She turned her face to look at him.
"Fourthly, the nation is a place where people live among the rivers and lakes, a place where relatives and clans are tainted, and where gentry steal their ancestors' glory. The wars of the world are inextricably linked to this, and it should be destroyed. Moreover, the construction of the nation and the two ends of its borders are all due to the desires of one person, and it is built by one family." Her eyes, like spring water, gently rippled. "The emperor should be executed."
Surprisingly, she remained very calm.
"You guessed it?" was a question, but Shangguan Yi was quite certain.
“Hmm.” Her gaze returned to the small mound. “Once upon a time, there was a mountain.”
"At the beginning of his reign, the first imperial decree issued by Emperor Shengde was to level this mountain, burn all copies of the 'Fallen Sandalwood,' and destroy all the woodblock prints in the country. His intention was clear: he merely wanted to warn the 'Five Absolutes' believers who were scattered among the people."
“The book of words is exquisite, but the fire in one’s heart is hard to extinguish; it’s nothing but self-deception.” She glanced at him with her beautiful eyes. “If I were Ziyu, I would not let the spark of fire grow weaker and weaker.”
"Oh?" He smiled.
"Would it really be satisfying to bring down a few officials who play the 'thief's trick'?" she murmured softly, revealing a shallow dimple. "When drawing a bow, draw a strong one; when using an arrow, use a long one. Shoot the horse before shooting the man; capture the king before capturing the thief. There is a limit to killing; each nation has its own borders. If we can control aggression, why kill more? This is the first precept of the Yu family."
"I see." His dark eyes deepened, his gaze growing increasingly somber. "Zigui, I told you you couldn't escape, didn't I?"
In fact, he was the one who couldn't escape, and he was the one who was always chasing after him.
I am returning to Zigui, and I will return with you.
He gently tucked a stray strand of her hair into his palm, and smiled softly at the still bewildered beauty. "It's late, get some rest."
She responded and tore off the cotton robe he had draped over her shoulders. "You don't know martial arts, you use it."
“I am a man.” He glanced at her and then draped his robe over her again.
She wanted to argue, but his gaze intimidated her. "Then I won't hold back."
After a while, I saw him sitting there seemingly asleep, his thin cloth shirt billowing in the wind, as if he might be swallowed up by the night at any moment.
She felt a pang of pity and called out softly, "Ziyu."
"Hmm?" He sounded a little nasal, his fine eyelashes fluttering slightly.
"Sit closer, it's cold at night."
His long eyelashes shimmered with light as he glanced at the people sprawled haphazardly behind him. "I'll sit here and shield you."
Another gust of wind caused him to tremble slightly, an almost imperceptible movement. But her sharp eyesight made it clear, so clear that it softened her heart, and she involuntarily took his slightly cold hand.
He opened his eyes groggily, looking quite innocent.
"Lean against me and sleep. You'll shield me from the wind, and I'll share my robe with you. How about that? Fair enough?"
She felt a little guilty, not realizing for a moment that he had only half-heartedly resisted, and it hadn't taken much of her effort.
After covering himself with his cotton robe, Yu Zigui sat cross-legged in meditation.
Goodnight, Ziyu.
"Good night."
The voice was low and soft, and the scent surrounding her, though unfamiliar, was pleasant, just like the person herself, domineering. She smiled with her eyes closed, unaware that after she fell asleep, the person beside her changed position, holding her tightly in their arms, quietly watching her, for the entire night.
Before dawn, the morning drums had already sounded. After receiving the travel permit inspected by the city guards, Yu Zigui glanced at the disaster victims behind him who wanted to enter the city but could not.
"Let's go."
She withdrew her gaze and silently followed beside him. After a long while, she finally spoke and asked, "Did Ziyu see the Crown Prince with a history of illness?"
"I've met you."
"And what about the Five Masters?"
"I've seen it before."
"Why could the two of them become master and disciple?" she wondered.
"Because although they follow different paths, they conspire together, and their hearts are the same for the world; they are two fools."
His tone was sarcastic, but she didn't perceive it that way.
Yu Zigui looked at him with some surprise. "Ziyu is praising them?"
“Fools are only praised after they die, or after others believe they are dead.” A light laugh escaped his lips as Shangguan Yi looked at her. “You were just thinking that if Crown Prince Minhuai were still alive, those disaster victims would have been able to enter the city, right?”
She nodded slightly.
“But the most fickle thing is the emperor’s heart. Min Huai back then may have been a wise ruler who was wholeheartedly devoted to the world. But if he were alive today, he might issue the same or even more cruel decrees.” He casually looked around at the city dwellers who were busy making a living early in the morning. “So his early death was a good thing. At least it prevented the people of Great Wei from dying in darkness, and it also allowed the Five Masters, who had different paths but conspired with him, to still have some beautiful memories.”
Seeing her staring at him in astonishment, he feigned surprise. "What, did I let it slip?" He then narrowed his eyes, leaned close to her ear, and chuckled, "I forgot to mention, back then, Princess Jingci used two bags of gold to let Ah Kuang listen to a lecture. Unlike what those two old scholars said last night, which sounded so otherworldly, Mr. Wujue is a greedy man."
Her eyes were almost bulging like full moons as she stiffly let him lead her, barely tasting her breakfast. When they reached the ferry crossing in the south of the city, she calmed down slightly as she listened to the sound of the waves crashing against the shore, and then she heard the soft laughter that had been lingering beside her.
"I was planning to carry you onto the boat, but I didn't expect you to wake up so soon." His tone was somewhat mournful.
She glared at him angrily, ignoring his attempt to help her up, and jumped onto the edge of the boat alone.
He withdrew his hand, still smiling.
Once the ship reaches Jinling, he will have plenty of time to spend with her; why rush things?
"Damn it, what are you looking at? I didn't mean to bump into you." As if realizing his mistake, the man muttered a few words, then roared angrily, "Get out of the way next time!"
A slender figure leaped past her, and Shangguan Yi followed suit, jumping off the passenger ship.