Destined

The wind blew between them, tangling their hair together. Under the dim lamplight, Gu Jiusi looked down at Liu Yu Ru, who was gazing up at him. Suddenly unable to restrain himself, he abruptly tossed aside the lantern, cupped her face in his hands, and kissed her deeply.

He understood what Liu Yu Ru meant.

Nezha had once been fiercely proud, yet ultimately became a pawn of the heavenly court; the Great Sage Equaling Heaven had once laughed and cursed from the clouds, yet after five hundred years, he too became the Victorious Fighting Buddha.

They gained divine status but lost the spirit to live by their own will. From being the oppressed to becoming the oppressors—it seemed as if everyone in this world was trapped in a cycle of reincarnation.

What Liu Yu Ru lamented was not Nezha or the Great Sage, but him, Gu Jiusi.

He had been wandering forward in the darkness, driven only by a vague premonition that if he continued down this path, he might become the next Fan Xuan, the next Zhou Gaolang, the next Lu Yong, or even the next Wang Siyuan.

Today, he had sacrificed Shen Ming for his future prospects; who knew what he might sacrifice tomorrow?

Like a frog slowly boiled in warm water, he had been lowering his head and trudging step by step, until he had nearly forgotten his original destination.

After Liu Yu Ru spoke these words, it was as if he had suddenly seen a bright lamp in the darkness, or grasped a life-saving rope in a desperate situation.

He held Liu Yu Ru tightly for a moment, then released her. Wearing the cloak she had draped over him, he turned and said to her, "You go back first. I need to return to the palace."

Watching him hurry toward the palace gates, Liu Yu Ru couldn't help but smile and call out loudly, "Come back on your own."

Gu Jiusi waved without looking back as he jogged away, responding, "I know."

Gu Jiusi rushed all the way back to the palace and had someone announce his request to see Fan Xuan.

Surprised by his return, Fan Xuan nevertheless granted him an audience. As soon as Gu Jiusi saw the emperor, he knelt. Fan Xuan looked at him with some astonishment. "What is the meaning of this?"

"Your Majesty, I cannot preside over Shen Ming's case."

Fan Xuan frowned. Gu Jiusi, still kneeling, continued, "Your Majesty cherishes me and hopes I won't be criticized, but what matters in life is what kind of person one is, not what others say about me. Shen Ming is my brother. What he did was indeed due to my failure in guidance. If I don't share the blame with him, how could I possibly have the right to judge him? If I were to condemn him to protect my own reputation, that would be unjust; if I don't condemn him but judge him fairly according to the law, our relationship would still invite gossip. Therefore, I beg Your Majesty to reconsider and appoint someone else to lead the trial."

"Lord Gu," Fan Xuan's tone carried a hint of displeasure, "are you certain about this?"

"I understand Your Majesty's intentions," Gu Jiusi said calmly, "but what Your Majesty values in me is precisely my integrity. If today I act disloyally toward a friend, how could Your Majesty dare to entrust the Crown Prince to me?"

Fan Xuan remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "So, you absolutely refuse to judge Shen Ming's case?"

"I refuse."

"What if I order someone to sentence him to death?"

"According to the law, although Lord Shen has committed offenses, he has also achieved great merits. Even if he cannot escape punishment, it should not be a death sentence."

"Then what do you intend to do?"

"Plead for his vindication."

"You would seek to overturn a case I ordered to be tried?!"

"Your Majesty is a wise ruler."After Gu Jiusi uttered these words of praise, the room fell into a long silence.

Gu Jiusi knelt quietly on the ground. After a very long time, Fan Xuan's resigned voice finally came: "Gu Jiusi, do you know that I intended to support you as prime minister?"

"Your humble servant thanks Your Majesty for your great favor."

"In the future, Lord Zhou would manage military affairs, and you would govern the realm. I had placed too many expectations upon you."

"Your servant has failed Your Majesty's trust."

"Do you know what you are giving up?"

"I know," Gu Jiusi's voice was firm and resolute, "Your servant has no regrets."

"Why?" Fan Xuan seemed somewhat agitated. Gu Jiusi raised his head, looked at Fan Xuan, and said earnestly, "Your servant believes that being a good person is more important than being an official."

Fan Xuan fell silent, his gaze fixed on Gu Jiusi.

After a long while, he took a deep breath and finally said, "You may leave."

Gu Jiusi knew the matter was settled. He kowtowed, stood up, and withdrew from the palace.

After leaving the imperial study, he returned home. He seemed exceptionally happy. When he arrived home and saw Liu Yu Ru calculating accounts in the room, he rushed in, picked her up, and spun her around joyfully.

Liu Yu Ru cried out in surprise and hurriedly asked him to put her down. Gu Jiusi set her down in her seat and said happily, "Shall we visit Shen Ming tomorrow?"

"Alright."

Liu Yu Ru smiled gently and asked, "What did you discuss with His Majesty in the palace?"

"I told His Majesty I'm resigning and don't want to preside over Shen Ming's trial."

Gu Jiusi then recounted his conversation with Fan Xuan to Liu Yu Ru. As she listened quietly, Gu Jiusi held her and said slowly, "When I left the palace earlier, I actually didn't know what to do. After being in officialdom for so long, I unconsciously adopted its habits - weighing pros and cons, becoming selfish. The more burdens I carried and the higher I climbed, the more I overthought things. Sometimes I thought so much that I even forgot where I came from."

"But fortunately," Gu Jiusi leaned against Liu Yu Ru, closed his eyes, and said contentedly, "with you here, I feel I have a path."

Hearing this, Liu Yu Ru smiled softly. She gently stroked Gu Jiusi's hair, thought for a moment, and said slowly, "But it's strange, don't you think His Majesty is being too hasty?"

"Hmm?"

"Having you repair the Yellow River, then recalling you to preside over trials, and now having you oversee the Autumn Examination... it seems a bit..." Liu Yu Ru frowned. Gu Jiusi laughed and said directly, "A bit like excessive favoritism."

Liu Yu Ru nodded. Gu Jiusi leaned against her, closed his eyes, and said calmly, "Actually, this isn't hard to understand. He needs someone who can balance Lord Zhou. Lord Zhou dislikes Fan Yu but holds significant power. His Majesty fears conflict between them. Prime Minister Zhang has old ties with Lord Zhou and is a political survivor - he won't deliberately protect the Crown Prince. If conflicts arise between Lord Zhou and the Crown Prince in the future, Prime Minister Zhang would likely remain neutral. So His Majesty needs a clear supporter of the Crown Prince. This supporter shouldn't be too protective of the Crown Prince, like Luo Zishang, as that would escalate tensions between Lord Zhou and the Crown Prince. But they also can't lean toward Zhou Gaolang, like the other senior officials. They need capability - not the kind of ability like Li Yuchang or Ye Shi'an possess, but the ability to mediate between all parties..."

As Gu Jiusi spoke, he slowly opened his eyes: "After much consideration, it seems I'm the only one.""Isn't he afraid that your close relationship with Zhou Ye might lead you to become Lord Zhou's man in the future?" Liu Yu Ru asked, somewhat puzzled. Gu Jiusi chuckled, "Isn't that exactly why he values my connection with Lord Zhou? If I had no ties to Lord Zhou at all, how could I serve as a mediator? His Majesty knows that after what I experienced in Yangzhou, my greatest wish is for the world to remain stable and free from conflict. As long as the Crown Prince does not stray too far from propriety, with Lord Zhou and the rest of us assisting in governance, even if His Majesty passes, Great Xia will continue peacefully. Though I dislike Fan Yu, I will still do my best to protect him, because protecting him means preserving the stability of the realm."

Liu Yu Ru fell silent, hesitating before asking, "But what if he does stray from propriety?"

Gu Jiusi did not reply immediately. After a moment, he said slowly, "If the world is destined to fall into chaos, then naturally, one must choose a wise ruler to support."

"Does His Majesty not foresee this?" Liu Yu Ru struggled to grasp these complexities. "Does he not realize that if the Crown Prince oversteps, you will no longer act as a peacemaker?"

Gu Jiusi sighed, a trace of helplessness in his eyes. "In truth, His Majesty faces a difficult decision. Fan Yu is his only son. Though he may be arrogant now, he has yet to commit any grave mistakes. Even an ordinary emperor would not depose a crown prince for such reasons, let alone when the prince is the only heir. If he were deposed, who would take his place? Whoever it is would lack legitimacy, and there would always be others rallying to support Fan Yu's ascension. Unless Fan Yu dies, Great Xia will struggle to find peace."

"Yet His Majesty also thinks ahead. With the Crown Prince's current temperament, once he ascends the throne, he would be unpredictable—no one can say what he might or might not do. If he were to commit a grave error, given His Majesty's current arrangements..."

"I fear he has left no room for retreat for the Crown Prince."

The court was not entirely dominated by the Crown Prince's faction; instead, the most suitable individuals were placed in each position. Zhou Gaolang as the Palace Commandant, Zhang Jue as the Chancellor, Gu Jiusi as the Minister of Revenue, Liao Yanli as the Minister of Works, Li Yuchang as the Minister of Justice...

With these men in place, even if Fan Xuan were to pass away one day, Great Xia would remain stable internally and externally.

He had done his utmost for the nation, yet he still held a private hope that his only son would fare well. Thus, he wanted Gu Jiusi not merely to serve as the Minister of Revenue but to establish himself firmly as a counterbalance to Zhou Gaolang.

Zhou Gaolang and Fan Yu were at odds. Having watched Fan Yu grow up, Zhou Gaolang always regarded him as a child and held little respect for him. He had often advised Fan Xuan to remarry and have another child, even opposing Fan Yu's appointment as Crown Prince. Fan Yu harbored deep hatred for Zhou Gaolang. With Zhou Gaolang holding high authority, if Fan Yu were pushed too far and found himself powerless against him, he might resort to extreme measures. That would spell Fan Yu's ruin and plunge Great Xia into turmoil once more.

Thus, the court needed a Gu Jiusi. He was on good terms with the Zhou family, able to counsel Zhou Gaolang while also placating Fan Yu, making the Crown Prince believe he had a counterweight to Zhou Gaolang and preventing him from reaching a desperate point. In this process, Fan Yu would gradually mature and perhaps one day come to understand his father's painstaking efforts.Liu Yu Ru and Gu Jiusi discussed these intricate matters, and Liu Yu Ru couldn't help but sigh, "The imperial family has its difficulties too. If His Majesty weren't the emperor, he wouldn't have to worry about so much."

Lowering her voice, she added softly, "But acting so hastily, I'm afraid His Majesty might..."

She left the sentence unfinished, yet Gu Jiusi understood perfectly. He sighed, shook his head, and said nothing more.

Early the next morning, Gu Jiusi went out to make arrangements and scheduled to take Liu Yu Ru to visit Shen Ming in the afternoon. Liu Yu Ru went to Immortal Fragrance in the morning to review the current business operations with Ye Yun. After lunch, when Gu Jiusi sent someone to fetch Liu Yu Ru, Ye Yun couldn't help but ask, "It's still so early. What is Lord Gu picking you up for?"

"To visit Shen Ming," Liu Yu Ru replied with a smile, then added, "Would you like to come along?"

Hearing Shen Ming's name, Ye Yun sighed, "Of course I'll go."

Liu Yu Ru nodded and led Ye Yun to the carriage. As they rode, Liu Yu Ru recalled Shen Ming's dramatic crying before they left the Eastern Capital and couldn't help but smile faintly, stealing a glance at Ye Yun. Noticing her expression, Ye Yun felt somewhat uncomfortable and asked, "What's with that look?"

"On the day we left the Eastern Capital, Lord Shen cried all day long."

Hearing this, Ye Yun knew what Liu Yu Ru was hinting at. She cleared her throat lightly and said, "He was being childish."

"Quite similar to how you used to be."

Liu Yu Ru remarked casually. After a moment's thought, she rested her elbow on the small table and looked at Ye Yun, asking, "What are your thoughts on this? You're not young anymore. Doesn't your uncle concern himself with your marriage?"

"He does, but he doesn't dare say too much, afraid of hurting my feelings," Ye Yun replied calmly. "To be honest, I haven't given it much thought. I feel that if my family arranges a marriage for me, I'll accept it. If my marriage can bring a little happiness to others, that would be good enough."

"You..." Liu Yu Ru frowned. Ye Yun smiled and said, "I'm not afraid of you laughing at me, but my family previously arranged a match with Lord Jiang. I had some expectations about it."

Seeming a bit embarrassed, she lowered her head and continued, "I thought if I married him, firstly, we'd be relatives, and we could look out for each other in the future. Secondly, our Ye Family, the Gu Family, and the Jiang Family would be truly connected, contributing to the family. Thirdly, marrying Lord Jiang would be respectable and wouldn't disgrace our family name. But I never expected Lord Jiang already had someone in his heart..."

Ye Yun sighed and turned to look out the window, "Later, I came to understand. I'm still young, with many opportunities ahead. I'll take my time with future matters."

"After all that," Liu Yu Ru chuckled, "you still haven't mentioned Shen Ming."

Ye Yun fell silent. After a long pause, she finally said, "He saved me, treated me well, and cared for me deeply. I consider him a good friend. When he said he liked me, I was afraid of trampling on his feelings and ruining his life."

"That's strange," Liu Yu Ru said, puzzled. "When it came to marrying Uncle Jiang, you didn't feel you were ruining anything, but when asked about responding to Shen Ming, you're afraid of ruining him?"

Hearing this, Ye Yun smiled bitterly, "You don't understand."

She turned away and whispered, "Shen Ming... he's too pure."

At these words, Liu Yu Ru finally understood.The current Ye Yun reminded her of her former self, always feeling unworthy of Gu Jiusi's affection. Because her heart was burdened with heavy thoughts, while Gu Jiusi's feelings were as pure as Shen Ming's today.

She suddenly felt a sense of empathy, yet strangely, though she once believed herself unworthy of Gu Jiusi, she no longer held such thoughts now. Noticing this change in herself, she couldn't help but be momentarily dazed. Seeing her distraction, Ye Yun remained silent. After a while, Liu Yu Ru slowly said, "Just wait a little longer."

"Wait for what?" Ye Yun asked, puzzled. Liu Yu Ru smiled and replied, "Wait a bit longer, and perhaps you'll understand how miraculous it feels to be truly loved by someone."

It can heal all your brokenness and transform you completely.

"Perhaps," Ye Yun sighed.

As they spoke, they arrived at the prison. After alighting from the carriage, they saw Gu Jiusi and Ye Shi'an waiting at the entrance. Spotting Liu Yu Ru, Gu Jiusi hurried forward to help her down. Ye Yun greeted Ye Shi'an, who said understandingly, "Here to see Shen Ming?"

Ye Yun acknowledged with a sound. Ye Shi'an seemed to want to say more but ultimately just frowned and remained silent.

The four of them entered the prison together. Before they even stepped inside, they could hear Shen Ming's voice.

He was tapping his bowl idly and singing songs from the mountain stronghold, having nothing better to do. Uneducated, he sang rustic tunes, somehow giving the grim prison the lively atmosphere of a bandit lair—as if outlaws might leap out at any moment waving broadswords and shouting, "This mountain belongs to us..."

As the four entered, Shen Ming heard the noise but kept his back to the cell door, complaining listlessly, "Brother Shi An, I want some peaches. Bring me some next time."

"Alright," Gu Jiusi answered.

Hearing Gu Jiusi's voice, Shen Ming stiffened abruptly. He whipped around, and upon seeing Gu Jiusi, scrambled to his feet excitedly. "Ninth Brother!"

Gu Jiusi glared at him, his expression dark, and sneered, "So you still remember I'm your brother?"

"Brother," Shen Ming quickly fawned, "you're my own flesh and blood. Why are you here? Is everything resolved? Have the Wang family been executed? How is Lord Qin? What's the situation in Xingyang? You—"

"You have the nerve to ask so many questions," Gu Jiusi cut him off coldly. "Why not reflect on what you've done?"

"I was wrong," Shen Ming readily admitted, "I won't dare do it again."

"Again?" Gu Jiusi stared at him sternly. "There won't be a next time for you."

These words stunned Shen Ming. Ye Shi'an and Ye Yun also looked over in shock. Ye Shi'an immediately interjected, "Your Majesty—"

"His Majesty has put me in charge of this trial," Gu Jiusi said, looking at Shen Ming. "The Xingyang case involves many officials in the Eastern Capital. His Majesty wants me to oversee it. But because of you, I'm implicated. To clear myself of suspicion that I ordered you to kill Wang Siyuan, I must take certain steps. Only then can I proceed with the trial, achieve merit, and give His Majesty a reason to promote me."

"This is His Majesty's test for me," Gu Jiusi said with no trace of humor in his eyes. "Shen Ming, tell me what I should do."

"Jiu Si..." Ye Shi'an urgently began, but Gu Jiusi roared, "Let him speak!"Shen Ming remained silent for a moment before speaking calmly, "Ninth Brother is destined for great things. Having passed His Majesty's test, if you preside over this case, you'll soar straight to the heights of success. Perhaps you'll become the youngest chancellor in our Great Xia. When that time comes, you must continue serving the people as you do now."

"I'm asking you what I should do," Gu Jiusi pressed, leaving him no room for evasion. Shen Ming sighed, "Naturally, you must impose the severest punishment. Whatever the law prescribes as the harshest penalty, that's what you should deliver. Don't worry, Ninth Brother, I've studied the Great Xia Legal Code. In my situation, the most severe punishment is the extermination of three generations of kin. Since I have no three generations to exterminate, you can rule exactly that. With such a verdict, no one would dare accuse you of having ordered me to do it."

"Do you think I wouldn't dare pass such judgment?"

Gu Jiusi's voice carried anger. Shen Ming looked at him with clear understanding in his eyes, "Ninth Brother, I know this pains you. If possible, I could end my own life to spare you this difficulty. But if I take my own life, it would be seen as suicide to escape punishment, and your suspicion would never be cleared."

"I didn't act impulsively," he said quietly, gazing at Gu Jiusi. "From the moment I did what I did, I had already made my decision. I won't implicate you. If I were to drag you down with me, I'd rather have died on the road and never returned."

Gu Jiusi fell silent, staring at Shen Ming. After a moment, he turned to the jailer nearby, "Open the door."

The jailer, who was under his arrangement, opened the cell. Gu Jiusi said, "Wait outside the door. I need to speak privately."

The jailer hesitated briefly but, considering Gu Jiusi's status, stepped out and waited by the entrance.

Moments after the jailer left, howls from Shen Ming echoed from inside.

"You fool! You absolute fool!"

Gu Jiusi had entered the cell and was kicking and punching Shen Ming, who scrambled around the prison howling. Ye Shi'an, Ye Yun, and Liu Yu Ru rushed in to restrain Gu Jiusi. As he struck out, Gu Jiusi cursed, "You'd be better off being ignorant! Better off not thinking at all! Playing the damn hero! I should beat you to death today, just finish you off!"

"Worthless fool! Is the Wang family's lives worth more than yours?!"

Though the three others worked together to hold him back, Gu Jiusi still chased Shen Ming, pretending to strike. Beside him, Ye Shi'an repeatedly urged, "Scold him if you must, but don't hit him, don't hit him."

Liu Yu Ru quickly added, "Calm down. If you must beat him, do it later when you return. Causing trouble here won't do."

Hearing Liu Yu Ru, Ye Yun also said, "He was stabbed multiple times when he came back and has only just recovered. You really might kill him."

Hearing this, Gu Jiusi, exhausted from the fight, slowed his movements. He sat on the bed, panting heavily, and said, "Shen Ming, I'm telling you, I must have owed you from a past life."

"Ninth Brother, I truly know I was wrong."

Shen Ming crouched in a corner, head in his hands, admitting his fault with bowed head.

As Gu Jiusi calmed down, he suddenly understood the feeling his father Gu Lang Hua had when beating him in the past.

He really wanted to take a wooden stick and beat Shen Ming to death—or at least break the stick over him to feel somewhat relieved.

Seeing Gu Jiusi silent, Shen Ming whispered, "Ninth Brother, please don't feel troubled because of me."

"Troubled my ass!"

Gu Jiusi cursed loudly. Ye Shi'an, observing from the side, understood, "So, you don't plan to preside over this case?""I'm not going to the trial."

Gu Jiusi turned his head and said, "What trial? I'm going back to repair the Yellow River! I'll stay at the Yellow River and never return. I'll remain with the Yellow River eternally, everlasting as the ages. After I finish repairing the Yellow River, I'll repair the Yangtze River. After the Yangtze, I'll repair the Huai River. I'll never return to the Eastern Capital in this lifetime—I'll just spend my whole life repairing rivers!"

Ye Yun, who was standing nearby, couldn't help but laugh aloud. Gu Jiusi shot her a cold glare, prompting her to quickly step back and hide behind Ye Shi'an.

Liu Yu Ru listened to Gu Jiusi's angry words and suppressed a laugh, clearing her throat lightly before speaking to Shen Ming. "You might intend to shoulder everything alone, but how could your Ninth Brother let you carry it all by yourself? Shen Ming, from now on, you must understand that the people around you care about you deeply and won't abandon you. It's easy for you to think about sacrificing yourself, but have you considered how others would feel? Would they allow it?"

"You're no longer that lone bandit from the mountains who only had to worry about feeding himself," Liu Yu Ru's voice carried a note of helplessness. "Since you've joined the Gu Family, you have a home now."

Shen Ming remained silent, crouching to the side with his head bowed, arms wrapped around himself, not making a sound for a long time.

Ye Yun walked over to him and gently nudged him with her foot, whispering, "Say something, have you gone mute?"

"I understand, Sister-in-law."

Shen Ming finally spoke, his voice hoarse as he repeated, "I really understand, Ninth Brother, Sister-in-law."

He knew he wasn't alone anymore—he had a family.

Hearing this, Gu Jiusi lost the urge to pick on Shen Ming. Sitting on the bed, he pressed his lips together and finally said, "Focus on recovering from your injuries for now. As long as I'm not presiding over this case, His Majesty won't have strong grounds to sentence you severely. He'll likely assign Li Yuchang as the chief judge. Li knows your situation well, and I suspect your sentence will either be military service or exile."

"Mm." Shen Ming kept his head down without another word. Gu Jiusi continued, "I'll try to arrange for you to serve your military term in Youzhou. Once you're under Brother Zhou's jurisdiction, work diligently with him. And from now on, don't be so impulsive and rely solely on brute force. Read more books—if you don't like flowery literature, at least study military strategy."

"Alright."

Shen Ming, lacking his usual liveliness, agreed to everything without protest, leaving Gu Jiusi with no reason to scold him further.

After the group chatted for a while, Gu Jiusi stepped outside and said to Ye Shi'an at the door, "Bring some books on military strategy from your home and toss them to him. He shouldn't spend his time in prison like he's retired, learning nothing."

Ye Shi'an nodded, then remarked, "What you turned down from His Majesty wasn't just the chance to preside over the Xingyang case, was it?"

Gu Jiusi fell silent for a moment before responding after a long pause, "His Majesty originally wanted me to serve as the chief examiner for the imperial examinations this time."

Ye Shi'an was taken aback, and after a brief silence, he sighed deeply. "Jiusi."

Gu Jiusi turned to look at him, and Ye Shi'an smiled. "May our brotherhood remain as strong as it is today."

"Huh?" Gu Jiusi seemed puzzled. Ye Shi'an, appearing somewhat embarrassed but resolute, added, "Don't worry, if I were in your position, I'd do the same."

Hearing this, Gu Jiusi also smiled.

He patted Ye Shi'an on the shoulder and could only say, "I must have owed him from a past life. Raising a son probably feels just like this."

With a tinge of sorrow, he confided in Ye Shi'an, "Truly, I feel like I've raised a rebellious son at such a young age. I'm already getting a taste of what my father must have felt back then."

"What feeling was that?" Liu Yu Ru interjected with a laugh from the side.

Gu Jiusi sighed. "The urge to beat him to death—a very strong urge to beat him to death."