“Elder Brother.”

Jiang Qianneng watched as the frenzied crowd beat the condemned men pushed from the platform into pulp. Then he turned to look at Gui Yuanshu.

At this moment, Jiang Qianneng had gone utterly calm — so calm that Gui Yuanshu felt a chill in his heart.

After calling out to him, Jiang Qianneng said: “This matter has nothing to do with Elder Brother. His Majesty commissioned me to oversee this. Go now to the Shiyuan Palace and report to His Majesty — tell him that I defied the imperial order and had Zhao Jingzhong executed. His Majesty will not make things too difficult for you.”

Gui Yuanshu shook his head: “You’re joking.”

Jiang Qianneng said: “I am not joking. General Guan Sheng treated me well, and this debt of blood — I paid it for him. You knew nothing about it. You were simply used by me.”

Gui Yuanshu looked steadily into Jiang Qianneng’s eyes and said: “Classmates from the Yuanshang Academy don’t do things like that to each other.”

Jiang Qianneng smiled: “I know. I knew you wouldn’t go to His Majesty even if I said so, so…”

He smiled: “Then we’ll wait a little longer.”

Gui Yuanshu frowned: “Wait for what?”

“Wait for you to faint.”

Jiang Qianneng said: “I put something into the water I handed you just now — a sedative. I’m truly sorry.”

Gui Yuanshu had been feeling somewhat light-headed a moment ago. He had assumed it was from the anger, and paid it no mind.

But now, being reminded of it, he realized — his hands and feet were growing weaker by the moment.

“You cannot do this!”

Gui Yuanshu cried out.

Jiang Qianneng smiled: “There’s no such thing as ‘cannot’ in this world. You must keep living — for the people you care about — go take care of them, protect them. The people I cared about died three years ago.”

He watched Gui Yuanshu swaying on his feet, then looked back and gave an order: “Lock Minister Gui up.”

Two of his trusted subordinates stepped forward. Gui Yuanshu tried to resist but had no strength left — he was lifted up and carried away.

He didn’t know exactly when he finally lost consciousness. He didn’t know how long he drifted in that haze.

When he finally came to, it was nearly dark. Outside the window, a single ray of sunlight was still clinging stubbornly to the window frame, reluctant to let go.

With his head splitting in agony, Gui Yuanshu struggled upright and rushed toward the door. He grabbed it and pulled with all his strength, but found it locked tight.

He drove a kick into the wooden door. Though some of his strength had returned, it wasn’t enough to break it open.

He leaned against the door trying to shout — but found his voice was nearly gone, barely able to produce any sound.

—

At that same moment, in the Shiyuan Palace’s Imperial Study.

Jiang Qianneng knelt before the Emperor, his forehead pressed to the floor.

“Your servant has failed His Majesty’s grace. Your servant deserves death.”

In those words, there was not a trace of remorse — only absolute, unshakeable calm.

The Emperor Yang Jing stared at Jiang Qianneng, eyes reddening, and said word by word: “The Emperor only wants to know why!”

“Why?”

Jiang Qianneng raised his head and looked at the Emperor: “Three years ago — how did General Guan Sheng of the Ferocious Cavalry die? How did the three thousand six hundred brave and loyal soldiers of the Ferocious Cavalry die? Does Your Majesty truly not know?”

The Emperor’s expression changed abruptly.

Jiang Qianneng knelt there, but his head was held high.

“Your Majesty asks me — why do I not understand His Majesty’s will? Why do I live in a daze? Why can I not rouse myself? Why do I have no heart to repay Dachu in service?”

Jiang Qianneng said: “When your servant was studying at the Yuanshang Academy, I truly had a heart full of fire and loyalty. I imagined many times what it would mean to dedicate myself to Dachu — to die fighting for the nation. I even thought about how I would ultimately die — it should have been in battle, defending His Majesty, defending Dachu. And yet I never feared it. I even looked forward to such a death.”

“Your Majesty — after General Guan Sheng fell in battle, your servant watched with his own eyes as the General’s family was exterminated. On what grounds does Your Majesty stand and self-righteously say that your servant deserves death for no longer carrying the loyal heart he once had?”

Those eyes of his were like arrows fixed on the Emperor — piercing straight through to the Emperor’s innermost heart.

Yet he remained perfectly calm, his voice without a trace of fluctuation, continuing: “An Emperor like this — a Dachu like this — what does Your Majesty expect your servant to be loyally devoted to?”

The Emperor took a step back, his body beginning to sway.

“The Emperor… learned of it only afterward.”

The Emperor looked at Jiang Qianneng: “When the Emperor learned, he wished with all his heart to make amends — but there was nothing that could be done. You know as well as I do — Zhao Kelin today commands the Left Guard and holds the critical southwestern approaches to Jingzhou. If it came to that…”

Jiang Qianneng let out a dismissive laugh: “Say no more, Your Majesty. Your Majesty should be grateful — Dachu still has men like your servant: men who know they have done wrong and do not run from it, who are still willing to kneel before Your Majesty and accept judgment. Your Majesty — men like your servant are growing few. Among the entire court, how many can Your Majesty see?”

He pressed his hands to the floor and slowly rose: “Your Majesty — your servant still wished to uphold Your Majesty’s dignity. Your servant still wished to uphold the laws of Dachu. Yet men like your servant — like General Guan Sheng — there was never anyone to uphold *us*.”

Jiang Qianneng raised his hand and pointed directly at the Emperor’s face — an act of absolute defiance: “Your servant and General Guan Sheng and the others — Your Majesty, as the sovereign to whom we gave our loyalty, you were not worthy of us.”

He turned and walked toward the door: “Your Majesty, you may issue the order. Your servant is willing to accept sentence and go to his death… Your servant also understands Your Majesty’s difficulties — but your servant no longer cares.”

“**Stand where you are!**”

The Emperor roared.

Jiang Qianneng’s footsteps halted. He looked back: “Does Your Majesty have any final instructions? Do you wish your servant to go to the underworld and offer an apology to General Guan Sheng on Your Majesty’s behalf?”

The Emperor felt as though something had struck his chest with tremendous force — a surge of heat seemed to rise from somewhere deep inside.

There was already a taste of blood in his throat. But he forced it back down.

“Your Majesty… when all the men like your servant are gone, Your Majesty will understand — Dachu cannot be saved.”

Because he had already resolved to die, Jiang Qianneng had nothing left to hold back.

He looked at the Emperor with pitying eyes: “Your Majesty — the world is hard. Life is not worth it. Your servant has lived enough. Your servant will go first.”

Then, as if just remembering something, he added a few more words to the Emperor.

“Chief Justice Gui Yuanshu has been confined by your servant. Your Majesty should understand why your servant confined him. Your servant is not trying to deceive Your Majesty by claiming he knew nothing — your servant is simply offering Your Majesty a way to kill only your servant and spare him.”

Jiang Qianneng bowed toward the Emperor: “Your Majesty — your servant takes his leave.”

He walked to the doorway and looked at Zhen Xiaodao, the Chief Eunuch whose eyes were already reddening, and smiled: “Eunuch Zhen — you truly aren’t suited for this position. After serving beside His Majesty all this time, you still haven’t grown used to the heart of an emperor.”

He said to Zhen Xiaodao: “His Majesty cannot directly order my execution — because that would mean the Emperor is no longer a merciful Emperor.”

“His Majesty could treat even a beast like the Left Guard General Zhao Kelin with mercy and restraint. To kill a loyal minister like myself — His Majesty would feel some discomfort in his heart, and it would not look well.”

“You are the person closest to His Majesty. Walk out with me, and declare His Majesty’s decree. It could say that my nine clans are to be exterminated — but there are no nine clans of mine left in Daxing. To kill Zhao Jingzhong, over these past years I have gradually sent all my family members out of the capital. I have prepared for this.”

“Eunuch Zhen…”

Jiang Qianneng tugged lightly at Zhen Xiaodao’s sleeve: “Let’s go. You must declare the decree on His Majesty’s behalf.”

Zhen Xiaodao’s voice was faintly hoarse: “Minister Jiang — you have misunderstood His Majesty.”

Jiang Qianneng smiled: “It doesn’t matter anymore.”

—

Inside the Imperial Study, the Emperor — having heard Jiang Qianneng’s words — felt as though he had been slapped viciously across the face, again and again, dozens of times.

He also felt as though, in broad daylight, with all eyes watching, someone had stripped every piece of clothing from his body.

Every ugliness laid bare before the realm and the people, in a single instant.

Zhen Xiaodao looked back at the Emperor and found the Emperor’s face white as paper.

Jiang Qianneng said: “Let’s go, Eunuch Zhen. What are you looking at the Emperor for? Does the Emperor seem like he is about to say — Jiang Qianneng, what you said is correct?”

Zhen Xiaodao felt so wretched he was nearly in tears.

The Commander of the Imperial Guard, Hui Chunqiu, stepped forward, pulled Zhen Xiaodao gently aside, and positioned himself in his place.

Hui Chunqiu said: “I’ll go. Minister Jiang, don’t make it harder for him.”

Jiang Qianneng gave a nod: “Then I’ll trouble the Commander.”

Hui Chunqiu raised his fists toward Jiang Qianneng in a salute.

That salute — it was enough to make Hui Chunqiu’s own feelings perfectly clear. Only, as Commander of the Imperial Guard and one of the people closest to the Emperor, there were too many things he was required to do and too many things he could not do.

“Please.”

Hui Chunqiu made a gesture.

Jiang Qianneng stepped forward with his head held high.

*Zhao Jingzhong — you killed my Elder Brother’s family, and I killed yours. When we meet in the underworld, my Elder Brother and I will stand before you and see whether you still have the nerve to do as you please.*

Inside the Imperial Study, the Emperor reflexively followed a few steps, opened his mouth as if about to say *the Emperor pardons you of your crimes…*

But he forced those words back — cold and hard, he pressed them down.

He had to give the court officials an answer… but most importantly, he had to give the Supreme Left Guard General Zhao Kelin an answer.

At this moment, Emperor Yang Jing stood at the doorway, one hand braced against the frame, watching that figure stride away — and thought to himself: *The Emperor… is truly an Emperor, is he not?*

“Commander Hui.”

Jiang Qianneng spoke as he walked: “Gui Yuanshu is a good man. Don’t make things difficult for him anymore.”

Hui Chunqiu nodded: “I know. His Majesty knows as well.”

Jiang Qianneng smiled and glanced at Hui Chunqiu: “His Majesty knows? His Majesty knows everything — but what good is it that His Majesty knows?”

Hui Chunqiu felt as though a blade had been thrust into his own heart.

—

At that moment, Zhen Xiaodao came rushing from behind, breathless: “His Majesty’s decree — the execution to be carried out… at… at nightfall. Minister Jiang to be well treated and given food and drink beforehand.”

Hui Chunqiu said: “I understand. Go back and report to His Majesty.”

Zhen Xiaodao looked at Jiang Qianneng. Jiang Qianneng smiled: “Convey my reply to His Majesty — for this profound imperial grace, Jiang Qianneng feels truly undeserving.”

—

That night, at the stroke of midnight.

A column of Imperial Guard soldiers escorted Jiang Qianneng out of the prison cell. Once outside, Jiang Qianneng tilted his head back and looked at the bright moon in the sky — and for some reason, felt it looked like a cold, emotionless eye staring down at the human world.

And for no reason he could identify, he suddenly felt the urge to shout at that moon: *what the hell are you looking at, I’m taller than you and bigger than you.*

Out on the street, the carriage transporting the condemned prisoner to the execution ground rattled past — the sound of wheels grinding over the stone road was somewhat grating.

A group of Imperial Guard soldiers walked on foot rather than riding, moving forward together, every one of them looking somewhat downcast.

At the execution ground, dozens of officials sat waiting — even in the dead of night, they would wait.

They would watch Jiang Qianneng’s head fall. And then they would smile in smug satisfaction, thinking: this mudfish who had slipped into the carp pond was dead at last.

The Emperor had them watch — in truth, he wanted them to someday go tell the Supreme Left Guard General Zhao Kelin that the Emperor had given him his due.

This was nothing less than the Emperor once again bowing his head to those old noble families.

“Minister Jiang — when we arrive at the execution ground in a moment, no matter what those people say, just treat it as if you can’t hear them.”

Hui Chunqiu spoke quietly.

Jiang Qianneng nodded: “Thank you — but why should I care about them at all.”

—

The dozens of Imperial Guard soldiers escorted the carriage into the execution ground. Then Hui Chunqiu’s expression changed.

On the high platform at the execution ground, a row of chairs had been set up — where a row of officials should have been sitting and waiting for Jiang Qianneng’s head to fall.

On the platform. On the execution ground. Torches blazed brilliantly.

But now, that row of chairs had only one person sitting in it. Spread across the floor of the high platform were dozens of corpses. Below the platform there were even more corpses — the bodyguards of all those officials, all dead. The bodies layered the ground.

When the Imperial Guard soldiers escorted the carriage into the execution ground, the figure sitting on the high platform slowly rose, walked to the edge of the platform, and stood there with his hands clasped behind his back.

In the moonlight, the figure appeared tall and slender, dressed in a black robe.

On his face — a white, bone-pale Yaksha mask.

—