As Cui Liang watched the Crown Prince’s palanquin enter the city, his heart sank. He stood on tiptoe, peering over the dense crowd lining the street, searching among the civil and military officials. Not seeing Pei Yan or Wei Zhao, he felt a chill run through him. Someone pushed from behind, nearly causing him to stumble and fall.
Funeral music played loudly as the Crown Prince’s palanquin passed. Citizens prostrated themselves, weeping bitterly. Cui Liang thought of Jiang Ci, feeling a cold dread. He couldn’t bring himself to kneel or move his feet.
After the heavily guarded palanquin and officials passed, several thousand riders on tall steeds followed, all in shining armor. At the front, a man in a purple gauze royal robe rode, his body covered in blood and dirt, his face pale—it was the Loyal and Filial Prince, Pei Yan.
Seeing Pei Yan, Cui Liang’s heart leaped. He quietly retreated two steps, concealing himself behind a wooden pillar under a shop’s eaves. Just as he hid, he saw Pei Yan sway several times, cough, spit out a mouthful of blood, and fall straight off his horse.
The Changfeng Guards cried out in alarm. Tong Min rushed forward, catching Pei Yan and shouting, “Your Highness!”
The citizens, seeing the Loyal and Filial Prince who had served the country and bravely driven away traitors fall, cried out in unison. The officials ahead turned back, and moments later, the Crown Prince’s palanquin slowly came to a stop. Soon, Marquis Suhai hurried over, crouched down to look at the unconscious Pei Yan, and frowned, saying, “Quickly, take him to the palace and summon the imperial physicians!”
Tong Min stood up abruptly, placing Pei Yan on his horse. He mounted behind him and said coldly, “That won’t be necessary. We have renowned doctors at the prince’s mansion.” Ignoring Marquis Suhai, he turned his horse, and the citizens made their way. The Changfeng Guards followed as they galloped down a side street towards the prince’s mansion.
When Pei Yan fell from his horse, Cui Liang instinctively called out, taking two steps forward before catching himself and retreating behind the pillar. After all the horses and the crowd’s cries had passed, still with no sign of Wei Zhao, Cui Liang sighed deeply. His heart was heavy, but he lacked the courage to go to Old Willow Lane. As he stood lost in thought under the eaves, a figure quietly approached and said in a low voice, “Military Advisor, His Highness wants you to return to the West Garden immediately.”
Princess Pei had already received the news. When Tong Min carried the blood-covered Pei Yan into the Butterfly Garden and laid him on the couch, she used her strength to tear open his royal robe.
Pei Yan opened his eyes and smiled, “Mother, please be gentle. Your son has suffered greatly today.”
Princess Pei skillfully applied medicine and bandages, asking softly, “Did he die?”
“He did.”
Princess Pei sighed lightly, “That’s good then.” She continued, “Your uncle’s troops are still hiding outside the city. I’ve made all the arrangements. They won’t dare move against you.”
Pei Yan gazed at the pale blue sky outside the window. The image of the raging flames seemed to still dance before his eyes, and he could faintly hear the words—”Young Lord, in our next life, let’s be friends again—”
He couldn’t help but sigh, feeling somewhat dejected: “It’s a pity we fell for His Majesty’s trap. We couldn’t eliminate the Crown Prince, and now he’s the legitimate heir to the throne.”
Princess Pei took clean robes from the side and helped him change, saying, “It was Tao Xingde who leaked the information. After the Quiet Prince secretly left his mansion, Tao Xingde didn’t surround it with his men. Only the Guangming Department’s people were guarding outside.”
Pei Yan snorted coldly, “It seems his main goal was to use Prince Zhuang’s rebellion to eliminate me. I was lucky to escape with my life.” His expression darkened as he continued, “But it’s a pity about Third Brother. He thought the Crown Prince had died too and sacrificed himself to save my life and clear my name. But now—”
Princess Pei sat down beside him and said, “You did well. There was no other choice at the time. But have you thought about what to do next?”
Pei Yan smiled, relaxing as he lay down. “Since Dong Fang and Jiang Yao didn’t dare to arrest me on the spot, they won’t do anything to me now.”
“That’s true. They can’t be sure what arrangements we’ve made in secret, and they have no grounds to charge you with any crime.”
“Although the Emperor is dead, his move has left us and the Crown Prince at a stalemate. Now everyone can only continue to bide their time and maintain an unspoken understanding.”
Princess Pei pondered, “Then what about the Quiet Prince—”
“Don’t worry, we don’t have any weaknesses in his hands either. Let him continue to be an idle prince. When the time is right, we can bring him out to use.”
Princess Pei thought of another aspect, saying, “But now that the Emperor has stripped you of your real power, and with the Crown Prince ascending the throne, Dong Fang and his people surely won’t let you regain control. How will you take it back?”
Pei Yan also found this thorny. After thinking for a moment, he stood up and said, “Since Mother has made all the arrangements, I’ll go to the palace now to meet our future new emperor.”
He changed into a new royal robe, and Princess Pei covered him with plain clothes. Suddenly, her eyes flashed, and she said, “Wait a moment.”
She turned and took out a red invitation from a tall cabinet, handing it to Pei Yan. He took it, his expression changing slightly as he blurted out, “No.”
Princess Pei smiled, “You’re not young anymore. It’s time you took a proper wife.”
Seeing Pei Yan’s silence, she picked up a tea cup and slowly took a sip, saying leisurely, “Besides, is there anyone more suitable than Scholar Dong’s second daughter right now? Scholar Dong is a clever man. The Crown Prince relies entirely on his support. His elder son-in-law is about to ascend the throne, and his second son-in-law controls half the empire. No matter which side prevails in the future, he’ll remain unshakeable. Do you think this old fox wouldn’t want to make this deal? Although the Crown Prince is weak, he’s not foolish. He probably doesn’t want Dong Fang and Marquis Suhai to have complete control over the court. Using this marriage alliance to return power to you, maintaining a balance of power among all factions, and preventing any one side from becoming too dominant, he would naturally agree to it.”
Pei Yan remained silent. Princess Pei had to persuade him further, “I’ve inquired thoroughly. The second Miss Dong is chaste, quiet, and gentle. She’s worthy to be your principal wife. If that day truly comes when she becomes the mother of the nation, she can also win the hearts of the pure officials’ faction.”
Pei Yan turned his face, gazing at the plum blossoms in the jade vase on the table. Their vibrant red hurt his eyes, but he stared fixedly, still unable to speak.
Princess Pei observed his expression and asked, “Do you have a woman you fancy?”
Pei Yan was slightly startled and quickly turned his head, saying, “No.”
“It’s fine if you do,” Princess Pei smiled. “You can make her a concubine in the future, but your principal wife can only be this Miss Dong Juan.”
Pei Yan stood silently for a moment, then lowered his head and said softly, “I’ll leave everything to Mother’s decision.”
Princess Pei smiled with satisfaction, “Since that’s settled, I’ll go to the Dong mansion myself to propose the marriage. After the Emperor’s remains return to the palace, you can go to keep vigil and discuss matters in detail with the Crown Prince.”
As Pei Yan left the Butterfly Garden, he felt the pain from the sword wounds on his shoulder and left leg becoming unbearable. He couldn’t help but draw in a sharp breath. Tong Min approached and reported, “The Military Advisor has returned to the West Garden.”
Pei Yan felt relieved. After thinking for a moment, he said, “Increase the surveillance on Su Yan. If you discover Miss Jiang, use whatever means necessary to bring her back.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
The pain from his wounds intensified, and his whole body felt as if it was about to fall apart. Yet his heart was numb, devoid of feeling. Pei Yan wandered through the mansion, limping, pausing silently by the lotus pond, and lingering at the entrance of the West Garden.
Cui Liang was standing lost in thought under the trellis when he heard a faint cough from outside the garden. He hurried out, saying, “Your Highness!”
With Cui Liang’s support, Pei Yan entered the West Garden and went directly to the west wing room, lying down on the bed. Cui Liang checked his pulse and said, “Your Highness, your injuries are quite severe this time.”
Pei Yan gave a bitter laugh, “It’s a pity I couldn’t save His Majesty.”
Cui Liang’s eyes flickered slightly as he lowered his head, saying, “I’ll prescribe Your Highness. You’ll need to keep vigil for seven days, and if you don’t take care of yourself properly in this snowy weather, I fear you might develop chronic ailments.”
“Thank you, Ziming.” Pei Yan slowly closed his eyes. After a while, he said softly, “Ziming, His Majesty is dead, and Third Brother is also gone—”
Cui Liang struggled to control the trembling of his hand as he held the brush, sighing, “I heard about it earlier. Lord Wei chose this treasonous path. Alas, I hope it doesn’t implicate too many innocent people.”
“Indeed, but I fear the entire Wei clan of the Yujian Prefecture will face extermination.”
Cui Liang sighed as he wrote the prescription.
Pei Yan suddenly sat up, looking directly at Cui Liang: “Ziming, someone is secretly watching you. I fear the Crown Prince’s people might know about your background and lineage. During this time, you must not leave the prince’s mansion.”
Despite his intense worry for Jiang Ci in Old Willow Lane, Cui Liang could only respond, “Understood.”
On the twenty-fifth day of the eleventh month, heavy snow fell.
Before dawn, a strong wind arose, swirling snow and wrapping wind, blanketing the entire capital in a sea of white before the hour of Chen. The snow-white capital seemed to don a pure white mourning garment, with the howling wind sounding like a mournful wail.
White snow, white mourning banners, white drapes, white sacrificial flags, people’s white mourning clothes, and pale, anxious faces—it seemed as if white was the only color in the world, a pure white, and a desolate white.
The great fire in the Fang City of the Imperial Mausoleum was finally extinguished in the heavy snow before dawn. Jiang Yuan, who had been guarding the area, ordered his men to continuously douse the site with water. Once a thin layer of ice formed over the fire scene, he led a team to search for Emperor Cheng’s remains.
The strong wind whirled snowflakes as Jiang Yuan and his men endured the high temperature and acrid smell, finally entering the fire scene. They found no bodies, only a ground covered in charred ashes.
Jiang Yuan stood silently for a long time, then sighed, “The fire burned too fiercely. I fear everything has turned to ash. Let’s go back and report.” As he was about to turn away, his eyes caught something, and he slowly crouched down.
In the gap between two broken stones, a jade hairpin broken into two pieces lay quietly in the dust—
The mournful music echoing throughout the capital startled Jiang Ci awake from her dreams, and she realized it was already bright outside.
She dressed and put on the fox fur coat before going out. Seeing the snow-covered courtyard, she felt a bit excited. She remembered him saying that his sister liked to build snowmen with him. If he came back, they could build two—no, three snowmen in the courtyard: two big ones and a small one.
A crow flew from the rooftop with a flutter, and Jiang Ci looked up to see the roof also covered with a thick layer of snow. She smiled and was about to turn back into the house when she suddenly stopped.
The roofs of other houses seemed different from her small courtyard. Her heart sank rapidly: the bell tolls, the mournful music, and the white mourning banners on other people’s roofs—what had happened?
Jiang Ci’s cheeks grew cold. She hurriedly changed into men’s clothing, put on a cloak, darkened her face slightly, and concealed herself within the cloak before hastily leaving the courtyard.
The streets were filled with mourning banners, and sorrowful music filled the air. As Jiang Ci walked, she grew increasingly alarmed. When she reached the main street of the inner city, she numbly knelt with the crowd, watching in a daze as thousands of Imperial Guards escorted a funeral carriage drawn by sixteen large horses. The black funeral carriage was like a bolt of lightning, piercing her eyes.
Nearby, people were talking in low voices.
“Alas, with His Majesty’s misfortune, I fear the Hua Dynasty will face troubled times.”
“Don’t worry, with the Loyal and Filial Prince and Scholar Dong and others to stabilize things, it won’t descend into chaos.”
“Why couldn’t Prince Zhuang just go to Haizhou quietly? Why did he have to rebel?”
“Indeed, I fear he was instigated by that court jester Wei San Lang. That demon, it’s good he burned to death. It’s just a pity about His Majesty, after years of favor, to end up like this—”
“Fortunately, the Loyal and Filial Prince eliminated that demon and, together with Marquis Suhai, ensured the Crown Prince’s safety. Otherwise, ah.”
“I wonder how severe the Loyal and Filial Prince’s injuries are? Heaven must protect him.”