Chapter 0003: Worshiping the Lord
Liu Xiu said: "The reckless bandits are lawless, inciting the wrath of heaven and the resentment of the people. Yet, under the heavens, there are few who dare to take action against these bandits. I greatly admire Brother Long's courage and insight!"
After the death of Emperor Ping, Liu Xian, who left no heirs, Wang Mang, who had already seized great power at that time, decided to establish a puppet ruler. After much consideration, he chose the son of Marquis Guangqi, Liu Xian.
He hurried home, quickly prepared a bowl of meat soup, made a pot of corn rice and a plate of vegetables, and then packed them into a basket before hastily returning to the small cabin in the mountains
After all this handling, an ordinary person would not be able to endure it at all, yet Longyuan remained silent from beginning to end
Liu Xiu smiled and said, "These are all made by me, how about trying my skills?"
He asked with concern: "Where are you planning to go?"
Upon hearing this, Liu Xiu was initially taken aback, and then he revealed an expression of sudden realization
Watching the cavalry gradually recede into the distance until they completely vanished from sight, Liu Xiu transformed from his earlier state of panic and timidity. He ran back to the fields, using both hands to dig into the soil, pulling the Longyuan out from the ground.
Longyuan was originally lying on a straw mat sleeping. Upon hearing footsteps outside, he immediately opened his eyes and at the same time picked up the dagger that was placed beside him
After a moment of daze, he finally reacted, hurriedly waving his hand and saying: "I... I am just a simple villager from the countryside, and... what is there to follow?"
As the door opened and Liu Xiu entered from outside, his tense nerves finally began to relax
As he spoke, he stood up, looked around, and said: "It is very safe here, and usually, there aren't many people coming by. You can rest assured to stay here!"
Wang Mang raised the child in the palace, forbidding anyone from speaking to him and prohibiting anyone from teaching him to read and write
He first assisted Long Yuan in cleaning the wound, then applied a healing ointment to it, and finally removed his own inner lining, tearing it into strips to help Long Yuan bandage the wound properly
Longyuan wiped the tears from his face and said solemnly: "I can see that in the future, you will surely become a person of great achievement!"
It is a subordinate! The subordinate is twenty-five years old, while Long Zhun and Long Bo are both twenty-three years old
Long Yuan took a deep breath and said, "First, let's find a deep mountain forest to hide until this storm passes, and then we can make our plans." As he spoke, Long Yuan gritted his teeth and stood up; however, although he was standing, one of his legs was trembling uncontrollably.
Liu Xiu got up and reached out to support the swaying Long Yuan, saying: "Given your current condition, I fear you won't be able to walk more than two or three miles. Even if you are not caught by the officials, you will collapse on your own first"
Longyuan said: "You flatter me, my actions are not for the sake of the world and its people, but merely for my own personal grievances"
Jian Longyuan's attitude was resolute, and he showed no intention of getting up while kneeling on the ground. Moreover, the wounds on his body had already begun to ooze blood. Liu Xiu hurriedly said, "I promise you, Brother Long, please rise quickly."
He said, "Wait for me here, I will go home and bring you some food."
Liu Xiu looked at him and asked, "Are you... are you injured?" He keenly detected a strong smell of blood on Longyuan.
The cabin is not large; it is a temporary dwelling built by hunters for the convenience of hunting in the mountains and forests
Liu Xiu looked at Long Yuan with a sense of helplessness and said, "Although you were once a household servant of the Guangqi Marquis's residence, that residence no longer exists, and you are no longer anyone's servant. If you wish to follow me, then become my retainer."
Long Yuan felt that he had troubled Liu Xiu too much and was embarrassed to ask for help again. Although he did not speak, his body was quite honest, as his stomach began to rumble.
He has at least seven or eight wounds on his body, which include both stab wounds and lacerations. Some of the wounds have the flesh on both sides turned up, and even just looking at them sends a chill down one's spine
It is important to recognize that we are currently facing a series of natural disasters; it is either drought or flooding, and occasionally there are locust plagues. The harvests of every household are not satisfactory. At this time, if anyone were to distribute food to others, it would be tantamount to risking their own hunger.
Liu Xiu supported Long Yuan as they walked and talked, covering a distance of seven or eight li before arriving at a forest. After walking for another half an hour in the forest, Long Yuan finally saw the small wooden house that Liu Xiu had mentioned.
The child had been the crown prince in the imperial palace for three years, yet he had become a fool who knew nothing of the world, unable to even speak clearly
Long Yuan knelt on the ground without moving, still maintaining the posture of bowing his head, choked with emotion as he said: "I, Yuan, was originally a servant of the Guangqi Marquis's residence. Back then, the marquis did not disdain my humble status and took me in. The marquis's family was wronged and met with tragedy; I should have died and followed the marquis in the underworld. However, the marquis's family has not avenged their great grievances, and I, Yuan, cannot die..." The marquis's family was wronged and met with tragedy; I should have died and followed the marquis in the underworld. However, the marquis's family has not avenged their great grievances, and I, Yuan, cannot die...
Later, Wang Mang simply found a pretext and exterminated the entire Liu Xian family. The Liu Xian family was completely wiped out, leaving only a simpleton for him to manipulate, which made Wang Mang feel greatly relieved
Long Yuan forced a smile as he took off his outer garment. Wrapped around his body were several strips of cloth, and as he removed these strips, several gruesome wounds were revealed.
Liu Xiu did not stay long in the small wooden house, gave a few more instructions, and then turned to leave
Long Yuan said solemnly: "My lord, this is sufficient."
Long Yuan looked at Liu Xiu and expressed his gratitude once again
It is not that Longyuan does not feel pain, but rather that his willpower is astonishing. When Liu Xiuming was cleaning his wounds, he clearly saw the muscles around the wounds spasming and trembling, yet looking at his face, there was not a single expression, only beads of sweat the size of mung beans continuously dripping down.
"Brother Long, there is no need to be polite." Liu Xiu asked, "Is there anything else I can assist you with?"
It can be said that the Marquis of Guangqi and Wang Mang had an irreconcilable enmity.
Long Yuan slightly raised his head, wiped the tears from his face, and then his head knocked against the ground again. Taking a deep breath, he solemnly said: "The benefactor has saved my life and treated me with the courtesy of a distinguished guest. I am willing to serve the benefactor as my lord. From now on, I vow to follow the benefactor unto death"
Longyuan remained silent. What Liu Xiu said was a fact; he was not only physically exhausted but also seriously injured, having lost too much blood. If he could not find a safe place to rest and recuperate in a timely manner, he might be in danger of losing his life
Longyuan looked at Liu Xiu, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue. He smiled at Liu Xiu and said: "Thank you, benefactor"
Liu Xiu responded affirmatively, picked up a wooden bucket from the wooden house, and quickly walked out.
After Longyuan emerged, he began to cough continuously, expelling several mouthfuls of black mud. His already pale face appeared even whiter at this moment, so devoid of color that it was almost transparent
As Liu Xiu helped him clean his wounds, he trembled all over in pain but managed to remain silent. This iron-willed man, at that moment, was reduced to tears like a child, which left Liu Xiu feeling a mix of emotions.
Liu Xiu first tidied up a bit, then helped Longyuan in and let him sit on the grass. He asked, "How is your injury?"
After sizing up Liu Xiu for a moment, Long Yuan nodded at him and said solemnly: "I am deeply grateful for your assistance this time, benefactor. I cannot express my thanks for the life-saving grace you have bestowed upon me. As long as I, Long, am still alive, I will surely repay the kindness shown to me today in the future"
Liu Xiu swallowed hard, secretly clicking his tongue in amazement. It is hard to imagine that a person could endure so many severe injuries and still grit their teeth to persevere. What immense willpower this must require
Longyuan lifted the cloth covering the basket, and upon closer inspection, he found porridge, vegetables, and meat soup. A look of surprise appeared on his face as he said: "Benefactor, this..."
Upon hearing these words, Longyuan then sat back down on the straw mat with Liu Xiu's assistance
Longyuan wore a face of embarrassment
Before Longyuan could respond, Liu Xiu let out a wry smile and said, "However, being my retainer will be quite arduous. I have no power, no influence, and no wealth. What I can offer you is probably just this one meal."
Long Yuan suddenly stood up, startling Liu Xiu with this unexpected action. Before he could comprehend what was happening, Long Yuan suddenly knelt down, bowing his head forward.
During this period, Liu Xian submitted multiple petitions to the court, requesting to visit his son in Chang'an, but all were rejected by Wang Mang
Seeing his concern, Liu Xiu smiled at him and said, "Rest assured, the harvest from my family's fields is quite good, and there is enough for you to have a meal."
Liu Xiu hurriedly got up, walked to the side, scooped a ladle of clear water from the wooden barrel, and handed it to Longyuan
You all? Liu Xiu was very attentive and immediately picked up on the underlying meaning of the words. He curiously asked, "Do you have companions?"
"We got separated while shaking off our pursuers." After a pause, Long Yuan continued, "Once my injuries have healed, I will go look for the two of them. Long Zhun and Long Bo will surely be willing to follow the lord."
Liu Xiu fundamentally does not care about the concept of repaying kindness. The reason he is willing to risk execution to rescue Long Yuan is entirely because Long Yuan has done something he wishes to do but does not dare to do, nor has the ability to do—assassinating Wang Mang
At this point, Longyuan was already in tears, lying on the ground and weeping bitterly, intermittently saying: "As long as I still have a breath left, I will surely kill the reckless bandits to appease the spirit of the Lord in heaven..."
"Benefactor!" Longyuan shook his head, called him to a stop, and said weakly, "I have some gold wound medicine on me; could you help me fetch some clean water?"
Long Yuan paused for a moment before saying: "Yuan comes from the Guangqi Marquis Mansion."
Liu Xiu pondered for a moment and said: "Let me give you a word, how about 'Loyal Uncle'?"
Liu Xiu suddenly realized, gently tapping his own head. Long Yuan had been pursued all the way, and it was likely that he had no chance to have a proper meal, so naturally, he was now extremely hungry
Liu Xiu was taken aback upon hearing this; he did not expect that Longyuan would actually want to regard him as the sovereign and follow him.
Liu Xiu smiled, his thoughts turning, and asked: "Among the three of you, who is the oldest?"
In less than a quarter of an hour, Liu Xiu returned to the wooden house carrying a large bucket of clear water
Liu Xiu fell silent for a moment and asked, "Your name is Longyuan, what is your courtesy name?"
Liu Xiu stands at a height of 7 feet 3 inches, which is approximately 1.75 meters. He has a well-proportioned figure, leaning towards a slender build. Looking at his face, he has dragon-like eyebrows and phoenix-like eyes, a high and straight nose, and an elegant and handsome appearance, making him a very striking young man
As he spoke, he stood up to go out
Having finally treated his wound, Longyuan let out a sigh of relief, while Liu Xiu felt an even greater sense of relief
Does Long Xiong have a feud with the bandit?
At this moment, he took the time to carefully observe Liu Xiu.
Long Yuan's expression turned serious as he said, "Absolutely not. If you were to shelter me, once the news leaks, both you and your family would be doomed to death."
On weekdays, Liu Xiu gives a gentle and low-key impression, and he is not very talkative. However, in reality, Liu Xiu's personality is steady, not introverted; he enjoys making friends and understands the greater good.
At that time, Liu Xian's son was only 4 years old, and he was taken to Chang'an by Wang Mang, who established him as the crown prince, referring to him as the "young child".
It is evident that no one has lived here for several years, as many cobwebs have formed inside the house
He does not mention how scarce the food is now, nor how expensive the meat has become; he only questions his own cooking skills. His thoughtful kindness, which bestows favors without speaking of them, deeply moves Longyuan.
He said urgently: "There are quite a few medicinal herbs in the mountains, I will go help you gather some."
His grand gift immediately flustered Liu Xiu, who hurriedly reached out to help him up
Liu Xiu blinked, pondered for a moment, reached out to support Long Yuan's arm, gestured to the side, and said: "Let's go, I will take you to a place where you can hide"
Liu Xiu approached him, set down the basket, and said with a smile: "Go ahead and eat, it's still warm!"
Liu Xiu said: "Rest assured, the place I will take you to is very secluded, a small wooden cabin abandoned by a hunter in the mountains. It is very safe, and usually, not many people go there"
Liu Xiu inquired, "Where are the other two?"
No wonder Longyuan said he had a personal grudge against Wang Mang, no wonder Longyuan dared to attempt to assassinate Wang Mang; it turns out he is from the Guangqi Marquis residence
In an instant, Longyuan's pale face took on an unnatural flush of red
In the matter of opposing Wang Mang, the Liu family descendants are the rightful ones. The identity of being a descendant of the Han dynasty is something that others cannot compare to.
Liu Xiu hesitated for a moment, and Long Yuan spoke decisively: "If the Lord does not respond, I shall kneel here and not rise."
Longyuan lowered his head upon hearing this and said softly, "We are mere servants... we do not have any words."
He pulled on Longyuan's arm and said, "Brother Long, please get up and speak!"
The latter took it over, not even glancing at it, and gulped down a ladle of water entirely. After drinking, he coughed twice, and his spirit finally seemed to strengthen a bit
"Zhong Bo." Long Yuan murmured twice, then knelt down again to bow his head, saying: "Thank you, my lord, for bestowing the name!"
Longyuan nodded and said, "During the assassination of Wang Mang, we lost seven men. Later, to cover my escape, three more sacrificed their lives. Now, including myself, we are left with only three people."
Longyuan hoarsely asked, "Is there any water?"
Longyuan glanced at Liu Xiu and asked, "Why do you help me so much, my benefactor?"
Through the process of Liu Xiu rescuing him, it can be inferred that although he is still quite young, he acts decisively, remains calm in the face of change, possesses cunning and depth of character, and most importantly, he is a descendant of the Han dynasty.