Shu Changyu found it utterly laughable.
He had never wanted to become a villain.
Yet there were always people who forced him, insisting that he become one.
In his previous life, he had sincerely wanted to be a loyal and upright minister. But he had constantly attracted jealousy and suspicion, and in the end, those people had caused his family to be destroyed.
He retaliated with all his strength, pushing both himself and them toward a dead end. It could be considered a tragic conclusion where both sides paid their debts.
In this life, he did not want to repeat the same mistake.
Yet there was another person who was even more unable to let go of the past than him, someone who insisted on helping him reclaim all the grudges from his previous life.
He had spent one lifetime disrupting the order of the world.
And in this lifetime, he was once again being pushed toward that same path.
“Leave.”
Shu Changyu felt exhausted both physically and mentally. He could not say another word.
“Imperial Tutor…”
“Leave.”
Shu Changyu repeated.
Then he turned around, leaving Jing Mu only his back.
“…”
Jing Mu stood there silently, watching his figure.
“…Alright.”
After a moment, he finally spoke with difficulty.
“Jing Mu takes his leave.”
When he turned and walked to the door, Shu Changyu called out to him again.
“Jing Mu.”
He said.
“Do not kill Fan Yuan’an.”
His voice was calm, like a dead pool of water, without even the slightest ripple.
Jing Mu turned around and saw Shu Changyu standing with his hands behind his back, facing away from him.
“Even if I no longer wish to care about you, you are still my student.”
He continued.
“If you do something wrong, then it means I failed to teach you properly.”
“He has done nothing wrong, yet you fabricate crimes for him and want to kill him. Then the fault lies with you.”
“Cause and effect exist. The consequences of your actions will eventually return to you.”
Shu Changyu believed in fate. He believed in karma.
But Jing Mu did not.
He only wanted Shu Changyu.
He could not care about anything else.
“Imperial Tutor, I cannot agree to this.”
Jing Mu said.
“Then from now on, do not acknowledge me as your teacher.”
Shu Changyu replied.
“You refuse to listen to my teachings. I no longer want a student like you.”
Jing Mu lowered his eyes.
“As long as Imperial Tutor can safely remain by my side, what does any identity matter?”
He lowered his eyes and smiled.
“I will come see Imperial Tutor again tomorrow. Please sleep.”
The next day, after Shu Changyu woke up, a prison guard brought him a basin of water to wash himself. Then he invited him to sit aside while he began tidying the cell.
Seeing how diligent and efficient the young guard was, Shu Changyu felt rather surprised.
Thinking back to his previous life, he had spent no small amount of time in prison. The prison guards there, even if they were not arrogant and domineering, would never have been this considerate.
He stood to the side with nothing to do, watching the guard move around busily. Unable to resist, he spoke.
“Hey.”
Shu Changyu asked.
“Are the prison guards of the Court of Judicial Review normally responsible for these miscellaneous tasks?”
The young guard was still quite young. Hearing this, he smiled shyly. His hands did not stop moving as he replied:
“Answering Your Excellency, normally we are no different from prison guards elsewhere. It is just that your situation is special. Lord Jing personally instructed us.”
Shu Changyu nodded.
Whether out of boredom or because of some emotion stirring in his heart, he continued asking:
“What exactly did your Lord Jing instruct?”
The young guard immediately replied:
“He instructed us to take good care of you. Whatever you need, we must bring it to you. We absolutely cannot allow you to feel uncomfortable here.”
Shu Changyu raised his eyebrows.
“I am imprisoned here. That alone is the most uncomfortable thing.”
“In that case, why don’t you simply release me?”
The young guard hurriedly waved his hands.
“No, no, that cannot be done.”
“Then since I have nothing to do here, bring me some books.”
Shu Changyu said.
“This…”
The young guard stopped working and scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
“I cannot decide that either. None of us know how to read. As for getting books, we have to wait until Lord Jing returns and follow Lord Jing’s arrangements.”
Shu Changyu’s face turned cold.
He sneered inwardly and clicked his tongue.
“Then everything your Lord Jing said is just a lie he tells himself.”
“I do not need you people serving tea and bringing water.”
“You refuse to give me freedom. You refuse to give me books. Yet you insist on making me live comfortably.”
He clicked his tongue again.
“Forcing someone to do what they do not want.”
The young guard was not eloquent and had little education. Hearing this, he was immediately rendered speechless.
“Then let me ask you something else.”
Shu Changyu asked.
“Do you know about the Huzhou examination fraud case?”
The young guard hurriedly nodded, afraid this difficult master would become angry.
“How did Jing Mu handle it?”
Shu Changyu asked.
“This…”
That was also something Lord Jing had forbidden them from mentioning.
“Forget it. Get out.”
Shu Changyu had lost his patience. He frowned and waved his hand.
“Leave.”
“My lord, your bedding has not yet…”
“It is not finished being arranged yet.
“Get out.”
Shu Changyu said coldly.
“Yes.”
The young guard immediately withdrew.
Shu Changyu did not lack people to arrange his bedding, nor did he care about these minor details.
But Jing Mu was different.
He insisted on arranging everything down to the smallest detail.
Then what difference was there between this and raising a golden songbird in a cage?
Feeding it, giving it water, cleaning its cage, and playing with it whenever he had time.
But did he ever care about what the bird itself felt?
So after more than ten years of teacher-student affection, this was the ending he received.
Shu Changyu was angered into laughter by his own comparison. Like venting his frustration, he threw the soft bedding from the bed onto the floor and sat alone on the hard seat covered with straw.
When Jing Mu entered Shu Changyu’s cell that day, this was the scene he saw.
“Why has it become such a mess?”
Jing Mu smiled and complained gently.
Then he walked to Shu Changyu’s side and reached out to pull him up.
“Imperial Tutor, this straw mat is cold.”
Shu Changyu raised his head and looked at him.
Jing Mu paused.
Then he once again smiled gently. He placed the several books he was holding beside Shu Changyu and said:
“I heard from the prison guards today, so I went to find a few travel records for Imperial Tutor to read and relieve your boredom.”
Shu Changyu did not respond.
“Imperial Tutor?”
Jing Mu called again.
“Please do not ignore me. You know what I will do.”
Those words stabbed deeply into Shu Changyu’s pride.
He lifted his head and let out a cold laugh.
“Jing Mu, this shameless behavior of yours was not something I taught you.”
Jing Mu still smiled.
“Imperial Tutor is finally willing to speak with me again.”
He said.
“Today, Sister Changlan came to find me. She said she wanted to travel north again and hoped to see you.”
Shu Changyu remained silent.
“I told her that everything was in my hands and asked her not to worry.”
Jing Mu smiled.
“When she returns next time, she will be able to see you.”
“You know what I want to ask.”
Shu Changyu said.
“I already told Imperial Tutor yesterday.”
Seeing him sitting on the thin straw mat, Jing Mu simply removed his own outer cloak and draped it over Shu Changyu’s shoulders.
“This matter… Jing Mu cannot listen to Imperial Tutor.”
Shu Changyu raised his hand, intending to throw away the cloak, but Jing Mu firmly pressed down on his shoulder.
“Today, Father Emperor has already issued the imperial decree.”
Jing Mu smiled.
“Those two officials will still be executed, along with Fan Yuan’an and the Governor of Huzhou.”
“My eldest imperial brother has been demoted to a commoner and confined within the palace.”
Shu Changyu’s entire body froze.
He stared intensely into Jing Mu’s eyes.
“You had the Emperor kill the Governor of Huzhou as well?”
“Yes.”
Jing Mu answered calmly.
Shu Changyu raised his hand.
A slap landed across Jing Mu’s face.
Jing Mu’s head turned slightly from the force. A red mark appeared on his face.
But he did not even change his expression.
After only a brief pause, he looked at Shu Changyu with the same gentle expression.
“Imperial Tutor, does your hand hurt?”
As he spoke, he reached out to hold that hand.
Shu Changyu immediately pulled free.
Another slap landed on Jing Mu’s face.
This time, Jing Mu said nothing.
“Why did you kill him?”
Shu Changyu’s voice trembled uncontrollably. His eyes reddened as tears gathered in his lashes.
His lips trembled as he stared firmly at Jing Mu.
“Fan Yuan’an was innocent. He was innocent as well.”
“Lord Fan spent his entire life serving the country and its people. He was the father official of the people of Huzhou.”
“You killed him because of that matter, and yet you…”
At this point, Shu Changyu’s throat tightened, and he could no longer continue.
A tear slipped from the corner of his left eye.
“If I did not kill him, I could not kill Fan Yuan’an.”
Jing Mu said quietly.
“Fan Yuan’an should never have been killed in the first place. Yet because of Fan Yuan’an, you killed another innocent person.”
Shu Changyu choked back a sob.
“Jing Mu…”
“Jing Mu.”
“You truly are my good disciple.”
“Fan Yuan’an died in my previous life as well.”
Jing Mu stated plainly.
Shu Changyu froze.
Yes.
In his previous life, it had been him.
When the Governor of Huzhou arrived in the capital, he had ordered the execution of his entire family.
Not a single person had been spared.
The person who killed him…
was himself.
Then, suddenly, he burst into loud laughter.
“Good. Truly good.”
As he laughed, tears continuously fell down his face.
“The sins I committed in my previous life truly cannot be erased simply by dying once.”
“The people I wrongfully killed, the crimes I committed…”
“My own disciple has learned them all exactly as they were and is forcing me to suffer through them all over again.”
“Heaven truly refuses to let me be innocent in this life as well.”
“It insists on making me become a hated rat crossing the streets, despised by everyone.”
His laughter and tears frightened Jing Mu until his face turned pale.
Jing Mu raised his hands helplessly, grabbing Shu Changyu’s shoulders and pulling him into his embrace.
His voice trembled as he called him again and again.
“Imperial Tutor…”
“Imperial Tutor…”
But Shu Changyu ignored him and continued laughing.
Holding him in his arms, Jing Mu felt his trembling body and the coldness spreading through him. He was completely helpless.
He buried his face into the hollow of Shu Changyu’s shoulder.
“Imperial Tutor… please don’t be like this.”
“Imperial Tutor…”
After a while, Shu Changyu finally stopped.
His voice was as faint as a thread, yet as emotionless as a still pool of water.
“Jing Mu.”
“You only know how to tell me that you like me.”
“But I fear you do not truly know what kind of person I am.”
Jing Mu buried his head tightly against his neck.
“You only know that I love power.”
“You only know that you fear I will be bullied, that you fear I will not be by your side.”
“But do you truly know what I fear?”
“Jing Mu, what I fear most is returning to how things were in my previous life.”
“I, Shu Changyu, was born with a clear conscience before heaven and earth.”
“Yet in my previous life, I was forced to become a treacherous official.”
“In this life, I have no desires left.”
“I do not want glory or wealth.”
“I do not want overwhelming power.”
“I only want to be a clean and innocent person.”
“I only want to owe no one anything.”
“I only want to live uprightly and honestly.”
“Do not force me…”
“Do not force me to become like I was in my previous life.”
“To the point where even I found myself disgusting.”
Author’s note:
Many years later.
Reporter: “May I ask, Mr. Shu, when you and your spouse have disagreements, how do you usually handle them?”
Shu Changyu: [smiling] “I just reason with him.”
Reporter: “Have there ever been situations where reasoning could not solve the problem?”
Shu Changyu: “Yes.”
Reporter: “Then how do you handle those situations?”
Shu Changyu: “I cry. Then he has no solution at all.”