Thousand-year-old family: its rise began with Shang Yang’s reforms

Chapter 399 Extra: Old Friends from Childhood

When endless darkness enveloped Chen Zhulou's eyes, he still had a breath in his heart.

He used up his last breath to look up into the darkness above his head, as if everything he wanted was there.

In a trance, all the past events echoed before him.

Zhang Cheng's son, the current Emperor of Dayu "Zhang Ze", stood beside him, his face full of worry and his eyes filled with suppressed pain.

Zhang Cheng died of illness five years ago. Before he passed away, he had seen a unified world, so he died with a smile on his face.

On the contrary, it is his old bones that have been holding on.

Chen Zhulou was lying there, and he couldn't even figure out how many years he had lived.

When was he born?

Vague memories burst out from his mind, as if he was born in the sixth year of Tai'an (173 AD), and now it is the fifth year of Anping (266 AD), and he has lived for a total of ninety-three years.

Such a long life is not a good thing, but rather a very painful and torturous thing.

At least he needs to watch his friends and relatives leave one by one, but his longevity is a good thing for Dayu.

At the beginning of the cessation of the chaotic times, some "aristocratic families" still said that Zhang Jue and Dayu were just products of usurping the mandate of heaven. However, with the longevity of Chen Zhulou, this view gradually disappeared.

On the one hand, it was of course the prime minister’s iron-blooded hand, and on the other hand, in this ancient era, longevity represented a kind of "destiny."

"Ugh--"

A long sigh came out of Chen Zhulou's mouth. He looked at Zhang Ze beside him and said softly, "You must take good care of this country and society that your grandfather and father left for you."

"We must take good care of the people of this world."

Chen Zhulou used up his last bit of strength and said, "Don't forget the way you came here."

There was a hint of exhaustion and relief in his voice.

When endless light appeared, Chen Zhulou, the most famous prime minister in history and Taoist "the most powerful and holy ancestor of thunder and lightning" left forever the world he loved.

In the "Book of History: Book of Yu", a very strange "biography" is specially opened for "Ancestor Tianshi". It is called a biography, but in fact it is longer than the "Biography of Emperor Gao of Yu" and "Chronicle of Emperor Wu of Yu" combined.

What surprised later generations the most was that all the records about "The Biography of Zu Tianshi" in the Book of Yu were written during the reign of Emperor Gao of Yu. Even Emperor Gao of Yu had read this biography and praised it highly.

When the light faded, Chen Zhulou felt as if he could feel his "body" again, and even as if he had returned to his youth, so "energized".

A gust of wind blew, and Chen Zhulou suddenly opened his eyes. He looked at the densely packed people standing around him, and a hint of surprise flashed across his face, but this surprise was fleeting, because he knew the secret of the "Chen family" inheritance.

"Death is not Chen's destiny."

A laugh was heard from afar, with a hint of teasing in it: "Hey, Xuande, look at Donglin now, he looks exactly the same as when we first met."

Chen Zhulou turned around and saw "Cao Cao" and "Liu Bei" standing there.

Cao Cao is still the "hero" as he was when we first met, while Liu Bei has become much more mature and stable than before.

"So, you guys are here too."

Cao Cao was a little disappointed when he heard Chen Zhulou's voice that did not show any surprise. He originally wanted to scare Chen Zhulou, but he did not expect that Chen Zhulou actually knew all these things.

Liu Bei smiled faintly and bowed slightly to Chen Zhulou: "Brother Donglin, we meet again."

"Since we parted at Red Cliff, we have never met again. It is really sad and touching."

Cao Cao walked forward and pulled Chen Zhulou towards the place they had prepared long ago.

"Alright, alright, if you have anything to say, we can talk about the past years after we get to the Plum Garden. Why are you taking up space here?"

"When Chen Zu gets angry, he will send down thunder and strike you all."

Chen Zu?

Chen Zhulou reacted instantly and realized that this was referring to his ancestor "Chen Ye".

Liu Bei looked at Cao Cao helplessly because he was so outspoken. This was Cao Cao's character and he didn't want to hide anything.

"Rumble--"

A bolt of lightning suddenly fell from the sky and struck Cao Cao directly. The huge lightning even shattered his beard.

Cao Cao subconsciously shrank his neck.

Since he came to this "Peach Blossom Land", his personality has become unpredictable and he seems quite naughty.

"You always speak without restraint."

"Should"

Although Liu Bei's friendship with Cao Cao did not diminish, he was still very angry about Cao Cao's split from the Han Dynasty and even the fact that he was posthumously named "Emperor Wu of Wei".

While the three of them were chatting and laughing, they had already arrived at the "Plum Garden".

Cao Cao sat down, picked up the wine on the table and sighed, "Xuan De, it's been so many years, why haven't you let it go? Are you still holding a grudge against me for what happened back then?"

Liu Bei rolled his eyes and drank a glass of plum wine, with a look of relief on his face: "No, it's just that I'm happy to see you in trouble."

The three of them sat there, drinking and talking about the past.

"Speaking of this, we actually have to talk about Dong Lin's fake death."

Cao Cao seemed to be drunk. He sat there with his cheek in his hand and said with emotion: "When I heard the news of Dong Lin's death, I was so scared that I went to Guandu City overnight."

"I couldn't believe that Donglin was gone until I saw his body."

Cao Cao looked at Chen Zhulou who was sitting there without saying a word, and just complained: "You should have told us about this matter, so that we wouldn't be sad for so many years."

Speaking of this matter, Liu Bei was also a little resentful.

He looked at Chen Zhulou and asked, "In fact, the situation back then was not that bad. Donglin, why were you unwilling to help the Han Dynasty revive again? With your help, Donglin, perhaps the Han Dynasty could have lasted another four hundred years."

Cao Cao sneered, and he looked at Liu Bei and said, "No, Xuande, it's been so many years and you still haven't let it go?"

"Why were we unwilling to continue supporting the Han Dynasty? Did the Han Dynasty have no faults?"

Now that they had arrived at the Peach Blossom Spring, there were no more worldly matters, so Cao Cao revealed his true nature. He looked at Liu Bei and said, "Xuan De, you should know who was right and who was wrong in those days."

"It is normal for the emperor to suspect Chen and Donglin, but what did the emperor want to do back then? Does the emperor have any regard for the people at all?"

"A little bit of the common people in the world?"

Cao Cao looked at Liu Bei and said, "He only thinks about his position and how high he is. He has never seen the people below him who are like ants."

He sighed: "I may know a little more than you about what happened next."

He met Chen Zhulou in Jingzhou, so he knew more clearly why Chen Zhulou chose the "Han" at the Battle of Red Cliff. He said softly: "I know, Xuande, your knot is at the Battle of Red Cliff. We invited Donglin to return to the Han Dynasty and serve as the prime minister. Do you think this is the closest we have ever been to saving the Han Dynasty?"

Cao Cao looked into Liu Bei's eyes, and the two men stared at each other. At this moment, Cao Cao and Liu Bei were speaking to each other from the heart.

"Do you think that if Zhu Lou had accepted this invitation, we could have continued to save the Han Dynasty together, and the Han Dynasty could have been revived?"

Liu Bei lowered his head, drank the wine in the cup in his hand, and then said: "Yes, that's what I think."

He looked at Chen Zhulou: "Why don't you want to?"

When Cao Cao was thinking about what to say, Chen Zhulou slowly waved his hand, then looked at Liu Bei and said, "Because of you."

He said directly: "Because of you, I am unwilling to return to the Han Dynasty to serve as prime minister."

Chen Zhulou's answer was beyond Liu Bei's expectations, but Liu Bei was a little confused.

because of him?
What does it mean?
Chen Zhulou calmly told "Liu Bei" the answer he had given to Cao Cao that year, and then looked up at the sky.

"Since you have been in Peach Blossom Spring for many years, you should know that the long river of fate, or destiny, has been adjusted countless times by Chen, causing the long river of history to fork, right?"

Cao Cao and Liu Bei both nodded.

Chen Zhulou sighed. When he came to this "Peach Blossom Spring", he understood everything.

He had an idea and wanted to test it out.

"Ancestor Chen, please show us what the Han Dynasty would be like without the Chen family."

“It also shows the path that Xuande will have to go through.”

Liu Bei and Cao Cao looked at each other and said at the same time: "Please let Chen Zu make his decision."

As a long sigh sounded, the picture scroll of the long river of history in the air slowly unfolded, at the beginning and end of everything, from the establishment of the Han Dynasty to the usurpation of power by Wang Mang, when Liu Xiu regained the throne and gathered the destiny.

The history during this period flashed by quickly, and then history stopped at the end of the reign of Emperor Ling of Han.

The story of "Liu Bei" slowly unfolds, and the ending of the Han Dynasty slowly unfolds.

Everything appeared in front of the three of them.

When Liu Bei saw the hardships he had experienced in the first half of his life, he was not sad. But when he saw the deaths of Zhang Fei and Guan Yu after he became emperor, he suddenly became a little confused.

He watched helplessly as he completely broke the alliance with Eastern Wu, watched helplessly as he ruined the favorable situation of the Sun-Liu alliance in containing Cao Wei, watched helplessly as he was defeated and fled to Baidi City, and then entrusted his son to the care of others in Baidi City.

Liu Bei sat there and remained silent.

And the painting continues.

In the original history, Liu Chan ascended the throne, and although he trusted Zhuge Liang, the situation of Shu Han was too bad, and everything seemed to have changed.

They continued along the road that was doomed to failure, and finally saw Zhuge Liang go to Qishan six times and finally die of illness in Wuzhangyuan.

Liu Bei sat there, and Chen Zhulou got a definite answer.

He looked at Liu Bei and asked, "Xuan De, do you understand now why I am unwilling to continue to support the Han Dynasty because of you?"

Liu Bei's voice was a little hoarse. He looked at Chen Zhulou and said, "So, you are worried that even if you create a good situation, it will be ruined because of me?"

Chen Zhulou shook his head: "No."

"I am worried that you will always put personal feelings above the affairs of the country."

"Xuan De, if I had promised you at that time and helped the Han Dynasty, and the emperor began to be suspicious of me and even began to use treacherous people, would you stand by my side at this time, or would you hesitate and finally help the emperor?"

Liu Bei heard this question but did not dare to answer.

And Chen Zhulou answered for him.

"You will choose to help the Emperor."

Chen Zhulou sighed: "By then, everything will be destroyed."

"Xuan De, the people don't have that much time left, and I can't make another big gamble."

Liu Bei finally sighed, shook his head and said, "Forget it, it's all in the past. What's the point of thinking about it now? Why not drink a few more glasses of wine?"

He pointed at the green plum wine in front of him and said, "Back then, the three of us talked about heroes while drinking green plum wine. Now, we are still able to drink together in this plum garden. It is already a great fortune."

"Come, drink this cup!"

Laughter emanated from the plum garden, and everything seemed exactly the same as it had been back then.

Nothing has changed. The only thing that has changed is the character of these three people who are "drinking plum wine".

A glass of wine with an old friend from childhood, everything seems to be the same as before.

This is good.

In the Plum Garden

After the banquet, the three of them left, and only Chen Zhulou was still sitting here, looking at the color in the sky indifferently. He sighed softly.

A glass of wine with an old friend from childhood.

How many years has it been since I had such feelings and emotions?

He really didn't expect that he would be able to return to the warmth of his youth again.

"In the past, a glass of wine passed by, and that's it."

Along the way, Liu Bei and Cao Cao supported each other.

Liu Bei said with some emotion: "What happened back then was indeed my fault. If I had been more decisive earlier, perhaps you and I wouldn't have reached this point."

Cao Cao sighed: "Don't carry everything on your back. This is not a good thing for you, and Zhu Lou will not want you to carry it like this forever."

"Let's go."

high in the sky

Chen Ye's clone slowly opened his eyes and looked at the three people who were going their separate ways below, with a slight smile on his face.

His gaze slowly turned to the mundane world.

Today's secular history has been completely changed. The "Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties" that should have appeared did not appear. Instead, "Dayu" replaced this missing period of history.

Isn’t this a good thing?

(End of this chapter)