Horse-head Wall Reflects the Qing Dynasty

Chapter 96: The Scenery is Long, Seeking Fragrant Grass from the Green Mountains; Clouds and Chapters as a Symbol

It was certainly unfortunate for Liu Jiao'an to have such a father, but as the matter escalated, more people wanted to get involved, and thus Liu Jiao'an was fortunate enough to escape the punishment of suing her father for being a son.

"Jiao'an'er, I have fed and clothed you, and this is how you repay your father? Colluding with others to frame me and harm the Liu family in an unjust way!" Liu's father had been able to navigate the officialdom for so long, and even in court, he did not easily lose his composure. He could even question his own daughter as usual.

“Father, now that the witnesses and evidence are all there, why do you still insist on denying it to the death? You shouldn’t be saying these things to me, but to the thousands of disaster victims, to the wronged souls in the flood, and to the innocent officials of the court who were implicated.”

Sanheng's betrayal was for survival. Liu Jiao'an couldn't say that she was grateful to Sanheng for letting her go later, but it gave her a chance to completely let go of the old grudges between her and Sanheng.

But Qingmiao's death was what truly chilled Liu Jiao'an's heart towards her father, making her realize his cold-bloodedness towards the lives of others—whether it was human life or wealth or poverty. Liu Jiao'an, who had never truly experienced this before, originally hated her father based on moral standards. It was Qingmiao's death that turned all of this into a deep, visceral pain.

Just as Liu Jiaoan said, with witnesses and physical evidence, and because someone was intentionally supporting Zhang Shuwen to build his own faction, the matter easily reached the ears of the emperor.

So Liu Qingxian admitted it early on to suffer less. Unfortunately, Liu Qingxian wasn't a smart man. By the time he realized this, he had become the most miserable among the prisoners. When he saw Liu Jiao'an again, she had been tortured beyond recognition.

"What? You think that just because you're married, your family's property will be confiscated and you'll be executed?" The prison is full of death row inmates who will be executed in the autumn. When Liu Qingxian saw his daughter come in, he naturally thought that she would not escape either. "The one you married is clearly the adopted sister of that scholar surnamed Cheng... Don't you want to know who told your father?"

Liu Jiao'an simply looked up at her father, Liu Qingxian, letting him vent his anger, and remained silent for a long time.

With death looming, Liu's father didn't really have any disgusting words he had to say to his daughter. When all that could be heard around them were groans, Liu Jiao'an opened her mouth and punctured the hypocrisy he had maintained for so long: "Father, you said you did it for Mother, for me, for the Liu family, but did you ever ask for our opinions?"

“I have never had to worry about food or clothing since I was a child because of your protection, so I feel ashamed of those who died at your hands… But I am not here to go to jail today, I just want to see what my father, who can speak so shamelessly, has to say now.”

This time, it was Liu's father who remained silent.

"You shouldn't be so smart."

"It's a pity you're not a man. Otherwise, if I were as smart as you, the top scholar would be from my Liu family now."

Just because someone isn't smart, does that mean they have to resort to petty, opportunistic tricks to harm others? Liu Jiao'an sensed the absurd logic behind her father's words. It was nothing more than using the excuse that people are born different and that fate is unfair to mask his own filthy heart…

"Let Father think what he wants, but this is probably the last time we see each other. I will not come to the capital on the day of my execution."

Tongtong is a different person now. The once large Liu family is now reduced to just her. The place is desolate and lonely. Perhaps in Liu's father's eyes, Liu Jiao'an spared his life by "sacrificing family for the greater good," making her cunning and ruthless.

But for Liu Jiao'an at that moment, life and death didn't make such a big difference—as the saying goes, there is no greater sorrow than a broken heart. Liu Jiao'an's heart died the moment Qingmiao collapsed in her arms.

"Don't you regret it? You were destined to live a life of luxury, but now you have to fend for yourself. What skills do you have to survive?"

It seems that Liu's father forgot that Liu Jiao'an and Guan Yin were able to support themselves during the time they lived in the courtyard. As for those setbacks, weren't they just troubles that Liu Qingxian created for his daughter in order to compete with his son-in-law?

"Then there's no need for Lord Liu to trouble himself." When Liu Jiao'an mentioned the last time they met, it wasn't just that she didn't want to see him again or that they were destined never to meet again. More importantly, it was from that moment on that Liu Jiao'an completely stopped regarding the person in front of her as her father.

"Ever since I learned the truth, I haven't been able to sleep soundly at night."

"I also considered pretending not to know anything for the sake of the huge Liu family. I also considered destroying the evidence they found, or persuading them to cover it up..."

But Cheng Mian's death, and Qingmiao's family, all determined Liu Jiao'an's final choice.

"Lord Liu, those are countless families. Haven't you ever dreamed of them?"

"Didn't that young Cheng Mian ever dream of his father?"

"When you saw Qingmiao, did you see the two people who should have been by her side?"

Liu Qingxian was already weakened by the severe punishment, and Liu Jiao'an's words, though not bloody or deliberately exaggerated to intimidate him, easily snapped the nerve in the latter's mind.

Liu Qingxian slumped to the ground, and when he looked up at Liu Jiao'an with his dull eyes, he found that the light in the latter's eyes was even weaker than his own.

"Lord Liu, you should take care of yourself."

Liu Jiao'an left as lightly as she had come, as if it wasn't her own people who were sentenced to death in the autumn, as if the world's condemnation of "using a son to accuse his father, clinging to life in disgrace" wasn't directed at her at all...

"you……"

Liu Jiao'an didn't stop, and Liu Qingxian didn't continue speaking—in some ways, the father and daughter had some unexpected similarities.

"This Liu Qingxian has committed many evils, yet he has such a good daughter as Liu Jiao'an... If the father had been able to pull back from the brink in time, the Liu family would not have ended up in this state today." Zhang Shuwen sent a message back on behalf of Liu Jiao'an, saying that the latter would soon be returning to Huizhou Prefecture, and that Cheng Heng and others should take good care of Liu Jiao'an's feelings.

The execution of the entire clan would send shivers down the spines of even complete strangers. How much more so for Liu Jiao'an, who was related to him by blood?
"Actually, Jiao'an and Liu's father look quite alike."

Seeing Cheng Heng looking at him with a puzzled expression, Guan Yin explained slowly, "Neither of them leaves any room for maneuver in their actions."

“That’s true.” Cheng Heng nodded, looking out the window at the black and white wall. “It’s just that Liu Jiao’an’s ruthlessness is clear-cut, but Liu’s father is more like a moth drawn to a flame.”

"One is selfish, while the other doesn't care about himself."

Obviously, no one can be explained in just a few words. It's just that Cheng Heng and Guan Yin are more inclined to favor Liu Jiao'an when it comes to her character—at least she is willing to put aside the wealth and status of Manyuan Erduo and seek justice for those who are not involved.

"Aren't you going back to the capital?" Guan Yin suddenly asked.

"Perhaps we'll wait for Liu Jiao'an to return, or perhaps we'll wait for the emperor to be inclined to promote her... who knows?"

"That second-rank official in the capital didn't do it on purpose..."

"Oh." As he spoke, Guan Yin understood why things had gone so smoothly; it seemed someone had made a deal behind the scenes. "At least justice has been served for the people. When the river embankment is inspected, at least we can prevent a tragedy like that from happening again." Cheng Heng was not suited to be an official. Once he accomplished something, he stopped thinking about the next step, let alone more steps—his concept of officialdom only worked in plays.

This time, however, Cheng Heng happened to encounter a few honest officials and a few officials who weren't completely corrupt, which allowed him to bring the rhythm and twists that were only possible in plays to life.

Sometimes, when Guan Yin reads history books, he also feels that all those factional struggles are actually quite naive. Success or failure sometimes doesn't lie in long-term planning, but in a single, decisive decision...

"It would be best if we could stay out of it, but I don't know if we'll ever be able to go back."

Cheng Heng wasn't stupid; it's just that dealing with these people, even an honest official, who had managed to survive in the officialdom until now, had his own set of logic—to be honest, Cheng Heng found it boring, tiring, and... less fun than using a mobile phone.

The two of them looked out at the same time: Ling Xiao was outside teasing the trumpet creeper.

"Won't you feel a sense of loss if you go back like this?"

Whether it's a dream or based on the original Cheng Jianwei, he's still a newly appointed third-ranked scholar. For a director, this is comparable to the highest-ranking domestic awards.

Guan Yin didn't think Cheng Heng would feel any sense of loss upon returning to the modern world.

After all, he had thought that if he could share the truths of the new era with his students here, this environment that respects teachers would be better for Guan Yin than the school where even the smallest problem would be blamed on the teachers.

Today it's about rearranging seats, tomorrow it's about individualized instruction, the day after tomorrow it's about positioning for various activities... Teachers are doing too many things that shouldn't be their main job. Too much energy that should be spent on teaching and nurturing students is being used to deal with special parents and leaders!
"Anyway, being an official is for the people, to have a place where they can voice their opinions. So what's the difference between writing scripts and directing? We can immerse ourselves in a few different lives and reflect on ourselves, to see where we've acted like 'human beings'." Cheng Heng shrugged.

"What if something like what happened on that bridge happened again?"

Here, whether one writes a letter to Zhang Shuwen or asks a second-rank official in the capital for a favor, it is all just a matter of a word from the two of them.

"It's not like every place is full of unscrupulous merchants."

"Besides, didn't I run into you?"

"Moreover... if they breach the contract themselves, the scenic area should also have countermeasures against them."

After the two of them spat out "tourist attractions," "businesses," and so on, they once again tacitly withdrew their gazes, only to belatedly realize that a chill ran down their spines.

These words, which should have been incredibly familiar, have somehow become so strange.

"If I could, I would go back right now."

The green mountains are still the same green mountains. From a distance, you can completely ignore the cable cars and trails that were added later. Huangshan is still Huangshan, only hundreds of years have passed, and things have changed...

“Go back, go back and finish watching your show. I’m even more interested now.” Guan Yin nodded, agreeing with Cheng Heng’s words.

As for what interests me, it's clearly not just the play itself, but also the person who wrote it.

Long clouds entwine around the green mountains, coming and going, only to return again. Birdsong echoes, stirring up wisps of smoke from chimneys—such tranquility, while delightful for a moment, quickly becomes terrifyingly lonely.

Because the ability of green mountains to remain unchanged for hundreds of years is often something humans cannot do. How many people are fickle, today acting as "humans," tomorrow yearning to become "birds," or even just wanting to lie in the sun, like the seemingly carefree big yellow dog next door? There are plenty of people like that.

"The trumpet creeper will be in bloom soon." The beauty outside the door is even more beautiful than the trumpet creeper. Guan Yin remembers the last time he saw such a scene, Liu Jiao'an was by his side. "You mean Zhang Shuwen really..."

Whether it's true or not, at least she's happy for now.

Cheng Heng wrote so many beautiful dreams that he became even more aware of the disappointments of reality. There's no doubt that Zhang Shuwen held Ling Xiao in his heart and in his eyes.

But as Liu Jiao'an said, her father wasn't originally like this. When she was a child, she heard her father make a vow in the ancestral hall: as an official, he would never dare to disregard human life; as a businessman, he would never dare to be solely driven by profit; as a student, he would never dare to waste time; and as a person, he would never dare to do evil.

But look at it now.

Every one of Liu Qingxian's clandestine businesses was incredibly lucrative.

What Liu Qingxian learned in the private school back then has long since gone to waste, which is why he has become such a heartless person.

If he couldn't be a good official, then he couldn't be a good person either... In the end, the person Liu Qingxian felt most sorry for was himself when he stood in the ancestral hall.

"Maybe yes, maybe no."

The sky was clear and bright, and Cheng Heng could only see himself in the present. Three years later, five years later, whether he could go back or not, what kind of Cheng Heng would he become then?
"The green hills remain unchanged, and the clear waters flow on forever, but how many people can truly become like the mountains and rivers?"

The trumpet creeper flowers outside the window are blooming so beautifully. Even when the sun is high in the sky, the drooping trumpet creeper flowers are still orange-red, which seems out of place with the ink-wash-like foreground and the boundless blue-green mountains in the distance.

"Aren't you going out for a walk?"

In fact, Guan Yin knew that she and Cheng Heng should go out for a walk, especially to visit Cheng Mian's family.

Even if Liu Qingxian and his gang of criminals are to be executed in the autumn, it won't bring back the living, breathing Cheng Mian. Can a father truly forgive himself for driving his son to such a desperate end?

"I saw a farmhouse over there. The lady there was very welcoming to me. You must know each other, right?"

It turns out that Ling Xiao had walked far away but then came back again; it turns out that Ling Xiao had already met the couple.

Guan Yin and Cheng Heng knew that they couldn't avoid it even if they wanted to.

"They also invited me to come over sometime... I told them, 'You're still at home.'"