Zhu Congjian packed up his fishing gear, got up and went out the door, striding towards the Chunyin River.
The Chunyin River is deep and wide, with a ten-mile-long embankment on both banks lined with tall buildings. It is a frequent stop for the city's luxury boats and painted barges. Countless talented men and beautiful women have met on this river and fallen in love at first sight, eventually forming happy marriages.
But Zhu Congjian didn't care much about these things; he only cared about whether his fishing hook was sharp enough and whether the bait was securely attached.
Unfortunately, he sat by the river for a long time, but just like at home, he couldn't catch a single small fish, no bigger than the palm of his hand.
He sighed, thinking it was just bad luck today, but he wanted to stay a little longer.
Just then, someone approached and sat down beside him, asking softly, "You've been fishing for so long without catching anything. It's freezing cold outside, why don't you go home and rest?"
Zhu Congjian was somewhat angry upon hearing this. Wasn't this cursing him? He hadn't succeeded before, did that mean he wouldn't succeed again?
But when he turned around and saw a handsome young man, Zhu Congjian's anger vanished instantly.
He chuckled and said, "Young man, I, an old man, fish, but not for the sake of fishing."
"What is the purpose of that?" the young man asked with a gentle and inquisitive expression.
Zhu Congjian narrowed his eyes and said inscrutably, "It's all for the sake of having fun."
"There are so many principles in the world, and I've figured one out for myself. That is, one should live life to the fullest. I like fishing, and it doesn't matter whether I catch anything or not. As long as I've fished, I've had my fill."
The young man took his words to heart, looked up at the misty water vapor over the Chunyin River in the distance, and unconsciously repeated those two words to himself: "Enjoy to the fullest..."
He smiled, stood up, cupped his hands in greeting to Zhu Congjian, and said, "Hearing your words is worth more than reading ten years of books. Thank you, sir. I have learned a great deal today."
Zhu Congjian nodded and cast his line into the river again, waiting for a fish to bite.
The young man turned and went to the carriage on the embankment. A guard in a short brown robe called to him in a low voice, "Young master, it's time to go."
He nodded: "Yes, it's time to go."
On this day, snow floated on the clouds and the river turned green. A carriage carrying a master and servant sped out of the capital city.
Ten miles behind them, fifty elite soldiers rode out of Yujing City and quietly followed.
This master and servant pair were Rong Heng.
When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter. After Chang Beiqiu's downfall, Wei Qinglou also thoroughly investigated who had made deals with him to forge military equipment. The day after the deposed crown prince's death, he began to carefully search for Rong Heng's whereabouts. Zhu Jiayu also drew a portrait of him and his guards and gave it to Wei Qinglou so that Wei Qinglou could distribute the portraits to the guards in the city for identification.
Wei Qinglou did not conduct a large-scale search for Rong Heng and his subordinates, but instead tried to make Rong Heng reveal his true colors in a subtle and gradual way.
As it turned out, although it took quite a while, he ultimately succeeded in completing this daring maneuver of waiting for the rabbit to run into the tree stump.
A day later, fifty elite soldiers surrounded the dilapidated temple where Rong Heng was staying. Upon receiving the news, Zhu Jiayu and Wei Qinglou rushed over.
Rong Heng, who was sitting on the ground in the temple, heard the hurried sound of horses' hooves. A smile appeared on his lips as he said, "Since Miss Zhu has come, wouldn't it be a bit impolite not to greet me?"
Upon hearing this, Zhu Jiayu attempted to dismount, but was stopped by Wei Qinglou.
She gave Wei Qinglou a reassuring smile, her eyes conveying a sense of determination.
This thought reminded Wei Qinglou of Jiang Shaoxing's dream, causing him to involuntarily loosen his grip.
Upon entering the dilapidated temple, Zhu Jiayu's smile vanished, replaced by astonishment.
Rong Heng sat on the ground in a pool of blood, and beside him lay the corpse of his guard.
Tao Yao died protecting her, killed by that guard.
But now, before she could avenge Tao Yao, he was already dead.
Seeing the look of surprise on Zhu Jiayu's face, Rong Heng said with satisfaction, "I heard that you were very sad after that little girl died. Now that I have killed her for you with my own hands, how about it, are you happy?"
He slightly raised his eyes and looked at Zhu Jiayu. His eyes and brows were gentle, like spring water rippling with a lotus flower, with a lingering charm that was damp and slightly cold.
Zhu Jiayu glanced at him coldly, and after a long while, she opened her mouth and said, "Madman."
Rong Heng nodded calmly: "I am indeed a madman, otherwise I wouldn't be waiting for you here. Now I've ended up in your hands again. Now can you tell me, what deep-seated hatred exists between us?"
He thought of what Zhu Jiayu's father had said and enjoyed himself immensely.
He lived a very lonely life for more than 20 years. He didn't confide in anyone or take anyone seriously. He lived like a blade of grass growing in the cracks of rocks or a lonely spring moon hanging in the sky.
Before he met Zhu Jiayu, he lived a lonely life.
Then she appeared. She knew many of his secrets, and she was even adept at using these secrets to expose his tricks and pretenses. But he wasn't angry at all; instead, he felt a sense of pleasure.
There are indeed people in this world who know him.
He loved money and power, and over the years, he had been working tirelessly for both. He ran a ghost market, greedily amassing wealth; he also used Wei Qinglou to frame Chang Beiqiu and the Crown Prince. Although in the end it benefited Prince Ke, it was because Prince Cheng was useless, and had nothing to do with him.
It has always been like this; when it comes to manipulating people's hearts, no one can rival him.
But he still wasn't completely satisfied. Looking back, he realized that he could only truly enjoy himself in front of Zhu Jiayu.
He really wanted to know about his past with Zhu Jiayu.
What kind of relationship did they have that Zhu Jiayu knew him so well, and why did Zhu Jiayu hate him so much?
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com