"What's wrong?"
"I heard it was a new beauty the Emperor had acquired. She was enjoying his favor just a few days ago, but for some reason, she suddenly threw herself into the river today."
"No way? Who's so stupid? Why would someone give up the comforts of the palace to go and keep the King of Hell company?"
"you do not say……"
Hong Ge suddenly felt a chill in his heart. I pushed through the crowd and lay down by the bridge. I saw the clear water of the moat shimmering, with a black cloth shoe floating on it, swaying back and forth in the current. The red embroidered character "陵" on the sole of the shoe was also swaying in Hong Ge's sight.
"Wearing these shoes, wherever you go, I will feel it and follow you there."
Hong Ge suddenly felt tears welling up in his eyes.
I climbed onto the bridge pier, and amidst the gasps of the crowd, I jumped off without hesitation.
In the end, nothing was found.
Hong struggled in the icy river for a long time until he was rescued. I only managed to grab onto the shoe that was floating on the surface of the water.
I sat on the ground and cried uncontrollably, my mind completely blank.
The last glimmer of hope was shattered; I thought we would never see each other again. Hongge numbly clutched the shoe, a deep-seated hatred gradually rising in his numb mind. I turned my head, and through my blurred tears, the towering city walls looked down upon me, making me feel as if I could see that person's mocking gaze, revealing a hint of disdain and contempt.
Hong Ge understands A Ling. I know that gentle smile is filled with love and longing for this world. His seemingly indifferent thoughts reveal a deep trust and unwavering commitment to principles and life. My A Ling is strong; he won't easily abandon his promise to me, and he won't bear to leave like this.
However, that person reached out and ruthlessly crushed the integrity that we scholars rely on for a living.
If Heaven does not act as Heaven, how can it preserve the virtuous? When those in power are without morality, the world will ultimately have nowhere to go.
Hong Ge shook his head sadly, raised his hand, and a bright yellow scroll fell into the flowing river with the wind.
When I kicked open the wooden door, the servants inside immediately knelt down upon hearing the noise.
A-Ling was soaking wet, her dark hair plastered to her cheeks, water still dripping down. I sat leaning against the edge of the bed, silent and ignoring the shivering crowd, looking utterly lost and disheveled. My dazed eyes were filled with emptiness.
I resisted and rebelled at first, but eventually I submitted. Just when I thought I had resigned myself to my fate, I carelessly created this mess for myself. Am I trying to make the whole world laugh at me?
The young king felt a surge of rage. I rushed over and lifted that thin body up, meeting A-Ling's eyes. Then, a thought struck me, and those dazed eyes, looking at me, were filled with a self-mocking tone.
“I saw myself,” A-Ling said softly, “I have no regrets in this life.”
You once swore that one day you would wear a red robe and black boots and step into the golden palace before me. Now you have indeed kept your promise, but I can only watch your back as you walk further and further away.
"No regrets in this life?" The king sneered, pulling me into his arms with my back to him. He wrapped one arm around my waist, making me look at the servants kneeling in front of me. "Then take a good look and feel what the word 'regret' really means."
A-Ling's fingers were long and graceful, accustomed to holding a pen, but in an instant, she somehow touched a cold object. Before I could react, I felt someone forcefully swing my hand, the heavy force turning into a gust of wind that poured out, followed by a strong smell of blood.
A body collapsed like a log that had lost its support, and crimson blood slowly seeped from beneath it into the surrounding area. Ah Ling, feeling utterly drained, tried to slide down, but someone grabbed her around the waist.
"Bring me a pen!"
The group of servants around him, trembling with fear, scrambled to grab the pen and held it high above their heads.
"For a concubine to commit suicide is a serious crime, bringing disaster upon her entire clan. Today, I have only executed this eunuch who usually serves you through your own hands, which is already a great act of mercy. However..." I pushed A-Ling to the ground, and with one hand, I unceremoniously pulled A-Ling's wet clothes up to his waist: "I also want to teach you how to write the character 'regret'. You, for me, remember it well!"
The soft, snow-white wolf-hair brush was stained with sticky blood, emitting a pungent odor. A-Ling was grabbed from behind by the arm and pressed to the ground, her sharp cries and pleas for mercy echoing throughout the small palace.
The monarch's face held an indescribable cruelty as he poured out his emotions, writing each and every stroke of the blood-red character for "regret" heavily on A Ling's back. The characters, burning hot, seemed etched deep, deep into flesh and blood.
His writing possesses integrity and a measured approach to lightness and heaviness.
The way of writing is revealed in the book, while the mind wanders freely.
This is faith, it is... it is everything.
But now, it is a heavy burden of shackles.
The back of A-Ling was covered with dense, bloody characters. When it was all over, A-Ling was already stiff and collapsed on the ground, unable to move at all.
I was dragged onto the bed in a daze. When I became a little more aware, I found my hands were tied behind my back, and my entire back felt hot and swollen, with an unbearable itch and pain that went deep into my bones. It felt like a hand was recklessly pulling at me, reaching into my marrow. The vivid sensation was so real that I couldn't tell if it was real or not. Ah Ling twisted her body in terror, reaching out to check, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't reach it.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
