At the Sisheng Gate, court officials and noble ladies were conducting their mourning rituals.

To provide these people with a place to rest and dine, the Palace Administration had set up over a dozen felt tents along the palace wall, about a hundred meters west of Sisheng Gate. After organizing the documents at the Praise Bureau, Song Yunqing walked out of the office building. Seeing that the Ceremonial Bureau had already served meals, a female servant told her, “Official Song, the kitchen is in chaos. These days, meals are being delivered strictly on schedule. However, there’s always food available at Sisheng Gate. Many palace officials go there to eat. If you don’t mind walking a bit, you should go there too.”

Song Yunqing glanced at the weather outside.

The snow had lightened, and the wind had gradually calmed. Even without people clearing the snow, the paths had become much easier to traverse.

Song Yunqing returned to the hall to fetch an umbrella, put on her outer garments and left through the side gate of the Ceremonial Bureau. She walked along the empty palace path toward Sisheng Gate.

At a bend in the palace path, accumulated snow fell from a branch onto Song Yunqing. As she lowered her head to brush off the snow, she suddenly heard shouting from around the corner.

“Catch him—”

Song Yunqing instinctively pressed herself against the wall and looked ahead around the corner.

On the snow-covered palace path, Li Yu was running until his lungs felt like bursting. The snow-laden wind kept forcing its way into his nose and mouth, almost blocking his airways, and making it difficult to breathe. Terrified and panicked, he had fled from the Office of Ceremonies’ duty room, instinctively wanting to find his sister Song Yunqing at the Ceremonial Bureau. But just as he ran out of Yangxin Gate, the eunuchs from the Office of Ceremonies caught up with him.

He was still young, not even fully grown, and had no real chance of escape.

Two eunuchs caught up and grabbed his arms from both sides, twisting them downward. His joints immediately dislocated, and Li Yu collapsed to his knees in the snow from the pain. Snowpowder filled his mouth. He screamed, and unable to move his arms, he desperately kicked with his legs. When one eunuch was struck by his kick, he became enraged and slapped Li Yu across the face.

The other eunuch hurriedly said, “Don’t mess things up, quickly strangle him.”

He then called backward, “Bring the garrote! Quick, bring the garrote!”

Li Yu took advantage of the moment when the two turned their heads, gathering all his strength to lunge forward, falling prostrate on the ground.

He raised his head and desperately shouted toward the Ceremonial Bureau, “The Late Emperor’s edict is fake! I, Li Yu, am dying unjustly… Heaven above, the Late Emperor’s edict is fake, I, Li Yu! Am dying unjustly…”

Before he could finish speaking, two garrotes had already been looped around his neck. Those holding the ropes gave him no chance, one foot pressed against his knee as they tightened the ropes and yanked backward sharply, forcing Li Yu to kneel upright.

Li Yu’s eyes instantly widened, his lips trembling, unable to make even the slightest sound.

“A’Yu… A…”

Song Yunqing had barely called out when a hand from behind suddenly covered her mouth.

Yang Wan’s deliberately lowered voice came from behind, “Yunqing, it’s me, don’t make a sound!”

Tears burst from Song Yunqing’s eyes as she watched Li Yu’s frantically kicking legs. Her mind went blank, not even able to consider what his final shouted words might have meant. She only wanted to rush to his side immediately and tear away the garrote that was about to end Li Yu’s life.

Seeing Song Yunqing still struggling, Yang Wan quickly grabbed her wrists and pulled her backward, whispering, “Yunqing, going over there will only result in one more death!”

The two women were similar in build, and both used all their strength in the struggle. Yang Wan lost her footing and fell backward, pulling Song Yunqing down with her into the snow. Despite the impact injury to her back causing her to almost lose her breath, she still kept her hand firmly over Song Yunqing’s mouth, saying hoarsely, “You’ve always taught me to preserve myself… now it’s my turn to beg you, don’t throw your life away.”

Song Yunqing lay on her back on top of Yang Wan, as snowflakes drifted gently toward her face, falling on her skin, somehow feeling burning hot.

The sounds from around the corner gradually quieted down.

“Is he dead?”

“He’s lost control of his bodily functions, should be dead.”

“Head Scribe Hu said when we bury him, we need to cut off his head, absolutely can’t let him come back to life.”

“Cut off his head? Isn’t that excessive… I mean, he looks completely dead to me.”

“Stop talking so much, let’s just do as we’re told.”

“…”

The first person to speak seemed somewhat hesitant, “Hey, why did the Old Ancestor want Li Yu dead anyway? That thing he said just now… about the edict… did you hear it?”

“Those were just the ravings of a terrified man, don’t take them seriously. Hurry up and keep quiet, or we’ll all end up dead. Come on, while no one’s around, let’s get rid of the body.”

“Alright, wrap him in white cloth. You take the front, I’ll grab his legs.”

Yang Wan lay in the snow listening to this conversation, tasting blood in her mouth.

She suddenly remembered how, in the Inner School, she had also heard palace servants being beaten to death outside.

At that time, she had vomited in front of Deng Ying, not because she had any deep understanding of “death” itself. On the contrary, modern executions were carried out so secretly that “death” was completely hidden from view. She had vomited because she couldn’t accept that a pile of dead flesh she had never seen before could emit such a rank odor to her.

But now, Li Yu’s corpse was just outside, barely a few dozen steps away, yet she no longer had that urge to vomit as she did back then.

A dead person wasn’t just a pile of rank meat, wasn’t just a simple name.

It was the end of emotions and friendships. They died in the center or on the edges of the dynasty, never able to cry out “injustice” to their loved ones again.

Yang Wan closed her eyes, holding back her tears.

In the snow beneath the palace wall, Li Yu’s eyes remained open.

His face was dark blue, his lips deathly pale.

Fortunately, the heavy snow that had accumulated over the past few days easily concealed the filth on his lower body. A white cloth was shaken out toward the sky, quickly wrapping up his not-yet-fully-grown body. Two eunuchs each grabbed an end, and just like that, he was completely erased from beneath the Great Ming Dynasty’s sky.

“Yunqing.”

Yang Wan called out to Song Yunqing softly.

Song Yunqing didn’t respond.

Yang Wan bit her lip as she stood up despite the pain, supporting the completely limp Song Yunqing on her shoulder.

“We can’t go back to the Ceremonial Bureau, I’ll take you away.”

In a side hall of Chengqian Palace, He Yu lit four braziers of charcoal and brought her bedding to wrap tightly around Song Yunqing. Yang Wan had injured her hand and was now using a cotton cloth soaked in alcohol, heating it over the fire before massaging it.

He Yu helped Yang Wan move the lamp, then turned to see Song Yunqing still shaking all over, her lips turning dark. She worriedly asked, “Why won’t she warm up?”

Yang Wan turned to look at Song Yunqing and sighed, “It’s not from cold.”

“If not cold, then what? She’s shaking so badly.”

Yang Wan shook her head, “Go brew some hot soup and bring it here.”

“Alright…”

As He Yu adjusted the bedding around Song Yunqing and rose to leave, Deng Ying pushed open the door and entered.

Yang Wan turned around, “How is it?”

Deng Ying looked at Song Yunqing sitting on Yang Wan’s bed and said softly, “I arrived too late, Li Yu’s head…”

“Ah…”

Song Yunqing suddenly cried out in pain from the bed, throwing her head back with her mouth open, saliva forming sticky threads between her upper and lower teeth, yet no sound of crying could escape her throat.

“I’m sorry.”

Deng Ying turned away, unable to bear watching.

“I’ve had the Eastern Depot collect Li Yu’s remains. I will personally arrange his burial. Please rest assured, Official Song, I won’t treat him with disrespect.”

“Why… why did he have to die…”

Song Yunqing clutched the bedding tightly, “Why couldn’t he live even after taking a godfather… We, siblings, have lived so cautiously in the palace for so long, never speaking our minds freely, never doing anything boldly, why did we still end up as ghosts, become ghosts… A’Yu, your sister watched you die but couldn’t save you, your sister… should die too.”

“Official Song…”

“Deng Ying.”

Yang Wan gestured for Deng Ying to stay quiet, then knelt beside the bed herself and embraced Song Yunqing’s shoulders, “Song Yunqing, I risked my life to bring you back to Chengqian Palace. If you implicate His Highness, you’ll make me a sinner too. I know you’re devastated by Li Yu’s death, but what use would it be even if you died with him? Do you know why he died? Do you know who killed him? Do you know who to hate? Huh?”

Song Yunqing froze in Yang Wan’s embrace, suddenly coughing several times, “Right… he said, the edict… the edict is fake!”

“How would Li Yu know the edict was fake?”

Song Yunqing said, “On the fifth of every month, he would bring preserved meat to Scribe Li…”

Yang Wan looked up at Deng Ying: “Scribe Li?”

Deng Ying lowered his eyes, remained silent for a moment, then said: “It’s too late.”

He walked to the bed, lifted his robes, and crouched down, looking up at Song Yunqing, “Official Song, before Li Yu’s incident, he was going to the Ceremonial Bureau to find you, correct?”

Song Yunqing nodded through her sobs.

Deng Ying lowered his head, “If Li Yu’s words are true, the Office of Ceremonies will search for you tonight. I cannot let Yang Wan keep you in Chengqian Palace. You must leave the palace with me immediately.”

Song Yunqing trembled and shook her head, “Where… where can I go now if I leave the palace, how can I possibly survive…”

Yang Wan gripped her hand and said, “Go to Qingbo House.”

“That’s…”

“My place.”

Yang Wan tucked back some loose hair that had become damp from the charcoal smoke, “You remember, right? You even helped calculate the money for buying Qingbo House before. It’s not very big, but both the Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard have frequented it, so no one dares to investigate anymore. The bookshop business is doing quite well now. Go there to rest for a while first, and for food, clothing, and other necessities, just ask the shopkeeper. If you feel better later, help me manage it. You and I were both scribes at the Ceremonial Bureau before – you’ll understand the book-related matters as soon as you start.”

As she spoke, she untied her ivory tablet from her waist and handed it to Song Yunqing.

“Take my tablet and go with Superintendent Deng. Don’t be afraid.”

“I…”

“Song Yunqing.”

Yang Wan interrupted her, pressed her lips together, and lowered her head while holding her hand, “I’ve never truly acknowledged you and Lady Jiang. For me, although preserving oneself is important, when the nest falls, how can the eggs remain unbroken? Do you think this era has nothing to do with us? As long as we’re alive, no one can escape it. You and I are educated women, we must have more heart than other women. Besides protecting our own lives, we can surely do other things. Listen to me, stop crying, stay calm when leaving the palace grounds, and don’t cause trouble for Deng Ying. Don’t think about anything else after you leave. Stay alive, and one day you’ll see justice done.”