In the second year of Emperor Hanzhang of the Ji Han Dynasty (212 AD), before the spring snow had melted, Prime Minister Chen Chong announced his funeral, saying that his wife, Princess Wannian, had died of an accident due to dystocia.
It was said to be a funeral, but in fact very few people came to pay their respects. After all, the deceased was a former princess, and her status was extremely sensitive. Wannian usually lived in the courtyard and did not interact with others, so she had no close friends in the boudoir. As for her relatives, they were basically sacrificed by Liu Xie during the Gengyin Incident. For ashes. Therefore, only Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Chen Qun and others came to visit, but in fact they only came to visit Chen Chong.
Chen Chong didn't expect Wannian to be so desolate after his death. He was so confused and confused for a moment that he didn't know what to think. He could only confess secretly to Wannian's pale face, heartbroken that he was so slow. But in a daze, he felt that this was good. In the last time, Wannian probably only wanted to have him by his side.
The coffin was kept for ten days, but Chen Chong didn't find anyone he wanted to wait for, so he helped the coffin to be buried. The burial place was chosen on the north side of the plateau at the foot of Zhongnan Mountain. The plateau has a high terrain, with green mountains at its back, Weibin in front, and mountains and forests on the left and right. It contains momentum but shows edge. It was the family cemetery that Chen Kui had planned before he was alive. Chen Chong buried all his elders in the family on top of the original structure, and his peers and younger generations under the original structure. His first wife Cai Yan and his eldest son Chen Shi are also here.
Chen Chong buried Wannian next to Cai Yan. He had already thought that a hundred years later, he would be buried here with his wives. Before he was buried ten thousand years ago, he placed a poem he wrote in his wife's coffin. The full text reads:
"Whose family has been separated for a long time, and I feel happy to say goodbye to you. The fragrance is still there on my clothes, and the sound in my ears is not extinguished. I wear a pair of silk belts around my waist, and my dream is a knot of the same heart. I have always regretted it, but Yaohua has not endured it."
As the coffin was officially buried, Chen Chong looked at the shovelfuls of black soil burying the princess. He felt that something was buried inside. What was it? Chen Chong couldn't think clearly at the moment, but he knew that he might never be the same again.
After the funeral was over and everyone dispersed, Chen Chong did not leave. Instead, he waited quietly in front of the tomb. He knew that the person would definitely come.
Sure enough, just before dusk that day, there were faint sounds of footsteps in the mountains and forests. Chen Chong heard the sound and quietly avoided it, hiding in the dense forest nearby, and then saw Chen Zhang coming in mourning. He stood in front of the tomb for a long time, and suddenly he burst into tears holding the tombstone and crying. Chen Chong has been with him for so long and has never seen him show such an expression, but it is not surprising when he thinks about it now. Maybe he has never understood his child.
Chen Chong stayed in the forest for a while. After Chen Zhang calmed down a little, he walked out slowly and looked at his only son without saying a word.
At first, Chen Zhang was immersed in sadness and did not notice it, but a cold wind blew through the mountains, making him shiver, and then he saw his father behind him.
He wanted to get up and leave immediately, but Chen Chong quickly stopped him. Chen Chong asked him: "If a man dares to do something, can he not be worthy of it?"
This sentence immediately angered Chen Zhang. Blood flushed on his face. He looked directly at Chen Chong and said without hesitation: "Why shouldn't I take it? You can kill me with just one blow, Zuo Hou! I have thought about it a long time ago, why should I pretend to be so?" Pretending?"
When Chen Chong heard this, he couldn't help but feel great sadness in his heart: When did he become such an image in the children's minds? But he did not answer Chen Zhang's words, but asked again: "Why do you do this?"
Chen Zhang sneered and said: "What's the reason for a man to love a woman? She is a human being, and so am I. Do I have to stay a widow with you for the rest of my life?"
Chen Chong just said lightly: "Then you should always stay by her side instead of coming here now."
This sentence hit Chen Zhang's weak point. He was unable to refute at all, so he simply yelled: "Chen Tingjian, you are a beast in clothes. You don't care about me at all. What qualifications do you have to point fingers at me?! From childhood to adulthood, Have you ever said a kind word to me? On weekdays, you said you were busy with official duties and always came home very late. It was rare for me to see you, but you never asked me whether I was good or bad. Later, when the prince became a disciple, you often cared about the prince. Do you think You are your son after me? She has been alone at home for many years, but you have ignored her and stayed with a woman named Na Dong. Do you deserve to be called a role model? Occasionally come back to talk, but when we meet, you will say with a straight face that I am not improving. Yes , I am not as noble as you, not as talented as you, and my peers also laugh at me for being stupid and not as good as you. So what? I don’t want to be a human being? "
When he said this, he was obviously very emotional, and the tears that had stopped burst into his eyes again. He couldn't help sobbing on the ground for a moment, and then he raised his head and continued to curse: "Yes, I am afraid of you, so I don't dare to see you, but like A hypocrite like you who is hypocritical and swayed by others has no right to be my father! When you killed my whole family, I shouldn’t have left home. If I could go underground to accompany my mother and brother, I don’t know how much happier I would be now. !”
At the end of the story, Chen Zhang bent over and burst into tears. When he looked up again, he found that Chen Chong was also crying silently. This situation shocked him. Since he could remember, he had never seen Chen Chong shed tears, so no matter how much he slandered his father in his heart, he still regarded Chen Chong as the only strong man in the world. This time when he saw him crying in front of him, his anger disappeared for a moment. It was clean, leaving only a little doubt and resentment.
Chen Chong looked at his only child, lowered his head to him, and kept crying, making himself look like a child who had done something wrong. Chen Chong asked: "You don't want to be someone like me, I understand, but what kind of person do you want to be?"
Chen Zhang was asked again. He was at a loss. He didn't dare to look into his father's eyes anymore. He lowered his head and said, "I...I don't know..."
Chen Chong continued to ask: "You are still young, but you are already a father. What kind of person do you want your child to become?"
This question made Chen Zhang even more panicked. He had never even seen his child, but when he thought of it, he felt as dazed as if he was in a sea of suffering, and was soon overwhelmed by the waves. But he couldn't help but answer the question. He straightened his back and said, "I just want him to have no worries..." He choked up quickly and realized how naive he was. This made him feel like a child, but he didn't want to feel this way in front of Chen Chong.
But Chen Chong had to start his sermon: "Hanzhen, you are still young, and there is still a long way to go. But many people in the world have no way out and may not even survive tonight..."
But the words were quickly interrupted by the only son, who yelled: "What does this have to do with me? This is his Liu family's kingdom, and it is my turn to worry about it? When you become the emperor, come and talk to me about this again!"
However, this sentence angered Chen Chong. He was so angry that even after the blood rushed to his head, he slapped Chen Zhang with his left hand without even reacting. He grabbed Chen Zhang by the collar and shouted in an unprecedentedly sharp voice: "Who said it has nothing to do with you! Everyone and all the land in this world has nothing to do with you, so why are you still alive?!"
"Look at how you look now! Do you know what kind of person I want you to be?"
"I want you to love everyone in the world, and then let everyone in the world love you! I want you to stand in the crowd, and everyone should laugh sincerely at you, instead of you using a hypocritical mask to deceive! I want you to If you feel that you are indispensable, you must first learn to give and understand!”
Speaking of this, Chen Chong's tone slowly dropped, and he suddenly wanted to laugh at himself, but the pain in his heart was even worse. Chen Chong released his hand holding the collar and said in a sad tone: "You think I am indifferent to you. I really want to dig out my heart and show it to you. You are my only son. I How could I not care about you? But I am more than just your father. My responsibility for the dead body on the road is no less than my responsibility for you and even for ten thousand years. Of course, I am indeed not a good father or a good husband. I admit all this. But can you think about it for me? Be considerate of my suffering? "
This was the first time that Chen Chong said so many words to Chen Zhang, so that Chen Zhang was completely at a loss. He subconsciously wanted to continue to refute, but when he looked at Chen Chong's expression, he suddenly felt ashamed again. For the first time, for a moment, he sympathized with his father, put himself in his shoes, and couldn't help but feel sorry for him. But what could he say or do? Chen Zhang lowered his head and was silent for a moment. But soon embarrassment and anger came to his head again, making him unwilling to admit that he was the weak one.
At this time, dusk has ended, the mountain roads are eerie, and the cold wind is getting more and more rampant, constantly inciting soul-stirring ghostly screams in the wilderness. But neither father nor son was moved. They still stood in front of the princess's tomb, confronting each other, as if whoever moved would lose.
Chen Zhang finally clarified his thoughts and said with a smile: "Yes, as long as you put on a hypocritical face of serving the country and the people, you can say that it is everyone else's fault. Do you know what the classmates in Taixue do in private? Are you guessing? If cannibalism can save the country, you can probably go even further than Zang Ziyuan, even swallowing his wife and children alive! This is your so-called reward for worrying about the country and the people. "
When Chen Chong heard this, the blood on his body turned cold. He slowly shook his head and said, "Hanzhen, I can't control what they think, but you are my son, and I must tell you this."
"People in this world are like lighting lamps in a dark room. The more lamps there are, the less darkness there is, and vice versa. If there is still darkness in your eyes, it must be that you are not bright enough."
But Chen Zhang no longer wanted to talk to him anymore. He finally said: "Look at what you said, how many people in the world would believe it? You'd better say it to the dead, they will probably thank you." After that, He turned around and walked down the mountain path, his figure disappeared in the forest, and he never looked back.
Chen Chong did not stop Chen Zhang. When he heard the word "dead man", he couldn't help but look back at the graves of Wan Nian and Cai Yan. Neither of the two deceased wives gave him an answer, but Chen Chong knew the answer. At this time, he thought, maybe Chen Zhang was right, at least they would not thank him.
Chen Chong didn't know how he got down from the mountain and returned home. When he returned to Dong Bai's small house, he fell seriously ill that night.
