pdf-ebookys Chapter 381: Brothers have different ambitions: for the country? For the family? For the world!
Chapter 381: Brothers have different ambitions: for the country? For the family? For the world!
Late at night, at the Gu family mansion.
The inner courtyard was brightly lit with candles, and the three brothers sat facing each other.
When he was half drunk, the originally noisy Lei Mengsha became even quieter.
Gu Jianmen sat at the head of Lei Mengsha. As the host, he had already drunk four or five jars of Mulberry Leaves tonight. A blush gradually appeared on his cold and handsome face. Looking at the somewhat abnormal Lei Mengsha, Gu Jianmen raised his glass and teased:
"Second Brother, there's no mute drug in this Sangluo wine, so why are you so silent? Could it be that the madam of Shuiyue Pavilion has frightened you to death?"
Lei Mengsha's eyes wandered, and he raised his glass when he heard this: "That's not the case. Didn't Lao Qi clear my debt? I just felt upset when he mentioned what he had experienced on the way here."
Xiao Ruofeng, still dressed in plain clothes, sat opposite Lei Mengsha, his fingertips tapping lightly on the wine table:
"Why are you so depressed, Second Brother? There are no outsiders among us brothers, so why not tell me?"
Lei Mengsha raised his head and gulped down the wine in his glass. He leaned over the table with a dim look in his eyes and sighed, "I miss my master, the Jixia Academy, the singing Luo Xuan, the taciturn Xiao Hei, the conceited Liu Yue, the dull Xie Xuan... and the mischievous Dong Ba who can brew wine! Speaking of which, I haven't heard Luo Xuan sing in more than half a year. I really miss him..."
"Thinking back to the time when you and I brought Baili Dongjun and the little poisonous creature from the Wen family back to Jixia Academy from the Marquis of Zhenxi's mansion, we were so happy back then. We didn't have to worry about court disputes or brothers turning against each other!"
"But what about now? Ye Dingzhi killed the Green Prince and became a traitor. Dongba's grandfather, Lord Baili, openly rode his horse against the imperial court. Little Dongba has also become a traitor... Sigh, you know, the Marquis of Zhenxi was my lifelong idol, Lei Mengsha, but what about now? It seems like nothing can go back!"
Xiao Ruofeng smiled bitterly, "Life is unpredictable. It's only been two years, and we used to be brothers, but now we've become enemies! I accepted Wen Yanzhao as my sworn brother because I wanted to tie him down with brotherly love."
"He has now reached the Mysterious Realm and is assisting the Marquis of Zhenxi in his fight against the imperial court. I'm afraid it will be difficult for me to reconcile with him, let alone Dongjun and Ye Dingzhi..."
"In the battle of Yunzhou, I'm ashamed to say that I thought I had entered the realm of free and unrestrained heaven, but I was still defeated by Ye Ding's sword. Fortunately, he didn't take my life, otherwise I'm afraid we brothers would never be able to sit together and drink together again."
As the wine entered his throat, the originally mellow and fragrant Sang Luo tasted bitter and hard to swallow in Xiao Ruofeng's mouth. He finally drank it despite feeling annoyed.
Gu Jianmen looked at the bitter faces of Lei Mengsha and Xiao Ruofeng, who were drinking by themselves as if they were outsiders. He simply threw away his wine glass, picked up the wine jar with one hand, took a deep sip and said soothingly:
"Brothers are always brothers. Even though we have different positions, the bond between brothers should never be extinguished! Junior brother, I'm sure you've heard that half a year ago, your third senior brother killed an imperial official, Xue Daocheng, the corrupt official from Bingzhou, with a single blow. Speaking of which, I, Gu Jianmen, should be considered a wanted criminal in Beili by now!"
As he spoke, Gu Jianmen put down the wine jar and laughed: "But so what? You, Xiao Ruofeng, may be the King of Langya in Dali, but aren't you still a good brother of me, Gu Jianmen? Stop talking nonsense and drink!"
Xiao Ruofeng glanced at the still unruly Gu Jianmen with a complicated expression, then dropped his wine glass, picked up the wine jar from beside him, removed the seal, took a big sip and said:
"Third Senior Brother lived an honest life. I heard about the matter of Prefecture Governor Xue Daocheng as soon as I arrived in Bingzhou. He was a worthless official whose death was not a pity. Third Senior Brother, you killed him well. Even if he didn't die under your sword, I would have brought him to justice and sent him to the Three Judicial Departments of Tianqi for sentencing!"
Upon hearing this, Lei Mengsha suddenly stood up, looked at Xiao Ruofeng with blazing eyes and asked:
"Seventh Brother! If one day, I, Lei Mengsha, were to kill an official appointed by the imperial court due to injustice or circumstances, or even commit something that would rebel against the imperial court, would you draw your sword against me, or would you still recognize me as your brother?"
After being stunned for a long while, Xiao Ruofeng was unable to respond to Lei Mengsha's heartbreaking words.
Xiao Ruofeng suddenly turned his head away, not knowing how he should face his second senior brother, who had trusted and supported him the most.
He is not only a handsome young man and a young teacher in the academy, but also the King of Beili Langya and the most favored son of the current Emperor Tai'an.
If I don't live up to my brotherly love, I will be ashamed of my father; if I don't let down the Beili royal family, I will become a lonely man!
Xiao Ruofeng was hesitant to speak, but Lei Mengsha's eyes were still looking at him fiercely. The echo of the words "Will you draw your sword against me, or will you still recognize me as your brother?" was still lingering in Xiao Ruofeng's mind!
Gu Jianmen's hand holding the wine jar stopped in mid-air, and the wild smile on the corner of his mouth froze.
He glanced at Xiao Ruofeng, then at Lei Mengsha, who seemed to be drunk, and his usually sharp eyes were now a little complicated.
This question was not only asked to Xiao Ruofeng, but also to himself - in the turbulent waves of the troubled times, how long could their brotherhood, which was inherited from the Jixia Academy and pushed to the forefront by fate, last?
Xiao Ruofeng held the wine jar in one hand and pressed the other hand on the table. The knuckles on the back of his hand turned white from the force.
He took a deep breath, raised his head and drank most of the jar of mulberry leaves. The aroma of the wine was gone, and now there was only sourness and bitterness in Xiao Ruofeng's mouth.
The wine slid down his throat, seeming to soak his internal organs.
Putting down the wine jar, Xiao Ruofeng finally raised his eyes and met Lei Mengsha's burning gaze. The Langya King's mask shattered at that moment, revealing only the young man named Xiao Ruofeng, driven to a desperate situation by this dilemma between loyalty and righteousness.
"Second brother..." Xiao Ruofeng's voice was filled with unprecedented bitterness. He tried to find an answer that would satisfy both sides, an excuse that could appease his brothers and abide by the emperor's orders.
However, the world of Beili at this moment has become extremely corrupt and is no longer the promising world he had imagined.
"You know it better than anyone else," Xiao Ruofeng's throat rolled, his eyes swept across Lei Mengsha, and then fell on Gu Jianmen.
"What's the current situation? Baili Luochen has swallowed up half of the southeast, southwest, and southwest, while the Wen family dominates the Lingnan provinces. These two families are related by marriage. If they were to unite, they could become a prairie fire at any time, burning down the century-old foundation of Dali!"
"Ye Dingzhi has stirred up a bloody storm in the martial arts world. Not to mention that he has now entered the Half-Step Divine Wandering stage and is under the command of Baili Luochen. If he really returns to Tianqi and summons his former subordinates who were once loyal to General Ye Yu, this force cannot be underestimated!"
As he spoke, he picked up another wine jar and took a big gulp. Then he looked at Lei Mengsha with a painful expression:
"I, Xiao Ruofeng, will be your brother until death, but I am still the Langya King of Dali! The burden on my shoulders is the heavy responsibility of the country and the maintenance of the Xiao family's kingdom! Didn't you always tell me that you would fight for the world your whole life and sacrifice your life for Dali? Why are you asking me this now?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Ruofeng closed his eyes, looked up to the sky and sighed, then raised his arm and the Haoque sword suddenly came into his hand!
"Old Seven!"
Seeing this, Gu Jianmen's pupils tightened, thinking Xiao Ruofeng was about to do something stupid and reached out to stop him...
But Xiao Ruofeng was faster. He quickly swept backwards and flew into the yard!
"Qiang!"
The Haoque sword was unsheathed, and a flash of sword light pointed straight to the dome, and then the blade was slanted across the neck!
Xiao Ruofeng looked at Lei Mengsha with a sad face and said with a wry smile:
"If it really comes to that, I, Xiao Ruofeng, will definitely not let my brothers down, nor will I let down the Emperor's order. The only thing I will betray is my own life!"
The fiery look in Lei Mengsha's eyes instantly turned into anxiety. He poured his internal energy into one arm and suddenly pointed with his right hand!
"Seventh Brother, stop it right there!!"
Thunder split the sky, and Lei Mengsha's finger force hit the Haoque sword, causing a large cluster of flames to burst out!
"Clap!"
Xiao Ruofeng felt a numbness in his palm and the sword in his hand fell to the ground. Before he could react, Gu Jianmen rushed out and grabbed him, holding his hands tightly in his arms!
"Brothers, you and I can talk and argue, but what's the point of pulling out weapons? Go back and have a drink!"
The smell of alcohol on Gu Jianmen's face had long since disappeared, and he half-coaxed and half-scolded Xiao Ruofeng back to the table.
Lei Mengsha stood there with a look of shock and anger on his face. He looked at the exhausted Xiao Ruofeng with some disappointment and said:
"Seventh Brother, you've changed! I don't see any trace of your old self in you. Where has that confident, decisive young master gone?"
"You're the most rational and calm among us brothers, so why are you trying to prove your point by dying in front of us today?! If you die, I, Lei Mengsha, will definitely feel guilty for the rest of my life!"
"I have no problem dying for my brothers! But dying for the country? For those who sit in the golden palace, scheming and playing power games, it's not worth it!"
"Which of them truly cares about the people? The dirty deeds they committed under the banner of the imperial court are too numerous to list! They framed loyal and honest people, imposed heavy taxes, and left the people with no hope of survival..."
His voice was turbulent, tinged with alcohol and indignation. "The law you speak of is but a sword in their hands! Are you still going to sacrifice your life for this corrupt world? Old Seven, answer me!"
"Enough!" Gu Jianmen stood up suddenly and slammed the wine jar heavily on the table, interrupting Lei Mengsha's almost roaring questioning.
The blush on Gu Jianmen's face had faded, leaving only a cold clarity, as if his previous unruly behavior was just a disguise.
"Second brother, you're drunk! Are you going to force him to death? Go back to sleep!"
"Li Suli, take my second brother back to his room to rest!"
After saying that, he turned his gaze to Xiao Ruofeng and said in a complicated tone:
"Seventh Brother, you don't need to pay attention to his drunken nonsense. You and I both know that Second Brother has been blinded by the turbidity of this world. He misses Master and the past we can never go back to... Actually, we all miss it, but now we can't go back!"
Gu Jianmen took a deep breath, the chill of the night making him more sober. "But what the Second Brother said is true. Beili is rotten to the core. The accumulated problems are too deep and difficult to cure. There are endless treacherous officials in the court, and corrupt officials in the local areas are rising one after another. We, or rather you, Xiao Ruofeng, are now standing in the center of this storm!"
"We need to protect the country while also preventing our brothers from falling out. This is... an unsolvable problem!"
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