Chapter 158: Three Cups of Wine, To You and Me, To This Millennial Unsettled Sentiment!

Night had fallen.

The cool moonlight made the outline of the Han Zhaolie Temple blur into greater solemnity.

All grievances and hatred had already drifted into the wind, leaving only a peace that stripped away all pretension.

Su Ming's gaze slowly descended, finally landing on the bronze wine goblet before the main hall.

He remembered clearly that when he first arrived, the goblet was tilted.

But now…

It was somehow standing perfectly upright.

In the goblet, the crisp wine rippled with shallow waves under the moonlight, full yet not overflowing.

Su Ming smiled and walked forward step by step.

Then he reached out and lifted the goblet high.

Toward the empty courtyard.

Toward that silent temple.

Gurgle—!

"First cup, to brothers!"

As the words fell, he tilted his head back and drank it in one gulp.

The wine hit his throat, spicy as fire!

This was the blazing spirit of the Peach Garden oath.

It was the resolute vengeance for Yun Chang.

And also the raging fury of the seven‑hundred‑li chain camps along Yiling Road!

"Exhilarating!"

Su Ming shouted loudly and slammed the empty goblet heavily onto the offering table.

But the next second, his pupils narrowed slightly.

The seemingly empty goblet, astonishingly, filled itself with wine again out of thin air.

But this time, the wine…

…bore a bone‑chilling cold, like frost frozen by moonlight.

Su Ming's fingertips brushed the rim, and the icy sensation crawled up his fingers.

He suddenly understood.

He raised the goblet once more.

"Second cup, to ruler and subject!"

Another gulp, down in one go!

Ice‑cold to the bone!

No spiciness, no heroism.

Only an unmelting bitterness, cooling from the tip of the tongue to the deepest part of the heart.

It was Liu Bei's tearful remorse atop White Emperor City.

It was the timeless sorrow of not heeding the loyal counsel of Zi Long.

Su Ming set the goblet down again.

"Is it over now?"

Buzz—!

Yet the bronze goblet, for a third time, slowly filled…

"Hmm?"

Su Ming stared at the contents of the cup, silent for a moment.

This time, it was white!

A bit like milk!

"Heh!"

Su Ming seemed to grasp something, chuckled, and lifted it again, his posture a little more relaxed.

"Third cup."

"To you and me!"

"To this kindred spirit that spans a thousand years!"

Gurgle—!

So sweet!

It's AD calcium!

This Han Zhaolie Emperor truly understands Human Heart, and also understands him!

And right at this moment.

Creak—!

Ahead, that crimson temple Gate, which had been tightly shut, slowly swung open to both sides.

A silent invitation.

Su Ming tidied his tattered clothes, his expression solemn.

He stepped in with a single step.

Inside the hall, quiet and profound.

The lingering sandalwood incense dispelled all the previous bloodshed and malevolent aura.

In the very center, that Emperor statue stood silently.

Its head wore a crown, its body clad in a dragon robe.

Both hands rested on the long sword at its waist, both eyes gazed straight ahead.

It lacked the overt dominance imagined, and it had no awe of ruling the world.

Instead it bore the fatigue of weathered years, its eyes hiding an unbreakable benevolence.

Emperor Zhaolie of Han, Liu Bei!

Su Ming stood before the statue, waiting quietly.

He thought…

He would, like when meeting other heroic souls, meet the Emperor who founded the Shu Han legacy.

But… not.

Just as doubt rose in his mind, a voice suddenly sounded.

Warm and mellow, bearing a thousand years of vicissitudes.

"The first cup is the vengeful fire that burned away my Shu Han foundation."

"The second cup is the tear of remorse I have shed for a thousand years."

"The third cup… I, wish to befriend you!"

Su Ming shivered all over.

Sure enough, it's him!

"For a brother's vengeance, I poured a nation's strength, causing the people to suffer and the foundation to be destroyed."

"Zi Long's admonition still rings in my ears; I, the lone one… acted on my own, mistakenly placing personal feelings above the throne's longevity."

In Liu Bei's voice was a hint of self‑mockery, a hint of regret.

"I, ashamed to be a ruler."

"This remorse I have tasted for a thousand years."

Su Ming remained silent, listening quietly.

He could tell it was not a pretended posture.

"But if time were reversed, I would still be the brother who, angry at Yun Chang's death, would raise an army."

"That is the true lone one."

"That is… Liu Xuande!"

"What I regret is that, as a ruler, I did what a brother should have done."

"But I never regret having those two, who made me cherish my brothers above all else."

"Ha!"

Hearing this, Su Ming laughed.

It resonated!

This is the Emperor Zhaolie of Han he knows.

A contradictory, real, flesh‑and‑blood hero.

"Do you also find me ridiculous?"

Liu Bei's tone carried a hint of complexity.

Su Ming's smile grew wider, but he shook his head and spoke loudly.

I Sheng after a thousand years, never saw an Emperor, only read histories.

"Cao Wei had the tyrant who coerced the Son of Heaven to command the lords; Eastern Wu had the scheming sons of Jiangdong; but Shu Han…"

He paused, and his eyes lit up.

"What it possesses is a romance never extinguished through the ages!"

"A bunch of madmen, from having nothing in Zhuo County's Peach Garden to standing as one of the three powers dividing the world!"

"Knowing the Han dynasty's mandate was hard to continue, yet still defying fate!"

"Zi Long is all courage; the Chancellor six campaigns at Qishan, Bo Yue nine attacks on Central Plains…"

Su Ming's voice grew more impassioned, shaking the incense in the hall.

"This is not laughable, but a lone bravery that knows it cannot be done yet does it!"

He stepped forward, his gaze level at Liu Bei's statue.

"The world says you changed too much, from weaving mats and selling shoes to ascending the throne."

"But in my view—"

Su Ming raised his hand, his fingertip lightly touching the statue's pedestal.

"You have never changed."

"Still the one who would, in anger for a brother, pour a nation… a wandering hero!"

"In this world, ruthless Emperors are as countless as minnows crossing a river."

"But a compassionate brother…"

"... alone in this family!"