Chapter 544: Zhuang Zhou's Dawn Dream

When Zu An heard the name "Gongkou Fang," he was completely shocked, wondering how there could be a country with such an odd name in the world.

The Gongkou Fang were a nomadic people living in what is now the Hetao Plain and northern Shaanxi. Although slightly weaker than the Qiangfang before them, they were by no means easy to deal with.

Even Pei Mianman herself had to lead the effort, spending a long time before finally repelling their invasion.

Unfortunately, such was the nature of nomadic tribes: due to their extreme mobility, repelling them was easy, but completely eradicating them was incredibly difficult.

In recent years, these groups would occasionally resurface, and Pei Mianman had to extinguish the flames every time.

Zu An couldn't stand being separated from her for such long periods and began selecting generals within the court to eventually take over Pei Mianman's responsibilities.

The wars of these years also allowed many mid and low-ranking officers to distinguish themselves. Zu An promoted a large number of renowned generals, including Qin, Yu, and Xiangque.

As he promoted them, he also complained that these ancient names were far too casual and random, feeling as if he were simply raising chickens.

Among this group of promoted generals, there was one very special individual: Ya Chang!

Yes, he was the mummified general who had guided them earlier in the secret realm.

He was originally a young master of the southern Chang clan. When the Chang clan submitted to the Shang, he was sent to Yindu as a hostage.

However, he did not simply remain a hostage. Instead, he secretly learned various textile and metallurgy techniques within Yindu, hoping to return and improve his clan's way of life.

Unfortunately, he was caught by soldiers and sentenced to death. Just then, Zu An happened to pass by and, upon hearing his name, saved him with a peculiar expression.

Ya Chang was profoundly grateful and offered to atone for his actions by fighting on the front lines.

What followed was an unstoppable rise. His military achievements steadily grew, significantly surpassing those of other generals, almost catching up to Fu Hao.

Zu An had initially hoped to gain some clues about the trial from him, but Ya Chang proved to be clueless, answering "I don't know" to every question, like a complete novice. It was clear that he had only been assigned the task of guarding the secret realm much later.

After several years spent pacifying the Gongkou Fang and Tufang forces, the Shang Dynasty faced another formidable enemy: the Guifang!

The Guifang were active on the Mongolian Plateau and were likely the predecessors of the Xiongnu. Their fighting ability surpassed even that of the Tufang and Gongkou Fang.

The only fortunate aspect was that, thanks to Zu An's management over the years, the Shang Dynasty's internal situation was stable, and its national strength had significantly increased. Coupled with a seasoned army and the growth of its generals, Pei Mianman no longer needed to personally lead campaigns.

This war also lasted several years, leaving Zu An and Pei Mianman utterly overwhelmed with managing logistics from the rear.

The war was truly brutal, resulting in countless casualties on both sides. Even a commander like Ya Chang fell in battle.

The battlefield was so chaotic that by the time Shang soldiers recovered his body, it was covered in knife wounds, and his severed arm could not be found.

Zu An remained silent, remembering the bronze hand in the secret realm. He then ordered artisans to craft an identical one so that Ya Chang could be buried with a complete body. This act garnered praise from both the court and the public, clearly showing their desire to serve under such a compassionate king.

Zu An, however, felt a sense of confusion. He couldn't distinguish whether he had seen the bronze hand on Ya Chang's later skeleton and then created this one, or if he had created this one first and only later saw the bronze hand. He felt the same bewilderment as Zhuang Zhou's dream.

Sometimes, he even wondered if this trial was the real world, and the outside world might just be his imagination.

After dealing with the Guifang, the Shang Dynasty, having endured years of war, needed time to recover and recuperate.

However, it wasn't long before the Bafang from the southwest began to invade.

Zu An was furious: "Damn it, do they think this place is a public latrine, where they can come and go as they please?"

Over the years, he had grown resentful due to the incessant invasions. This time, seeing the stable domestic situation, he finally couldn't hold back and decided to personally lead an expedition with Pei Mianman.

Then, with their telepathic coordination, Zu An drove the Bafang army directly into the encirclement laid by Pei Mianman, completing the first ambush and annihilation battle in their nation's history.

Unconsciously, ten years passed. Zu An always felt as if he had forgotten something, but as the ruler of a nation, seeing the country prosper under his leadership, the satisfaction and sense of accomplishment left him no time to ponder anything else.

Especially with beautiful women like Xiao Tuo serving him in the harem alongside Pei Mianman, he lived a life like a deity every day. What more could he possibly desire?

Not long after, joyful news arrived.

Pei Mianman was pregnant!

She should have conceived much earlier in those ten years, but Pei Mianman had been campaigning extensively, and they had spent little time together. Only recently had they found some leisure.

Upon hearing the news of the pregnancy, both were somewhat bewildered. Could souls alone conceive?

However, this thought quickly vanished, replaced by joy.

They had been in this world for so long that everything around them felt incredibly real. They had grown accustomed to it, even subconsciously believing that their previous lives were just a dream.

During the ten months of pregnancy, Zu An meticulously cared for Pei Mianman.

Unfortunately, complications arose during the delivery.

At the time of childbirth, Pei Mianman suffered from difficult labor!

Midwives of that era knew little beyond instructing mothers to push, and doctors were more akin to witch doctors, almost indistinguishable from charlatans in some respects.

Despite Zu An offering various methods and suggestions, he was ultimately not an obstetrician and lacked practical experience with childbirth. In the end, he could only watch helplessly as she died from complications during labor.

The moment Pei Mianman closed her eyes, Zu An felt as if he had been struck by lightning, unable to believe it was real.

Yet, those around him were accustomed to such tragedies and offered him words of comfort.

In that era, due to limitations in technology and medical standards, people's lifespans were short, and each childbirth for a woman was like stepping into the gates of hell.

Everyone was accustomed to such occurrences. Although the queen's status was special and she was highly capable, in this regard, she was no different from other women; the heavens treated everyone equally.

But Zu An was not accustomed to it. For a long time, he couldn't recover, while Xiao Tuo gently comforted and consoled him by her side.

Although the King was somewhat despondent, the court continued to function as usual, with important ministers like Fu Yue discussing the queen's funeral arrangements.

Because of the King's deep affection and the queen's extraordinary achievements, everyone planned the most solemn funeral and the most magnificent tomb for her.

Zu An couldn't indefinitely postpone the queen's burial, so he personally presided over the funeral to bid her farewell.

Due to Pei Mianman's death, Zu An seemed utterly lost. He often secluded himself in the palace, drinking and indulging in pleasures with Xiao Tuo and other imperial concubines, as if only by doing so could he numb himself and avoid thinking about his painful memories.

Fortunately, in these years, he and Pei Mianman had jointly managed the state, forcing neighboring powers to submit, and their national strength had soared. Additionally, the imperial court's ministerial team had matured, so even though he now paid little attention to state affairs, the country continued to function normally.

Thus, time flew by like a white steed glimpsed through a crack. Decades passed in a flash, and Zu An grew old and frail. His longevity in that era was nothing short of a miracle.

He personally saw off generations of ministers, including Fu Yue, and even Xiao Tuo passed away years earlier. In the years that followed, he also bid farewell to many other consorts whose names he couldn't even recall.

For decades, after every revelry, as he lay alone in the deep palace during the quiet of night, he would always vaguely feel that he had forgotten something. Yet, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't recall it.

At first, he felt some unease, but as time passed, he even forgot that sense of unease.

In recent days, he suddenly had an epiphany, as if he could vaguely sense the breath of death. He knew his end was near.

Yet, his heart was calm. Having been an earthly emperor for over fifty years, he had enjoyed everything life had to offer. What more could he possibly be dissatisfied with?

Then one day, unable to sleep, he rose and wandered through the palace. Unknowingly, he came upon a dilapidated house and froze.

He vaguely recalled it being his former residence from earlier years. He couldn't remember why he had chosen to preserve this room in the first place.

He instinctively pushed the door open and found the room covered in dust.

Evidently, the palace maids understood their master's sentiments. In earlier years, he would occasionally return to check on it, and at that time, no one dared to neglect it; the room was always kept meticulously clean.

But as the King gradually stopped visiting, they naturally became negligent in its upkeep.

Zu An walked to the bedside and sat down, utterly silent, pondering who knew what. After a while, just as he was about to leave, his eye caught a glint of light.

Moonlight streamed in through the window, reflecting off something.

He instinctively looked around and found something seemingly lodged deep within a crevice by the bed. Its position was so awkward that it was no wonder so many palace maids had missed it during cleaning.

He fumbled for a long time before finally retrieving the item from inside.

It was a pendant with a flame symbol on it.

As the ruler of a nation, he had seen countless rare treasures, so this pendant appeared utterly unremarkable.

Yet, the moment he saw the pendant, he trembled violently. He finally remembered what he had forgotten all these years, and he recalled his purpose for coming to this world.

This was the very pendant Pei Mianman had given him to protect against black flames.

Perhaps during their passionate moments in this room, the pendant had accidentally fallen into the crevice. Preoccupied with weighty state affairs, they had soon forgotten about it.

"Manman…" In that instant, the old man on the bed burst into tears.

Immediately, his vision blurred, the surrounding space twisted, and Zu An awoke to find himself in another world.

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Unable to sleep, now utterly exhausted. This will be the only chapter for today.