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Taixu Temple is shrouded in mist and the smoke of incense rises gently.
Inside the temple, the Taoist priests each performed their duties, sweeping, chanting scriptures, and tending the medicinal garden, creating a peaceful and serene atmosphere. Passing through the archway next to the main hall, in an elegant courtyard, fruit trees stood tall and spreading, with ripe fruit covering the ground.
A middle-aged woman in a pale white robe was squatting under a tree, carefully picking fruit. She gently wiped the fruit between her fingertips, a simple smile on her face that belied her age, like an innocent child. She murmured softly, "Pick more, save some for A-Ran and Zhong-Ling… They can eat them when they come back…"
Chu Yiran's "soul" followed Su Jing into the courtyard. The moment he saw the woman's face, he was struck dumb, his whole body trembling.
"Mother!!" he screamed in anguish, rushing forward desperately to embrace that familiar figure. But his body passed right through Zheng Shuyi's shoulder, his fingertips touching nothing but empty air.
Zheng Shuyi, oblivious to everything, continued picking up fruit with a satisfied smile: "Aran likes sweets, Zhongling likes sours... I'll save them all..."
"Mother! I'm here!" Chu Yiran cried out in tears, rushing towards his mother again and again, passing through her body each time. Joy, grievance, confusion, heartache... countless emotions intertwined, choking him with excruciating pain, but Zheng Shuyi couldn't hear his voice.
What exactly happened?
Chu Yiran's gaze shifted to the stone table in the courtyard, where Su Jingzheng was sitting opposite Daoist Jingyang, with tea in front of them and solemn expressions.
"Thank you so much for taking care of my aunt during this time, Daoist Master." Su Jing picked up his teacup, his tone filled with sincere gratitude.
Master Jingyang lightly swept his whisk and sighed, "Your Majesty, there's no need to be so polite. Aran is my disciple, and the princess is also an old friend to me."
"Daoist Master, I should apologize to you..." Su Jing's fingertips caressed the rim of the cup, his eyes surging with pain and guilt, "I am sorry for A Ran, I failed to protect him."
“Everyone has their own destiny…” A trace of melancholy flashed across Master Jingyang’s eyes. “Ah Ran, this child, has been sincere and upright since childhood. Once she has made up her mind about a principle, she will never look back. Little does she know that the world is not simply black and white, and that not everyone will act in a conventional manner…”
Su Jing remained silent for a long time, his voice low and deep, as if shrouded in icy mist: "It's all my fault... I was too stubborn back then, blinded by ambition. A-Ran was right... I insisted on taking A-Ran to the Northern Desert..."
He closed his eyes, seemingly unwilling to recall that painful past: "That battle... killed General Chu, buried 30,000 soldiers in the yellow sand, and caused turmoil in the court, allowing Shen Ji to take advantage of the situation and plant many spies... His people deliberately spread news of the battlefield deaths to Yanjing, and the people spread the word, also letting the princess know that General Chu had died in battle and that A Ran's fate was unknown..."
"The princess was so grief-stricken that she almost hanged herself..." Su Jing's voice trembled. "Fortunately, Huo Yan discovered her in time and saved her... But after this ordeal, my aunt's mind was damaged, and her mental state regressed to that of a child. She can no longer distinguish between the people and things around her..."
Chu Yiran stood frozen in place, unsure how to process all this information...
It turns out that her mother didn't die; Huo Yan saved her! But why didn't anyone tell him?
"To prevent Shen Ji's people from striking again, Huo Yan had no choice but to secretly move the princess and spread the news that she had died to confuse the public..." Su Jing continued, her tone full of helplessness, "Later, when A Ran and I returned from the northern desert, he thought his parents had died and was so grief-stricken that he almost broke off relations with me... Huo Yan secretly told me that the princess was still alive, but I hesitated..."
“I’m afraid that if A-Ran finds out the truth, he won’t be able to withstand the second blow. I’m even more afraid that he’ll be too eager to find the princess, and his whereabouts will be exposed, allowing Shen Ji’s people to find out and attack them and their mother again…” Su Jing’s Adam’s apple bobbed. “After thinking it over, I finally decided to keep it from him. Once my aunt’s health improved a bit, I secretly sent her to Taixu Temple and entrusted her to the care of the Taoist priest, hoping that she could stay away from the strife and live a peaceful life.”
“Originally, I planned to arrange for A-Ran to fake his death and then send him here to reunite with the princess, but—” Su Jing paused, almost choking up, “It’s all my fault! I thought I could arrange everything, but I caused A-Ran’s family to be destroyed, and caused his mother and son to be separated by death…”
Su Jing lowered his head in frustration, tears slowly dripping from the corners of his eyes onto the stone table.
Chu Yiran squatted down beside him, looking at him, unsure of what to think. Fate was truly cruel...
"Why do you have to be so stubborn and self-righteous?"
Chu Yiran's hand touched Su Jing's cheek, but it only futilely passed through his body.
This entanglement spanning a thousand years is filled with misunderstandings and missed opportunities. Looking back on everything, perhaps the ending was already predetermined.
They drifted further and further apart with each clash, no longer trusting each other or opening their hearts to one another; one wrong step led to another...
A sob, tinged with sadness, echoed softly in the courtyard. Su Jing lowered her head, her shoulders trembling slightly.
Zheng Shuyi, who was picking fruit, suddenly looked over and walked straight to Su Jing's side. Her movements were a little slow, but her eyes were as clear as a child's. She reached out her rough but warm fingertips and gently brushed Su Jing's cheek, wiping away his tears.
"Aran... don't cry..." Her voice was muffled and soft, with a hint of uncertainty, but full of pure heartache. "Mother, Mother brought you some fruit."
As she spoke, she carefully placed the fruit in her hand into Su Jing's palm, as if it were the most precious treasure in the world.
Su Jing held the fruit, still warm from her touch, his fingertips trembling slightly. He knew she had mistaken him for someone else. She had taken him for the son she longed for day and night.
His throat tightened, and his Adam's apple bobbed for a long time before he asked softly, "Aunt, will you blame me?" Blame him for insisting on war back then, which killed her husband; blame him for not being able to protect her son; blame him for concealing the truth, which separated them, mother and son, by death.
Zheng Shuyi smiled, her smile warm and tolerant, like the spring sun. "How could your mother blame you?" She raised her hand and gently patted Su Jing's hand, her movements clumsy yet tender. "Aran is a good child, your mother doesn't blame you."
Su Jing forced a smile, but her eyes were still filled with bitterness.
He pulled Zheng Shuyi to sit down on the stone bench, held her slightly cool hand tightly, and turned to look at Daoist Jingyang: "Daoist, my aunt may need your care for a while longer. The war is intense recently, and I'm afraid I won't be able to visit her as frequently as before."
He paused, then added, "The Imperial Guards I've arranged are all on duty outside the temple. If you need anything, please just give them your orders."
Master Jingyang stroked his white beard and looked at him with deep eyes: "Then what does Your Majesty intend to do?"
“Me?” Su Jing chuckled self-deprecatingly, shook his head, and his eyes were filled with desolation. “The sins I’ve committed in this life can never be washed away. I have my own end to live, and it’s time for me to do what I must do…”
He looked up at Master Jingyang, his eyes filled with inquiry, and asked softly, "Master, do you believe in reincarnation?"
Master Jingyang remained silent for a moment, not answering directly, but letting out a long sigh, his eyes filled with understanding.
Su Jing didn't mind and continued speaking softly, as if she were whispering, "If there really is a next life, I hope that in the next life, Chu Yiran and Su Jing will not have the burdens of family and country, nor the great hatred to avenge... just be two ordinary people, simply spending their lives together..."
Master Jingyang suddenly spoke, his tone calm yet penetrating: "What if in the next life, A-Ran still harbors resentment towards you?"
Su Jing slowly withdrew his gaze, which fell on the bright red fruit in his palm. His face was expressionless, only showing an almost obsessive calm: "Then let him kill me once too."
After saying that, he stood up and carefully helped Zheng Shuyi up, his voice very gentle: "Auntie, let's go inside, it's windy outside."
Zheng Shuyi nodded obediently, held Su Jing's hand tightly, and walked into the house step by step. Her steps were a little unsteady, but she walked very steadily.
Chu Yiran watched their departing figures, her heart churning with turmoil.
Proud as Su Jing was, he never imagined he would say such a thing. He never imagined Su Jing's wish would be so simple.
I have no empire, no power, I just want to be an ordinary couple with him, spending my life together.
If there is any resentment, let him kill himself to pay off the debt.
But can the debts between them still be settled?
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