Chapter 114 The Death of Liang Ye
All eyes in the Liang household were on Shanhe and her newborn child, making Liyu Pavilion seem even more deserted. Caiping, who loved liveliness, would often run to Cuiwei Pavilion to see the baby. Miao'er, still annoyed with Liang Ye, deliberately bickered with Caiping, who, upon returning to Liyu Pavilion, was determined to perform her duties diligently. Liang Shao was unaware of the discord among the servants, and Shanhe, though occasionally overhearing rumors, pretended not to know.
Half a month after Shanhe gave birth, it was time for Liang Ye to return to Mizhou. Liang Shao had previously agreed with him that once his injuries had healed slightly, he would send Cheng An to escort him back to Mizhou.
“Brother, from now on, you can stay in Mizhou and retire,” Liang Shaoping said in a low voice.
Seeing that Liang Ye didn't respond, Liang Shao continued helping to tie the luggage. Cheng An walked over carrying a satchel, with Zhen Niang following behind, also carrying a bundle on her back. Liang Shao frowned and asked her, "Zhen Niang, are you going back to Mizhou too?"
Zhenniang chuckled, drool dripping from the corner of her mouth again.
Liang Shao handed her a plain handkerchief: "Is the capital not as good as Mizhou? Don't you want to play with Madam Xue's child anymore?"
Zhenniang looked sad, sighed, and shook her head.
Liang Shao sighed, took the bundle from her hand, secretly slipped a few taels of silver inside, and loaded it onto the carriage.
After everyone had finished packing and rested, they realized that Liang Ye was nowhere to be found. Cheng An was anxious, but Liang Shao glanced in the direction of Cuiwei Pavilion and said calmly, "Let's go and look for him at Cuiwei Pavilion."
Inside Cuiwei Pavilion, Qingyue and Caixiang held Miao'er back, preventing her from shooing people away. Liang Ye stood by the window, head bowed and brows furrowed. Shanhe sat behind the window, wearing a headband and holding a child in her arms, her gaze never glancing at him.
Liang Ye pursed his lips and, with his left hand, which was still somewhat capable of holding things, put down a stack of documents and silver notes. The silver notes, totaling about eight thousand taels, were all money he had openly and secretly amassed while handling official business for the Emperor. The documents represented his estates and shops in the capital and Mizhou.
He spoke in a hoarse voice: "For...you and the child."
Before she could finish speaking, Shanhe closed the window.
With a "snap," the wind it generated scattered the documents and banknotes. Liang Ye stood there dejectedly, the sunlight casting a long shadow over him.
Miao'er had broken free from Caixiang and Qingyue's grasp. She rushed forward and threw the silver notes at Liang Ye, yelling, "Stop it! You're just crocodile tears! Why didn't you show mercy before? Get out of here! Go back to your Mizhou! Nobody here wants to see you!"
Liang Ye let her beat and scold him, and said to the window, "Shanshan, don't forget me."
Miao'er grew even angrier: "Damn it! So vicious even before leaving! I'll forget you! I'll forget you! What can you do about it? Get out!"
Liang Shaoli stood at the courtyard gate and called out, "Brother, it's time. You should go."
Liang Ye glanced at the wooden window one last time before taking a step away.
Cheng An drove his carriage all the way to Mizhou, and it wasn't until the third day that he reached the border of Kangzhou. The carriage sped along the official road, and the river beside it was crystal clear. The three of them got out of the carriage, and Cheng An moved a small table and placed it by the river, then spread a cloth on it for Liang Ye to sit on.
Liang Ye opened his book to read, and Cheng An sat beside him turning the pages. Zhen Niang then picked foxtail grass and wove it into a wreath to wear on her head. Not content with just one, she wove one for both Liang Ye and Cheng An, which made Zhen Niang burst into laughter.
After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Zhenniang said she was hungry, and Liang Ye also felt empty, so he sent Cheng'an to drive a carriage to buy food. Cheng'an was worried, but Liang Ye laughed and said, "My left hand can still turn the pages of a book. You can go and come back soon."
Cheng An accepted the order and left.
The dust on the official road gradually dissipated, and soon there were no traces of carriages or horses. Liang Ye silently turned his face, gazing at the river. For no reason, he recalled the poem he had written in Wuyou Garden, titled "Lotus Leaf." He had meant it. Lotus leaf, lotus leaf, He Ye, He Ye. That was a time that belonged only to them, one he could never forget, one he would remember for the rest of his life.
“Zhenniang,” he said with a smile, “I’ll teach you to recite poems.”
Zhenniang, engrossed in weaving a flower wreath, sat down next to him and said, "Okay. I'm listening."
Liang Ye then wrote: "The first shoots emerge timidly from the spring mud, a new green curls and flattens. Before the dragonfly lands, the waves tremble; the fish drag their tails, startled by the leaves. The east wind at night bestows a glassy hue, the morning dew evenly coats the emerald stems. Proudly pure and round, it surpasses all other flowers, for plants are inherently without feeling."
"Lotus leaves stand tall, forming a city; ten thousand fierce beasts arrayed in formation. Brocade sails obscure the sun, veiling the clouds; red calyxes support the shoulders, sheltering all living beings. Raindrops strike the green plate, pearls burst forth; wind rustles the emerald canopy. Clusters and leaves burn with fierce spirit, sending me to burn the nine heavens! I dare to let the sun rise in rosy hues, I will don immortal robes and ride a crane. The flying crane will shatter the sun in the sky, the Milky Way will be kneaded into a road lamp. The bright moon lends me a pot of wine, three thousand lotus guests join the stars. With one thought, all laws are illuminated, I will enlighten the Jade Palace, becoming a saint equal to Heaven."
"The autumn wind rises suddenly, dew condenses, frost descends, and the season banners change. Withered branches and sparse hues gradually lose their color, broken armor and tattered flags still startle. Oars stir up broken leaves, scattering shadows; oars, like cold knives, carve the frigid shore. Withered petals stubbornly retain their former color, decaying grass merely remembers last year's form. Do not lament the crickets' chirping of bygone days; the west wind swirls leaves, creating a sorrowful sound. Three hundred and sixty days a year, then a sense of bewilderment, then a feeling. The soul scatters, bones wither, sinking to the reeds; not dwelling in mud, but in snow and ice." Zhenniang, of course, remembered none of it. Liang Ye, unconcerned, gazed at the calm, waveless river and sighed deeply: "The west wind swirls leaves, creating a sorrowful sound… indeed, it is late autumn."
He remembered hearing stories from his childhood about how when someone tries to commit suicide, the Black and White Impermanence come to collect their soul. He also heard that a drowned person is summoned by a drowning ghost before they drown, and a hanged person is summoned by a hanging ghost before they hang themselves. Liang Ye squinted at the several hazy figures on the river. So who came to collect his soul? Upon closer inspection, he saw that it was his grandfather and parents.
They stood a considerable distance apart on the river, yet they wouldn't sink, waving towards Liang Ye from afar. His grandfather stood in the middle, smiling kindly at him: "A-Ye, we've come to fetch you."
Liang Ye wept uncontrollably.
Grandfather smiled and said, "A-Ye, don't cry. Come back with us. Don't let A-Shao and Shan-He suffer. Let them live peacefully."
Liang Ye's lips twitched, and he lowered his head, tears streaming down his face.
He had so many things left undone, so many ambitions unfulfilled. Sadly, it was too late; his life had come to an end. I wonder if Father felt the same regret when he died? Regret that life was too short and so many things remained unfinished?
Ah, Father and Mother, he hasn't called them Father and Mother for so many, many years.
When I go back and lie beside you, will you say yes then?
He sniffed and said, "Zhenniang, help me up."
Zhenniang carefully placed the foxtail grass wreath on the kang table and helped Liang Ye up.
Liang Ye gestured towards the stone not far away: "Help me move it over here."
"Oh." Zhenniang did as she was told and rolled the stone over.
Liang Ye then said, “Untie my belt, tie one end to a stone, and the other end to my leg.”
Zhenniang did as instructed.
Everything was ready. Liang Ye turned back to look at Zhenniang again: "Zhenniang, do you know the way back to the capital?"
Zhenniang nodded blankly.
Liang Ye smiled, revealing a set of white teeth: "I have a letter in my arms. Take it back to General Liang Shao and Lady Xue in the Liang family mansion in the capital. Do you remember them?"
Zhenniang nodded and indeed pulled a thick letter from Liang Ye's arms. She held the letter in both hands and looked at Liang Ye helplessly.
"Don't be afraid. Just follow the road we came from and keep going north, and you'll reach Kyoto."
Zhenniang asked, enunciating each word clearly: "And what about you?"
Liang Ye felt relieved at that moment: "I'm going to sleep."
Where will you sleep?
He looked up at the sky: "Sleep under the sun."
"I'll go with you."
“That won’t do!” Liang Ye frowned. “You haven’t sent the letter back for me yet.”
"You can sleep after delivering the letter?"
"Yes. Once the letter is delivered to General Liang and Madam Xue, you sit on the doorstep and wait for me to come and get you. Understand? You don't need to come looking for me; just sit there, and I can find you."
"Take me to bed?"
"yes."
"Sleeping in the sun too?"
"yes."
"Are you really coming?"
"Really. My parents just came to pick me up."
Zhenniang flashed a big smile: "Then don't forget! I'll be sitting there waiting for you!" This was the clearest sentence she uttered after being poisoned. With that, Zhenniang clutched the letter and ran off towards the north.
After Zhenniang's figure disappeared into the distance, Liang Ye let out a long sigh. His hands were weak and powerless; even dying was more troublesome than for a healthy person. He could only kick a stone into the river first, then stumble a few steps behind. Soon, his trousers were soaked with water, dragging him heavily. He struggled for a distance before finally losing his footing and falling into the river.
Ripples spread out, and Liang Ye was no longer visible. A gentle breeze blew, and soon the river returned to its calm, as if nothing had happened.
When Cheng'an returned by car, the riverbank was deserted. Only a flower wreath and the pages of a book constantly turning in the wind remained on the kang table. He walked over, pressed down the pages, and looked around, but saw no one. Cheng'an's eyes reddened. He searched along the riverbank, calling out Liang Ye and Zhenniang's names, but to no avail until nightfall. He had no choice but to drive to the nearest county government office to report the matter.
It was pitch black by then, and the county government office had long since closed. Cheng'an wept uncontrollably, pounding on the petition drum. Finally, the gates opened, and a junior yamen runner came in, led him inside, and settled him in a side room, saying impatiently, "You'd better wait! My lady is pregnant, and the master just went to be with her. Now he wants to interfere in your affairs! He really doesn't let anyone have a moment's peace."
Another incense stick's time passed, and the county magistrate, dressed in his robes and carrying a lamp, hurried over. Upon seeing each other, Cheng'an felt even more distressed.
So this is Tongjian County!
The county magistrate was none other than Zhang Fengliang!
In truth, Zhang Fengliang's current predicament is entirely due to Liang Ye's actions.
Upon seeing that it was Cheng An, Zhang Fengliang was taken aback and hurriedly asked, "What happened?"
Cheng An then recounted the whole story of Liang Ye's disappearance.
After a moment's hesitation, Zhang Fengliang immediately summoned his constables to retrieve the body from the river. They finally found Liang Ye the next morning; he was already dead. The belt binding the stone hadn't been tight and soon came undone, the body drifting downstream for a while. Zhang Fengliang stared blankly at the corpse, speechless for a long time. He might not have been unaware of Liang Ye's past actions, but he was grateful for Liang Ye's help in arranging his marriage with Meng Chiying. Besides, he knew that Liang Ye sometimes acted against his will, and he had always respected Liang Ye as an elder brother. Liang Ye was a man of seven evil sides, with only one good side. Since he had shown this good side to him, it was difficult to judge him as an irredeemable villain. Now, it was Zhang Fengliang who was responsible for collecting the body—wasn't this karma? He sighed and personally wrote a letter to Liang Shao, instructing him to send someone to take Liang Ye home.
Cheng An said that a young maid had also gone missing, and Zhang Fengliang led his men to search for her all day, but they found nothing.
Of course, she couldn't get it, so Zhenniang ran north. Exhausted, she fell asleep on the ground. When she awoke, she was in bed, with the faint sound of chanting all around her. Following the sound, she found herself in a nunnery. Two elderly nuns had seen her lying by the roadside and took turns carrying her back to the nunnery. Zhenniang sat on a prayer cushion and listened to the nuns chant. As time passed, she not only learned to chant herself, but her speech also miraculously improved. The nuns said that Zhenniang had received the protection of Buddha and Bodhisattva.
At the end of the year, during the Spring Festival, a temple fair is held on the mountain. The nunnery also becomes lively, with a constant stream of worshippers.
A couple held their one-year-old child, praying to Buddha for blessings and hoping for a speedy recovery from illness. An old nun placed the child on a prayer mat and chanted sutras around him, while the couple waited anxiously outside the hall.
After the chanting was finished, Zhenniang came out carrying the child, smiling and saying, "Benefactor, you're all better now. Go back and take your medicine for a few more days, and the fever will subside soon."
The child's mother turned around and saw Zhenniang, who had already become a nun. Tears instantly streamed down her face. Fanniang asked Zhenniang how she had ended up in this nunnery, where Huaisong had gone, and why he hadn't written to her again. Zhenniang was completely clueless. She took out the letter Liang Ye had entrusted to her and asked Fanniang to help send it to the capital.
Aren't you going yourself?
"I'm not going. I'm staying here."
"Why?"
"It's quiet here."
It was peaceful, with birdsong echoing through the valley. Zhenniang sat on the railing, her heart soothed and at peace. She had found her home and was waiting for the day her parents would come to take her away so they could sleep together under the sun.
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Author's note: This story will be finished this weekend!
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