Chapter 856 Good and Evil in a Single Thought
Shen Wuzheng thought for a moment, then smiled and asked, "Ruyi, let me ask you, do you believe that human nature is inherently good or inherently evil?"
The topic suddenly shifted from Yuwen Qian to the good and evil of human nature. Shang Ruyi was taken aback, but she still thought about it seriously. She understood that even a sage might not be able to answer such a question.
So he shook his head and said, "I can't say for sure."
Shen Wuzheng smiled and said, "This answer is correct."
"oh?"
"Human nature is a mixture of good and evil, just like the difference between beauty and ugliness at birth. It's impossible to predict."
"..."
“Even good and evil can be interchanged, just like beauty and ugliness. If a person dares to have surgery on their face, or raise poisonous insects, beauty and ugliness can be interchanged; if a person is deeply saddened and reflects on their mistakes, good and evil can be changed in an instant.”
Shang Ruyi murmured, "Good and evil are separated by a single thought?"
Seeing her thoughtful expression, Shen Wuzheng's gaze softened. After a moment of silence, and watching as the emotions in Shang Ruyi's eyes gradually subsided, he asked again, "Let me ask you again, do you think we were right or wrong in the matter of the Prince of Qin and the Crown Prince fighting each other?"
"this--"
This time, Shang Ruyi was not as straightforward as before. Instead, she looked at Shen Wuzheng with an embarrassed expression. Shen Wuzheng, on the other hand, smiled calmly at her and said, "Regardless of life or death, regardless of gratitude or hatred; regardless of fairness to the King of Qin, and regardless of the Crown Prince's character, let's just talk about this matter, whether it is right or wrong."
Shang Ruyi remained silent for a moment, then finally sighed softly, "That's not right."
"..."
"Throughout history, the eldest son of the legitimate wife has always been the one to inherit the throne. This is not only because this rule has been followed from ancient times to the present, but also because this rule can prevent people from changing their minds. Change leads to chaos, and chaos leads to unrest in the country and unrest in the people."
Shen Wuzheng said, "That's right."
"..."
“You, me, and many others all knew that doing this would cause turmoil in the court, and could then lead to even greater wars throughout the land, but we still did it. Why?”
Shang Ruyi immediately said, "Brother just said that we shouldn't care about life or death, or gratitude or hatred, but when it comes down to it, who can really disregard life or death, gratitude or hatred?"
"..."
"When the Crown Prince left home to cultivate, half of the Yuwen family's achievements were earned by Feng Chen with his own sword and spear. But when the Crown Prince returned, he took away everything that should have belonged to him. This was unfair to begin with. Not to mention that he couldn't stand it, neither could I. Moreover, Yu Mingyue was involved, and so was I. In the end, this struggle will be a fight to the death."
"..."
“I am not a great villain, but I am not a saint who would risk his own life to ‘fulfill’ others.”
"..."
"As for my brother..."
Seeing Shang Ruyi's solemn expression, Shen Wuzheng smiled and nodded, saying, "You and I both know this is wrong, but we still did it. You will always stand by the King of Qin's side, and I will help the King of Qin devise strategies. As for Xingyuan, Shentu Tai, Shantong'er, and the others, they will all do the same."
"..."
"Ultimately, we are just succumbing to our own 'evil'."
"..."
“However, even if we do evil, we can all convince ourselves—you understand that this investiture is unfair to the King of Qin who has been giving so much, and you also want to protect yourself; as for me, I cannot let my little sister be harmed in any way, so I must protect you from losing in this struggle, and I will always stand on the King of Qin's side; as for the other people under the King of Qin, whether for loyalty or for fame and fortune, in short, everyone can convince themselves to do evil.”
"..."
"In fact, apart from saints, almost everyone in this world does evil every day, every hour, and convinces themselves to do what they want to do. It's just that the things they do vary in size, from stealing a country to stealing a hook, and the results are different. Afterwards, some people will make amends, not only to make up for the consequences but also to make up for their good intentions, while others will leave behind a bad name for all eternity."
"..."
"even,"
At this point, he smiled faintly and said, "Your husband, perhaps he doesn't need to convince himself at all, because he wants what he wants; he doesn't need to make amends either. Not only that, he might also silence people and stop them from discussing his mistakes."
Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi thought about Yuwen Ye's bad temper again and couldn't help but smile.
Her smile had barely begun to curve at the corners of her lips when Shen Wuzheng continued, "But the Crown Prince is not that kind of person."
Shang Ruyi stared at him, her eyes wide: "He—"
Shen Wuzheng said, "Most people, including us, will do evil, and can also convince themselves and accept themselves after doing evil, so you and I can sit here and talk about these things with a clear conscience; but he, he can neither stop himself from doing evil nor accept himself as an evil person."
"..."
"You can imagine how much pain he was in."
Shang Ruyi's heart pounded heavily as she said, "So, that's why he wanted to become a monk back then, even giving up his status as the Duke's heir to travel and cultivate?"
Shen Wuzheng said, "You just said that good and evil are separated by a single thought. Many people will have good or evil outcomes and their own fate after that one thought."
"..."
"But he trapped himself in that one thought."
"..."
"I've been trapped for all these years."
Shang Ruyi gasped – so that's how it is.
Over the past ten years, Yuwen Qian had traveled to many places and done many things, but he had always lived in a single moment, a moment in which good and evil intertwined and constantly tore him apart.
He couldn't stop himself from doing evil, yet he couldn't accept his own evil deeds.
Therefore, it didn't matter whether the boulders that Yuwen Ye encountered on his way back to Luoyang, or the saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal hidden behind the mountain walls, were from Yu Mingyue or him. Yet, he was happy that Yuwen Ye returned safely. When Yuwen Ye went to conquer Fufeng, he knew he would be in danger but did not dissuade him, even though he was indeed trying to kill Yuwen Ye, just like when he coldly watched Yuwen Ye struggle and fall into the lake. Yet, he still secretly gave him those two sachets. Later, he also helped him resist Xue Xian's army.
All of this actually has nothing to do with them; he is the one tearing himself apart.
Now, Shang Ruyi finally understood that the best line in the verse that Master Xinzheng composed for him outside the gate of Dayan Temple was—"Reciting it over the years only turns one into a demon."
He knew that his conscience had seen through him.
However, Xinzheng seemed to still want to save him, so he went a step further and told him that although Buddha is not demon, the line between Buddha and demon is very thin. If you understand this, you are Buddha; if you don't, you are demon.
This is the difference between good and evil, just a thought away!
After hearing these words, Jiang Yu, the fake monk who couldn't bear to part with wine and meat, left behind a sentence: "Too much Buddhist heart is also a demon in the heart!"
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