Outside the gates of Daxing Palace, the common people pressed forward with flushed, exhilarated faces, every one of them feeling like a hero — because they had defended the Emperor of Great Chu, that Emperor who had ascended the throne only days ago and yet had vowed to bring the people a better life.

The new Emperor’s accession decree had not yet been disseminated across the empire, but it had already spread throughout the capital. Every person could feel the difference this new Emperor represented, and every person had glimpsed a hope in the future.

So when the Imperial Guards surrounded and besieged Daxing Palace, the common people had organized themselves and risen up. They had no armor, no proper weapons — but they had hearts that wished to protect this Great Chu. Great Chu was not only a nation; it was each of their homes.

When Prince Wu knelt at the palace gates, the common people all knelt in turn, and their voices rang out together with cries of “Long live His Majesty!”

Standing on the palace walls, Emperor Yang Jing of Great Chu looked up and laughed to the sky. He knew that at the very least his first plan had succeeded. Great Chu was about to undergo its transformation; this realm was about to begin its restoration.

Yang Jing, eyes red as blood, stood there looking out at the people kneeling below, and raised his arm in a great shout.

“Long live Great Chu!”

—

Half an hour later — Daxing Palace, the Imperial Study.

The Emperor bowed deeply toward Prince Wu, which so startled Prince Wu that he quickly seized the Emperor’s forearms to lift him upright.

“Your Majesty — you must not, you truly must not.”

“Royal Uncle.”

The Emperor’s voice trembled. “Had Royal Uncle not returned in time, I truly might not have been able to hold on. If I had fallen, those treacherous ministers would have seized imperial authority, and Great Chu would truly have been finished. Royal Uncle did not merely save me — you saved all under heaven. Allow me to offer this bow.”

Prince Wu would never allow an emperor to bow to him — this was a matter of the natural order between superior and inferior, an order that could not be overturned.

“Your Majesty, much remains unsettled. Please take command of the situation.”

Prince Wu said, “Your servant is family. There is no need for so many courtesies between family.”

The Emperor nodded vigorously, then looked to Prince Wu and asked, “The Yuwen family attempted treason. By rights all nine of their family lines should be exterminated. But in extraordinary times I must still place the need for people first. Truly exterminating all nine lines would only add another formidable rebel faction to Great Chu’s troubles. So I intend to execute only Yuwen Chonghe’s immediate household, and let the rest go unpunished. What does Royal Uncle think?”

Prince Wu lowered his hands at his sides. “Your Majesty’s foresight is far-reaching. Your servant has no objection.”

The Emperor continued, “Liu Chongxin is now locked away, and his partisans are everywhere throughout the capital. There must be great unease in many hearts right now. I have already sent word out — I am issuing a decree that Liu Chongxin’s jaw has been unhinged and his four limbs broken, so that he may not speak. I hope this will help them understand my meaning soon enough: I have no wish to implicate the many. I intend to kill only those most guilty.”

He looked to Prince Wu. “I wish to ask Royal Uncle to personally lead troops to conduct a thorough investigation of the Surveillance Bureau. Execute only those who wielded power within it. Try to spare the ordinary bureau agents wherever possible. Tell them I am still willing to employ them.”

Prince Wu lowered his hands again. “Your servant will obey the decree. Your servant will see this matter handled properly.”

The Emperor said, “I will have Jing Tingming accompany Royal Uncle to deal with the Surveillance Bureau case. He knows the Bureau thoroughly and can assist Royal Uncle. Moreover, at the critical moment, when Royal Uncle needs to execute someone, let Jing Tingming make a show of dissuading you — win over some goodwill among those men. I intend to have Jing Tingming take over the Surveillance Bureau afterward. An apparatus that vast — I cannot afford to simply discard it.”

Prince Wu said, “Your servant understands what to do.”

The Emperor slowly let out a breath and said, “There is one more matter — the weightiest of all, the one I have deliberated over the most. I ask Royal Uncle to help me decide… Among the imperial clan’s outer lineage there are a number of capable young talents, as well as many who are seasoned and steady. Right now I need men, and there is no other place from which I can quickly select so many worthy individuals. I wish to bring the outer lineage into service to take charge of the Nine Gate Infantry Command, the Left Vanguard Guard, the Right Martial Guard…”

Prince Wu looked up. His instinct was that this violated the founding emperor’s established precedent — but the words reached his lips and he swallowed them back. For he understood full well that at this moment, the only men in Great Chu the Emperor could still use and still trust were the Yang family’s own.

“Your servant has no objection.”

Even Prince Wu offered no resistance, and the weight pressing on the Emperor’s heart eased considerably. He drew a deep breath and then released it slowly, and the sensation of all the pent-up things within him coming clear made him feel as if he could breathe freely at last.

“There is still one matter, and it concerns Royal Uncle.”

The Emperor looked to Prince Wu and said, “I intend to appoint Royal Uncle as Grand Marshal of All Military Forces Under Heaven — a military title Great Chu has never before possessed. In all the past several hundred years, the highest military rank in Great Chu has been Senior Third Grade. Though Royal Uncle’s status has always been august, you have only been able to hold a military post of Senior Third Grade. This is not right, nor can it remain as it is — those who serve in the military must always have hope of advancement before them. Therefore I mean to set this Grand Marshal position at Senior First Grade. Furthermore, Royal Uncle — I will also bestow upon you the title of Grand Pillar of State and appoint you concurrently as Minister of War. I mean to place all the military forces under heaven in your hands.”

Prince Wu’s expression changed. “Your Majesty must not — there is no precedent for this…”

The Emperor waved his hand. “If every matter must follow old precedent, Great Chu will never be renewed. When I employ someone, I must give them standing, give them rank, give them honor. I intend to reform the military system. Below the Grand Marshal, I will raise the military rank of Great General to Senior Second Grade. All who attain the rank of Great General will concurrently hold the title of Pillar of State…”

At this, Prince Wu knelt to the ground.

“Your servant, on behalf of all military men under heaven, thanks Your Majesty for this great grace.”

The Emperor hurried to help Prince Wu rise and, smiling, said, “I have not yet finished. I also intend to expand the garrison forces — that matter too I will entrust to Royal Uncle. The new army’s officers will all be appointed by Royal Uncle’s hand. I want soldiers and officers to see hope before them. I want the common people of this realm to see hope as well.”

Prince Wu’s voice trembled faintly. “Your servant will never fail this great grace.”

The Emperor let out a slow breath and turned to look out the window. “With Royal Uncle to help me, Great Chu can stand again. Those petty troublemakers who have thrown the realm into chaos will be reduced to ashes and smoke beneath the might of Great Chu’s armies.”

—

An hour later — the prison.

The Emperor walked in at an unhurried pace and looked at Liu Chongxin sitting there with disheveled hair. He paused for a moment. It was the first time he had ever seen Liu Chongxin in such a wretched state, and even the Emperor felt a flicker of unreality — in that moment he felt something almost like fear.

“Ah, His Majesty has come.”

Liu Chongxin saw the Emperor and rose to his feet. He straightened his hair and clothing, then knelt in the most proper ceremonial manner and performed three full prostrations with nine kowtows. When the rites were done, Liu Chongxin drew himself upright but did not stand — he remained on his knees and said, “These three prostrations and nine kowtows are your servant’s congratulations to His Majesty upon ascending the throne.”

The Emperor sighed and stepped forward to help Liu Chongxin up. “You are old. Stand and let us speak.”

Liu Chongxin smiled and rose, steadied by the Emperor’s hands, and sat on the rather battered wooden stool.

“Your servant is glad for Your Majesty. Genuinely glad. At first your servant was worried whether Your Majesty could stabilize the court, whether you could turn the tide. Your servant had thought it would require waiting until your servant returned before he could help Your Majesty be rid of the Yuwen family. But now, your servant’s heart feels easy — even though your servant too is a prisoner, the heart feels truly at ease.”

Liu Chongxin smiled as he said, “The late Emperor asked me many times: ‘What is your assessment of the Crown Prince?’ My answer was always the same. I said: ‘His Highness will one day be the greatest emperor Great Chu has ever known, the most enlightened of sovereigns, the most courageous of commanders.'”

The Emperor sat down beside Liu Chongxin, lowered his head, and said, “I — this was something I had no choice but to do.”

“Your servant knows.”

Liu Chongxin said, “This day — your servant had imagined it countless times. Only the imagining was rather better for your servant. He thought perhaps after helping Your Majesty stabilize the court, he would retire from office. Your servant had a residence built in Jizhou — had never even gone to see it. Had always meant to return to Jizhou after another year or two to spend his final years there. They say the geomancy there is very auspicious. It would appear it was not so auspicious after all.”

The Emperor sighed again. After a moment of silence he said, “I could not wait another year or two. Great Chu could not wait either.”

Liu Chongxin said, “In truth, your servant is the one who understands Your Majesty best, is he not? Your servant is confident he understands Your Majesty even better than the late Emperor did. Your Majesty possesses great talent and bold vision — just as in this instance. Your Majesty’s stratagem of killing two birds with one stone was truly, breathtakingly executed. Your servant is thoroughly convinced and in wholehearted admiration. Your Majesty — now that it has come to this, you must not hesitate any further. You must deal with your servant severely. By slow slicing.”

The Emperor’s shoulders trembled faintly.

He looked up at Liu Chongxin’s aged, weathered face, and in that instant his mind flooded with memories of childhood. In his early years, when he had run and played, Liu Chongxin would spread his arms and follow behind him with his back bent low, terrified he might fall. When he wanted to climb a tree, it was Liu Chongxin who knelt down and offered his shoulder for him to stand on, then ordered the junior eunuchs to lie in a ring around the base of the tree, layer upon layer, saying that if the Crown Prince falls and is injured, every one of you will be put to death. When he wanted to slip out of the palace and see the world, it was Liu Chongxin who dressed him with his own hands and led him by the hand through the streets of the capital, stopping here and there, buying whatever he wanted to eat, with Liu Chongxin personally tasting everything first before handing it to him, and when he grew tired, it was Liu Chongxin who carried him all the way home on his back.

Through all these years, Liu Chongxin had been more like a father than his own father the Emperor. So sometimes, when he called Liu Chongxin “Second Father,” he knew it was not entirely hollow pretense.

“All of you — step outside!”

The Emperor suddenly issued the command.

Every guard was stunned. They looked at one another. Not one of them dared to go. Who was that old man? That was Liu Chongxin, Director of the Surveillance Bureau — a man who put fear into the hearts of the entire realm. Why had the late Emperor trusted Liu Chongxin so completely? In the early days, when other princes had plotted to seize the throne and arranged assassinations, it was always Liu Chongxin who had put himself in front of the late Emperor. This old man might look white-haired and frail, but his martial arts would certainly not have been abandoned, and he had only ever learned them for the sake of protecting the late Emperor.

“Out! Now!”

The Emperor’s voice cracked like a whip.

The guards all bowed and withdrew — but they stationed themselves just outside the prison door and went no farther.

“Move farther away.”

The Emperor turned back and issued another command. The guards had no choice but to step back further. A moment later, in that small, confined world of the prison cell, only the Emperor and Liu Chongxin remained.

The Emperor rose, drew several deep breaths, and then bowed low.

“I have always known — Second Father treated me well. Better than my own father ever did. From childhood to now, it was Second Father who always protected me. No matter how willful, no matter how unreasonable my demands — Second Father never once refused…”

“Your Majesty!”

Liu Chongxin fell to his knees before the Emperor. He looked up into the Emperor’s eyes and smiled — a smile filled with nothing but gentle relief.

“Your Majesty, there is no need to say more. Your servant can now… die with a peaceful heart. Ha ha ha ha… With this one word from Your Majesty, your servant can die with a peaceful heart!”

He knelt there and knocked his head against the ground again and again.

The Emperor tilted his face upward, refusing to look at Liu Chongxin. Tears ran down uncontrolled. Liu Chongxin was Great Chu’s most notorious villain — with the realm brought to such ruin, his crimes were beyond pardon. Yet he was also the one person who had been most genuinely devoted to the Emperor. Even knowing that returning to the capital might bring unexpected disaster, he had come back — simply because he could not stop worrying.

When the young eunuch Gao Mu’en had said that His Majesty cannot do without you, Liu Chongxin had come back. Could he truly not have foreseen, even a little, that he might die?

No — he had surely been able to see it. But he had come back all the same.

“Your Majesty.”

After knocking his head to the floor, Liu Chongxin looked up. His eyes, too, were full of tears.

“The time has come to act. Act quickly. Once your servant is gone, those with unquiet hearts will find their quiet again. Only with your servant dead soon can Your Majesty quickly bring stability to the court. Your servant’s only wish is that Your Majesty… may blessings come from the heart, and may you live ten thousand years.”

The Emperor turned and strode from the prison, raising his hand to wipe the tears from the corners of his eyes.

“Announce the decree… Liu Chongxin’s crimes are beyond pardon. Death by slow slicing!”

—