, activities like admiring flowers, competing in literary compositions, and poetry contests kept her not the least bit idle.
Moreover, whenever she had a novel idea, it could always spark a wave of trends among the common people and the literati. Her written works were widely circulated and praised.
Furthermore, as development progressed later on, from the scholar-official clans down to the common people, besides practicing martial arts and joining the military, the trend of studying and learning literature also grew increasingly popular. The variety of styles and forms was simply too much to take in.
Even her mother, Madam Zhang, once sighed with emotion:
A-Yue has always been chaste, quiet, well-behaved, and obedient since childhood. Her speech and conduct have never once been particularly different from others...
In response, Zhen Yue just smiled, not thinking much of it. The next day, she would continue appreciating poetry and tasting wine, occasionally even helping her friend Huang Ying compile and revise books on water conservancy.
Then there were those two, Zhou Yu and Zhuge Liang. Due to mutual admiration for each other's talent and wisdom, they would often get together for a few drinks. Yet, these men were formidable, and their eloquence was also top-notch. Occasionally, when they disagreed on political views or found themselves on opposing sides, their verbal sparring was truly a back-and-forth affair, citing classics and canons, which could be described as spectacular.
Of course, it was also quite venomous.
Occasionally, it really could anger someone to death without compensation!
Every time the two of them argued, An Ning could even see the faces of several historians nearby flush red with excitement, and after one session, their fingertips would tremble from writing too fast and too urgently.
And the next day, the wine cellar of General Sun next door would always be emptied by more than half.
It wasn't until later when A Yue ascended the throne, Zhuge served as Chancellor, and Young Master Zhou was also promoted to a high position, their respective duties becoming truly too busy, that things finally quieted down a lot.
Besides these two, the pair next door, Yuan and Cao, childhood friends and old rivals for decades, were also quite a spectacle.
However, compared to the previous pair where appreciation was the main theme, these two could only occasionally sit down and tease each other about their wilder exploits from earlier years. The rest of the time, confrontation and rivalry were still more common.
If we talk about their main conflict, it was still back then when An Ning, thinking they were after all old rivals of many years, thus in the final battle, although the Crown Prince was in command, the one who truly faced him in the end was his childhood friend, Old Yuan.
As for the outcome, need we even say!
Because of this, even many years later, he still couldn't avoid being laughed at a few times by his old rival before him:
"Hahaha, Aman, this strength of yours shows that age has indeed caught up with you now, after all, not like before! Thinking back to those days..."
"Hahahaha!"
Of course, although Lord Cao was advanced in years, he himself was no pushover.
In any case, in this life, while one has annoying childhood friends and old rivals, someone like Cao also certainly doesn't lack intimate confidants like Wenruo, who were exceptionally compatible and supported each other all the way for decades.
Even if lofty ambitions were hard to fulfill, and life had its regrets, so what!
Besides, turning to look at the sons below.
Zihuan's health was poor, and for some reason he offended his superior, Minister Zhen, always inexplicably brooding over her, let's not mention that for now.
Zijian's talent was renowned by all, especially in the way of poetry and literature. Even in the talent-rich Great Jing of today, he still ranked among the top.
Chong'er need not even be mentioned. When he first entered the official arena in his twenties, he achieved the rank of Third Rank Graduate. His official career was especially smooth, clearly possessing the makings of a future Chancellor.
That Yuan Benchu of his, hah!
Yuan Shao: "..."
Indeed, the benefit of being old rivals for decades was that the poisoned needles in one's hands could always strike the other's most painful spot.
All these kinds of things, occasionally observed during leisure time, were indeed quite interesting.
Of course, with the world newly stabilized, the initial troubles that were bound to occur did appear. Fortunately, An Ning's earlier steps had been steady all along. Coupled with the fact that her successor, A Yue, was highly capable, and the court was filled with talented individuals, at least during the time after An Ning abdicated and traveled around, and even until she left, the world remained a scene of prosperous times.
As for those northern Hu people, under the overwhelming pressure of powerful military force, they had already all submitted and pledged allegiance decades earlier. An Ning had once hesitated whether to take it a step further, but later thought better of it.
Not to mention that establishing control over them wasn't cost-effective, it's still that old saying: often said, one thrives in peril and perishes in comfort.
If the country itself is strong and prosperous, even if there are enemies around, it's as if there are none. If the country itself is weak and decaying, even if there are none, there will eventually be some.
If not the Hu people, there would be others.
Anyway, what needed to be done was done. Overthinking was useless!
In this regard, An Ning never liked to trouble herself.
After resting, An Ning casually opened the panel in her hand.
As the sole mission target, Zhen Yue's life in this world truly shone brilliantly. Not only did she break free from constraints, lacking neither wealth, power, nor companionship, but also due to her talent, sentiment, and ability, she was revered by countless people of her time.
Even in her final decades, following An Ning aboard the imperial barge, traveling along the then fully interconnected waterways, she lived a life that could be described as free and unfettered.
Considering all of the above, the original owner was indeed generous.
However, no matter how long it had been, she was ultimately still a lazy person. The moment she pressed the button, what An Ning thought in her heart was:
In the next world, if possible, it would be best to lie down a little if I can.
Sigh, having great power at my side later, with beauties who were understanding and interesting, was true. But the first dozen or so years of toiling and laboring were also undeniably real!