Neon Clothes and Iron Clothes

Chapter 938 Knowing Fate
Suta was silent for a while, and finally asked: "What about you? What are your plans for Jumong?"

"What else can we do? We need to ensure that military supplies, gunpowder, lead and other things are transported in sufficient quantities to ensure that Jumong and his men are not in short supply!" Yuan Bao smiled and said, "Anyway, he is well-off now and has cash to pay the bills. Why not do such a good deal? But to be honest, Jumong has made a fortune in Cambodia this time. He is really our father's son. He can fight a war and make money at the same time. When you go to Fanyang, you can tell our father about his experience in Water Zhenla. Our father will definitely be very happy!"

"I hope everything goes well for him in Water Zhenla!" Suta sighed.

"Don't worry about him! Didn't we go through the same thing in the beginning? Wang Wenzuo's son has to face such a fate!" When he said this, Yuanbao's face was as hard as an iron stone.

On the third day after Jumong returned, the long-awaited sea breeze finally arrived, making the masts of the ships moored near the pier creak. The brothers came to the pier and said goodbye one by one, some to set off, some to see him off.

"I wish Cao Shifan and all the brothers a safe journey and arrive in Fanyang as soon as possible!" Jumong, along with a few brothers who were willing to stay with him, bowed to the people who were about to board the ship. Cao Wenzong ignored him, turned his head and snorted coldly, and went straight to the ship. Suta sighed, stepped forward and patted Jumong on the shoulder: "Jumong, I won't say anything else. I'm afraid that you and I will be separated by thousands of miles and will rarely see each other again. I just hope that from now on, you will not forget that you are Wang Wenzuo's son!"

"Brother, I will remember what you said!" Jumong's eyes were filled with tears. He waved his hand, knelt down with several brothers behind him, and said to Sutada: "We can't go back to Fanyang this time, please send these heads to my father!" After that, they kowtowed to Sutada. Sutada wanted to avoid it, but changed his mind, sighed, stood there and accepted the kowtows of Jumong and others. After they finished kowtowed, he reached out and helped him up: "That's it, I will tell my father about your thoughts!"

Xu Tuo walked up to Yuan Bao, and they smiled at each other. Yuan Bao took off the sword from his waist and gave it to Xu Tuo with both hands: "I remember you coveted this sword the most at the beginning. Take it, and keep it as a souvenir!"

Suta took the saber and the bow bag from his attendant and handed it to Yuanbao: "This is the horn bow I usually use, and there are twelve eagle feather arrows. You can take them too!"

"Thank you!" Yuanbao took the bow and bag Hulu and hung it around his waist. The two brothers opened their arms and hugged each other tightly. After a long time, they separated. Sutada turned around and boarded the boat, never looking back.

The horn sounded, and as the axle turned, the iron anchor covered with waterweed and river mud slowly rose from the water. The ships raised their sails and waited to set sail. Jumong and others stood by the dock, waving goodbye to their brothers by the side of the ship, tears could not help but slide down their cheeks, and their sadness was beyond words. Wang Bo, who was standing by and watching this scene, could not help but chant: "I send you off on such a poor road, and you are so anxious to ask for your help. The desolate road of a thousand miles, the miserable life of a hundred years. We are drifting together, and we share the hardships of life. No matter where we go or stay, we are all people in a dream."

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Fan Yang, Hejian Palace.

"The oranges are ripe!" Wang Wenzuo's voice was a little tired. Wang Pu pushed his wheelchair forward for a while and came to an orange tree full of fruits. After that, Wang Wenzuo did not speak for a long time. He just raised his head and smelled the fragrance of ripe oranges with an intoxicated expression on his face.

Wang Pu said nothing. The ground around him was full of ripe oranges, and the air was filled with a rich sweet fragrance. Wang Wenzuo undoubtedly liked this smell. He sat under the tree, sitting in a carefully made wheelchair with spring shock absorbers and camel hair cushions to reduce his pain.

For a long time, the garden was silent, with only the sound of play coming from afar. It was the pool of the palace, where children were playing and having fun. As he grew older, Wang Wenzuo loved children more and more. He opened most of the facilities in his palace, such as the swimming pool, library, and garden, to teenagers from outside, encouraging them to come here to study and have fun. He even stated in his will that after his death, the entire palace would be donated to the citizens of Fanyang City as a public library, playground, shooting range, sanatorium, hospital, etc. For this purpose, he also left a special sum of money as a fund to maintain these facilities. This brave conqueror and genius general has become a philanthropist in his twilight years.

Wang Pu heard a burst of brisk footsteps. He turned around vigilantly and found that the person coming was Wang Qisheng. He hurriedly bowed to him.

"Greetings, young master!"

“Forget it!” Wang Qisheng waved his hand, slowed down his pace, and asked in a low voice: “Are you asleep?”

"No!" Wang Wenzuo turned around: "Is it Ah Sheng? What's the matter?"

"An envoy has arrived from Chang'an!" said Wang Qisheng.

"Oh?" Wang Wenzuo raised his eyebrows: "What do you mean?"

"It seems that they are going to confer the title of King of Yan on my father, with a fief of 10,000 households!" said Wang Qisheng.

"Forget it!" Wang Wenzuo showed annoyance. At the end of his life, he no longer had any interest in these false names: "What about the guardian of good deeds?"

"Brother Huliang said in his letter that matters at court still need to be arranged first, and he will arrive five or six days later than the envoy!"

"Alright!" Wang Wenzuo's face was clearly filled with joy, and he was obviously very happy that his son could come. He patted the armrest twice: "Ah Sheng, come over here and help me walk a few steps!"

"Walk a few steps?" Wang Qisheng was surprised: "Is this okay for you?"

"I just broke my ribs, not my legs!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile, "Come, help me up. It feels terrible to sit in a wheelchair all day. I feel like a useless person!"

Wang Qisheng stepped forward helplessly and stretched out his arms to help Wang Wenzuo stand up. Wang Pu quickly handed him a crutch. Wang Wenzuo held the crutch tightly with his right hand, stood up with his left hand with the help of his son, and walked in the orange grove. Wang Qisheng saw that his father did not look painful, and he could not help but feel relieved.

"Ah Sheng! I don't have much time left!" said Wang Wenzuo.

"Ah?" Wang Qisheng was startled and said quickly, "Father, please stop talking nonsense!"

"I'm not talking nonsense!" Wang Wenzuo said calmly, "At my age, I understand a lot of things! Broken ribs are not a big deal, but injuries to internal organs may be okay when you are young, but not at my age!"

"Don't worry, father. I have offered a large reward to hire a famous doctor to treat you! I believe he will recover soon!" Wang Qisheng said anxiously. "Forget it!" Wang Wenzuo shook his head: "Ah Sheng, you know what? Although I dare not say that I am the best doctor in the world, no one in the world can compare with me in terms of understanding of the human body structure! So although I can't be a good doctor, my understanding of my family's situation is much better than those doctors. If it is still possible to save him after hundreds of years, it is only a matter of time now!"

Wang Qisheng was already in tears after hearing what Wang Wenzuo said. Wang Wenzuo sighed, "Foolish boy, why are you crying? Who in this world is not going to die? It's just a matter of time. People over fifty are not considered premature, and your father is almost sixty, so what's a pity? As for your life's achievements, they are millions better than ordinary people, you can't take advantage of everything!"

"Nothing?" Wang Qisheng wiped the tears from his face and said with a choked voice: "Nothing, I just feel sad in my heart!"

“Ah!” Wang Wenzuo sighed: “Forget it, just accompany your father around this yard! I don’t know if I can see such a beautiful view again!”

Wang Qisheng helped Wang Wenzuo walk around the yard, then helped him sit on the wheelchair and sent him back to the couch to rest. Wang Qisheng said to Wang Pu, "General Wang, many people will come to Fanyang, so I'll have to trouble you to take care of my father's affairs!"

"Young Master, please rest assured!" Wang Pu bowed and said, "The King has been very kind to my family. We can never repay him even if we die!"

"Yes!" Wang Qisheng nodded and turned to leave. Wang Pu then returned to Wang Wenzuo's room and sat cross-legged at the door with his knife in hand.

Two days later, Wang Wenzuo's eldest son, King Yanliang of Wa, arrived. He threw aside his ceremonial guards, entered the palace with a small entourage, and met Wang Wenzuo. The father and son talked for a long time in the house before he came out. Wang Qisheng, who was waiting outside the house, was nervous and had not yet figured out what to say. Yanliang bowed to him and said, "Ah Sheng, from now on, I will trouble you to carry on my father's foundation!"

"Ah!" Wang Qisheng was startled and waved his hands quickly: "Brother, why do you say that? I am so ignorant and incompetent. How can I shoulder my father's legacy?"

"I didn't say this, it was my father's idea!" Yan Liang said with a smile, "As for talent and knowledge, you don't have to worry. No one knows everything right after birth. They all learn slowly later, and then they select talented people to assist them. You are my father's legitimate son, there is nothing to argue about this matter!"

Wang Qisheng was surprised and delighted when he heard this: "Father never mentioned the difference between legitimate and illegitimate children, so how can we talk about legitimate sons!"

"Father really doesn't care much about this!" Yan Liang smiled, "Maybe it's because of the expansion. Otherwise, the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children is too clear, and the other brothers will be under your control, which makes many things inconvenient. In fact, if you look closely, there are still differences. You see, the other brothers have gone through risks, fought wars and expanded everywhere, but you have always been by father's side. At most, you went out to serve as a county magistrate to gain experience. It's obvious that you are the crown prince!"

"It is true that the other brothers are much more experienced than me, and they are much stronger in martial arts and military tactics!" said Wang Qisheng.

"That's right!" Yan Liang said with a smile, "The brothers on our island are indeed fierce and brave, and you are indeed not as good as them. But you are taking over the land of Hebei, and there are few enemies on all sides, so it doesn't matter if your conquest skills are a little worse. Besides, most of the elite soldiers and veterans left by my father are in Liaodong and the Three Han areas, which are close to Hebei. As long as a piece of paper is sent over, are you still afraid of having no soldiers? Besides, don't we still have our brothers?"

"That's true!" Wang Qisheng laughed dryly, and indeed his words were a bit insincere. Yan Liang saw it, but didn't say anything, just smiled and didn't mention it.

With the arrival of Yan Liang, more and more guests came to Fan Yang, including Wang Wenzuo's son and his former subordinates. Wang Wenzuo tried to meet them one by one according to his physical condition. When he was in better physical condition, he sat down with everyone in the orange garden, had a wine party, and recalled the glorious years of his youth. Most of his old subordinates were vulgar and uncultured. Some of them were so excited that they even drew their swords and waved them in front of Wang Wenzuo, which scared the guards next to them. Wang Wenzuo did not punish them, but just smiled and told them to put away their swords and sit down. In this way, after four or five days, Hu Liang finally arrived.

"I pay my respects to my father! May you live a thousand years and a thousand thousand years!" Hu Liang knelt down in front of his father and kowtowed three times meticulously before raising his head.

"Get up, Huliang, you kid, why are you so serious!" Wang Wenzuo sighed, "What's the point of being a thousand years old? Since ancient times, there have been only a few people who can live to be a hundred years old, so how can there be a thousand years old?"

"Didn't Huliang say something auspicious? How can someone like you even say something like that?" Cui Yunying said angrily, and turned to Huliang and asked, "How is the emperor?"

"The sage is extremely intelligent and has already started reading the Book of Songs!" Hu Liang replied.

"That's good, that's good!" Cui Yunying sighed, "So who will be in charge of the government affairs when you come out this time?"

"My wife, and Mr. Liu Peiji! The imperial guards are still led by Murong Wu!"

"That's good!" Cui Yunying smiled and said, "Some things are better left to our family!" She glanced at Wang Wenzuo and said, "Your father and I are old, and we have to rely on you for the future. Ah Sheng has a soft temper, so we have to count on you brothers to help us!"

"That is Huliang's job, no need to tell me!" Huliang said in a deep voice.

"Okay, Yunying, you step aside first. Let me talk to Huliang alone!" said Wang Wenzuo.

Cui Yunying was slightly stunned, showing a hurt expression, but she still stood up and retreated tamely. Wang Wenzuo smiled and said, "Huliang, am I much older?"

"How could it be!" Hu Liang was stunned, and then said: "Father, you are in the prime of your life. As long as you take good care of yourself, it won't be difficult for you to live another 20 years!"

"Haha, you're lying!" Wang Wenzuo laughed, "My family knows their own business. I don't have much time left!"

Hu Liang did not speak. Seeing his father's gray hair and haggard face made him feel sad. He knew his father was right. His father, who had never lost before, was finally going to lose this time. He lost to time, fate, death, and things that human power could not resist. Suddenly, he knelt on the ground, hugged Wang Wenzuo's knees with both hands, buried his head in them and cried.

(End of this chapter)