The imperial palace had strict defenses and numerous checkpoints—taking someone out would be extremely difficult, let alone when that person was the emperor.
Yet somehow, this person had truly vanished from the imperial palace without a trace.
According to palace attendants, after court adjourned during the day, the young emperor was unwilling to go to the imperial study to read. By evening, while the Empress Dowager was busy, he took several attendants who usually accompanied him and secretly went to play in the forest gardens, ordering them not to tell the Empress Dowager. This wasn’t the first time, so the attendants naturally dared not report it. Unexpectedly, shortly after entering the forest gardens, he disappeared.
Before Gao Yongrong could return to the imperial palace, halfway there she encountered palace attendants who had rushed out in panic to find her and report the news, confirming what she had learned from Luoshen.
Just now on Bailu Zhou, though she had her son’s personal jade pendant as evidence, she still found it hard to believe.
Besides not believing her son could be kidnapped from the heavily defended imperial palace, she even more couldn’t believe that Li Mu could act before she did.
For over half a year, he had not been in Jiankang.
This meant he must have planted surveillance eyes in the imperial palace at least before his last northern expedition, or even earlier.
If he had the intention, with his current position as a powerful minister, achieving this would naturally not be difficult.
What was terrifying was that everything happened without any signs. Moreover, having learned lessons from Xiao Daocheng’s previous attempts, she had been extremely cautious about palace personnel over these years.
Yet even under such circumstances, she had been completely unaware beforehand. Only today, when she intended to strike first, did she discover that Li Mu, who wasn’t even in Jiankang, had already seized the initiative.
Gao Yongrong was horrified and furious, nearly fainting from the rush of anger. Steadying herself, she immediately rushed to the imperial palace.
Every corner of the forest gardens and every room in the imperial palace was searched thoroughly. The entire city also urgently closed its gates, searching inside and outside throughout the night.
But her son, the current emperor of Dayu, had vanished without a trace. The only clue finally discovered was that after dark, a cart carrying waste had left through the palace side gate.
Though waste carts usually only collected from the palace in the morning, sometimes they would make an evening trip. The palace guards were accustomed to this and, due to the foul smell, did not inspect each cart by opening the covers, letting it pass.
And once gone, there was no record of any cart returning. The trail was last seen leaving through the west gate, then lost.
Gao Yongrong could be completely certain that her son had been taken away in this manner and transported out of the city.
Three days passed with no progress in the search. On her desk, there was only an additional belt embroidered with golden dragons.
This morning, as the faint mist lingering around Bailu Zhou had not yet dispersed, Luoshen, having long since packed her simple belongings, finally left the heavily surrounded Bailu Zhou dock with her companions and boarded a fast boat heading west.
Gao Yongrong stood on the shore with dozens of court officials behind her, staring at Luoshen in silence.
Feng Wei wore a worried expression, his face extremely anxious. He pursued to the bow of the ship, unwilling to give up as he pleaded desperately: “Madam, even if the court and the Grand Marshal have different opinions and the Grand Marshal is dissatisfied, he absolutely cannot act in such a manner! Listen to my words—stay for now, return His Majesty, then persuade the Grand Marshal to return to the capital. Whether war or peace, it won’t be too late to discuss then…”
Everyone understood what it meant that Li Mu was forcibly taking away his wife in this manner at this juncture.
Those officials from humble backgrounds who had been promoted in recent years were all worried and grave.
But Palace Attendant Liu Hui was very excited. He stepped forward and shouted: “Elder Feng’s words are wrong!”
“For years, warfare has been constant and the people have long suffered from war—their hearts seek stability. Now that we finally have such an opportunity, the Empress Dowager acts out of compassion and responds to popular will by intending to cease war and negotiate peace, which benefits both state and people! Grand Marshal Li disregards popular sentiment and, taking advantage of the ruler’s youth, relies on his high position and power to seek merit through war. That would be one thing, but today he even commits such rebellious and treasonous acts—it’s simply lawless and shocking!”
“I ask you, how does the Grand Marshal’s action today differ from that traitorous rebel Xu Mi of the past?”
The officials standing behind him all nodded in agreement.
“Madam, have you forgotten that you too are a daughter of the Gao clan? Though Lord Gao is no longer in court, who dares forget his noble character and integrity? If he knew that the Grand Marshal was acting so arbitrarily today by leveraging his position, how could he stand by and watch?” Liu Hui continued.
Voices of discussion arose. Everyone pointed and gestured at Luoshen’s back.
Luoshen stopped, turned around and said: “If my father were in court now, do you gentlemen think he would ignore the Xianbei’s blatant provocation against Chang’an and, like the gentlemen present, cheerfully go negotiate some peace with Murong Ti and discuss north-south division?”
Her expression was calm, but the mocking tone in her words was unmistakable.
Liu Hui and the ministers behind him were all stunned, looking at each other with displeasure on their faces.
An elderly official with white hair and beard pointed at Luoshen, trembling in shock: “I often corresponded with your father in the past and watched you grow up. As a daughter of the Gao clan, with proper women’s virtue and inner beauty, you have always been a model for the world. Today the Grand Marshal openly challenges the court, and instead of dissuading him, you blindly follow—that’s one thing, but how can you speak like this?”
This elderly official was broadly learned in the arts, skilled at composing literature, and was a renowned scholar of the age. When Xu Mi attacked Jiankang that year, he fled with the emperor and empress dowager to Qu’a. Afterward, severely shocked, he immediately retired upon return and hadn’t appeared in court for years.
Yet today he too had been invited by Gao Yongrong.
Besides wanting to pressure her, she undoubtedly wanted to use this method to let everyone in the realm know that it was Li Mu who was treasonous and betrayed the court first.
Luoshen replied: “Honored Elder Uncle doesn’t concern himself with worldly affairs and has an exemplary reputation. How would this niece dare target Uncle with her earlier words?”
Married to Li Mu at sixteen, time had flown by like a finger snap, and years pressed on relentlessly. How could that ignorant girl who had been full of unwillingness and pointed a knife at someone on her wedding night have imagined that years later today, she who had been crowned with the Southern Dynasty’s most noble surname from birth would stand opposed to them like this?
A foot of water had become an uncrossable vast chasm lying between her and this imperial city of Jiankang.
Her heart was filled with infinite emotion.
At this moment, she suddenly felt some sympathy for her father. Full of ambition and not without ability, yet unable to break free from the shackles of his inherited surname and family status, like being trapped in a quagmire, struggling for half a lifetime, only to find in the end that not only were his ambitions unfulfilled, but even mother and the child about to be born in her belly were nowhere to be found—what was the meaning?
She felt even more heartache for Li Mu. An upright man who had held back the collapsing tide and supported the falling mansion, yet while he was still on the battlefield fighting bloodily, his woman was to be held hostage in the capital. To refuse was to be treasonous, a traitorous rebel.
Such a dynasty—even if it was intimately connected to her with shared blood, what was there that she couldn’t let go?
“You don’t remember Li Mu’s contributions, so be it—’traitorous rebel!’ Is this your complete evaluation of all his years serving as an official in court?”
Her gaze swept from the face of that elderly official, who looked pained and shocked, to look at each minister’s face.
“Allow me to guess why you all hate him so much. Throughout the Southern Dynasty, for years there have been countless gluttons fed, each one noble and elegant in appearance but actually insatiably greedy. Even when already fed fat as pigs, they still won’t stop their mouths that steal food from the people. They won’t spit out even a small bite. But he made you vomit up what you had swallowed, so you all fear him, hate him, yet can do nothing about him! Now that you finally have a chance to suppress him, even knowing it’s like making a deal with a tiger, you’re unwilling to miss it.”
A cold smile appeared at her lips.
“In your eyes, what does Chang’an matter, what does Luoyang matter, and what do those northern survivors struggling for life under barbarian iron hooves matter? Compared to that bit of fat meat you have to spit out from your mouths, none of these are worth mentioning. Whoever blocks you from extracting wealth from the people becomes a traitorous rebel whom you must eliminate.”
All around fell silent. Feng Wei gradually showed shame on his face and remained silent.
“Palace Attendant Liu, am I guessing correctly?”
Luoshen looked at Liu Hui.
Liu Hui angrily said: “Nonsense! How dare you slander the court officials like this!”
Luoshen snorted: “Since you’ve placed the name of traitorous rebel on my husband’s head, naturally I must speak for him with you. It doesn’t matter if you don’t admit it.”
She stared at Liu Hui mockingly: “Palace Attendant Liu, you’re titled General Who Conquers the Caitiffs, but I wonder which region’s caitiffs you’ve conquered, which region’s rebels you’ve suppressed? If you still want some face, I advise you to petition the Empress Dowager for the title of Qu’a General instead—that would be more fitting.”
This was a veiled reference to the old matter of his refusal to remain with Gao Qiao to defend the city during Jiankang’s crisis, escaping to Qu’a under the pretext of protecting the emperor and empress dowager.
Though the atmosphere was tense, several officials standing behind Feng Wei who had defended Jiankang alongside Gao Qiao in the past couldn’t help but chuckle quietly at Luoshen’s open mockery of Liu Hui. Hearing their own laughter standing out, they quickly covered their mouths with fists and pretended to cough.
“You… you…”
Liu Hui’s pale, clean face now flushed blood red. He pointed angrily at Luoshen, so furious he couldn’t speak for a moment.
“All of you, withdraw!”
Gao Yongrong, who had been maintaining a stern expression, suddenly spoke.
Liu Hui glared fiercely at Luoshen, then left angrily with the support of several people nearby.
The riverside dock soon had only Luoshen and Gao Yongrong remaining.
Luoshen stood at the bow of the ship, Gao Yongrong stood by the riverside.
All was quiet around them, with only the gentle sound of river water lapping against the shore stones.
“A’Mi, in my heart, from childhood to now, I’ve always treated you as my own younger sister. I’ll give you one last chance. This time, as long as you’re willing to stand back on my side, I’ll let bygones be bygones.”
Gao Yongrong said.
Luoshen looked at her intently.
“Elder Sister, from childhood to now, I too have always treated you as my own elder sister. I know you don’t fully believe Murong Ti either. Can you tell me why you would rather make a deal with a tiger than allow Li Mu to continue northern expeditions for Dayu, recover our ancestral lands, and complete this great undertaking worthy of being recorded in history?”
Gao Yongrong avoided Luoshen’s gaze, frowning: “You must understand me. These years, he has indeed achieved considerable merit for the court, but has also caused countless troubles. Like those people with Liu Hui just now, I cannot completely ignore their opinions. I’ve suppressed all this for him before. Fighting Northern Yan now really isn’t a good time.”
Luoshen shook her head.
“Elder Sister, we’ve reached this point—why tell me these things anymore? Li Mu leads troops—no one knows better than he whether or not to fight.”
“I guessed the thoughts of Liu Hui and those people earlier; now I might as well guess Elder Sister’s thoughts too.”
She stared into Gao Yongrong’s eyes.
“Elder Sister, you’re different from Liu Hui and those people. They hate him for taking away their hereditary privileges. But you fear he’ll take away your power. You fear that in the world’s eyes there will only be Li Mu and no Xiao house, fear his achievements will overshadow his lord and that he’ll replace you. So you’d rather guard this half of the realm, content with a corner, than have him recover the Central Plains.”
“Even if he had no disloyal intentions and hadn’t previously planted people to ensure my safety, even if he let me remain here as a hostage, you still couldn’t tolerate him, isn’t that right?”
Gao Yongrong’s face stiffened as she said through gritted teeth: “A’Mi, compared to Dayu’s realm and the wealth and honor Elder Sister could give you in the future, what does one man matter? Moreover, he comes from humble origins and simply isn’t worth you doing this for him!”
“I ask you one final time—do you truly intend to abandon the Gao clan and Dayu for that man surnamed Li?”
She emphasized her tone: “I tell you, Li Mu has no tomorrow! If you leave, you will regret it!”
Luoshen smiled slightly.
“I was born with the Gao surname, my mother is Dayu’s Eldest Princess, and I won’t forget Elder Sister’s past kindness to me. I originally didn’t want things to be like this, but today I have no choice but to act so. Because I know he’s worth my doing this for him!”
“Even if he truly has no tomorrow as you say, I must spend today with him. These years, for the sake of this court, my husband and I have been separated too long. I miss him, and I know he misses me too. I’m leaving.”
“Rest assured, after I leave, Deng’er will return safely—I can guarantee this to you.”
Luoshen solemnly performed a final bow to Gao Yongrong, who stood rigidly on the shore, then ordered Fan Cheng to set sail. She turned and entered the cabin without looking back.
Fan Cheng commanded the sailors to their positions. The boat set sail westward along the river in the rising morning sun.