Chapter 246: The Youth Finally Arrives in the Capital
With a snap, a branch was broken off by Mianmian.
Going for a spring outing in Jiangzhou City early in the morning—no, that wasn’t quite right; it was winter.
And it wasn’t walking in the snow either, as there was no snow.
Perhaps it would be better to call it inspecting their territory.
Uncle Gong had a peculiar penchant for giving land deeds as gifts.
With the newly acquired land deeds, Mianmian, Father, and Elder Brother had come out to identify the location.
Jiangzhou was not far from the capital.
It took a day’s journey.
Or half a day if one was faster.
Jiangzhou was a land of fish and rice.
Gong Qichi was very thoughtful; the land deed he gave Mianmian was for the location of the Jiang Family’s ancestral home.
He knew that although Brother Jiang hated Old Madam Jiang, he deeply relied on and respected his Father, Grand Tutor Jiang.
If one were to ask who Jiang Changtian resembled in his every move, those who had seen Grand Tutor Jiang would realize that he was very much like him. They didn’t look alike in the face, but their mannerisms were remarkably similar.
In his youth, Grand Tutor Jiang was a renowned talent, gifted in both appearance and ability, possessing the demeanor of a noble family in every gesture.
The phrase “bright and open as the moon and wind” seemed permanently affixed to Grand Tutor Jiang.
Jiang Changtian had also been striving to develop in that direction.
Those who didn’t know him well thought he was bright and open, but those who knew him well thought he was “mad, wild, and sacrificial to the moon”—madly intense by day, and even madder by night.
After the incident with Grand Tutor Jiang, the Jiang Family fell apart and was quickly carved up.
A large family with no powerful, authoritative figure at the top, and lacking sufficient strength of its own, could basically not be preserved and would only be cannibalized.
Mianmian looked at the vast, fertile fields before her, with houses, rivers, and trees—this was where the Jiang Family had once lived.
It was a very peaceful place, and one could see its former prosperity.
With so much land, it could support many people.
But prosperity was like smoke and clouds, destined to dissipate.
Gong Qichi hadn’t gone to welcome Jiang Changtian immediately, but he had gotten things done, redeeming, buying back, and securing the Jiang Family’s ancestral home and land, painstakingly connecting it all into one contiguous piece.
The original ancestral home had not actually been this complete.
At this moment, Mianmian, Father, Elder Brother, and Uncle Gong had climbed to the top of the hill, where there was a small four-story pagoda.
There was incense smoke.
There were green pines.
The view before them was incredibly vast.
Watching Uncle Gong point to the entire area below the mountain and say that this was the extent of the land deed, Mianmian was so surprised that she snapped a pine branch.
Fortunately, Mother hadn’t come; if she had seen this area, she probably would have lifted the entire pine tree up.
“This village borders the river on one side. I had a large port rebuilt; if you have a boat, traveling to the capital by water from here is extremely fast.”
“This area happens to be on the back of the mountain; it can be used to train soldiers.”
“This area has abundant paddy fields and can be completely self-sufficient. It is secluded yet has convenient transportation.”
Gong Qichi spoke with a hint of excitement.
He didn’t know why Grand Tutor Jiang had chosen such a place for his ancestral home, but when he bought it back and connected it all, he realized it was simply a perfect place to train an army and rebel.
It had both the right timing and the right location.
Gong Qichi had come to Jiangzhou just to give Brother Jiang a gift.
He had always known that Brother Jiang had no ambition; usually, whenever he had free time, he would stay home to accompany his wife and children and rarely went out to socialize.
One could tell a person’s ambition by observing their words and deeds.
If he were truly ambitious, he would certainly be networking and socializing everywhere.
Brother Jiang was not that kind of person; he would definitely reserve his time for his family.
Dragging such a person into the vortex of the capital filled Gong Qichi with guilt.
With their lord gone, Gong Qichi felt there was no one better suited to succeed him than Brother Jiang.
Because when the lord had previously talked to him about Brother Jiang, he had said that if the world fell into chaos, this man would be a true warlord.
Gong Qichi knew himself; he had the talent to assist others, but lacked the heart to make decisive decisions.
He could not accomplish great things.
Although Changtian had no ambition, he had talent.
This land was his token of sincerity.
He knew that when he and the lord were campaigning everywhere,
Brother Jiang had been taking in refugees, caring for the elderly, weak, sick, and disabled, and building schools and libraries.
From a few years ago until now, those children had gradually grown up; they were the true foundation of the Jiang Family.
Loyal and knowledgeable.
Looking back, one would realize that Brother Jiang was truly extraordinary.
Anything, as long as you do it, as long as you start doing it, it will never be too late.
Even now, starting now, it is not too late.
If you don’t do it, ten years later you will still be wasting time, and twenty years later, it will still be all for nothing.
This was Gong Qichi’s greatest realization after seeing the people Brother Jiang had brought up.
The subordinates led by Brother Jiang all possessed a sharp spirit, a sense of unity, absolute loyalty, and super-strong execution.
Though the spark might be small, it could start a prairie fire.
Brother Jiang did things very steadily, taking it step by step, firm and solid.
Jiang Changtian looked at the scene before him.
Looking into the distance, there was a surging river, with no end in sight.
Looking closer, there were fertile farmlands, clusters of houses, and forests of trees.
This was indeed a very good place, with an excellent geographical location.
Easy to defend, difficult to attack.
Convenient transportation.
Both land and water routes were accessible.
A natural base for rebellion.
No, no, no, he was a proper official now; he couldn’t think like that.
He only wanted his family to live peacefully.
If they were bullied, he just wanted to have the strength to fight back—that was all.
After seeing the new territory that Brother Gong had gifted him, Jiang Changtian said, “Brother Yehang, this place is truly to my liking. It faintly holds memories from my childhood. I remember that the port used to be able to dock small boats, and Father would take me boating; Father would row the oars himself, as if it were only yesterday. I really like this place very much. Thank you for your trouble, Brother. I cannot promise anything else, but I can only say that whenever you need anything, as long as I can do it, I will do my utmost.”
The group went down the mountain together.
On the way, they met a shepherd boy.
The shepherd boy did not recognize the group.
The old man with the shepherd boy did not recognize them either.
But Jiang Changtian remembered the old man.
He had once been a shepherd boy too.
Time had not been kind to him.
He had aged very quickly.
Returning to the post station, the group set off for the capital.
Magistrate Jia came in a rush to see them off.
“I am so sorry, so sorry, Lord Jiang. Today, Prefect Lu suddenly fell ill and had to take a long leave of absence. A lot of the work he was originally responsible for has been transferred to me. I was originally an idle person, but now I’ve become busy. I had intended to take you around to see the sights for a few days properly.”
“It is no matter. Jiangzhou is very close to the capital; there will be plenty of opportunities in the future.”
Jiang Changtian led his family and left Jiangzhou.
As they were about to arrive at the capital, the most nervous person was Elder Sister.
Although Jiang Yu was now undoubtedly a great contributor to the Meng Family, she had not yet met her parents-in-law and elders, so she was still a bit nervous. Moreover, if they entered the capital, would she have to live at the Meng Family’s residence from then on? It was only now that it suddenly hit her that she was married; before, while she was still at her maiden home, she hadn’t felt like she was married at all.
However, Great-Aunt said she would accompany her for a while, which made her feel a bit more at ease. As long as Great-Aunt was there, it seemed there would be no problems.
Her husband also said that she could return to her maiden home at any time; his Mother often ran back to her own maiden home, and they didn’t have as many rules as civil officials.
Mianmian was also looking forward to it.
Finally, they were arriving at the Imperial Capital.
Soon she would be able to see Little Bug.
And help the Star-Gazer deliver a letter to him.
A letter that should have been sent a long time ago but hadn’t been.
After all, it was the bustling Imperial Capital, so she still had some expectations.
She had left Jingzhou earlier than the young girl Wu Yian, but arrived later.
Wu Yian had left her half a book, which she had read to her nephew, but he hadn’t memorized it.
She wondered if her little nephew had memorized it yet.
Uncle Gong had come to Jiangzhou specifically to purchase land for their family, and then they would return to the capital together.
This was probably the nature of relationships among the ancients; there was no real-time communication, it was difficult to receive letters on time, and there might only be one or two letters a year.
Yet, knowing you were coming, he would cross a city to wait for you.
Preparing a gift for you with great care.
Not worrying about things changing or people parting, just going ahead and doing it.
The feelings of people in this era seemed more sincere.
They traveled quickly all the way.
By the time they reached the capital, the sunset was filling the sky.
The city gate was imposing, set against a red sky.
One couldn’t see the faces of the soldiers; they looked like silhouettes.
Because it was evening, there were few queues entering the city and many leaving, so they didn’t have to wait long.
Jiang Feng rode on horseback, looking at the city.
In his youth, he had wandered the streets every day, listening to passing merchants brag about how the capital was this or that; just listening to it had felt like it was broadening his horizons.
Now, at the foot of the city gate, he felt both heroic and nervous.
He had left Jingzhou, left that burial ground, arrived at the capital, and seen a new scene.
It was truly good.
The youth dared to rush towards his future, because his whole family was there.
The youth had finally arrived in the capital.
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