Qin Shi: I went astray in the Heavenly Sect

Chapter 135 Blood Coldness and Heartlessness: What is Righteousness?

"Young Master Jia?"

A name that was both unfamiliar and familiar. This was not the first time Xiu Yuan had heard of the eldest son of the Zhao state.

Xiu Yuan slowly got up and walked to the window.

He raised his head and looked at the full moon in the sky once more.

"I advise you not to make a move, before I have the intention to kill."

Suddenly, Xiu Yuan spoke softly, and his not-so-tall body suddenly exuded an extremely strong aura, as if soaring through the clouds, making it impossible for anyone to look directly at him.

The messenger's heart skipped a beat. Although Xiu Yuan's supernatural powers were very intimidating, he had not felt any killing intent that threatened life and death. But now, he felt the hairs on his arms and the back of his neck stand on end.

"Who are you anyway?"

"There's no one like you in this world that blocks out the sun!!"

Such a terrifying aura made him think of nothing more than the sun blotting out the sky, but he knew very well that his old rival's organization didn't even have such a person.

Aren't you curious about our plans?

The old man was pale and had a low voice.

The boy suddenly smiled and shook his head.

"Why should I be curious?"

"Whether it's for the sake of loyalty to your own masters or for the greater good of the Zhao state, what does it have to do with me?"

The boy put his hands behind his back, his tone becoming more detached.

In secular dynasties, the struggle for power and the ascension to the throne are filled with intrigue, open and covert battles, and many of the methods employed are a great test of human nature.

The occurrence and development of an event will not only affect one person. Zhao Jia's plan was not the right path. Therefore, it is not surprising that he failed and fled in the later struggle for the throne.

"Your sense of righteousness does not represent the interests of the people, and the righteousness of the people is not what you think."

The old man's face stiffened.

Few people analyze the word "righteousness" in isolation. Mencius, a Confucian scholar, mentioned it many times, but most people only have a vague definition of what it specifically refers to.

Over time, the word "righteousness" has been given other meanings, such as justice and morality. It is the core principle for maintaining social relationships such as those between ruler and subject, father and son, and brothers.

Therefore, for the sake of "righteousness" in their hearts, many people abandon their principles. In Xiuyuan's view, this is nothing more than picking up a sesame seed and losing a watermelon.

"Unable to distinguish right from wrong, ignorant of good and evil, and believing that loyalty to the monarch is the only righteous thing to do—which sage taught you this principle?"

The martial arts world is a place that reveres chivalry. For those in the martial arts world, right and wrong, good and evil, are not clearly defined. They can only feel life and death, so the martial arts world is also chaotic.

At present, these two people value brotherhood more than loyalty itself.

"You're a scholar, aren't you?"

Xiu Yuan didn't turn around, and said softly.

The old man frowned and did not answer.

"Whether it is Confucius, the most revered teacher, Mencius, or Xunzi today, what they seek is the same. Although their paths are different, they all arrive at the same destination."

"When a person abandons their standards of good and evil in order to achieve a certain goal, what is it that they are seeking?"

Upon hearing this, the messenger was completely bewildered, but for the old man, it was like a bolt from the blue.

Looking at the boy standing by the window, the old man slowly spoke.

"What do you want to do?"

The boy's gaze became extremely distant, and then he said, "I came here tonight to pursue the truth, but I have discovered that the problem is not with any particular person, but with the world."

"I would like to ask you two to accompany me."

Upon hearing the boy's words, the two people in the room looked at each other in bewilderment. The old man then asked again.

"Where to go?"

"The Residence of Marquis Chunping".

On the other side, Ni Chang, watching the complete chaos at the Chunping Marquis's residence, smiled slightly.

In the backyard, when the guards and housekeepers found Xiaolin, they were somewhat surprised. They discovered that both Xiaolin and Han Ji had injuries of varying degrees, especially on their pretty faces.

However, recalling the shouts that had come from the bedroom of Marquis Chunping earlier, they still took both of them into custody.

Lady Chunping, seeing Xiaolin and Han Ji's strange expressions, asked, "What's wrong now?"

While covering her right cheek, Han Ji cried and said, "Please, Madam, do justice! This little shrew must have been possessed by something last night. She came to the courtyard and made a scene, even hitting people."

Upon hearing this, the lady frowned. This girl from Jade Flower Pavilion was usually very cautious and had never acted like this before.

When did she arrive?

As if remembering something, the lady couldn't help but ask.

Han Ji summoned her maidservant, and after hearing the maidservant's reply, she spoke up, "One quarter past Yin hour."

Upon hearing this answer, the lady beckoned to the guard beside her and asked, "When did this happen on the Marquis's side?"

The guard gave Xiaolin a strange look.

"The second quarter of the hour of Yin."

Upon hearing this answer, the butler Liu Tong's expression suddenly changed; the development of events seemed to have exceeded his expectations.

"Han Ji, was Xu Lin in your courtyard the whole time?"

At this moment, Han Ji seemed to realize that something was wrong, but since the girl had been making a scene in her courtyard since 1:15 AM, the scars on her face were left by the other girl, so even though she wanted to deny it, she was helpless.

"Yes~~"

Upon hearing this answer, the others present couldn't help but start discussing it. Everyone had just heard that this girl had assassinated Marquis Chunping, but Han Ji's words implied that the other party had caused a scene in her own courtyard.

Everyone understands that a person cannot do two things at the same time.

Therefore, one of the two must have lied, but judging from Han Ji's pitiful appearance with her face pale, the probability of the other party lying is almost non-existent.

"Xu Lin, why did you go to Han Ji's place and cause such a scene?" The lady rubbed her temples, feeling exhausted. There was definitely something strange about this, but she didn't want to get involved.

Xiao Lin had been lying on the ground without speaking, but now that she heard the lady ask, she finally spoke up: "Han Ji has no respect for you, madam, and doesn't know the difference between elders and juniors. Her maids even insulted me. The more I thought about it, the angrier I became, and I couldn't hold back, so I struck her!"

Upon hearing this answer, everyone's gaze turned to the lady again, their expressions varying. This girl had a reason for what she did, and she was truly loyal.

Upon hearing this, the lady frowned even more. Previously, the other party had already pledged his loyalty to her, so the current situation was understandable.

"Who was that who just shouted? Bring them here!!"

Now that it was confirmed that Xu Lin was not the culprit, the lady of the Marquis's mansion naturally went to find the other murderer.

A moment later, a guard stepped forward, knelt on one knee, and said in a deep voice, "Reporting to Madam, just now there was a shout coming from the Marquis's bedroom, and then a dark figure rushed out. That's why I shouted loudly in an attempt to stop him."

The woman turned around and looked at him. Seeing that the other person didn't seem to be lying, she thought for a moment and softly murmured, "A shadow?"

Her gaze then swept across the crowd. If she wasn't mistaken, the murderer should be that dark figure, not the girl in front of her.

Furthermore, the other party intentionally distorted the facts, shifted blame, and harbored malicious intentions.

If the other party either had a personal grudge against the girl in front of her or a hatred for the Jade Flower Pavilion behind her, she immediately thought of someone, someone who was involved with the Jade Flower Pavilion and even had irreconcilable differences with the owner of the Jade Flower Pavilion.

"Madam, the Marquis has awakened!!"

Just then, a maid rushed in, her voice slightly hurried. Hearing her words, everyone present was stunned again. How could it be that Marquis Chunping was not dead?

The lady was clearly stunned. Two incense sticks' worth of time had passed since the news broke, and now the person who came to tell her that Marquis Chunping was not dead and was still alive felt like a dream to her.

Ni Chang, hiding in the shadows, glanced at the crowd, a slight smile playing on her lips.

Wounding but not killing was the boy's request, and even that shout came from her mouth, but in the chaos, no one noticed this.

Just parroting what others say, that's all!
The farce lasted for a full half hour. When Xiaolin returned to the room, she was surprised to find that there were two or four more people in the room.

Ni Chang stood aside, her eyes filled with a hint of inquiry as she carefully examined the other two people. One of the old men had a strip of cloth tied around his right hand, indicating that he was seriously injured.

Xiaolin then looked at the boy standing by the window and asked, "May I ask who these two are, benefactor?"

Xiu Yuan replied softly, "The contact person of Butler Liu Tong, and the person behind this matter."

Xiaolin was taken aback upon hearing this answer.

The young man had previously stated that Liu Tong was likely not one of Chunping Marquis's men, but rather a spy for someone else. Judging from the current situation, this guess seems to be correct.

After a moment of hesitation, Xiaolin asked again, "Who is that person?"

Hearing Xiaolin's words, Xiuyuan waved his hand gently.

The old man said in a deep voice, "Young lady, to be honest, Boss Xu's death was not our doing, nor is it related to us. The thug at the time was named Chen Si, and he was a member of the Hidden Sun Organization. His death was related to the Hidden Sun Organization."

Xiaolin clenched her fists, which were hanging at her sides.

And then came another answer. An answer she could never have imagined.

"However, it was my arrangement that Miss Xiaolin entered the Chunping Marquis's residence. The Chunping Marquis has already gained considerable influence; he can influence the court or remain neutral to protect himself. Such a person is a huge hidden danger for Handan."

"The diner you met back then was someone I deliberately arranged. Liu Tong is one of our men, and he was ordered to monitor your every move in the mansion."

"So from the very beginning, I was your pawn."

Xiaolin's expression turned cold. She had always thought it was a coincidence, but it turned out to be a deliberate arrangement. She said, "How could things be so coincidental?"

"What is your purpose?"

Xiaolin asked again.

After a moment of silence, the old man spoke again: "Literally, if we can use Miss Xiaolin to get rid of Marquis Chunping, that would be best. If Miss Xiaolin's assassination attempt fails, you can also use this opportunity to further strengthen your relationship with Miss Xue Nu."

Hearing this, Xiaolin suddenly said, "Have you considered that Prime Minister Guo Kai might take advantage of your misfortune? How would you deal with that?"

It was Ni Chang and Xiu Yuan who mentioned Guo Kai's matter. Upon hearing this, the old man's gaze became somewhat strange. They had investigated Yao Yi and Xiao Lin. The two girls came from the countryside and were illiterate. He did not think that they could see this far, but now they asked about it. Obviously, she had heard other people's discussions before.

However, the question asked was indeed a highly probable scenario. Guo Kai and Gongzi Jia were locked in a fierce confrontation in the imperial court, and now that such an opportunity had presented itself, Guo Kai certainly couldn't stand idly by.

Upon hearing her words, a hint of apology flashed in the old man's eyes.

Seeing the other person's expression, Xiaolin seemed to have guessed something.

If things were exposed, the best solution would be to make the witness disappear. She was aware of this.

"If they have no use for you, you should discard them."

The old man remained silent. To him, or to Gongzi Jia, it was true that a person with no value was no different from a piece of trash.

"Since you've guessed it, then I won't hide it from you anymore."

"If anything goes wrong, someone will come to fix it."

"make up??"

Xiaolin sneered twice. These words were easy to make; it was nothing more than a means to silence someone. If it weren't for this young man today, she might have already jumped into that bottomless abyss, with no chance of survival.

Upon hearing this answer, she felt for the first time how cold this bustling city of Handan was. Xue Nu once said that what is colder than blood is the human heart, and today she experienced it firsthand.

"You seem to have frightened her."

Ni Chang stood to the side, sword in hand, and spoke leisurely.

The world of assassins is sometimes far more brutal than it is now, but that's something Xiaolin can't experience. But isn't all of this too cruel for an ordinary girl?

Xiu Yuan gently shook his head. He knew that Ni Chang's words were directed at him, but for a girl trying to make a living in this chaotic world, being frightened was better than being tricked to death.

"She needs to learn to accept this cruel world."

"Born in chaotic times, no one can escape unscathed. Even you and I are no exception. Rather than letting her die an unjust death due to someone else's schemes, it's better to let her see the world for what it is."

Ni Chang sighed softly. She knew that perhaps cultivating fate was the right thing to do; at least in this chaotic world, all they could do was adapt to it.
Xiu Yuan turned to look at the bewildered girl beside him, her pretty face filled with confusion and numbness, at a loss for what to do.

He remembered that the other person seemed to have the same expression when he left Sanyang Village.

He then looked at the two people beside him, his gaze shifting slightly, and slowly said, "Xiaolin, do you want revenge?"

(End of this chapter)