Early in the morning, the two young men were still lying naked on the bed, their bodies intertwined in sleep, when Master Jiang, Lao Xin, and ten servants burst through the front door and stormed into the bedroom, their faces grim. Master Jiang seized Jiang Jingsheng, dragging him roughly from the bed, his grip like iron.
"Lao Xin, take his clothes and drag him out!" Master Jiang roared, his eyes blazing with fury as he looked at Yang Yusheng, who lay trembling on the bed. "You are born a peasant and will die a peasant. Do you think you can seduce my son? If you come near my son again, I will end your poor life! You will regret it!"
Yang Yusheng sobbed uncontrollably, a raw, guttural sound of despair, as the servants dragged Jiang Jingsheng away from the bamboo forest. He could hear Jiang Jingsheng calling his name, the sound fading as he was pulled further and further into the distance, a heartbreaking echo.
Three days later, Lao Xin appeared, his face etched with guilt, handing Yang Yusheng a letter. After reading it, a faint smile touched Yang Yusheng's lips, a glimmer of hope amidst his sorrow.
"The young master said that you should wait for him by the river tomorrow night," Lao Xin whispered, his voice trembling with fear. "As soon as the carriage comes up, you two will go to Ocean City. Remember, tomorrow night. Don't be late."
Yang Yusheng nodded, a glimmer of hope in his eyes, his heart pounding with anticipation.
As night fell the following day, Yang Yusheng waited by the river, his heart pounding with anticipation, his gaze fixed on the path. A carriage approached and stopped in front of him. Master Jiang stepped out, accompanied by four grim-faced servants.
"I told you to stay away from my son!" Master Jiang shrieked, his voice laced with madness, his eyes wide with fury. He gestured to his four servants, who immediately grabbed Yang Yusheng and pushed him to the ground, their grip firm. "Lao Xin, give me the bottle! The poison!"
"Master Jiang," Lao Xin pleaded, his voice trembling, his face pale, "if the young master knows about this, he will..."
"This stays between the six of us!" Master Jiang snapped, his eyes narrowed to slits, a chilling threat. "Not a word out!"
Lao Xin reluctantly reached into his waist, took out a small bottle, its contents glinting ominously, and handed it to Master Jiang, his hand shaking.
"Lao Xin! Hold his head!" Master Jiang commanded, his voice cold and unwavering.
Lao Xin gripped Yang Yusheng's head firmly, his eyes filled with despair, as Master Jiang poured the liquid poison into Yang Yusheng's mouth.
Yang Yusheng struggled for several minutes, his body convulsing, his eyes wide with terror, before blood spurted from his nose and mouth, a horrifying sight. The four servants quickly tied Yang Yusheng's hands and feet, securing him.
Master Jiang then produced a huge iron lock, fastening it to Yang Yusheng's feet, its cold metal clinking. With a grunt, the four servants threw Yang Yusheng's lifeless body into the river, the water splashing as it swallowed him whole.
"You will never be with my son!" Master Jiang cackled wildly, staring at the dark water, a triumphant, deranged smile on his face. "You will be trapped forever! A prisoner of the river!"
Several days later, Jiang Jingsheng lay in bed, the night sky outside shaking with thunder, mirroring the storm within him. Lao Xin quietly placed food beside his bed, his movements hesitant.
"Lao Xin," Jiang Jingsheng asked, his voice raw with sorrow, his eyes closed, "tell me the reason for his departure. Why did he leave me?"
"Master Jiang gave him two thousand gold ingots, young master," Lao Xin replied, avoiding his gaze, his voice barely a whisper, filled with shame.
"Why would someone choose money over love?" Jiang Jingsheng murmured, tears welling in his eyes, streaming down his temples. "Does he know how sad I would be? Do you know where he went, Lao Xin? Tell me!"
"I don't know, Young Master," Lao Xin lied, his voice barely a whisper, his heart aching with guilt.
"I have no one else to trust except you, Lao Xin," Jiang Jingsheng sighed, his face etched with pain, a profound weariness. "Thank you for always telling me the truth. You are my only confidant." He frowned sadly. "Lao Xin, I dreamed of him last night. I dreamed that he was crying. Do you think he is happy where he is? Is he suffering?"
"He should be happy, Young Master," Old Xin said, forcing a smile, his voice strained. "His life will be better because of those gold ingots. He's probably living in luxury."
Jiang Jingsheng looked at the new clothes laid out on the table, fine silks he had no interest in. "Who does my father want me to see tomorrow?" he asked, his voice devoid of interest, flat and lifeless.
"Lady Hai, Young Master," Lao Xin replied. "She's very beautiful."
"No matter how many beauties pass through my eyes, none of them can change my life, Lao Xin," Jiang Jingsheng stated, his voice heavy with resignation, a profound despair. "I'm tired of these empty feelings. I'm tired of being alone. I'm lying here at night staring at darkness when I should be staring at you, Yusheng." He walked over to his bed and sat down, his movements slow. "Lao Xin, tell father I'm not going. I refuse." He then lay down, turning to face the wall, his back to the world.
Lao Xin knew that ever since he delivered the false news of Yang Yusheng leaving for money, Jiang Jingsheng had been consumed by distress. Jiang Jingsheng had stopped eating properly, his body turning skeletal, his strength fading. A deep sense of guilt gnawed at Lao Xin, eating away at him from the inside, a constant torment. At night, he was tormented by dreams of Yang Yusheng's face, bleeding from his mouth and nose, his cries echoing in his mind. During the day, he witnessed Jiang Jingsheng's profound misery, a living death. He suddenly knelt down, tears streaming down his face, unable to bear the burden any longer.
"Young master, I'm sorry, I lied," he sobbed, his voice choked with guilt. "I don't deserve your trust. I am a traitor," Lao Xin bursts into tears.
Jiang Jingsheng slowly sat up from the bed, looking at Lao Xin who remained kneeling, refusing to get up, his body shaking. "What did you say, Lao Xin?" he demanded, his voice trembling with a terrifying hope and dread. "What lie did you tell me? Make it clear! Tell me the truth!"
Lao Xin burst into fresh tears, sobbing uncontrollably, his body wracked with remorse. "I can't take it anymore, Young Master, I can't hide it from you any longer," he confessed, his voice raw. "I lied. The date I gave you was wrong. The truth is, Master Jiang found out that I sent messages between the two of you. Master Jiang ordered me to give Yang Yusheng the wrong date. He trapped him." He looked down at the floor, not daring to meet Jiang Jingsheng's gaze, his shame overwhelming. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry, I lied. The truth is, Yang Yusheng didn't run away. He..."
Jiang Jingsheng already suspected that Master Jiang must have committed an unforgivable act, a dark deed, but he still desperately wanted to know what Master Jiang had done to Yang Yusheng. "Where is he, Lao Xin?" he asked, his voice filled with sorrow, a desperate plea. "Tell me! Is he alive?"
Lao Xin burst into a fresh torrent of tears, sobbing violently, unable to control his grief. "He died, Young Master. Master Jiang..."
A sudden, crushing wave of sadness washed over Jiang Jingsheng's heart, a pain so profound it stole his breath. "How did he die, Lao Xin?" he asked, his voice barely a whisper, hollow and broken. "Did he suffer?"
"Master Jiang asked his four personal servants to hold Yang Yusheng, and I... I..." Lao Xin paused, choking back a sob, his voice filled with self-loathing. "I held Yang Yusheng's head, so Master Jiang could pour the poison into his mouth." He sobbed again, his body trembling. "Young Master, I'm sorry... I should have told you earlier. I thought if I told you that Yang Yusheng left because of money, maybe you could forget him. I thought I was protecting you."
With tears streaming down his face, Jiang Jingsheng looked at Lao Xin, his eyes filled with a cold, dead despair. "How long has it been, Lao Xin?" he asked, his voice hollow, devoid of emotion.
"Two days before you went to wait for him by the river," Lao Xin sobbed.
"Did he die quickly? Did he suffer?" Jiang Jingsheng pressed, his voice desperate for a gentle end for his love, for some small mercy.
Lao Xin shook his head, his voice strained. "He drank the poison and died soon after. He didn't suffer much, Young Master. It was quick."
Jiang Jingsheng lay back on the bed, closing his eyes, tears still silently falling. He turned to face the wall, his body rigid. "You get out, Lao Xin," he said, his voice flat, devoid of emotion, a chilling finality. "I don't want to see your face again. Ever."
After Lao Xin left the room, a long time passed, filled only with the sound of Jiang Jingsheng's silent sobs. He finally got up from the bed, walked to the door, and locked it, sealing himself off from the world. He fastened a tight rope onto the ceiling beam. He then sat at his desk, picked up a brush, and wrote his last words, his hand trembling. With tears welling in his eyes, he returned to the bed, his gaze fixed on the rope.
Jiang Jingsheng held onto the rope loop, his voice soft, almost a sigh, filled with profound sorrow. "I would rather wait for you all my life, knowing that I will see you again one day," he sobbed, the tears finally overflowing, blurring his vision. "Than knowing that if I want to see you again, I must enter the land of no return."