The old man, who had lived a life of detachment from fame and wealth with utmost integrity, now looked out with eyes filled with endless grief and sighs.
The phrase suddenly came to mind: "I saw them build a towering mansion, I saw them host banquets, I saw their mansion collapse."
These lines, originating from the concluding suite *Lament for the South* in the drama *The Peach Blossom Fan* by Kong Shangren of the Qing Dynasty, stirred a deep melancholy within Zhang Weimin, as if he were witnessing the poignant twilight of a hero—or perhaps the tragic end of one's journey.
Chapter 450