Jiang Ci’s vision darkened, and someone nearby steadied her, asking, “Young man, are you alright?”
A few others came over and helped her sit down by a nearby pillar, but their faces were blurry, and their voices seemed to come from another world.
“Looks like he’s sick.”
“Should we take him to see a physician?”
“Let’s not meddle. He can stay here; his family will find him.”
“Let’s go, let’s go.”
Jiang Ci felt her body swaying, floating in mid-air. She desperately tried to touch the ground but couldn’t. Something seemed to be surging out from within her, while something else was cutting into her already numb body.
What exactly had happened? Where was she now?
The wind lifted the hem of her cloak, beating against her abdomen. She awoke with a start, covering her belly with both hands and struggled to stand up.
She walked with difficulty along the windswept street, continuously biting her tongue. Yet, she couldn’t control her tears, which rolled from her eyes, slid down her cheeks, and fell to her neck, icy cold.
“Alright, if I ever abandon you again, may I be punished by flesh-consuming flames—”
“Xiao Ci, wait for me. Just twenty more days, and it will all be over.”
“Xiao Ci, wait for me to return.”
Before her eyes was a blur of white, but behind this whiteness, his bright smile from when he left kept flashing.
At Lan Yue Lou.
Su Yan knelt on the ground, listening silently before kowtowing: “Su Yan understands. Please inform the master that Su Yan will carry on the Pavilion Master’s last wishes and continue to serve the master until death.”
The man in black chuckled and said, “When Pavilion Master Ye was alive, he often praised Elder Sister Su before the master. So after the Pavilion Master’s passing, the master entrusted Lan Yue Lou to Elder Sister Su’s management, to continue gathering information for the master. I hope Elder Sister Su won’t disappoint the master’s expectations.”
“Understood.” Su Yan rose and escorted the man in black out of Lan Yue Lou. Watching him leave in a sedan chair, she sighed, gazing at the heavy snowfall. Just as she was about to turn back into the building, she heard a soft voice calling from behind the stone lion, “Aunt.”
Su Yan’s expression changed. She hurried behind the stone lion, focused her gaze, and grasped Jiang Ci’s cold hand. “Xiao Ci, why are you here? Come in quickly.”
Jiang Ci moved mechanically, following Su Yan up the stone steps. Just as they were about to enter, someone called out loudly, “Elder Sister Su.”
Su Yan slowly turned around, taking two steps forward to shield Jiang Ci behind her. An Lu approached with over ten men, smiling, “Elder Sister Su, Miss Jiang.”
Su Yan coldly replied, “Lan Yue Lou is not receiving any guests today. Gentlemen of the Chang Feng Guard, please leave.”
An Lu, however, looked only at Jiang Ci and respectfully said, “Miss Jiang, the Prince has sent us to escort you back to the Prince’s mansion.”
Jiang Ci lowered her head, pondered for a moment, then slowly stepped out from behind Su Yan. Su Yan grabbed her, urgently saying, “Xiao Ci.”
Jiang Ci hugged her neck and whispered in her ear, “Aunt, don’t worry. He won’t harm me, and I want to ask him some things too.”
Unable to find Emperor Cheng’s remains, Jiang Yuan reported back and was ordered to scoop up a handful of ashes from the fire site, place them in the spirit coffin, and transport them back to the palace amidst the heavy snowfall.
The imperial palace was draped in mourning, with funerary banners everywhere. The Crown Prince, leading hundreds of officials all dressed in mourning clothes, prostrated themselves in the snow before Qian Qing Gate, their cries of grief shaking the heavens as they respectfully welcomed Emperor Cheng’s spirit coffin into the palace.
Since yesterday, the Crown Prince had been weeping incessantly, fainting several times, and refusing food and drink. It was only thanks to the timely intervention of several imperial physicians administering medicine and acupuncture that he had the strength to personally welcome his father’s spirit coffin. His eyes were swollen and red, his throat hoarse, and his grief-stricken cries moved the hearts of the assembled officials.
Prince Jing, also in mourning clothes, knelt behind the Crown Prince, weeping softly. Yet, he couldn’t quite discern why he was crying. Was it for the person in the coffin before him, or for something else?
As the late emperor’s spirit coffin entered Yan Hui Hall, mournful music began to play. The Crown Prince threw himself onto the coffin and once again cried until he fainted.
Jiang Yuan hurriedly carried the Crown Prince into the inner cabinet. Academic Director Dong and the imperial physicians rushed in, pinching his philtrum and piercing his tiger’s mouth acupoint. The Crown Prince finally regained consciousness, and looking around the inner cabinet, which remained as it was when the emperor was alive, he was overcome with grief and began to wail again.
Academic Director Dong quickly said, “Hurry, take the new emperor to Hong Tai Hall to rest.” Jiang Yuan once again carried the Crown Prince on his back to Hong Tai Hall. The Crown Prince lay weakly on the couch, and Academic Director Dong followed him in. After the imperial physicians bustled about for a while, the Crown Prince seemed to regain some energy. He waved his hand, ordering everyone to withdraw.
He knelt before the couch and said in a low voice, “May Your Majesty take care of your dragon body.”
The Crown Prince gasped, “Director Dong.”
“Your subject is here.”
“I entrust everything to you.” The Crown Prince thought of the emperor who died in the fierce fire and wept again.
Academic Director Dong knelt closer, grasped the Crown Prince’s hand, and said softly, “Your Majesty, please restrain your grief. There are more urgent matters at hand. Pei Yan will likely soon enter the palace ‘injured’.”
The Crown Prince was silent for a moment, then slowly said, “Father-in-law, what do you think?”
Academic Director Dong kowtowed and said, “Your subject requests Your Majesty’s decision. However, Madam Rong Guo personally came to propose marriage yesterday, and last night I received an urgent report that Ning Jian Yu has already advanced his troops to Hexi Prefecture, while Pei Zi Fang has not yet reached Liang Prefecture. Your subject estimates that the Pei family has made thorough preparations. If we don’t agree, it will mean a complete falling out with them. Your subject fears—”
The Crown Prince stared at the mourning hat on Academic Director Dong’s head for a long time, then sighed deeply, “Pei Yan is talented in both civil and military affairs, truly a worthy match for my second sister.”
Academic Director Dong kowtowed repeatedly, “Your subject obeys the imperial edict.”
Loyal and Filial Prince Pei Yan, dressed in mourning clothes and a hat, limped into the palace supported by Jiang Yuan. Before the late emperor’s spirit, he wept bitterly and cried out in grief until he coughed up blood and fainted due to excessive sorrow. Jiang Yuan had to carry him into Hong Tai Hall as well.
Academic Director Dong glanced at his two sons-in-law and quietly closed the hall doors.
The Crown Prince lay on the couch, watching Pei Yan perform the grand kowtow. He weakly said, “Rise, Pei. Let’s talk while seated.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.” Pei Yan stood up and sat askew on a brocade stool.
The Crown Prince’s face was still filled with grief as he gazed at the red beams and pillars of the hall ceiling, saying softly, “Second brother was deceived by that eunuch and committed such a treasonous act. Father Emperor met with misfortune, and my heart—” He began to weep again.
Pei Yan hurriedly consoled him, “Please restrain your grief, Your Majesty. Although the main culprit has been punished, the overall situation is not yet stable. Everything still requires Your Majesty’s decision.”
The Crown Prince cried for a moment, then stopped his tears and said, “Pei.”
“Your subject is here.”
“Father Emperor praised you as a pillar of the state during his lifetime and told me to learn from you. I have always kept these words in my heart. Pei, your literary and military strategies are both exemplary for officials. In the future, I will have to rely heavily on you for court affairs.”
Pei Yan wept and said, “Your subject will exert every effort, unto death.”
“My second cousin’s sister is gentle in nature and beautiful in appearance. I am also very pleased that she has caught your eye. Although Father Emperor has passed, and marriages are not allowed within a year of mourning, your engagement was set last year, and the wedding date was already chosen. Let it be considered a celebration of my ascension to the throne. Still, hold the wedding on the 15th of next month as originally planned. However, during the mourning period, everything must be kept simple. I’m sorry for the inconvenience, Pei.”
Pei Yan, enduring the pain in his left leg, knelt again: “Your subject thanks Your Majesty for this great kindness.”
A hint of a smile appeared on the Crown Prince’s round face as he leaned forward to help him up, saying gently, “I can’t do without your support for even a moment. Although you’ll be married, you can’t be too idle. My health isn’t very good, so I plan to appoint you and Director Dong as Chief Ministers of the Inner Cabinet. You two will handle political affairs first, and I will only make the final decisions. This way, I can also relax a bit.”
Pei Yan’s face showed alarm, and he repeatedly agreed. Then he said in a deep voice, “Your Majesty, there is still an urgent military matter that requires your decision.”
The Crown Prince’s eyes flickered slightly, and he said, “Pei, you may speak freely.”
Outside, the cold wind howled. Pei Yan seemed to hear the sound of Wei Zhao kicking him away from Fang Cheng, and he was momentarily stunned. The Crown Prince called out, “Pei?”
Pei Yan came back to his senses and respectfully said, “Last night, your subject received military intelligence that Yu Wen Jing Lun is leading a large army to attack Yue Rong, and they will soon breach the capital of Yue Rong. He used this attack on Yue Rong to gain full control of the twenty-six western prefectures of the Huan Kingdom. If he conquers Yue Rong, I fear his next step will be to attack Yue Luo from the northwest.”
The Crown Prince frowned slightly and said, “Yu Wen Jing Lun truly has insatiable ambition.”
“Yes, he must be extremely dissatisfied after being defeated in the war with our dynasty. Coincidentally, Yue Luo once sent troops to assist our dynasty, which will be his excuse to attack Yue Luo again. After he destroys Yue Luo, he won’t need to go through Cheng Prefecture anymore but can directly invade Ji Bei and He Xi from the northwest. This would—”
The Crown Prince pondered for a moment, then slowly asked, “What does Pei think we should do?”
Pei Yan said in a deep voice, “Your subject believes that Yu Wen Jing Lun, having recently been defeated by our dynasty, won’t dare to fight us again in the short term, which is why he’s venting his anger on Yue Rong and Yue Luo. We can’t do anything about Yue Rong, but we must protect Yue Luo. We absolutely cannot let Yu Wen Jing Lun’s ambitions succeed.”
“Oh? Are you suggesting that our Hua Dynasty should send troops to protect Yue Luo?”
“That won’t be necessary. When the Yue Luo clan leader agreed to send troops to assist us, he expressed to your subject his willingness to become a vassal state of our dynasty. If Yue Luo officially becomes our vassal state, it would mean becoming part of our territory. This way, if Yu Wen Jing Lun wants to use military force against Yue Luo, it would mean directly confronting our dynasty. He would have to think twice about that.”
The Crown Prince pondered, “Make Yue Luo a vassal state?”
“Yes.” Pei Yan knelt, his expression solemn, and said, “Your Majesty, making Yue Luo a vassal state would only benefit our dynasty. Firstly, it would serve as a shield for our northwest, and secondly, it would thwart Yu Wen Jing Lun’s ambitions. If anything happens in the future, Yue Luo would also be a strong ally. Your subject requests Your Majesty’s approval.”
Seeing that the Crown Prince was still hesitant, Pei Yan added, “Your Majesty, in the war between Hua and Huan, your subject was able to achieve victory, and Yue Luo’s military assistance was invaluable. If our Hua Dynasty were to break faith and abandon them in their time of need, wouldn’t it dishearten the people of the empire? How then could we secure the loyalty of the Yue vassal state? How could we make the four barbarian tribes submit? Your Majesty, even now, the Wu Liu Kingdom is eyeing the Yue vassal state covetously.”
The Crown Prince was startled and nodded, “That’s precisely the point.”
“Moreover, Your Majesty, you have just ascended the throne and need to implement several benevolent policies. Your subject dares to ask Your Majesty to abolish all forms of enslavement in Yue Luo, allow them not to pay tribute or taxes, and no longer require them to offer young boys and singing girls.”
“This—”
“Your Majesty, our Hua Dynasty has imposed many harsh policies on Yue Luo in the past, causing their people to suffer greatly and be driven to rebellion. The court still needs to station a large army in the northwest, always ready to suppress civilian uprisings. Rather than wasting national resources like this, which is not worth the cost, wouldn’t it be better to cancel the miscellaneous duties of the Yue Luo tribe, let them live and work in peace, and willingly guard our northwestern frontier?” As Pei Yan spoke eloquently, his heart suddenly ached. He then prostrated himself and wept, saying, “Your Majesty, I dare to say something disrespectful. If… if the late emperor hadn’t favored that eunuch, Wei Zhao wouldn’t have instigated Prince Zhuang to plot rebellion!”
The Crown Prince wept, facing upward, and said, “Indeed, if Father hadn’t favored young boys, today wouldn’t have—”
Pei Yan’s eyes were misty as he lay on the ground, looking at the blue bricks before him. His tone was sincere: “Your subject humbly requests Your Majesty to promote Confucianism, cultivate virtue, and prohibit all tribute and trade of young boys and singing girls. This will purify social customs, clarify internal affairs, and win the hearts of all under heaven!”
In the afternoon, the wind grew stronger, and the snow heavier.
Pei Yan came out of Hong Tai Hall, the cold wind making it difficult for him to keep his eyes open. He limped through the imperial palace and, in a daze, arrived at Yan Xi Palace.
Inside the Western palace, snow covered everything, presenting a desolate scene. Pei Yan gently stroked the snow-covered parasol tree in the courtyard, his eyes slowly moistening. Finally, he said softly, “San Lang, you can rest easy now. Let’s be friends again in our next life.”
A clump of snow fell, and he looked up at the hazy sky between the bare branches, feeling lost and melancholic.