0161 170 This Heart is Bright (Part 1)
The temple is built on the mountaintop, shrouded in clouds and mist, and from a distance, the temple seems to be floating in the clouds.
The long ladder stretched out like tentacles, reaching into the floating clouds.
Wu Qiong and Zhou Xiye walked up the steps, the wind whistling past their ears.
"Have you been here before?" Wu Qiong asked.
Zhou Xiye shook his head, "No, temples... I've been to the Yonghe Temple in Beijing."
Wu Qiong smiled, and the two stopped. Her bodyguard handed her a water glass, and after taking a sip, she said, "Of course, it's a place of hidden fortune. But Yonghe Temple is where emperors are born. Ordinary people go there to pursue their studies and careers. If you want to pursue an official career, more people go to Prince Gong's Mansion. After all, everyone wants to have Heshen's luck."
The light was faintly visible on the mountainside. The two of them headed towards Wutai Mountain after getting off the plane. They climbed halfway up the mountain when it was just getting light.
Zhou Xiye sighed and nodded, "Yes, he was lucky. You can see from his historical records how good he was at being an official. But luck alone isn't enough; you also need an Emperor Qianlong."
Wu Qiong wholeheartedly agreed with Zhou Xiye's words, "Of course, it would be even better if the emperor had homosexual tendencies." She handed over the water, and the two continued walking upstairs, talking as they went, "Do you think Qianlong didn't know Heshen was corrupt? Of course he did, but he turned a blind eye. Besides, he was just someone who worked for the emperor. The higher-ups took the lion's share, and he only got a little bit from what the emperor peeked out from between his fingers, which was enough for him to live on for a lifetime."
Zhou Xiye looked down at the steps, pondering Wu Qiong's words. "Then... the emperor can also use him to purge dissidents. There will be people to take the blame, and his own goals will be achieved. It's time to give his subordinates some benefits."
“Yes, this is the way of being an official,” Wu Qiong said, looking at Zhou Xiye. “You understand it, and you’ve done a good job.”
Zhou Xiye shook his head. "The relationships between officials are nothing more than handling interpersonal relationships. To be an official, one must have the people. I used to think about fighting for power, trying to climb the ladder by controlling others, pursuing power in its most essential form, harboring the wildest ambition... But blindly pursuing power will ultimately lead to being devoured by it. When I first met Teacher Hua, she asked me what my political beliefs were. I didn't know; I only knew I had to climb the ladder. Now, after seeing more, I know that being an official among officials is a castle in the air. One must be down-to-earth and do practical things for the people."
Wu Qiong looked up and said, “That’s right. Things don’t always go as planned. To do what you want to do, you have to overcome all difficulties…” She looked at Zhou Xiye and said, “What I fear most is that I will not do what I want to do well and end up losing more than I gain.”
Zhou Xiye understood what she meant, but she didn't say anything.
After walking in silence for a while, Zhou Xiye suddenly said, "You... I thought you would come to the Taoist temple in Kunming with me, but I didn't expect you to come to Wutai Mountain."
"Yes, an old friend of mine is visiting his hometown, so we arranged to meet here."
Zhou Xiye paused, thinking, "Old friend, returning to my hometown for an inspection."
There can only be one person.
Wu Qiong smiled mysteriously, "You two are from the same hometown, but you've never met. It's a pity."
This time, Zhou Xiye didn't want to beat around the bush and said seriously, "Secretary Wu, I haven't thought about it yet."
"You have no choice."
The sharp edge of the blade speaks volumes, lashing out at you.
Zhou Xiye pursed his lips, held his breath, and after a few seconds let out a sigh. He looked at Wu Qiong with a half-smile, "Yes, I had no choice. My husband was taken away, I had no choice but to cooperate. In terms of my career, my personal safety cannot be guaranteed. In terms of my life..." Zhou Xiye finally laughed and shook his head, "And me, I have no life. My life is a mess."
“I’m not your counselor. If you choose to come with me, there might be a way out.”
Zhou Xiye turned his head to look at the white stone steps, which were empty and the wind blew through them.
"Go down, and you will be free. You will gain ordinary, mundane freedom and live a boring life."
The wind whistled, like the low murmurs of countless wandering souls.
Zhou Xiye lowered his head.
The situation was clear, and she didn't know why she had suddenly become cowardly. She dared not make a choice. The immense pressure of idealism and the dead end of reality meant that the dead could not have died in vain, and her life could not bring them back.
Why keep moving forward? Zhou Xiye was somewhat dazed.
The unwavering promises made to Li Ling helped Pei Zhiyu make the right choice. She had lost so much; how was she going to pick it all up again?
Zhou Xiye looked up at Wu Qiong and said, "I can't guarantee what will happen in the future if I have to make a choice at this time."
Wu Qiong didn't respond and turned to walk up the steps. A few seconds later, Zhou Xiye followed slowly.
As the sun rose, the two of them entered the temple, its yellow walls and gray tiles bathed in sunlight.
The bell tolls melodiously, and incense smoke drifts faintly.
Wu Qiong offered incense, clasped her hands together, and went out. Zhou Xiye held his breath and went in. He took three sticks of incense from the holy monk and looked up at the Bodhisattva. The Buddha, with his eyes half-closed, solemnly surveyed the world.
Zhou Xiye met his gaze, trying to understand the compassion in the Buddha's eyes.
She didn't understand before; they said that becoming an official meant repaying the debt by serving eight lifetimes as an ox or a horse. Now she understands; she is a sinner, deeply sinful.
Do you have any wishes?
No, Zhou Xiye slowly closed his eyes, his mind filled with a jumble of thoughts.
I have no desires and no expectations.
A series of Buddhist chants rang in his ears as Zhou Xiye inserted a cigarette into the burner.
Without kneeling or bowing, she turned and left under the monk's watchful gaze.
As she stepped outside, an elderly man with his back to her heard her footsteps, turned around, and asked, "Did you make a wish?"
Zhou Xiye shook his head, "No, I don't believe it."
The old man smiled and said, "It's fine if you don't believe me, come walk with me."
Zhou Xiye followed behind.
“When I first came to Wutai Mountain, it wasn’t as well developed,” the old man said with a smile. “I came with my old friend Charlie back then, probably in 1997. He had just founded his own fund company and wanted to help China improve its financial market.”
Zhou Xiye knew that Charlie, the owner of a top global hedge fund, still wielded considerable influence even after stepping down.
"He told me about his rise to wealth, saying that observing the American financial market, some things always repeat themselves, making experience valuable. From the era before computers to the internet age, some things never change. Reading history books, stories always repeat themselves; from this long-term perspective, no one is unique."
Zhou Xiye nodded in agreement; she rarely heard such teachings anymore.
The old man stopped. "I'm telling you this to tell you not to be fixated on what's in front of you, but to look further ahead. What do you want to do?"
“I don’t know either,” Zhou Xiye said frankly. “To be honest, when I got that list and saw your name, I was quite surprised. There were so many people on it, holding high positions of power. I wondered, why? What is the purpose of partisan strife? People with different values cannot work together. The struggle for interests is an issue that power can never escape.”
The old man smiled, and the two stopped, looking at the Buddhist mountains and fields, where the sound of birds flapping their wings could be heard.
"Yes, that's human nature. Human history has always revolved around interests. If you open up history books and carefully study every word, you'll find the word 'interest' hidden behind them. Of course, the conflicts between us, besides interests, are mostly due to differences in political beliefs."
"I don't understand why, just because of different political beliefs, one would have to hide underground for so long... King Goujian of Yue endured hardship and humiliation, which doesn't seem like the style of a reformer."
"Power is not just about interests; if only it were about interests, that would be great. Interests are things that can be negotiated. You get more this time, I'll get more next time... You can negotiate, you can compromise, everyone has reason. But behind power is more desire, suspicion... When we imported the first 'Lord of the Rings' movie, after a group of people watched it, we knew it was a good movie, and that ring was power," the old man turned to look at Zhou Xiye, "For example... the magic of the ring can make people disappear, and power can do the same. Lack of transparency is the best way to make a group of people disappear. Everything you don't know is because your power isn't great enough, your position isn't high enough. Now, with this ring on your hand, you have power, but people's emotions and desires cannot be controlled by reason."
Zhou Xiye had read the novel and quoted the first sentence from the original work: "One ring binds all other rings, and all is darkness."
“Only those who control their desires can become the master of the Ring, not its slave,” the old man said with a smile. “Fortunately, in the real world, power is not just a small ring; there are many systems and mechanisms for controlling power.”
"No one's power can be above the system."
After listening for so long, Zhou Xiye still didn't understand why the old man had sought her out, but one thing she was absolutely certain of was that the person before her was trustworthy. As they walked, they reached the summit.
The old man saw through Zhou Xiye's thoughts and turned to look into the distance. "Actually, the reason I asked you to come here is to say that we don't care whether you leak the names of the people on the list or not. I want to invite you and extend a sincere invitation."
Seeing the old man's nonchalant expression, Zhou Xiye suddenly felt a surge of anger. "What do you mean? Ye Rouxin is dead, and other innocent people have died because of this... You say you don't care, and that's it..."
"Ye Rouxin's death has nothing to do with us. We are not the ones who wanted to kill you. We did not hurt anyone in this farce."
Zhou Xiye opened his mouth, his face full of disbelief.
"You gave gifts to the people on the list and then wrote down their names... I don't care how Ye Rouxin got the list, but you wrote down the names. Didn't you have any involvement in making the list?"
The old man smiled at Zhou Xiye, and a few seconds later, she understood.
I took a step back, wanting to laugh, but I couldn't.
"They're locked in a fierce battle... and you're the ones reaping the benefits?"
The sun rises, and the sky is clear and blue.
A gust of wind blew, and whether it was tears streaming down her face or not, Zhou Xiye's eyes welled up with tears, and her voice trembled slightly, "...His ability to get the list was also arranged by you...?"
She knew everything that had happened. The people in front of her were the instigators. They had calculated every step of the people involved and their psychological changes, letting things develop as they pleased. The result was exactly what they wanted, without any effort on their part.
The old man remained noncommittal. He sighed, "Zhou Xiye, you're very smart. You understood after just a couple of pointers..." He turned around, "Are you having a hard time right now?"
He laughed, “Difficult goals are what’s really appealing to you. Getting rid of you wouldn’t be worth it… I’m giving you a chance. The door to reform is always open for you.”
After saying this, the old man turned and left.
Zhou Xiye blinked; she couldn't see the mountain clearly, nor could she see anything in front of her.
The vast sky, a single day's wind and sun.
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