The year they met, Yuan Cheng was fifteen and Liu Bao’er was fourteen. That same year, he achieved the highest imperial examination score and became the young official that people discussed enthusiastically over tea. Yuxiang thought she first saw him at the Hundred Flowers Festival, but she had actually encountered him much earlier.
At that time, her mother was still alive and took her to a temple to fast and purify herself for the only time. The temple had a lotus pond. Playfully wanting to pick a flower, she lost her footing and fell into the pond. He saved her.
Because she was frightened, she cried incessantly. Then he jumped back into the water and picked a blooming lotus flower for her. Unforgettable was that gentle young face—at first glance merely refined, but on second look like a pearl, gradually brightening in her heart.
He might no longer remember, but his smile then was so pure—it was the first and last time she saw it. It was that day when she fell for him, never wavering since. When she heard he accepted beautiful women bestowed by the prince consort, she didn’t waver; when she heard he offered a thousand gold pieces to buy a certain family’s songstress, she didn’t waver; when she heard he and noble young masters frequented pleasure houses and forgot to return, she didn’t waver; when she heard he invited the most beautifully dancing women to the autumn festival and laughed through the night, she didn’t waver. No matter what, she remained steadfast. Even though the letters she sent him always sank like stones in the sea, even though her expressions of affection never received a response, she believed that the young gentleman with the refreshing smile still existed within that romantic and elegant body.
She almost made it, because her father finally agreed to arrange their marriage. But before receiving his reply, her father passed away. When she brought it up to the Empress Dowager, the Empress Dowager disliked her and naturally wouldn’t care about her affairs. On one side she was brushed off, on the other he was schemed against, until she and he grew further and further apart. When he suffered disaster, she was helpless in the palace. She was a noble princess in the eyes of the common people, yet aside from better food and clothing, she was worse off than ordinary people—unable to make any decisions about her own life.
When Yuan Cheng returned to Nande as a rebel army leader, she hoped to see him again. When news reached the palace that Song forces were about to attack the capital and everyone prepared to flee south, only she chose to go north. She wanted to meet him again—desperately, longingly, spending her last bit of strength.
But what did she get? By his side was already a beautiful companion, and she was a fallen princess—her claim unjustified, willing to humble herself as a concubine, yet his wife refused, and he didn’t argue even one word on her behalf.
In the instant he coldly asked whether she cared about Yuxiang’s life or death, Liu Bao’er heard her own heart shatter. She had been hurt for him many times, but this time it finally reached an irreparable state. So tired, so foolish. Without a nation, how could there be a family? This man cruelly destroyed the Liu family’s foundation and allowed people to trample her dignity.
She hated him!
Her eyes were bloodshot, her once shy and kind gaze now transformed into piercing swords. “So what if I ordered it? Nande fell because of you, my loved ones died because of you. My father valued you so highly, yet you drew your sword against my brother. Regardless of what my brother is like, he is the ruler and you are the subject. You could have fulfilled a subject’s duty by offering good counsel, helping him become a wise ruler, but instead you harbored treacherous intentions, raised troops in rebellion—if that’s not being a traitorous subject, then what is?” Her accumulated affection of so long didn’t even have a shred of hope of being accepted—
She hated him!
Yuan Cheng suddenly stood up and walked toward Liu Bao’er. His empty sleeve billowed in the wind, the white cotton just applied to his wound immediately seeping red again. His lips were pale as paper, his face contained a smile, his gaze ice-cold.
He reached out to the side.
Immediately, a dark green long sword appeared in his hand.
Mo Zi sat properly, still very quiet.
Liu Bao’er fell backward, her chest heaving violently, her eyes terrified, thinking he was going to kill her.
But Yuan Cheng only gripped the sword hilt, the blade pointing down, stopping before Liu Bao’er.
To Mo Zi, that sword seemed like a cane he borrowed for support. To Liu Bao’er, even in such a relaxed posture, he made her so nervous she wanted to cry.
“So then, are you a princess of Nande, or a county princess of Song?” The sword turned before him, both palms pressing on it as Yuan Cheng bent forward slightly.
He asked very casually, very carelessly, as if the person before him were his friend.
Liu Bao’er was naive and didn’t understand the meaning of this question. Facing the sharp blade directly, she couldn’t utter half a word.
“Don’t you dare threaten the Princess.” Yuxiang wanted to rush over but was held with a blade at her neck, unable to move. “Yuan Cheng, I said this matter has nothing to do with the Princess.”
“It seems your maid has chosen for you.” Yuan Cheng’s smile held no warmth. His warmth was given to only one person. Liu Bao’er couldn’t understand, and he showed no pity. “I’ll ask you once more, Princess, are you the mastermind?”
Yuxiang shrieked, “Yuan Cheng, you’re heartless! How the Princess has treated you—you can’t possibly be unaware. How can you suspect her? How can you!”
Yuan Cheng didn’t even bother to turn his head, calling out clearly, “Who made people suspect her? You should know better than anyone.”
Yuxiang fell silent.
“Princess, speak.” Yuan Cheng’s eyes darkened. “Otherwise, I always have ways to make her talk.”
Liu Bao’er seemed to see an enormous whirlpool about to pull her in. Her bitten lip hurt again. “It was… no…”
“It was the Emperor. He ordered me to kill you.” Yuxiang no longer had the strength to struggle and sat limply on the ground. Liu Zhi suddenly looked up.
Liu Bao’er stared blankly at Yuan Cheng. She didn’t know what emotion she should use to express this moment. She was cleared, but her younger brother was implicated. The Liu family seemed destined to die—no amount of humble posturing was useful. Because they had fallen too heavily, the outcome of shattering like jade rather than remaining whole as tile was more fitting.
“It wasn’t me.” Liu Zhi first murmured as if to himself, then shouted, “It wasn’t me! You lowly servant, spewing blood and slander!”
“I am the Empress Dowager’s person, assigned to serve at the Princess’s side. After the Empress Dowager was imprisoned, I followed the Emperor’s orders. The Emperor hated the Prime Minister to the bone and told me to find an opportunity to kill him. Also, because I’m the Princess’s person, I could make the Princess the scapegoat.” Once the floodgate holding back the truth opened, all that remained was plain narration.
Yuan Cheng still faced Liu Bao’er, his smile vanished. “Princess, next time before acting on impulse, please think clearly. I could very easily take your life, but would you be willing?”
Having finished speaking, he turned and sat back down.
If people were to say Liu Bao’er impulsively confessed, few would believe it, but Yuxiang exposing Liu Zhi was logical and expected. Yuan Cheng’s purpose in pressuring Liu Bao’er was to force the loyally protective Yuxiang to tell the truth.
Li Yan was indignant. “Prince Jing, when you were Emperor of Nande, you were incompetent and tyrannical, ignoring the people’s hearts, disregarding their will, neglecting their circumstances, allowing others to monopolize court politics and manipulate power, leading to national chaos. The fall of your nation was because of you—what does it have to do with others? Coming north all this way, you should have seen scenes of peace and prosperity everywhere in Song territories—how different from Nande’s landscape of starvation. How dare you call Prime Minister Yuan a traitorous subject? You believed slander and had him severely punished, exiled and banished, disregarding his life and death, yet he spared your life and granted you a princely title. And you still sent someone to assassinate him?”
Zhang Zhen sneered coldly. “Prime Minister, if we don’t severely punish him, I fear the world will view Song as weak, indulging a deposed emperor.”
Liu Zhi jumped up abruptly. Though young in years, his face showed the desperate expression of someone going all in. “That’s right, I ordered it. Nande is mine. I can govern it however I want. Yuan Cheng was always a subject. If I want him dead, he dies—what reason is needed? You are rebels causing chaos and defying your superiors on my land, committing the greatest taboo under heaven. Though it’s clearly ambition and self-interest, you speak of it so righteously. Mother was wrong. She thought that by surrendering and accepting fate, you would spare me and her. But in truth, as long as we live one day, you remain rebellious bandits. If I don’t abdicate, you cannot claim the throne.”
“Your Highness, say no more.” Princess Jing’s voice trembled.
Mo Zi silently helped Yuan Cheng into his sleeve. So this emperor wasn’t ignorant of everything after all—he understood that even if one survived ignobly and submitted to fate, fate might not spare him.
“Edicts of self-reproach, denouncing my mother, cursing my grandfather, offering up Nande’s territory with both hands—I’ve had enough. Now you grant a title with no real power, place me under house arrest, and in a few years you’ll have me killed. Since I’ll die either way, I don’t want to make things easy for you! This lowly servant Yuxiang spoke with such confidence yet only stabbed the arm—wasting my joy at waiting to see your misfortune.” Calling himself the imperial ‘I’, the young emperor exploded, then pointed at Liu Bao’er. “This foolish woman only thinks about men all day, and it’s even her enemy. Framing her couldn’t be more appropriate.”
Not only did he bombard Yuan Cheng and the officials, he rushed to the loudspeaker and shouted, “I won’t abdicate, I did nothing wrong. I am the Son of Heaven, you are lowly commoners. Not only will I kill Yuan Cheng, I’ll chop off your heads too—”
The guards dragged Liu Zhi down.
People who understood the true culprit was indeed Liu Zhi shouted angrily, “Kill the deposed emperor! Kill the deposed emperor!”
Princess Jing sat ramrod straight, her face deathly pale. She wanted to live, even under house arrest. Liu Zhi was neither a good emperor nor a good husband. Not one day had she enjoyed his affection—only endless absurdity and helpless watching. Now, Liu Zhi would certainly die, but she couldn’t distance herself from him and would also not live long.
“Hand Yuxiang and Liu Zhi over to the Ministry of Justice for trial. Minister Li, Minister Zhang, Minister Yang—you three will make the final judgment, execute after the Six Ministries affix their seals.” Yuan Cheng’s emotions were unmoved. “Princess Jing, Third Princess, confine them to Mingjing Garden and investigate whether they were involved.”
Being dragged away, Liu Zhi made a huge fuss, like a willful child who, once having an outburst, disregards everything.
At this moment, unexpectedly, Yuxiang grabbed a blade pressed against her neck and knocked it forward.
Liu Bao’er let out a piercing cry, “Yuxiang!” While shouting, she stumbled and crawled to Yuxiang’s side.
A guard was about to block her, but Yuan Cheng said, “Let her go.”
Liu Bao’er struggled to lift Yuxiang into her arms. “Why? Why seek death? If you die, what should I do? Though you were sent by the Empress Dowager, all this time I could feel you truly cared for me…” She sobbed uncontrollably.
Yuxiang still had one last breath and spoke her final words: “Take… care…”
Liu Bao’er screamed, then fainted the next moment.
Liu Zhi, however, laughed loudly. “Good death! Now dead, you can’t say I was the mastermind. Dead witnesses tell no tales, hahaha—”
No one paid him any attention. What more evidence was needed when the culprit himself publicly admitted his crime?
Several days later, the Yang City government office posted an announcement. Liu Zhi harbored treacherous intentions and attempted to assassinate the Prime Minister. His title was now stripped and he was reduced to commoner status. Charged with treason and sentenced to death, he would be executed on the same day as the Empress Dowager, Grand Preceptor Wu, and others.
Two days later, the Empress Dowager committed suicide, Liu Zhi took poison, and Grand Preceptor Wu, Wu Jian, and other corrupt officials were beheaded in the public marketplace. This was recorded in the history books as the official end of the Nande imperial dynasty.