Destined

When Shen Ming woke, the sky was already bright. Before he even opened his eyes, he caught the familiar scent of white sandalwood.

Bleary-eyed, he saw through drifting gauze curtains a woman sitting with her back to him not far away. Morning light spilled into the room as she appeared to be writing something with her head bowed.

Shen Ming pushed himself up. Hearing the movement, Ye Yun quickly rose and lifted the curtain, asking, "You're awake?"

Shen Ming looked up and saw Ye Yun. Noticing he was conscious, she immediately turned to the maid behind her: "Quick, fetch my brother."

As she spoke, Ye Yun instructed someone to prepare rice porridge before sitting down beside Shen Ming. "Are you feeling better?" she asked.

Shen Ming nodded. He could feel his wounds had been properly dressed. Glancing around, he recognized this as Ye Yun's bedchamber and murmured, "What time is it?"

"Nearly morning hours."

While Ye Yun was checking the sky, Ye Shi'an hurried in. The moment he crossed the threshold, he urgently called out, "Shen Ming!"

Rushing to Shen Ming's side, he immediately asked, "Has something happened?"

Shen Ming nodded, then said, "Could you please invite Minister Jiang over? After we discuss matters, I need to enter the palace."

Shen Ming rarely spoke like this - with measured calm, devoid of any teasing or the foolishness that usually colored his words.

His resolute eyes held profound steadiness. The numerous wounds covering his body seemed to have brought not just physical pain, but also unspeakable, earth-shattering changes within.

Both Ye Shi'an and Ye Yun were momentarily stunned. After a pause, Ye Shi'an collected himself and nodded. "I'll send for him. You should rest first."

Shen Ming acknowledged with a sound and fell silent. Ye Shi'an hesitated briefly, but ultimately said nothing more before turning to leave. After he departed, Ye Yun brought over the rice porridge. After some hesitation, she finally offered, "Shall I feed you?"

Shen Ming shook his head, reaching out to take the bowl from her hands and draining it in one go.

After placing the empty bowl on the table, he said quietly, "Thank you."

"You..." Ye Yun couldn't help exclaiming, "What's with this temper of yours?"

Shen Ming froze, lowering his eyes without responding.

Ye Yun laughed in frustration and stood up. "Your trip to Yongzhou has taught you quite the temper - now you won't even speak. Fine then, rest. I won't trouble myself over you unnecessarily."

As she turned to leave, Shen Ming finally spoke with his head still bowed, "Don't be angry."

Ye Yun paused. After hesitating, Shen Ming finally explained, "I was just thinking... you're an unmarried young lady. We should observe propriety."

Ye Yun remained silent for a long while before saying coldly, "If we're observing propriety, you should get out of the Ye Family residence."

"Sorry." Shen Ming's voice was barely audible.

Ye Yun clenched her handkerchief. After a moment, she took a deep breath and turned back to face Shen Ming. "What exactly happened in Yongzhou?"

"Let's wait until Minister Jiang arrives to explain," Shen Ming sighed softly. "I'm rather tired. I need to rest awhile."

With that, Shen Ming closed his eyes as if unwilling to speak further.

Ye Yun stood with her back to him for some time before finally composing herself and returning to her desk to review account books.

While she remained silent, Shen Ming secretly cracked open his eyes to watch her.Unlike the bloody battles along the way, the person before him appeared soft, luminous, and pure. The white veil between them made it seem as though they existed in two separate worlds. Shen Ming gazed quietly at her, his mind gradually clearing.

He remembered what he needed to do upon returning to the Eastern Capital.

Gu Jiusi was still in Yongzhou. He had killed someone, and others would surely cause trouble for Gu Jiusi. He couldn’t just run away. He had to return and confess his crime, but before that, he needed to clarify the situation—at least ensure Fan Xuan understood what had truly happened in Yongzhou.

When he obtained the list, he knew Yongzhou would not let the matter rest easily, but he hadn’t anticipated how far its officials would go. The only thing he could do now was return to the Eastern Capital to seek reinforcements.

He mentally reviewed the events once more. Just then, Ye Shi’an arrived with Jiang He. As soon as Jiang He entered, he demanded bluntly, “Speak quickly. Why are you here?”

Shen Ming had already organized his thoughts. Seeing everyone present, he glanced at Ye Yun. She promptly rose and stood by the door to keep watch outside. Shen Ming took a sip of tea and calmly recounted the events in Yongzhou from beginning to end.

After he finished speaking, Ye Shi’an looked utterly shocked, while Jiang He rhythmically opened and closed his small fan, seemingly deep in thought.

“Since you’ve already escaped,” Jiang He lifted his eyes, his expression cold, “why come to the Eastern Capital now? Do you want us to send you far away to avoid further assassination attempts by the Wang family?”

Shen Ming shook his head. “I’m not here to ask for your help,” he said earnestly, looking at Jiang He. “I’ve come to confess my crime.”

“Confess your crime?” Jiang He scoffed mockingly. “If you’re here to confess, why come to the doorstep of the Ye Family? Why not just go to the Shuntian Prefecture, strike the drum, and shout, ‘I killed Wang Siyuan’? Wouldn’t that suffice?”

“Lord Jiang,” Shen Ming replied steadily, “I know you’re angry that my recklessness has implicated Ninth Brother. But you must understand, I’m not just here to confess. I also need to inform His Majesty about what is happening in Yongzhou. Based on the list I obtained, anything could occur in Yongzhou now—even a military revolt is not impossible. Under these circumstances, I cannot rest easy leaving Ninth Brother there alone. I hope Lord Jiang can arrange an audience with His Majesty for me. After explaining the situation, I will request His Majesty to dispatch troops.”

Jiang He fell silent. After listening for a while, Ye Shi’an couldn’t help but ask, “Then what about you?”

Originally, as a wandering knight-errant like him, killing someone and then moving on to another place would have meant a fresh start in a vast, unconstrained world. But now, by returning to the Eastern Capital, even if Wang Siyuan had committed crimes, bypassing the law to kill him would still mean that while the death penalty might be avoided, other severe punishments would be inevitable.

Hearing Ye Shi’an’s question, Shen Ming actually smiled, his expression gentle. “It doesn’t matter much. Losing my head is just a scar the size of a bowl. I have no attachments, so it’s of no consequence.”

No one in the room spoke for a moment. Then, Jiang He said directly, “Rest and recover from your injuries first. I will make the arrangements immediately. You should be able to see His Majesty by noon.”

Shen Ming acknowledged this. Jiang He stood up and led Ye Shi’an out. After they left, Ye Yun remained standing at the door, staring blankly into the courtyard for a long time.

Noticing she hadn’t come back inside, Shen Ming called out, “Ye Yun?”

Ye Yun snapped out of her reverie and quickly responded, “What is it?”

“Come in and sit,” Shen Ming said, lying on the bed, feeling weary. “The wind is cold.”Ye Yun responded with a soft acknowledgment as she stepped into the room. The space was enveloped in silence, and after a long while, she heard Shen Ming's faint voice break the stillness: "Have you been well during my absence?"

"Yes."

Ye Yun kept her emotions restrained as she spoke. Shen Ming seemed to smile, letting out a light sigh. "That's good."

"I wrote to you often," Shen Ming said slowly, his gaze fixed on the ceiling above the bed. "Did you read them?"

"I did."

"You never wrote back." Shen Ming chuckled softly. "I almost thought you hadn’t received them."

"I did reply."

Ye Yun clutched the pen in her hand. Shen Ming paused, taken aback, and after a long silence, he asked slowly, "What did you say in your reply?"

"I just asked..." She didn’t know why, but her eyes began to sting, blurring the words in front of her. Still, she forced herself to speak calmly. "I asked if you were doing well in Yongzhou."

Shen Ming fell silent. A long time passed before he finally said, "I’ve been fine. There’s no need to worry."

Another prolonged silence settled between them. After a while, Ye Yun sniffled and finally spoke again: "People are truly strange. I used to think you were childish, too noisy and chattering. But now that you’ve grown quiet, my heart aches instead. Shen Ming," she said, struggling to keep her eyes open as she wiped away tears, "can’t you tease me a little or tell me a joke?"

Shen Ming remained silent, his eyes still fixed on the ceiling.

Just last night, he had thought that if he saw Ye Yun again, he would confess his feelings to her.

In a lifetime, if one has loved someone but never mustered the courage to tell them openly, it would be a true tragedy. But as the morning light fell upon her, as he lay in bed listening to the faint tremor in her voice, contemplating his uncertain future, he suddenly felt—

It was better left unsaid.

If he spoke and stirred her heart, only for nothing to come of it, it would only bring her more sorrow.

Even if her heart remained untouched, if something were to happen to him, her nature would lead her to feel guilty whenever she remembered him.

He finally understood: when you love someone, you can’t bear to see them suffer even for a moment—especially if that suffering is because of you.

So he stayed silent. After a long while, Ye Yun whispered, "If you had just endured a little longer, waited a little more, perhaps there would have been a way. But you had to risk your life to save Qin Nan, to save Fu Baoyuan—why?"

"Are others' lives worth more than your own?"

Shen Ming did not answer.

A long time passed before Ye Yun sniffled again and finally said, "I understand. You think no one cares about you, so whether you live or die, it doesn’t matter—is that it?"

"Ye Yun..."

"Shen Ming," Ye Yun could no longer hold back, her voice thick with tears, "have you been suffering?"

To come into this world with no one to care for, to live with no one who cares about you, and to leave alone, just as you arrived—

Without Shen Ming even having to answer, Ye Yun felt the pain of such an existence.

She couldn’t quite discern where this ache came from—whether it was pity, heartache, friendship, or something deeper. She couldn’t pinpoint it, but in that moment, she felt deeply that this person had lived a life of too much hardship.

Hearing Ye Yun’s voice, Shen Ming was silent for a long time before letting out a bitter laugh.

"Hearing you cry like this... somehow makes me a little happy."

His voice was light, almost airy. "See? Am I not terribly wicked?"

"Get some rest."Ye Yun felt she had lost her composure and could no longer stay. Wiping her tears, she said, "Lord Jiang will be coming shortly to take you into the palace. Rest well."

After speaking, Ye Yun took the account book and hurriedly walked out.

Once she had left, Shen Ming gazed at the ceiling for a while before drifting into a heavy, drowsy sleep.

He did not know how long he had slept when Jiang He and Ye Shi'an returned. They changed his clothes, helped him into a small sedan chair, and carried him directly into the palace.

He was still injured and not fit to walk, but due to the special circumstances, this was the only way to handle it.

Carried all the way into the palace, Shen Ming knelt as soon as he saw Fan Xuan.

Fan Xuan frowned and immediately said, "There's no need to kneel. Speak while seated."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Shen Ming replied calmly. Fan Xuan looked him over from head to toe and, after a long while, sighed. "I always said you were impulsive, but I never expected it would come to this. I've heard a rough account of the events in Yongzhou. Tell me in detail."

Shen Ming complied and carefully recounted the situation. Though Fan Xuan's expression remained largely unreadable, everyone could feel his anger slowly building.

When Shen Ming finished speaking, Fan Xuan finally said, "You killed the governor, and yet you dared to return?"

"Your Majesty," Shen Ming rose and knelt on the ground once more. This time, Fan Xuan did not stop him. Shen Ming spoke steadily, "This commoner's act of killing the governor is my own crime, and I am willing to bear full responsibility. But the situation in Yongzhou is urgent. I implore Your Majesty—"

"Send troops to Yongzhou!"

Author's Note: Shen Ming: I'm alive again, yay!