Jih Heng’s lips curled into a smile, his amber eyes twinkling with endless frivolity, yet in his heart, during these spring days warm enough to awaken the earth, it turned to ice.
His father was dead. If he hadn’t asked Situ Jiuyue to try and save Jih Minghan, Jih Minghan could have lived another year. In that year, perhaps there would have been another chance at life. But because he chose to try, he forced Jih Minghan to take that risk, and so Jih Minghan died, perishing in the lively night of this spring, without Jih Heng shedding a single tear.
Maybe he truly was heartless, as cruel and indifferent as the rumors claid, which is why he could remain unmoved by his own father’s death. But Jih Heng felt as though a huge rift had been torn in his heart, with fierce wind howling in from outside, leaving him utterly empty.
The Duke Residence was full of splendor and overwhelming power, but since his earliest mories, it was as desolate as a magnificent tomb. He grew up here, seemingly never having a truly naive or cheerful ti, precociously terrifying. Now that he thought about it, it seed he had long ago been preparing for revenge.
The objects of his vengeance were one, the empress, now the dowager empress, high above everyone else. And the other, the Commandery Prince in Yunzhong, whose troops were fierce and formidable. But what did he have? Only the shell of the Duke Residence, and the Jinwu Army that didn’t heed his commands.
Creating sothing from nothing is a long process. Throughout this long process, Jih Heng held no expectations. Revenge is different from other desires. So people study hard hoping to pass the imperial exams, others work tirelessly in business aspiring for wealth, and so won dream of marrying into nobility, while others wish to travel the world. Everyone has their desires, and after they strive, they naturally obtain what they seek upon realizing their dreams.
But what could he obtain?
From the beginning, he knew this revenge was nothing more than a debt of life owed many years prior. Even this debt could not be collected through ordinary ans. What are justice and fairness, if not fleeting clouds? Where do such things exist in this world? It was better to seek out a path from within the darkness. And at the end of that path, he would gain nothing, neither Jih Minghan nor Yu Hongye would co back to life, and the carefree tis he should have had as a scion of nobility would not return.
At the end of darkness was still darkness; he seed forever unable to find the light worth chasing. When Jih Minghan was alive, Jih Heng once held a naive hope. Perhaps one day Jih Minghan would wake up and, looking at him, proudly boast that his son had grown so tall, so strong.
But the outco was nothing. It was as if the heavens, to punish him for his once naive thoughts, severed even that bit of naivety. He was completely subrged in darkness, never to erge again.
That was fine, nothing wrong with it. Life was but a journey through the bitter seas of existence, sooner or later, it was unavoidable.
He lifted his head, the smile on his face growing colder.
Following the festivity, the cheering crowd, he slowly walked on. Gradually, he left the lights and the prosperity behind, walking deeper into the streets—places that seed to be inhabited by the poor, where no one stirred in the alleyways at night. He walked slowly, blending into the night, disappearing into the darkness.
A breeze blew from afar. In the spring night, even the wind was intoxicating. Jih Heng looked up at the sky where the stars shone brilliant like tender gazes. He leaned against the wall and slowly, ever so slowly, slid down to a sitting position.
He was truly exhausted.
Just walking on and on, never knowing when the end would co. Over the past years, Jih Heng never thought he couldn’t carry on. He was young, cunning, insidious, ruthless, stopping at nothing, and there was nothing he couldn’t do. He did not hesitate to sacrifice and use anyone and anything to achieve his goals.
But this determination suddenly collapsed tonight. The death of Jih Minghan made him feel a real weariness in his heart. He wasn’t afraid, only bewildered, wondering how much longer such days would last, and whether all his actions had any aning at all. Yu Hongye had been dead for many years, and Jih Minghan was now also gone; all that he was doing, neither of them could see. His enemies lived in luxury, and what could he do about it?
He was so desperate he wished he could die.
Just then, from the other side of the wall, a woman’s voice was heard, soone saying, "Madam, they are all out, don’t you feel sad staying back at the residence alone?"
Following that, he heard a clear voice, filled with laughter, "What’s there to be sad about?"
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