The voice was light and delicate, cool and melodious, yet like great bells and drums, rumbling loudly in his ears!
He suddenly opened his eyes!
At first sight, golden light was blinding and dizzying. He quickly closed his eyes and opened them again. After a while, his blurred vision gradually cleared… Eighteen golden dragons above his head bared fangs and claws, soaring and flying in pursuit of a brilliant red sun. The gold-powdered dragon bodies gleamed magnificently with imposing grandeur… He stared for a long time before remembering this was the Longzhang Palace ceiling decorated with eighteen golden dragons, and just now had been a strange dream.
The dream seemed real yet unreal, illusory yet not illusory, but every scene directly pierced his current contradictory, painful, indescribable heartache.
Xiao Jue sat up from his chair, gazing at the paper scrolls on the desk. Wind rustled the thin paper with a soft sound. Those unwelcome words flipped rapidly, forming a continuous blur of light and shadow. He stared at those words, discovering he had broken into cold sweat without knowing when.
…Back then, she said, the Son of Heaven has no personal interests.
…Back then, he said, imperial family matters also concern the state.
…Back then, she said, ministers too close endanger the ruler’s person. The harem are also Your Majesty’s ministers – please do not exclusively favor Changle Palace.
…Back then, he said, ministers too noble easily usurp the ruler’s position. Though my younger brother is Your Majesty’s brother, he should first be Your Majesty’s minister. The nine bestowments and princely rank should not be lightly granted; wielding authority and profit disrupts court discipline – please do not lightly indulge. Punishment and praise should begin with this minister-brother.
…Back then, she said, law does not favor the noble, rope does not accommodate the crooked. Using the world as scale and people’s hearts as balance, weight is naturally known.
…Back then, he said, Your Majesty need not blame yourself. These two brothers are like owls and wolves – their crimes deserve death. When severe punishment does not spare relatives and minor rewards do not overlook commoners, then the world will be greatly governed.
…Such two intelligent figures whose political views almost perfectly matched, such two people who wholeheartedly planned for his kingdom and subjects, such two people he equally loved and valued as his own flesh.
His left and right arms, his… family.
Did they truly… truly fight to the death, bones turned to ash as their final end?
Why?
He could not imagine that the handle of the demon fire that ignited Changle Palace’s powdered walls and golden halls was held in those weak, slender white palms.
He was unwilling to believe those clear, bright eyes had once coldly watched his own sister-in-law and nephew perish in flames, coldly watching the palace collapse, watching his own elder brother lose wife and beloved son, becoming eternally submerged in an ocean of suffering and loneliness.
A’Chen, the small boy who pulled my sleeve corner praising my sword dancing, the close brother who followed me for years without ever betraying me – could you truly bear this?
No… no…
That day, when Chang Ge’s death, through the holy monk’s mouth, struck his consciousness like thunder, he made an oath to himself.
Even if it exhausted imperial blood, even if it cost his entire lifespan, he must seek justice for Chang Ge and the prematurely deceased child.
He swore – no matter who it was, even if they possessed a country’s wealth, even if their might dominated the world, even if they could overturn clouds with one hand and rain with the other.
Yet when that mysterious woman Ming Shuang’s seemingly casual hint, when he retrieved the sealed case files with an almost disbelieving attitude, those seemingly unrelated words on paper, under directed searching for connections, immediately laid before him a cold fact he least wanted to see.
Three years ago, shortly after the execution of the Qin and Chu princes, court discussions were numerous and various princes felt endangered. To prevent this matter from causing ministers to suspect the emperor’s character, A’Chen didn’t avoid suspicion and requested to serve as Chief Guard Minister, taking responsibility for palace protection duties.
At the time he was quite pleased, because Xiao Chen’s action was tantamount to announcing to ministers and the world that His Majesty was not a harsh ruler unable to tolerate others, nor did he have suspicions between brothers. Otherwise, after the two princes’ incident, he wouldn’t still entrust the important palace security task concerning his own safety to his half-brother.
Only because of his weak health, he merely held a nominal position and didn’t actually enter the palace for night duty, but all palace defense deployments and movements required his approval.
The palace security chief at that time, Imperial Guard commander, was Dong Chengjia, martial champion of the second year of Tianbi.
This person died falling from his horse in the first year of Qianyuan. Xiao Jue remembered clearly – supposedly a group of friendly officials invited him hunting and he accidentally fell into local hunters’ traps.
Looking at it now, what kind of people were in that group of officials, and who might have been among them, was really worth investigating.
For example, was Jiang Hua among them?
And Jiang Hua was an inconspicuous clerk in the Ministry of Justice in the third year of Tianbi. On the night of the incident, he was on duty.
What Jiang Hua did three years ago that night remained to be investigated, but what Dong Chengjia did was quite clear.
He adjusted the guard change times. According to Xiliang palace rules, guard squads managed different palace areas, rotating duty changes according to rank order. For example, Longzhang Palace changed at xu hour, Changshou Palace at hai hour, Changle Palace at zi hour.
Because during the former dynasty, Qin Chang Ge often visited the Yuan imperial palace and scoffed at Yuan palace defense arrangements, after she took charge of the inner palace, she made detailed regulations for palace security. During guard changes, to prevent confusion during shift handovers and because fixed changing locations made it easy for people to exploit vulnerabilities, Chang Ge had stipulated that daily changing locations were unfixed, decided temporarily by the Chief Inner Guard Minister.
That night Longzhang Palace guard change proceeded normally, but Changle and Changshou palaces switched – Changle at hai hour, Changshou at zi hour.
The changing location was set outside Changle Palace’s west gate. Late night shift guards marched in formation, meeting at the west gate with shift replacement teams assembling from the opposite direction.
Under normal circumstances, guard change protocol was: guards scattered throughout the palace patrolling continuously and assembling to go off duty would converge toward the west gate while incoming guards simultaneously spread out in reverse direction, connecting head to tail, ensuring that during the brief guard change period, all palace areas had no gaps or blind spots.
However, from that night’s guard change sign-in records, it seemed Commander Dong issued wrong orders, so that when off-duty guards finished assembling, on-duty guards hadn’t yet taken positions. Xiao Jue carefully calculated the timing – for about a quarter hour, certain areas of Changle Palace would have unguarded blind spots.
Frowning and taking up his brush, Xiao Jue drew from memory a layout of Changle Palace from that year. Based on the time differences in records, comparing assembly points and route directions, he calculated for half an hour before finally reaching a conclusion.
Setting down his brush, his expression was astonished.
The exposed blind spot was actually Changle Palace’s main hall entrance!
What did this mean?
Even if someone schemed to create this blind spot, what murderer would choose to swagger in through the front door?
Moreover, Chang Ge’s martial arts were peerless, a disciple of Qian Jue – who in the world didn’t know?
Xiao Jue fell into deep thought, his fingers unconsciously tapping on the red wood desktop… The truth of Chang Ge’s death was like an endless labyrinth, winding continuously without beginning or end. Sometimes he felt he’d walked out of dead ends, about to touch the clear sky outside the maze, but then mist returned instantly, causing doubt.
Suspicious points abounded, every clue’s direction seemed right yet wrong.
Near midnight, he remained wide awake with bright eyes, completely alert. Just as he was about to summon more eunuchs for indirect inquiries about who exactly was communicating with outer ministers, he suddenly heard faint commotion outside the hall.
Frowning, Xiao Jue straightened up and saw Yu Hai trotting over with Tong Shun, the head eunuch from Changshou Palace, following behind.
Xiao Jue’s gaze contracted as he said coldly: “What’s all this shouting about?”
Both knelt from a distance. Tong Shun said: “Reporting to Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager’s phoenix body is unwell. Tonight she suddenly developed delirium with confused consciousness. Imperial Physician Shao has been summoned. This slave thought the matter serious and specially came to report to Your Majesty.”
Sudden delirium… confused consciousness… what did this mean? Xiao Jue’s long eyebrows drew together, his gaze flashing as it met Tong Shun’s secretly raised eyes. He quickly lowered his head, but the meaning in that head eunuch’s eyes at that instant made Xiao Jue suddenly understand.
Rising, he said solemnly: “The Empress Dowager is unwell. I should naturally go personally to attend and pay respects. Yu Hai, prepare the carriage.”
Winter night brought fog – drifting, continuous white mist like heaven and earth’s brush painting endless gentle strokes, calmly and leisurely outlining Changshou Palace’s solemn contours.
But inside Changshou Palace was chaos like boiling porridge.
Empress Dowager Jiang had just entered the small Buddha hall to worship, but within a quarter hour was carried out half-unconscious, still muttering deliriously with confused expression. These palace servants were all temporarily assigned to serve the Empress Dowager after the last golden crossbow incident. Her former experienced nannies and maids were now doing the most menial work in various palaces, leaving no capable hands. These people were even more flustered, not knowing what to do – some moving things around randomly, some kneeling on the ground staring at brick cracks, some hiding aside afraid to take on tasks. Only when head eunuch Tong Shun arrived did he direct everything properly – those who should attend the Empress Dowager did so, those who should fetch imperial physicians did so, while Tong Shun rushed to Longzhang Palace.
Empress Dowager Jiang always forbade interference during her Buddha worship, so no one knew what happened in the Buddha hall. The words she muttered were incomprehensible to everyone, who didn’t dare listen either. Knowing the emperor was coming, everyone looked at each other anxiously, afraid the Empress Dowager was speaking imperial family secrets and worried what would happen if the emperor suspected they’d overheard. None dared serve before the Empress Dowager, each finding excuses to slip away. The imperial physician hadn’t arrived yet, so for a time, no one was before Empress Dowager Jiang.
Inside Changshou Palace’s inner hall were two dark rooms and one bright, with the small Buddha hall in the middle. Empress Dowager Jiang’s daily quarters were the left dark room. The right dark room was reportedly originally a hall within a hall with a small garden, transparent glazed dome, and a small lotus pond. The pond had no water, using green jade as base with natural wave patterns that from afar looked like a pool of emerald water. The lotus flowers in the pond weren’t real either, but jade lotuses with emerald stems, agate stamens, white jade petals, and crystal roots. Their exquisite luxury was astounding, but though precious, they subtly emanated seductive, alluring charm inappropriate for Empress Dowager Jiang’s status. Supposedly an empress dowager’s chambers shouldn’t have such arrangements. In fact, this lotus pond indeed wasn’t Empress Dowager Jiang’s handiwork.
Changshou Palace during the former dynasty was “Roubo Palace” where former concubine Miao resided. This concubine was reportedly the most beautiful of the former dynasty, naturally fragrant with graceful bearing, extremely skilled in bedroom arts, her appearance beyond ink’s description, supremely fresh and lovely, extremely favored by the deposed emperor who greatly expanded her palace chambers with utmost luxury. This concubine was therefore not tolerated by various ministers and called the demon concubine. After Yuan’s fall, the demon concubine disappeared. Supposedly her palace should have been abandoned, but before entering the palace, Empress Dowager Jiang secretly consulted feng shui master Guang Yuanzi, who said this palace location was the “phoenix eye” where three stars converged. Those dwelling here would enjoy lasting prosperity and honor, so she insisted on choosing this place, renaming it Changshou Palace. This lotus pond, being precious and beautiful, no one could bear to destroy, so it remained.
After the chaos gradually settled, Empress Dowager Jiang lay rigid on her bed with wide eyes, constantly muttering to herself.
Heavy curtains let no wind through. Weak candlelight stood straight on the table, creating a small yellowish glow while everything else was shrouded in stagnant shadows.
Next door, in the dark room, moonlight flashed through clouds, shining on the transparent glazed dome in five-colored brilliance.
Bright light illuminated the ground, green jade glowed, and the eternally rippling emerald water and eternally blooming delicate flowers of the exquisite lotus pond suddenly split open mysteriously.
A figure emerged like the Goddess of Luo River, silk gauze fluttering, rising from the water.
Black hair, purple robes, a pair of snow-white slender hands elegantly clasped at her abdomen, skirt hem spreading like blooming flowers.
Light clothing and slow sash, leisurely attitude, walking calmly.
Her expression didn’t seem like someone secretly emerging from the mysterious chambers of an empress dowager in the middle of the night, but like strolling in her own back garden, happening to see a charming little oriole resting on roses, thus smiling leisurely in observation.
Her fingers lightly caressed, touching each white jade carving that seemed like living lotus leaves, treasuring them like truly tender petals.
Yet the corners of her lips faintly showed a trace of mockery.
Her gaze flowed like water waves, surveying these chambers separated for several years. Remembering that year on the trestle bridge when she mentioned this lotus pond to Chu Feihuan, which led to the idea of building secret passages that saved Chu Feihuan’s life, Qin Chang Ge smiled even more strangely.
Every drink and peck is predetermined… Phoenix eye… Jiang Wanyi, your thinking is truly beautiful… Do you know that Guang Yuanzi, that second-rate practitioner, only saw this location’s geographical excellence but couldn’t see this lotus pond held other mysteries.
This pond built entirely of cold jade, constructed right in the phoenix eye’s center, like a suppressing stone or sharp weapon piercing into the eye.
What it destroyed wasn’t just the prosperity and fortune of whoever dwelt here, but even the vast world and imperial foundation.
Demon concubine Yin Miaochang, why did you come? Why did you go? Were you the Yuan dynasty’s seductive demon concubine, or a tragic woman harboring hatred?
You came to fulfill the last emperor’s love, then destroyed his kingdom.
Laughable how stupid people are, blinded by a single leaf, letting historical records like knives character by character execute by slow slicing a weak woman who bore grief and humiliation, abandoning everything to feed herself to enemies, not hesitating to make her own reputation eternally reviled – this bloody tearful secret history.
But no matter, you achieved your purpose. Coming and going without further attachments, life and death, honor and disgrace had long been cast aside by a woman like you.
Qin Chang Ge smiled, caressing the jade lotus flowers.
Back then she discovered the mysteries here, further discovering underground passages beneath this lotus pond leading directly outside the palace. Taking advantage of palace construction, she made modifications, tampering with that transparent glazed dome. Now this lotus pond no longer harmed Xiliang’s dragon veins and foundation, only the palace chambers’ owner.
Tonight she came through secret passages, calculating the timing to personally participate in a good show.
She walked smilingly past the lotus pond, her long skirt trailing like a dream, soundlessly entering Empress Dowager Jiang’s inner hall, gracefully seating herself steadily behind a gauze-shrouded zither table.
Empress Dowager Jiang’s consciousness wandered at the boundary between reality and the past.
Vaguely it was that night, figures in firelight… Zhao Wei was still dancing madly with strange expression, counting people on her fingers. She stood far away in the corridor, distantly watching her niece’s mad state, fingers twisted together beneath her golden phoenix wide sleeves.
Those fingers… ice cold.
From standing too long in the windy place.
How long?
Before Changle Palace caught fire.
That night she’d accumulated food in the afternoon and didn’t dare sleep early. She also remembered the precious udumbara flower she’d carefully cultivated in the imperial garden greenhouse, wondering if it had bloomed, so she left the palace.
When leaving, Nanny He said, “Mistress has such fine mood tonight, going out so late. Please put on your cloak.”
She looked at the time and frowned, saying, “It’s precisely guard changing time – what bad timing.”
But really concerned about that flower, she still went.
Who knew that upon stepping out, she saw Changshou Palace’s surroundings quiet and orderly, while distant Changle Palace was changing guards.
She exclaimed in surprise but didn’t think much, heading to the imperial garden herself.
She went to see the flower. It bloomed extremely beautifully, that lovely color seeming ready to splash under the moon. She couldn’t help breaking off one bloom, holding it in her sleeve as she walked back. But at a hidden spot where Changle Palace and the imperial garden intersected, she saw two black shadows.
Nanny He was about to cry out in fright when she covered her mouth. She calmly observed and discovered those two were Chen’er and Guard Commander Dong Chengjia.
She vaguely saw Dong Chengjia point toward Changle Palace while Chen’er nodded.
Dong Chengjia seemed to say something more. Chen’er thought, then shook his head.
They stood together diagonally facing a wall corner with their backs to her, unable to see behind. Not far away, Empress Dowager Jiang discovered another thin shadow flash by. Her eyesight was poor and she couldn’t tell who it was, only that it was a man.
That shadow was too distant. Dong Chengjia seemed somewhat nervous, and Chen’er had no martial arts – neither discovered it.
Empress Dowager Jiang held her breath, watching Dong Chengjia bow to Chen’er before departing. Chen’er stood alone in darkness, looking up at the sky as if silently contemplating. After a while he said: “Come out.”
She was startled but immediately pushed Nanny He out.
Nanny He knelt before Chen’er begging forgiveness. Chen’er said nothing, only: “You know what to do. Go.”
Nanny He didn’t dare look at her in the shadows, crawling and running away. She sighed in relief thinking it was over, but unexpectedly Chen’er turned and looked directly toward the shadows, softly saying: “Mother Empress, please show yourself.”
She had no choice but to emerge in surprised helplessness, not knowing what had exposed her. Chen’er only smiled faintly, pointing to her sleeve.
Only then did she understand – the intensely fragrant udumbara flower in her sleeve had betrayed her. When Nanny He appeared, she didn’t have udumbara fragrance, and at this midnight hour, how would Nanny He dare leave her alone to wander outside as her trusted palace servant?
Chen’er had always been a careful and intelligent child. Trying to deceive him was difficult.
She smiled at Chen’er with forced composure, also looking toward Changle Palace, saying approvingly: “Good child, you don’t disappoint my heart. I’ve told you so many times, you always didn’t respond. Never thought you’d act quietly without a word.”
“Act on what?” Unexpectedly, Chen’er suddenly asked back. His elegant features were made even paler by moonlight, like a water-ink painting that had lost its spirit. His gaze was distant and remote, seeming to stare at Changle Palace yet seeing nothing.
He wanted to clear himself? She smiled understandingly and nodded: “Yes, you did nothing at all.”
She slowly approached his side. In the intense udumbara fragrance she whispered: “Chen’er, your two elder brothers are gone. At Mother Empress’s side, only you can be cherished. You know the emperor and Mother Empress aren’t close. It’s a pity your health is weak, otherwise… actually weakness doesn’t matter. Didn’t former dynasty’s Emperor Jing have a reputation as wise ruler despite chronic illness from childhood?”
The rest she smiled ambiguously without continuing. Chen’er was ice-snow intelligent – where was the need to finish speaking?
But unexpectedly that elegant youth suddenly turned back. That instant his gaze flew like sharp swords, cutting her face like knives. For a moment she thought Xiao Jue stood before her, frightening her into stepping back before remembering the youth before her wasn’t her biological son either, and he’d always been close to Xiao Jue… secretly hating that she’d become dizzy with joy seeing Xiao Chen act tonight, actually saying things she shouldn’t.
But Xiao Chen instantly restrained that gaze, returning to his usual frail appearance as if that coldly severe youth wasn’t himself at all. He only smiled as usual, his smile like clear wind: “Mother Empress jests. Night is deep with heavy dew – better rest early.”
When he said this, his expression was strange, his gaze seeming joyful yet sad, reproachful yet resentful, desolate yet helpless, doubtful yet determined. All kinds of complex emotions tangled like hemp, making her chest contract in waves, twisting like rope, pressured by that heavy, oppressive atmosphere until she instinctively wanted to escape.
She smiled with difficulty: “Yes, Mother Empress is tired. Future matters are yours…”
That night she walked away for a long time. Looking back, she still saw Xiao Chen standing stunned facing the wall, his back solitary and clear like a moon that could never be full.
That night she didn’t sleep.
She waited and made some preparations.
Those preparations she’d actually made long before. What she wanted to do was almost the same as what happened that night, except others very considerately did it for her first.
She indeed waited for Changle to catch fire.
The moment fire started, she who’d been awake waiting immediately gathered palace servants and outer guards saying they must fight the fire, having them draw water from Changshou Palace’s well. In that well, and in the small tool house she’d added near Changshou Palace months earlier, all water buckets and dragons were smeared with oil.
That night the fire was so big – no one could think of rushing in, burning the magnificently built Changle Palace completely to destruction.
Burn it, burn it all clean. Those wanting to enter, wanting to exit, leaving traces – burn them all…
Empress Dowager Jiang began laughing.
It burned… so satisfyingly.
This woman who killed the entire Jiang family and her two sons, turning to ash this way was really too good for her…
She laughed even while sleeping, slowly opening her turbid eyes…
Shark gauze canopy hung with bright pearls, crystalline like a beautiful woman’s bright eyes.
Like her eyes.
Oh… just now, she came.
Just now in the Buddha hall, she devoutly offered incense. Middle River tribute Ghana incense was extremely valuable – inch of incense, inch of gold. In pale golden incense smoke she raised incense overhead, deeply prostrating.
If gods heard her prayers, they would know her heart.
May my Jiang family regain power, may Zhao Wei recover, may… that woman fall forever into Avici Hell, suffering ax and blade punishment, never gaining salvation through all lives.
That woman always smiled, always nonchalant, alluring like distant mountains, swaying like crystal curtains. No one could see through her heart. Her gentle, cool gaze was like a mirror reflecting everyone’s subtle thoughts, lightly mocking in graceful turns. Behind her ethereal smile was ruthless action and poisonous heart – this terrifying woman!
She feared her, always feared… Fortunately she died, finally died.
Only pity for Zhao Wei – why did she go mad?
Thinking of Zhao Wei, she suddenly paused.
That day… the Longevity Day, Zhao Wei’s screaming… something seemed wrong.
She frowned, beginning to think… Zhao Wei screamed, that girl Luo Xiang also screamed. How did they scream? In memory, Zhao Wei seemed to raise her hand – who was she pointing at?
She suddenly raised her hand, her gaze flashing.
But she saw the purple jade Guanyin, exquisitely beautiful beyond compare, seeming to smile yet not smile in curling incense smoke.
Seeming to smile yet not smile?
She stared wide-eyed in shock, kneeling on the prayer mat unable to move.
The originally kind and dignified Guanyin had changed appearance tonight – phoenix eyebrows, jade-water eyes, ice-snow skin, vivid lips, plus lazy, leisurely, gracious yet indifferent expression.
Ruiyi!!
She covered her mouth, trying to muffle a cry bursting forth. She thought she must be seeing things – how could she see the Guanyin whose features were completely different from Ruiyi as Ruiyi?
She stood up on trembling legs, feeling her whole body soft as cotton, all strength drained by invisible force. She simply crawled closer, looking up carefully at the Buddha statue enshrined high in the niche.
No mistake – it was Ruiyi!
“Ah!!” She looked up, releasing a heart-rending scream.
“Don’t look for me… don’t look for me… I only added a little strength… look for Chen’er… look for Chen’er… wrongs have heads, debts have owners… you must know…”
Empress Dowager Jiang stared blankly at the canopy, repeating over and over.
“Don’t look for me… look for Chen’er… it was him… it was him…”
Remaining lamp reflected red curtains, pale moon shone on deep drapes. Layer upon layer of palace gates were opened in sequence. A tall shadow entered swiftly while people knelt to lift curtains for him along the way. She couldn’t see.
She only deeply fearfully, unconsciously repeated defensive, evasive words.
Slender fingers about to lift the curtain suddenly stopped – he’d already heard her words.
Moonlight stretched the shadow long and slanted. Swaying curtains made the shadow sway too, as if that tall figure was also slightly staggering. His fingers gripped that piece of crimson silk golden peony curtain, grasping until those originally delicately blooming peonies fell and broke one by one.
A’Chen…
That was your sister-in-law! Your nephew not yet one year old, still in swaddling! The people your brother loved most and cared about most in this life!
Why did you hate them?
You could hate me, kill me… I’d rather the one you wanted to kill was me. I’d rather the one who died in Changle’s great fire three years ago was me.
Better than this moment of being slowly executed by the blade of cold truth.
…Back when he secretly went to join the army, sister saw him off under the flower wall in the back courtyard, quietly tucking pine flower cakes she’d made into his chest. He held back tears, covering a chest full of warm concern, riding away with Chang Ge’s company. Morning mist was just rising then. Passing that stone bridge, he could no longer see Huainan Prince’s residence. He hardened his heart and didn’t look back, letting hoofbeats shatter the early frost on those stone bridge slabs.
But a youth leaned slanted against the bridge rail, smiling gently at him: “Brother, I waited a long time.”
Frost hung lightly on his hair and brows, clearly showing he’d really waited long. His heart warmed, knowing this younger brother had insufficient constitution since childhood, always unable to wake early and fearing frost and cold, yet now waited in this winter morning’s misty, damp, cold place.
He immediately passed over the still-warm cakes, lovingly rubbing his hands: “Look how frozen you are. Eat some hot food to warm yourself.”
The youth lowered his head to look at his pale, thin hands wrapped in his own hands that bore light calluses from martial practice, healthy wheat-colored with strong, powerful joints, murmuring: “I truly… I am your younger brother…”
He didn’t hear clearly, smiling and asking: “Hmm?”
He looked up, a trace of smile bright as the first sunlight emerging behind the stone bridge, brilliant beyond description.
“I said, I’m truly glad I’m your younger brother.”
That cake seemed still in his chest now, its heat burning his heart… Back then that youth insisted on not taking the cake, saying after you leave, it’ll be hard to eat hometown food – you need it more than me.
Riding away that day, after going very far, he still saw the youth’s figure standing motionless, like a beautiful jade carving in sunlight.
Such a considerate child – how could he years later take up a blade to kill sister-in-law and nephew, cutting away half his living heart?
A’Chen…
Clang!
Pearl curtain sounds moved, zither music suddenly rose like silver bottles breaking, wind and thunder piercing heaven, turning and flying, startling through confusion and chaos, splashing up passionate sounds!
Wind rose, curtains suddenly parted. Behind the curtain, a clear, elegant woman in purple robes with black hair sat properly, snow-white fingers lightly pressing the famous Jiaowei zither.
Fingertip hooked, striking “immortal” and “elder” tones.
Smiling sweetly yet not hiding slight mockery as she looked at him.
“Your Majesty, you cannot bear to let go, can you?”