bookrandom Chapter 733 Abuse
Chapter 733 Abuse
The dusk was as dark as ink, gradually permeating every corner of Chang'an City.
The spring breeze swept through the streets and alleys, blowing up the dead leaves on the ground and making bursts of whimpers.
There was a sound of dragging footsteps outside the door, mixed with the "thump thump" sound of crutches hitting the cobblestone road, which was particularly clear in the silent night.
Her hand trembled slightly, and she raised her head and looked outside through the mottled window paper.
When she saw the hunched figure of the man leaning on a crutch, her breathing suddenly stopped and tears instantly welled up in her eyes, sparkling with crystal light in the candlelight.
A wave of grievances washed over her heart. The suffering, humiliation, and helplessness she had endured these past few days all turned into tears at this moment. She felt more wronged than anyone else, and in this vast world, she knew the only person she could confide her grievances to was the person before her.
"His Majesty……"
Her voice was choked with sobs, and she used all her strength to utter these two words.
There was grievance and expectation in that voice.
Li Chengqian slowly raised his head, his cloudy eyes filled with guilt and fatigue.
He looked at the once bright and charming girl in front of him, who had become so haggard.
Time and suffering had left deep marks on her face, making his heart ache as if it were being cut by a sharp knife.
"I'm sorry for you, I'm sorry for your whole family."
Li Chengqian's voice was low, and every word seemed to carry a heavy weight. "I apologize to you."
When these words were spoken, Wang Shitou and Zhang Xiu Lan were stunned.
They stared at the scene in front of them with wide eyes in disbelief.
In their imagination, His Majesty should be high and mighty, majestic and awe-inspiring, but the old man before them, leaning on a cane and full of vicissitudes of life...
This fact was difficult for them to accept for a while, and it caused a storm in their hearts.
Cui Wanying took a deep breath, suppressed the grief in her heart, and asked in a trembling voice, "Your Majesty, is he dead?"
Her words were filled with fear and anxiety. She was afraid to hear the answer, but she had to ask.
Even though she already knew it.
Li Chengqian was silent. He closed his eyes slightly, frowned, and the wrinkles on his face deepened.
Sometimes, silence is the cruelest answer.
The silent silence, like a heavy rock, weighed on Cui Wanying's heart.
Although Cui Wanying had a premonition, when she received this silent consent, she felt suffocated, as if her chest was tightly grasped by an invisible big hand. She could no longer control her tears, which rushed down like a flood.
"The court has given you a pension, why, why are your days so difficult?"
There was a hint of confusion and self-blame in Li Chengqian's voice.
He thought that with the pension, Cui Wanying's family's life would improve, but he didn't expect the reality to be like this.
Cui Wanying smiled bitterly, her smile filled with bitterness and helplessness: "Because, if we dare to use this money, he will say that it was Wang Wen's embezzled money."
"No vendor in Chang'an, big or small, will sell anything to us."
"They say that it was you, Your Majesty, who protected Wang Wen."
"My whole family is just like rats crossing the street, hated by everyone in Chang'an."
"Your Majesty, do you know that we dare not even touch the pension you gave us?"
As she spoke, she opened the cabinet, revealing the small change inside.
That was the salary that Zhang An secretly gave them. Every piece of silver carried their hope for survival and also witnessed the injustice they suffered.
"The rice shop in West Market closed down when we saw us, the vegetable vendor threw dirty water at me, and even the children at the alley threw stones at us, cursing, 'Death to the whole family of this corrupt official!'
This is the best city in the world."
"I just feel that my Cui family's death was unjust."
"If my Cui family were still around, I would never let Wang Lang suffer this injustice."
Your Majesty, is it worth it? For these people? Is it worth it?
Cui Wanying was very emotional, her voice was getting louder and louder, her eyes were full of despair.
"Your Majesty! You can protect the people of this world, but can't you protect Wang Lang, your students?"
Li Chengqian opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but didn't know how to respond.
His eyes fell on the child in Cui Wanying's arms, who was frightened by the intense atmosphere and burst into tears.
Look at Cui Wanying's current appearance, her face is haggard, and there is no trace of the chivalrous demeanor of the past.
If it weren't for me, Cui Wanying would still be the pampered eldest daughter of the Cui family, and Wang Wen would be able to live happily with his family and share the joy of family life.
Li Chengqian sighed heavily and took out a jade pendant from his arms.
The jade pendant was warm and delicate, with a lifelike carp and a striking "Li" character carved on it.
He leaned on a crutch and tried to straighten his back, but because of his inner guilt and physical fatigue, his body bent down even more.
He slowly moved his feet and walked towards the door.
"I will send the Imperial Guards to protect you. Go home and don't come to Chang'an again."
"If you want to go back to Taiyuan, go back. I'm sorry for you."
Li Chengqian's voice gradually faded away, carrying with it endless loneliness.
The evening drum sounded slowly from the distant bell tower, and the dull drum sound echoed over the sky of Chang'an City.
As Cui Wanying watched Li Chengqian's receding figure, she couldn't help but recall Wang Wen's words: "Innovators are bound to be slandered, but their merits and demerits will be judged by future generations."
From somewhere in the alley, a melodious folk song came.
The song still curses the "tyrant emperor", but with a new tune: "Hate the tyrant emperor, cut off my roots..."
The song carries the ignorance of the people.
The sound of a child reciting "Zhenguan Zhengyao" came from next door, and the words "The husband is like a boat; the common people are like water" came floating in the wind.
This ironic scene made Cui Wanying feel deeply moved.
The startled jackdaws on the eaves flew into the night sky, croaking, the sound was shrill.
Li Chengqian's heart was filled with confusion.
He was determined to find a way out for the people and implement reforms, but he didn't expect that he would be betrayed by the people in return.
Li Yifu once said that you can trust the power of the people, but you cannot trust their brains.
Today, this statement has been verified.
If the people are not satisfied in the slightest, they will become enemies and forget the kindness they have shown you.
They blindly follow and help whoever wins, but they don’t know that their choice is the key to determining victory or defeat.
Although the emergence of capitalism is a trend of historical development and a good thing, it is definitely not the time to do it now.
Once capital is opened up, the first people you come into contact with are officials from the imperial court.
By then, the people of the world will be reduced to cattle and sheep at the mercy of others. Officials will wear the fancy cloak of "the world for the public good" to exploit and oppress them, under the guise of doing good for the people, but they will not treat the people as human beings at all.
This was the first time Li Chengqian felt such deep despair.
He wanted to save the people from the dire straits, but found that he seemed powerless.
These people in this world seem to be beyond help.
Perhaps one day, when the spring breeze melts the snow in Chang'an and the people no longer focus solely on the food in front of them, someone will open the old books and see that in the late Qianwu period of the Tang Dynasty, someone used his life as a pen to write the word "innovation" in the blank space of the history books.
Although this handwriting is full of infamy.
He had never lost power before, but now he really lost power.
When the people blame him for all their suffering, any reform will give rise to greater hostility.