With three thunderous questions spoken, all the civil and military officials simultaneously lifted their robes and knelt in obeisance.
“Qin Sang.” Zhu Nanxian said. “Bring me ‘Cuiwei’.”
The guard standing by the side of the hall immediately presented a blade that was entirely ink-black, inlaid with gilded dark patterns.
Zhu Nanxian gripped “Cuiwei” in his hand and walked slowly to stand before Luo Songtang: “In the twenty-third year of Jingyuan, I went to Nanchang to take up my princedom. Father Emperor, mindful of my longing for Mother Empress, permitted me to mourn for her for two years without taking a wife. Now that Father Emperor has passed away, I—also wish to mourn for Father Emperor for two years. Minister Luo, I wonder if you are willing to fulfill my filial devotion?”
How could Luo Songtang dare respond to such words? He knelt trembling before Zhu Nanxian, kowtowing incessantly.
Zhu Nanxian’s gaze swept over the册册 册册册册册册 for establishing the Empress in front of him, and he suddenly drew the blade from its sheath.
The blade’s light flashed like water, slashing downward past an inch from Luo Songtang’s forehead, and the册册册册册册册册 immediately split in two.
Zhu Nanxian said coolly: “Minister Luo, this册册册 is too old. I’m giving you two years to make a new one.”
Having spoken, he said no more. Leaving the ministers kneeling throughout the hall, he clasped his hands behind his back and strode with large steps out of Fengtian Hall.
Because there would be another round of official appointments and dismissals after the new Emperor’s succession, with the enthronement ceremony imminent, the autumn selection in the eighth month turned out to be merely a minor affair—there were no changes whatsoever among officials of third rank and above.
On the last night of the eighth month, the sky was filled with stars.
The next day would be the enthronement ceremony. The palace grounds, which had been draped in mourning white for nearly two months due to the national mourning, shed their blanket of white to reveal the original vermilion palace walls. The atmosphere of grief and silence was suddenly dispersed, replaced by a more brilliant yet more restrained magnificent dragon’s authority after the revolution of heaven and earth.
The various palaces were all bustling about preparing for the moment of the new Emperor’s ascension. Palace attendants and court officials stayed awake all night, their hurried expressions filled with hope and awe.
Even Weiyang Palace, which Emperor Jin’an had ordered must not be disturbed by anyone, felt a trace of extraordinary atmosphere on this exceptional night.
At midnight during the子子 hour, after palace maid Yu Kui finished serving Su Jin a dose of medicine, unable to fall asleep, she walked to the entrance of Gardenia Hall.
Outside the hall under the corridor eaves, the palace attendant Ma Zhao, who had been assigned by Zhu Nanxian to oversee affairs at Weiyang Palace, was sitting under the eaves, tilting his head up to gaze at the sky full of stars.
Seeing him so absorbed, Yu Kui was particularly curious and asked: “Eunuch Ma, what are you looking at?”
“Palace Maid Yu hasn’t rested yet?” Hearing the sound, Ma Zhao turned his head.
Yu Kui smiled: “How can I sleep? I’m waiting for Xunyi to return with the new leather belt. Once dawn breaks, it will need to be changed.”
Leather belt, meaning waist sash. According to Great Sui ceremonial regulations, during each emperor’s reign, palace attendants needed to wear leather belts embroidered with the current reign era name. Similarly, on the jade belts of the court officials’ ceremonial robes, the two characters “Jin’an” also needed to be carved. (Note 1)
“Is Eunuch Ma watching the stars?” Yu Kui looked in the direction of Ma Zhao’s gaze.
“This servant heard that whenever a new emperor ascends the throne, the stars on the night before foretell his imperial fortune.” Ma Zhao said. “With nothing else to do, I’m just casually looking.”
Yu Kui said in surprise: “Eunuch Ma can actually interpret astrology?”
Those who could now serve in Gardenia Hall were without exception the most steady people in the palace.
This Eunuch Ma was only about thirty years old, seven feet tall with dignified features. It was said he knew some martial arts, which was why Zhu Nanxian had sent him to Weiyang Palace. Who would have thought he could also observe the stars?
One should know that after Emperor Jingyuan established his court, to prevent eunuch disasters, he had issued a stern decree that “palace attendants must not interfere in government affairs; violators will be executed.” Most palace attendants in the rear palace were without learning—they couldn’t recognize a single character as large as a bushel measure. Someone like Ma Zhao was exceedingly rare.
Ma Zhao laughed: “I learned from my master in the past.”
Yu Kui sat down beside him: “I heard Eunuch Ma has served under two great eunuchs—Eunuch Wu Chang of Fengtian Hall, and Eunuch You Zi who was formerly at the Eastern Palace and is now at Minghua Palace. I wonder which one is the master Eunuch Ma speaks of?”
Ma Zhao glanced at her and smiled: “This servant’s master is actually not old in years, only his health is weak. He’s been ill for many years, so you’ve probably never seen him.”
Yu Kui was puzzled. Young in years yet weak in health? Palace attendants were all servants who had to serve their masters. Such a eunuch should have been driven out of the palace long ago, shouldn’t he?
As she was pondering this, Ma Zhao, looking at the night sky, said slowly: “This servant also heard someone say that on the night before the Late Emperor’s enthronement ceremony, the starlight filling the sky was brilliant and dazzling, competing with the moon for radiance. The Late Emperor reigned for twenty-five years—he was a long-lived emperor.”
Yu Kui again looked in the direction of his gaze and said with a smile: “According to what Eunuch Ma means, tonight’s starlight is bright enough to eclipse the moon, so our Emperor must certainly be an eternally wise ruler who will live to a hundred years.”
“There’s a saying: excess is as bad as deficiency.”
After hearing her words, Ma Zhao shook his head: “These brilliantly shining stars filling the sky demonstrate His Majesty’s benevolent virtue, but when benevolent virtue is too abundant and threatens to obscure the moon’s radiance, how can this be a good thing?” He raised his hand, pointing toward a hazy area behind the moon. “Look at the imperial star beyond the layered clouds behind the moon—its surroundings already faintly have red light. In astrology, this represents a calamity of blood and fire. This is precisely the appearance of shallow blessings and short life for Emperor Jin’an.”
As his words fell, Yu Kui was so frightened she trembled, unable to stop herself from covering Ma Zhao’s mouth: “Eunuch Ma, be careful with your words. If others heard what you just said, you’d be executed.”
She calmed her mind somewhat, but also felt that Ma Zhao had spoken these words with such calm certainty that one couldn’t help but believe them, and she couldn’t help but worry.
They had been chosen by Emperor Jin’an to serve Vice Minister Su. They knew Su Jin’s identity as a woman and knew the current Emperor’s greatest secret. It could be said that their lives were already tightly bound to Emperor Jin’an’s life.
“So Eunuch Ma means that our Emperor Jin’an is actually someone who doesn’t have many years to live?” Yu Kui looked around and asked in a small voice.
Ma Zhao continued staring at the red clouds behind the moon: “I don’t know about lifespan. What I just spoke of was the imperial star’s blood calamity—the fate won’t be long. It’s like what my master often says: good things in this world are not durable, colorful clouds easily disperse and glazed glass shatters. (Note 3) I’m afraid he won’t be able to be emperor for many years.”
As Ma Zhao spoke, he turned his head to glance at Yu Kui and saw her eyes full of panic and worry. He suddenly smiled: “You believe that too? This servant was just speaking casually. What I learned from my master was identifying stars and distinguishing directions—just telling east, west, south, and north. How could I discern all these intricate details?”
Upon hearing this, Yu Kui was stunned for a moment, then couldn’t help pushing him hard: “Eunuch Ma’s words truly frightened me!” She then earnestly instructed, “Say this only this once. In the future, never speak such nonsense to others—watch your head!”
Just then, light footsteps sounded outside Gardenia Courtyard—it was Xunyi returning from fetching the leather belt.
Yu Kui stood up, tossed Ma Zhao a parting phrase—”I won’t talk to you anymore”—and went to receive the leather belt from Xunyi’s hands. After carefully inspecting it, she asked, “Did you fetch the jade belt for Lord Su?”
The palace attendants’ leather belts were made by the Bureau of Imperial Clothing, while the court officials’ jade belts were carved by people from the Ministry of Rites—they naturally shouldn’t be obtained from the same place.
Xunyi said: “I already asked someone to inquire. They said the Ministry of Rites will deliver it for the Lord.”
Yu Kui nodded once, glancing at the sky: “Go rest quickly. Tonight I’m on night duty. When the寅寅 hour arrives, I’ll serve Lord Su another dose of medicine.”
Su Jin’s medicine had to be taken once every three hours. These past few days, Madam Tan had been ill, so at night Yu Kui and Xunyi took turns staying up.
Xunyi said: “It doesn’t matter. I’ll accompany you to serve the Lord the medicine, then go rest.”
The two retrieved the medicine from the kitchen and went together to the inner room of Gardenia Hall. Yu Kui first placed the medicine bowl on the high台台 by the entrance, took a wooden stick to brighten the lamp flame, and Xunyi helped Su Jin sit up. Seeing Su Jin’s forehead somehow densely covered in fine perspiration, she reached for a sweat cloth to wipe her sweat. But when her hand felt around the small table by the bed, it was completely empty. Xunyi was startled and immediately turned her head to look.
“What are you looking for?” Yu Kui came over carrying the medicine bowl.
“The sweat cloth that was on the small table is gone.”
Yu Kui looked around, bent down to pick up the sweat cloth from the floor and set it aside: “It’s dirty.” She untied a handkerchief from her waist and handed it to Xunyi. “Use mine.”
Xunyi nodded, saying puzzledly: “How did the sweat cloth end up on the floor so well?”
Yu Kui’s mind was still on what Ma Zhao had said earlier, so even as she fed the medicine, she was somewhat distracted. Hearing Xunyi ask, she replied: “Perhaps when I fed the medicine earlier, I accidentally knocked it down as I was leaving.”
Xunyi said: “Remember to change a clean one for the Lord.”
After the two finished serving Su Jin her medicine and helped her slowly lie down, they walked to the high台台 to dim the lamp flame and tiptoed out of the room.
However, neither of them saw that at the moment the door closed, Su Jin, lying on the bed, furrowed her brow slightly. Her fingers resting by the edge of the bed lifted slightly, her long lashes trembled faintly, and her eyes slowly opened.
Su Jin had actually awakened an hour ago.
When she first woke, her consciousness felt as if it had been dredged up from a muddy deep pool. In her confusion, she didn’t know when or where she was, nor could she recall past events. When she tried to call out, her throat felt blocked. When she reached out trying to support herself on the bed’s edge to sit up, she knocked the sweat cloth off the small table.
And this series of movements was enough to exhaust her newly revived consciousness. In her daze, she fell back into deep sleep, until just now when the bitter and cool medicine entered her mouth, she awakened once more.
This awakening was much clearer than before.
She kept her eyes open, staring at the cloud patterns on the wooden beams, slowly recalling what had happened before.
Her last conscious memory was in the carriage at the离离 Palace. The carriage rolled off the mountain cliff. Hu Yuanjie’s legs couldn’t move. She saw Liu Chaoming, saw the boulder…
After Xunyi went to rest, Yu Kui took the sweat cloth to wash it. Just as she came out of Gardenia Hall, she saw a tall figure walking toward her through the heavy shadows of gardenia leaves.
She was startled for a moment, then stepped forward to pay her respects: “Lord Liu.”
Liu Chaoming was holding a jade belt in his hand and nodded with an acknowledgment.
He was the first among the Seven Ministers. Today when the Ministry of Rites distributed jade belts, Su Jin’s jade belt was precisely sent to him for temporary keeping. Unable to sleep at midnight, he came to deliver it for her.
Yu Kui glanced at Liu Chaoming again. In her heart, she thought that His Majesty had instructed that apart from His Majesty himself, if Lord Shen from the Ministry of Revenue or Lord Liu from the Imperial Censorate came to visit Vice Minister Su, they need not be obstructed. So she asked: “Has Lord Liu come to see Lord Su?” She then stepped aside to make way: “Lord Su has just taken medicine and is resting now.”
Liu Chaoming walked silently toward Gardenia Hall.
The lamp flame inside the inner room was dim. He pushed open the door, casually placed the jade belt on the high台台 to one side, and shifted his gaze toward the bed. He immediately froze.
Su Jin was wearing plain white wide-sleeved robes, her long hair black as ink cascading over both shoulders, sitting on the bed looking toward him.
Her beautiful eye corners trembled lightly with the lamp flame. The confusion in her gaze carried the bewilderment of just awakening from a great dream, yet with a trace of clarity and uncertainty, like newborn innocence.
With this appearance, she had truly restrained all her former sharp edges.
All her thousand and myriad strengths and resilience had transformed into heart-entwining tenderness that wound around one’s fingers.
Such a beautiful and pure young woman.
For an instant, Liu Chaoming felt as if someone had grasped the tip of a wolf-hair brush and swept it across the sundial that had stood upright in his heart for years, methodical and orderly. Though it had long been solid as rock, he still deeply felt that stroke’s soul-stirring light sweep.
Liu Chaoming stood at the room’s doorway, feeling that neither entering nor retreating was appropriate.
She was actually improperly dressed—her lower body was still covered by bedding. For him to look at her like this violated propriety. Yet she had clearly just awakened, her entire being dazed and confused. He couldn’t feel at ease.
Su Jin was indeed quite bewildered.
She opened her mouth, only to feel her throat was still terribly uncomfortable. Though she clearly had many questions to ask, when she opened her mouth, she could only say hoarsely: “Could I trouble you, my Lord, to pour me a bowl of tea?”
Liu Chaoming said nothing. He walked silently into the room, poured a cup of tea from the table and handed it to her, watching her drink it slowly bit by bit. Then she held the teacup in her hands, slowly set it down, and asked with lowered eyes: “I… have already returned to the palace?”
She seemed to have already recalled what happened before, yet also seemed not to have remembered everything completely, still slowly recollecting.
Liu Chaoming said: “This is Weiyang Palace. You’ve slept for nearly two months.”
Upon hearing these words, a trace of surprise flashed through Su Jin’s eyes. But she remained bewildered, confused, her thoughts floating in water unable to touch bottom. She’d slept too long—even thinking about one matter was very laborious.
She turned her head, looking toward Liu Chaoming, wanting to ask him where Zhu Nanxian was, where Shen Xi was. But a vague and unclear thought that suddenly struggled free from the depths of her consciousness yanked her questions back sharply, making her feel she shouldn’t ask Liu Yun so many things.
So she fell silent.
Liu Yun also fell silent.
He no longer looked at her. His gaze fell on the teacup in her hands, already drained. After a moment, he said quietly: “I’ll call someone to come in.” Having spoken, he turned to push open the door and leave.
Su Jin looked at his back and suddenly remembered that after the boulder fell at Baiping Mountain, when Liu Yun helped her up, she saw blood flowing from the back of his neck—he must have been injured too. So she asked: “Is your injury all right, my Lord?”
Liu Chaoming turned his face sideways but didn’t turn his head: “Minor injury.” He said, “No harm.”
Liu Chaoming had just exited the inner room when he ran directly into Yu Kui, who was bringing a clean sweat cloth for Su Jin.
She first bowed to Liu Chaoming, then looked into the inner room and was immediately greatly shocked. She hurried to the bedside and shook out an outer robe to drape over Su Jin: “The Lord has actually awakened!” She turned her head. “Lord Liu—”
But she only saw Liu Chaoming’s back as he headed out of the hall.
Yu Kui said somewhat awkwardly: “This servant was going to ask Lord Liu to report to His Majesty that Lord Su has awakened, but didn’t expect the Lord to leave in such a hurry. Thinking about it, with the great ceremony imminent, if the Lord made this round trip, he’d probably be delayed.”
Having heard these words, Su Jin didn’t rush to respond.
From what this palace maid said, those currently serving her at Weiyang Palace were specially instructed by Zhu Nanxian. Only, this great ceremony the palace maid just mentioned…
“What is your name?” Su Jin asked.
Only then did Yu Kui realize her breach of etiquette. She hastily bowed down from beside the bed: “In reply to Lord Su, this servant’s name is Yu Kui. Like another palace maid, Xunyi, I originally served at the Eastern Palace. We were both instructed by His Majesty to serve you. Apart from us two, there are also two palace attendants. We—” She paused. “We all know the Lord is a woman, but please rest assured, my Lord, we will absolutely not reveal half a word to anyone.”
Su Jin was silent again for a while: “You just mentioned, a great ceremony?”
“Precisely so.” Yu Kui said. “My Lord, you’ve slept for two months. Today is already the first day of the ninth month of the Jin’an era—it’s His Majesty’s enthronement ceremony.”
Su Jin said in surprise: “Jin… an?”
“That is, the former Crown Prince殿殿, now His Majesty, Emperor Jin’an.”
Su Jin lowered her eyes and spoke softly: “The Thirteenth Prince.”
“Yes, precisely the former Thirteenth Prince.” Yu Kui smiled, then suddenly added: “Look at this servant’s memory—when the Lord was sleeping, His Majesty hoped every day for the Lord to wake up. Whenever he could spare even a sliver of free time, even in the depths of night, he would come to see you. Now that the Lord has truly awakened, if His Majesty knew, who knows how happy he would be. This servant will immediately have someone go report to His Majesty.”
As she spoke, she was about to rise and call someone.
“Wait.” But Su Jin stopped her. “Today is His Majesty’s enthronement ceremony. He must be busy and occupied. If you send someone now, I fear it will distract him.”
Yu Kui was stunned for a moment and replied: “The Lord speaks truly. Since the Lord has awakened, there’s no urgency in this moment. Reporting to His Majesty tonight would be the same.”
“No.” Su Jin said. She had just awakened from her great dream and even now hadn’t fully recovered.
But she turned her head, looking at the sky outside the window that had already turned white. The boundless firmament, heaven and earth settled—it had been nearly three years. She had watched him walk forward step by step. His enthronement ceremony—how could she not be present?
“Have someone help me change my clothes.”