Mysteries of the Great Zhou Dynasty

Chapter 141 Confession
The master hiccuped, sighed, and conceded, muttering to himself, "Fine, some things should be settled. We can't really take them to the grave!"

The master took the small, antique wooden box, which was clearly very old, but it was clean and waxed. He placed the box on the stone table in the courtyard, carefully opened it, and found a yellow velvet cloth lining the inside. He then put the copper bell back in. The copper bell was exactly the same as Aunt Yun Zhao's, with a beast-face and tiger-head design, and the words "Good Weather and Abundant Harvests" written on it.

"This bell belongs to Lord Meng Yong..." The master gently stroked the yellow velvet cloth, being careful not to touch the bell to prevent it from rusting.

The master sat on the grand chair, gazing into the distance, as if he had traveled through decades and saw that tall figure from the past.

"Decades ago, this was a dilapidated little mountain village. Lord Meng offended some high-ranking officials in the capital and was demoted and exiled here. At that time, irrigation was a major problem. The river in front of us flooded every year, and it couldn't retain water during droughts. So Lord Meng decided to build a dam here, but this was no easy task. The design blueprints were the most difficult part. Skilled craftsmen were hard to find, but people who could design blueprints were even harder to find. The river flowed swiftly and often flooded in the summer, and ordinary dams simply couldn't withstand it."

Yun Zhao's father had served as Vice Minister of Works. Because he was Lord Meng's teacher, he spoke out in defense of Lord Meng at court, which implicated him, leading to repeated demotions. He was eventually transferred to a neighboring town, where, due to his advanced age and the strain of overwork, coupled with the change in climate, he passed away in less than a year. Yun Zhao's father and Lord Meng had a teacher-student relationship in the capital, and the two got along very well. Lord Yun had once jokingly mentioned wanting to marry his daughter to Lord Meng, but before the betrothal ceremony could take place, this series of unforeseen events delayed things. Lord Meng, having been demoted, naturally couldn't bring up the marriage proposal again. Shortly after, Yun Zhao's father was also demoted, and before his death, he wrote a letter entrusting Yun Zhao to Lord Meng.

Sister Yun Zhao was also a free-spirited person. Dressed in plain clothes, she followed Lord Meng to Taoyuan Town alone. Seeing that Lord Meng was a good official who cared for the people, she sold her remaining possessions and donated all the money to build a dam.

Sister Yun Zhao brought all of Lord Yun's life's work—the engineering drawings—and organized them. With these drawings and Sister Yun Zhao's help, the dam's design was finally finalized. The dam used a mortise and tenon joint structure, making it extremely sturdy.

The dam had been under construction for three years. Lord Meng practically lived and ate with the workers, a fact witnessed by the people who held him in the highest esteem. The dam was nearing completion, and the barren fields on both banks had been transformed into fertile land. Yun Zhao's three-year mourning period was also about to end, and their wedding was already on the agenda. But just as everyone was about to breathe a sigh of relief, an accident occurred during the dam construction.

My master's voice choked, his eyes reddened, and after a pause to compose himself, he continued, "The sky above the dam was clear, but a torrential downpour struck the mountains, causing a flash flood. The floodwaters rushed downstream. Lord Meng and a few of us were on the dam overseeing the project's progress, along with many other craftsmen. In an instant, everyone panicked and fled to the shore. The floodwaters hadn't even reached the dam yet, but several people had already been pushed off by the others. Once someone fell in, they disappeared instantly. Lord Meng brought up the rear, directing the others. We were almost at the shore when a huge wave overturned us, sweeping us to the edge of the dam. We clung to the same rock. People on the shore brought bamboo poles with ropes tied to the ends, for us to hold onto, but I was too young and weak to hold on. Lord Meng tied the rope around me and told me to go first, but I clung to his clothes, refusing. The flash flood grew stronger, and Lord Meng was suddenly thrown into the water, the copper bell at his waist being torn off by me."

His face was submerged underwater, and his eyes looked at me for a fleeting moment, but I will never forget those eyes.

"After that, did Aunt Yun Zhao never remarry?"

"Having met such a brilliant and talented person in my youth, how could I possibly look at anyone else?"

.........

After hearing this, everyone looked at each other, speechless. They wanted to offer comfort, but couldn't find the words. The master's voice was hoarse. He closed his eyes and lay down on the armchair. After a long while, he finally spoke, "If it weren't for me, Lord Meng might have… I have no face to see her… Never mind, you should return this bronze bell to her tomorrow… I'm tired…"

"Master, let me take you back to rest first," Xiao Mu said, reaching out to help his master up.

Master stood up, his hunched back appearing slightly aged in the wind. Wan Yin suddenly felt a pang in her heart: her once powerful and influential master had grown old. Wan Yin suddenly felt a lump in her throat, but she forcefully held it back.

As the crowd dispersed, Yan Mingzhang remained seated, his eyes glazed over.

"My lord, aren't you going back to rest?" Rong Wanyin had already turned to leave, but seeing that Yan Mingzhang hadn't moved, she turned back and asked.

"Go back." Yan Mingzhang staggered to his feet, almost falling to the ground. Rong Wanyin quickly went to help him; he seemed quite drunk. Rong Wanyin tried to help Yan Mingzhang up, but he wouldn't cooperate at all and was too heavy. Rong Wanyin had no choice but to give up, pressing Yan Mingzhang back onto the stool before sitting down herself, panting heavily. Yan Mingzhang sat down, one hand supporting his chin, his eyes glazed, watching Rong Wanyin's antics with a smile, and using his other hand to tuck a stray strand of hair behind Rong Wanyin's ear.

The sudden, intimate gesture made Rong Wanyin stiffen, and she involuntarily leaned back: "What are you doing?"

Yan Mingzhang did not answer her, but looked at the starry sky and sighed, "Look, the starry sky is so beautiful tonight, the moonlight is beautiful too, the Milky Way is eternal, but life is ever-changing, and things are unpredictable."

Rong Wanyin knew that Yan Mingzhang was speaking out of emotion after hearing the story of Lord Meng and Aunt Yun Zhao, so she simply nodded in agreement.

The two sat in silence for a long time. After a while, Yan Mingzhang looked at Rong Wanyin with a smile in his eyes and said, "I have something I want to tell you, and I need to say it as soon as possible."

Rong Wanyin seemed to sense the ambiguous atmosphere and knew what Yan Mingzhang wanted to say. She suddenly jumped up from the stool. If he said something strange, how could they be friends in the future? Rong Wanyin stammered, "I...I...it's going to rain. I'm going to collect the laundry."

Yan Mingzhang didn't even glance at the cloudless sky. He grabbed Rong Wanyin's hand and slipped a small object into her palm.