After the eunuch finished his report with a face beaming with joy, he looked expectantly at Li Yuangui. He noticed Li Yuangui’s eyes brighten with delight, but before the smile could fully form, it suddenly froze, as if he had remembered something unpleasant. Confused, the eunuch asked softly, “Adoptive father, what’s wrong?”
Only then did Li Yuangui come back to his senses. His face once again showed a smile as he nodded and said, “Good news. Wait here for now. I’ll go report to His Majesty right away.”
As Li Yuangui turned around, that hint of a smile vanished from his face once more.
The imperial jade seal, lost for many years, had reappeared. The local authorities presented it as an auspicious sign, indicating that the current Emperor was truly the Son of Heaven, favored by the Mandate of Heaven. This should have been extraordinarily good news, but to discover it at this particular moment, and specifically in the Zhen family’s shipyard in Quanzhou—such a coincidence! Li Yuangui could easily understand the underlying reason.
Pei You’an had even considered this step, arranging it like a divine move in a chess game. With one piece placed, he had completely blocked the Emperor’s path. Such meticulous thinking was truly beyond ordinary people—truly a strategy without any oversight.
But this also made one thing clear: when he had done that deed, he had already made thorough preparations, arranging safe paths for those around him. As for himself, he was willing to bear the Emperor’s furious anger, remaining steadfast in his resolve, even willing to sacrifice his life to protect that youth.
The more determined Pei You’an’s choice was in this matter, the more enormous the Emperor’s resulting anger would be.
Li Yuangui understood this deeply, so he couldn’t imagine how terrifying the Emperor’s anger would be if he reported this news now.
He suppressed the unease rising in his heart, entered the chamber, and carefully chose his words as he relayed the news he had just heard.
These past few days, court sessions, discussions, receiving officials, reviewing memorials—affairs inside and outside the court continued unabated. But things weren’t flowing as smoothly as usual for the Emperor. By today, memorials had piled up on his desk, unexamined for several days—unprecedented. When Li Yuangui entered to report, the Emperor had been reviewing memorials, continuing to write as he listened. But when he heard that the Zhen family had unearthed the imperial jade seal while renovating their shipyard and that the people of Quanzhou considered it a heaven-sent auspicious sign, with Gao Huaiyuan rushing day and night to deliver it, the Emperor’s expression suddenly froze. The hand holding his brush stopped in mid-air, motionless.
The Emperor slowly raised his head, eyes wide open, staring ahead as if someone were standing there. The hand holding the brush also began to tremble slightly.
A drop of ink gradually gathered at the tip of the brush and, with the Emperor’s continuous trembling, suddenly fell, splattering onto the memorial page below.
“Your Majesty!”
Although he hadn’t witnessed the extreme anger he most feared, the Emperor’s current state was truly frightening.
Li Yuangui saw that his face was gradually turning pale and called out.
The Emperor’s shoulders quivered slightly. He closed his eyes briefly, and the brush in his hand gradually tilted, slipping powerlessly from between his fingers.
“Your Majesty, please mind your health!”
Li Yuangui hurriedly supported him.
The Emperor closed his eyes, supporting his forehead with his hand, motionless for a long while.
“If Your Majesty is unwell, I will summon the imperial physician at once!”
Li Yuangui raised his head, about to call for palace attendants.
“That won’t be necessary.”
The Emperor slowly opened his eyes, his voice somewhat hoarse.
“I am fine…”
He spoke again, sitting there with an ashen face, his eyes dull, his gaze fixed straight ahead.
Li Yuangui had followed him for decades, but even during the times when he was most oppressed by Emperor Tianxi and King Shun’an, he had never seen him look so exhausted. It was alarming and deeply concerning.
“Your Majesty…”
“Go on my behalf to see Gao Huaiyuan and the others, and arrange for their accommodation. I am somewhat tired and will go rest now…”
“These memorials can wait until tomorrow…”
The Emperor finally murmured, slowly rising and walking out, his steps somewhat heavy.
…
At the next morning’s court, civil and military officials learned that the imperial jade seal had recently reappeared in Quanzhou, and coincidentally, it was discovered in a shipyard owned by Pei You’an’s in-laws. The Fujian provincial governor had escorted this heaven-sent auspicious sign, arriving in the capital the previous night. That morning, amid gongs and drums, citizens who heard the news competed to come out to the streets to welcome it.
The officials rejoiced, successively praising and extolling the Emperor’s virtues.
The Emperor sat upon the dragon throne and instructed the Minister of Rites to arrange for the reception of the seal. The jade seal was ultimately placed on a golden platter, passed from hand to hand among kneeling officials, and finally presented before the Emperor’s throne.
With a solemn expression, the Emperor personally held the seal and stamped it on a thanksgiving prayer hastily composed by the Hanlin Academy. One could see a bright red seal impression with the eight seal script characters “Received the Mandate of Heaven, for Longevity and Prosperity” clearly visible, with distinct strokes and clear lines. All officials were moved, kneeling together and shouting “Long live the Emperor!”
The Emperor wore a smiling face and bestowed rewards upon all the Fujian officials and the Zhen family who had contributed to this event. He then announced a palace banquet to celebrate. The officials expressed their gratitude, and that night, after the palace banquet dispersed, mention of the Zhen family’s meritorious service inevitably led to associations with Pei You’an.
This imperial jade seal had previously disappeared along with the young emperor’s demise. During King Shun’an’s years in power, although he secretly searched for it in many ways, its whereabouts remained unknown. Over the years, many court officials believed that the seal had been taken away by the young emperor. Now that the jade seal had reappeared, presented to the current Emperor in a grand manner as a heaven-sent auspicious sign, it undoubtedly helped the Emperor proclaim his legitimacy to the world as mandated by Heaven—a significant merit indeed. When discussing it privately, all envied Pei You’an’s good fortune. Though he was far away in the southwest, he had once again gained great face before the Emperor. When he returned from the southwest, with merit upon merit, who knew what rewards awaited him? Everyone was envious.
That night, after the palace banquet, the Emperor returned to the inner palace, his steps slightly staggering, apparently having drunk too much wine. He lay down and closed his eyes, falling into a deep drunken sleep.
The Emperor had not summoned any consorts to attend him—in fact, he had rarely summoned those consorts since they entered the palace, and after the Crown Prince was deposed, not even once. Li Yuangui knew this better than anyone. Concerned about the Emperor’s depression these days and his drunkenness tonight, he decided to stay and serve the night watch himself.
Deep into the night, the distant drum tower faintly sounded the third watch. Li Yuangui gradually grew tired. Seeing that the Emperor seemed to be sleeping soundly, he rose from his sitting couch, kneaded his waist, and was about to leave the sleeping chamber when he suddenly heard a few indistinct murmurs from the dragon bed: “Ajing… Ajing…”
Li Yuangui tensed, quickly looking back at the chamber door. Seeing that the two night-watch eunuchs were dozing against a pillar in a far corner of the outer hall, he breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly returned to the dragon bed, softly calling, “Your Majesty.”
Xiao Lie opened his eyes, his gaze momentarily confused, then slowly sat up. After being lost in thought for a moment, he asked softly, “What watch is it?”
“Your Majesty, the third watch has just passed. Are you thirsty? Let me bring you water.”
Xiao Lie took the water and drank it in one gulp, then lay back down without turning over.
Li Yuangui stood watch for a moment, and seeing the Emperor’s back motionless, thought he had fallen asleep again. As he was tiptoeing away, he suddenly heard a deep voice from behind: “I want to go to Ci’en Temple.”
If they went tonight, this would be the Emperor’s third-night visit to Ci’en Temple since entering the capital.
Li Yuangui was momentarily startled, then softly acknowledged.
…
When Pei You’an arrived at Ci’en Temple, the fourth watch had just passed—the moment when the night was at its deepest in the long, endless darkness.
All around was utterly silent.
He stopped at the entrance to that courtyard and looked toward Li Yuangui with a slight puzzlement.
“Lord Pei, please go in. His Majesty is waiting for you inside.”
Li Yuangui bowed slightly to him, then stepped back.
Pei You’an hesitated briefly, suppressing the strange feeling rising from the bottom of his heart, then pushed open the half-closed door and walked in.
There was no one in the courtyard. A dim light shone from the room where he had once conversed with the Emperor.
He walked toward the light, pushed open the door, and saw a memorial tablet placed on the table with an incense burner in front, a stick of incense inserted, its smoke curling upward. The Emperor stood with his back to the door, seemingly gazing at the memorial tablet, lost in thought for a long time.
Pei You’an performed a kowtowing salute to that back, and Xiao Lie slowly turned around, told him to rise, and gazed at him for a long time without speaking.
The Emperor looked haggard, with traces of bloodshot eyes remaining from his drinking, but his gaze was profound as he stared at him. The originally hard lines of his features gradually softened.
The strange feeling in Pei You’an’s heart grew stronger.
He glanced at the memorial tablet on the table and saw that the name on it was not the posthumous title bestowed by Emperor Tianxi after his aunt’s death, but simply “Memorial Tablet for Lady Pei, given name Wenjing, departed for the Western Paradise.” He was slightly taken aback and hesitated: “May I ask why Your Majesty has summoned your guilty subject here in the middle of the night?”
Xiao Lie turned his head toward the memorial tablet and said, “You’an, come here and pay your respects to your birth mother.”
Pei You’an’s expression froze. His gaze moved from the memorial tablet to Xiao Lie, then back to the tablet. He said, “Your Majesty since I have come here and seen my aunt’s memorial tablet, it is my duty to pay respects. But Your Majesty’s words are truly puzzling. I don’t understand Your Majesty’s intention.”
“You’an, you are not the son of the Duke of Weiguo. The Duke is your maternal uncle. I am your birth father!”
Xiao Lie said, word by word.