Chapter 113 (The last part is a fragment and doesn't translate directly. It likely refers to the birth of a child.)
“No,” Liang Shao choked up, “You’re not dirty, you’re not dirty anywhere.” He pulled Shanhe into his arms.
At this moment, seeing Shanhe so resolutely plunge her knife into Liang Ye, Liang Shao felt how ridiculous all his maneuvering had been. He had only thought about maintaining a facade of peace, only about exiling Liang Ye; he had overlooked the overwhelming pain Liang Ye had caused. Therefore, even someone as gentle as Xue Shanhe would rise up in anger and take up her knife to kill her enemy.
He stroked Shanhe's head, feeling her trembling, and said, "Shanshan, it's okay, it's all over now."
Is it all in the past? Shanhe didn't know. Even now, leaning against Liang Shao's chest, she still felt a pang of regret. She had meticulously planned to expose Liang Ye's murderous acts in "The Biography of Liang Ye, the Junior Minister," destroying his official reputation, then quietly killing him and fabricating a suicide out of guilt. She had prepared everything perfectly. She not only wanted his life, but also to destroy his proud reputation, to ensure he was despised even in death. She would clean herself up completely and then embrace a new life. However, Liang Shao's sudden early return, Mi Xiaoxiao's desire for revenge against both Liang Ye and Shanhe, Liu Liu's innocent and tragic death while protecting her… every person and every event disrupted her plans. She could unravel the intricate details of her revenge, but she couldn't control the emotions of every link in the chain, every person, or even a dog.
Perhaps from the moment she entertained the thought of killing, she embarked on a path of karmic retribution. Heaven was both helping her and warning her. Where, then, lies true rebirth?
The knife missed Liang Ye's neck by several inches, instead stabbing his arm multiple times. He was alive, but his official career was utterly ruined. His right hand could no longer grip anything, and his left hand could only lift light objects. Even worse was his reputation. The biography of Liang Ye, the Junior Secretary, had already led the common people to speculate about the true nature of this once-glorious scholar. Now, with his hands crippled, it only confirmed their suspicions. Even if the emperor wanted to wait for the storm to pass before reinstating him, it would be difficult. Words like murder and rape were like a bone-deep sore, clinging to him for life. If Liang Ye had been a complete scoundrel from beginning to end, perhaps the impact wouldn't have been so great, but ironically, people had previously praised him.
Lee Joon came to visit him in person, carrying two different regrets.
His first regret was that he genuinely liked Liang Ye, even to the point of liking him more than Liang Shao. The two brothers were equally talented, one a scholar, the other a warrior, complementing each other perfectly. But Liang Ye was more ruthless, capable of killing without question, which explained why the emperor entrusted him with so many sordid matters. How could someone in the positions of crown prince and emperor personally commit murder? Naturally, he needed a trusted subordinate to handle these affairs for him. Li Zhun regretted this.
The second regret was that it was Xue Shanhe, not Liang Shao, who wanted to take Liang Ye's life. Li Zhun secretly hoped that one day Liang Shao would kill his brother with his own hands. Li Zhun knew he was a ruthless man; he had killed the Consort Xian, her son, the deposed Crown Prince… all his closest relatives, yet he hadn't hesitated. He was proud of his decisiveness, but also knew that fratricide was dishonorable. Liang Shao was clearly a man of clear and pure heart; what if he had taken the initiative to kill Liang Ye? Li Zhun thought that if Liang Shao could also take up arms and kill his brother, perhaps it would somewhat alleviate the hidden guilt in his heart. He too regretted this.
"Liang Shao, what do you plan to do with your brother?" Li Zhun asked bluntly.
Liang Shao dug his ten fingers into his dark hair, clearly in great pain from being torn apart.
"Your Majesty...does not know."
Li Zhun sat down beside him and put his arm around his shoulder: "Your brother has lost both his hands, so it'll be hard for him to be an official. He'll need someone to serve him for the rest of his life. Sigh..." he said slowly, "Living is worse than dying, isn't it?"
Liang Shao was stunned.
“You might not like what I’m saying, but think about it carefully. Liang Ye is such a proud man. From now on, he’ll have to be waited on hand and foot. Can he endure that? He’s not the kind of person who would rather die than live a miserable life. For him, dying suddenly is worse than living on indefinitely. Isn’t that right?” Li Zhun clicked his tongue. “Xue’s move has truly killed him and destroyed his spirit.”
Liang Shao looked up, bewildered. He wanted to tell Li Zhun that Shan He hadn't killed Liang Ye because he had called out from outside the door, because Shan He didn't want to become like Liang Ye. But then he thought, perhaps Shan He was exceptionally clear-headed at that moment, perhaps she never intended to kill him instantly, perhaps she only wanted to create an opening, to drain Liang Ye's blood little by little, and let him die slowly.
Looking at Liang Shao's astonished expression, Li Zhun smiled and said, "If I were you, I'd rather die for your brother." He stood up and said slowly, "Sometimes, death is a relief..."
Death is a relief. Isn't that right, Consort Xian? Isn't that right, Second Prince? Living is worse than death, so it's better to die cleanly. I'm helping you escape the suffering of this world. Li Zhun thought to himself.
People are always secretly taking care of their own fate while caring about the fate of others.
Liang Shao stood there, stunned. When he came to his senses, he realized he was already standing before the Azure Frost Sword, one hand already gripping the hilt. Shan He was afraid of killing; Shan He didn't know the most efficient way to kill. But he wasn't like that. He had killed so many Chatai people; he knew where to stab and a person would die instantly. Liang Ye was also human; Liang Ye was hateful too. Killing Liang Ye was no different from killing a Chatai person.
Moreover, Liang Ye has harmed so many people and committed numerous evils. How can he be easily forgiven with just verbal repentance? Xue Shanhe, Qingyue, Wu Tianqi, He Niang, Huaisong, Liu Liu... these are the people he knows and recognizes. What about those he doesn't know or doesn't recognize?
Not to mention the pain Liang Ye suffered after losing both hands, Li Zhun's words made sense; killing Liang Ye might not have been a bad thing, as it might have been a way of freeing him from suffering.
The Azure Frost Sword has been drawn.
He plunged a sword into Liang Ye's heart, then staged a suicide for him, much to everyone's delight. In truth, whether it was staged or not was meaningless; the Liang family was completely under his control, and it didn't matter whether others knew or not. It was merely for the sake of a better reputation. They might even praise him for his righteous act of sacrificing his own family.
Alright, let's go! Kill him! Help Liang Ye find release, help Shan Shan find release, and most importantly, help himself find release!
Liang Shao, sword in hand, walked to the front of the Pear Jade Pavilion. In just one month, the pavilion had become noticeably desolate; few people served it, and the walls seemed peeling and crumbling. Cai Ping, expressionless, carried out a tray bearing freshly removed, blood-stained bandages, their bright red color jarring. Seeing Liang Shao, Cai Ping forced a smile: "Second Master, what brings you here?" But a fleeting glance revealed the sword in his hand, and Cai Ping froze.
Liang Shao was stung by her gaze, his heart trembled, and he suddenly came to his senses, not understanding why he had acted so impulsively.
Liang Ye is already disgraced and punished; why should he dirty his own hands?
Liang Shao thought so.
Dying slowly like this is agonizing and painful for Liang Ye; it would be better to end it all with a single stroke, which would at least help him find relief.
That's what Li Zhun said.
Liang Shao was startled, threw down his sword, and ran towards Cuiwei Pavilion.
Shanhe leaned back in a wicker chair, sitting on the veranda basking in the sun. The sunlight was so bright that she used a round fan to shield her face, and no one could tell whether she was crying or laughing behind the fan. Qingyue, Miao'er, and Caixiang carefully attended to her. These days, Shanhe had become even more taciturn; fearing she might commit suicide, they kept watch over her day and night without fail.
"Shanshan!" Liang Shao strode in and half-squatted beside the rattan chair.
Shanhe lowered her fan, revealing her unadorned face. Her belly was too large for her to move easily, so she reached out her cold hands to cup his face, softly asking, "Why are you crying in broad daylight?"
Liang Shao pursed his lips: "It's not tears, it's water."
Shanhe smiled gently, but did not reply.
Liang Shao rested his forehead against the back of her hand, closed his eyes, and exhaled a breath of stale air: "Shanshan, hug me."
So Shanhe reached out her other hand, stroked his head, pressed her face against his cool, dark hair, and closed her eyes to sigh.
When she opened her eyes again, it was early autumn. A thick quilt was laid on the rattan chair, and the round fan had been replaced by a soft handkerchief, covering Shanhe's eyes. Liang Shao was still squatting beside her, slowly massaging Shanhe's hands.
In less than a month, it would be her due date. In the first six months, Shanhe only gained weight in her waist and abdomen, but in the last two months, she started to gain weight in other areas. Her hands and feet were often swollen, and she couldn't sleep well at night. Liang Shao would often massage her hands and feet to make her more comfortable.
"Shanshan, don't fall asleep," Liang Shao said softly. "Be careful not to catch a cold. I'll help you back to your room to sleep later."
"Then let's go back now." Shanhe was about to get up, but she felt a sudden pressure in her stomach and broke out in a cold sweat.
Miao'er, who was not far away, screamed, "Blood! Blood!"
Shanhe was sweating profusely from the pain, and she held onto Liang Shao's hand tightly, refusing to let go.
Liang Shao's heart trembled violently. He scooped Shanhe up in his arms and rushed towards the delivery room, his voice trembling: "Quickly, fetch a doctor! A midwife! Hurry!"
With a month to go before delivery, Qingyue and Caixiang were currently tidying up the delivery room. When they saw Liang Shao carrying Shanhe over, everyone was startled and hurriedly went to greet them.
Cuiwei Pavilion was in complete chaos, with footsteps, exclamations, and the clatter of utensils all mixed together. Shanhe was placed on the newly arranged delivery bed, and the contractions came one after another. She bit her lower lip tightly, her nails digging deeply into Liang Shao's arm.
The doctor and midwife arrived quickly, and Cai Xiang also brought people to boil water. Liang Shao was invited to the outer room, where he listened to Shan He's suppressed moans of pain, his heart aching. He paced back and forth, his palms sweating.
*
At the Pear Jade Pavilion, Caiping changed Liang Ye's dressing and was carrying dirty clothes towards the laundry room. Seeing the servants scattering in all directions, Caiping grabbed a maid: "In such a hurry, are you rushing off to kill someone?"
The maidservant exclaimed anxiously, "She's given birth! She's given birth! Cuiwei Pavilion is packed with people!"
Cai Ping was taken aback: "Isn't the baby due in mid-October? There's still a month to go!"
"That's exactly right! It's been an hour since the baby was born, and the baby still hasn't come out. Second Master is so anxious. He just sent Chengbao to the palace with a letter to summon the imperial physician!"
Upon hearing this, Caiping threw her dirty clothes into the laundry room and hurriedly lifted her skirt to head towards Cuiwei Pavilion.
Meanwhile, inside the Pear Jade Pavilion, Liang Ye lay on a couch, his arms wrapped in bandages, feeling a dryness in his throat. He called out to Caiping, but no one answered. He then called for Huaifeng, but still no one answered.
The teapot was only ten steps away, but to him now, it seemed too far. His arms were weak, and sitting up was difficult. How could he pour tea now that he was finally sitting? Liang Ye pursed his lips, determined to endure it and wait for Caiping or Huaifeng to return.
After that day, Liang Shao laid off everyone in his courtyard, leaving only Caiping and Huaifeng. He knew that Liang Shao also hated him, but he couldn't bring himself to hate him completely.
He waited another half hour, but still no one came. His throat was parched, but his body reacted differently—he needed to urinate.
But I can't use my hands!
Liang Ye shouted "Huaifeng" twice more, but still no one answered. He stood there for a moment, then burst into tears. He was a useless person, a useless person who needed help even to urinate!
Liang Ye finally broke down and lay on the couch, weeping bitterly.
"What's wrong with you?" Zhenniang sat by the door frame, peeking timidly inside.
Liang Ye turned his head, frowning as he looked at her: "He Niang?"
Zhenniang frowned and said angrily, "Zhenniang!" Her old problem was still not cured, and she seemed to be breathing through her words, making a "hoarse" sound as she inhaled.
She stepped forward and used her dirty sleeve to wipe Liang Ye's tears: "Don't cry. Don't cry."
Liang Ye couldn't contain himself at all; in the end, it was Zhenniang! It was Zhenniang!
Zhenniang helped him up and led him step by step. They hadn't gone far when a sound came from the courtyard, growing louder as it approached. Huaifeng grinned and said, "I told you it was a young man! Don't forget!"
The color screen rolled its eyes and scoffed, "I know! You just won the bet, look how excited you are!"
The two men walked over jokingly, and when they saw Zhenniang supporting Liang Ye, they were both startled and quickly went to serve her.
Liang Ye asked slowly, "What 'brother'?"
Caiping and Huaifeng exchanged a glance and whispered, "Madam Xue has just given birth to a baby boy."
Liang Ye was stunned. Zhenniang, however, had a silly smile on her face. She let go of her hand and said, "Little baby?" She was so excited that she couldn't help but drool, but she didn't care anymore. Zhenniang happily ran towards Cuiwei Pavilion.
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