That dusk, that silhouette passing by in the fading sunlight, like a breeze, came and went without a sound, leaving not the slightest trace. Three days later, when Yang Yun arrived at the Zhen family residence, requesting to see Jiafu. After paying his respects, he respectfully presented a letter with both hands, saying, “Madam, this is the letter that the Master previously instructed me to deliver to you.”
Jiafu stared fixedly at Yang Yun. The indescribable unease that had been lingering in her heart all these days suddenly surged toward her like an overwhelming tide at this moment, engulfing her.
She stared at the letter resting in her palm for a long while, then asked, “Has something happened to the Master, hasn’t it?”
Yang Yun slowly knelt, lowered his head, and held the letter high above his head.
What was meant to come had finally arrived, like fate itself, impossible to escape, even though she desperately wished not to read this letter.
Jiafu closed her eyes briefly, steadied her spirit, and finally opened her eyes, reached out, and took the letter.
…
Half a month after Jiafu received the letter, on this day, Pei You’an and Li Zhong’s party finally reached the capital, stopping outside the South Gate.
It was already deep into the night, and the city gates had long been closed. After they were opened, a figure stood in the darkness of the gatehouse opposite.
Li Yuangui, with a solemn expression, stared at Pei You’an outside the city gate.
Pei You’an dismounted, his feet touching the bluestone ground below. He walked through the several-fathom-deep gate passage toward Li Yuangui, stopping before him.
“Eunuch Li, I’ve troubled you,” he said, removing the hat from his head.
“Follow me, Lord Pei,” Li Yuangui replied coldly. After speaking, he turned and boarded a sedan chair waiting nearby. Small eunuchs lifted it, and the procession quickly disappeared into the night that enveloped the imperial city.
The palace gate opened, heavy and slow. Pei You’an entered, passing through the layered halls and palaces swallowed by the pitch-black night, finally being led to the Emperor’s study, where he stopped at the threshold.
Li Yuangui did not announce him. Upon arriving, he led the palace servants standing outside away, and the surroundings fell into dead silence. A night breeze blew in from some unknown corner, stirring a distant palace curtain.
Pei You’an lifted the hem of his robe, knelt properly outside the threshold, and kowtowed toward the door: “Your guilty subject Pei You’an pays respects to Your Majesty.”
The door was partially closed, and the lamplight inside was as deep as the night. For a long time, there was no response, so Pei You’an continued kneeling, motionless.
After a long while, a voice seemingly emanating from deep within the throat finally came from inside: “Enter.”
Pei You’an rose and pushed open the door.
At the end of the square room, behind a long table, sat a figure, his silhouette like a bell in the candlelight.
Pei You’an approached the table, knelt again, and remained with his head bowed.
Xiao Lie’s eyes fell on the top of his head, his tone heavy:
“To forget one’s parents is unfilial; to abandon one’s ruler is disloyal. You call yourself a guilty subject, but do you know what your crime is?”
“When I brought you back to Wuding years ago, I believe I have treated you well, regarding you as a son or nephew, placing high hopes on you. Yet you betrayed me in private, and not only that, you have now done such a thing. What gives you the courage to dare come before me today?”
“Why did you not abandon me completely and leave with those people?”
Three consecutive pressing questions, with the last seemingly tinged with mockery.
“One does not decline difficult tasks, nor evade punishment for crimes—this is your subject’s principle,” Pei You’an answered. His tone was, as usual, showing not the slightest fluctuation.
The atmosphere slowly congealed.
Xiao Lie’s lips twitched slightly, seemingly in faint derision, but quickly turned into a cold laugh that could no longer conceal his full anger.
He stared at Pei You’an kneeling before him, and laughed coldly, the muscles at the corners of his eyes twitching uncontrollably. Suddenly he stood up and, with a sweep of his sleeve knocked everything off the table. Amid the clattering sounds, the “Peaceful Seas and Clear Rivers” ink stone, the cloud-dragon inkstone, the cinnabar seals, along with a half-reviewed stack of memorials, all scattered on the floor in disarray.
“Fine principles indeed! Do you still know you are my subject? In your heart, you probably serve another sovereign!”
After sweeping everything to the floor, Xiao Lie clenched his fists, which trembled slightly, then with a bang, pressed them heavily on both sides of the table edge. His body lunged forward, looking down at Pei You’an, gnashing his teeth, his face slightly contorted, his voice nearly a roar, like a provoked tiger.
A wisp of candlelight from the nearby candlestick flickered with the dark wind of his robes.
Pei You’an straightened his body.
“In your guilty subject’s heart, there is only Your Majesty as sovereign—these are my most sincere words.”
Pei You’an spoke slowly, raising his eyes to look at Xiao Lie, who was leaning forward intently.
Xiao Lie’s chest rose and fell slightly, his breathing gradually calming as he met Pei You’an’s gaze for a moment.
“Then why do you still defy me?”
Pei You’an remained silent.
“I command you to speak!”
His voice lengthened, carrying a slight tremor.
Pei You’an remained silent.
Xiao Lie slowly straightened up.
“In ancient times, King Wen buried dry bones, and Duke Liu practiced kindness with reeds, and the world praised their benevolence. As they say, the gentleman seeks fame, the petty man pursues profit. You certainly aren’t doing this for personal gain. In defying your sovereign like this, could it be that you wish to emulate the ancient worthies, to gain a reputation for benevolence and righteousness?”
“Fame to your guilty subject is like floating dust or light feathers. The reason I act this way is not entirely due to the relationship between teacher and student, nor to repay Emperor Tianxi. Nothing else—it is out of my conscience.”
“He should not die.”
Pei You’an finally spoke, his voice calm.
Xiao Lie was taken aback, then laughed coldly: “You follow your conscience, but have you considered mine? You once said the young emperor is now just an ordinary youth. Indeed, he is so now. But who can guarantee that he won’t change his mind in the future? For the position of ruling the world, brothers can kill each other, and even my son would take my life. What guarantee do you have that the young emperor won’t reappear to compete for the throne? Victory makes one a king, defeat a bandit—it has always been so!”
He paused briefly.
“Since we’ve come to this point, let me ask you: if I spare that youth now, but one day he truly desires to seize the throne, how will you position yourself then?”
“Your Majesty, even if such a day should come, your guilty subject would not assist him in contesting with Your Majesty. Your guilty subject still remembers when Your Majesty ascended the throne when civil and military officials presented the petition of the people’s wishes, which stated, ‘When the great way prevails, the world belongs to all.’ Your guilty subject deeply believes this. The world does not belong to one person, nor does it belong to that youth. Your Majesty ascended the throne by heaven’s will, ruling diligently and loving the people, being a wise sovereign. When all people under heaven can live in peace and prosperity, how could your guilty subject, for personal reasons, openly oppose the will of the people?”
Xiao Lie stared at his calm face for a long time. Eventually, the irritation in his eyes slowly receded, though his expression remained as severe as frost: “It’s good that you understand this principle. This time I won’t blame you. By saving him once, you’ve fulfilled your teacher-student obligation to him, and can’t be said to have failed him. His current whereabouts, even if you truly don’t know, you must have a way to contact him. Tell me, and our relationship as sovereign and subject will continue as before.”
Pei You’an appeared not to have heard.
The atmosphere froze again. Xiao Lie stared fixedly at Pei You’an, the anger that had just subsided gradually climbing back into his eyes.
“You’an, you claim repeatedly that in your heart there is only me as sovereign, yet even now, you continue to deceive me! You harbor divided loyalties, wavering! I have repeatedly yielded, yet you show no remorse! I know you; you do not fear death. This time you are resolved to die, but with the crimes you have committed, the execution of nine clans would not be excessive! I wonder, do you truly not fear that the Zhen family will suffer consequences because of you?”
“Your guilty subject has followed Your Majesty for many years and knows a sage ruler would never vent anger on the innocent. Your guilty subject trusts Your Majesty.”
Xiao Lie raised his eyebrows slightly and said coldly: “You seem quite skilled at observing human nature, but this time, I tell you, you may have erred! You overestimate me!”
Pei You’an remained silent, and Xiao Lie spoke no more, only staring at him, his eyes flickering with dark light. After a while, he slowly exhaled, his foot stepping on a jade brush that had rolled to the ground earlier when he had swept everything off the table. He paced to the front of Pei You’an and stopped.
“You’an, listen well. You are different from others. I absolutely will not tolerate divided loyalty from you. I’ll give you three more days to consider. If after three days you still refuse to serve me wholeheartedly, I won’t harm you. I’ll first let you know the disaster that will befall the Zhen family because of you!”
“Think it over carefully. Once you’ve thought it through, I’ll see you again.”
Pei You’an kowtowed toward the empty imperial seat in front then rose and walked out.
…
This deep night, the return of that man outside the South Gate did not attract any attention in the capital. Court officials all believed he was still in the southwest.
He was like a drop of water falling into a lake or sea, disappearing without a trace.
On the evening three days later, Li Yuangui came to the Western Garden’s secret chamber, unlocked the door, and entered. He saw a small lamp like a bean in the corner, and the brush and ink spread on paper completely untouched, without a single character written. Pei You’an sat cross-legged on the ground with his eyes closed, his clothes neat without a single wrinkle. Apart from looking slightly haggard, he appeared no different from usual.
Hearing Li Yuangui’s footsteps, he slowly opened his eyes, his gaze as clear as ever.
He nodded to Li Yuangui.
Li Yuangui looked at him, feeling somewhat conflicted, and said softly: “Lord Pei, you must know how His Majesty has trusted and relied on you for many years. Others might be forgiven, but how can he tolerate discovering that even you harbor divided loyalties? These past few days, His Majesty has been unable to sleep, not closing his eyes at all. Despite your grave offense, His Majesty is willing to pardon you, so why must you oppose him to the end? Speak up, show your loyalty, and it will be over. Besides, do you truly not care about the Zhen family’s fate?”
Pei You’an smiled faintly: “I will bear the responsibility for my crime. I trust His Majesty will not vent his anger on the innocent.”
Li Yuangui looked at him for a while, shook his head, and turned to leave the secret chamber.
Xiao Lie hadn’t slept well for several nights. His face now bore an undertone of gloom, his eyes bloodshot. After hearing Li Yuangui’s report, he showed anger: “Does he truly believe I won’t take action against the Zhen family?”
Li Yuangui hastily said: “Your Majesty, please reconsider. Allow Lord Pei a few more days to think. I will go back and try to persuade him again.”
Xiao Lie said through gritted teeth: “Once my words are spoken, they are not child’s play! First, throw him in prison, and we’ll see if he talks!”
As Li Yuangui was about to persuade him further, Xiao Lie’s face turned cold: “Say no more. Go now and relay my orders for local authorities to execute them without delay.”
Just then, the sound of hurried footsteps of a eunuch came from outside. It seemed there was an urgent matter. Li Yuangui quickly turned and went out to see his other adopted son approaching with a face full of joy. Seeing him, the young eunuch fell to his knees with a thud and reported: “Adoptive father, great joy! A heavenly auspicious sign! A heavenly auspicious sign!”
Just half a month ago, when the Zhen family in Quanzhou was expanding their shipyard, they dug deep into the dock entrance that had become increasingly shallow due to years of accumulated sea sand and silt. Under the mud and sand pile, they unearthed a square imperial seal. After washing it clean, they discovered that the jade seal bore eight seal script characters: “Received the Mandate of Heaven, for Longevity and Prosperity.” This attracted countless citizens to view it. Someone knowledgeable explained its origin, and everyone knelt toward heaven. Subsequently, they escorted this auspicious sign to the government office. The Quanzhou prefect recognized it as the previously missing imperial jade seal, which had disappeared during the Shun’an King’s reign and now reappeared. He immediately wrapped it in red cloth, placed it in a brocade box, and led Zhen family members along with locally elected scholars and elders, in a procession with gongs and drums, to present it to the Fujian provincial governor’s office.
Gao Huaiyuan was overjoyed. He escorted the imperial seal, traveling day and night, and had just arrived at the capital. Without imperial permission, he dared not enter the city, so now his entourage waited outside the city gate, ready to present this auspicious sign.