On this day, heavy clouds hung low in the sky, and the wind grew increasingly fierce. As dusk approached, the year’s first snow finally began to fall. Within a few hours, a blanket of goose feather-like snowflakes had enveloped the capital city in pristine white.
Wei Zhao scaled the back wall of Prince Zhuang’s mansion. He was intimately familiar with the layout and quickly made his way to the “Laiyi Courtyard” where Prince Zhuang resided. The prince sat alone by the window, clutching a wine jug, lost in thought. No servants were present. Wei Zhao lightly tapped on the window frame. Prince Zhuang looked up, and in a moment of joyful surprise, he leaped through the window and grasped Wei Zhao’s hands, speechless for a long moment.
The two entered the room. Prince Zhuang secured the doors and windows before turning to say, “Third Young Master, you’ve finally come. I’ve been waiting for you night after night, not daring to let anyone enter this courtyard.”
Wei Zhao dropped to one knee, his voice choked with emotion, “Your Highness, I’ve failed you. The situation is dire.”
Prince Zhuang swayed slightly, murmuring, “What’s happened?”
“I’m afraid the young Prince Qingde has already allied himself with the Crown Prince.”
Prince Zhuang closed his eyes in pain, but Wei Zhao continued, “There’s more, Your Highness. You must stay strong.”
Prince Zhuang laughed coldly, “Stay strong? At this point, what can’t I endure? The worst that can happen is death. Go on, tell me.”
Wei Zhao hesitated, but seeing Prince Zhuang’s fierce gaze, he reluctantly said, “Your letters with Yue Jinglong have fallen into Yue Jingyang’s hands. They were sent to the Yanhui Hall yesterday along with the memorial.”
Cold sweat poured down Prince Zhuang’s forehead, his body feeling as if submerged in an icy pond. Wei Zhao hurried to support him, “Your Highness.”
Prince Zhuang slowly sat down in his chair, staring blankly at the candlelight. After a long while, he spoke softly, “Third Young Master.”
“I’m here, Your Highness.”
“I hate him!” Prince Zhuang said through gritted teeth.
Without waiting for Wei Zhao’s response, he began to speak, his words filled with bitter hatred: “I hate him! He married my mother with ill intentions, only to gain the support of the Gao clan. He never treated me as his son. No matter how hard I tried, he wouldn’t even look at me! Now that the Gao clan has fallen and my mother’s body is barely cold, he’s ready to move against me. Haizhou is such a poor place—what ‘recuperation’?! It’s exile!”
He threw his head back and laughed, his laughter tinged with venom. “Third Young Master, do you know? In over a hundred years of our Hua Dynasty, no exiled prince has ever met a good end! They either die in accidents or from sudden illnesses. Haizhou will likely be where I, Xie Yu, meet my demise!”
Wei Zhao fell to his knees with a thud, clutching Prince Zhuang’s hands tightly. Looking up, he said, “Your Highness, you mustn’t speak like this. If you go to Haizhou, what will become of me?”
Prince Zhuang stared at him for a moment before saying softly, “Third Young Master, why should you follow a useless prince like me? With His Majesty around, what do you have to fear?”
Wei Zhao shook his head, “No, Your Highness, you don’t understand. I’m afraid His Majesty won’t last much longer.”
Prince Zhuang was stunned. Wei Zhao continued tearfully, “His Majesty’s illness this time was severe. Though he’s awake now, I fear his days are numbered. If His Majesty is gone, who will protect me? If the Crown Prince ascends the throne, I’ll likely be his first target. The Qingliu faction has long wanted me dead. Your Highness, you’ve seen how Yin Shilin and his people treat me better than anyone.”
Prince Zhuang sighed deeply and pulled Wei Zhao to his feet. With a grave expression, he paced the room for a long time.
Outside, the north wind howled, rattling the windows. Prince Zhuang opened a small crack in the window, and a gust of cold wind swept in with snowflakes. He shivered, turned to look at Wei Zhao, and said coldly, “Third Young Master, we’re facing death either way. We only have one path left!”
Wei Zhao hesitated, shrinking back slightly. Prince Zhuang angrily said, “What? Third Young Master, are you afraid?!”
Wei Zhao quickly replied, “Your Highness, it’s not that I’m afraid, but we only have Gao Cheng’s twenty thousand men. I fear—”
Prince Zhuang nodded, “Yes, Gao Cheng’s twenty thousand men alone won’t be enough.” After pondering for a moment, he looked up and said, “Third Young Master, I’m afraid I’ll have to trouble you again.”
“Please give your orders, Your Highness. I’ll face death without hesitation!”
Prince Zhuang grasped Wei Zhao’s hand and said softly, “Our only hope now is to join forces with Pei Yan.”
Wei Zhao frowned slightly, “The Young Lord?”
“Yes. You’ve seen how His Majesty is treating the Young Lord now. He abolished the position of Chancellor, assigned the Young Lord to manage the winter imperial examinations and grand sacrifices, and today sent Master Pei to Liangzhou to oversee river works. He’s gradually stripping power from his uncle and nephew. The Young Lord is likely under His Majesty’s strict surveillance now. He must be even more uneasy than we are.”
“But Pei Yan has always supported Prince Jing.”
Prince Zhuang laughed coldly, “Pei Yan doesn’t truly have loyalty in his heart. He’ll side with whoever can offer him the greatest benefit.”
He paced the room urgently for several turns, finally making up his mind. With a steely resolve, he said in a deep voice, “Third Young Master, you have a battlefield friendship with him. Help me negotiate with him. If he assists me in succeeding, I’m willing to divide the realm with him at the Huiyan Pass!”
The snow fell heavier, like torn cotton, and by midnight, Shen Garden was wrapped in a blanket of ice crystals.
In the East Pavilion, Pei Yan stoked the charcoal fire and placed a wine jug to warm. He leisurely played chess by himself. When a light sound came from the window, he smiled slightly and said, “Third Young Master, I’ve been waiting for you for some time.”
Wei Zhao leaped in through the window, removed his human skin mask, and brushed the snow from his night clothes. He sat down casually and said, “Not a single Changfeng Guard was seen at the prince’s mansion tonight.”
Pei Yan felt the wine jug and said, “Perfect.” He filled a cup for Wei Zhao and smiled, “The Changfeng Guards are naturally waiting for me outside Prince Jing’s mansion. At this moment, I’m supposed to be composing poetry and painting at Prince Jing’s residence.”
Wei Zhao’s eyes were full of mirth. He clinked cups with Pei Yan and drank in one gulp, sighing, “Not bad, it’s good wine.”
“It’s a pity we don’t have any snacks to go with it.”
They both paused for a moment and finally, Pei Yan couldn’t help but ask, “How is Little Ci?”
Wei Zhao was silent for a moment before saying softly, “She’s well.”
The air in the room stagnated for an instant, but Pei Yan was the first to smile and say, “Third Young Master, I can’t stay at Prince Jing’s mansion all night. We’ve cooperated many times, so there’s no need for pleasantries.”
Wei Zhao took another sip of wine and said in a low voice, “Young Lord, His Majesty… he knows my identity now.”
Pei Yan raised an eyebrow, both shocked and surprised, “His Majesty knows?”
“Yes.”
Pei Yan frowned, “This is not good. Third Young Master is in danger!”
“Don’t worry, Young Lord. He wants to capture all my people in one fell swoop. He won’t make a move until he’s clear about everything. Although he’s assigned people to secretly watch me, I have ways to shake off their surveillance. No one knows about my visit tonight, so it won’t implicate you.”
Pei Yan waved his hand, “Third Young Master, there’s no need for such talk between us. We’re in the same boat now. I always thought His Majesty was just wary of Yueluo and me joining forces, which is why he’s keeping me under surveillance and preparing to use military force against Yueluo. I didn’t expect he’d discovered Third Young Master’s true identity.”
Wei Zhao leaned forward slightly and said, “Young Lord, I just came from Prince Zhuang’s mansion.”
“Oh? What did Prince Zhuang say?”
Wei Zhao smiled, the red-hot charcoal fire casting a sharp light on his smile. He spoke slowly, “Prince Zhuang said that if the Young Lord is willing to help him, he’s prepared to divide the realm at the Huiyan Pass after their success!”
Pei Yan remained silent, slowly sipping his wine. Wei Zhao said no more, lowering his head to look at the chessboard. He picked up a piece and continued the game Pei Yan had started earlier.
Pei Yan stood up and walked to the window with his hands behind his back. Gazing at the swirling snowflakes outside, he sighed and asked, “What exactly is Prince Zhuang planning?”
Wei Zhao picked up his wine cup, the clear light of the wine reflecting in his bright eyes. He said in a deep voice, “He has no way out now. He wants the Young Lord to join him in rising under the banner of ‘eliminating treacherous ministers and removing those close to the emperor’!”
Pei Yan shook his head slightly. After a long while, he sighed, “Third Young Master, think about it. Now is not the time to rise.”
Wei Zhao looked up, “Young Lord, we have no choice but to rebel now. At worst, I can escape back to Yueluo, but you have the safety of so many people to consider. His Majesty is closing in on you step by step. Before long, he will surely make his move against you!”
Pei Yan walked back to his chair and sat down, looking directly at Wei Zhao. “Third Young Master, let’s not even mention that Prince Qingde and Yue Fan are now on His Majesty’s side, with the north and south forces evenly matched. You’ve seen the impact of public sentiment in this war; I don’t need to say more. What justification do we have for rebellion? Although His Majesty is cruel, he’s not yet a tyrannical or incompetent ruler, and the Hua Dynasty is not yet in ruins. If we can’t gain the support of the common people and officials, how can we legitimately take and secure the throne with just the Changfeng Cavalry and Gao Cheng’s mere twenty thousand men?”
Wei Zhao became agitated, “But didn’t Xie Che also ascend to the throne through conspiracy and rebellion? His throne is equally illegitimate!”
Pei Yan was taken aback, then smiled, “I’d like to know where Third Young Master got this information.”
Wei Zhao hesitated for a moment, then took out several letters from his bosom. The letters seemed old, already turning yellow. Pei Yan took them and read them carefully, his eyes flickering. He folded the letters back up and sighed, “So Minister Bo ultimately died at the Third Young Master’s hands.”
“I hope the Young Lord will forgive me. At that time on Niubi Mountain, I had no choice.”
Pei Yan put down the letters and bowed slightly, “Third Young Master, please wait a moment.”
Pei Yan left the room. Wei Zhao relaxed his posture a bit, leaning back in his chair. He twirled the wine cup in his hand, gazing at the red-hot charcoal in the stove, listening to the howling wind outside the window, his gaze somewhat distant.
The sound of footsteps alerted Wei Zhao. Pei Yan returned holding an iron box, which he opened in front of Wei Zhao. Wei Zhao looked down, his expression changing slightly.
He picked up the yellow silk scroll from the iron box and slowly unrolled it. After reading the text on the scroll, he suddenly looked up and exclaimed, “So the late emperor’s edict was in the Young Lord’s hands all along. Why—”
Pei Yan smiled bitterly and sat down, “Third Young Master, I have the late emperor’s edict, and you have the secret letters Xie Che sent to Minister Bo and Prince Qingde back then. They both prove that the late emperor intended for Prince Jing to inherit the throne, not Prince Ye. It was Xie Che who allied with Dong Fang, Bo Yunshan, Prince Qingde, and my uncle, and ordered my father to sneak into the palace to switch the edict, thus usurping the throne.”
“That’s right.” Wei Zhao became excited, “Young Lord, if we join forces and reveal these documents to the world, then raise an army to crusade against them, how can we not succeed?”
Pei Yan still smiled bitterly, “Third Young Master, I once thought these documents could be of great use, but now I see they’re useless.”
Wei Zhao fell into deep thought. Pei Yan sighed, “Back then, to regain military power and control the northern territories, I led troops to fight against Bo Yunshan. In public, I always said that the traitor Bo was rebelling, that the ‘Emperor Su’ he supported was fake and that His Majesty’s ascension to the throne was legitimate, while Prince Jing was the true rebel. If I were to raise an army now and change my story, saying that His Majesty is the usurper and Prince Jing is the rightful heir to the throne, wouldn’t I be contradicting myself? Who would still believe that the edict in our hands is genuine? Everyone would surely think I forged these documents.”
Wei Zhao remained silent. Pei Yan continued, “Why did Bo Yunshan fail to win people’s hearts? Because he was one of the four great ministers! He helped His Majesty ascend the throne, and then he turned around and said His Majesty’s throne was questionable. This was a huge mistake: a traitor calling another traitor a traitor—how could the people believe him? My Pei clan was also involved in the events of that year. If we were to come out now and say His Majesty is a usurper, the civil and military officials and the common people alike wouldn’t believe us.”
Wei Zhao understood this point now. He smiled self-mockingly, picked up the letters, sighed lightly, and threw them into the charcoal fire.
Watching the flames engulf the letters, he said blankly, “Young Lord, in your opinion, what should we do now?”
Pei Yan unrolled the late emperor’s edict again and looked at it, a flash of pain crossing his brow. What was true? What was false? Even he couldn’t say for sure—he dared not think further and threw the edict into the charcoal fire as well.
The room filled with an unpleasant odor as the two men stared blankly at the letters and edict turning to ashes. As the smoke slowly dissipated, Pei Yan finally said in a low voice, “Third Young Master, to be honest, before returning to the capital, did you intend to support Prince Zhuang’s ascension to the throne?”
Wei Zhao’s thoughts raced, but knowing Prince Zhuang couldn’t be protected, he frankly said, “I won’t deceive you, Young Lord. That was indeed my intention.”
“But now, if we want to survive and achieve our goals, we can’t protect Prince Zhuang.”
Wei Zhao remained silent. Pei Yan continued, “Since we can’t openly rebel now, and Prince Jing has no troops, we can only use Prince Zhuang to eliminate His Majesty and the Crown Prince. To avoid arousing suspicion from the world, Prince Zhuang must be the scapegoat!”
Seeing Wei Zhao still quiet, Pei Yan poured him another cup of wine and continued, “Prince Zhuang has both the motive and the forces for rebellion. If High Minister Gao Cheng’s troops storm the royal mausoleum during the grand ritual, in the ensuing chaos, we can eliminate the Emperor, the Crown Prince, and Prince Zhuang. We’ll then claim that Prince Zhuang’s rebellion led to the deaths of the Emperor and Crown Prince, and support Prince Jing to the throne. This will all seem natural and uncontroversial. With Prince Jing being isolated and our support for him, he will have no choice but to follow our commands. With this plan, how could our grand ambition fail?”
Wei Zhao slowly swirled his wine glass, remaining silent for a long time before finally drinking it all in one go. Leaning back in his chair, he glanced sideways at Pei Yan and said with a leisurely smile, “It seems I will need to return to Prince Zhuang’s residence and put on another performance.”
Pei Yan stood and gave a deep bow to Wei Zhao, his expression serious. “Third Brother, what we are undertaking now is a hundred times more dangerous than anything we have done before. Pei Yan would like to thank you in advance.”
Wei Zhao quickly returned the bow, and the two exchanged knowing smiles. Pei Yan suddenly felt a surge of special sentiment and spoke sincerely, “Third Brother, today I realize that you and I are not rivals but true friends!”
Wei Zhao laughed heartily, and as his laughter echoed, he stepped out through the window, leaving only his lingering voice behind. “Young Lord, once this matter is accomplished, we will truly be friends!”