When I arrived at Yucai, I learned what had happened. Wei Tiezhu and Li Jingshui's return seemed to be a signal; within half a day, more than 50 of the 300 soldiers had returned, and the rest were probably on their way. These returning soldiers were full of curiosity, wandering around the school and admiring everything. Yes, Yucai seemed unchanged to me, that's because I've always been there. In reality, it had long since transformed from a desolate little school into a giant dragon with the speed and force of a rampant virus. The soldiers had participated in its construction, and could be considered its masters. Now that they were back, of course they wanted to revisit every inch of its land.
In other words, if Qin Hui dared to step out of his house, he would be discovered by Yue Fei's assassins. Even if he stayed inside, he probably wouldn't feel very safe—it's like a caged mouse surrounded by 50 cats.
So Qin Hui demanded an immediate relocation. I couldn't refuse that request; I didn't want to deal with a dismemberment case before my wedding. Three hundred soldiers wouldn't be too many; one chop from each of them would liquefy Qin Hui like that psychopathic robot in Terminator 2.
I went to Qin Hui's room, and the guy was terrified too; the curtains were drawn tightly, and his face was pale. I looked downstairs and occasionally saw soldiers walking by. Now, even getting Qin Hui from here to the car would be quite a hassle.
I glared at him and said, "You've done bad things before, are you regretting it now?"
Qin Hui trembled and said, "Stop talking nonsense, take me away from here quickly, and I'll be a good person in my next life."
I said disdainfully, "Be a good person? Do you think it's that easy to be a good person? Returning lost property, remaining calm in the face of temptation, not deceiving others in secret... can you do all of these?"
Qin Hui kept his head down and remained silent for a long time before raising his head and asking, "Can you do it?"
Me: "Uh..."
Qin Hui stood up with a smile and shook my hand: "Let's work hard together in the next life."
I went to great lengths to dress him up as Qin Hui. First, I put the sunglasses I wear while driving on him, then I got a straw hat from the construction site and put it on his head. Finally, I shaved off all the long beard on his chin, leaving only the mustache on his upper lip and shaving it into a V-shape. I took a step back and looked at him, saying with satisfaction, "Hmm, now you look like a traitor." Because, to be honest, that old Qin Hui was actually quite handsome, and I'd always felt awkward looking at him.
Before he left, I solemnly reminded him: "Once you're out, act like nothing happened. If you sneak around and Yue Fei's army finds out, I won't save you!"
Later I realized my warning was completely unnecessary. Look at this old traitor, so timid at home, yet the moment he steps outside, he's all smiles and nonchalant. I can't help but admire him. I've discovered that those treacherous officials and traitors who are hated by others are far more capable than ordinary people. This is probably why, once their character deteriorates, they bring immense disaster to the government and the people of their time.
Once in the car, Qin Hui hid behind the tinted glass, taking off his straw hat and fanning himself. His relaxed demeanor made me want to kick him out. I said indignantly, "9527, impressive composure. How did you manage that?"
The old traitor said leisurely, "What's so difficult about that? I'll just pretend I'm Leonardo DiCaprio, dodging female fans."
Chapter Twenty-Nine: Traitors vs. Traitors
I'm speechless at this old traitor's self-amusing spirit, but I also think it's worth learning from. After all, life is about being happy, and what's done is done. What did I say about marrying a pushover like me?
Thinking of this, I turned around and glared at him, saying, "Hurry up and figure out where you're going, I have things to do."
Qin Hui said, "Let's go back to where I used to live."
I said, "Dream on! That's my new house, don't even think about ruining it."
The old traitor, resting his head on his arm, said, "Then you decide what to do. Anyway, I can make do with whoever I want now."
In that short time, two more Yue Fei soldiers, looking travel-worn, returned from the school gate. They saw me from afar and ran over to greet me. I didn't dare get off the bus, exchanged a few words with them, and told them to go back first. When I turned back, Qin Hui was already crawling under the bus seat.
This place is unbearable!
I sensed something was off as soon as Li Jingshui and Wei Tiezhu returned yesterday, but I was too busy with other things to ask Xu Delong. As I drove, I turned around and said, "The Yue Family Army has probably already found Yue Fei. You'd better wait to be torn to pieces."
Qin Hui emerged and said casually, "So what if we found him? I'd love to see Yue Fei."
"You really have no regrets at all after you harmed Yue Fei?"
Qin Hui smacked his lips and said, "Whether I regret it or not is another matter. It's normal for Yue Fei's army to want to kill me. But Yue Fei was a smart man. He must have known that he died because he offended the emperor. If he really wanted to be a loyal minister, he shouldn't have complained. How a person should live is his own choice."
The old traitor's words left me somewhat stunned. Thinking about it, it makes sense. A marshal who had won every battle, ultimately dying under fabricated charges, must have understood what was going on. Even without Qin Hui, if Emperor Gaozong of Song had simply placed a cup of poisoned wine in front of Yue Fei and said, "Go to hell," Yue Fei would most likely have drunk it without batting an eye. That's the tragedy of fate. The iron discipline of Yue Fei's army led to a situation where the army only knew Yue Fei and not the emperor, which was indeed a fatal mistake in feudal society—the so-called "great achievements inevitably breed jealousy." In fact, historically, once an army was labeled "Yue Fei's army," its generals were mostly disliked by the rulers. From Liu Bang killing Han Xin to Zhao Kuangyin's "releasing military power over a cup of wine," and the marginalization of Yue Fei's and Qi Jiguang's armies, all these illustrate this point.
Of course, the old traitor's last words, "How a person lives is their own choice," also make a lot of sense. If Yue Fei and Wu Sangui were in each other's shoes, Wu Sangui would naturally have rebelled against Zhao without batting an eye, while Yue Fei would most likely have fought to restore the Ming Dynasty while defending Shanhaiguan, and would still easily have made a name for himself in history.
Thinking of Wu Sangui, I laughed and said, "9527, let me introduce you to a friend. You can stay at my place for the next few days, and we'll talk about it after I get married."
Who is it?
"Don't ask yet, you wouldn't know even if I told you. You two definitely have something in common."
I was a little excited and hurriedly drove back. One of my greatest pleasures these days is listening to people from different eras chat together. I wonder what kind of conversation would unfold if these two old rascals met in the vast sea of people.
Upon arriving at their destination, Qin Hui got out of the carriage and clicked his tongue, saying, "You live in such a run-down place?"
As I locked the car, I said, "Stop talking nonsense, this place is full of hidden talents—Kezi, lead 9527 upstairs." Ersha walked over, glanced at Qin Hui, and said, "I recognize you." We had met before when Zhang Bing treated us to dinner last time.
Upstairs, Mulan and Wu Sangui were playing chess on a large chessboard, with Xiang Yu watching. Mulan and Wu Sangui, one playing white and the other black, each held a piece with an air of profound understanding. After Wu Sangui placed his piece, Mulan suddenly slammed her white piece onto the board and laughed, "I've got a double three-in-a-row! You've lost!" Apparently, they were playing Gomoku—it must have been Baozi who taught them; actually, we bought that Go set just to play Gomoku.
Among these people, Xiang Yu had met Qin Hui before. When he saw him come up, he nodded slightly to him. I said, "9527, I didn't have a chance to properly introduce you last time. This is Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King of Western Chu."
Qin Hui, his obsequious nature acting up again, grabbed Xiang Yu's hand and said with a fake smile, "I'm new here, please take good care of me."
I then introduced Mulan to him, saying, "This is Mulan, a heroine who took her father's place in the army."
Qin Hui had no interest in people without power or influence, and only nodded to Hua Mulan. I pointed to Wu Sangui and said, "This is the friend I'm going to introduce to you, Wu Sangui. You can call him Third Brother from now on."
Upon hearing my words, Wu Sangui realized that Qin Hui was one of his own, and while playing chess, he asked, "Xiao Qiang, what is this gentleman's name?"
Seeing Wu Sangui's imposing manner, Qin Hui smiled obsequiously and said, "I am Qin Hui, and I served as prime minister for a few years."
Wu Sangui toyed with the chess pieces in his hand and made a "hmm" sound, clearly preoccupied with how to win against Hua Mulan.
I pointed to the bedroom and said, "That fat guy playing games is Qin Shi Huang."
Qin Hui exclaimed "Oh dear!" and jogged inside, saying, "His Majesty the First Emperor is here! I, Qin, must listen attentively to his holy teachings." He had just reached the bedroom door when Wu Sangui, having recovered his senses, abruptly looked up and demanded, "Who do you think you are?"
Qin Hui turned around and said, "I am Qin Hui."
Wu Sangui put down his chess piece and asked, "Is this Qin Hui, the traitor under Emperor Gaozong of the Southern Song Dynasty?"
Qin Hui, seeing that someone actually knew his courtesy name, exclaimed with delight, "That's right, that's right..."
At that moment, I saw Zhao Bailian, who had followed Jing Ke upstairs, suddenly make a strange move. He gently held a magazine in front of his face.
The next second, Wu Sangui suddenly attacked. Without any apparent reason, he grabbed the jar containing the chess pieces and threw it at Qin Hui, yelling, "Traitorous dog! Prepare to die!"