Duan Ying pinched himself, trying to stay calm. Before this moment, the Prince of Lu had never once mentioned to him that such a plan existed.

For more than a decade, the Prince of Lu had always seemed like a man with genuine prospects. Ever since the days of the late Crown Prince, the Emperor had doted on his youngest son, and even when Zhao Wang was later established as the new Crown Prince, it could be viewed as something the Emperor had been forced into under pressure from the court ministers. The ministers’ opinions certainly mattered, but when an emperor truly wanted something done, it would get done. Duan Ying had continued to hold out hope for the Prince of Lu.

Now the Emperor’s illness was worsening — he might not live much longer — so there was no more time to be patient.

He had only wanted to “nudge” the Emperor into making that decision himself. He had never wanted to be the one to act directly! The moment you acted directly, the whole nature of the thing changed. Was an emperor deposing a crown prince the same as a prince staging a self-made coup? How could those possibly be the same?

And on top of that, this plan of the Prince of Lu’s sounded so terribly crude.

Duan Ying worked to keep his voice even and spoke with measured politeness: “Your Highness, if we split into two groups, how exactly do we act? The two locations are so far apart — if the outside group strikes first and the Crown Prince is eliminated, would the palace, once it learns of it, simply let Your Highness have his way? And if the palace side fails, while the Crown Prince’s group receives word, you would be trapped with no way forward or back. If both His Majesty and the Crown Prince are inside the palace and we could sweep them up in one net, that might still work — but that won’t work either! How could anyone sweep them up in one net? As for Zhou You alone — he isn’t even reliable.”

The Prince of Lu smiled with deliberate cool. “You are indeed sharp, to have thought of all this. I have already made arrangements!”

Duan Ying said: “I would hear the details.”

“Since this is a Winter Solstice sacrifice, there must be ceremonial drums and music, and they will choose an auspicious hour — that will be the signal! There’s no need for Zhou You to do anything complicated. Leading troops into the hall to ‘escort and protect’ the Son of Heaven — that much he can manage. Acting on separate fronts is excellent: that father and son are already suspicious of each other — heh heh!”

Duan Ying lowered his head and thought for a moment, then asked: “Where will Your Highness be at that time? If you are standing in for His Majesty at the sacrifice, the hundred officials will all be accompanying you.”

The Prince of Lu replied carelessly: “I will of course report myself ill and stay in the capital. When the auspicious day arrives, I will enter the palace. You will come with me — and the task of drafting the imperial decree I leave to you.”

He grew more and more excited as he spoke: “Once the imperial seal is in hand, what can the Crown Prince do? What can the Prime Minister do? Oh — and we must also seize the officials of the Six Ministries and Nine Courts!”

Duan Ying asked again: “Are the assassins outside the city reliable? How many men are there? Deploying two separate groups with so many people involved — the secret will leak.”

The Prince of Lu said breezily: “Don’t tell them anything!”

The Prince of Lu’s wife’s elder brother also laughed: “Exactly — don’t tell them anything. Only Zhou You and I know what we are actually doing. What outlaw or wandering swordsman would know anything about imperial ceremonial processions and the imperial carriage regalia? They won’t know who they are attacking. Zhou You only needs to pretend he’s escorting the imperial guard, and he can lead men to surround the hall. By the time they’ve made their opening move, they won’t be able to stop.”

Duan Ying thought to himself: So you two have already planned this together — laughably, you never told me any of this, even as I was scheming on your behalf. Now I am in the same position as some good-for-nothing vagrant soldier. Looking at the plan as it stands — there is actually something to fight for.

The Prince of Lu then produced a sheet of paper. “Come! Sign your name!”

The corner of Duan Ying’s eye twitched hard. “What is this?”

The Prince of Lu smiled. “A sworn oath! In the future, all those whose names appear on this oath shall be my meritorious subjects, sharing with me in endless rivers and mountains.”

He had actually been thorough about this one thing.

Duan Ying felt the world spinning around him, and asked: “Has Zhou You signed?”

The Prince of Lu said: “I had him write a separate copy for me.”

Duan Ying saw that the bodyguards behind the Prince of Lu had already half drawn their swords. He had no choice but to steel himself and sign his name. Everyone present signed at once; the paper was covered in densely packed names, twenty or thirty of them, some written crookedly, some trembling. These were men who had attached themselves to the Prince of Lu’s banner over the past dozen or more years. Long since enmeshed in years of conflict, they had made many enemies and were already riding a tiger they could not dismount — they had no choice but to throw everything on a single throw.

Once the Prince of Lu saw that all his followers had added their names, he called out: “Bring wine!”

He drank a blood oath with the whole assembly, swallowed the blood wine, and instructed everyone to keep it secret — they would wait for the Winter Solstice day to give the world a great surprise.

Among his followers, men like Duan Ying still had to return and continue reporting for duty as normal. When the Winter Solstice arrived, those inside the imperial city would also need to coordinate with Zhou You’s Imperial Guards — spreading the rumor that “the Crown Prince is plotting treason and cannot wait to assassinate the Emperor and ascend the throne” — manufacturing public opinion, while simultaneously taking control of the nearby ministries.

That night, Duan Ying returned home in a troubled state of mind. His wife asked what had happened; he did not answer, only told her to go to bed first. He then went to confer in secret with his father, Duan Lin, deep into the night.

Duan Lin said: “It looks as though there may be some chance of success.”

Duan Ying said: “He has promised that, if things succeed, he will certainly destroy the Zheng family and appoint Father as Prime Minister.”

Duan Lin said: “Not bad at all.”

Duan Ying said: “Only I don’t know how good the odds really are.”

Duan Lin said: “In matters like this, there is never any guarantee of absolute certainty. Nevertheless — to strike by surprise — it should work. The only uncertainty is who will be in the procession that day and who will remain behind. If everyone reports themselves ill and stays home, or stays behind in the palace, that may arouse suspicion.”

Duan Ying said: “I will go remind them of that. Father — if on that day you are also out of the city, how can you ensure your own safety?”

Duan Lin smiled slyly and said: “Is that not perfect? I can use the occasion to demonstrate my loyalty to the Crown Prince.”

Duan Ying hesitated, then said quietly: “But the Prince of Lu had everyone present sign their names and seal it, and drink blood wine.”

Duan Lin sucked in a sharp breath. “He could actually be that thorough? If anyone informs on you, you would be…hss…”

“Father?”

“Let me think again. Very well — we act as circumstances dictate. The moment His Majesty passes away, or the moment the Prince of Lu’s move is blocked, we immediately denounce the Prince of Lu! We cannot denounce him now — we have no hard evidence. The Prince of Lu is rather cleverer than I imagined.”

Duan Ying said: “Very well. Shall I draft a memorial in advance?”

“Be careful — don’t let anyone see it.”

Father and son having reached their agreement, Duan Lin would perform before the Crown Prince, while Duan Ying would act according to circumstances with the Prince of Lu. Duan Lin then rummaged through the house and found a padded suit of soft armor. With the thick winter clothing over it, it made him look slightly plumper — but that was quite acceptable.

The Winter Solstice sacrifice was supposed to be led by the Emperor himself at the head of all the officials, but the Emperor was gravely ill and could not walk properly, so the Crown Prince was substituted in his place. The Prince of Qiyang, following the principle of not acting at the same time as his father, remained in the palace on the pretext of attending to the sick Emperor. The Prince of Lu also requested leave, claiming to be ill. The palace sent an imperial physician to examine him; the physician arrived to find him full of life and vigor, in the middle of cursing loudly: “I refuse to trail along behind that person!”

The imperial physician dared not report these words faithfully. The Prince of Lu and the Crown Prince were locked in their power struggle — what death wish would the physician be fulfilling by getting involved? He returned with a report of: “A mild chill.”

The Prince of Lu feigned illness openly and successfully convalesced at his princely mansion. The whole thing was thoroughly in keeping with his character, and no one suspected a thing.

The Court of State Ceremonial was also making arrangements for the Winter Solstice proceedings. Although the hundred officials would be traveling together, someone had to be left on watch. Luo Sheng himself absolutely had to go along and lend his standing to the Crown Prince, and Shen Ying was also willing to attend. Luo Sheng’s intention was to have the entire Court of State Ceremonial go together, leaving only Qi Tai to mind the office.

Zhù Ying said: “Among the three of us, there must be one who stays behind. I have heard that on that day, Minister Liu Songnian will be in the imperial presence. If some urgent matter arises, Qi Tai will not be able to handle him.”

At the mention of Liu Songnian, both Luo Sheng and Shen Ying went pale: “Him?”

Shen Ying said: “Then Zizhi had better stay behind.”

Luo Sheng immediately said: “Yes, Zizhi should stay.”

Zhù Ying hesitated briefly, then said: “Very well then.”

Once duties were divided, Zhù Ying summoned Zhao Su: “On the Winter Solstice I won’t be going. You go with them.”

Zhao Su said: “Why won’t you be going?”

Zhù Ying said: “Something feels off. Those people Old Ma was keeping an eye on have suddenly disappeared. Bring a weapon for self-defense.” She had also received inside information from Chen Fang — the Emperor’s condition had grown considerably worse. At the moment when the Emperor and Crown Prince would be separated, she chose to remain closer to the Emperor. The father and son of the Eastern Palace would not travel at the same time, and there was still the Prince of Qiyang inside the palace. Thinking it through to the worst case — if something happened on this very day — remaining inside the palace would be more advantageous for her.

Zhao Su said: “Yes.”

“Stay relaxed about it. Be prepared — better safe than sorry. The Crown Prince is deep in the inner palace with heavy security all around him; it is only when he travels that there is any slight opening. But that doesn’t mean something will necessarily happen.”

After leaving the office, Zhù Ying also went to find Zheng Xi. Zheng Xi was the Capital Prefect, and he would not be following the Crown Prince out of the city — he would be stationed in the capital to “maintain order.” Zheng Xi had just returned home; his outer robe not yet changed, only his hat removed. He met with Zhù Ying in the inner courtyard.

Zhù Ying had not changed clothes either. When she arrived, she found that Zheng Chuan was not present, but Lady Yue was. Zheng Xi asked: “What is it?”

Zhù Ying said: “I heard that some people from the Prince of Lu’s household have been making connections with outlaws, so I kept a watch on the streets. Word has it that group of people has disappeared.”

Zheng Xi said: “I have heard the same. The capital has already strengthened its defenses. That man has already gone mad — he won’t consider himself finished until he has his tantrum. The Crown Prince also has to go out of the city, and the Winter Solstice sacrifice cannot go without someone to preside over it. The Capital Prefecture will send people to keep watch on the Prince of Lu’s mansion and not allow him any opportunity to come out and obstruct the Crown Prince.”

Zhù Ying calculated to herself: making connections with outlaws amounts to robbery, extortion, and assassination at most — surely it couldn’t be raising the banner of open rebellion? If the Prince of Lu had even two ounces of sense, he wouldn’t dare attack the imperial palace. Judging by the Prince of Lu’s past habits, he was the type to target the Crown Prince specifically.

Zheng Xi said: “Don’t be anxious. His brain may not be up to the task. The more calm things remain and the longer it drags on, the more advantageous it is for our side.”

“Yes.”

The two spoke in low tones for a while longer, and then Zhù Ying took her leave. Back home, she told everyone in the household to be mindful of their safety in the coming days. When the Emperor was gravely ill, hearts were uneasy, and incidents of brawling, theft, robbery, and abduction on the streets had increased. She told the girls to be careful going out and to travel in groups: “These few days, Sister Hu, please take the trouble of not accompanying me to report for duty — just stay with them.”

Having arranged everything to her satisfaction, Zhù Ying felt that the Winter Solstice should pass without incident.

On the Winter Solstice day, Zhù Ying reported for duty at the palace as usual.

On the other side, the sacrificial procession had also set out on time, and the entire imperial city had grown considerably quieter. Zhù Ying arrived at the Court of State Ceremonial to find it cold and deserted. The new year was approaching, and the Court had its own year-end business — various matters and financial accounts coming and going — and Zhù Ying was reviewing the documents Zhao Su had handed over the day before.

After a while she stood up and stretched, and the sun had already risen.

Suddenly she heard an unusual sound.

Qiao San quickly set down the fire tongs and ran out to look. A moment later he came stumbling back, tripping at the doorway and falling flat on his face: “My lord, something terrible — the Crown Prince is committing treason!”

Zhù Ying thought to herself: What nonsense is this?

The Crown Prince needs to commit treason? Even if the Emperor wanted to depose the Crown Prince at this moment, the Prime Minister would block it. Not the faintest whisper of any dispute had been heard, and the Crown Prince’s position was still very secure. Now that the Emperor was visibly about to die, the Crown Prince was going to commit treason?

What would he use to commit treason? The Imperial Guards had been reshuffled back and forth by the Emperor — the Crown Prince could not command them at all! Under these circumstances, even if the Crown Prince had the will, he had no means. He only needed to wait for the Emperor to die.

She stood up decisively and said: “Calm yourselves. Where is everyone? Assemble!”

People were already craning their necks to look. Zhù Ying said: “Stop gaping — assemble! I’ll count to ten; if anyone is late by even one step, I’ll kill them!”

After the count of ten, the staff of the Court of State Ceremonial had gathered. Zhù Ying said: “Follow me!” She led them to the sturdiest building in the Court — the storehouse — and had Qi Tai take charge, sealing the doors and windows together with the administrative clerks: “Don’t pay attention to anyone who comes. Not until the situation has settled — or until I come to call you.”

Qi Tai asked: “What about you?”

“I need to go out and have a look.”

Niu Jin leapt forward: “I’ll go with my lord.”

“No need — too many people is too conspicuous, it’ll be inconvenient. Guard this place!” She said this, then reached out and knocked Qiao San on the back of the head: “Get your wits back! It’s not real! The Crown Prince committing treason — what a major thing that would be — how could people be shouting it aloud? Don’t get involved in this! Keep the door closed tight!”

Having said this, she tucked her hem up into her waistband and ran.

By normal political logic, the Crown Prince committing treason would be a scandal. Before any outcome was settled, it was extremely taboo to say it aloud. Whichever side it was, when it was actually happening, silence was the rule. Someone was moving against the Crown Prince! And the most suspicious party was certainly the Prince of Lu!

Things had already exceeded her expectations. Though this palace had certainly seen countless plots and power struggles before, something like this was still extraordinarily rare. How intensely the Emperor guarded his own safety! And yet now, inside the imperial city, something like this had happened!

Inside the imperial city, no one was permitted to ride horses, travel by carriage, or use a sedan chair without special permission. Everyone — even the Prime Ministers — had to go on foot. And the imperial city was the largest single compound in the world; running on two legs could literally exhaust a person to death. Zhù Ying shed every encumbrance and first sprinted out to take a quick look at the situation.

One glance was enough to confirm her judgment — the imperial city had descended into chaos. A column of men was running inward under the lead of a figure she found vaguely familiar, shouting as they ran: “By imperial decree! The Crown Prince is committing treason — we have come to protect the Emperor!”

She looked a moment longer at the straggling column: they were running from the west toward the east, then turning north. The person at the front held a rolled scroll-like object held high in the air.

All around, people stood in stunned surprise. After the initial shock, some stepped forward to block them and demand an explanation — some were shoved, some were cut — and the imperial city descended into chaos.

This was wrong. If you were protecting the Emperor, you would naturally go to the Emperor’s presence — but that was the opposite direction from suppressing a rebellion. If this were truly done “by imperial decree,” the normal procedure would be that the Emperor knew about it and issued an edict from the imperial presence — if there were no time to issue a formal edict, there would at least be a hand-written command or corresponding seal as proof — and only then would troops be dispatched on the strength of that decree.

There had to be an edict going out first, troops being summoned, and then execution.

Any disturbance should spread from inside outward! Yet this group of men was charging from outside toward the palace — from outside in.

Most importantly: she recognized the man at the front. It was Zhou You.

This was not a man capable of doing anything right. Even if the Crown Prince had truly been committing treason, the person leading troops to suppress it could never be him. He didn’t have what it takes. There were so many capable and reliable men in the Imperial Guard — it would never be his turn to play a prominent role.

Zhù Ying hesitated no longer and broke into a run. She could not summon troops herself — even if she went out to find Zheng Xi, Zheng Xi had no troops to deploy either. She headed straight for the Eastern Palace!

The Eastern Palace was within the imperial city but not within the inner palace. As an official of the outer court, she had official dealings with the Eastern Palace, and once her identity was verified, she could enter. From there she could find a way through the Eastern Palace into the inner palace.

If her calculations were correct, by this time the Emperor would have already spent a while enjoying the company of his beloved granddaughter and the old man would be resting, while Luo Hao was returning to the Eastern Palace to continue her lessons. The Prince of Qiyang should also be in the Eastern Palace by now — he had always been attentive to his young wife. If she could find the Prince of Qiyang, he could take her to see the Emperor.

Zhù Ying sprinted all the way and arrived at the Eastern Palace gate. She let her hem down, took out her waist plaque, and had her identity verified. The Eastern Palace guards were curious: “My lord, why are you running so fast?”

Zhù Ying said: “An urgent matter. Once it’s handled I have other things to see to. Is His Highness the Prince of Qiyang here?”

“He is. One moment please.”

Zhù Ying said: “It’s urgent, there’s no time. I’ll go in with you. Keep the gate closed.”

By this time the Eastern Palace had already heard some of the commotion. The Prince of Qiyang had come out, and seeing Zhù Ying, he was greatly astonished: “Zizhi?”

Zhù Ying said: “There is no time to explain. Your Highness, how many people are inside the Eastern Palace?”

“What do you mean?”

“Close the gate immediately!” Zhù Ying stepped forward, moving closer to the Prince of Qiyang. The Prince of Qiyang was somewhat taken aback — Zhù Ying was voluntarily drawing close to him?

“What has happened?”

“I’ll be brief. There is a rumor outside that the Crown Prince is committing treason — I don’t believe it. But the situation is urgent and I have no time for details. Today, either we die together, or we survive together. Are you willing to stake everything on it?”

The Prince of Qiyang studied her carefully. Zhù Ying said: “One word — yes or no. If no, I’ll leave this instant. Pretend I was never here. After this, whatever happens to each of us is fate.” Still sizing things up at a time like this!

The Prince of Qiyang’s heart was pounding like a drum — he could not read the situation before him! He asked: “Are you sure about this?”

“Not sure!”

“Let’s do it!” the Prince of Qiyang said.

“Good. Order the Eastern Palace to hold its gates strictly. No matter who comes, do not open. Don’t let anyone become a hostage. Your Highness — can you run?”

“Where are we going?”

Zhù Ying said: “We must reach the Emperor’s presence before Zhou You and his people find His Majesty! Whoever gets there first wins! Hurry!”

At that moment, a palace maid of the Crown Prince’s consort came rushing from behind: “Your Highness, Her Highness asks what has happened. Her Highness requests that Your Highness come speak with her inside.”

The Prince of Qiyang said: “Get out of the way!” He instructed his own attendants to go back and tell the Crown Prince’s consort to hold the Eastern Palace tight.

Lan De appeared from somewhere as well.

He was about to give further instructions, but Zhù Ying said: “There’s no time. If you can’t outrun them, it’s over. Lan De, help the Crown Prince’s consort defend the Eastern Palace!”

The Prince of Qiyang followed Zhù Ying’s example and tucked his hem into his waistband, and the two of them took off in a full sprint. The Prince of Qiyang directed as they ran: “This way! It’s faster!”

Elsewhere in the palace, another group of people was also sprinting!

General Ruan directed Duan Ying: “Hurry — hurry!”

This time, accompanying the Crown Prince out of the city were Wang Yunhe, Shi Kun, and the principal officials of the Six Ministries and Nine Courts on down. Each yamen had left someone behind — mostly deputy officials or minor functionaries. With the Emperor visibly on the verge of death, most people were thinking about how to distinguish themselves before the Crown Prince.

But General Ruan was different from the others. He commanded the Imperial Guard and had to hold the imperial city.

On the other side, Duan Ying watched helplessly as Zhou You made his move. Up until this moment, he had been cherishing a secret hope — because everything had seemed to go so smoothly. No one had leaked anything; there was no sign of any extra precautions; the Prince of Lu’s plan, after the additions, seemed workable enough. But then he looked at the men Zhou You had brought, and his heart went cold.

The imperial city was vast. Zhou You had managed to rouse perhaps one or two hundred men? In the immensity of the imperial city, that was a tiny speck. Duan Ying, watching from a high platform as those ant-like figures moved below, felt an immediate sense of dread. Without pausing to think, he ran down from the platform. He needed to denounce the Prince of Lu!

At this moment, the Emperor was in the inner palace, Liu Songnian was in the imperial presence, and Wang Yunhe and Shi Kun were at the Crown Prince’s side — there was no one of the highest rank to whom he could bring his accusation. His mind turning quickly, he ran instead to find General Ruan.

General Ruan was no longer young, and hearing these words said: “Is this true?”

Duan Ying was swearing up and down — hadn’t even finished his oath when an Imperial Guard came running up in a panic to report to the General: “General, there are people in Imperial Guard uniform saying the Crown Prince is committing treason…”

General Ruan said: “I know!”

He immediately issued an order: all Imperial Guards were forbidden to move without authorization. Then he gave the command: “Close all palace gates!”

He deployed men to surround the “rebel troops,” and then assembled three hundred armored soldiers. Outside General Ruan’s quarters, a great drum was hauled out, and two powerfully built soldiers beat out a rhythm. At the sound of the drum, the Imperial Guard began to move.

General Ruan said finally to Duan Ying: “Come with me!”

He needed to bring Duan Ying before the Emperor. What stood before him now was not something he could decide on his own.

But General Ruan was old, and wearing his full formal attire inside the imperial city, which slowed him further. A tall and powerfully built soldier was called over to carry him on his back and run toward the Emperor’s sleeping quarters. Duan Ying could only follow behind gasping for breath. Behind them came a contingent of fully armored soldiers.

The whole company sprinted as fast as they could.

With General Ruan clearing the path, they passed through without obstruction. When the Emperor’s sleeping quarters came into sight, they suddenly saw two of the Emperor’s personal guards running out, who upon seeing the General were filled with joy: “General! His Majesty summons you!”

General Ruan slid down from the soldier’s back and asked: “Has His Majesty been alarmed?”

The young guard said: “His Majesty summons the General.”

Arriving outside the Emperor’s sleeping quarters, General Ruan was astonished to discover that the building was already surrounded by a ring of Imperial Guards! The Emperor’s young personal guards stood behind the Imperial Guards, also gripping their swords tensely. The moment they saw armed soldiers approaching, everyone reflexively drew their swords with blades turned outward.

General Ruan said: “Stand down.” Everyone halted; the only sound was heavy breathing.

Inside the hall there was not a sound. General Ruan called out with full vigor: “Your Majesty! Your servant has come to protect the Emperor!”

“Tiresome! What is all this noise? Come in!” an equally vigorous voice replied.

Liu Songnian!

General Ruan ordered men to keep watch over Duan Ying and went to the hall entrance himself, where he requested permission once more. Admitted, he entered the hall. The hall was utterly still, with only a few attendants standing motionless. The Emperor’s personal guards were all in the outer chamber; only Liu Songnian remained at the Emperor’s bedside. General Ruan felt his heart trembling. When the Emperor said nothing, it was the precursor to thunderous fury. When the Son of Heaven is enraged…

A few steps further in, he saw two people who should not have been there at all. One was the Prince of Qiyang, who by now should have returned to the Eastern Palace but was at this moment bent over with his hands on his knees, gasping for breath as if he had just run two li. The other was Zhù Ying, also flushed bright pink in the face, with beads of sweat at her temples, also breathing hard.

Liu Songnian paid no attention to General Ruan, and with a cold expression asked Zhù Ying: “How did you come to be in the Eastern Palace?”

Zhù Ying drew a small box from her sleeve: “Oh — Wuzhou, a sacred fungus grew back again. I came to show it to the Prefect, and to report the auspicious omen to… His Majesty. Today — an auspicious day — to report it.”

General Ruan sputtered: “What is the meaning of this??”

Liu Songnian said: “How did you get here?”

General Ruan said: “Duan — Your Majesty —”

“He’s asleep. Keep your voice down.”

General Ruan lowered his voice and explained Duan Ying’s report. Zhù Ying and the Prince of Qiyang listened and exchanged a glance. The Prince of Qiyang showed a flicker of surprise, then gave a slight nod. Zhù Ying, without any change in expression, steadied her breathing.

Liu Songnian gave a cold laugh. “Why not denounce him earlier, why not later — but only when he could see the game was up, did he suddenly remember to denounce?”

Then he addressed General Ruan: “That Zhou You — take him alive. Send someone to escort the Prince of Lu into the palace. Allow only him to come, no one else. Send men to the various princes’ and princesses’ residences — instruct them not to leave their gates. Send another party out of the city to receive the Crown Prince His Highness back to the palace.”

General Ruan nodded and went out to issue the orders; messengers ran off to carry them out.

General Ruan looked at Duan Ying and thought to himself: He arrived a bit hastily, but what if he only found out about it himself just now?

Going back into the hall, General Ruan carefully inquired after the Emperor’s well-being with proper decorum. Surely even the Emperor couldn’t still be sleeping at a time like this?

Liu Songnian said: “Come here.”

General Ruan approached the bed. A sense of foreboding rose in his chest. He lowered his head and looked — the Emperor lay peacefully on the bed, his chest no longer rising and falling. General Ruan’s mouth fell slightly open and his eyes grew wet: “This…”

Liu Songnian said: “Silence. The Crown Prince has not yet returned! And the Prince of Lu is attempting a rebellion! You must hold steady now.”

“Oh. Very well.”

“We keep the death secret for now. Wait until the Crown Prince and the Elder Wang and the others return before making any announcement.”

General Ruan nodded.

Liu Songnian said: “None of you can leave now!”

Zhù Ying put the sacred-fungus box away again and stood against a pillar to one side. General Ruan asked: “What do we do now?”

“That animal Zhou You — take him in, and hold him along with Duan Ying in a side hall for now. The Prince of Lu must also be taken in…” Liu Songnian spoke one instruction at a time. He also had Lan Xing convey a message to the inner palace, saying only that a small incident had occurred up front and the Emperor would not be coming to the inner palace today. He further ordered that all the city gates of the imperial city be closed.

General Ruan said: “The gates have already been closed.”

“Then we wait for the Prince of Lu. Once he is taken in, seal the Prince of Lu’s mansion to prevent anyone from escaping. The Princess Consort and the others must be properly watched over, without any disrespect. Once the Prince of Lu comes back, regardless of whether the Crown Prince has returned, summon all the princes and princesses. Send word to Zheng Xi to maintain the capital’s stability. Issue the command: close the city gates!”

A report came from outside: “Zhou You has been taken.”

Liu Songnian said to Zhù Ying: “Weren’t you with the Court of Judicial Review? Interrogate him! Find out what dealings he had with the Prince of Lu, and what plots they had against the Crown Prince!”

Lan Xing gave a look, and a small eunuch tremblingly brought her a pot of tea. Zhù Ying picked up the tea and walked out, saying to Liu Songnian as she left: “You’ll need to give me two people.”

Liu Songnian nodded. From Lan Xing’s side came two small eunuchs; from General Ruan’s side came two young personal guard soldiers. Together they went with Zhù Ying to the side hall to interrogate Zhou You.

Zhou You was covered in a grimy sweat. His helmet had fallen off, his hair was disheveled, his clothes were in disarray, and he had several wounds on his body. He was being held by four robust Imperial Guard soldiers. At first he did not recognize Zhù Ying; then, when she spoke and introduced herself, he remembered: “So it’s you!”

Zhù Ying said: “Yes, it’s me. Years ago, when you were in the capital and got caught up in a murder case from a visit to a pleasure house, I was the one who investigated the facts and cleared your name. You know how I conduct investigations — I won’t wrong anyone falsely. Let’s speak plainly. You know what the situation is right now. Tell me everything clearly.”

“Hmph.”

“I do not use torture on prisoners, but the current situation is exceptional — the Crown Prince’s life or death is still unknown.”

“Beat me if you like — kill me if you like!”

Zhù Ying shook her head. “I have no time to waste on you. I don’t know where you found your courage, but if you won’t talk… Come here — strip him naked and castrate him.”

The young personal guard soldiers’ eyes showed a flash of alarm. The small eunuchs rolled up their sleeves and got to work! Zhou You was held by the strong soldiers and could not move. He cursed loudly: “What kind of beast are you! How can you do such a vile and deranged thing! I am still a general! I…”

The eunuch’s hands kept moving. His trouser cord went loose, and Zhou You finally stopped cursing. His face went white with terror: “I’ll talk!”

The young guard soldiers, being literate, started recording beside them.

Zhù Ying bounced the paper in her hand, then took it away: “Your nerve is located in an unusual place. Come now — help General Zhou get dressed. Stuff his mouth — don’t let him bite off his own tongue.”

Zhou You’s eyes filled with venomous hatred.

Zhù Ying took the confession and brought it to Liu Songnian. Liu Songnian read it through and first cursed: “Useless — even a man like the Prince of Lu could use him!” Zhou You had no knowledge of who was responsible outside the city — he only knew it was a group of outlaws. They were to strike today.

After cursing Zhou You, Liu Songnian asked Zhù Ying: “How did you get him to talk?”

Zhù Ying said: “I scared him out of his courage. Grand Historian Sima Qian was truly no ordinary man.”

Liu Songnian had no time to respond to that, because a report came in from outside: “Prefect Zheng has already taken the Prince of Lu into custody.”

Zheng Xi had not expected the Prince of Lu to be this audacious. He had assumed that these people would cause trouble in the capital — attack the Crown Prince as he came out of the palace. He never imagined the Prince of Lu would lead his men straight for the palace city!

Zheng Xi also had several dozen men. There was a fierce clash, while the Imperial Guards inside had their gates closed and were clearing out the palace — they did not come out to help. Fortunately Zheng Xi had his own resources and did not rely entirely on the Capital Prefecture’s runners; he also had some household retainers. Wen Yue and the Jin father and son had heard the news and rushed to the scene, and together they subdued the Prince of Lu.

Liu Songnian said: “Have him bring the Prince of Lu here.” He then ordered that the midday meal be served as usual. He looked around at those present in the hall: “Lucky for you all.”

Zhù Ying thought to herself: Good — another chance to eat imperial food.

The Emperor was in no condition to eat anymore, and the others had no appetite either. Zhù Ying alone had a broad mind and ate heartily. By the time she had finished and the dishes were cleared away, Zheng Xi arrived at last.

He saw Zhù Ying dabbing at her mouth with a handkerchief, a cup of fragrant tea at her side, while Zheng Xi himself had run over breathing hard — and at the sight of Zhù Ying looking like that, he nearly choked with exasperation.

Liu Songnian now said: “The princes and princesses may be summoned into the palace. Once they arrive, do not bring them before the hall yet — have them wait in that palace over there for the imperial summons!” He also issued a proclamation to all officials and functionaries within the imperial city, announcing that the traitors had been suppressed.

Some orders were issued in the name of the Council of State; some edicts were issued in the Emperor’s name. Liu Songnian himself was a master of the writing brush and needed no one else — he wrote them himself in fluent prose. Many of the Emperor’s edicts had always come from his pen; no one on the outside would detect any difference.

Liu Songnian then said to Zheng Xi: “Take men and go out to receive the Crown Prince His Highness.”

Zheng Xi cast a glance at Zhù Ying. Liu Songnian said: “Don’t think about her — not a word of this can leak out right now, so she is going nowhere.”

Zheng Xi hurried out. Two li outside the city, he encountered the hundred officials together with Imperial Guards escorting the Crown Prince back to the city. At once he saw Zheng Chuan at the Crown Prince’s side — that young man’s clothing was stained with blood. Zheng Xi’s heart tightened!

Drawing closer, he found that Zheng Chuan was moving normally. He inquired with his eyes; Zheng Chuan said: “Not me — it was Du Shien who was injured.”