21 – The Single-Plank Bridge is Too Dark
Sang Yun actually felt quite nervous all day long listening to her Crown Princess speak so freely without restraint. Before coming to this estate, she had long heard that Young Master Wen Nian was moody and unpredictable, the kind who killed without batting an eye.
In short, if anyone dared to provoke him, they wouldn’t even know how they died.
But ever since she arrived, listening to Shi Sui and Wen Nian bicker, every time she thought Wen Nian would get angry, he would just smile and look at Shi Sui, as if there was nothing he could do about her.
And to be honest, she still hadn’t seen Wen Nian indiscriminately kill the innocent or truly fly into a rage and take it out on others over anything, except for that Consort Li who brought trouble upon herself.
While she was lost in thought, Wen Nian walked over slowly, took the comb from her hand, and glanced at her sideways, as if his eyes were filled with “Aren’t you leaving yet?” and “Could you be a bit more perceptive?”
Sang Yun: “…I, then this servant will take her leave first.”
And so, Sang Yun was inexplicably driven out by the Young Master, even forgetting to finish Shi Sui’s makeup, with her hair only half done.
After stepping out, the more Sang Yun thought about it, the more she felt something was off. Looking at Yuan Youdao standing opposite her, she asked, “I think His Highness is so gentle.”
Yuan Youdao: “…” I must be going deaf.
Sang Yun added, “The Young Master treats our Crown Princess so well, truly forming a stark contrast with Consort Li.”
Yuan Youdao: “…” Are we even talking about the same Young Master?
Yuan Youdao no longer wanted to delve into what was going on with the Young Master. He had never seen Wen Nian act so unusually before, but on second thought, Wen Nian being able to attend court was indeed partly thanks to Shi Sui, so his hostility toward her had lessened considerably.
Inside the room, actually, before Sang Yun left, Shi Sui’s hair was almost fully braided. Now, all that was needed was to add some hairpins for decoration. Wen Nian dipped the comb in hair oil and smoothed her hair a few more times, then had Shi Sui turn around, picked up an eyebrow pencil, and said, “Come, let me do your makeup.”
Shi Sui: “…”
Shi Sui’s face clearly said “I’m thrilled.”
Surprisingly, Wen Nian’s makeup skills were quite good. When Shi Sui looked at the finished result in the mirror, she was quite satisfied. Although she knew in her heart that most of it was thanks to the female lead’s stunning looks, she still praised him, “Not bad at all.”
Wen Nian raised an eyebrow smugly and said, “Just passable, nothing special.”
Hmph.
Never seen someone so full of themselves.
After finishing the makeup, Shi Sui realized she was a bit hungry. Since it wasn’t yet lunchtime, she casually grabbed an apple from the dining table and took a bite. The apple was a bit soft, whether from being stored too long or for some other reason. Shi Sui disliked wasting food, so even though it wasn’t to her taste, she took another big bite.
Wen Nian watched her and naturally reached out to take the apple, saying, “If it doesn’t taste good, give it to me.”
With that, Wen Nian took a bite of the apple and just ate it like that.
Shi Sui: Uh… Little Black Flower, you’re really not achieving much as a Crown Prince, huh? Now you’re even picking up what I’ve left behind?
Wen Nian asked, “What do you want to ask? I can tell you anything.”
Shi Sui: “That doesn’t seem right. Discussing state affairs isn’t appropriate.”
The Youth seemed to find this amusing, tilting his head and smiling, “Haven’t you been discussing it for a while now? What’s inappropriate about it?”
Shi Sui asked, “Are you talking about… the matter of seclusion?”
“Nowadays, the people of our nation indulge in pleasure-seeking. The scholars teach only moral principles and ethics, solely focused on educating the masses, yet they neglect history and economics.” The youth’s tone was leisurely. “People’s hearts are restless. Everyone knows where the fault lies, yet no one dares to confront imperial authority and speak out.”
“One thrives in adversity and perishes in comfort.”
Shi Sui nodded and said, “You know all that.”
The youth tilted his head in confusion, then raised his hand and knocked on her head—not lightly. He laughed and said, “Of course I know more than you. Why do you always wear such a mature expression? What are you worrying about all day?”
Shi Sui: Damn it, I just praised you and now you’re getting cocky. Whose head are you knocking?!
Shi Sui puffed out her cheeks, covering her head, and retorted, “In your capital, isn’t it true that women are looked down upon and despised for participating in politics? Why are you discussing these things with me?”
“You actually believe that?” The youth looked at her in surprise. “Don’t wrong us people of the capital. Who looks down on women?”
Shi Sui blinked. “Oh, that’s indeed my mistake. Then what about you? What do you think of women?”
Wen Nian said, “Women and men are essentially no different and should not be treated differently.”
Shi Sui asked, “But many people don’t think that way.”
Wen Nian: “Naturally. That’s the limitation of the times.”
Shi Sui: “…Then let’s talk about me.”
“Alright.” Wen Nian smiled. “Your insights are quite good—a bit better than those so-called generals, but still a bit worse than mine.”
Shi Sui also laughed. “Fine, fine, you’re the best.”
But come to think of it, Shi Sui truly hadn’t expected this little dark flower to have such awareness. His thinking was quite ahead of its time.
If that’s the case, why did the original novel place the blame for the nation’s destruction solely on Wen Nian?
A teenager in his teens, no matter how capable or knowledgeable, would find it difficult to save a country that was crumbling from within, even if he possessed extraordinary abilities.
Shi Sui suddenly felt a pang of sadness, as if through Wen Nian’s current appearance, she could see the depiction in the original novel: after the nation’s fall, the spirited youth refused to yield, grew despondent, and ultimately died with regret.
So a single line in the book carried so many tears and suffering.
What was Wen Nian’s characterization in the original novel? Mad? Unpredictable? Rebellious? Or something else?
Ultimately, the root cause of these labels was that Wen Nian was out of sync with this world.
His thoughts differed from theirs. He had his own set of values and understanding of everything, so he acted freely, unafraid of authority, and thus became an anomaly of his time.
As the saying goes, when ignorance becomes the mainstream, clarity becomes the original sin.
Shi Sui collected her thoughts, pondered for a long while, and suddenly spoke: “Dong Zhi.”
Wen Nian took another bite of the apple and smiled. “Hmm?”
Shi Sui said, “The single-plank bridge is too dark.”
The youth lowered his eyes, somewhat dazed. His pitch-black eyes were empty, simply gazing at Shi Sui.
Shi Sui: “I can walk it with you.”
What followed was a stretch of silence.
The youth chuckled softly, then suddenly reached out and ruffled Shi Sui’s hair, his movements unusually gentle. “You’re so afraid of the dark. If you cry, won’t someone have to comfort you?”
His voice was light. “Too much trouble.”
After saying this, the youth pinched Shi Sui’s cheek and smiled. “Besides, who told you I’m walking a single-plank bridge? Perhaps my path is the broad and open road.”
Shi Sui raised her hand to rub her cheek, which had just been pinched, and blinked. The midday air still carried the scent of damp earth after the rain, fresh and cool.
“That’s true,” Shi Sui murmured softly. “Perhaps his path is the broad and smooth one.”
This was the first time Shi Sui felt so grateful that she hadn’t chosen Mu He back then, but had chosen Wen Nian instead.
Only now did Shi Sui understand that all the words Wen Nian had spoken and all the things he had done, when pieced together, were no longer just a simple character description from a book, but a vivid, living person.
A gentle and thoughtful, yet spirited and ambitious youth.
How could anyone be defined by just a few lines in a book?