The incredibly gentle kiss, like one bestowed upon a most treasured possession, carefully fell upon Li Ying’s lips. Li Ying didn’t close her eyes. Through her tears, she kept them open, unblinking, staring fixedly at Cui Xun’s pale yet beautiful face, as if wanting to commit his features firmly to her heart, unwilling to forget even the slightest detail.

In the dim prison cell, the infamous Lotus Gentleman of the Great Zhou leaned against the damp, cold stone wall. The gaps between his bloody fingernails were filled with tiny wounds from red-hot needles. All ten fingers were a mangled mess of flesh and blood. In this condition, supporting his ailing body, covered with torture wounds, he piously kissed his sacred moon. His kiss contained not a trace of lust, but was entirely one of relief after the resolution of a heart’s knot. He finally no longer loathed himself and could, like the most ordinary of men embracing their beloved, tightly embrace his Moon, without fearing he would taint her.

He pulled away from Li Ying’s lips, his eyes as deep as a pond, glistening with tears: “Mingyue Zhu, I should now be worthy of your affection.”

The sensation of his breath seemed to linger on her lips. Li Ying’s tears continued to fall as she sobbed: “You have always been worthy. You were worthy before, and you will be worthy in the future. In this life and the next, I will never meet a man more worthy than you.”

With tears blurring her vision, she actively raised her face to gently kiss the wounds on his face left by the whip: “Seventeen, there will never be a better man than you in this world. In my heart, you are the finest gentleman in the world. No man can compare to you.”

She dared not embrace Cui Xun and could only use her soft lips to kiss the wounds on his face, his nose, his chin. She wanted to use this method to tell him how much she liked him, and how worthy he was of her affection.

Finally, she gently held up his fleshless hands as tears dropped: “Does it hurt?”

Cui Xun’s lustrous eyes reflected her image. His voice was extremely weak and hoarse. He stared steadily at her and shook his head slightly: “Now that you’re here… it doesn’t hurt.”

Li Ying bit her lip as her tears fell more abundantly. She lowered herself to kiss the exposed white bones of his wounds. Cui Xun visibly shuddered but didn’t avoid her as he had the first time she kissed him, when he had withdrawn in self-deprecation, saying he was dirty. He only looked at her, his misty eyes filled with reluctance to part and bitterness. Li Ying raised her head, tears continuously welling in her eyes. She smiled through her tears and said, “Seventeen, I’m very happy.”

She continued: “I’m very happy that you finally understand you’re not dirty at all. You, like your Tianwei Army brothers, are the most loyal sons of the Great Zhou.”

Finally, she said, “Seventeen, wait for me.”

“Wait for me to save you.”

Fortunately, in this world, Li Ying was not the only one who wanted to save Cui Xun.

He Shisan and the other youths had been arrested, but the remaining Tianwei Army dependents were still free—gray-haired elderly, widows guarding memorial tablets, and children not as tall as a carriage wheel. They had not abandoned their efforts to rescue Cui Xun despite their now comfortable lives. Under Ah’man’s leadership, they went one after another to the Xuanwu Gate, attempting to beat the petition drum that they were now forbidden to strike. They remembered who had continuously sent medicine and money when they were in despair, giving them a glimmer of hope amid their difficulties. They remembered who had quietly extended a helping hand using power gained through personal humiliation when they were oppressed by officials and bullies.

Their sons, husbands, and fathers had countless times fought countless bloody battles at the frontier, vowing never to retreat. At Luyan Ridge, facing Turkic cavalry several times their number, not one had stepped back. They had never feared death, and as their family members, neither did these people.

Those who gather firewood for others should not be allowed to freeze in the wind and snow.

In front of the Xuanwu Gate, hot blood continued to spill. Ah’man was injured, the elderly were injured, and the widows were injured. One after another, the Tianwei Army dependents were thrown into prison, not even sparing the children. The watching commoners, who at first had merely pointed and commented, gradually became moved.

Guo Qinwei’s only son, Guo Xu, had also rushed from his hometown because his wife, Lü Mei, told him that when he was exiled to Qixi, it was Cui Xun who had sent her to secretly care for him. After his name was cleared, it was again Cui Xun who allowed her to leave the Investigation Department and return to her hometown with Guo Xu to live a good life.

Guo Xu was stunned. After coming to his senses, he said he would go to Chang’an to save Cui Xun.

Lü Mei, who was pregnant, did not stop him. Even Guo Xu’s elderly mother didn’t prevent him; instead, she accompanied him to Chang’an by carriage.

Even though they knew that perhaps this journey might leave no path to survival even for their unborn child, they believed that a small favor should be repaid with a gushing spring. They were Guo Qinwei’s family, and they would not be ungrateful people.

When Lü Mei miscarried amid the beating with clubs, blood flowed from beneath her skirt to the outside of the Xuanwu Gate. The watching commoners stared blankly at the bright red blood. Finally, someone shouted for the first time: “You can’t do this!”

“General Guo gave his all for the country, even his head was cut off and desecrated by the Turks. And you don’t even spare his unborn descendant. How are you any different from the Turks?”

“The Great Zhou shouldn’t be like this!”

At Lu Huai’s residence, Lu Huai closed his book and said to the Imperial Academy students who had come: “I have nothing to discuss with you. You are all the best students of the Imperial Academy. The current Empress Dowager is a wise ruler. If you want to serve the country, don’t be like my uncle, clinging to the notion of male superiority over females. This should be the last lesson I teach you.”

The students looked at each other. Lu Huai had been the Director of the Imperial Academy for five years, his students spread throughout the land, respected by scholars of the Great Zhou. One student couldn’t help asking: “Director, are you really not returning to the Dali Temple?”

“No,” Lu Huai replied. “The Dali Temple is an institution responsible for judging cases and clearing unjust convictions, not for torturing upright officials. This is not the Dali Temple I envision.”

“Then will the Director return to the Imperial Academy?”

“No, not that either.”

“Where will the Director go?”

“To the Danfeng Gate to sit in silent protest.”

The Danfeng Gate was the main entrance to the Daming Palace. The students were shocked. They naturally knew why Lu Huai was going to the Danfeng Gate. The entire Chang’an was in an uproar, and the blue stone bricks outside the Xuanwu Gate were soaked red. One student couldn’t help saying: “Director, during the Spring and Autumn Period, Duke Xian of Jin was bewitched by Li Ji and sent troops to attack his son, Chong’er. Chong’er said: ‘The command of the sovereign father cannot be questioned; those who question it are my enemies.’ Chong’er did not dare resist and even announced to everyone that those who dared resist would be his enemies. Thus began Chong’er’s nineteen years of wandering, which only ended when Duke Xian of Jin died. May I ask the Director, what is your view on Chong’er’s statement?”

Lu Huai replied: “This statement has been highly respected throughout dynasties, and in the Great Zhou, which is governed by filial piety, it is even more revered as the words of a sage. The sovereign father is both the ruler and the father of all people in the world. Those who disobey the sovereign father are both disloyal and unfilial, and there is no greater crime than being disloyal and unfilial.”

The students lowered their eyes. The two concepts of loyalty and filial piety had been deeply ingrained in their minds since they first learned to read. So even though they sympathized with the blood spilled in front of the petition drum, constrained by these two concepts, they still did not dare to take even half a step forward.

But Lu Huai continued: “However, beyond loyalty and filial piety, there is another character that is greater than both.”

A student couldn’t help asking: “Which character?”

“The character ‘zheng’ (righteous),” Lu Huai said word by word. “Government (zheng) means righteousness. What is righteousness? Loyalty, filial piety, benevolence, and justice—these are righteousness. If one’s conduct is not righteous, how can one rectify others? If one cannot rectify others, how can one govern? If one cannot govern, how can one be a ruler, how can one be a father?”

His words were strong and forceful. The students all lowered their eyes, lost in thought. Lu Huai continued: “The command of the sovereign father cannot be questioned, but my going to the Danfeng Gate is neither disloyal nor unfilial. I am loyal to the Great Zhou and filial to the elders of the fifty thousand heroes.”

He recalled his deceased friend Wang Xuan, and his eyes moistened involuntarily: “And to all the elders of heroes who have lost their lives on this path.”

Lu Huai kept his word. He removed his official robes and, dressed in white, sat silently outside the Danfeng Gate. The commoners passing by on the official road couldn’t help but turn to look at this former Director of the Imperial Academy and Deputy Director of the Dali Temple, who was now risking his life to sit outside the Danfeng Gate, pleading for justice for his former political opponent.

At first, he was alone, but soon, the students who followed him also dressed in white and sat down outside the Danfeng Gate. Gradually, more and more students joined, reaching several hundred, all demanding a retrial of the Tianwei Army case.

This also aroused Emperor Longxing’s anger. Lu Huai was accused of rebellion and severely beaten outside the Danfeng Gate before being thrown into prison. The remaining students were also publicly beaten with clubs by the Jinwu Guards at the Danfeng Gate. However, scholars have always been stubborn and upright, and given Lu Huai’s high status in the eyes of the 3,200 students of the Imperial Academy, this only led to more and more students continuing the silent protest outside the Danfeng Gate. Even when severely beaten, they showed no fear, but rather took pride in it.

Guo Xu on one side and Lu Huai on the other—one made the simplest commoners begin to question Emperor Longxing, and the other made the most promising scholars begin to question him. Yet the Empress Dowager, who held the power over life and death, remained silent.

While the Tianwei Army dependents and scholars were creating a great commotion, Yu Fuwei was not idle either. Besides spending all his wealth to bribe the jailers of the Dali Temple to bring physicians to treat Cui Xun’s wounds, he also risked his life to bribe beggars and storytellers to spread ballads throughout Chang’an. Li Ying said to him: “If discovered, not being able to take the imperial examinations would be a small matter; you might lose your head.”

Yu Fuwei was completely unconcerned about life or death: “I am fortunate enough to participate in this together with loyal officials and scholars. Why should I fear death?”

Li Ying was moved: “On behalf of Seventeen, I thank you.”

Yu Fuwei shook his head, then said: “Cui Xun’s uncle, Minister Cui, and the Governor of the Capital, Xue Wanzhe, have both claimed illness and stopped attending court recently.”

Xue Wanzhe’s absence from court was within Li Ying’s expectations, as he had always been an elder official with a strong sense of justice. But Cui Songqing’s absence surprised her. Cui Songqing was someone who would sacrifice everything for the new policies. How would he care about Cui Xun’s life or death? On second thought, she realized that people were not heartless like plants and trees. Perhaps, as Cui Xun had said at court, his disdain for Cui Songqing’s way had shocked Cui Songqing, causing him to re-examine his actions, just as Cui Xun had said: “If a way disregards the grievances of soldiers who died for their country and the lives of innocent suffering commoners, then this way is not worth following!”

Li Ying gripped the Buddha’s Top Relic in her hand: “But as long as Mother doesn’t relent, all the efforts of Lu Huai and the others will be in vain.”

Yu Fuwei remained silent.

Indeed, these people’s blood would eventually run dry. Currently, the Empress Dowager had not delivered the fatal blow, but when she truly made up her mind, Lu Huai would die, Guo Xu would die, and he would die too. Everyone would lose their lives, and in the face of severed heads falling one after another, even if the common people were dissatisfied in their hearts, they would only dare to be angry but not speak out.

After three years, five years, there would be few who even remembered the anger in their hearts.

This was the sorrow of righteousness in the face of absolute power.

Li Ying said, “Let me go. I’ll go see Mother.”

“No,” Yu Fuwei immediately shook his head. “Since the Princess was nearly destroyed by the backlash of Buddhist power last time, her soul has been extremely weak. If she forcibly manifests her physical form again, even with the Buddha’s Top Relic in hand, in the future she may only barely maintain her soul’s existence and never be able to be like before.”

“But you have no better method.”

Yu Fuwei was stunned.

Indeed, he had no better method.

He had just considered whether he could persuade the Empress Dowager to drink black dog’s blood to see Li Ying. But he quickly rejected this idea. Having a living person drink black dog’s blood to see ghosts was sorcery that violated the natural order and would harm one’s foundations. Otherwise, why had so few people throughout history used such sorcery?

After all, in this world, how many people like Ashina Wuduo were so maddened by love that they disregarded their own lives?

Therefore, just suggesting this would likely result in the person being imprisoned and executed for plotting against the Empress Dowager.

Yu Fuwei remained silent. Li Ying said, “Let me go. In this world, only I can save Cui Xun now.”

Inside the palace, fragrant incense curled upward. The Empress Dowager reclined on a low couch, staring absently at the five-colored brocade pouch in her hand. Why would Cui Xun have Mingyue Zhu’s pouch?

Yet no matter how she questioned Cui Xun, he remained silent.

The Empress Dowager closed her eyes in dejection. The white strands in her hair were increasing. In just a few dozen days, she seemed to have aged more than a decade. An attendant came to report that His Majesty requested an audience.

The Empress Dowager coughed twice, then waved her hand: “I will not see him.”

She knew why Pusa Bao had come. He wanted her to agree to kill Lu Huai, to kill Guo Xu. But she had already agreed to let him deal with Cui Xun. He could kill him, torture him, even subject him to questioning, but he could not, for the sake of that Hu woman, deliberately have the Three Departments use female torture instruments to humiliate Cui Xun. A scholar may be killed but not humiliated. In behaving this way, how was he any different from that vicious and obsessive Hu woman?

She didn’t want to see him.

The attendant answered “Yes” and went to inform Emperor Longxing. The sounds outside the hall gradually faded. The Empress Dowager stared fixedly at the pouch in her hand, and tears finally rolled down.

She murmured: “Mingyue Zhu, if only you were still by Mother’s side.”

She continued: “Mother knows your brother has done wrong, but Mother can’t bear to part with him. Mother has already lost you and cannot lose your brother, too. Tell Mother, what should Mother do?”

She didn’t expect a response. She understood that her daughter had been dead for thirty years. She would never see her again.

She would never see her Mingyue Zhu again.

But a voice suddenly spoke: “Mother, do you want Mingyue Zhu to tell you what to do?”

The Empress Dowager raised her head in shock.

Double-bun hairstyle with hairpins, red and white alternating colored skirt, shoulders draped with a thin gauze shawl—it was her daughter, Mingyue Zhu.

She was still as dignified, gentle, pure, and otherworldly as she had been at sixteen. The Empress Dowager suddenly sat up on the couch. She stared and rubbed her eyes. She kept rubbing until her eyes were swollen, then, unbelievingly, tremblingly opened them and looked toward the young woman again. The delicate figure had not disappeared but had become even clearer.

She even forgot to put on her shoes and, with bare feet, stumbled off the couch and hurried toward her beloved daughter. But after taking just one step, she fell heavily due to her haste. This supreme ruler of the Great Zhou, like the most ordinary of mothers, endured the pain, supported herself up, and sobbed earnestly toward her beloved daughter: “Mingyue Zhu, my… Mingyue Zhu…”