The air inside the grand hall of the Gu Manor was thick with the scent of fine wine and celebration. Family members and their personal guards filled the space, sitting and standing in clusters as they enjoyed the gathering to mark the successful return of those who had completed their missions without harm.
Gu Tingfang, the family patriarch, sat at the head table, clearly very happy to see his children and their retinues safely assembled. Everywhere, people drank happily, the mood designed to convey prosperity and power.
Gu Tingfang knew that today would be a special day, one carefully orchestrated to incentivize ambition. According to tradition, each child who had successfully accomplished the mission he had entrusted them with was allowed to add one more guard to their personal retinue—a public increase in both status and protection.
Gu Tingfang clapped his hands once, his voice ringing through the large hall. "Bring in the chosen guards."
An elder figure, leading a line of ten meticulously trained men, filed into the conference hall. They were the pool of rewards, ready to be assigned.
Gu Tingfang smiled, his eyes fixed on his heir. "Yingjie, these ten guards are well-trained and are the best. They are the finest guards the Gu Household has. I know that you already have a guard, but right now you will need more than one guard to protect both of you and Chaomei."
Gu Yingjie met his father's gaze, then shifted his eyes briefly toward Zhu Mingyang, who stood silently among the other personal guards. He knew the implication of accepting a new guard would be the explicit replacement of his present one.
"Father," Gu Yingjie replied, his voice firm, "I really don't want another guard."
Gu Tingfang's pleasant demeanor tightened into a look of disapproval. "None sense," he retorted, dismissing his heir's protest. "I have three guards, and your other brothers and sisters have many. Guards are servants, not companions. You are the master, and you can have as many guards as you want."
Gu Xiaowen seized the opening instantly. "Yingjie, I have three guards, and Father is right—guards are servants, not companions. If you refuse father's gratitude, it is a bit disrespectful, don't you think?"
Gu Xiaowen knew exactly what he was doing. Zhu Mingyang was fiercely loyal to Gu Yingjie, having successfully foiled several attempts on his life. This current spectacle was a deliberate trap: Gu Xiaowen and Gu Guoliang had colluded to implement this guard replacement method specifically to corner Gu Yingjie and forcibly drive Zhu Mingyang out of the Gu residence.
Gu Guoliang stepped in to confirm the consensus. "Very true, Yingjie, we are their master. We can choose as many guards as we want."
Yuan Chaomei made her move. She stepped closer to her husband, her voice sweet and reasonable. "Dear, why don't you choose one for me? When you and Mingyang go out to do father's task, the other guard can stay by my side to protect me." The justification of her and the heir's safety was undeniable.
Gu Yingjie looked past his wife, his gaze fixing briefly on the unmoving form of Zhu Mingyang. The internal battle was lost; his duty, his father, and the threat of disgrace were too strong. He capitulated, his voice hollow. "Which one do you want to choose?"
Yuan Chaomei's smile was triumphant. "This one," she said, pointing decisively to a strong, silent man among the ten.
Gu Yingjie turned back to his father, the words sealing the fate of the man he loved. "Father, I will choose him as my second guard."
Gu Tingfang smiled, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction. "Good choice. He is the best of the ten men. How about you pick another one for yourself?"
Gu Yingjie hesitated for only a moment before pointing to the middle of the line. "This one."
Gu Tingfang leaned back, delivering the final, crushing condition that revealed the entire assembly to be a calculated trap. "Mingyang," he announced, turning his gaze toward the silent guard. "You have to fight these two men. If your skills are better than theirs, then you are the leader of these two new guards. If your skills are less than these two men, then... they will be your leader."
Gu Yingjie immediately pushed back, a final, desperate attempt to save his lover's status. "Father, Mingyang came first, he should be the leader of the two new guards."
Gu Tingfang waved a dismissive hand, ending the debate. "Nonsense," he declared. "Who has higher skill should be superior."
"But Father," Gu Yingjie pleaded, his voice rising in alarm, "Mingyang has not fully recovered yet. He took a sword for me!"
Gu Tingfang's eyes went cold. "That's the duty of the guards. They die for you. They are your shield."
"But—" Gu Yingjie started again, the protest lodged in his throat.
Zhu Mingyang, his face a mask of resigned calm, stepped forward, halting his master's defense. He bowed formally to the patriarch. "Chief Gu, I'm ready."
A satisfied smile spread across Gu Tingfang's face. "Very good."
The two newly selected guards moved instantly, rushing Zhu Mingyang with a brutal, violent intent. As the three guards violently aimed at each other's lives, the music rang out loudly in the conference hall. Their masters and their masters' guests ate happily, clapped their hands, and enjoyed the deadly confrontation as nothing more than a lively performance.
Zhu Mingyang watched the cold, joyful spectacle of the Gu family. He glanced one last time at Gu Yingjie, who was sitting beside Yuan Chaomei, and the sight shattered his heart deeply.
He recalled the three final wounds of his life: the first was his mother's death, when she decided to hang herself because she no longer wanted to be his burden; the second was when Gu Yingjie told him he would marry Yuan Chaomei; and the third was this—Gu Yingjie choosing another guard to protect his wife. Everything Gu Yingjie had promised him in the past was broken.
A guard's strike came hard and fast, slamming into Zhu Mingyang's already injured right shoulder. He knew he could have blocked it, and he knew he could easily defeat both guards with the devastating force of his devil's fists, but he chose to be hit. He chose to fall.
The guard's fist connected, sending Zhu Mingyang slamming into a heavy pole inside the conference hall. He crumpled to the ground and immediately vomited a mouthful of blood.
Gu Yingjie shot up from his seat, his previous composure shattering. Lin Ruchao helped his master up and rushed toward the fallen guard. "Mingyang…" Gu Yingjie called out, his voice raw with fear. He knelt and helped the injured man sit up. "Are you alright?"
Zhu Mingyang did not look at him. His reply was flat, emotionless, and devastatingly formal. "I am fine, master."
Gu Yingjie's heart clenched. He knew the code; every time Zhu Mingyang addressed him as master, it meant the guard was profoundly angry with him. Gu Yingjie's gaze dropped to the obvious trauma. "Mingyang, are you bleeding?"
Gu Tingfang cut through the tension with a chilling finality. "Yingjie, Guard Zhu can't defeat the two guards, which means that his skill is not good." He looked directly at the kneeling guard. "You will be their underling."
"Father," Gu Yingjie pleaded desperately, "when Mingyang's condition improves, let them fight again!"
"No need," Zhu Mingyang stated flatly, cutting short his master's defense.
"Mingyang," Gu Yingjie said firmly, trying to command him to silence.
But Zhu Mingyang ignored him. He walked to the middle of the conference hall and sank to his knees in front of Gu Tingfang. He made the final, devastating declaration, trading his life for his freedom. "Chief Gu, I am not capable of protecting my master anymore. I want to redeem my freedom."
Gu Yingjie swayed, the color draining from his face as he realized the lethal price of that request. "Mingyang, what are you saying?"
Gu Tingfang stared down at the kneeling guard. "Do you know the rule of redeeming your freedom?"
"Yes," Zhu Mingyang replied, his voice strong and clear. "I am ashamed to stay knowing that I am incapable of being a good guard to protect my master."
Gu Tingfang pressed, needing the final, irrevocable confirmation. "Is this what you want?"
"Please fulfilled the request," Zhu Mingyang affirmed.
An elder walked over and handed Zhu Mingyang a small ceramic bottle. Zhu Mingyang took the bottle, removed the cap, and in the presence of the entire, silent hall, drank the poison in a single gulp. The 'forgetfulness' had begun its deadly, slow work.
Gu Tingfang's face held no remorse, only the cold satisfaction of an ancient law upheld. "Live or die," he announced to the hall, "let your fate decide it for you." He then looked to his guard captain. "Prepare the whip."
Zhu Mengyang stood up, and walke dout of the conference hall with four guards and four elder. He stood before the punishment pole and he his outer robe. One of the elders, grim-faced, tied his hands tightly to the pole, and the whipping began.
Each heavy whip left a deep, tearing wound on his back, and as each lash landed, it brought with it a fresh wave of agony—not just physical, but emotional. Every strike was a cruel reminder of the happy times he had shared with Gu Yingjie, the promises they had made, and the tears they had shed together. The physical pain was a mirror for the shattered love.
After he received the ten whips—one for each year he had served inside the Gu Manor—his back and his pants were completely soaked with blood.
The elder untied his hands. Zhu Mingyang crumpled to the ground, a broken figure. He slowly gathered his discarded robe and, without a backward glance toward the conference hall where his master sat, walked out of the Gu Manor and into his short, poisoned freedom.
Despite the raw, searing pain across his back, Zhu Mingyang slowly gathered himself. He pulled his robe on, its cloth immediately clinging to the soaked wounds, and began moving toward the front gate of the Gu Manor. Every painstaking step he pressed forward left a clear, bloody footprint behind him on the stone path.
After walking down three flights of stairs, he finally arrived at the main entrance. Waiting for him there, silhouetted in the doorway, was no other than Gu Yingjie.
Gu Yingjie stood waiting for him. Without looking at the man who had been his entire world, Zhu Mingyang slowly walked past Gu Yingjie, his head bowed, sealing the final, devastating breach between master and guard.
Gu Yingjie stopped running and shouted, "Stop!" When Zhu Mingyang continued to walk out of the front door, Gu Yingjie chased him, closing the distance instantly. "Mingyang, stop!" He reached out and fiercely held Zhu Mingyang's left arm. "Why?"
Zhu Mingyang pulled his arm away with a sharp tug, the movement sending a jolt of pain through his whipped back, though his face remained resolute. "I'm tired," he said simply.
Gu Yingjie's eyes were frantic, pleading. "Mingyang, you promised me that you belong to me, both body and soul."
Zhu Mingyang let out a heavy sigh, the sound weary with ten years of unspoken grief. He finally looked at his master, his gaze devastatingly clear. "You also promised me that except for me, you would never choose another guard. Do you remember?" He gave a bitter shake of his head. "You promised me many things, but you never kept any promises. I understand that I am not a person in the eyes of the Gu."
Gu Yingjie's voice was thick with desperation and tears. "For me, you are always a person. A very special person."
Zhu Mingyang shook his head, the pain behind his eyes deepening. "Yingjie, if you think of me as a person, you should know that this person has feelings. He will feel pain. He will be hurt. He also shed tears..."
"Mingyang, I'm sorry," Gu Yingjie choked out, grabbing for his hand again. "I promise I will make it up to you. Please don't leave me."
Zhu Mingyang finally met his gaze, and the look he gave his master was one of terrifying, absolute defeat. "I must leave you." He leaned in, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "If I stay any longer, I might kill your wife and your unborn child."
Gu Yingjie could only whisper, the word choked with defeat. "Mingyang…please…"
Zhu Mingyang shook his head, the slightest movement sending agony across his back. "Yingjie, you know better than me why I stayed in the Gu Manor. I am not crazy enough to watch the person I love, love another person in front of me." He spoke of the poison with a chilling calm. "Soon, I will forget you, even who I am." His final command was sharp. "Take care of yourself and stay blind until you successfully find what you want."
He started walking down the stairs, leaving the master who had chosen his duty over their bond. "I wish you all the best. We are not alike. For you, everything is replaceable."
Gu Yingjie stood frozen in the doorway, watching Zhu Mingyang walk down the long flight of stairs and slowly disappear into the fading light. He lowered his head, and his gaze fixed on the ground: Zhu Mingyang's blood stained the steps, a vivid, awful trail leading away from the Gu Manor.
Gu Yingjie muttered the words to himself, a hollow whisper against the vast silence of the deserted entrance. "Mingyang, I also wish you the best. I'm sorry."