1004 Killing A Virtuous Man (2/2)
Long Qing said, ”If you hesitate to take a shot, then at least you should follow him.”
The Eldest Brother replied, ”Following him won't change anything. It is more painful to be an onlooker.”
Long Qing said, ”Isn't it the greatest pain to just wait here and keep wondering what is going on?”
The Eldest Brother was silent for a while and said, ”Out of sight, out of mind. It will make me feel better if I don't see what happens. This is probably why my Youngest Uncle once said that a gentleman should never be near the kitchen.”
”Hypocrites.” Hengmu said rudely, ”The Academy is full of hypocrites.”
The Eldest Brother said, ”Maybe I am hypocritical, but I can't represent the Academy. If it was Jun Mo or the Third Sister here tonight, then they probably won't talk so much like me.”
Hengmu stopped talking, for he found that it was hard to treat a gentleman who had admitted to be hypocritical, like a hypocrite. It was also hard to detest him.
It was quiet in front of the ruins of the imperial city. The night wind lightly brushed the river and the willow branches, touched the bloody face of Liu Yiqing and his closed eyes, and then disappeared.
The wind left no traces, just like how time passed by.
As Long Qing said, waiting was the worst. Fortunately, they didn't wait too long.
The Drunkard was back. The flagon swayed gently around his waist. The lower hem of his gown had some blood stains.
The Eldest Brother turned pale. He knew that the Drunkard deliberately dyed his clothes with blood to be seen by him. He was still in great pain and couldn't help but blame himself.
The Drunkard untied the flagon and said, ”Only a moment passes, and I am still drunk.” He drank some alcohol and squinted his eyes.
The Eldest Brother was silent for quite a while and then asked, ”Who died?”
The Drunkard had left to kill a person, and there were very few people in the world he couldn't kill.
”The one who died also loved alcohol.” The Drunkard recalled how he killed that person and said, ”I went to Chuzhou.”
The Eldest Brother asked, ”Chuzhou of Great Tang?”
The Drunkard answered, ”Yes. Chuzhou is surrounded by mountains and there is a pavilion in the East Hill. A governor built that pavilion.”
The Eldest Brother said in a trembling voice, ”The governor of Chuzhou was honest and upright and loved people.”
The Drunkard echoed, ”Indeed he was.”
The Eldest Brother said, ”He was virtuous man.”
The Drunkard said, ”He loved alcohol, and he was indeed a virtuous man.”
The Eldest Brother said, ”But you killed him.”
The Drunkard replied, ”If the governor of Chuzhou was not a person of virtue, I wouldn't have killed him.”
The Eldest Brother asked in a quaking voice, ”Why?”
The Drunkard looked at him and answered calmly, ”Because killing virtuous men would make you suffer more.”