Under Huo Liuxing’s care, Shen Lingzhen gradually grew drowsy. In her hazy state, she noticed he seemed to be dozing off as well, yet his palm continued reflexively massaging her lower abdomen. Each time he paused, he would jolt awake as if struck by lightning and resume rubbing for her.
In her dazed confusion, she thought she told him that it no longer hurt, that he should stop rubbing and sleep, but in reality she only said it in her dream—she never actually spoke aloud.
Huo Liuxing cared for her thus throughout the entire night. Near dawn, he heard the bedroom door being knocked with two short raps followed by three long ones.
Shen Lingzhen was sound asleep. Huo Liuxing quietly rose from the bed, tucked in the corners of her quilt, and moved to the door to exit.
The visitor was Jingmo bringing news: “Young master, the prison has acted according to plan. Both of our death warriors have already…”
Huo Liuxing nodded: “Erect memorial cenotaphs for them in Hexi.”
Jingmo bowed his head in acknowledgment, then said: “What happens next depends on the Fourth Prince. His Majesty has already summoned him into the palace overnight. Right now he should be personally interrogating him. Young master, do you think the Fourth Prince can successfully catch this move you’ve thrown at him?”
According to the Huo family’s plan, this time Huo Liuxing would sacrifice two death warriors in total—one to pose as the captured military traitor, and another to pose as a killer who, upon hearing the news, went to the prison to silence the traitor.
Tonight, the “killer” had successfully infiltrated the prison and killed the “traitor,” then was “carelessly” captured by the inescapable net the Emperor had laid, biting open the hidden poison in his tooth crevice and committing suicide on the spot.
However, after his suicide, a slight clue was left on his body, vaguely pointing to the Fourth Prince Zhao Xun as the mastermind behind it all.
With the plan proceeding to this step, it was time for Zhao Xun to make his entrance.
Huo Liuxing said with a half-smile: “Fourth Brother at least has this much intelligence. After daybreak there will naturally be a good show—just watch.”
——
At the same moment, the palace lanterns of Funing Palace swayed in the cool breeze of the late autumn dawn, casting eerie firelight.
Inside the palace hall, the Emperor sat on the edge of his bed wearing dragon robes, using a bright yellow silk handkerchief in his hand to gently wipe a gleaming treasured sword.
Not far away, Zhao Xun stood there all alone, his gaze fixed firmly on this scene.
“A’Xun,” after a long silence, the Emperor finally spoke. “You and the Crown Prince are the two children Father loves most. Your mothers passed away early, yet Father overcame all obstacles and left the Empress position vacant for many years, never establishing a new one, precisely because he did not wish anyone to overshadow you. Because in Father’s heart, only children of legitimate birth are qualified to sit in Father’s position. Do you understand Father’s painstaking intentions?”
Zhao Xun nodded: “Your son understands.”
“The Crown Prince has virtue and talent, but lacks a healthy body. Father believes you should clearly know that as long as you proceed steadily, work diligently, and remain loyal to the nation, what should be yours will eventually be yours.”
Zhao Xun’s expression was solemn, not concealing anything: “Your son is clear on this.”
“Since you are clear, why do things that break Father’s heart?” The Emperor let out a long sigh, raising an aged, skeletal hand to slowly stroke the sharp blade of the sword in his grasp. “Outsiders will always remain outsiders. Your acting the thief crying ‘thief’ in Qingyang, targeting the Huo family—these petty skirmishes, Father can tolerate. But you cannot use any means necessary to eliminate the Huo family and betray Father in the process. Isn’t that so?”
Zhao Xun immediately knelt down, shaking his head: “Your son has never betrayed Imperial Father. Please, Imperial Father, see clearly.”
The Emperor smiled faintly, tossing a jade pendant before his eyes: “This Hetian precious jade is leftover scrap from the jade sculpture you presented at Father’s birthday banquet last year, is it not?”
Zhao Xun picked up the jade pendant, his eyes narrowing: “Yes. When the jade sculpture was being carved, a portion of inferior scraps were discarded. Your son had them made into pendants like this and bestowed them upon his subordinates.”
“Then tell me,” the Emperor braced himself on his knees and stood, advancing with sword in hand, “why did this jade pendant appear in the Court of Judicial Review’s prison tonight?”
Zhao Xun’s brows furrowed, his face showing surprise: “Your son does not know.”
The Emperor placed the sword against the side of his neck. The blade tilted slightly, and immediately a line of bright red blood beads bloomed on his neck.
“I ask you one more time—why did this jade pendant appear in the Court of Judicial Review’s prison tonight?”
This bloodstained sword, along with the change in how he addressed him and the deliberate slowing of his speech, all signified that this emperor who held the power of life and death had reached the limit of his patience.
Yet Zhao Xun instead straightened his back even more, lifting his face to meet his gaze, enunciating clearly: “Your son does not know.”
The blade tilted again, nearly cutting into flesh. The blood flowing from Zhao Xun’s neck had almost soaked through his collar.
His lips gradually darkened in color, yet his expression remained unchanged. Unhurriedly, he said: “Your son received news tonight that the Huo family had escorted a traitor who collaborated with the enemy from the Dingbian Army to the Court of Judicial Review in the capital. Your son guessed that such confidential information would not leak without reason—it should be Imperial Father deliberately releasing it to lure the snake from its hole. Therefore, though your son wished to share Imperial Father’s and the court’s burdens by investigating at the prison, he feared being drawn into these troubled waters and temporarily held back, pretending ignorance. If the betrayal Imperial Father speaks of refers to this matter, your son admits it. But aside from this, your son has absolutely not done a second thing to wrong Imperial Father.”
“If Imperial Father has already convicted me in your heart, today you may press down this sword. But once your son dies, the vile serpents who framed him will certainly go unpunished. When that time comes, Imperial Father and Daqi, both kept in the dark, will continue to suffer tribulations. Your son fears he will never be able to close his eyes in death.”
Due to blood loss, Zhao Xun’s complexion grew increasingly pale. The Emperor stared fixedly at him. After a long while, he tossed the sword aside.
After a clear “clang,” the Emperor straightened his dragon robes and gave faint instructions to those outside the hall: “The Fourth Prince has carelessly injured himself and cannot attend this morning’s surrender ceremony. Take him to Yanfu Palace for proper medical treatment and care.”
——
At dawn’s sunrise, daylight quickly brightened. At the hour of Chen, Daqi’s surrender ceremony with Xiqiang was convened on schedule in Zichen Hall under the witness of civil and military officials.
Above the great hall, palace attendants recited the terms of the surrender document aloud: first, Xiqiang promised to return the Hexi territories and willingly submit to Daqi, coming to the capital yearly to pay tribute according to protocol; second, Xiqiang promised to compensate Daqi for corresponding war damages—totaling five hundred thousand taels of gold, two million taels of silver, and three thousand warhorses; third, Xiqiang promised never to initiate war against Qi or provoke disputes between the two sides, disrupting mutual friendship and peace; fourth, Xiqiang loved Central Plains civilization and wished to have Third Prince Weiming He remain in the capital to study Han script and Han rites—within three years, if his studies were not complete, he would absolutely not be recalled.
This fourth provision caught the assembled court officials somewhat by surprise.
Initially, when Huo Liuxing went to negotiate with Xiqiang, what he negotiated were the first three terms, including territorial concessions and reparations. This fourth provision was clearly something the Emperor had temporarily added after giving Xiqiang a show of force at last night’s banquet.
Within the Huo residence, Shen Lingzhen, who was resting in bed, felt somewhat puzzled upon hearing of this matter. When Huo Liuxing returned from attending the ceremony to see her, she asked while hugging a warming stone: “Doesn’t this amount to detaining Prince Weiming as a hostage in the capital?”
“Your body hasn’t recovered yet you’re worrying about these matters every day?” Huo Liuxing sat down on the edge of the bed, tested the temperature of the warming stone in her hands, and replaced it with a new one. “He’s no longer Prince Weiming now—His Majesty even bestowed upon him the surname ‘Zhao.'”
This was intentionally infiltrating and eroding the Xiqiang royal house step by step, gradually subverting even their surnames.
“Xiqiang was actually willing to accept this?”
“When reduced to fish and meat on the chopping board, being able to preserve one’s lifeline is already satisfactory. How could there be surplus energy to care whether the cutting board is comfortable to lie on, or whether the knife cuts horizontally or vertically? Xiqiang is the defeated party in this conflict. Aside from submission, they have no other options.”
Shen Lingzhen worried: “But from what I see of the Xiqiang people’s temperament, this submission is merely temporary. His Majesty’s actions this time are too excessive—they’re more likely to infuriate them and cause them to accumulate strength to strike back someday.”
Huo Liuxing nodded: “What you say is correct. Otherwise they wouldn’t have sent such a weak and feeble Third Prince to Bianjing.”
Xiqiang had long anticipated that Daqi would take a mile when given an inch, which was why they deliberately sent that prince of little use to sign the surrender document. From the very beginning, the Xiqiang royal house had planned to sacrifice Weiming He.
Unfortunately, even the human heart that Shen Lingzhen could see through remained hidden from their Majesty, who, immersed in the joy of victory, was blinded and acted so arrogantly and rashly.
The court was not without officials who raised objections to this, but with the surrender document already settled, further discussion was meaningless.
And at a time like this, Huo Liuxing naturally could not be the one to stick his neck out.
Dampening the Emperor’s spirits would invite disaster upon oneself.
“But there’s no need to worry excessively. Father has been reappointed as the Hexi Military Commissioner. Whatever disturbances arise, the Huo family will naturally be first to withstand them.” Huo Liuxing consoled her with a few words. “You rest properly in bed. I’m going to keep watch on that matter concerning the Second Prince.”
——
Shen Lingzhen’s body was still weak. She remained in bed the entire day, even taking her meals at the bedside. Deep into the night, not seeing Huo Liuxing come to her courtyard, she inquired and learned he had been urgently summoned into the palace by His Majesty.
It turned out Zhao Xun had not appeared at this morning’s surrender ceremony and was suspected of being under house arrest in Yanfu Palace. This information caused Zhao Rui to form an incorrect assumption—mistakenly believing that the false traitor Huo Liuxing had arranged this time was not targeting him, but rather Zhao Xun.
Because the Huo family pressed him at every step, and because the Xiqiang people were currently in Bianjing, Zhao Rui constantly worried that his enemy collaboration would be exposed. Finally unable to help himself, he decided to go with the flow. Taking advantage of the Emperor’s suspicion of Zhao Xun, he planned to splash this dirty water on his younger brother, sending someone to Zhao Xun’s residence to plant a secret letter in his study as final incriminating evidence.
However, the fire he lit did not burn Zhao Xun.
Half an hour later, the Imperial Guards swiftly surrounded Zhao Rui’s residence, secretly detaining him in the Court of Judicial Review’s prison.
Upon hearing the news, Shen Lingzhen could only shake her head and sigh.
They say the imperial family is the most callous, yet the heavenly household is actually not truly heartless—it’s just that their meager affections have degrees of closeness. For sons they hold dear in their hearts, they will always give a chance to prove their innocence. For those they look down upon, they won’t even allow them to speak a word of defense in person.
Of course, thinking it over again, Shen Lingzhen felt perhaps she was still thinking too well of people.
The reason the Emperor gave Zhao Xun a chance and deliberately set an ambush at his residence, waiting for the framer to take the bait, was merely because his nature was suspicious—he didn’t trust clues laid out too obviously, nor did he believe Zhao Xun would be foolish enough to give such a jade pendant that could identify him to his own death warrior.
Seeing that Huo Liuxing still hadn’t returned, and that after resting a day her body had improved somewhat, Shen Lingzhen simply put on outer garments, got out of bed, and went to the front courtyard to wait for him.
Just as she passed through the covered corridor, she saw Jingmo returning from outside the residence with hurried steps and a grave expression.
Shen Lingzhen immediately called out to stop him: “Seeing your expression, has something gone wrong on the young master’s end?”
Jingmo shook his head: “Young mistress, please rest assured. Everything in the palace went smoothly. It’s just that last night, after the young master heard your words, he had me investigate that General Yeli’s background. I’ve just now discovered some oddities.”
Shen Lingzhen quickly stepped forward: “The young master hasn’t returned yet. Tell me first.”
Since this matter was originally something she had first brought to Huo Liuxing’s attention, Jingmo had no need to conceal it from her. Following her to the study, he reported: “I discovered that this General Yeli’s origins are a mystery—he’s an orphan of unknown provenance. From birth through his youth, his background is completely blank.”
“Then from what point did this person gain renown in Xiqiang?”
Perhaps from spending so much time at Huo Liuxing’s side, the more Shen Lingzhen participated in these intrigues and machinations of Bianjing, the sharper she became. One question, cutting straight to the heart.
Jingmo answered with furrowed brows: “Twenty-eight years ago, when Daqi was founded.”