Chapter 112 Killing Liang Ye
Liang Shao rented two carriages and sent Shanhe and Liang Ye back to the capital one after the other. Shanhe continued to live in Cuiwei Pavilion, while Liang Ye was placed in Liyu Pavilion behind the garden. Liang Shao also provided Caiping and two maids to serve him.
Li Zhun, investigating the palace case, personally led the imperial guards to drain the Yuzhen Pond using a waterwheel. Beneath the Thousand Buddha Pavilion lay piles of white bones, some intact, others just heads. Even the imperial guards, let alone the onlookers, were terrified. Li Zhun was furious. The palace was the emperor's residence; how could anyone be allowed to bury corpses? It was a grave offense. He immediately submitted a memorial requesting a thorough investigation, but the emperor withheld the order. Li Zhun was puzzled. His advisors, having investigated the matter, returned and told him, "His Majesty personally appointed Liang Ye to oversee the palace's affairs." This was a cleverly worded explanation, and Li Zhun immediately understood. The corpses in the Yuzhen Pond undoubtedly belonged to people the emperor wanted to kill, and Liang Ye was merely a tool in that process.
However, the rumors of the drowning at Yuzhen Pond had already spread, and the biography of Liang Ye, the Junior Minister, was circulating widely in the marketplace, having a significant impact. Someone had to take the blame. Li Zhun was initially angry at Liang Ye's act of drowning the body, and the act of taking a wife was truly immoral. After calming down, he remembered Liang Ye's past kindness and couldn't bear to lose this good general. After much deliberation, he finally decided to demote Liang Ye first and reinstate him after the storm had passed. So he used the excuse of checking on Liang Ye's health to personally visit him. Not long after returning, an imperial edict was issued, demoting Liang Ye to the rank of Eighth-Rank Judge, and Zhang Fengliang, due to dereliction of duty in supervising the construction, was demoted to Magistrate of Tongjian County in Kangzhou. The matter of the drowning at Yuzhen Pond was divided between Liang Ye and Zhang Fengliang, and the case was closed as a craftsman accidentally falling into the water and their negligence in supervision. At that time, Zhang Fengliang's wife, Meng Chiying, was three months pregnant and had no choice but to accompany her husband to his new post. Mrs. Shi had first lost the eldest daughter of Consort Xian, and now her youngest daughter had gone far away. The Meng family was in dire straits, and she was inevitably distraught and depressed all day long. Fortunately, when Consort Xian was buried, she was buried in the imperial mausoleum with the rites of an empress, and the emperor also proposed the posthumous title of "Empress Xianyi". The prince who died young was posthumously named "Prince Jiang", and the third prince, Li Zhun, personally presided over the memorial ceremony, which was considered to have given the Meng family some face.
The day was bright and sunny, and the sound of cicadas could be heard outside the window. Liang Shao had gone to court, and Shanhe, after getting up, sat in her chair lost in thought. She had recovered considerably, but since that night, she had become taciturn and rarely spoke. Caixiang, seeing her like this, felt anxious yet helpless. Just then, she was serving Shanhe her medicine to help her prepare for childbirth. Shanhe wiped her lips with a handkerchief and suddenly asked, "Is the pregnancy stable?"
Cai Xiang was taken aback, then quickly said, "It's fine! The doctor said that you have a strong constitution, and as long as you rest and recuperate for the next three or four months, you will have a safe delivery. As long as you relax and go out more often, there's nothing else to worry about."
Shanhe smiled and said, "I'm sorry to trouble you to take care of me."
Cai Xiang sat down next to the embroidered stool and comforted her, "This is my duty. I heard from the Second Master that Miss Miao'er will be coming in a few days. She will stay with you until the baby is born."
"Miao'er is coming?" Shanhe's face finally showed a hint of joy. "That's great. With her here, it's sure to be incredibly lively."
Hearing Shanhe say this, Caixiang finally felt a little relieved, and then chattered on and on to comfort Shanhe. Shanhe smiled and agreed to everything. When Caixiang got tired of talking, she smiled and said, "You should go and rest. I'll go out for a walk by myself and come back later." She added, "You don't need to come with me. I just want to walk by myself."
Hearing her say that, Cai Xiang had no choice but to agree.
Shanhe, supporting her back, slowly walked into the small garden. Several scenes in this garden were depicted in Shanhe's paintings. Later, Liang Ye selected these scenes and recreated them as real landscapes. Shanhe walked around the artificial hill and ginkgo trees four or five times, then suddenly turned and headed towards the Pear Jade Pavilion.
Caiping was brewing medicine in the corridor when she was surprised to see Shanhe arrive. Shanhe, however, just smiled gently, took the medicine bowl from Caiping's hands, and said softly, "I'll go see the master. You go and rest." Ignoring everyone's surprise, she pushed open the door and went inside.
Liang Ye was reclining on the couch reading a book when he heard the voice, and without even looking up, said, "Just leave it there."
Shanhe lowered her eyes: "Aren't you going to drink it now?"
Liang Ye was startled, and looked up in a panic. Seeing Shan He approaching gracefully, he immediately stood up and awkwardly threw the book onto the couch. He stammered, "Why are you here?" He quickly went over and helped Shan He sit down.
He was unaware that Shanhe had once tried to kill him. He had not seen Shanhe for some time because he felt guilty, because of the rumors circulating outside and the fact that he had lost his official position, making him too ashamed to go out, and because Liang Shao was blocking him, he dared not expect Shanhe to come to see him on her own initiative.
Shanhe said, "I went out for a walk and ended up here without realizing it." She pointed to the teapot on the table, "I'm a little thirsty after walking all this way."
Upon hearing this, Liang Ye quickly said, "Please sit down, I'll pour you some tea." With that, he immediately turned around to pour the tea.
Shanhe watched his retreating figure. After a short while, Liang Ye came with a teacup. She smiled and said, "I'll have some tea while you take your medicine."
Liang Ye responded, and seeing Shanhe slowly finish her drink, he tilted his head back and gulped down his own medicine. He tossed aside the bowl and sighed, "So bitter."
Shanhe smiled and said, "What medicine isn't bitter?" She paused, "Those fertility-enhancing medicines you gave me back then weren't sweet either."
Liang Ye pursed his lips and sat silently opposite her.
Shanhe added, "I have to thank you. Without you, where would the child come from?"
Every word pierced his heart.
Liang Ye looked out the window and said in a deep voice, "Shanhe, I...I'm sorry." A thousand words were stuck in his throat, but only this sentence came out.
It was too late to say anything. Shanhe raised her eyes, took out a piece of candy from her purse, and wrapped it in a small piece of mulberry paper. She said gently, "Eat this. With candy in your mouth, you won't feel the bitterness."
Liang Ye wanted to cry. He tremblingly reached out, took it, and put it in his mouth, but found the candy tasted bitter.
Then Shanhe spoke up: "Didn't Liang Shao tell you?"
"say what?"
"I was going to kill you that night."
Liang Ye was taken aback.
“He rushed to save you. He couldn’t bear to part with you, his brother. No matter how bad you are, he just couldn’t bear to leave you, his elder brother.” Shanhe turned to look at him. “He’s the one who suffers the most. He has to go to court every day, and there are bound to be some unpleasant things said about him. He used to be such an arrogant person, unwilling to suffer even the slightest grievance, but now he knows how to swallow his pride in front of others. He doesn’t tell anyone that after court he comes to see me, then to see you, and then hides in his study in a daze.”
“Shanhe…” Liang Ye murmured.
“So,” Shanhe drawled, “we can’t keep dragging Ah Shao down.”
Liang Ye asked in disbelief, "What?" He gradually felt his limbs go weak, his muscles and bones loosen, and he couldn't sit or stand. Liang Ye held his head, his mind a complete blank. The cups and saucers in front of him gradually became blurry, but Shan He stood up and smiled gently at him, "I brought this medicine from Jinling, and today we can finally use it."
"You..." He tilted his head and fell to the ground.
This medicine teaches people to relax their muscles and bones, yet it preserves their sanity.
Liang Ye watched as Shan He bolted the door, then walked up to him, sat down with his hand on his waist, and pulled a dagger from his gold-embroidered boots.
"Do you still remember this dagger?" Shanhe stroked the cloud pattern on it. "It was the prize you won from Ouyang Tongyang when you were at Wuyou Garden. That should have been the best time for our relationship. It's fitting to end everything with it."
She said softly, "Actually, I had made a very detailed plan. I would take revenge on you quietly, without giving anything away, without letting anyone know. After you died, I would give birth to the child and raise him properly, waiting for Ah Shao to come back. I even hoped that Ah Shao and I could get back together. Ha, how stupid." She laughed self-deprecatingly, "What a pity, what a pity, Liang Shao came back early, and Wu Tianqi and Mi Xiaoxiao drew our story in the book. I couldn't control how things developed. Liang Ye, that book, it was indeed me who had Miao'er draw it. But I didn't let her draw 'Stealing the Wife.' If she had drawn 'Stealing the Wife,' Ah Shao would have been finished, and the Liang family would have been finished too. For Ah Shao's sake..." As for the Liang family, no matter how much suffering I endured, I had to keep it a secret. But Mi Xiaoxiao commissioned someone to paint "The Wife-Stealing." At first, I didn't understand why he would take it upon himself to paint such a thing. These past few days, I've come to understand; he hates me too. If he hadn't helped me back then, his family's business would have continued. If he hadn't helped me back then, he and Wu Tianqi wouldn't have miscarried, and Wu Tianqi wouldn't have gotten sick. They helped me out of kindness. In the end, not only could they not save me, but they also ruined their own family, almost losing everything. Now, this is all we can do. Liang Ye, it's all retribution. Everyone has their own retribution. It's all retribution!
When Liang Shao returned home from court, he couldn't find Shanhe at Cuiwei Pavilion. Caixiang said she had gone for a walk in the garden. Liang Shao was relieved and went to the garden as well. He was tall and swift, and he circled the garden once, but still couldn't find Shanhe. He grew increasingly anxious and searched twice more, even scouring every cave, but still couldn't find Shanhe. Caixiang arrived with her servants, but couldn't find Shanhe either, so she immediately sent her own servants to search everywhere. After a short while, someone came to report that Shanhe had gone to Liyu Pavilion.
Liang Shao was stunned, and then ran towards Liyu Pavilion. At that time, Caiping and the others were sitting under the eaves doing needlework. When they saw Liang Shao, they smiled and said, "What a coincidence today! Second Master is here, and Madam is here too. Liyu Pavilion has not been this lively in a long time."
"Where is my wife?" Liang Shao asked anxiously.
Cai Ping pointed to the distance and said, "She's inside talking to the old man." She turned her head and saw that the doors and windows were all closed.
Liang Shao rushed to the door, but couldn't push it open; it was bolted from the inside. The windows were the same. He could only pound on the door repeatedly: "Shanshan! Shanshan! Are you in there? Why is the door bolted?"
Shanhe sat on the ground, toying with the dagger. Hearing Liang Shao banging loudly on the door, she sighed, "He left court early today." She paused, "Luckily, when you built the manor, you reinforced the doors and windows of every room. You were afraid I'd escape, weren't you? Ha, this is retribution. The methods you used to force me, the cage you built for me, now hinder your own survival. Did you ever think of that? And this dagger, it's all retribution..."
Liang Ye was completely limp, unable to lift even a finger.
"Shanshan! Open the door! Let me in! Shanshan!"
Shanhe tilted her head back, closed her eyes, and slowly ran her fingertips along the sharp blade.
“Shanhe…” Liang Ye gasped for breath, “I really love you…”
Shanhe became agitated: "Love? How can love that is forced be called love! If you love, how can you let it cause pain, wither, and be destroyed! Have you ever asked me, even for a moment, if I am willing? If I am in pain?"
Liang Ye's pupils contracted sharply. He recalled Shanhe's increasingly somber eyes, her occasional, almost imperceptible furrowing of the brow, and the loneliness that occasionally shone through her paintings. He wasn't unaware of it, but his intense possessiveness and the thought of "doing what's best for her" forcibly suppressed it. He always believed that once he had her, her body, and with time, feelings would develop, and eventually, he would win her heart, achieving fulfillment. Xue Shanhe was gentle; with slow and steady cultivation of feelings, she would eventually love him as she loved A Shao.
"I..." He desperately wanted to explain, but could only manage broken, breathy sounds. Shanhe was right; he let her suffer, let her wither, let her fade away, he was oblivious to her grievances.
"You can't say it either, can you?" Shanhe continued for him, her eyes filled with even more mockery. "Because even you know it's not love, it's possession! It's obsession! You always love yourself first, and only then do you spare some sincerity for others. The person you've wronged the most in your life is your younger brother! Liang Shao is still thinking about how to help you save face!"
Hearing Shanhe's fragmented voice from outside the door, Liang Shao couldn't help but feel his eyes redden. He stopped banging on the door in vain, took a step back, and suddenly kicked the door hard. The heavy wooden door groaned, and wood chips flew from the bolt, yet it remained as sturdy as ever.
"Shanshan!" Liang Shao cried out, "Shanshan! Don't do anything foolish! Please don't do anything foolish!"
Shanhe shed tears, gripped the dagger tightly, raised it high, and aimed it at Liang Ye's throat.
Liang Shao kicked the door while shouting, "Shanshan! Xue Shanhe! Don't do anything foolish! You can't kill people! Xue Shanhe, if you kill someone, you're no longer human! What's the difference between you and those bloodthirsty bastards! Your father doesn't want you to become like that!"
Liang Shao's roar pierced through the door, causing her hand holding the dagger to tremble slightly. She had once been her father's darling, how had she ended up like this?
Liang Shao continued shouting, "If you do this, don't even talk about whether you're being fair to your father and grandfather, how can you face your past self! You absolutely cannot kill anyone!"
Shanhe was startled, and she immediately shouted, "I will live up to my own words!" With that, the dagger fell.
Upon hearing the sound, Liang Shao outside the door froze, and then a thin line of blood splattered cleanly onto the door. He immediately pounded on the door even more violently, but there was no further response from inside. After pounding for a while and receiving no reply, he finally slid down to the ground.
A moment later, a "click" was heard as the door bolt slid open. The two wooden doors opened from the inside, and Xue Shanhe stood wearily behind them, her sideburns frizzy, half her face covered in bright red blood that stretched haphazardly to her collar. She indifferently raised her eyes, glanced at Liang Shao, tossed the dagger in front of him, and without a word, walked straight past him and out.
Liang Shao's pupils contracted sharply, and he rushed into the room to check. He saw Liang Ye lying in a pool of blood, blood gushing from both arms. His long, thick eyelashes were also stained with blood, and with each tremor, a blood-red crescent moon was cast under his eyes.
"Cheng'an! Cheng'an! Quick, someone, get a doctor!" Liang Shao gritted his teeth, hoisted Liang Ye onto his back, and placed him on the bed. "You must save him!" With that, he hurriedly ran out. Shanhe was walking slowly ahead, leaving a thin trail of blood behind her feet. In the distance was the small pond in the garden. Liang Shao was startled and stepped forward, blocking Shanhe's path.
Their eyes met, and both of their faces were wet with tears.
Liang Shao grabbed Shan He's wrist and asked in a hoarse voice, "What are you going to do?"
Shanhe looked up at him, her eyes seemingly lifeless: "I'm going to wash my face. Ah Shao, my face is dirty, all dirty, dirty everywhere..."
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