After Being Abducted by the General Chapter 190

Chapter 190 – Extra 3

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On August 18th, at noon, the Cultural Relics Bureau discovered a set of ancient armor in the middle reaches of the Huai River. After examination, it was determined that this armor has a history of over 1,700 years and is suspected to belong to the Great Wen Dynasty. The news quickly gained attention from both domestic and international circles. The country immediately dispatched more experts to investigate and restore the armor, hoping to obtain more historical materials about the Great Wen Dynasty from it.

At 8 o’clock in the evening, on the well-known online forum “Little Deer Horn Forum,” a post with the title “Shocking News! Great Wen Dynasty Armor Unearthed from the Huai River, Suspected to Be Made by Wen Tai Zhu for Emperess Chu!” was posted and quickly gained popularity.

The original poster was extremely excited and couldn’t speak coherently: “Shocking! Everyone must have seen the news today about the Cultural Relics Bureau uncovering the suspected Great Wen Dynasty armor from the Huai River. I have insider information, and the experts have confirmed that the armor indeed belonged to the Great Wen Dynasty! This armor was even personally made by Wen Tai Zhu for General Chu Hechao! Ah, who can bear such exciting news? I’m overwhelmed!”

1st comment: When I saw the title, I rushed to be in the front row to read it.

2nd comment: This title shocked me, and I haven’t even read the content of the original post yet. I bet a cucumber that this post will go viral!

5th comment: Ah, my goodness! If this armor alone is already an ancient treasure of the Great Wen Dynasty, I’m already excited to the point of fainting. Now you’re telling me that this armor was made by Wen Tai Zhu for Empress Chu. Sob, sob, I’m so happy I could pass out. I never imagined that after studying history for so long, one day I would see a gift from Wen Tai Zhu to Empress Chu in real life.

6th comment: As a single dog, I can only say 666. So, in ancient times, the idea of romance was to give armor as a gift?

8th comment: Hello, Empress Chu! I’m here Empress Chu, hhh. As the first male empres in history, I’m here to cheer for Empress Chuu!

12th comment: …Has anyone noticed that the original poster disappeared? I reasonably suspect that this is a bait post. Where did the insider information come from? Why did they leave after speaking?

18th comment: So excited! I can prove that the original poster is not lying!!! I’m a graduate student in the History Department of X University. My mentor was temporarily summoned to study that set of armor just half an hour ago. My mentor sent me a message saying that this armor is indeed the one Wen Tai Zhu gave to Chu Hechao!

19th comment: Shocking!

20th comment: Shocking!!

From the 18th comment onwards, the number of comments rapidly increased. By the time the original poster returned, there were already over a hundred comments.

Original Poster: I’m back, I’m back! This post got so popular so quickly. I just went to download some images. How can we be sure that this armor was given to Empress Chu by Wen Tai Zhu? Because there are two lines of inscriptions inside the armor. See the pictures below. After being buried in water for over a thousand years, the inscriptions have become blurred. These are the electronically restored images after repair. Picture one shows Wen Tai Zhu’s inscriptions (verified by experts specializing in Wen history). It says, “Exquisite scale armor, his third gift” Picture two shows the inscriptions of Empress Chu, and without comparison, we can tell that this is his own handwriting! Because the inscription says, “Private armor of Chu Hechao, others are forbidden to touch.” Haha, this is so funny!

130th comment: ??? Haha, Chu Hechao, you are so childish!

131st comment: Knowing that Chu Hechao is a jealous husband, I’m not surprised at all…

135th comment: Hahaha, so cute! I only had a simple understanding of Wen Tai Zhu and Empress Chu from history books when I was in junior high. Is this the real personality of Empress Chu? Why did the 131st comment call him a jealous husband?

136th comment: Let me answer that. Chu Hechao was the top general of the Great Wen Dynasty. He had numerous achievements, fighting against the Xiongnu, Wuwan, Xianbei, and Southern Barbarians! No one could match him for the next five hundred years. He seems really awesome, right? However, he was actually a single, middle-aged, never-married individual with a bad temper. He was so bad-tempered that his subordinates would secretly curse him. Until he met Wen Tai Zhu, he changed completely. As for why they call him a jealous husband, it’s because many famous civil and military officials of the Great Wen Dynasty secretly complained about him in their autobiographical poems and writings. People like Zhou Gongdan, Liu Jixin, and Jia Qing… all said that Chu Hechao was a jealous husband, even jealous of his loyal subjects to Wen Tai Zhu, hhh. How jealous could he be? It is said that whenever Wen Tai Zhu glanced at other handsome men or beautiful women in front of him, Chu Hechao would glare at them, making them feel scared.

150th comment: That’s right! Chu Hechao really guarded against both men and women all his life, and it’s not surprising. Who wouldn’t be cautious when Wen Tai Zhu is so charming? If it were me, I would be on guard too! All the civil and military officials in the Great Wen Dynasty were fans of Wen Tai Zhu. After the Great Wen Dynasty entered its heyday twenty years later, there was an explosion in literature and entertainment. At least three out of ten poems and songs written by scholars were praising Wen Tai Zhu, and the remaining two were about their love for the prosperity of the Great Wen Dynasty. The articles that emerged after the Great Wen Dynasty’s two decades were overwhelming, and it was a painful mask to bear.

160th comment: Don’t just talk about having to memorize poems and essays from the Great Wen Dynasty after twenty years. Even the ones before that need to be memorized too. Wen Tai Zhu had a great Confucian scholar named Cui Yan by his side, and he was so mischievous! He was his official writer and wrote many brilliant articles for him. Each one was longer than the other. Thinking about it makes me tear up.

As soon as this topic was mentioned, students who had been tormented by the Great Wen Dynasty for a long time couldn’t help but start complaining.

180th comment: Every time you guys mention Wen Tai Zhu, I go crazy. Ever since I looked up the origin of exams on the internet and found out it was due to the imperial examination system initiated by Wen Tai Zhu, I’ve had mixed feelings towards him. What’s worse, do you guys know who introduced mathematics into the exams? Yes, it was also Wen Tai Zhu! This evil man, does he know how many students in the future cried their eyes out because of him? I hate math!

181st comment: …Take a deep sigh, you are still too young, the one above you. What’s just math? Do you know about the physical fitness test for university? Once a semester, and if you fail, you retake it. Do you know who invented the physical fitness test? Smiling, yes, it was also Wen Tai Zhu.

182nd comment: Oh my god! I knew that the imperial examination system started with the Great Wen Dynasty, but I didn’t know math and physical fitness tests were introduced that early! Wow, although I’m already starting to dread the physical fitness test as a prospective university student, I still have to shout: Wen Tai Zhu is amazing! How many more surprises does this man have in store for me!

188th comment: If we were to seriously discuss Wen Tai Zhu’s achievements, it would take a whole book. He is truly a legend, a super legend. After understanding his history, one can’t help but be fascinated and admire him. Even foreign professors and experts have written many papers on the history of the Great Wen Dynasty. The vertical windmill used by the country now, including some regions in our country, was invented by Wen Tai Zhu. The three-bow bed crossbow, which has been praised with numerous compliments by foreigners, was also invented during Wen Tai Zhu’s time. Oh, and did you know our country was the first in the world to invent gunpowder and use it for military purposes? That was about six to seven hundred years ahead of the West! The Thunderbolt Cannon recorded in the historical materials of the Great Wen Dynasty was amazing.

196th comment: Absolutely! As a foreign student, I’m always proud to talk about the history of the Great Wen Dynasty with foreigners. They are genuinely interested in the Great Wen Dynasty, probably because it was the world’s strongest country at that time and attracted people from all over the world. They think the Great Wen Dynasty is mysterious and charming. I met a female classmate once, and she was wearing a Wen-style clothing! Although her blonde hair and blue eyes made her look weird, I was really happy to see people from other countries wearing our traditional attire.

197th comment: It’s good to be happy, but we should also be vigilant! The cultural relics left by the Great Wen Dynasty have already been scarce after thousands of years of time. Foreigners have bought a lot of them, and it’s frustrating to see foreign collectors showing off Great Wen antiques. We don’t even think they are enough, so how come they bought them!

200th comment: So, this time, we must preserve this armor. Please keep it in the museum as a national treasure and never sell it, please!

201st comment: Don’t worry, this kind of heavy-weight cultural relic is definitely a national treasure, and the country would never auction it. Once the armor is repaired, it will probably be put on display, and I can’t wait for that. Honestly, I’m curious about what the original appearance of this armor was. Since it was Wen Tai Zhu’s gift to Empress Chu, it must be exquisite, right?

205th comment: It’s not just that it won’t be inferior, after being washed in water for one thousand six hundred and seventy years, and still being preserved in this condition, I estimate that the materials used are of the top-tier in ancient times. Our Wen Tai Zhu knows how to make money, so generous! The armor that can be presented to Empress Chu is definitely one of the best.

210th comment: Haha, sorry, every time you guys mention this, I remember something written in the historical records. Chu Hechao had a miserable life before he met Tai Zhu. It is said that he led tens of thousands of border soldiers who couldn’t eat well and had broken weapons every day. There was a general named Yang Zhongfa by Chu Hechao’s side, who even told his own descendants that Chu Hechao wouldn’t change his clothes even if they were torn, and he would continue to wear shoes even if they had holes in them. It was his wife who couldn’t bear to see this and mended his clothes for Chu Hechao. Yang Zhongfa’s descendants found this funny and passed it down… Haha, that’s how poor General Chu was. But after meeting Tai Zhu, his life drastically changed, and he soared like a phoenix!

211th comment: Haha, don’t make me laugh!

212th comment: My dad said my laughter was bothering him and asked me to go out and laugh.

220th comment: Haha, although it’s really funny, there’s a reason why General Chu was so poor. He was one of only two Grand Generals in the country, and I remember his salary was ten thousand stones, which was already the top salary at that time. Chu Hechao came from a prestigious family and was actually quite wealthy. However, during the time of the Northern Zhou Dynasty, the military provisions were in chaos, and soldiers who were injured or killed received no compensation. So, General Chu used his own money and food to support his subordinates, which is why he couldn’t afford good clothes.

225th comment: So, there was this reason as well? Suddenly, I feel really impressed by him.

226th comment: Yes, although Chu Hechao was a nobleman, he had experienced a lot of hardship. It was only after meeting Tai Zhu that he began to live a better life. They supported each other during the chaotic times, and it was a different kind of redemption.

230th comment: Burp, this dog food is so tasty… As you guys were talking about this, I looked it up on the internet, and the neighboring country actually claims that Wen Tai Zhu has their bloodline??

238th comment: Stay calm, that’s just how they are. Whenever they see something good, they claim it as their own. The whole world knows that Wen Tai Zhu is ours, and not a bit of it belongs to them. Let’s just smile and ignore their barking.

240th comment: I’m willing to call them a nation of thieves, with a smile.

241st comment: I also found out that during the Great Wen Dynasty, guess what, the idea of using a “mandarin duck pot” for cooking and stir-frying dishes emerged during that time!

242nd comment: Oh my God, I wasn’t shocked before, but I’m shocked now. The “mandarin duck pot” is one thing, but stir-frying dishes only appeared during the Great Wen Dynasty??? What did people eat before that?

Original Poster: The topic has deviated so much, but to answer 242nd comment’s question, I know. Before stir-frying dishes appeared, ancient people ate boiled and roasted food. They didn’t have iron pots back then, so they could only use clay pots for steaming and boiling food. Surprising, right? Hahaha, there’s even more surprise. You won’t believe that the punctuation marks we use today were also introduced by Wen Tai Zhu! Before Wen Tai Zhu, all the books and articles had no punctuation marks at all!

250th comment: Oh my god, really? There were no punctuation marks before? I feel so silly, I always thought punctuation marks appeared alongside the text!

260th comment: I feel silly too, how did they break sentences without punctuation marks? I can’t even imagine it!

269th comment: Is it true…?

273rd comment: I went online to check, and what the OP said is actually true, there were no punctuation marks before the Great Wen Dynasty!!!

The OP, presumably an insider, then uploaded an image of an ancient manuscript. The text in the image had no punctuation marks, with words flowing continuously on the entire page, leaving everyone who saw it confused.

280th comment: Shocking my entire family… So this is how people read books before the Great Wen Dynasty? Didn’t they get dizzy reading like this? I’ve already felt dizzy after just looking at it for a moment. I have no idea which part constitutes a complete sentence or where to pause.

290th comment: Haha, as someone who just passed the Chinese language teacher qualification exam, I can’t even break down these sentences in ancient texts. Thank goodness for punctuation marks, thank Wen Tai Zhu!

300th comment: Suddenly, I feel so sorry for those literati before the Great Wen Dynasty. I never realized how significant punctuation marks were, but now that I see it, their role is truly immense. I tried reading it, and it’s so difficult without punctuation marks; my eyes are going blind. What should we do? I admire Wen Tai Zhu even more.

306th comment: Wen Tai Zhu is truly a world treasure, wuwuwu.

310th comment: The Great Wen Dynasty is indeed a cultural emblem of our country and a symbol of our history. Despite nearly two thousand years having passed, its legacy continues to influence all aspects of our lives. This dynasty was so brilliant, with numerous outstanding individuals born during this era and countless inventions created. If I could time travel, I would love to go to the Great Wen Dynasty to witness its vibrant scene, to see the elegance and grace of women enjoying wine on boats, and to witness the remarkable wisdom and charm of those renowned strategists and scholars. I want to see how the lanterns lit up day and night, and how the Kongming lanterns adorned the night like fireflies… It’s not just me who wants to see this; so many poets and officials from later dynasties also yearned for the prosperity and beauty of the Great Wen era.

320th comment: Ah, in ancient times, it must have been a time when many people heard about the prosperity but few actually saw it… I suddenly remembered reading a poem by a scholar from the Great Wen Dynasty, his name was Zhang Liangdong, I think? The original poem was incredibly long, and I don’t remember the content, but I do recall it was praising Wen Tai Zhu. Haha, people from the Great Wen Dynasty were truly patriotic.

330th comment: What? Really? Are they really going to make a movie about Wen Tai Zhu?!

340th comment: !!!

345th comment: Is it really happening? Ahh, so excited, I want to run downstairs! But as excited as I am, I’m a bit worried. Wen Tai Zhu’s life was truly legendary; can they really do justice to it in the movie?

380th comment: Don’t worry! This is going to be a big production, and everyone is taking it very seriously. The higher-ups are also very invested in this project, it’s definitely an A-list movie. According to insider information, they are investing more than enough money, and it’s bound to have a mind-blowing effect (thumbs up).

383rd comment: Phew, hearing that makes me feel relieved. Just a little secret, remember to hire excellent special effects artists; after all, historical records mention auspicious signs like dragons and phoenixes appearing when Wen Tai Zhu ascended the throne (proud face). Make sure to include that scene in the movie (dog head)!

400th comment: Hahaha, you’re so naughty! Every time I read about that in history books, it feels so awkward. Everyone earnestly describes how dragons and phoenixes appeared during Wen Tai Zhu’s ascension; how could that be possible? Ancient emperors always fabricated such auspicious signs for themselves, and Wen Tai Zhu’s… hahaha, isn’t that too exaggerated?

403rd comment: Laughing like a pig in the middle of the night, I was also completely dumbfounded when I read that part. The funniest thing is that the historians wrote it so seriously and meticulously, describing the majestic appearance of the dragons and phoenixes, and how the courtiers were frightened. They did all this to emphasize the legitimacy of Wen Tai Zhu and Empress Chu’s ancestry. The courtiers also cooperated well, pretending to be scared; these ancient people were truly playing one-upmanship with each other.

407th comment: Hahaha, I really need to complain about this. The historians had a tough job; they made the fake sound as convincing as the real thing. It seems like starting from Wen Tai Zhu, later emperors had to stage auspicious signs in person at their ascension. Wen Tai Zhu set the trend!

Amidst the laughter, someone presented a different perspective.

450th comment: Is it possible that dragons and phoenixes actually appeared at that time?! Because not only official history records mentioned it, but there were also accounts in unofficial historical records, saying that many people in Luoyang City saw them too!

451st comment: Science, science. How could dragons and phoenixes exist in this world? The commenter above must have been influenced by unofficial historical records! Those records even claim that Wen Tai Zhu was Chu Mingfeng’s wife who washed away his misfortune, and that Empress Chu was once his brother-in-law! Can you believe such nonsense?

452nd comment: Ah, those unofficial historical records are truly wild, even more so than dragons and phoenixes…

453rd comment: I’m utterly dumbfounded, those unofficial records are beyond belief.

455th comment: There’s no way Tai Zhu could have been Chu Mingfeng’s wife or Empress Chu’s brother-in-law, those unofficial records are both funny and malicious. The official records clearly state that at that time, Wen Tai Zhu was just the son of a small county official, and he caught the attention of Chu Mingfeng (Empress Chu’s brother) due to his outstanding talents. Chu Mingfeng invited Tai Zhu to live in the Chu residence for a period and even arranged a teacher for him. It was during this time that he met Empress Chu. However, Chu Mingfeng, whom Tai Zhu had once admired as “a man of great wisdom and strategy, a capable minister for ruling the world,” passed away not long after. To repay Chu Mingfeng’s kindness, Tai Zhu followed Empress Chu to Youzhou.

460th comment: Official history is indeed reliable, that’s the way to go! But honestly, thinking about the possibility of them being brother and sister-in-law is… hahaha.

465th comment: I’m going to explode, the idea of them being brother and sister-in-law is so alluring! Just thinking about Wen Tai Zhu and Empress Chu being close relatives makes me blush and my heart race. I ship them so hard, I’ll ship them for life, forever supporting Wen Tai Zhu and Empress Chu!

470th comment: Hehe, even if it’s not in the official history, it doesn’t stop us from using our imagination, ship them, and ship them hard.

473rd comment: Sigh, things we imagine are always better than what’s written in official history. It is said that Empress Chu suffered many hidden injuries from years of battles, and in his later years, he lived in great pain with numerous illnesses. But he persisted in living, enduring the pain, just to spend a few more days with Wen Tai Zhu… The historical records say that to stay alive, he had to take a concoction of bitter medicine every day and had to restrain himself from eating many things. Living like that was more painful than dying. If it were me, I would definitely prefer to die… So every time I think about this, my eyes feel sore because I can’t fathom the amount of willpower and determination Chu Hechao must have had to suppress the pain and resist death, all for the sake of Wen Tai Zhu.

475th comment: Tears in my eyes, is it really like this?

476th comment: So Wen Tai Zhu, heartbroken, went with him in the end.

480th comment: …D*mn, so heart-wrenching. After listening to this, it feels so uncomfortable, like my heart is being blocked…

Original Post: I feel the same qaq. In front of his computer, the original poster sighed again and again. Even though he already knew the story of Wen Tai Zhu and Chu Mingfeng, each time he heard about the deaths of Wen Tai Zhu and Empress Chu, he still felt heartbroken. But apart from feeling heartbroken, there was an indescribable sense of moved emotion.

He wiped her tears with a piece of tissue and earnestly typed on the keyboard.

In the end, the original poster wrote: But that’s love, right? Just like the legendary era of the great Wen, this love that accompanies each other in life and death is also a legend. Souls don’t die, love doesn’t extinguish; they accompany each other forever and depend on each other in life and death. When Wen Tai Zhu and Empress Chu died, who can say they didn’t leave with a smile?

They lived an extraordinary life together, and even in death, they departed together. They should have no regrets and be satisfied.

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