Chapter 45: Time Flows Without Return
Prior Circumstance
The ground of the entire Wang County trembled slightly as the Xiongzhou army withdrew entirely from Wang County and returned to Guìdū.
The person standing silently in the tent had a calm face covered in clear tears.
Behind him, familiar footsteps approached from a distance, and the person drawing near reached out and embraced him. That deep, low voice that haunted his dreams every moment rang in his ear—
"Mancheng…" Not the flat, cold address he usually used in front of others, but filled with deep tenderness and intense love.
"…"
"Mancheng… I'm so afraid you would leave with him…" There was an almost imperceptible catch in his voice, like he might cry.
"…"
"Mancheng… I… I love you, I love you, I only love you alone, I only want you for a lifetime…"
The person whose heart was filled with sorrow had just pushed away the reluctance to part, only to be overwhelmed by guilt. He turned around and embraced the one he loved.
"Mancheng, do you know how much my heart has ached during this time? I'm begging you, please don't do things that wound me again, okay? I… I've been on the verge of collapse these days…"
Mancheng sobbed, apologizing: "I'm sorry, I… I'm so afraid of being alone… Zhangzhou, I'm so lonely, don't you know?"
Don't you know? You clearly know.
My heart is so lonely, I want someone to comfort me, my body is so lonely, I want someone to soothe me. I only want you, but you're so close yet so far that I can't reach you.
Zhangzhou, hurry up and say you'll spend more time with me from now on. Hurry up and say you won't make me lonely anymore. Hurry up and say you won't make me seek comfort from others anymore!
From outside the tent, a cold voice came in: "Third Prince, General Qi is looking for you."
The arm embracing him loosened. The person who had just been pressed close to him retreated to a meter away, saying dejectedly: "Forget it, I have no right to demand anything from you. If you want to find others to accompany you in the future, I won't interfere."
Mancheng opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, that person had already lifted the tent flap and walked out.
No…
Mancheng closed his eyes, tears streaming ceaselessly, seemingly endless.
This isn't the answer I wanted!
Before, I only needed to say half of something and you'd know what I was going to say. Before, I only needed to give you one look and you'd know what I was thinking. Before, I only needed to move a little and you'd know what I was going to do…
Before…
Will it never come back?
---
Peng Hong entered Yaòjí Palace, and not seeing Zhangzhou anywhere, was about to head toward Zhòngbì Residence when he saw the Imperial Guard instructor Huò Ān and the chief of the Rúyì Palace guards, Ōuyáng Nà, standing outside the main gate in low conversation. Peng Hong walked over, and after the two bowed, they glanced at each other, looking as if they wanted to say something but held back.
Peng Hong knew that ever since the威震军 (Mighty Suppression Army) forcefully entered Rúyì Western Palace, all the officials and generals in the city had been filled with suspicion and unease, each person on edge, fearing that in the blink of an eye Yùanliáo would have a change of dynasty, and they would lose their protector.
Peng Hong nodded to the two. Ōuyáng Nà suddenly called out in a low voice: "My Prince!"
Peng Hong turned back, saying calmly: "What is it?"
"My Prince, don't you think it's过分 (excessive) for His Majesty to indulge the Mighty Suppression Army like this?"
Peng Hong said: "His Majesty has his own considerations. You needn't worry."
"But…" Ōuyáng Nà pondered for a moment, saying: "This subordinate believes the Mighty Suppression Army has other designs for entering Rúyì Palace!"
Peng Hong frowned: "What do you mean?"
"My Prince, if the Mighty Suppression Army simply wanted to put the Queen under house arrest, having these soldiers guard Róng xǐ Garden would be more than sufficient. But this morning, the Mighty Suppression Army's Left Vice General, Tái Qīngduān, moved another dozen soldiers into Rúyì Eastern Palace…"
Peng Hong fell silent: What exactly does Mancheng want to do?
Ōuyáng Nà continued: "Although the gardens in Rúyì Eastern Palace have been abandoned for a long time, the ancestral temple of the dynasty is inside. If the Mighty Suppression Army causes trouble…"
Peng Hong didn't wait for him to finish before laughing bitterly, saying loudly: "Don't worry, Mancheng isn't that bored!"
Two meters away, one of the guard soldiers suddenly shifted, calling out in alarm: "My Prince!"
Peng Hong startled, turning to look at him. The guard's face showed a trace of panic, saying: "His Majesty just went out and wouldn't let us follow, saying he wanted to sit alone in Liánsēn Garden…"
A strange, uneasy feeling suddenly struck Peng Hong's chest.
---
Prior Circumstance
Mancheng wandered around Liánsēn Garden, pouting: "Truly a misnomer. Not a single lotus flower! Such a desolate sight."
Zhangzhou sat in the cool pavilion outside the side door to the inner courtyard, watching him walk along the edge of the pond with a smile. He took his hand and said: "There used to be lotus flowers everywhere in this garden. It must have been beautiful. When I was little, my mother took me for a walk here, and I even fell into this pond."
Mancheng grinned, pinching Zhangzhou's face: "You still remember such a small thing?"
"Of course I don't remember. Manager Fú told me."
"How did it not drown you?" Mancheng said, sitting on Zhangzhou's lap, wrapping his arms around his neck as he laughed: "You climbed out yourself?"
"Of course not. I splashed around once and sank right down. Everyone around me jumped in to save me, and by the time they pulled me out, I'd swallowed a bellyful of water."
Mancheng couldn't help but burst out laughing. Zhangzhou held him, and when his laughter subsided, said gently: "Mancheng, this is the place where my birth mother lived. Her spirit must be here too. I brought you here specially for her to see."
Mancheng froze, quickly shifting down from Zhangzhou, sitting down dejectedly: "What's there to see? Let her see her son fooling around with a man, wouldn't that make her so angry she'd come back to life and die again?"
Zhangzhou laughed despite himself, not letting go of his hand, persuading: "She won't be angry. She must know that you love me more than anyone. I want her to know that you're the most important person in my life. I want her to acknowledge you, to bless you with peace all your days."
Mancheng's face flushed slightly: "So corny. If your mother heard it, she'd get goosebumps." He then leaned in again, embracing Zhangzhou, refusing to let go for a long time.
Zhangzhou stood by the pond with his hands behind his back, staring at the murky water in a daze. After an unknown amount of time, he heaved a heavy sigh, turned, and walked slowly through the broken side wall of the inner courtyard toward the back gate.
Suddenly there was a whooshing sound all around. Zhangzhou immediately tensed, shouting loudly: "Who's there?"
Deathly silence.
Then a slash cut through the air: "Kill him, and General Xià will reward handsomely!"
From behind the red walls of the ruins, over a dozen axe-wielding assassins burst forth with murderous intent. Their leader, Tái Qīngduān, wore a grim expression as he bellowed: "Zhangzhou, die!"
Zhangzhou stood there, stunned, asking: "You… what did you just say? Who… wants to kill me?"
"General Xià didn't want to stain his own hands with your blood, so I'm doing it for him." After Tái Qīngduān finished speaking, he waved his hand. Those dozen axe-wielding assassins were all Mancheng's trusted confidants, who had trained in martial arts every day and were fierce and unmatched—far beyond ordinary soldiers.
Even if Zhangzhou had been bare-handed, he wouldn't have sat waiting for death. But upon hearing that Mancheng had ordered his execution, he was struck like by lightning, so shocked he forgot his circumstances entirely, having no desire whatsoever to resist.
Just as those dozens of axe-wielding assassins brandished their weapons and closed in, Peng Hong and Ōuyáng Nà arrived to rescue the king, shouting: "Protect His Majesty!" Nearly a hundred Rúyì Palace guards rushed forward fearlessly to save him, clashing with Mancheng's confidants.
The Mighty Suppression Army was originally fierce, and these dozen were the cream of the crop. The Rúyì Palace guards were no match at all—in moments, many were dead or wounded. Ōuyáng Nà engaged Tái Qīngduān in continuous combat.
Fortunately, Peng Hong fought against a hundred enemies alone, and none of the axe-wielding assassins could approach Zhangzhou.
This Liánsēn Garden was destined to become a tragic place flowing with blood. Ten years ago, Zhāng Shùn watched the woman he had waited his whole life for take her own life here, then went into a frenzy and slaughtered through Rúyì Palace. The garden that once had beautiful lotus flowers was the place Zhangzhou's mother cherished all her life, but now it had become not only desolate and wretched, but also stained with countless acts of killing and blood.
Zhangzhou paid no attention to the screams of battle around him. Twenty-plus years of things Mancheng had said, things Mancheng had done, all surfaced in his memory. The days when the two were inseparable, the days when they waited and yearned for each other—these were unforgettable for a lifetime.
Zhangzhou felt nearly dizzy.
Mancheng! You actually want to kill me! Mancheng! What is left between us? Could it be we've already stopped loving each other?
So it turns out… we were just obsessed with the past, unable to pull ourselves away.
Ōuyáng Nà held on for a long time, constantly retreating. How could a palace guard leader possibly match a Left Vice General of the Mighty Suppression Army who was skilled in battle?
Tái Qīngduān spotted his opening and swung his blade horizontally. Ōuyáng Nà was struck in the abdomen, the pain unbearable, but because of his devotion to protecting his lord, he charged back into battle without hesitation.
Suddenly, lightning flashed and blades gleamed—Zhangzhou had somehow picked up a sword from a dead body nearby. Like a ghost, he darted behind Tái Qīngduān, pressing his blade against his neck. In a low voice, he asked: "I'll ask you one more time: did Mancheng send you?"
Tái Qīngduān roared: "General Xià has long wanted your head…"
The blade rose and fell. Blood sprayed and the head flew off. Zhangzhou turned his gaze away from the headless corpse on the ground, closing his eyes briefly. "Leave no survivors."
With their leader dead, the axe-wielding assassins lost their composure. After a brief, stubborn resistance, they all lay dead on the ground.
Counting Ōuyáng Nà, only six Rúyì Palace guards remained. They knelt at Zhangzhou's feet, and Ōuyáng Nà said: "This subordinate was incompetent, His Majesty was startled. Please punish this subordinate."
Zhangzhou looked down at the corpses scattered throughout the garden, saying coldly: "You protected your lord with distinction. What fault is there?" He then turned to ask: "Ōuyáng Nà, what do you think?"
Ōuyáng Nà spoke directly and without reserve: "Your Majesty, today this incident occurred, and Xià General's plot to rebel is now exposed. The entire court will surely support Your Majesty in attacking him. Even if you wanted to spare his life, it would be difficult!"
"Did you hear that, Peng Hong?" Zhangzhou's gaze remained fixed. "Even if I wanted to spare his life, it would be difficult."
Peng Hong's face darkened. He hastily persuaded: "Zhangzhou, Mancheng wouldn't do such a thing! After all these years with him, don't you understand his heart?"
Zhangzhou faced the still, murky pond water, his eyes filled with boundless despair and helplessness. He murmured to himself: "I… stopped understanding him long ago…"
A suffocating, ripping pain shot through his heart. Zhangzhou's eyes grew hot. He sat on a stone bench nearby, hunching his back and covering his head with both hands, barely managing to hold back the tears in his eyes. After a long while, he looked up and surveyed the remaining six Rúyì Palace guards, lowering his voice: "You've worked hard… I will take good care of your families."