The news from the palace soon confirmed Shen Lingzhen’s speculation.
Since vomiting blood that day in the Chuigong Hall, the Crown Prince’s condition had taken a sharp turn for the worse. For several days he remained bedridden, his consciousness clouded.
However, the Emperor did not take it too seriously, never once visiting the Eastern Palace from beginning to end. First, because this sort of situation had occurred many times before with the Crown Prince, and each time he had turned danger into safety. Second, the Crown Prince had defied him by remonstrating unto death, dismantling the Emperor’s dignity, and he was still angry, planning to give the Crown Prince the cold shoulder and waiting for him to come begging for forgiveness on his own—naturally he would not deign to lower himself.
But the Emperor never expected that this show of anger would result in news of the Crown Prince’s critical condition arriving at noon today. The palace attendants from the Eastern Palace said the Crown Prince was probably finished, barely clinging to one breath, hoping to see the Emperor one last time.
The Emperor rushed over, but was still a bit too late.
The palace servants of the Eastern Palace knelt in masses. The Crown Prince had breathed his last upon the bed, and lying in the palm of his hand that hung at his side was an old, blackened longevity lock.
This was something the Emperor had commissioned a craftsman to make for him the year the Crown Prince was born.
That year, the Emperor was not yet Emperor, merely a great general of the previous dynasty, so naturally this longevity lock was not qualified to be made of gold but was of crude silver instead, which by now had long since corroded beyond recognition.
Yet it was this seemingly ordinary, shabby longevity lock that caused the Emperor to suddenly halt before the Crown Prince’s bed, not daring to take another step forward.
Those years buried deep in memory, which he had not recalled for so long, surged forth like raging seas in the Emperor’s heart.
The General’s Mansion of the past was not wealthy, without all those gold and silver treasures, pearls and jade beauties.
The Zhao family of the past also had a simple household, without so many children and grandchildren under one roof.
In the past, he did not possess the vast empire he held now, but fought to conquer the realm for others—when the drums and horns sounded, even if night was deep, he had to roll off his sleeping mat, don his armor, and take up sword and spear.
After all these years, he thought these memories would fill him with disgust, disdain, and shame.
But the instant he saw this longevity lock, what appeared before his eyes was the most luxuriantly grown pear tree in the General’s Mansion of those days—his first wife holding their son sitting on the swing frame, while he pushed the swing from behind, watching white pear blossoms fall upon their heads.
The Emperor stared fixedly at this longevity lock and suddenly asked, “Is that pear tree from the mansion still there?”
The palace servants knelt in dark masses all around, none knowing what he was talking about.
The Emperor suddenly understood—the last person in this world who could have understood these words had also departed today.
“Only I remain… only I remain…” He repeated these words to himself, then spotted his grandson’s figure among the crowd and asked, “Did the Crown Prince leave any words for me?”
Zhao Xi, eyes red, knelt by the bedside and crawled forward on his knees: “In reply to Imperial Grandfather, Father said that if he could not wait for you, he asked your grandson to kowtow three times on his behalf, to show gratitude for the bond of father and son between you.”
As Zhao Xi spoke, he performed three solemn full bows, knocking his head three times with resounding thuds.
The Emperor was stunned: “Only this?”
“Only this.”
No admonishments, not a single word or sentence involving interests, dying wishes, or entrustments.
His son, in the final moment of his life, was merely thanking him for giving him life and raising him.
This final utterance, unadorned by political coloring, was as simple as the longevity lock that had first bound them as father and son.
The Emperor slowly turned around, his steps unsteady and swaying as he walked out of the Eastern Palace, gazing at the white marble celestial steps whose bottom could not be seen: “My pear tree, where is it? My pear tree…”
—
Though the Crown Prince’s death was not a national mourning, the Emperor suddenly suspended court, secluding himself in Funing Hall without stepping out, ignoring governmental affairs, not even offering a word of explanation to the outside world.
The court descended into chaos. Fourth Prince Zhao Xun “stepped forward boldly,” leading a group of court officials to Funing Hall to beseech the Emperor to control his grief and return to court as soon as possible.
The Emperor refused to see anyone. Through the door, he tossed out a regent’s jade seal.
The general meaning was: Don’t bother me, all of you. If there’s anything, use this jade seal to handle it for now.
Zhao Xun received the jade seal, expressing that he would certainly not disappoint the sage’s expectations, and began handling state affairs with great fervor.
But the Crown Prince’s death and the Emperor’s seclusion ultimately cast a chill over the hearts of the court officials. Zhao Xun’s enthusiasm could not ease the desolate atmosphere in court.
Apart from Zhao Xun’s faction secretly rejoicing, the entire Bianjing court fell into depression. Heaven also chose this moment to set the scene, bringing down continuous autumn rain.
With each autumn rain came deeper cold. In the Huo Mansion, Huo Liuxing’s waist injury had not healed and his leg pain flared up again, while Shen Lingzhen had recently been using medicine to expel the cold qi from her body and also feared this damp and cold weather. The couple both took advantage of the old Emperor not making trouble to rest and recuperate properly, temporarily not concerning themselves with outside affairs.
However, matters often grew legs and came knocking on their own.
On the fourth night of Zhao Xun’s regency, a distinguished guest arrived at the side gate of the Huo Mansion—none other than Zhao Xi, who should have been keeping vigil for the Crown Prince in the palace.
Huo Liuxing was not surprised by this at all.
From the day of the Crown Prince’s death, he had been waiting for this day. Seeing the fourteen-year-old youth arrive in disguise wrapped in a cloak, he quite naturally led him into the study while avoiding prying eyes and ears, as if the two had made an appointment all along.
Shen Lingzhen poured hot tea from the side and handed it to the travel-worn Zhao Xi, whose eyelashes still bore raindrops: “Young Highness, please have some tea.”
Zhao Xi nodded and accepted it, saying nothing as he cupped the tea bowl as if warming himself. After a long moment, he raised his head: “General Huo seems unsurprised by my coming—have you been waiting for me for quite some time?”
Shen Lingzhen noticed that compared to that day at the imperial hunting grounds, Zhao Xi had lost quite a bit of weight, but his spirit had not flagged at all. At this moment, the pair of eyes looking at Huo Liuxing were bright and piercing, showing no trace of dishevelment or haggardness.
Huo Liuxing nodded at him: “Indeed, for several days now. This humble subject was even wondering that if Young Highness could never find an opportunity to slip away, how I might help you.”
Zhao Xi smiled slightly: “General Huo’s foresight is divine. Since that is so, you should also know why I have come.”
“Naturally for the throne.”
Zhao Xi was somewhat surprised by his directness and paused briefly.
“Young Highness cannot linger outside too long. This humble subject believes being this straightforward is better,” Huo Liuxing explained.
“Then I won’t beat around the bush either.” Zhao Xi’s expression became solemn—such a look on his childish face appeared rather awkward. “As General Huo said, I wish to fulfill my father’s dying wish and sit upon Daqi’s throne. I came here today precisely to discuss this matter with General Huo, hoping you can lend me your assistance.”
Huo Liuxing smiled slightly: “Did His Highness the Crown Prince instruct you before his death to come seek this humble subject’s help?”
Zhao Xi nodded.
That day the Crown Prince died, he actually had not been clinging to one breath waiting for the Emperor at all. He had nothing to say to the Emperor—all his instructions had already been given to Zhao Xi.
After his death remonstrance, he knew this illness had struck severely. Rather than take medicine and hope to struggle through it by chance, continuing to barely survive, it would be better to use his life to pave one final path for Zhao Xi. So after returning to the Eastern Palace, he had secretly reduced his medication dosage.
Winning hearts must strike while the iron is hot. If he died from illness at this critical juncture, having fallen ill due to his death remonstrance, the court officials below would be even more moved by his benevolence and righteousness, and henceforth follow Zhao Xi’s lead exclusively.
Moreover, the Emperor clearly still had some affection for him, this legitimate eldest son—otherwise he would not have truly pardoned so many officials because of his death remonstrance. So not only must he die, he must create a death that would make the Emperor feel remorseful, guilty, and regretful for the rest of his life.
That longevity lock, those three kowtows, that supposedly missed final meeting—all were calculated.
The poem says people “only hear the new lover’s laughter, never hear the old lover’s tears,” but this is not entirely correct. Sometimes it is precisely the old lover who cannot return who will be remembered with heartrending longing.
Death is the best way to capture hearts.
As long as one dies at the most beautiful moment, the living, no matter how they rack their brains, can never compete with the dead.
Huo Liuxing said: “His Highness the Crown Prince’s painstaking efforts have deeply moved this humble subject, but while this feeling may have made me risk welcoming Young Highness into the mansion tonight, it does not necessarily mean I am willing to go against the current and fully support your dangerous enterprise. Young Highness has not yet come of age, and now Fourth Highness is the one serving as regent handling state affairs in court… Please forgive my bluntness, but no matter how this humble subject looks at it, the throne does not seem likely to come to you.”
Zhao Xi shook his head firmly: “General Huo’s words are mistaken. Though Imperial Grandfather’s current seclusion is indeed partly due to grief over my father, more than that, he is using this opportunity to observe the situation in court. The more Fourth Uncle takes advantage of the void, the more Imperial Grandfather will dislike him. The power to serve as regent and handle state affairs—Imperial Grandfather can give it and can take it back. It means nothing.”
Huo Liuxing’s expression gradually grew more serious: “Then tell me, what do you plan to do next?”
“I will let Fourth Uncle continue being so sharp and aggressive, while I conduct myself properly, neither争 nor grabbing, advancing by retreating. Once we catch Fourth Uncle’s weakness, Imperial Grandfather will certainly abandon the idea of establishing him as heir and turn to consider me instead.”
“Since Young Highness has already planned everything clearly, it seems there is nothing this humble subject can do.”
Zhao Xi shook his head: “Father paved the road for me—having Imperial Grandfather establish me as Crown Prince will not be difficult. What is difficult is that I suspect Fourth Uncle will absolutely not accept this graciously and may take desperate measures in the future. When that time comes, if there is a battle in Bianjing, I must ask General Huo to fully support me. I know General Huo does not make unprofitable deals. I am willing to swear here in my father’s name that as long as I successfully ascend the throne in the end, I will certainly give General Huo a position below one person and above ten thousand.”
Huo Liuxing was silent for a moment, then smiled while rubbing his fingers: “This proposal actually sounds quite good.”