Pei You’an’s gaze suddenly froze.
“You’an, this matter—in all my life, I originally had no wish for you to know. But now circumstances are different. After much consideration, I thought it better to let you know, to prevent misunderstandings between us—father and son—from deepening and becoming irreconcilable. That’s why I summoned you tonight…”
“Your mother was Pei Wenjing, and your father is me. This is true. You must believe me.”
As Xiao Lie’s words fell, the room sank into deathly silence.
For a long while, Pei You’an simply stared at the man opposite him, his figure motionless, not speaking a word.
“Your Majesty must still be under the influence of wine. Your guilty subject takes his leave.”
He suddenly said, lips tightly pressed together, then turned around, preparing to stride away.
Xiao Lie darted forward and held the door.
“You’an! Listen to me! Your mother and I were childhood sweethearts. I told you about this when we last met here. She was refined and elegant, with poetic talents. I loved her deeply and vowed that if I were fortunate enough to marry her in this life, I would be devoted to her alone. That year I was seventeen, she was fifteen and had just completed her coming-of-age ceremony. I was about to propose to my imperial father when the northern barbarians invaded. Being young and hot-blooded, I was eager to achieve military merit. I thought I could propose after returning with honors, so I requested to follow General Pei to fight at the frontier. The Duke of Weiguo was also in the army then, fighting alongside me—we were comrades with a brotherhood-like bond. The battle was exceptionally difficult. To capture the Yellow River loop, the barbarians mobilized three hundred thousand cavalry in total. The fighting continued for over a year. Only when heavy snow fell and the barbarians ran short of provisions did they retreat? At that time, I was still at the frontier when I suddenly received news that my imperial father was gravely ill. My elder brother, the Crown Prince, had proposed to your mother. My imperial father made the decision and bestowed the marriage to him and your mother. My imperial father probably knew his days were numbered and, considering that the state could not be without a maternal figure, soon after the betrothal, the Crown Prince held the wedding. By the time I rushed back regardless of everything, she had already become another’s wife, and my imperial father had also passed away. Before his death, he had conferred upon me the title of Prince of Yunzhong and arranged a marriage for me with a daughter from a noble family…”
Xiao Lie paused, his expression gloomy, his gaze falling on the memorial tablet on the table.
In the dim lamplight, the smoke from the incense tip rose slowly, thin as silk threads, forming a tangled white mist before the memorial tablet, then gradually dispersing and disappearing.
“Shortly after my imperial father’s passing, I went to Yunnan. From then on, I never saw your mother again. I thought we would never meet again in this life. Later, however, I heard that an epidemic had spread in the capital, and your mother had unfortunately contracted the disease. She was sent alone to this place to recover, her life hanging by a thread. When I received the news, I was sick with worry. I brought medicine from the natives of Yunnan and secretly came here, staying by her side for half a year. After she recovered, I had to leave, but I never imagined that she would subsequently give birth to you…”
Xiao Lie drew a long breath and looked at Pei You’an, who remained tense and utterly silent.
“You’an, I know this must be difficult for you to accept right now—it’s just fate playing tricks on us. Do you remember when you were sixteen when I found you among the dead? I was overjoyed then, with only one thought: that Heaven had ultimately been kind to me. Though Wenjing was gone, she had left me this bit of flesh and blood. I wanted to treat you well. Having you by my side was like having your mother…”
“I ask you, my aunt—if she didn’t die from the epidemic, how did she die?”
Pei You’an suddenly interrupted, asking.
Xiao Lie’s expression darkened further.
“I wasn’t by her side at that time either. Before your grandmother died, I went to see her. According to your grandmother, after you were born, she wouldn’t stop bleeding…”
His voice trembled slightly and then stopped.
“She died from postpartum hemorrhage?”
Pei You’an’s eyes slowly reddened with streaks of blood, and he spoke through clenched teeth.
Xiao Lie gazed at Pei You’an, whose face seemed slightly contorted, while tears gradually welled up in his own eyes.
“After your mother’s unfortunate passing, you were adopted by your maternal uncle. By the time I knew of your existence, you were already the eldest son of the Duke of Weiguo’s household. I could no longer bring you to my side and could only secretly watch over you. You’an, your appearance closely resembles your mother’s, and your talents also come from her. You don’t know how proud and yet how regretful I felt when, as a young man, you became renowned throughout the capital. I couldn’t approach you, but in my heart, I was so proud. I greatly envied your maternal uncle, who could be with you day and night, teaching you by example…”
“I ask you again. Was it with her willing consent, or did you force yourself upon her?”
Pei You’an spoke again, interrupting Xiao Lie.
Xiao Lie met Pei You’an’s penetrating gaze, remained silent for a long time, and then turned his head to look once more at the memorial tablet.
“Why don’t you speak?”
Pei You’an’s expression gradually turned cold.
“You’an…” Xiao Lie closed his eyes briefly.
“I dare not desecrate your mother’s pure spirit… Everything was my fault. That night, I overstepped my boundaries…”
“That’s because you had no right to desecrate her!” Pei You’an suddenly said harshly.
Xiao Lie was startled, then showed anxiety in his eyes: “You’an, listen to my explanation! When I came at that time, I had no ulterior motives, only hoping that Heaven would take pity and allow her to recover. But that night, with our parting imminent, I momentarily…”
He stopped.
“So you used emotions as an excuse to cross boundaries? When you indulged your selfish desires, did you spare even a moment’s thought for my aunt? As a woman, in her state of mind then, how could she forcefully refuse you? Not to mention if you coerced her first—even if she was moved by you and willing, if you truly cherished her as you claim, knowing this was improper conduct, how could you bear to treat her this way?”
“What makes us human is knowing reverence, knowing shame, knowing self-restraint. Otherwise, how are we different from beasts?”
Pei You’an’s eyes reddened at the corners, and his voice trembled slightly.
Xiao Lie was stunned, staring fixedly at Pei You’an, tears glistening in his eyes. After a long moment, he nodded and said: “Your rebuke is justified. I am worse than a beast. Over these years, whenever I recall that beastly act I committed, I feel deep remorse. If not for my mistake, your mother would not have departed so early. Now Wenjing is gone, and I can no longer make amends for my debt to her. Fortunately, there is still you. You’an, you don’t know how much I hope…”
Xiao Lie took a step toward Pei You’an, extending his hand as if to grasp his arm.
“To exchange my mother’s life for mine—I would rather never have been born!”
Pei You’an said coldly, sidestepping Xiao Lie to approach the altar table. He gazed at the memorial tablet for a moment, knelt, kowtowed three times, then rose and went out the door.
Xiao Lie chased after him, calling to his back: “You’an! I have wronged your mother, and I have wronged you. I tell you all this tonight hoping that we, father and son, can be of one heart! I am your father! Since your mother gave birth to you at the risk of her life, I believe she would not want to see us, father and son, in such a situation today. I have already decided that this empire of mine, in the future…”
Pei You’an suddenly stopped, turned his head, and stared at Xiao Lie who had caught up, his eyes seemingly suffused with a faint trace of blood.
Xiao Lie halted abruptly, not daring to utter another word.
“My father is Pei Xian! The First Rank Duke of Weiguo, Pillar of State, Pei Xian! Your Majesty, mind your words. Your guilty subject takes his leave!”
Each word erupted from between his teeth. After speaking, he turned away, left through the courtyard gate, and his figure quickly vanished into the night without looking back.
Xiao Lie took two more steps in pursuit, then slowly stopped, gazing ahead with heavy breathing, his entire body trembling slightly.
Li Yuangui hurriedly emerged from the shadows and went in to support the Emperor, not daring to speak.
Supported by Li Yuangui, Xiao Lie stood for a long time in the lonely courtyard under the pitch-black night.
…
The day gradually broke. Thousands of miles away in Quanzhou, early that morning, the entire Zhen household was busy preparing to send Jiafu on her journey back to the capital.
When Jiafu announced this decision to her family, the Zhen household was still immersed in the joy of having just unearthed the heaven-sent auspicious sign. Lady Meng was both surprised and reluctant upon suddenly hearing her daughter’s wish to return to the capital. She tried to dissuade her, saying that her son-in-law was not in the capital at present, and before he left, he had specifically instructed her to stay comfortably in Quanzhou. There was no need to return so early. But Jiafu insisted on leaving, citing the need to serve her mother-in-law. Lady Meng could not stop her and arranged for her return journey. Zhen Yaoting initially wanted to personally escort his sister back to the capital, but Jiafu persuaded him to stay, saying the family needed his support. In the end, a trusted steward was chosen to escort Jiafu. Lady Meng, Zhen Yaoting, Yuzhu, and others saw her off, bidding farewell one by one.
Once inside the carriage, Jiafu’s smile disappeared, and she became lost in thought. The carriage gradually passed through the city gate and entered the post road, when suddenly it stopped. The steward said someone was blocking the way.
Jiafu looked out and saw Yang Yun standing before the carriage. He quickly approached, paid his respects, and said: “Madam, the Master previously left instructions for you to remain in Quanzhou. Please comply with the Master’s words, and do not make it difficult for this humble servant.”
Jiafu stared at him: “Let me ask you, was it you who arranged for that object to be dug up in my family’s shipyard recently?”
A few days earlier, workers at the Zhen family shipyard had unearthed a jade seal, which was later identified as the imperial jade seal that had been missing for years. The news shocked the entire city, and the Zhen family could hardly believe it, the whole household wild with joy.
After hearing the news, Jiafu immediately guessed it was Pei You’an’s arrangement, making her increasingly anxious. How could she possibly stay?
After asking, she saw Yang Yun remain silent, and she laughed coldly: “Whatever your master has done, he won’t tell me, and I imagine you won’t tell me either if I ask. I might as well not ask and spare you the difficulty. But this road wasn’t built by your master. I am returning to the capital! If he doesn’t want me to go, tell him to come and stop me himself. If he doesn’t come, I will go!”
After speaking, she lowered the window curtain and ordered the steward to continue.
The carriage proceeded swiftly on the post road, raising a cloud of yellow dust behind it.
Seeing the carriage getting farther and farther away, Yang Yun had no choice but to escort her. He mounted his horse and followed.
Jiafu asked Tanxiang, who was in the carriage with her, to fetch her bundle. From it, she took out the letter Yang Yun had delivered that day. She extracted the letter’s contents, stared at it again, and slowly tore it into two pieces, then four, then eight, continuing without stopping. Under Tanxiang’s astonished gaze, she tore the paper into tiny fragments and finally extended her hand out of the carriage window, opening her five fingers.
The small paper fragments were immediately caught by the strong wind on the post road, dancing wildly like butterflies before scattering across the fields.