Ye Zhao thought for a moment and said seriously, "I have two theories, but I haven't determined which one is the true cause. Why don't you listen to both?"
The others remained silent, their lack of objection serving as tacit consent as they waited for him to continue.
Ye Zhao began, "First, someone gave Tianshu a mission to help the State of Wei."
"How is that possible!"
Before Ye Zhao could finish, Jiang Ziqi scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "You think Lord Tianshu was acting on someone else's orders?! Who could possibly command him?"
At that time, Tianshu was arguably the most powerful person in Wei. His authority was unrivaled—below only one, but above all others. To put it bluntly, had he wished to ascend the throne himself, it would have been a simple matter. Who could have ordered him around?
Jiang Ziqi could hardly suppress a laugh at the absurdity.
Ye Zhao explained calmly, "I am merely inferring a motive based on the existing facts. Of course, 'mission' is just a label. It doesn't necessarily mean a command forced upon him by another. It could be that a person, a promise, or a specific event made him want to achieve this goal."
Ye Zhao spoke in a low voice, deliberately leaving time for them to process his words before asking, "Do you understand now?"
That was more plausible. Jiang Ziqi nodded. "I see."
Having addressed the external factors, Ye Zhao moved on to the personal ones. "Second, in his eyes, all of this was nothing more than a thrilling, high-stakes game."
His voice was slow and deep, like a mysterious whisper in the night, drifting lightly through their ears to settle heavily on their hearts.
"A game?"
Jiang Ziqi could not describe his current feelings; he simply repeated the words with a stunned expression.
Ye Zhao nodded. "Yes, a game."
This was the true meaning behind the title 'Master of the Game.'
"To turn the tide from a desperate situation, to hold the lives of millions in the balance, to have the survival of a nation entirely within his grasp—that is what he enjoyed and pursued."
The ultimate thrill, the power to end a life or save one from misery with a single thought; like an omnipotent god, powerful enough to do exactly as he pleased.
Faced with this statement, Jiang Ziqi remained dazed for a long time before finally spitting out, "Are you mad?!"
Ye Zhao replied calmly, "I'm not mad. I'm perfectly sober."
If he wasn't mad, then the Lord Tianshu he described—the one who would do such things for such a reason—must have been the mad one!
"This...!" Jiang Ziqi looked at his companion with utter incomprehension. His voice hitched, and his gaze seemed to want to pry open Ye Zhao’s skull to see its internal structure.
Ye Zhao glanced at the others. "What is it? Is it that hard to accept?"
*It’s not a matter of whether it’s hard to accept!*
This was even more preposterous than the first theory!
"Who would treat such matters as entertainment? War kills people! It kills many, many people! Wouldn't he be using his own life for amusement as well?" Jiang Ziqi murmured, his voice dropping to a whisper.
Ye Zhao did not see it that way. He spoke with apparent indifference. "Who knows? As the saying goes, there is often only a thin line between a genius and a madman. They see things from angles that are sometimes the same as ordinary people, and sometimes entirely different."
The others fell silent.
Xie Yusong spoke up. "To spend years of time and energy, enduring all sorts of hardships and dangers, just for amusement?" He paused, then concluded, "I... I could not do it."
"It's not entirely impossible," Su Jinzhou offered a differing opinion. His cool gaze swept over Ye Zhao, carrying an unreadable meaning. "After all, no one knows the true reason better than the person himself."
His words sounded impartial and objective, but the true meaning was understood only by the others, excluding Ye Zhao.
It made sense. No matter how much they discussed it here, they could not be certain of the subject's true thoughts.
Ye Zhao nodded repeatedly. "True, true..."
As Ye Zhao spoke, Su Jinzhou slowly revealed a smile. It seemed devoid of meaning, yet it carried a strange undertone that made Ye Zhao feel a flicker of doubt.
At the same time, the others fell silent in unison, their gazes toward Ye Zhao becoming complex.
Among them, Jiang Ziqi was the easiest to read. The more Ye Zhao looked at him, the more he felt the other's expression was... indescribably complicated.
Had he said something wrong? He didn't think he had.
After a long while, Pei Shi'an broke the silence with a low sigh. "So, that is what 'Master of the Game' means."
Sensing the dejection in the other's voice, Ye Zhao thought for a moment, unsure of how to comfort him. He remained silent for a beat before saying, "Even if what he enjoyed was different, the friendship you shared must have been real."
Pei Shi'an looked up at Ye Zhao and asked, "Then why did he leave without a word?"
*That...*
That really stumped Ye Zhao.
If one followed the two theories he had proposed, the reason for leaving was quite straightforward. Either the mission was complete, or he felt the game had reached a satisfying peak and would no longer provide any pleasure. Therefore, it was time to go.
But obviously, he couldn't say that directly to Pei Shi'an. Ye Zhao’s mind raced as he searched for a tactful response. "Perhaps he had some secret trouble he couldn't speak of."
"Oh? What kind of trouble?"
Pei Shi'an stared at Ye Zhao without blinking, looking straight into the depths of his eyes. His expression was unnervingly calm.
Ye Zhao’s eyes shifted. *What kind of reason can I make up on the spot... This is really!*
"Since it's a secret trouble, how could I possibly guess it?" He acted naturally.
Pei Shi'an’s expression didn't change, as if he hadn't noticed Ye Zhao’s awkwardness. He suddenly said, "I recall that before he disappeared, he did indeed leave a letter."
Ye Zhao was about to breathe a sigh of relief when Pei Shi'an continued, "It contained only one sentence, the meaning of which I have failed to grasp to this day."
"Wait, what?" Ye Zhao was stunned. After a two-second pause, seeing that the other was waiting for him to ask, he followed along. "What did it say?"
"Looking back ten thousand miles, an old friend..."
After waiting a few seconds and seeing no follow-up from Pei Shi'an, Ye Zhao asked in confusion, "Why did you stop?"
"That's all," Pei Shi'an said calmly.
Ye Zhao was surprised. "That's all? What about the words 'Eternal Parting' at the end?"
Wait... wait!
Ye Zhao’s expression suddenly froze. Once he said those words, even Jiang Ziqi understood, let alone the others.
*Eternal Parting.*
That was the true meaning the letter intended to convey.
Ye Zhao quickly looked at Pei Shi'an, only to see him sitting there in a daze, his eyes profoundly lost. Seeing Ye Zhao look over, he gave a bitter smile. "So that's what it meant... I finally understand."
Feeling that the other might be spiraling into dark thoughts, Ye Zhao felt a bit guilty. He lowered his gaze to the stone table, his folding fan nearly covering his entire face. As if to smooth things over for Tianshu and lighten the atmosphere, he spoke up.
"Perhaps he wrote it that way precisely because he felt lingering affection and couldn't bear to leave."
Whether the listeners believed it or not, Ye Zhao himself felt this way to some extent. "If he truly left with such cold detachment, he wouldn't have left the final two words blank."
The area remained silent.
Pei Shi'an’s eyes flickered slightly. "Is that what you think?"
"That is what I think," Ye Zhao answered frankly. He even put himself in the shoes of someone saying goodbye. "If I hated someone and never wanted to see them again, I wouldn't leave a single word. But the more I find it hard to part with someone, the more I wouldn't know what to say. It would just be 'take care' or 'goodbye.'"
As Ye Zhao spoke, his thoughts returned to the sentence Tianshu had left. After pondering it in his heart, he spoke with confusion. "If I were to say 'Eternal Parting' to someone..."
Those words were too resolute—so resolute they carried a hint of tragedy. He paused for a long time before musing, "It would only make me feel that I was about to do something monumental, a journey with no return, a choice to find life through death, never to meet again."
Silence fell once more.
Ye Zhao snapped out of his thoughts and saw the others staring at him blankly. He felt strange. "What is it?"
"What do you think Tianshu was going to do?"
For some reason, Ye Zhao felt a tremor in Pei Shi'an’s voice. The way the man looked at him was also strange—it was as if he were looking at him, yet also looking at someone else. The question itself was asked based on Ye Zhao’s own speculation, which felt odd.
"I don't know that either."
*What were you going to do back then?*
*Why didn't you tell us? Why didn't you let us know?*
*Why did you have to go?*
*You are truly... truly... so heartless, Tianshu!*
Pei Shi'an’s lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but he remained silent.
Ye Zhao was also curious. Where did that legendary figure go?
While he was thinking, the others were also lost in thought as they watched him. If there was an eighty percent chance that Ye Zhao and Tianshu were the same person, would his way of thinking be the same as Tianshu's?
At the very least, his guess just now felt incredibly close to the truth.
Pei Shi'an sat there in his green robes, exceptionally elegant. His warm eyes were fixed on the person before him. While Ye Zhao was still confused about the situation, Pei Shi'an suddenly sighed softly. "Ye Zhao, looking back now, I've begun to doubt whether I ever truly understood Tianshu."
With a tone of both lament and sorrow, he raised his eyes and said slowly, "He once said that I was the person who understood him best in this world, and the one who most suited his heart, because I always did the right thing at the right time. Every word and action of mine aligned with his wishes."
*Mhm, mhm...*
Ye Zhao listened intently, sensing nothing wrong, but the others suddenly stiffened.
In the next moment, after looking at Ye Zhao for two seconds, Pei Shi'an suddenly asked, "Do you think those words were true or false?"
"Huh?" Suddenly asked to answer, Ye Zhao blinked, thought for a moment, and said, "They should be true."
"Based on your character, Shi'an, you are indeed a master at handling both people and affairs."
Although they hadn't known each other long, Ye Zhao could feel that Pei Shi'an was an excellent secretary in his work and a perfect "domestic helper" in friendship and personal matters. He was an all-around capable assistant!
"A master?" the other murmured, his tone unreadable.
Because of his preconceived notions, Ye Zhao naturally misunderstood the oddness in the other's voice, taking it for doubt. He affirmed, "Yes. Facts have proven that Lord Tianshu did not misjudge you. Whether in public or private matters, you have done very well, haven't you?"
Otherwise, how would the name of the Great Chancellor Pei be known throughout the world today?
"Yes..." The expression on Pei Shi'an’s face stiffened. He forced a faint smile that vanished instantly. His gaze touched the deep red in Ye Zhao’s hand. He paused, then suddenly took an old cord knot from his robe.
Ye Zhao looked at the red knot being slowly held out to him, feeling confused. "This is...?"
There was a hint of caution in Pei Shi'an’s eyes, a mix of tension and trepidation. "This is what he gave to me."
"Oh..." Ye Zhao correctly guessed who "he" was.
But why was Pei Shi'an showing this to him? Ye Zhao looked at him inquiringly.
The other man stared straight at him. After a second's pause, he spoke. "Does this remind you of anything?"
His voice sounded strained.
Ye Zhao took the old knot and turned it over repeatedly. In the center of the knot was a small piece of red jade. It looked familiar. He suddenly looked down at the folding fan on the table, his eyes widening in surprise.
These two pieces of jade were a pair! When put together, they formed a perfect circular jade pendant!
"This jade pendant is...!" Ye Zhao cried out.
Pei Shi'an took over the conversation calmly. "Yes. The two pieces were originally a pair. I found them and gave them to him back then."
"Then this fan... couldn't be...?" Ye Zhao was shocked.
Pei Shi'an shook his head. "Only the fan pendant was my gift."
Ye Zhao understood something almost instantly and fell into a deep silence. Seeing him quiet, Pei Shi'an sighed softly and asked, "What are you thinking?"
Ye Zhao quickly snapped back to reality, his expression as calm as ever, even carrying a slight smile. "Nothing much. I just realized that even Lord Tianshu could make mistakes. Look at this knot—it's tied incorrectly."
He joked naturally. No one could tell what he was truly thinking. Perhaps his sudden frown earlier was indeed, as he said, because he noticed the knot was wrong?
"Yes, he even managed to tie this wrong," Pei Shi'an said, looking at him. After speaking, he took the knot back and carefully tucked it into his robe, his face equally calm and devoid of ripples.
Hidden beneath his wide sleeves, Ye Zhao’s fingertips twitched slightly. No one saw this small movement, and no one noticed that when Pei Shi'an said those words, Ye Zhao’s expression froze for a split second before he quickly adjusted.
Having inadvertently discovered a certain truth, Ye Zhao was panicking! And along with the panic, he felt a bit of irritation!
How was that knot tied incorrectly?! It was clearly a modern "Peace Knot"!
But Pei Shi'an didn't know that. No one in this world knew. They only knew it looked very similar to the "Lovesickness Knot" that men and women exchanged on the Lantern Festival in the State of Wei. It was so similar that anyone seeing it would assume some clumsy fellow had messed up a perfectly good Lovesickness Knot!
Now, the owner of this gift believed the same.
Ye Zhao couldn't sit still after a few seconds. He spoke up in a seemingly casual manner. "Shi'an, that knot is so old. Why keep it? It's not pretty, and you can't eat it."
*Better to throw it away sooner than later!*
Upon hearing this, Pei Shi'an gave him a neutral glance. "And what would you suggest?"
"Of course, it's..." Ye Zhao almost said it straight out, but he realized it was inappropriate. He quickly pivoted. "Since it's an old item from a friend, it should be properly preserved. Just find a box and store it away. That's better than carrying it with you. What if you lose it one day?"
*Let it gather dust in a corner so you won't keep looking at it and thinking of him.*
Pei Shi'an, who was usually very indulgent toward Ye Zhao, did not immediately agree this time. He watched Ye Zhao quietly for a moment.
Then, suddenly, he stood up and walked away.
"Hey!" Ye Zhao was stunned. He stood up to call out, but slowly lowered his hand, frustratedly slapping his forehead.
Pei Shi'an had definitely sensed something, but Ye Zhao really didn't want to tell him the truth... Was he supposed to say, "Actually, you've misunderstood everything. Tianshu didn't love you like that. That wasn't a Lovesickness Knot to show his feelings, but a Peace Knot for a blessing"?
No.
That would be far too hurtful. That was why Ye Zhao was unwilling to shatter the illusion.
"If you have something to say, why can't you just say it? Why say something like that?" Jiang Ziqi frowned. He had also guessed who had made the knot on Ye Zhao’s fan. He also understood the rumors about Chancellor Pei’s admiration for Lord Tianshu; it seemed they were true.
Ye Zhao’s words just now, though seemingly for the other's sake, carried a bizarre sense of malice in wanting Pei Shi'an to stop carrying the knot. It was nonsensical and easily offended people.
It was only because Chancellor Pei had a good temper and didn't hold it against him despite seeing through Ye Zhao’s intent. Anyone else would have given Ye Zhao a piece of their mind.
*I can't say it. I definitely can't say it. No one can know this secret except me.*
Ye Zhao irritably snapped open his fan and began fanning himself vigorously. His face was half-serious and half-conflicted. He simply replied, "It's nothing."
Anyone with eyes could see that Ye Zhao had something on his mind, but he was unwilling to speak of it.
***
**Glossary**
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
--- | --- | ---
长绝 | Chang Jue / Eternal Parting | A term implying a final, absolute separation, often by death or permanent departure.
相思结 | Lovesickness Knot | A traditional knot symbolizing romantic longing or a token of love.
平安结 | Peace Knot | A modern-style knot (in the context of the story) symbolizing a blessing for safety and well-being.
游戏王 | Master of the Game | Literally "Game King," used here to describe someone who treats life/politics as a game.
回首万里，故人 | Looking back ten thousand miles, an old friend | The opening of Tianshu's final message.
Enjoying the story? Rate this novel:
Once, I Was a Legend | Chapter 81 | The Meaning of the Knot | Novela.app | Novela.app
