Geng Songsheng glanced down at Yan Sanhe and smiled self-deprecatingly.

“Miss Yan, what have you heard about Old Master Zhu from others?”

“Intelligent and ambitious, gentle and considerate, even-tempered. A good husband, a good father, even a good master.”

“Would you suspect such a person?”

“My answer doesn’t matter.”

Yan Sanhe frowned. “But thinking from your perspective, you probably wouldn’t easily suspect him. Because at the time, the one who stood out to fiercely oppose the marriage was Madam Mao. But him—he had been secretly supporting the match all along. He had even prepared the dowry.”

“You’re exactly right. I would have suspected anyone else before him.”

Geng Songsheng: “In the Zhu household, he treated me like his own son—not just with concern and care, but consideration in every way.”

“So… how did you come to suspect him later?”

“On the return journey, I was desperately thirsty and stopped at a tea stall for cold tea. At the next table, some customers were discussing matters in a prominent local clan.”

The clan’s master had lost his first wife and remarried a second wife.

This second wife was a kind-hearted woman who doted on the first wife’s son even more than her own biological son.

When the master disciplined this son, she protected him. When the son got into trouble outside, she knelt and begged the master to use power and money to smooth things over.

The first wife’s son was thus indulged until he became increasingly lawless, becoming a local tyrant.

Later, when the master died, the first wife’s son took charge of the household. Once he took a fancy to some young lady and wanted to take her as a concubine, but the lady refused steadfastly.

He simply had her kidnapped and raped.

That lady was also fierce-spirited. She returned home, took a rope, and hanged herself, leaving behind a blood letter before dying.

That family also had some minor influence locally. They took the blood letter and filed a complaint at the magistrate’s office. The first wife’s son was arrested and thrown in jail.

This time, the second wife didn’t lift a finger to save him.

The first wife’s son cried and wailed in prison, suffering torture from the jailers. Within a few months, he died.

Those who didn’t know the truth said the second wife had righteously sacrificed family ties—a heroic act.

Those who knew said this second wife’s heart was vicious, her patience tenacious. Without a drop of blood on her hands, she had eliminated the first wife’s son, seized the family property, and still gained a reputation for benevolence.

At that moment, the tea-selling old woman beside them sighed: “This is what they mean by ‘you can know a person’s face but not their heart!'”

That one sentence was like a revelation for Geng Songsheng.

“In the Zhu household, Yuanzhao and I were closest. I knew he wasn’t capable of such despicable tactics. The two sisters were secluded in the inner quarters and were unmarried young ladies—it wasn’t possible. That left only Old Master Zhu and his wife. Though Madam beat and scolded me, ultimately her roots were in the Geng family. There was no need for her to throw more dirty water back on them. Eliminating all impossibilities, only one person remained.”

Silence descended once more.

Yan Sanhe’s gaze rested on Geng Songsheng. “Did you confront him to verify?”

“I originally planned to, but after encountering Zhu Weijin at the inn, I changed my mind.”

“Why?”

Geng Songsheng’s features were hard, and with his face full of stubble, he looked rather fierce. But at this moment, his features softened bit by bit.

“Zhu Weijin, a young lady, going out with four maids, two nannies, seven or eight guards, riding in two carriages…”

He smiled silently. “I suddenly thought—if I had a daughter and my daughter needed to go out, what could I give her?”

“So you immediately understood him?”

“Not understanding.”

Geng Songsheng lowered his long lashes. After a long while, he said softly, “I couldn’t protect her anymore.”

Who was “her”?

Naturally, Zhu Weixi.

Why couldn’t he protect her?

Because of the Geng family, that thousand-year-old great clan.

If Geng Songsheng had placed in the top three, his status as legitimate son and grandson would not only have given him absolute authority in the clan but also allowed him to inherit all the Geng family property.

Now fallen to such depths, would the Geng family still acknowledge him as a son?

Even if they did, what kind of good life could Zhu Weixi have if she married into the family?

Should they truly wander the world?

Could a delicate woman who had never so much as dipped her fingers in spring water endure it? What about when they had children?

Better for her to forget him and find someone suitable in the capital with good prospects to live a stable, peaceful life.

“But you weren’t willing to give up, so you entrusted Zhu Weijin to pass along those words to her?”

“Zhu Weijin wouldn’t say them—she hated me too much for that!”

Geng Songsheng’s voice trembled slightly.

“That was just my own obsession. Once I said the words, I could be at peace with myself.”

Yan Sanhe’s eyes: “It was also a resolution, wasn’t it?”

“Yes!”

Geng Songsheng suddenly opened his eyes wide, his gaze moving from Zhu Weixi’s face down to her knees, then back to her face.

After a long moment, he spoke again: “There must be a resolution.”

Zhu Weixi looked at him, her tear-soaked eyes heartbreakingly beautiful, while his pupils were pitch black and unfathomably deep.

Neither spoke, nor did either look away.

They just looked at each other.

The mountain wind was strong, howling past, yet in their ears, everything around them was silent. They heard only the sound of their own hearts beating in their chests.

Zhu Weixi: You’ve found your resolution—but what about me?

Geng Songsheng: I’ve found my resolution—but what about you?

“Cough, cough, cough…”

The old monk, who had been silent all along, began coughing violently.

“That… girl, don’t stop. Keep asking.”

Yan Sanhe was so annoyed she wanted to glare at him.

Already an enlightened master, yet he still had no sense of timing?

But on second thought, perhaps this coughing came at just the right moment.

So she asked, “Geng Songsheng, did the Geng family later drive you out?”

Geng Songsheng slowly withdrew his gaze. “Not exactly driven out. I wanted to leave.”

Not a single person stood up to ask him why. Everyone just blamed him, cursed him.

Father said: He had disgraced the faces of all the Geng family ancestors.

Mother said: She might as well never have given birth to this son.

His brothers said: Because of him, they couldn’t hold their heads up in Luoyang.

His sisters said: With him as a brother, how could they marry into good families in the future?

“Miss Yan, when you’re someone’s hope, you see fawning faces all around. When you become someone’s burden, all you see are shameless faces.”

Geng Songsheng tossed the pipe toward the old monk, signaling him to prepare more tobacco.

The old monk’s face showed reluctance, but his hands obediently picked up the pipe.

Geng Songsheng sighed. “Suddenly, I found it all utterly meaningless and simply left the Geng family.”

Yan Sanhe glanced at the old monk. “And then you saw through the mortal world?”

Geng Songsheng froze, then suddenly laughed heartily.

“Why would I see through the mortal world? Heaven and earth are so vast—I couldn’t walk through it all in a lifetime, couldn’t see it all in a lifetime. I could finally walk and look around freely.”

This laugh carried the brightness of a clear breeze and bright moon.

Li Bu Yan felt heartache: How can he still laugh?

Young Master Pei felt heartache: This fellow has a big heart.

Zhu Yuanzhao felt heartache: He silently lowered his head.

Yan Sanhe also felt heartache.

She thought of Yan Xing.

He too was a man who had been held aloft by everyone from childhood, who had fallen from heaven to hell, yet never had a laugh like Geng Songsheng’s.

Yan Xing was already someone who could see things clearly.

Yet this Geng Songsheng before her seemed to possess an additional layer of heroic spirit and unrestrained freedom.

Only Zhu Weixi stared fixedly at the person before her, tears falling silently.