Siheyuan: Relieve stress and relieve worries

Chapter 1233 News from Brothers
Haral Mountain is located deep in the Outer Khingan Mountains. Few people come here. The surrounding mountains are covered with snow and ice all year round, and the mountains are shrouded in clouds and mist, making it impossible to pass through. In the valleys of the mountains, towering trees grow like wild grass, densely packed, and there are strange rocks everywhere, making it difficult to move an inch.

The Su family of Yangzhou followed the Zhu family in their conquest of the empire as early as the late Yuan and early Ming dynasties, serving as one of the Zhu family's retainers. It was precisely because the head of the Su family knew when to advance and retreat that he gained the support of the Zhu family, and the family grew rapidly. However, the Su family did not hold any official positions and always considered themselves retainers of the Zhu family.

Until the end of the Ming Dynasty, when Wu Sangui led the Qing army into the pass and the country changed hands within a few days, the Su family line protected the remaining Zhu family bloodline and moved to the south.

The head of the Su family was indeed one of the most loyal retainers of the Ming Dynasty. During the decline of the Ming Dynasty, he protected the remaining branches of the Zhu family and always dreamed of restoring the Ming Dynasty to its former glory.

Whether it was a scheme set up by the Su family's mortal enemies or a bad idea from someone who was ambitious, someone actually suggested that the Zhu family send people to sabotage the birthplace of the Qing Dynasty, namely Yehenara City in the Northeast.

The remaining bloodline of the Zhu family, whom the Su family had painstakingly rescued, became unable to distinguish right from wrong after arriving in the south. This allowed some sycophants to take advantage of the situation. The main reason was that the Zhu family felt that the Su family imposed too many restrictions on them and was a hindrance. If they weren't family retainers, they would have driven them away long ago. Thus, the Zhu family ordered the Su family to send people to destroy the ancestral lands of the Manchus, under the guise of destroying the birthplace of the Qing dynasty and rebuilding the Ming dynasty. If the Su family didn't go, they would be disloyal to the Zhu family and the Ming dynasty.

The Su family was no fool. Having weathered the ups and downs of the entire Ming Dynasty, they remained undefeated. This time, they knew they had been framed and saw that the Zhu family of the Ming Dynasty was beyond saving. However, blind loyalty still prevailed in the mind of the Su family head. In the end, the Su family made two preparations: most of them moved to the southern coast to seek a new way out, while a branch of elite troops was sent to carry out the mission of the Nanjing court.

The leader of this branch is Su Mingwu, the new head of the family. He is a man of both literary and martial talents, but also a man of unclear mind. He acts solely out of blind loyalty and actually takes his five sons and a group of retainers and servants and heads north.

Unfortunately, while this team had fighting power, it wasn't particularly strong. Once they crossed the Yangtze River, they were relentlessly pursued and attacked by the Qing army, suffering heavy losses. They eventually bypassed Shanhaiguan and plunged into the Yinshan Mountains, ultimately escaping directly into Uliastai. It was only then that the family head, Su Mingwu, realized that he had fallen into a trap. Someone from the Southern Court must have been tipping off the Qing army; otherwise, how could their every move have been under the Qing army's control?

Along the way, Su Mingwu's group lost two-thirds of its members. Although they hadn't even reached the outskirts of Yehenara City, they were also lucky. Just when they were exhausted, desperate, and at their wits' end, fate intervened. Their entire branch of the family found a warm, spring-like canyon. More importantly, it was rich in resources, warm and comfortable, with no worries about food or water. It was truly a perfect place to hunt roe deer and fish.

At this moment, Su Mingwu had a complete epiphany. He slapped his forehead and realized that there was no point in fighting anymore. Neither the Ming nor the Qing Dynasty was reliable at this time. Protecting his family was the most important thing. His family's survival was the top priority. Under the persuasion of a subordinate named Wang Xuanyi who suddenly appeared, this branch of the Su family, including their subordinates, decided to settle down here.

Little did they know that this Wang Xuan was someone of great importance. The Zhu family dynasty had lasted for hundreds of years, and no one was a fool. At that time, their team set off with excellent firearms. If they had any thoughts of rebellion, it would have been disastrous. Therefore, he was a secret agent monitoring this team.

When the group vanished without a trace, a messenger immediately sent a messenger. The Zhu family in the south immediately questioned the Su family, urging them to take immediate action. The Su family patriarch, a man of great wisdom, analyzed the situation carefully and decided, "Let's not be caught in a dilemma. Let's all flee together, but not to the north." The remaining members of the Su family headed towards the coast, staging a secret escape. Within a few days, the entire Su family had completely disappeared from Nanjing. By this time, the Ming Dynasty was in decline, embroiled in war and chaos, and soon after, no one paid any attention to the Su family anymore.

This branch of the Su family settled down in the Haral Mountains of the Outer Khingan Range, and the family line continued from generation to generation. Su Mingwu of the Su family became disheartened after this long journey. He almost caused his lineage to become extinct. After settling down in the valley, he fell ill and never took up family affairs again. His eldest son, Su Qichang, took over the position of family head.

Su Qichang was quite wise. He understood farming and animal husbandry, and knew how to build. He led his clansmen to start building their homeland in an all-round way. It was from this time that the Su family began to slowly recover its vitality. After generation after generation, it slowly began to spread and flourish.

Su Qichang was indeed a capable man. He had contact with Russians, Mongols, and Manchus, but he was very discreet and never let them know the location of his family. They only had ordinary transactions. Moreover, the Su family required its members to learn various languages ​​in order to deal with people they might encounter unintentionally.

Of course, Wang Xuanyi, the former Imperial Guard, also stayed behind. But unexpectedly, he built a Taoist temple on a high mountain not far away. Ostensibly, it was to monitor the Su family, but afterwards he ignored everything and devoted himself to Taoist cultivation. His Taoist name was Xuanyi.

And so, this branch of the Su family lived in this hidden paradise in the Outer Khingan Mountains for hundreds of years.

For hundreds of years, the Su family has lived a tenacious and joyful life, adhering to their own principles, with no worries about food and clothing, passing down the family tradition of farming and reading, and upholding the belief of not caring about worldly affairs and focusing solely on studying the classics.

However, there was an exception. When the Su family reached the twenty-third generation, an unexpected incident occurred. A rebellious person emerged in the Su family, namely the fourth son of the eldest branch of the Su family. As his name suggests, the fourth son of the Su family was Su Wenwu, who admired martial arts from a young age. This was an anomaly in the Su family, a family that valued both farming and scholarship.

When the fourth son of the Su family was young, he was a good and honest man. But he had one problem: he was obsessed with martial arts. The Su family was a family that valued both farming and scholarship and was supposed to be peaceful. Martial arts was a way to exercise and strengthen the body. But the fourth son of the Su family was not like that. He was brave and fierce. Unfortunately, no one paid attention to him in the Su family's territory. No one fought with him. Everyone let him have his way.

With nowhere to vent his frustrations, the fourth son of the Su family began secretly escaping from the canyon area to hunt. Every day he would return home covered in blood. The Su family, including the grandfathers, tried to persuade him many times, but he wouldn't listen. The family was at their wits' end. Finally, the Su family came up with a plan: to keep him in check. They arranged to find him a wife. Unexpectedly, after hearing the news, the fourth son of the Su family actually behaved himself for a while and obediently married a wife. But just when the child was about to be born, the fourth son of the Su family left a letter and ran away. No one knows how he escaped from the Su Family Canyon.

(End of this chapter)