Yangzhou Twenty

At dawn, a faint white shadow appeared at the eastern end of the sky. The surroundings were still a little blurry, and tiny dewdrops dotted the branches and leaves of the trees. In the courtyard of the bedroom, beside the stone table, a monk in a brown robe clasped his hands together, his head slightly lowered, and calmly muttered scriptures.

Footsteps approached from afar. The monk opened his eyes and watched as a man in a black robe with gold embellishments sat down across from him. A stone-bottomed purple clay teapot on the charcoal stove continuously emitted white smoke. The monk took the teapot and poured the man a cup of tea before slowly looking up. "Your Excellency is a little late."

It was only the hour of Mao now. As a guest, he had come too early, and as an old friend, he had indeed come too late.

"Master, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting for a long time." Su Zirui smiled slightly, his tone casual, and his sharp eyes looked at the monk in front of him without any concealment.

The profile of his face did bear some resemblance to the Meng brothers, but his features were calm and composed, his whole person as steady and upright as a pine or cypress, completely masking the Meng family's wickedness and domineering aura. No wonder even he hadn't recognized him. If Yiyuan hadn't dressed like a layman last night and hadn't happened to run into Zhang Liang, it would have been difficult to connect him with the Meng brothers.

"Is Lord Su so obsessed with the past?" Yi Yuanbo asked in a flat tone, fiddling with the Buddhist beads in his hand.

Su Zirui retracted his gaze and said, "When I handle cases, I never leave any trouble behind."

Yiyuan scoffed. The Ministry of Justice didn't want to leave any trouble behind, yet they loved to push it onto others. Lately, many officials' wives had flocked to Dayin Temple to burn incense and pray for their husbands' protection. He was well-informed about the current state of Yangzhou's officialdom. Thinking this man was difficult to deal with, Yiyuan didn't bother to engage in witty banter. "I never thought those things would be brought up again, let alone escape."

He had countless ways to blend into the crowd and live a carefree life. However, only Buddhism could bring him peace.

"The criminals from back then have all been executed. Now there are no more remnants of the stronghold, only Buddhist monks. Didn't you say that?" Before coming here, Su Zirui might have had a momentary desire to kill, but when he saw the person in front of him, he lost the desire to kill them all. For him, coming here might simply be because there was something he wanted to understand.

"Were you taken to the mountain as a captive, or did you go there voluntarily?"

Yiyuan was silent for a long time, then slowly raised his head and looked up at the sky which had slowly transformed from endless black to azure blue, and the east was already faintly showing white.

What did you think at the beginning?

He could hardly remember the days when his mother had taken him from place to place since he was old enough to understand things. Later, a plague broke out in a border town, and his mother took him with her to support her master. Unable to care for him, she had no choice but to entrust him to a neighboring aunt. But soon, that man, Meng Batian, found him.

The man was killing people without a trace, and he was terrified. He wasn't afraid of dying himself, but he knew the family still had several children, and he had his mother and doctors in the border town, all working hard to save more people. So he followed the man, but he tricked him halfway and escaped.

Not daring to go back to his mother, he became a beggar. Using his brains and strength, he gradually became a successful con man, and he tricked a stupid, yet cunning girl. Neither of them would admit defeat, and they fought each other through a period of hardship.

Meng Batian finally found him, and this time used the girl as bait to bring him back to the Tiger Village. There he met the second-in-command, Meng Bahai, who looked at him presumptuously even though he knew he had Meng family blood.

The people in the Tiger Village were essentially wicked, committing murder, robbery, kidnapping, and other horrific crimes. The most terrifying thing about the Meng brothers was their fondness for young children, especially those with good looks. Those who survived their torture lost their humanity and began to enjoy the killing.

He had seen them so many times that his heart had hardened. But what really made him want to kill them was the increasingly obvious malicious gazes they gave him as he looked more and more like them.

Su Zirui's pupils slightly opened, and his face suddenly darkened. Those two are worse than beasts!

Can't you bear this?

Yiyuan had a sneer on his face, his expression growing colder. "I'm fine with that. After all, this blood and bone originated from them. But... they shouldn't have set their sights on Aruo..."

His cold eyes suddenly became fierce, and Su Zirui exuded a strong murderous aura that made people shudder.

The Meng brothers were not very interested in women, but... those pedophiles were extremely jealous of Aruo and Yiyuan who had survived the disaster. They spoke out and stirred up the malice of human nature, wanting to see how a tender body could give birth to an even more tender life.

The prospect of having a child like their own was so promising, and they could even enjoy the child in just a few years... The Meng brothers were tempted.

"Ridiculous!" Su Zirui clenched his fists, his cold eyes tinged with bloodthirstiness.

"How can such a person survive?" Yiyuan's tone was calm, but there was murderous intent between his brows.

She was a companion who had enjoyed the same chicken leg with him, fought the same enemy with him, and racked his brains to survive with him in the mountain village. She was also the only good person he had met in this world besides his mother.

He had no pressure at all to murder Meng Batian. He seized every opportunity and condition. They discovered the abnormality of the third in command, rescued the young man who Aruo felt had the spirit of a turtle, and spent a month setting up a trap to make the Meng brothers turn against each other.

"What scheme?" Su Zirui frowned. They were only ten years old back then. What kind of scheme could they use?

"Hehe..." Yiyuan raised the corner of his lips, with a hint of evil in the corners of his eyes and eyebrows, "Of course, it's what they want."

It’s just that one dares not speak, while the other shows it.

Even though he had seen all the ugliness in the world during his years as an official, Su Zirui still couldn't imagine how much effort the man before him had put in to suppress his disgust and fear. Even if he was the living devil, pity would still slip through his eyes.

"No need to sympathize with them. If they hadn't died, Aruo and I would have died. Who doesn't want to live? I didn't hesitate to act." Fortunately, God finally opened his eyes. They succeeded and caught up with the opportunity to massacre the village. They destroyed the place where there was only evil and finally escaped successfully.

"To put it bluntly, even if we were discovered at that time, the court would probably still have to reward us for our merits."

Seeing his frank attitude, Su Zirui also suppressed his unnecessary sympathy and asked, "How did she... become Master Shen's disciple?"

Apart from what happened that year, what he wanted to ask most was still the girl with the bright smile.

Yiyuan's expression suddenly became complicated, and he shook his head. "He was the one who came to us. I didn't know what to do at the time, but fortunately, Master Mingguang, a close friend of Mr. Shen, guided me and I became a Buddhist. And Aruo...she came here because of the Shen family."

"What do you mean?" Su Zirui narrowed his eyes slightly. The Qishan Shen family has always been secretive in Da Qi, and only the royal family knows their inside story. If Aruru is not from the Qi family, how is he related to the Shen family?

"I can tell you my story, but I have no right to say anything about her." Yiyuan shook his head and lowered his eyes to avoid his gaze. "Sir Su, Aruo has lived to this day and is very impressive. She has never done anything wrong since she came into this world, nor has she ever hurt anyone. Even when we were reduced to living on the streets, we were just trying to survive on our own. She is the only one who has the right to hate, and she can do whatever she wants with a clear conscience. No one else is worthy."

The meaning of his words made Su Zirui feel an inexplicable dull pain in his heart. The girl had clear eyes, was a little greedy, and her careless look sometimes gave people a headache, but... she was a very good girl.

Yiyuan was satisfied to see the pity in his eyes, which was well hidden, but he had to deal with different pilgrims every day, discover their needs, and manage all the monks in the huge temple. He had long been extremely sensitive to the subtle changes in eye expressions.

Maybe Qin Shuang was wrong. What Aruo provoked might not be a big trouble, but might also be his greatest support.

"The hatred you are talking about refers to Luo Ziran?" Su Zirui asked with a stern look in his eyes.

He had secretly investigated the Liangzhou Marquisate four years earlier. At that time, Shen Nan was critically ill, and Luo Ziran's new concubine was suddenly poisoned. Her maid accused Aruo of being the culprit, and Luo Ziran imprisoned her in a private cell. Qi Shaozhen later approached Jing Lan and secretly rescued her. Shen Nan subsequently died, leaving two victims dead. On the same day, the concubine, already pregnant, also died suddenly. Luo Ziran discovered that it was the concubine's personal maid who, unsuccessfully, poisoned Aruo and instead harmed her master. The maid was publicly executed, clearing Aruo's name, but Aruo never returned to the Marquisate.

It was also from that time that she began to travel around various places in Da Qi.

The case seemed clear, but Su Zirui doubted it was the whole truth. He started with the concubine, discovering she had the same birthday as Shen Nan, and the poison she'd been exposed to was similar to the one he'd been exposed to in the capital, both bearing traces of Yilan. The Shen family excelled in the art of Qimen Dunjia, as well as... strange spells. There had to be something fishy going on here.

"Shen Nan is A'ruo's favorite, and perhaps A'ruo is the same for Shen Nan." Even Yi Yuan had to admit that the cold and aloof woman was only popular in front of A'ruo. "As for Luo Ziran... he probably hates A'ruo, but... he also wants A'ruo."

Su Zirui's expression was solemn, his narrowed eyes revealing a distinct danger. His eyes were filled with overbearing possessiveness and jealousy, hidden beneath a hint of icy frost, yet still conveying a strong sense of oppression. He twitched his clenched fist, as if pondering some covert and unobtrusive method of silencing the witness.

The cruelty and possessiveness hidden in his bones were so exposed that Yiyuan raised his eyebrows in amusement. He leisurely played with the Buddhist beads in his hand, "That's all I have to say. There is no need to get too excited, sir."

Sensing the other party's understanding, Su Zirui, somewhat embarrassed, suppressed his unfamiliar emotions and calmed down, asking casually on the other party's behalf, "Song... is your biological mother?"

This guy has a strong desire for revenge!

Yiyuan's throat clenched, his eyes darkening. "Do you know why Meng Bahai didn't dare touch me for two years? Because at the beginning he didn't know whether I was his eldest brother's child or his own flesh and blood."

But later on, he didn't care anymore, because his elder brother was also secretly coveting her.

Su Zirui's pupils trembled slightly. Most of his injuries were cured by Aunt Song, that calm and gentle female doctor... She actually suffered such humiliation?

"She has suffered too much... She deserves to be praised and live confidently in this world with integrity." Instead of having a child who has the blood of his enemy and killed his father with his own hands... That silly woman suffered humiliation that was enough to destroy a woman, but she still gave birth to him and never resented him for having the blood of those two people.

Now she is doing well, a trustworthy doctor, and has been accepted back into the sect. How can he let her down again?

"I have converted to Buddhism, not only to atone for my sins, but also because only here, under the protection of gods and Buddhas, can I find peace. Apart from Aruo, other worldly affairs are no longer my concern." Yiyuan lowered his head and murmured the Buddha's name.

Su Zirui half-closed his eyes. Now that his internal energy had recovered, the subtle presence outside the courtyard naturally could not be hidden from him. However... everyone's choices had their own difficulties. She had the answer she wanted, and he had no right to interfere.

Not just her, but even the girl he was thinking of, her decision was not one he could interfere with. Regret welled up with heartache. If he had gone back to find her... would she have grown up unbridled and unrestrained under his protection? Just like she had in the capital, living a flamboyant life, instead of reining in that unbridled behavior and learning to be a well-behaved girl after returning to Yangzhou?

Countless thoughts were running through Su Zirui's mind, and all of them were slowly gathered in his eyes.

The turquoise sky had gradually brightened, the haziness of night fading into clarity. A pink dawn glowed across the eastern horizon, and a red object lurked among the clouds. Suddenly, the morning bell of Dayin Temple rang, and a blinding light burst forth from the red bead, illuminating the entire earth.

The golden light slowly enveloped the bedroom, shining on the trembling person curled up outside the white wall.

Her clothes were still damp with morning dew, and Aunt Song bit the back of her hand fiercely, crying silently. Tears kept sliding down her no longer youthful face, dripping onto her sleeves, quickly soaking them.

She squatted down weakly, leaning against the wall to support her body. She couldn't express the pain and bitterness in her heart, and she couldn't even cry out loud.

There was a rustling sound, and soon someone gently lifted her into their arms. Through her tearful eyes, Aunt Song saw a pair of gentle and calm almond-shaped eyes, deep and kind, as if they could embrace everything. It was Mrs. Cheng, whom she had recently treated.

Mrs. Cheng hugged her tightly, patting her back gently, like a mother comforting this hurt child. At this moment, she was not abnormal at all, gentle and strong.

No matter how the darkness devours, the sun rises as usual, its light shines on the earth, and everything becomes lively.

A new day has begun.