Chapter 113 Mountains are high and rivers are long, but we will never meet again.
Zhang Jinghuai silently gazed at Shen Huixue, noticing every subtle change in her.
The marks on her body that once drew attention as belonging to the demon race had disappeared, which obviously wasn't because she had turned into a human.
Zhang Jinghuai asked her, "Can't you stay?"
Shen Huixue shook her head: "No."
"Is it because I didn't go to see you after you were arrested?"
Shen Huixue seemed a little surprised that he would ask such a question, and after a moment of hesitation, she replied, "It has nothing to do with these things."
"Why is that? Because I wasn't good enough to you, so you hate me?"
They all knew the truth about many things, but no one ever spoke about it.
Saying it would only add to her troubles, but since they were about to part ways, Shen Huixue remained silent for a long time before finally choosing to speak her mind.
“I don’t hate you. On the contrary, I always remember that you saved me from a more embarrassing situation, and I have always been grateful to you.”
"Is it just gratitude?"
Shen Huixue lowered her eyes and said after a long while, "You know, Zhang Jinghuai, love means nothing to us. You won't change for me, and when I have the ability, I won't stop for you."
Does she like Zhang Jinghuai? Of course she does.
Over the years they've been together, everything he's done for her has left a ripple in her heart. With each passing day, the feelings have grown and diminished, but she still loves him.
She was even well aware that Zhang Jinghuai liked her; he had made many exceptions for her and, despite the pressure from the Duke of Liguo, kept her here.
She still remembered that once when Zhang Jinghuai returned from a business trip with injuries all over his body, he still remembered to give her a gift.
She had liked that hairpin for a long time, and when she left the capital, she left it there.
But none of these things are the most important to them.
They wouldn't choose each other for the people and things that are most important to them.
Zhang Jinghuai opened his mouth, as if to say yes, but in reality, he couldn't.
Everything he has comes from his family, and he must repay his family. He cannot make even a single wrong step, nor can he abandon the entire Liguo Duke's Mansion for Shen Huixue.
Standing there, Zhang Jinghuai seemed to feel the heavy weight of the entire family pressing down on him, causing his heart to ache.
Shen Huixue looked into his eyes and said to him, "Zhang Jinghuai, wish me a safe journey, and I also wish you all your wishes come true."
She genuinely hoped that Zhang Jinghuai could continue to be this good. He was born to be a chosen one, and she wished that he would never have to bow his head to anyone in the future.
"Have a safe journey," Zhang Jinghuai finally said, forcing himself to stay where he was and not make any pointless attempts to persuade him to stay.
"Mountains may be high and rivers may be long, Zhang Jinghuai, we'll never meet again." Shen Huixue turned around, tears streaming down her reddened eyes.
We will never see each other again in this lifetime.
Returning to Shen Qingwu's side, Shen Huixue said to Achan and Chen Hui, "Achan, Huiniang, we're leaving."
"Be careful on the road."
"Bon Voyage."
Shen Qingwu took a few steps, then suddenly turned back and said, "Achan, I hope you will be happy in the days to come."
If you're happy, Liufeng will be happy too.
Achan was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said, "I will."
The mother and daughter gradually walked into the thick fog, and their figures finally disappeared from sight.
Even after Achan and Chen Hui returned to the city gate, Zhang Jinghuai remained standing there, watching the road Shen Huixue had taken.
After seeing Shen Huixue and her daughter off and returning home, Achan felt that the house was much quieter and suddenly didn't want to stay in Xiling any longer.
"Huiniang, let's buy more local specialties from Xiling, pack our things, and get ready to return to the capital."
"Is Lord Bai returning to the capital?" Chen Hui asked.
"Almost, it won't be long. He'll have someone notify us before he leaves."
"Alright, let's go out for a stroll tomorrow. Besides local specialties, we'll also look at spices. Don't forget, you promised our regular customers that you'd make some novel spice balls when you get back."
"Sigh." Ah Chan sighed. Whenever she didn't want to work hard, Hui Niang would urge her to improve.
After waiting for four more days, they finally received a message from Bai Xiuming's messenger.
Tomorrow, the procession escorting the Prince of Xiling and his relatives will return to the capital. This time, they will travel by water, on official boats, from the Ji River to the Huai River, disembarking at Jiaozhou, and then heading straight to the capital.
Achan had no objection to this, after all, she was hitching a ride on someone else's boat, and traveling by boat was much more comfortable than traveling by carriage.
The next morning, before the two had even set off, a guard from the Mingjing Division knocked on their door, told them they would depart at 9:00 AM, and proactively put their luggage into a prepared vehicle for transport.
After thanking them, Achan followed the baggage handlers in that direction.
Once they stepped out of their house, they discovered that on both sides of the road leading to the dock, there was a soldier standing every few meters, and none of them looked like they were to be trifled with.
Along the street, you could see many people hiding behind their doors, peeking out. They seemed to have heard that the Prince of Xiling was about to be taken back to the capital for trial, and they were all very curious and wanted to join in the fun.
Achan had been hoping for a scene where they would block the road and stand up for the King of Xiling, but unfortunately, that didn't happen. Nothing unexpected occurred until they reached the dock.
The King of Xiling ruled Xiling for many years, but he was not well loved by the people of Xiling.
The common people may seem ignorant to those in power, but they are not stupid after all.
Given the close relationship between the Shen family and the Xiling Prince's Mansion, the sins committed by the Shen family must have involved the Xiling Prince. Otherwise, why would the officials from the court have confiscated the Xiling Prince's Mansion and arrested the entire Xiling Prince's family?
I heard that it was the heir of the Prince of Xiling who put righteousness before family.
More than the life or death of the King of Xiling, the common people were probably more curious about the grudges and affections between the King of Xiling and his biological son.
Today, there were no ordinary people on the dock, and no ships were moored or docked.
Five official boats were moored on the shore, much larger than the boat that Achan had come in.
The Mingjing Guards escorted Achan and the others' luggage onto the first ship.
On the way there, Achan chatted with several Mingjing Guards and heard that the Mingjing Commander was also going with them. She vaguely remembered the commander who didn't seem easy to get along with, and she also remembered that he was the one who suspended Bai Xiuming from his post.
In retrospect, the scene of his suspension that day was most likely a staged performance by Bai Xiuming and his superior for the King of Xiling.
The thought of sharing a boat with the other person made Achan feel uneasy.
However, her troubles soon disappeared.
After she and Chen Hui boarded the ship, they waited until 9 AM, but the commander did not board. Instead, Bai Xiuming and his subordinates arrived.
Today, Bai Xiuming finally donned his official robes, and from afar, his imposing presence was awe-inspiring.
"How did you get on this ship?" As he got closer, Achan couldn't help but ask.
"What's the problem?"
"Aren't there prisoners being escorted to the capital on the next ship? Don't you need to go and guard them?"
"No need." Seeing that Achan was very puzzled, he added, "The commander is on that ship."
It seems like the tasks assigned by the Mingjing Division are reversed. How can the commander do the work while the garrison commander just watches?
Achan was unaware of this, but Bai Xiuming wanted to guard the wanted criminal, though Qin Heng didn't dare to let him.
They were afraid that he might lose his temper on the way and dismember the King of Xiling. Would they then have to send a bunch of Kings of Xiling to the emperor?
Unfortunately, Shen Zhuo was left behind in Xiling to clean up the mess, so Qin Heng, as the commander, had to take matters into his own hands.
Therefore, you shouldn't teach just anyone when you're young. If the kids you raise cause trouble when they grow up, you'll still have to clean up their messes.
It was already past 9 AM, and the boat beneath our feet slowly sailed away from Xiling along the Ji River.
As Chan stood on the deck, watching the city gradually disappear from sight, the slight sense of melancholy in her heart slowly dissipated.
It was late autumn, and the leaves on the mountainsides along the Ji River were a riot of colors—green, yellow, and red—forming a continuous expanse, as if a painter had painted the landscape.
This time, there were no more dragons stirring up trouble in the water.
After five days of sailing, on the evening of the sixth day, the ship finally stopped in Baofeng County, which is under the jurisdiction of Jiaozhou.
Officials from Jiaozhou Prefecture, along with the magistrate of Baofeng County and others, were waiting on the shore early in the morning.
Bai Xiuming disembarked and handed over the duties to them. The prefect of Jiaozhou had already received orders from above to fully cooperate with the Mingjing Division in carrying out its mission.
Upon seeing the person, he didn't say much and directly had Bai Xiuming inspect the cages, carts, horses, and other items that had been prepared in advance.
After Bai Xiuming confirmed that everything was in order, the guards of the Mingjing Division on the five ships disembarked one by one.
When the many prisoners from the Xiling Prince's Mansion were taken off the ship, they all had black hoods over their heads and wore the same prison uniforms, making it difficult to distinguish their identities at first glance.
The prisoners were locked into prison vans one by one, and then boxes were unloaded from the ships behind them, filling three ships in total.
Ah Chan finally realized what the three extra ships were carrying; she guessed that Bai Xiuming had scraped off a layer of the Xiling Prince's Mansion's land when he left.
Afterwards, the group followed the Jiaozhou prefect to the post station, with Achan and Chen Hui trailing behind.
Upon seeing the location of the post station in the distance, Achan summoned a guard from the Mingjing Division and asked him to pass on a message to Bai Xiuming, saying that she was going out for a walk and would be back in a while. Then she pulled Chen Hui toward the busiest street in the county town.
There seems to be some kind of event going on in Baofeng County today. It's already late, but many people are still lingering on the streets, their faces filled with excitement.
Achan and her companion followed the crowd. Before they even got close, they heard the lively sounds of gongs and drums. Soon they saw a large stage set up in an open space. People standing on both sides of the stage were shirtless, their faces painted red, holding torches and making shouts in response to the gongs and drums.
The people on stage were barefoot, dressed in elaborate costumes, wearing different masks, singing strange yet memorable tunes, and dancing.
Their movements are exaggerated, yet possess a unique rhythmic beauty that makes it hard to look away.
"What's going on here?" Achan couldn't help but ask a middle-aged woman who was standing on tiptoe watching with great interest. The woman was also holding a small baby in her arms and staring intently at the stage.
The older woman was very enthusiastic and said to her, "Young lady, you don't look like you're from Baofeng County at all. This is a ghost play."
"Ghost plays?" Achan had never heard of them before, so she could only guess, "Are they for driving away ghosts and monsters?"
"Oh dear, ghost plays have many uses. Exorcising ghosts is a minor matter. Our ghost plays in Jiaozhou are for worshipping the gods and ensuring good weather and a bountiful harvest in the coming year."
"That powerful?"
"Of course!" The old woman proudly pointed to the stage and said, "The young lady is lucky today. She has met the most famous ghost opera troupe in Jiaozhou. After they finish their performance today, they will be heading to the capital to celebrate the emperor's birthday."
As the woman was talking, the little baby she was holding patted her, made two "ah ah" sounds, and pointed to the stage to signal her to look. The woman quickly turned her head away.
Achan also noticed that the noise from the surrounding audience had decreased significantly.
Then, she heard the drums beat rapidly, and the people performing ghost plays on stage moved off the stage. Suddenly, a cluster of firelight appeared on the empty stage, and after the firelight flashed, another person appeared on the stage.
The person was wearing a loose red theatrical costume and initially had their back to the audience. Then, a clear, ethereal chanting voice rang out, and the person's body began to move in various dance-like motions in sync with the melody.
Even without anyone explaining, Achan could sense that the people who came on stage later danced better than the ones before them.
Judging from the excited yet restrained expressions of the audience, this person must be more famous than the previous ones.
When the person on stage turned around, a collective gasp filled the air.
Upon closer inspection, Ah Chan noticed that the person wasn't wearing a mask, but had a very frightening face. At least, she had never seen a normal person's face look like that before. The facial features were arranged in a very awkward and terrifying way, and it didn't seem like it was an act.
"Hui Niang, do you think that face is real or fake?" A Chan asked, leaning close to Chen Hui's ear.
Chen Hui also stared at the people on the stage, her eyes filled with doubt: "I can't see anything unusual, it seems real."
While the two were talking, they heard someone else speaking up.
"Oh dear, Master Yu's face is different every time I see it. I wonder how she painted it. How can it look so real?"
"That's right. The last time I went to the city to watch a play, Master Yu was clearly not using this face. And to tell you the truth, this one looks even more ferocious today, it's really terrifying."
"Having gotten used to Yu Dajia's face, I don't even want to look at those masks anymore; something's always missing."
"How can that wooden mask compare to Master Yu, who is known as the Thousand-Faced Ghost?"
After he finished speaking, he was immediately met with a chorus of agreement.
After the performance by Master Yu ended, he disappeared in a burst of firelight, just as he had arrived. The audience below the stage was no longer as cautious as before, and loudly praised his singing and dancing.
Ah Chan shared their opinion; even if she didn't understand, it didn't stop her from appreciating it. However, she was more curious about the face of the Yu family—how exactly was it made to be so lifelike?
A new actor has arrived on the stage, but everyone is still talking about the actor who played Yu Dajia earlier.
A middle-aged man dressed as a scholar said regretfully to the person next to him, "It's a pity we won't be able to see Master Yu's ghost play during the Spring Festival this year. In previous years, Master Yu always refused to go to the capital when invited. Why is he suddenly going this year?"
“I’ve heard it from the third son of the Zhang family in our village who lives in the prefectural city. I’m telling you this, but you mustn’t tell anyone else,” an old woman suddenly said in a low voice.
"Hurry up and tell us!" someone urged.
At least ten pairs of ears were gathered around listening, and Achan was naturally one of them.
"It is said that Lady Yu suffered a brain injury in an accident back then and forgot that she had been married. Now she has suddenly remembered and is going to the capital to find her husband."
“Well… Lady Yu has been famous in Jiaozhou for several years now, but no one has come looking for her. That man must have changed wives long ago. How can we still find her?” someone said hesitantly.
"Who knows?" The people around sighed.
Achan only overheard it casually, treating it as just another bit of fun, and didn't take it to heart.
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