In the inner chamber of Yanhui Palace, the Emperor was taking his medicine under the care of Tao, the palace servant. Seeing him enter, the Emperor smiled and asked, “Why so early?” After finishing his medicine and having the attendants dress him, he turned and took Wei Zhao’s hand. “San Lang, come walk with me.”
At this time, the morning mist still blanketed the sky. The multi-tiered, lofty palace buildings were hidden in a sea of white fog. The Emperor walked slowly, holding Wei Zhao’s hand. The winter wind was bitterly cold, so Wei Zhao took off his fox fur cloak and draped it over the Emperor’s shoulders.
The Emperor looked down and sighed, “This is still the one I gave you on your eighteenth birthday.”
“Yes, it is.”
The Emperor seemed to recall something and smiled slightly. Wei Zhao also laughed out loud.
The Emperor chuckled and scolded, “You caused me so much trouble that day. I had to clean up your mess. I heard the Second Prince of Wuliu still hasn’t been able to have any offspring.”
Wei Zhao grinned smugly, “Wuliu has many princes. It doesn’t matter if this one has heirs or not.” Then, his expression turned bitter, “Who told him to speak so disrespectfully? Insulting me was one thing, but what he said behind my back was—” His eyes reddened as he spoke.
The Emperor patted his hand, and Wei Zhao’s emotions gradually calmed. The two walked leisurely through the palace until they reached Yanxi Palace.
Wei Zhao stared at the gates of Yanxi Palace, stunned for a moment. This was where he had lived when he first entered the palace. Located on the west side of the imperial city, it was also known as the Western Palace.
Years ago, the Western Palace had caught fire. After the fire, Wei Zhao suffered from prolonged insomnia and anxiety, so the Emperor had him move to Yanhui Palace. It wasn’t until he turned eighteen that he was given a residence outside the palace. Rumors spread throughout the palace that the Western Palace was haunted, and the Emperor never ordered the Ministry of Works to renovate it, leaving it abandoned.
Inside the Western Palace, fallen leaves covered the ground, and the phoenix trees were completely withered. The Emperor stepped down from the stone stairs and walked slowly into the courtyard. The “rustle” of thick, dry leaves under his feet sounded unbearably harsh to Wei Zhao’s ears.
The Emperor walked to the center of the courtyard and looked up at the phoenix tree, momentarily lost in thought.
Emperor Chengzong, now in his thirties, had transformed from the once spirited Prince Ye, Xie Che, into a profound and inscrutable ruler after experiencing the “Rebel Prince Uprising” and more than a decade of court struggles.
Day after day, he thought about how to restrain his officials and balance various factions. Every day, he faced lies, deceptions, and intrigues. Even the concubines in the harem were insincere, with not a single genuine smile. Only the Empress, whom he truly respected, could still exchange a few words with him, but to protect her, he had to feign indifference.
As a result, he visited the harem less and less frequently, only summoning a few clever young men to serve him at night, which he found refreshing.
That day was the height of summer, and the weather was scorching. He had just left Noble Consort Gao’s palace, feeling frustrated. He changed into archery attire and went to the western archery range to shoot arrows. Even hitting all the targets didn’t quell his anger. Suddenly, he heard a commotion coming from the Western Palace next to the archery range. From a distance, he saw what looked like someone in the tallest phoenix tree in the Western Palace. In his fury, he strode into the Western Palace.
Dressed in his archery attire and walking quickly, the people in the Western Palace didn’t notice him. They were still gathered around the phoenix tree, threatening and intimidating.
He walked up behind Manager Wu, about to speak, when he looked up and saw the person in the tree. He couldn’t help but draw in a sharp breath, feeling as if a snow lotus had bloomed before his eyes, instantly refreshing his mind and spirit.
In the tree, a stunningly beautiful youth clung tightly to the trunk, his expression stubborn and fierce. He kicked away the palace servants who tried to climb up and catch him. But his eyes betrayed a hint of fear, like a wounded young beast.
Many years ago, when Xie Che was in his early teens—orphaned by his mother and raised by Prince Jing’s birth mother—hadn’t he worn the same expression when Prince Jing had beaten him black and blue?
He tapped Manager Wu’s shoulder and made a gesture of silence. Manager Wu was very astute and whispered a few words in his ear. After giving some instructions, Manager Wu led everyone out.
He walked to the base of the tree and looked up with a smile. “Come down now.”
The youth pressed his lips tightly together, his eyes still showing fear and deep distrust. After a long moment, he said coldly, “Who are you?”
He looked at his archery attire and smiled, “I’m the Commander of the Guangming Department in this palace.” Then he added gently, “You can’t stay in that tree forever. If you come down on your own, it will be considered turning yourself in, and your punishment will be lighter.”
After much hesitation, the youth climbed down. He couldn’t help but smile again. Indeed, this was a child who responded to kindness but not to force.
The youth put his hands behind his back and said coldly, “Where is the Ministry of Justice? I’ll go there myself.”
He laughed heartily. The youth glared at him angrily and shouted, “What are you laughing at?! I killed someone, of course, I have to go to the Ministry of Justice.”
“You killed someone?”
“Yes, I did it. One must take responsibility for one’s actions. I’ll go with you to the Ministry of Justice.”
He found this even more amusing. “Who did you kill?”
“Ma-Manager Gong.”
He nodded and sighed, “Well done. We—truly well done.”
“Why?” The youth’s eyes widened instantly. It was then that he noticed the youth’s long, thick eyelashes, which made his eyes shine like black jewels.
He sat down on the stone steps and beckoned. The youth hesitated for a moment before sitting down beside him and asking eagerly, “Why do you say it’s well done?”
Probably for not following palace rules, he must have been whipped quite a bit by Manager Gong, who was responsible for training new people. That’s why he resisted and accidentally knocked Manager Gong unconscious. His right hand moved quickly, rolling up the youth’s sleeve. Sure enough, there were bruises all over.
“What’s your name?”
The youth hesitated for a moment before answering, “Wei Zhao.”
“Where are you from?”
“The Wei clan of Yujian Prefecture.”
“When did you enter the palace?”
“March 16th.”
“Why did you want to kill Manager Gong?”
The youth’s eyes reddened, and he bit his lower lip stubbornly, remaining silent. His expression turned serious. “Since you committed a crime within the palace, the Guangming Department will carry out the punishment. Come with me.”
The youth didn’t move. He said calmly, “If you take the punishment, your companions can be spared from blame.”
The youth was overjoyed and followed him into Yanhui Palace. Manager Wu had already received instructions, and the hall was empty. He pointed to a soft couch. “Lie down.”
The youth asked in confusion, “Are you going to carry out the punishment here?”
He kept a straight face and said, “Of course.” He couldn’t remember how many years it had been since he had played such a trick on someone, and he could barely hold back the smile at the corners of his mouth.
A glimmer of despair flashed in the youth’s beautiful eyes. His hand trembled, but he still maintained a composed demeanor as he walked to the couch and lay face down.
He slowly approached, deliberately making his footsteps a bit heavy. The youth, lying with his face to the side, seemed a bit scared. He closed his eyes tightly, but those long, thick eyelashes quivered slightly. The lower lip he was biting had turned bright red.
He suddenly felt his mouth go dry. He gently pulled down the youth’s clothes. The youth’s body was very beautiful, with skin as white as jade, marred only by a few whip marks. He took out some “Jade Ointment” and scooped out a dollop. The youth felt a coolness on his back and suddenly turned his head. Before he could get up, he pressed the youth down again and said gently, “I’m applying some medicine. It will prevent scarring in the future.”
The youth turned back and asked suspiciously, “Who are you?”
As the youth turned, his body arched slightly, creating a beautiful curve along his fair back. This stirred something in his heart, giving him the urge to bite down hard. He struggled to control his desire as he applied the medicine to the youth’s wounds, smiling as he said, “Who I am, is that so important?”
The youth lay back down, enjoying the coolness on his back, and flashed him a dazzling smile. “You’re right. I don’t care who you are. You’re a good person anyway.”
He laughed heartily. On that summer afternoon, Emperor Chengzong, in his thirties, finally had a chance to laugh freely—
The “rustle” of footsteps sounded again. The Emperor turned to look at Wei Zhao and smiled. “Time flies. It’s been eleven years since you entered the palace.”
Wei Zhao tilted his head back, looking at the phoenix tree, and let out a soft sigh.
The Emperor spoke with a hint of melancholy, “San Lang, after all these years by my side, have you ever thought about your family?”
“No.”
“Oh?”
“Your Majesty has treated San Lang so well. San Lang has long considered Your Majesty as family.”
The Emperor laughed heartily and said, “Indeed. All these years, you’ve been by my side. Only in front of you can I relax and laugh. You’re even closer to me than those sons of mine.”
Wei Zhao chuckled lightly. The Emperor, realizing his slip of the tongue, turned back to sit on the stone steps. Wei Zhao hurried over and said, “Your Majesty, you’ve just recovered—”
The Emperor remained silent, so Wei Zhao had no choice but to sit beside him. The Emperor gazed at the phoenix tree in the courtyard for a long time before sighing, “In the past, I heard ‘Long live the Emperor’ every day. Although I didn’t believe I could live for ten thousand years, I never expected to suddenly fall seriously ill and be bedridden.”
Wei Zhao said softly, “Now that you’ve overcome this hurdle, Your Majesty will surely enjoy eternal health and truly live for ten thousand years. San Lang hopes to share in some of that good fortune and be content to serve Your Majesty for another seventy or eighty years.”
The Emperor laughed heartily, then shook his head and said, “Birth, aging, sickness, and death—even emperors can’t escape this cycle. You’ve returned from the battlefield; how can you still speak like a child?”
Wei Zhao smiled, “Your Majesty has recovered, and San Lang is overjoyed. I can’t help but want to speak like a child.”
The Emperor seemed to recall something and took Wei Zhao’s left hand, then frowned slightly. “Why is it so cold?”
Wei Zhao lowered his head and said, “San Lang has always been sensitive to cold. Your Majesty knows this.”
“Indeed.” The Emperor reminisced and said, “Back then, you were afraid of both cold and darkness, and you had such a stubborn personality. If I hadn’t brought you to live in Yanhui Palace, who knows how thin you would have become.”
Wei Zhao looked at the gray stone slabs beneath his feet and said softly, “In this world, only Your Majesty cares for San Lang. If Your Majesty stops caring for San Lang, San Lang won’t be able to go on living. Your Majesty doesn’t know, but during your serious illness, San Lang suffered quite a bit of bullying from others.”
The Emperor smiled and asked, “Did Shaojun bully you?”
“He wouldn’t dare.” Wei Zhao snorted coldly. “I just can’t stand that Ning Jianyu kid. He relies on Shaojun and looks down on everyone.”
The Emperor frowned. “Are things very tense between you two?”
“Don’t worry, Your Majesty. San Lang is not someone who doesn’t understand the bigger picture. But I really couldn’t swallow that insult. Before returning to the capital, I snuck into his military camp, set a few fires, and killed a few people.”
The Emperor thought for a moment and smiled. “So it was you. Shaojun reported the military situation last night. I was worried about the Huan army counterattacking and was about to issue an edict for Xu Jun to move his forces in Hexi north to reinforce Cheng Prefecture.”
Wei Zhao smiled somewhat proudly and asked, “How will Your Majesty reward San Lang?”
The Emperor thought again and understood his meaning. He nodded, “Hmm, this move of yours aligns perfectly with my intentions. Pei Yan will naturally fear being attacked from both sides if he thinks Yu Wen Jinglun might counterattack at any time.”
Wei Zhao smiled faintly without speaking. The Emperor stood up, smiling, “You’ve rendered outstanding service this time. I was just about to reward you. What reward do you want?”
Wei Zhao quickly said, “Will Your Majesty grant whatever this subject asks for?”
“Tell me.”
As they left the Western Palace, Wei Zhao chuckled lightly, “This subject still wants that residence on West Straight Street.”
The Emperor glared at him. “Nonsense. That’s for Princess Jingshu and her consort to live in the future. What do you want it for?”
Wei Zhao smiled and said, “It’s to win against Cheng Hui and the others. San Lang boasted before going to war that he would achieve military merits and have Your Majesty bestow that residence upon him. If Your Majesty doesn’t agree, San Lang will have to play the role of a pimp in the grand play on the twenty-eighth day of the twelfth lunar month.”
The Emperor shook his head and said, “Nonsense!” Then he lowered his voice and asked, “If you can get that residence, what will Cheng Hui and the others lose?”
Wei Zhao grinned proudly, “Then Cheng Hui will have to paint his face like a turtle and walk around the city.”
Zheng Cheng Hui was the son of the Duke of Jingcheng, a descendant of a founding meritorious official with the Iron Tablet of the Holy Ancestor, ensuring hereditary nobility. He had quite a temper and liked to contradict the Emperor, who couldn’t do anything about it. Upon hearing that he could make the Duke of Jingcheng’s son become a turtle, the Emperor couldn’t help but laugh. After laughing, the Emperor said gently, “I haven’t fully recovered and won’t hold court for another three days. You go play with Cheng Hui and the others. I’ll issue an edict shortly to grant your wish.”
Wei Zhao happily kowtowed and said, “This subject thanks Your Majesty for the great kindness.”
The Emperor lowered his head and stared at Wei Zhao’s black hair scattered over his shoulders for a while. Finally, without saying anything more, he walked into the inner chamber supported by Tao, the palace servant.