Der Mond scheint hell über den leeren Bergen, und Blumen füllen den Himmel

Kapitel 106

Shengxiang continued for him, smiling faintly, "He didn't really care what you said about him, at most he was a little resentful. The reason he waited until today to die was mostly for me—he thought I was young and naive, always wanting to prove something, and he couldn't bear to disappoint me, so he waited until today, until you proved him right before he died." He said calmly, "He did it for me, not for you. Anyway, the martial world says he's evil, but he might not be that evil; now they say he's good, but he might not be that good either."

"What are you trying to prove?" Zhuge Zhi couldn't help but ask.

Saint Incense looked up at the sky. The snow had stopped and the sky was clear; it was a bright and sunny day. "I want to prove that good people will be rewarded and bad people will suffer the consequences; whether good or bad, doing good deeds will be praised, lying will be exposed, the truth will be known, and doing bad deeds will be punished..." he said slowly. "I believe that as long as our hearts and our friends' hearts are sincere, kind, peaceful, and happy, everyone can be happy, play together forever, and even never die..."

The hundreds of heroes in the hall listened quietly to him. A gentle breeze blew, as if the cold of early spring had been tempered with warmth.

There was once a man who, because of Saint Xiang's seemingly naive "expectation," decided that he must live on no matter what, until the day he was proven innocent. He could fail at many things in his life, but he was determined to do this one.

That person now sits quietly in the snow, as if one can still hear the smiling incense making a wish, and be moved by that simple wish once again.

Having fulfilled their agreement with Zhuge Zhi, the next day they found a place outside Bianjing City to bury Yu Cuiwei.

Yu Cuiwei's grave had no tombstone or inscription. Yu Xiu had intended to write something, but ultimately wrote nothing. Everyone stood before the desolate, unmarked grave, quietly recalling this man's life, each feeling a deep sense of sorrow.

During the burial, everyone heard a familiar flute melody coming from the opposite hills. It was the "Jinlu Qu" that Wenren Nuan had once played in Cangwu.

A touch of melancholy. I casually close my book, idly letting the west wind carry me, fallen petals drifting aimlessly. A lonely, cold fragrance bestowed by heaven, a thousand threads in an inch. Blown away, it will not count the partings.

Why linger and forget to fly back? No need to ask, this snow is a relic of the past. Who still remembers the hatred of that year?

I know my life has been filled with sorrow. The wind blows again, the strings break, my heart is cold, and I am left with only a lost friend. Memories of the past are the most poignant, returning to the moonlit cup. Again, I bring back faint traces of dreams. Worldly ties are always like water, rarely needing tears; how can one exhaust a lifetime of emotions? Do not be too sentimental, for sentimentality wounds oneself.

The person playing now lacks inner strength, yet the flute's sound remains familiar and melodious, the tune still peaceful and serene, as if carrying a detached mood, calm yet slightly melancholic. The flute player is Wan Yuyuedan.

Liu Ji, pregnant, returned to Moqu Manor, refusing to surrender to the court like her father. She said she wanted to live out her days in the mountains with Li Lingyan's child. Everyone tried to persuade her to stay, but to no avail, and they had to give up. Pu Shidong was dead, and Su Qing'e had made enemies all over the world; her future was uncertain. Rong Yin went back to fetch Gu She, Yu Xiu said he had to leave first, and Ze Ning also said he had to return to Zhuozhou. Huan Ling was still waiting for him—so everyone left.

Shengxiang returned to Kaifeng alone.

Everything in Kaifeng was just as it had always been. He walked from Quyuan Street to his front door, then stopped, his hand on the door.

He absolutely cannot step through that door again.

With a creak, Taibo suddenly opened the door and was startled to see the haggard Shengxiang. "Young Master..." He suddenly realized that Shengxiang was no longer "Young Master," and stammered, unsure of what to say. After a pause, he suddenly said, "Ah, Young Master, don't you know that the Emperor is currently investigating the abduction of the Imperial Minister and the unauthorized transfer of troops from six prefectures? This is a capital offense! I heard—I heard from the Master and the others—that the county magistrates and military officers present all said that you, Young Master, ordered it, and that you commanded it on the spot... The Emperor said that you, Young Master, sent spies to forge the Tiger Tally and illegally transfer the Imperial Guards in order to rebel..." Before he could finish speaking, a dignified voice sounded from behind: "Taibo, who are you talking to?"

Shengxiang listened to Taibo's warning with a smile, took three steps back, and looked at Zhao Xiang who came out from inside.

Zhao Xiang was stunned when he saw Sheng Xiang, but then looked at Sheng Xiang and asked Tai Bo, "Who is he? Stop talking nonsense with strangers. No unauthorized personnel are allowed into the Zhao residence!" He didn't even glance at Sheng Xiang before turning and leaving.

Shengxiang continued to watch his retreating figure with a smile. Taibo, bewildered, muttered, "Has Young Master Xiang gone mad? It's clearly Young Master Shengxiang..."

“Taibo, Second Brother is right.” Shengxiang smiled brightly. “Absolutely right…” He finished speaking slowly, patted Taibo’s shoulder, and said softly, “Taibo, I gave your most treasured pair of pants to that very interesting Aunt Li.” With that, he waved and walked away slowly.

Taibo watched his frail figure slowly turn the corner, his lips twitching slightly, his old eyes dry and tearless. This young master had been in the manor for over twenty years, always so fair-skinned, plump, and lovable—how could he have become like this?

A rabbit hopped to the doorway, its eyes fixed on the direction where Shengxiang had left, its dark eyes sparkling as if it were wondering why he hadn't come back.

Turning the corner, Shengxiang walked into the crowd.

The bustling Quyuan Street, as I walked along it, felt like I had returned to the days when I had money in my pocket, I could buy kites when I saw them, buy candy when I saw it, and even ask Liuyin to pay for chicken legs. When I was bored, I could go to the altar to chat with the spirits.

Back then, I thought about so many things, understood so many principles, knew so many stories, and laughed so many times...

One by one, memories surfaced in his mind, one by one, one by one... No matter how small the matter, it all came to mind, everything about the Prime Minister's residence, about Kaifeng, even about Bi Qiuhan...

He has touched many people, made many people happy, laughed, and looked forward to...

"Holy Incense!" someone suddenly called from behind.

Saint Fragrance suddenly turned around and saw a lot of people standing on the other side of the street, men and women, standing in neat pairs, as if they had been waiting there for a long time.

Someone ran straight towards him, yelling, "I haven't seen you for half a year, how did you get so out of shape?"

Rongyin, Zening, Liuyin, Yuxiu, Shangxuan, Tongwei - descending spirits?

And then there was Qi Yang running towards him...

Suddenly... suddenly he felt that something was unbearable, something was out of control. He turned around abruptly, covered his mouth with his sleeve, and... he cried...

For the first time in my life, I cried in front of others.

"Holy Incense..."

(The End)