Fine snow drifted in through the skylight. Pei Song lifted that foot. The straw-woven grasshopper had already been crushed flat.

All his hatred and resentment seemed to have dissipated in that one stomp. Looking at the old, insane person in the cell, the corner of his mouth curved up again carelessly: “You spent most of your life being timid and cautious while guarding those two words ‘loyalty and courage,’ yet in the end you were implicated in the succession struggle and purged. Don’t you find it laughable?”

Hearing the two words “succession struggle,” the mad old man’s shackled hands painfully struck the ground. His head felt like it was splitting with explosive pain. Bloodshot lines appeared in his eyes as he roared: “I didn’t force the palace… didn’t force the palace… I went to rescue the emperor…”

Hearing his pained mad ravings, the arc at the corner of Pei Song’s mouth became even more mocking and desolate.

He looked up at the snow drifting down from the skylight.

When the family was raided back then, it seemed to have also been such a bitterly cold snowy day.

Over two hundred people from the entire household were all thrown into prison in shackles, all because of a “forced palace coup” that had been orchestrated.

He raised his finger and dusted off the floating ash on his cloak, then stepped out of the cell door, saying: “You just stay insane in this prison until you die. After you go down to the Yellow Springs, continue telling the dog emperor Mingcheng about your grievances. This traitorous rebel subject will only send those several great clans who orchestrated all this back then, along with the entire Wen clan, to be buried with you!”

Just as Pei Song walked out of Yongzhou prison with a gloomy expression, a personal guard came galloping on horseback, saying frantically: “Grand Tutor! Something’s happened!”

—

One hour earlier, in the front hall of the Zhou residence.

The floor heating burned warmly. The singing and dancing girls wore thin clothes, playing music and dancing in the cleared space surrounded by the banquet seats—a scene of decadent revelry.

Zhou Sui sat at the end of the banquet. On his table were no wine cups or meat dishes, only clear tea and a few plates of vegetarian dishes.

The armored military generals seated all around had low tables before them piled with various meats and fine wines. Following Pei Song’s instructions, each military general also had one or two courtesans from the pleasure quarters accompanying them.

Those military men directly grabbed meat from their plates with their hands and devoured it heartily. When the wine hit them and they were also affected by the indoor heat, their faces turned red one by one. Some, dissatisfied with being attended by courtesans from brothels, pulled over the maidservants pouring wine with vicious smiles, or staggered after the dancing girls in the great hall. The maidservants and dancing girls screamed in alarm, but these military men only laughed more viciously, displaying all manner of ugly behavior.

Zhou Sui kept his head lowered, not daring to listen, not daring to look, only feeling desolate in his heart.

Worse still, those military generals had perceived Pei Song’s attitude toward him. Embracing beauties left and right, they deliberately made things difficult for Zhou Sui: “Young Master Zhou, hosting guests is about ensuring both host and guests are happy. We’re happy enough, but Young Master Zhou, with your clear tea and vegetarian food, are you playing at being an ascetic monk! Could it be that all these beauties also can’t catch Young Master Zhou’s eye, so you’ve bestowed them upon us? Young Master Zhou, why don’t you also embrace a beauty and drink a cup!”

Zhou Sui was still wearing mourning clothes, just without the hemp anymore. Anyone could see why he wasn’t consuming wine and meat.

But Zhou Jing’an’s death had touched Pei Song’s sore spot, so no one would take the initiative to mention it.

Being deliberately made difficult for like this, Zhou Sui could only force out a smile and say: “All the generals have come from afar and are guests. As long as the generals are happy, that’s enough. There’s still a dish of roasted lamb in the kitchen. I’ll go urge them to prepare it for you all.”

Leaving that front hall filled with the fragrance of wine, meat, and powder, no longer hearing the screams of the dancing girls and maidservants, Zhou Sui breathed in the cold air outside, tears falling in grief.

The old steward felt sorry for him, saying: “Young Master has suffered grievances.”

Zhou Sui shook his head, saying with infinite desolation: “Uncle Fu, you saw them too. Those sitting inside—are they even human? They’re just a group of beasts wearing human skin and dressed in proper clothes!”

He cried bitterly: “Is this beautiful realm really going to fall into the hands of such a group of creatures worse than pigs and dogs…”

The old steward had no solution either, saying: “I’ll find a side room for the young master to take refuge.”

Zhou Sui finished crying and shook his head, saying: “I can avoid today, but I can’t avoid tomorrow. It doesn’t matter if I suffer this temporary humiliation. I only hope the Princess can certainly recover Great Liang. With such a group of people climbing to high positions, how can the common people have peaceful days? Even if this realm must change masters, it must be to an enlightened ruler!”

The old steward thought of how their former master had martyred himself and felt grief in his heart. Both master and servant’s faces showed desolation.

Zhou Sui was unwilling to return to the banquet so quickly, so he went to the kitchen to see how the roasted lamb was coming along.

At the banquet, Xing Lie felt displeased and had been drinking sullenly. By the end, when the two courtesans beside him wanted to pour him wine, he impatiently pushed them both away.

The two courtesans were used to such scenes and had their own methods of smoothing things over. They said in coquettish, plaintive voices: “General… where has this slave not served you well? The general doesn’t cherish beauty at all!”

The military generals beside them also asked with smiles while embracing beauties: “What’s wrong with General Xing?”

Xing Lie was already seventy percent drunk. He threw his wine vessel heavily onto the table, thinking of that figure in mourning clothes but still graceful that he’d seen before entering the residence. He said with dissatisfaction: “When we attacked Luodu, the Grand Tutor let us pick from those noble ladies and young misses of great houses. Why is it that here in Yongzhou, we can only play with prostitutes from pleasure houses?”

The chief secretary, who had been sitting in the seat to the lower left of the main position, turning a blind eye and just eating his food, spoke up: “Yongzhou surrendered. General Xing, don’t speak rashly.”

Xing Lie didn’t dare contradict the chief secretary, but still looked resentful. He tugged at his collar to release heat and stood up, saying: “I’m going out to get some air!”

The chief secretary, afraid he would cause trouble, beckoned a guard standing in the corner: “Follow General Xing. Don’t let him cause any major incidents.”

The guard nodded and followed him out.

—

Outside, the wind and snow were heavy. When the wind hit Xing Lie, his drunkenness dissipated somewhat, but that fire in his heart burned even more fiercely.

He randomly grabbed a passing servant and, after forcing out the location of Lady Zhou’s courtyard, headed toward the west wing courtyard with glazed eyes and several parts drunkenness.

The guard who had been following behind him saw the situation was bad and stepped forward to stop him: “General Xing, where are you going?”

At this moment, Xing Lie’s mind was full of that woman’s piteous appearance in plain clothes and her voluptuous figure. He felt his entire chest burning. Seeing another person blocking his pleasure, he knocked the person unconscious with a hand chop and cursed: “She’s just a widowed woman. Never mind that old Zhou bastard is dead—even if he were still alive, I could still force myself on her! That old fart Bai Lichou not only constantly bad-mouths me in front of the Grand Tutor but directly tries to control me!”

He spat on the ground and continued toward the west wing courtyard with unsteady steps.

—

Inside the hall of the west wing courtyard stood Zhou Jing’an’s coffin. Lady Zhou knelt on a prayer cushion. Hearing the faint sound of strings and woodwinds from the front hall, she burned paper money for her deceased husband with reddened eyes.

Xiao Huiniang looked at Lady Zhou’s face, which had become much more haggard in less than two days, and urged: “Madam, the dead cannot return to life. The young master hasn’t yet married. You must take good care of your health. If you fall ill, the young master’s heart will feel even worse.”

Lady Zhou’s tears flowed again as she said: “In the first half of my life, I often felt that I had been fortunate my whole life. When I was a young lady, my parents at home doted on me. After marriage, my husband suited my heart in every way. Whether composing poetry or painting, or playing the zither or playing chess, my husband and I were kindred spirits. Now that he’s gone… my heart feels as if a piece has been hollowed out. If I had known this day would come, I would have been better off marrying someone who didn’t suit my heart so well…”

Xiao Huiniang sighed and said: “Madam is so grieved she’s speaking nonsense.”

Lady Zhou looked at Xiao Huiniang and cried uncontrollably: “Sister Xiao, teach me—when your husband passed away, how did you endure it?”

Xiao Huiniang was stunned, unable to speak for quite a while. After several breaths, she finally said: “I don’t have a husband.”

Lady Zhou’s crying paused slightly. Thinking Xiao Huiniang and her deceased husband had been an unhappy couple, she heard Xiao Huiniang say calmly:

“When I was young, my hometown flooded. I fled with my parents, but on the road they were killed by mountain bandits. I was sold into a brothel. I always wanted to return to my hometown, but every time I tried to escape, I was caught and beaten severely. Saving money to buy my freedom didn’t work either. Once you enter a brothel, before you’re old and faded, they absolutely won’t let you leave. I later became acquainted with a wealthy merchant. Learning he came from my hometown area to do business here, I wanted him to buy my freedom and take me home. So I concealed it from the madam and became pregnant with Huan’er. Who would have thought he would leave and never return.”

Xiao Huiniang’s eyes took on some shame as she said: “I’m sorry to my child. After he was born, I waited two years but couldn’t wait for that wealthy merchant. My value also wasn’t what it used to be. Knowing returning home was hopeless, I vented all my resentment toward the wealthy merchant on him. I was unwilling to stay in the brothel until old. Even if I couldn’t return to my hometown, I wanted to leave and live like a proper person. When Huan’er was eight years old, I finally won over a local merchant willing to buy my freedom, but it brought disaster instead. Huan’er even went to prison for seven years to protect me.”

Lady Zhou was shocked and said guiltily: “I’m sorry, Sister Xiao. I didn’t know these circumstances…”

Xiao Huiniang only shook her head, saying: “Madam is a blessed person. In my life, I’ve walked every crooked path before I woke up to realize—who Huan’er’s father is, what does it have to do with him? He’s a piece of flesh that fell from my body. He’s my child. From when he couldn’t even walk yet and was just learning to speak, the first sound he called was ‘Mother.’ I resented him, detested him. Afraid of annoying me even more, he didn’t even dare cry in front of me. At four or five years old, he was already holding a wooden basin, helping me wash clothes…”

Xiao Huiniang couldn’t continue. With reddened eyes, she smiled and said: “Before, I blamed the Buddha for not protecting me. Now thinking back, how has the Buddha not protected me? She even sent this child to save me…”

Lady Zhou held Xiao Huiniang’s hand and said: “Sister Xiao, your blessings just came later. The Princess has praised Righteous Warrior Xiao highly. In the future, he will certainly achieve something.”

Xiao Huiniang was somewhat confused: “Princess?”

Lady Zhou knew she had misspoken, but before she could explain, the tightly closed courtyard gate was forcefully pushed open from outside.

Both women were startled. Looking outside, they saw a tall, burly man break through the door. Half his face was covered in thick beard, his body clad in armor, looking completely drunk.

The guards remaining in the courtyard saw he was a general under Pei Song and didn’t dare rashly drive him away. They only said: “This general, haven’t you drunk too much and gone to the wrong place? This is the courtyard where our master’s spirit is laid out. I’ll have someone escort the general back to the banquet.”

Xing Lie’s drunken eyes stared straight ahead, surveying the courtyard. When he saw Lady Zhou kneeling on the prayer cushion before the spirit hall, his eyes seemed fixed. Reeking of alcohol, he said: “I… I’m looking for exactly this place…”

He lifted his foot to walk inside. Lady Zhou in the spirit hall, catching his gaze, felt her hands and feet turn cold. She even felt dizzy from anger and fear, relying entirely on Xiao Huiniang’s support to avoid fainting. Whether from fear or anger, her hand pointing at Xing Lie trembled directly: “Shameless, lawless… throw him out!”

The guards said coldly: “Pardon our offense! General!”

They were about to drag him out, but unexpectedly, Xing Lie knocked one guard against the courtyard gate with an elbow strike, then shook off another guard holding his arm with a swing.

That he was highly valued under Pei Song meant his martial arts were naturally excellent. When besieging Fengyang previously, several capable generals under the Prince of Changlin had been slain under his blade. How could a mere few guards restrain him?

Just looking at Lady Zhou, he was already beginning to pant: “Don’t be ungrateful. Submit to me.”

The guards were both shocked and angry, surging forward together to hold his arms and legs, shouting: “Madam, go quickly!”

Before today, the stewardesses had never imagined such an absurd thing could happen. Each one was shocked into standing frozen in place.

After being brought back to their senses by the guard’s shout, they finally approached with weak legs, supporting Lady Zhou with Xiao Huiniang as they headed toward the side door. They also hurriedly called out instructions to the servants below: “Quickly, quickly! Go to the front hall and call for help!”

Seeing the people about to leave, Xing Lie gave a great shout, shook off the guards clinging to his arms and legs, stepped on one guard’s spine and broke it, his eyes vicious: “Don’t ruin your grandfather’s good fortune!”

One guard, unable to contain his anger, raised his blade to strike him, wanting to wound him before capturing him. But unexpectedly, Xing Lie seized the blade with his other hand and chopped off his head with one stroke. He shouted: “Seeking death!”

The maids and servants had never seen such a scene and immediately screamed endlessly.

Lady Zhou and the other women and children heard the screaming. Turning back to see that head rolling on the ground, they were so frightened their legs went weak and they could barely walk.

Xiao Huiniang, having come from a brothel background, had seen more chaos. Forcing herself to steady her mind, she pulled Lady Zhou up forcefully and said: “Go quickly!”

Though the stewardesses were still supporting Lady Zhou, their own hands and feet had already gone as soft as noodles.

The guards no longer held back, all drawing their blades to fight desperately with Xing Lie. But ultimately, they were no match for Xing Lie. Soon the courtyard was covered with the corpses of guards.

After this bout of combat, the alcohol in Xing Lie’s body was completely aroused, and his brain became abnormally excited.

He took a few steps in pursuit with his blade. Anyone he encountered on the road, he cut down. Wailing and screaming filled the entire spirit hall, but he only felt great satisfaction and let out a vicious laugh, slashing his blade again toward the stewardesses protecting Lady Zhou.

The stewardesses screamed miserably one by one, falling into pools of blood.

Lady Zhou heard those screams. Her legs went so weak she could barely take a step. She pushed Xiao Huiniang’s arm away, tears streaming as she said: “Don’t worry about me anymore. You go quickly!”

Seeing Xing Lie already reaching out to grab Lady Zhou, Xiao Huiniang gritted her teeth and collided with him, locking him in her arms. She turned her head and shouted at Lady Zhou: “Madam, you go!”

But Xing Lie swung Xiao Huiniang away with one motion. Thrown by that great force, Xiao Huiniang’s head struck a pillar and she was briefly dizzy for a moment.

She watched helplessly as Xing Lie, with a vicious smile, lifted Lady Zhou from the ground and pressed her onto the table displaying various memorial offerings, forcefully tearing at the mourning clothes on Lady Zhou’s body. Lady Zhou cried heartbreakingly. Not knowing where she found another surge of strength, she staggered forward, picked up a long bench from the side, and smashed it down on Xing Lie’s head, cursing: “Thing worse than pigs and dogs!”

Xing Lie was caught off guard for a moment. His forehead was struck bloody. He covered the bleeding area and shook his head lightly to reduce the dizziness.

Xiao Huiniang took advantage of this gap to remove her own jacket and drape it over Lady Zhou, supporting Lady Zhou while still wanting to take her away.

Xing Lie, enraged, picked up the blade thrown on the ground. The flesh on his face twisted as he raised his hand and slashed down at Xiao Huiniang’s back.

Xiao Huiniang’s steps stumbled. She could no longer support Lady Zhou. Blood seeped out from the jacket on her back. Her entire body softly collapsed to the ground, mouth slightly open, eyes staring fixedly ahead, as if still concerned about someone.

Outside the courtyard gate at this moment came the sound of chaotic footsteps and a stern shout: “Xing Lie, don’t act rashly!”

Xing Lie was as if struck by a blow to the head. Looking at the mass of people rushing in at the courtyard gate and the chief secretary’s gloomy face, all the desires in his mind subsided. In the end, he didn’t dare do anything more to Lady Zhou, only refusing to submit: “It’s all this cheap woman being ungrateful…”

The chief secretary’s gaze swept over the courtyard full of dead people and Lady Zhou’s torn mourning clothes. Furious, he pointed at Xing Lie wanting to scold him, but was so angry he trembled, only managing to curse out the word “you.”

Lady Zhou was curled up sitting on the ground, the five fingers clutching her lapels white. Looking at her husband’s coffin decorated with white silk funeral flowers, her tearful eyes held only death and silence.

As the chief secretary was scolding Xing Lie, she suddenly lunged forward like an arrow. The jacket draped over her fell to the ground. She crashed her head against Zhou Jing’an’s coffin.

With only a great crash, blood splattered all over the white silk funeral flowers on the coffin.

Lady Zhou fell beside the coffin with her head broken and bleeding. The coffin, struck by her with all her strength, was knocked out of position and fell over unstably. Another earth-shaking crash, like a thunderclap.

Zhou Jing’an’s coffin had crashed to the ground.

The entire courtyard was silent as death for a moment.

Zhou Sui, having received word in the main kitchen and running all the way here, stumbled and crawled into the courtyard. Looking at the courtyard full of corpses and his mother’s body in the spirit hall, he wept like a child: “Mother—”

He almost crawled into the spirit hall on his knees, picked up Lady Zhou’s corpse, and seeing the mourning clothes torn on Lady Zhou’s body, his face full of tears and snot also showed a surge of vicious anger. His eyes were flushed red with bloodlust as he cursed at Xing Lie standing in the spirit hall: “Beast! You beast worse than pigs and dogs!”

Xing Lie knew he had caused trouble, but didn’t think it was anything serious. At this moment, being cursed like this by a weak young man without the strength to truss a chicken, anger also appeared on his face as he shouted: “I followed the Grand Tutor fighting all the way from Ezhou to Luodu, with illustrious military achievements. What if I kill you along with them today?”

The chief secretary shouted sternly: “Xing Lie!”

But Zhou Sui laughed maniacally with red eyes, saying: “Kill me, you kill me! Haven’t you killed enough of my Zhou family members?”

He laughed madly at the courtyard full of Pei clan officials and generals: “If I had known that after surrendering we would suffer this humiliation, my Zhou clan would rather die than surrender! Let all under heaven see—this is the fate of surrendering to that Pei Song!”

He picked up a blood-stained long blade from the ground and made as if to slash his own throat.

The chief secretary hurriedly shouted: “Stop him!”

With a sharp “ding,” an arrow flying from outside the courtyard gate knocked the blade from Zhou Sui’s hand.

A cold, deep voice came from outside the courtyard: “What fate is surrendering to me?”

The chief secretary and the generals looked toward outside the courtyard. Seeing who had arrived, they couldn’t help but show joy: “My lord has returned!”

Pei Song handed his bow to a personal guard at his side and strode through the courtyard gate. Sweeping over the corpses in the courtyard and the several bodies in the spirit hall, his expression had already turned several degrees colder.

Before Pei Song, Xing Lie didn’t dare be arrogant anymore. He lowered his head and called out in a low voice: “Grand Tutor.”

Pei Song raised his hand and lashed him across the face with a whip, cursing coldly: “Fool!”

A bloody mark appeared on Xing Lie’s face. He lowered his head without making a sound.

Zhou Sui asked Pei Song with a bitter laugh: “What does Grand Tutor Pei think is the fate of my Zhou family?”

After exchanging a glance with him, Pei Song coldly ordered: “Someone, drag Xing Lie down, twenty military staff strikes, and dock his pay for half a year.”

Soon Pei Song’s personal soldiers came forward to drag Xing Lie away.

Pei Song looked toward Zhou Sui and said: “When subordinates commit crimes, I will naturally punish them severely.”

Zhou Sui laughed loudly, saying desolately: “Just those who died in my residence before my father’s spirit number more than twenty servants. That thing worse than pigs and dogs even tried to humiliate my mother, forcing her to hang herself. All this is only worth twenty military staff strikes?”

Pei Song threw his sword to him, saying: “If you have the courage, pick up the blade and kill him!”

Zhou Sui’s eyes were bloodshot red. He picked up the blade Pei Song threw to him and shouted: “How would I not dare kill him?”

He drew the blade and charged at Xing Lie with a roar. But having never even killed a chicken before, every slash was full of openings. Each chop was easily dodged by Xing Lie. Finally exhausted to the point he couldn’t swing the blade anymore, sweat drops falling from his forehead, he still gritted his teeth and shouted: “I will kill you!”

The last time he swung the blade to slash at Xing Lie, Xing Lie not only easily dodged but also kicked Zhou Sui in the side of the neck with a whip kick, directly knocking him unconscious.

He seized the blade wanting to strike down. The chief secretary shouted: “You cannot!”

Xing Lie checked his blade momentum and looked at the chief secretary: “Chief Secretary, what use is keeping this waste?”

The chief secretary glared at him fiercely: “You shut your mouth!”

He bowed toward Pei Song: “My lord, you’ve also tested him out. This Zhou clan youth has only a belly full of resentment but no real depth. He can’t achieve great things and can’t stir up any waves. Just spare his life. As he said, if after Yongzhou surrendered, his Zhou family was completely exterminated, who would dare surrender again once word spreads? Compared to his disrespectful words toward you after suffering such a calamity, my lord should prioritize the greater situation.”

Pei Song’s gaze swept over Zhou Sui lying unconscious on the ground and said: “Then do as the chief secretary says.”

Those below asked: “My lord, then how should this courtyard full of corpses be handled?”

Pei Song glanced coldly and said: “Drag them to the mass grave.”

He lifted his foot to leave but heard a woman in the spirit hall call out weakly: “Huan’er… Huan’er…”

He suddenly turned to look and saw that the one making the sound without much consciousness was a woman who looked like a servant. He demanded of those around him: “Who is this woman?”

The chief secretary examined Xiao Huiniang’s clothing and said: “Perhaps a Zhou family servant?”

Pei Song stared at Xiao Huiniang for a moment with narrowed eyes and said: “She seems not yet dead. Call a physician for her. Do everything possible to save her. I have questions to ask this woman.”

—

A flock of cold crows flew from the branches. Dusk gathered on all sides.

The residence guards who had gone out to patrol the streets walked back through the snow. The group all carried injuries and were exhausted.

The Pei army soldiers who entered the city numbered in the thousands. There were always some troublemakers wanting to make ill-gotten gains, burning, killing, plundering, committing every evil. They had run around outside all day today. What they could do was still limited.

One residence guard cradling his dislocated arm said: “I really got beaten like a sandbag today. If not for Brother Xiao being there, we might not all have made it back alive.”

Another residence guard said: “Let’s just hope that Grand Tutor Pei will govern his troops more strictly from now on. But I heard that after his army attacked Luodu, those noble ladies from great houses couldn’t escape being forcibly abducted, and noble families were burned. How much can he restrain himself in Yongcheng?”

Hearing this, the other residence guards felt even more disheartened: “Then what do we do? With just our few people, patrolling the streets is completely insufficient. We can only deal with those military thugs we happen to catch in the act. Those we don’t encounter—by the time we get news and rush over, it’s already too late.”

“Right, the young master also can’t deploy more manpower, otherwise it would become openly challenging Grand Tutor Pei.”

Xiao Li, who had been walking silently the whole way, suddenly said: “I have a method. Have the men on each street spontaneously form guard teams. Everyone watches out for each other. When one family suffers, the neighborhood comes out to help. It can at least make those scum restrain themselves somewhat and buy us time to get there.”

Hearing this, the guards all praised it: “Brother Xiao, your method is feasible. The young master is now walking on thin ice. The Yongzhou government office can’t do too much, but we can let the common people band together on their own!”

While speaking, the group had already arrived at the Zhou residence. After entering, they headed straight for the west wing courtyard. On the road, the servants they encountered were all crying.

One residence guard saw a familiar maidservant and asked strangely: “Sister Jin Ju, what’s happened to everyone?”

That maidservant answered through tears: “Madam is dead, the young master was beaten and injured, and many servants… are all dead…”

Hearing this, Xiao Li’s expression changed as he asked: “What happened?”

The maidservant cried: “A general under Grand Tutor Pei got drunk at the banquet and went to the west wing courtyard to cause trouble and humiliate Madam. He killed many people. Madam, unwilling to suffer such humiliation, crashed her head and died on the master’s coffin…”

Hearing “west wing courtyard,” Xiao Li couldn’t care about anything else anymore. He broke into a run toward the west wing courtyard.

“Those beasts…” A nearby guard cursed angrily, punching the willow tree beside him. But seeing Xiao Li suddenly sprint away, his expression also became extremely ugly: “This is bad! Brother Xiao’s mother also lives in the west wing courtyard!”