Luck Reliant Beauty – CH 268

Chapter 268: The Grand Finale

To their utter surprise, it was Jiang Mi who arrived. Zhao Kuangyin and the others were startled. Zhao Kuangyi’s eyes darkened, and in a flash, his gaze swept over the guards following closely behind Jiang Mi, and he understood.

Jiang Mi slowly walked up to Zhao Kuangyin.

Upon seeing Jiang Mi, Zhao Kuangyin frowned. Zhao Pu, standing to the side, glanced at him, knowing Lady Jiang had saved his general’s life. Fearing Jiang Mi might say something that would put Zhao Kuangyin in a difficult position, he spoke first: “Lady Jiang, this is military territory. Here, only the State’s interests matter; personal feelings are irrelevant.”

He blatantly blocked her, clearly not wanting Jiang Mi to plead for Cui Zi Xuan and the others.

Jiang Mi slowly released the guard’s hand, stepped forward, and gracefully bowed to Zhao Kuangyin.

Seeing her perform such a deep bow, Zhao Kuangyin, assuming she was still pleading, quickly stepped aside. Zhao Pu and the others frowned. Jiang Mi, after bowing, immediately straightened up. Turning to a guard behind her, she said, “Show my gift to Brother Zhao.”

“Yes.” A guard beside Jiang Mi stepped forward and laid a silk scroll on the ground before them. Unfolding the scroll revealed a detailed map of the local terrain.

Zhao Pu and the others were puzzled. They all looked at Jiang Mi.

Seeing that Jiang Mi remained silent, they looked at the map again. Suddenly, Zhao Pu exclaimed in surprise, and in an instant, the Zhao brothers understood.

Seeing that they understood the map, the guard who had brought the silk scroll said in a deep voice, “We now have three hundred men guarding the dam. Once the Lady sends out the signal fire, they’ll immediately breach the dam and release the water. In just a few breaths, the water will submerge where we are now. Judging from the speed of the flood, the General’s fifty thousand troops won’t be able to escape to higher ground before the floodwaters rise.”

As soon as the guard finished speaking, Jiang Mi slowly prostrated herself on the ground, kneeling before Zhao Kuangyin.

In a gesture of utter prostration, Jiang Mi knelt before Zhao Kuangyin, her voice hoarse, “Brother, we were inseparable back then. Although we weren’t sworn brothers, I knew in my heart that you truly considered me your little sister.”

Jiang Mi’s eyes were red, and she choked back tears, saying, “Now, the powerful families have committed grave errors, and I know that no one in this world has the face to plead for them. But Brother, now that the families’ reputations are ruined and their lineage destroyed, those remaining are no longer a threat.”

Hearing Jiang Mi say “no longer a threat,” Zhao Kuangyin couldn’t help but sneer. He interrupted her, saying coldly, “You say that a scion of a powerful family like Cui Zi Xuan is no longer a threat? What a joke!”

Seeing Jiang Mi knelt there, trembling. Zhao Kuangyi felt a surge of pity and couldn’t help but say, “Things have come to this point; why are you still so stubborn? Ah’Mi, why don’t you come back with us? Putting everything else aside, your future wealth and honor are guaranteed by both Brother and me.” He then turned to Zhao Kuangyin and asked, “Right? Brother?”

Zhao Kuangyin nodded. He walked to Jiang Mi, reached out to help her up, and looked at her softly, saying, “Ah’Mi, we swear that no matter what happens in the future, we’ll protect you and cherish you like our own little sister.”

Jiang Mi slowly shook her head, tears welling in her eyes, and looked at Zhao Kuangyin, saying, “Brother, things have come to this point. Even if you killed Cui Zi Xuan and the others, it would only deepen Chai Zongxun’s fear of you!”

Zhao Pu and the others exchanged glances and fell silent.

After a pause, Jiang Mi continued, “Right now, in terms of prestige, no one surpasses you, Brother; in terms of bestowing the most virtue, no one surpasses you!”

Jiang Mi’s gaze fell on Zhao Kuangyi, then turned to Zhao Kuangyin, and she said, word by word, “That’s why I said these escaped members of the aristocratic families are no longer a threat. Brother, once you hold power, if you don’t want the aristocratic families to have a chance to rise again, they’ll never have a chance!”

Jiang Mi’s words were earth-shattering!

She was practically blatantly encouraging Zhao Kuangyin to rebel against Chai Zongxun and become the ruler of the land.

Although they had vaguely entertained this idea recently, when Jiang Mi actually uttered the words, they were still stunned, their ears ringing. Zhao Pu, on one side, even nervously looked around, only relaxing when he saw that everyone around him was one of his own.

Then, as Zhao Pu looked at Jiang Mi again, his anger just beginning to flare, he suddenly thought: This Lady Jiang had always had a peculiar kind of good fortune; could it be that her words…

Thinking this over, Zhao Pu became agitated. Not only him, but the other men also exchanged glances, subtly suppressing their excitement.

At this moment, Jiang Mi took a few steps back, then gracefully knelt down again, prostrating herself on the ground. In a hoarse voice, she said, “Brother Zhao, Cui Zi Xuan is my husband, and I cannot abandon him. I have already sent three hundred men to guard the dike, and another hundred of my men are outside your camp. Now, we await only your command, and those hundred men lying in ambush outside your camp will release smoke signals. Once the signals are released, the flood will arrive instantly, turning this hundred-mile plain into a swamp! And you, Brother, all the generals, and your fifty thousand personal guards will become corpses in the water!”

Seeing how quickly Jiang Mi, a seemingly weak woman, had transformed into a schemer, openly threatening others, Zhao Pu sneered from the side, “Since that’s the case, when the flood comes, you, Lady Jiang, will not escape it.”

Jiang Mi smiled sadly. “My elder brother has always been kind to me. I killed him with my own hands, so I’m willing to be buried with him!”

The expressions of the others turned serious.

After a while, Zhao Pu turned to Zhao Kuangyin, “General?”

Zhao Kuangyin just looked at Jiang Mi. After a moment, he waved his hand and said, “Let’s retreat!”

Having said that, Zhao Kuangyin turned to Jiang Mi and said, “Your husband is a man of his word. This time, I’ll spare those noble families.”

Jiang Mi curtsied, “Thank you, elder brother.”

“Let’s go.” Zhao Kuangyin took the lead.

Just as he passed Jiang Mi, Zhao Kuangyin turned around, stared at her for a moment, then pulled something from his sleeve and placed it in her hand, saying softly, “If you or your child ever encounters any difficulties in the future, you can still come to your older brother.”

With that, Zhao Kuangyin turned and left.

Finally, Zhao Kuangyi returned to Jiang Mi.

He looked directly at Jiang Mi, leaned closer, and whispered, “Ah’Mi, you can come to me anytime. Even when you’re seventy or eighty, as long as you’ve thought it through, you can come to Daliang to find me.” Having said that, Zhao Kuangyi gazed intently at her beautiful face for a moment, then strode away.

Only after they had gone far away, only after the Zhao army began its march, raising clouds of dust, did a suppressed cheer erupt around Jiang Mi.

And as the Zhao army completely disappeared, a deafening roar of laughter and weeping echoed from the hill where the noble families stood.

Then, through Jiang Mi’s tear-filled eyes, she saw Cui Zi Xuan, whom she hadn’t seen for only half a year, but whose temples were already completely white, striding towards her. She saw that beside Cui Zi Xuan were only Li Zongnan and Wang Chao; behind them, fewer than two hundred members of the major aristocratic families remained.

She saw Cui Zi Xuan, who was tightly embracing her, suddenly bury his face in her shoulder and burst into tears.

In 960 AD, Zhao Kuangyin, who had just returned to Daliang, was forced by Chai Zongxun to go north to resist the Khitan. While passing through Chenqiao Post Station, Zhao Kuangyi and Zhao Pu plotted a coup, forcing Zhao Kuangyin to don the yellow robe and enthrone him as Emperor. After Zhao Kuangyin proclaimed himself Emperor, he established the Song Dynasty. Subsequently, Zhao Kuangyin waged wars in the south and north, unifying the country. Thus, after the chaos of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, Chinese history once again entered an era of unification.

…

Twenty years had passed in the blink of an eye.

In a small village near Cheng Capital, the door of an ordinary house creaked open, and two boys, about two or three years old, ran out.

Seeing the approaching man, the boys excitedly called out, “Grandfather! Grandfather! Grandfather! Grandfather! You’re back!”

Cui Zi Xuan, his hair now completely white but his skin still firm, exuding a mature and handsome air typical of middle-aged men, bent down and picked up his two grandsons, asking happily, “Where is your grandmother?”

One grandson said unhappily, “Grandfather! Every time he comes back, he only asks about Grandmother.”

Cui Zi Xuan laughed heartily.

He put down his grandsons, took one in each hand, and walked through the wooden gate.

Behind the wooden gate, Jiang Mi was sewing. Seeing Cui Zi Xuan approach, she quickly stood up, her still clear eyes crinkling with a smile.

Cui Zi Xuan released his grandson and took Jiang Mi’s hand, leading her towards the backyard. As they walked, he murmured, “Didn’t I tell you not to do chores? Why are you mending clothes again?”

Then, Cui Zi Xuan complained, “Those two boys, they don’t care about their own sons but dump them all here with us. You must be exhausted!”

It turned out that after they left, Jiang Mi had given birth to two sons for Cui Zi Xuan. Now, both their sons were married, and they even had grandsons.

Jiang Mi shook her head, looking at Cui Zi Xuan with affection, and said softly, “Why are you so happy to be back?”

Cui Zi Xuan replied cheerfully, “I just asked an official from the East Gate, and he said his family gets to eat meat every two or three days. Suddenly, I feel the Zhao family governs this land quite well.”

At this point, Cui Zi Xuan turned his head and noticed Jiang Mi’s surprised expression. He chuckled, “Why are you looking at me like that?”

Jiang Mi looked at his completely white hair and asked softly, “Have you let go?”

Cui Zi Xuan nodded and sighed softly, “Yes, I’ve let go.” He said bitterly, “Back then, Li Zongnan and I parted ways, agreeing to recuperate and wait for an opportunity, but I see this land is still controlled by the Zhao family, who hate us the most. I should have let go when the Zhao brothers obtained it.”

He turned to Jiang Mi and smiled. “I didn’t let go as early as you. Back then, Wang Yi, who harmed you, and his gang were killed by Zhao Kuangyi twenty years ago. And in those years, your old friends who were close to you enjoyed wealth and prosperity under the Zhao brothers’ protection. You, you’ve long since escaped your troubles.”

Cui Zi Xuan gazed at the distant, faintly visible green mountains and murmured to himself, “Although hundreds of years of grand ambitions have become a dream, now, my beloved is by my side, my children are living healthily in an increasingly prosperous era, and the people of the world live in peace and contentment. It seems I have no reason to hold on anymore…”