Chapter Twenty: A Heart-to-Heart about Parting

  "Dad... we won't leave... can't we just stay?" Zhong Ling cried out in pain as she struggled in Zhong Guoliang's grasp.

  "Not leaving? Then tell me, am I to bear the sight of the Shi family being annihilated, or are you to bear it?" Zhong Guoliang said, his tearful eyes involuntarily glanced at Shi Jin.

  "Dad... Shi Jia Zhuang won't be exterminated... it won't, Dad, we can't... leave." Zhong Ling begged her father.

  Zhong Guoliang smiled bitterly with tears in his eyes: "Can't you see? When the imperial court sends heavy troops to suppress us, it will be the day of the extinction of the Shi family. Who has ever seen 'the sun and moon shining together in the sky'? With our thin foundation, we can't resist the imperial court."

  "But didn't you say... that the imperial court is in disarray, treacherous officials are in power, and the Song Dynasty already has signs of its impending doom?" Zhong Ling choked back her sobs and argued with her father.

  "It's not bad that the luck is running out, but it's not now! Moreover, 'a hundred feet of insects, dead and not stiff'. If the prosperous Song Dynasty can easily teach us to defeat the Shi family village, then 'there are heavens outside the sky, and people outside', wouldn't they also want to occupy half of the rivers and mountains? At that time...” Zhong Guoliang looked at Shi San Gong and others, continuing: "Wouldn't it be a great chaos in the world, with local forces occupying one side? Is there still peace in this world?"

  Although Zhong Guoliang's words were directed at Zhong Ling, his true intention was not in the wine, but rather to loudly declare it to everyone, especially to make Shi Jin understand something.

  In Shi Jin's heart, the original scope of his vision was actually the entire Hua Prefecture. He wanted to swallow up all the mountain strongholds within Hua Prefecture and kill off all the corrupt officials in the prefecture's counties. Ultimately, he wanted to secretly control everything in Hua Prefecture.

  However, after listening to Zhong Guoliang's words, the thoughts in my heart gradually rose to another level. Looking back at what I thought before, it was really childish and laughable. How could such a large imperial court allow him to claim kingship in Huazhou? Not to mention how difficult it would be to conquer Huazhou, even if he did, wouldn't that be considered rebellion? At that time, the imperial court would certainly dispatch several routes of troops to attack. Zhong Guoliang was right, my foundation is too shallow and cannot withstand the imperial court's suppression.

  But Zhong Guoliang did not expect that at this moment, Shi Jin's heart was aching and missing Zhong Ling on the one hand, while on the other hand, his words had just given birth to an even broader vision. What Shi Jin wanted now was no longer the entire Hua Prefecture, but half of the Song Dynasty.

  Zhong Guoliang had hoped to make Shi Jin understand the current situation in the world, and have him be self-aware, taking a path of "roundabout revenge". However, he didn't know that his words actually pointed out a road for Shi Jin, but this road was neither the "roundabout revenge" he had expected nor the "rebelling and becoming king" he had worried about. In Shi Jin's heart, that special path gradually became clear in Zhong Guoliang's words, shining brightly for an instant.

  Shi Jin gradually came to understand, Shi Jin also gradually figured it out. To achieve the stability that Father had pursued all his life, to sweep away a bright and clean sky, to make the people of the world happy and healthy, one must reform the system, one must have enough power to change the government. And to reach this point, simply rebelling blindly is not enough, but becoming an official and rising through the ranks is also extremely difficult. So there's only one way left - to take his own path.

  Shi Jin suddenly thought of this, but heard a painful cry from Zhong Ling. He quickly looked up and saw that Zhong Guoliang had dragged Zhong Ling into the crowd.

  Zhong Ling struggled and staggered, seeing Shi Jin getting farther and farther away, feeling anxious in her heart, but accidentally tripped over a stone and fell to the ground, being dragged out by her father.

  Zhong Ling cried out loud: "Dad... I won't leave... Dalang... Dalang."

  Shi Jin looked on, his heart aching as if it was about to bleed, and then he heard Zhong Ling crying out his name. He could no longer bear it, and with a few swift movements, he blocked Zhong Guoliang's path and knelt down with a thud: "Uncle Zhong, please stop, I beg of you." As he spoke, he kowtowed to Zhong Guoliang.

  Zhong Guoliang stopped in his tracks, but still tightly grasped Zhong Ling. Zhong Ling saw Shi Jin pleading for herself and the grievances in her heart suddenly surged out, crying even more sorrowfully: "Dad... I won't leave... I don't want to leave Dalang."

  Zhong Guoliang clenched his teeth, forcing back the tears in his eyes, not letting them fall: "It's precisely because you can't leave him that we must go. As a father, I don't want my only daughter to accompany him to death... Shi Taigong's departure has already left a deep wound in my heart, and I couldn't bear it if anyone else were to leave me... You, your mother, and I will be together, even if we have to flee to another land."

  "Zhong Bo, just stay at the village, I'll take good care of Zhong Ling for you!" Shi Jin lifted his head, his eyes brimming with tears as he looked at Zhong Guoliang.

  "Will you take good care of Zhong Ling? That was in the past! Shi Jin, back then I thought highly of you, thinking you were a real man, knowledgeable and reasonable. I thought you could take good care of Ling'er and give her happiness. So, I agreed to arrange your marriage. But that's all in the past now, everything has changed."

  Zhong Guoliang's eyes turned red as he recalled the past, "Everything has changed, Shi Jin is no longer the same Da Lang... Once a person's heart changes, it can never go back. You're not like your father, who was loyal and honest. Now you've become selfish and arrogant! How can you take good care of Ling'er? Tell me, how do you plan to lead her through the hardships of war?"

  "Shi Jin, how can I, as her father, rest assured and leave? Don't say you can take good care of her again, don't deceive her heart anymore." Zhong Guoliang said, pulling Zhong Ling to leave once more.

  Shi Jin tightly hugged Zhong Guoliang's leg, afraid that if he wasn't careful, he would never see Zhong Ling again. With a sorrowful tone, he begged: "Uncle Zhong, I really care about Ling'er and will truly make her happy."

  "Dad... I don't want to leave, even if it's war, even if it's the destruction of our family... I still don't want to leave Dalang. Dad, please grant your daughter's wish." Zhong Ling also knelt down beside Shi Jin, begging her father to change his mind.

  Zhong Guoliang looked on, his heart aching: "How can I bear to separate you? But the torment in my heart, have you ever understood... Alright, Shi Jin, I won't leave, and I'm willing to let Ling'er marry you, but you must do as I just said. Otherwise... don't blame Zhong Bo for being ruthless!"

  For Ling'er, did you kneel down and apologize to the corrupt official?

  For the sake of brotherhood, give up on loving Ling'er?

  Why, why is it so hard for me Shi Jin to live in this world... Why does heaven torment me Shi Jin like this... Heaven won't let me be!

  Zhu Wu, Chen Da, Yang Chun, if tied to the county, there is only one dead end. My Shi Jin got a reputation for being unfaithful and unjust, but how can I bear to do it.

  Shi Jin's mind involuntarily recalled that night when Chen Da led the charge, wielding his sword and driving back the government troops with bravery. He couldn't help but think of Zhu Wu, who had risked his life to carve out a bloody path to save him. He also thought of Yang Chun, who had brought his brothers to pursue and kill the government soldiers in order to avenge himself. Shi Jin also involuntarily recalled how they had considered the overall situation for the sake of the Shi family village, and how all the brothers from the entire mountain stronghold had knelt down and begged him to be their big brother... He remembered that he had once said in his heart, "I will not betray my brothers."

  Zhong Guoliang saw Shi Jin fall silent, knowing he couldn't make a decision. He coldly laughed, his last bit of sentiment turning to ashes, and as he laughed, he burst into tears. With a determined heart, he kicked Shi Jin to the ground and dragged Zhong Ling towards home.

  Shi Jin lay on his side, but felt his whole body as cold as the land.

  Zhong Ling struggled desperately, but Zhong Guoliang had also made up his mind. Even when Zhong Ling fell to the ground, he didn't stop, and roughly dragged her back home.

  Zhong Ling's shrill voice cried out for Dalang, like an iron hammer pounding against Shi Jin's eardrums one blow at a time, and like a sharp blade stabbing his heart again and again until it was a bloody mess.

  What kind of pain, what kind of torture. Shi Jin couldn't say a word, only the tears in his eyes, mixed with the torment of parting, gradually blurred Shi Jin's vision, blurred Zhong Ling's crying, and also blurred Zhong Ling's hand that was stretching towards him but getting farther and farther away.