Madam Huang not only surrendered to Wei but also became the Deputy Minister of Works for the Great Wei. Yang Yi's words were like the last straw that broke the camel's back.
Zhuge Liang was silent at first, then murmured with exhaustion, "This is for the best, this is for the best..." As he spoke, infinite tear tracks appeared in his eyes, and tears streamed out.
He did not blame Huang Yueying for her actions. Instead, he blamed himself. Why, why did he not even know when his wife had left?
He had served as a minister his entire life, facing defeat repeatedly.
As a husband... he didn't even know when his wife had left. He was utterly a failure. This is for the best, for the best...
*Pfft...*
Suddenly, Zhuge Liang spewed out a mouthful of blood. "Prime Minister... Prime Minister..."
Everyone cried out, but Zhuge Liang could no longer wake up.
In the peaceful Hanzhong Commandery, before the Dragon Bone Water Wheel, the water wheel creaked. Huang Yueying, in a simple hairpin and cloth skirt, stood before the water wheel, seemingly contemplating how to increase its efficiency using steam.
Suddenly, her heart trembled... as if someone was calling her?
Her elder brother, Zhuge Jin, and Ma Jun from the Ministry of Works accompanied Huang Yueying, answering her questions from time to time.
At this moment, a soldier entered with a letter, his eyes filled with tears. Huang Yueying slowly lowered her hands and quietly looked at him, as if she had foreseen something.
The setting sun finally sank below Fushui Pass. The autumn wind whistled, leaving only the banner of recapturing the Central Plains still standing tall... Yet, everyone knew, how long could this banner remain upright after the loss of Wolong?
---...
On the battlements of Chengdu Commandery, many Wei soldiers waited silently in the darkness. The mist was dense, and everything was profoundly quiet.
After a moment, dozens of swift horses galloped forward... The leading rider made a gesture, and the soldiers lit torches. The guards on the battlements saw clearly: these riders were flying the banners of the Great Wei!
They were bringing important urgent news! Zhuge Liang was dead?
Upon hearing this news from Zhen Rong, Liu Shan's pupils widened dramatically. He stood as if stunned.
That... that Prime Minister who had always suppressed him, made him timid, afraid to act, and caused him endless misery... was gone? Truly gone?
Liu Shan once thought it unreal. It was too fantastical!
"Your Majesty... he's really... really gone! The urgent report stated that Zhuge Liang perished at Fushui Pass, and Fushui Pass opened its gates and surrendered... the entire Bashu has returned to the Great Wei! It's all over!"
Zhen Rong's words flowed gently, as if she was afraid Liu Shan would feel bad, deliberately slowing her tone. After all...
Anyone who suddenly fell from the position of emperor would naturally feel a sense of loss, wouldn't they? Little did she expect...
Liu Shan leaped up, practically three feet high. It was as if Zhuge Liang's death and the loss of his throne made him happier than anyone else. "He's finally dead, it's good that he's dead... Now I don't have to be the emperor anymore!"
In his excitement, Liu Shan looked at Zhen Rong and quickly reminded her, "Sister Zhen, please don't call me Your Majesty anymore. If my elder brother hears this... he'll be unhappy!"
"Elder brother..."
Zhen Rong hadn't reacted for a moment, but soon, she smiled. "You... calling him 'elder brother' sounds so familiar, so affectionate..."
"Haha!" Liu Shan was genuinely delighted. He pouted, "No one is more affectionate than when I call you Sister Zhen!" Speaking of which...
Zhen Rong seemed to suddenly recall something and said softly, "Adou, your Prime Minister had Yang Yi bring back some words for you... Yang Yi is waiting outside the hall now."
"...Him? What good words could he have?" Liu Shan showed disdain.
"A bird singing its final song before death is mournful; a person's final words are often kind," Zhen Rong coaxed gently. "Still, you should see him, you should listen."
"Alright, I'll do it for Sister Zhen's sake and go see him!" Saying this, Liu Shan started walking towards the door.
"Wait..." Zhen Rong quickly called out, stopping him. She dipped her slender finger into a teacup and smeared it onto Liu Shan's eye sockets, making him appear as if he were weeping profusely.
Liu Shan, however, smiled. "Sister Zhen, the Prime Minister is already dead, do we still need to do this?"
"Of course..." Zhen Rong explained. "Not just you, even the Emperor of the Great Wei would probably weep profusely upon hearing this! Why is that?" Liu Shan asked curiously.
Zhen Rong sighed. "You didn't experience the Battle of Guandu. You don't know... After Yuan Shao died, it was because the Supreme Emperor wept before his tomb that the north was unified. Your Majesty and the Supreme Emperor share the same lineage, and they are skilled at winning people's hearts. Such methods... how could they be lacking?"
"Oh..." Liu Shan scratched his head, lost in thought. "It seems I'm still far behind my elder brother and father in skills. But this is also good... With my elder brother around, I don't have to worry about anything. As long as Sister Zhen is with me, that's enough!"
"You... when did you become so sweet-mouthed!" Zhen Rong smiled.
Liu Shan, however, teased, "Speaking of which, Sister Zhen, you said something wrong earlier. What was wrong?"
"You said I haven't experienced the Battle of Guandu!" Liu Shan laughed. "Back then, I followed Guan Yun Chang through the Five Passes and Slew Six Generals while I was still in my mother's womb, and I followed my Uncle Zilong through seven battles and seven sorties at Changban Slope. You can't underestimate me!"
*Puchi!*
Zhen Rong burst into laughter, so heartily that it was indescribable!
---"On the day of my death, I shall leave no surplus silk in my inner chambers, nor any overflowing wealth outside, lest I fail Your Majesty!"
Liu Shan heard Zhuge Liang's dying words as relayed by Yang Yi. Whether it was due to Zhen Rong's words or genuine sentiment, he managed to squeeze out a tear.
"Prime Minister..." he murmured softly.
Yang Yi continued, "The Prime Minister said that after his death, all soldiers of Shu Han should cease resistance and open their gates to surrender. Furthermore, the Prime Minister... asked this subordinate to relay to Your Majesty that Your Majesty's true identity must not be revealed to outsiders. Your Majesty, by surrendering as the ruler of Shu, will surely be treated with courtesy and enjoy endless prosperity and wealth in Wei. However, if Your Majesty is revealed as the illegitimate son of the Great Wei's Supreme Emperor, it would be a great scandal for Cao Wei... With the unification of the realm, Your Majesty must be cautious and prudent to ensure a lifetime of peace!"
This...
Upon hearing Zhuge Liang's dying testament.
Liu Shan's heart was suddenly touched. This time, it wasn't an act. Tears actually welled up in his eyes. "Prime Minister knew my identity, and... and..."
He murmured, and at this point, Liu Shan bit his lip tightly, gripping the table with his hands. He roared towards the heavens, "Prime Minister, Prime Minister..."
From the very beginning, Zhuge Liang had treated Liu Shan as his own son.
Perhaps a parent's strictness can cause a son pain, confusion, even rebellion and hatred. But... can a parent ever harbor the slightest bit of hatred towards a son?
Even if... it was all a scheme from the start!
"Adou, whether you are Cao Adou or Liu Adou, our army regards you as a son!" Finally, Liu Shan sobbed loudly, tears streaming down his face, repeatedly calling out "Prime Minister, Prime Minister..." Zhen Rong heard this clearly.
She felt a strange touch of emotion. At this moment, even she couldn't distinguish how much of Liu Shan's tearful cries of "Prime Minister" were genuine and how much were feigned.
...----Fushui Pass has fallen! Ji Han has fallen!
After decades of turmoil, the chaotic realm finally returned to unity. The realm belonged to Wei.
Zhuge Liang's massive coffin was transported to the Chengdu Hall. The weather suddenly changed, and snow began to fall in the autumn, blanketing the world in white.
Lu Yu had already entered the city. He waited at the gates of Chengdu for Zhuge Liang's hearse. Facing the hearse, he cupped his hands and bowed respectfully.
His waist bent, and he remained in that posture for a long time.
Many Shu Han officials and citizens around also began to weep. Liu Shan helped Lu Yu up. "Your Majesty, please accept my condolences... Please allow the Prime Minister's hearse to enter the city?"
Not "Elder Brother," but "Your Majesty"...
Indeed, Liu Shan was following Zhuge Liang's instructions.
Lu Yu nodded slightly, then cast a heavy gaze at Zhuge Liang's hearse before stepping aside. The hearse entered the city. On this day...
Throughout the entire city of Chengdu, all officials and citizens wore mourning attire. Many wore actual mourning clothes, including even many Wei generals, who led the way in mourning Zhuge Liang.
In the alleys, people murmured among themselves...
"Who said the monarchs of Great Wei and the Prime Minister were mortal enemies? The monarch of Great Wei issued a decree ordering all citizens to wear mourning to welcome the hearse... Doesn't this show their mutual admiration?"
"Your Majesty is truly a man of character!"
"Your Majesty honors the Prime Minister's dying wish, burying him with the rites of Han and the ceremony of a Prime Minister, and building a Marquis of Jianwu Shrine... allowing the Prime Minister to receive the incense offerings of all people. Your Majesty is benevolent!"
Amidst the discussions of countless citizens, Zhuge Liang was given a state funeral, with mourning rites observed. The people grieved deeply. Under such a grand atmosphere...
Lu Yu ascended the altar for the state funeral. Standing before Zhuge Liang's hearse, he declared loudly, "Kongming, Kongming, as the saying goes, some people die heavier than Mount Tai, while others die lighter than a goose feather. Your death is lighter than a goose feather in terms of the current situation, but it is heavier than Mount Tai for the world! There are things I wish to say to you, but my identity does not permit me to say them to you... because... you remained a minister of Han until your death! Never a minister of Wei!"
At this point, Lu Yu placed one hand on the stone coffin and gently waved the other.
Immediately, a thirteen-year-old youth slowly ascended the altar. He took a document from his embrace and read it aloud. "I am Pang Huan of the Pang family from Jingzhou. I, Pang Shiman... by the order of the Emperor of Great Wei, recite this eulogy!"
As he announced his identity, the speaking youth was the grandson of Pang Degong of Jingzhou, the son of Pang Shanmin, and the grand-nephew of Pang Tong. Of course, these identities were not important. The reason Lu Yu chose him was because he also bore a most special identity – Zhuge Liang's nephew!
Pang Huan's mother was Zhuge Liang's sister.
*Hoo...*
A long sigh escaped his lips. Pang Huan declared loudly, "My second uncle was named Zhuge Liang! He was a prodigy of heaven. His scholarly knowledge was number one in the clan when he was young, and he remained number one in the commandery when he was a youth! Just when everyone thought my second uncle would have a bright future, perhaps even be recruited by the Three Dukes, an accident occurred. One day, his uncle took my second uncle and his five siblings away from Langya Commandery in Xu Province. One went to Yanzhou, one to Youzhou, one to Jiangdong, while his uncle only took my second uncle and his two elder sisters to Jingzhou to join Liu Biao."
"Liu Biao made my second uncle's uncle the prefect, but his uncle died in battle, and my second uncle became a refugee. My second uncle was only in his teens that year! A renowned family from Langya Commandery suddenly became refugees. Anyone would find that unbearable... My second uncle lay in bed day after day, refusing to get up. He pulled out a book titled 'Two Peaches Kill Three Warriors' from somewhere and studied it for a year. The following year, he discarded 'Two Peaches Kill Three Warriors,' got out of bed, and gazed at the sky in the courtyard. He looked like a green frog! In the third year of being a refugee, my second uncle no longer looked at the sky. He sought out a teacher who was proficient in Mohist mechanics and metaphysics and military strategy. That person didn't teach my second uncle too much, but my second uncle told my mother that after three months, he had learned everything!"
"...Thus, my second uncle became a disciple of a renowned teacher for the first time. He tried to build a four-wheeled cart, and it was very stable... He said that as he grew older, it might be useful. At that time, Cao's camp in the north attacked the false emperor Yuan Shu and used wooden ox and flowing horse devices. My second uncle, I don't know where he got one, started learning to make them. His learning speed was astonishing. He went from being able to make one in ten days to making ten in one day. Several years passed. My second uncle went as usual to procure wood for making wooden oxen and flowing horses, but the guards at the gate told him he was no longer allowed. My second uncle asked why. The guards said, 'Nanyang no longer belongs to Liu, it now belongs to Cao!' My second uncle didn't ponder why it was returned to Cao Cao. He began making wooden oxen and flowing horses for various villages and soldiers in Xiangyang."
"One day, my second uncle met Liu Biao on the road, the one who made his uncle the prefect. He said, 'Don't worry, he will pay for the wooden oxen and flowing horses in the future.' Afterwards, Liu Biao arranged marriages for my mother and my aunt, marrying them into the prominent Pang and Cai families, respectively. Later, for reasons unknown, my second uncle was never truly utilized. He was very disappointed. What does one do when disappointed? Accept reality? No! My second uncle did not. He drove his four-wheeled cart to Xinye, wanting to see Liu Bei. He said he wanted to see for himself. After seeing, he said Liu Bei was very good, and he was also good. Why? My second uncle said Liu Bei was fair! Liu Bei had faith!"
"My second uncle didn't live in Xinye for long before he ran out of money. At this time, Langya Commandery was no longer in a state of war. Under the governance of a young man known as 'Hidden Dragon,' Cao Cao's territory suddenly became orderly and peaceful! Under such circumstances, shouldn't my second uncle have returned home? No... he did not. He felt that he could learn and replicate Hidden Dragon's methods. So, he found out that his friend Xu Shu was a strategist under Liu Bei, and my second uncle sent him a letter. Not long after, my second uncle joined Liu Bei's army. Even less expectedly, he thrived. As for why he thrived, it was due to his ingenious strategies and Mohist mechanics."
"Hidden Dragon, with his 'Hundred Craftsmen' skills, developed weapons and equipment that helped Cao's camp dominate the Central Plains. Numerous lords wanted to learn, but who possessed Hidden Dragon's skills? Coincidentally... my second uncle was proficient in Mohist mechanics. He had been contemplating Hidden Dragon's inventions, from swords and armor to trebuchets... and finally to the flying ball! My second uncle thrived so much that my father and my uncle were full of admiration. According to my Uncle Pang Tong, one day, he went to the yamen of Xinye city and saw a middle-aged man rubbing the back of my second uncle. Uncle Pang Tong was so startled after just one glance that he couldn't speak, because that middle-aged man was none other than Liu Bei, the Han General of Left, renowned for his 'benevolence.' He was currently rubbing the back of my second uncle! Everyone asked how Liu Bei, the Han General of Left, was. My second uncle said, 'The Han General of Left rubs backs very well!' He would remember this act of rubbing backs for his entire life! I thought my second uncle was joking, but who would have thought... this rubbing of backs would last a lifetime!"
.....
Niu Nai Tang Tang Tang reminds you: Please remember to save after reading.