Shaoshang felt as if she had been placed inside an enormous, heavy stone mill. As the vertical shaft and grinding disk rotated, the upper and lower millstones clicked and gnashed together in crushing motion, like the forest of sharp teeth in a giant beast’s mouth pulverizing her bones. Then she felt as though she were placed within a pit of burning coals, skewered and repeatedly roasted, searing her tendons, muscles, and skin. Just like this, she seemed to tumble and struggle in an endless hell for a long time—so long it felt without end—before she finally began to regain consciousness.
Outside it was still pitch black. Was it still the same night, or had she slept through an entire day and it was nightfall again?
In her sluggish visual perception, she saw Azhu crying as she called the maidservants to bandage her wounds and change her clothes, feed her water and medicine. Then her hearing gradually returned, and she heard fierce arguments outside—male and female, old and young, familiar and strange… so many voices. Lanterns and torches flickered in patches of light, and mixed among them was the sound of weapons clashing.
Shaoshang suddenly shrank back. She feared this sound.
The scenes from last night flashed through her mind like a revolving lantern—galloping horses, golden halberds, moonlight on the hillside, the thunderous shouts of hundreds of soldiers. The wind swept up the deep blood-red brocade robe he wore, the dark gold embroidered beast pattern seeming to come alive—he faced the cold wind, pressing forward without hesitation, vigorous and resolute, never looking back again.
There was a fuzzy, furry texture on her fingers. She looked down and saw it was the fur-lined cloak he had wrapped around her—wide, thick, and dense, half spread on the bed, half fallen to the floor.
Seeing this, Azhu immediately tried to drag the cloak away, but the girl’s fingers were embedded in the fur like iron wire, gripping it tightly. She dared not pull hard because the girl’s fingers were covered in wounds—of the ten fingers, eight were wrapped in gauze.
Outside rang out Madam Xiao’s shrill scream: “…Third Prince, please restrain yourself! Though you were born of noble status, inside is my daughter’s inner chamber—how can you barge in!” This was followed by Old Master Cheng’s deep roar, saying much the same thing.
The Third Prince must have brought fully armed household troops but lacked the corresponding imperial decree, which was why the Cheng Shi couple had resisted until now.
The two sides argued for a few more exchanges. The Third Prince seemed to grow anxious. Following a burst of intense weapon clashing, heavy leather boots stepped onto the corridor, and the delicate latticed wooden door was violently smashed open with tremendous force—the cold wind of the winter night poured in unrestrained, rushing about and dispersing the medicinal smell and bloody odor in the room.
The Third Prince wore a smart military general’s outfit, his face dusty, hair disheveled, golden crown askew, his straight tall boots covered in mud—he seemed to have traveled a great distance. Now he stood in the middle of the inner chamber, glaring hatefully at the girl with loose hair sitting by the bed. Four guards flanked him on either side, all with swords drawn, emanating fierce menace.
The maidservants in the room were all frightened and scattered, either hiding behind screens or cowering in corners. Azhu propped up her trembling body to block the front of the bed. In the entire room, only Shaoshang sat motionless at the bedside, with Lian Fang and Qiao Guo curled at her feet.
“…Is he dead?” Shaoshang raised her head to look at him while hearing her own hoarse, dry voice.
The Third Prince stepped forward, his eyes blazing with fury: “You still have the face to ask! He treated you with complete devotion, yet you had no feeling or loyalty and reported him—you heartless, selfish wretch!”
Shaoshang tilted her head slightly: “I’ve been to that hillside before to enjoy the spring scenery. The cliff below isn’t very high, and there are many crooked pine trees growing on the cliff wall. Last time at Little Moon Mountain, even on such a bare cliff wall, he could land safely with me. This time…” She slowly shook her head. “It’s hard to say. He was injured, so his skills might not be as sharp as usual.”
The Third Prince’s chest heaved with rage, wishing he could strangle this cunning, heartless girl with his own hands.
Shaoshang raised her head again, her tone weary: “Third Prince didn’t force his way into the Cheng residence today just to scold me. Your Highness might as well get to the important matters first… Is he still alive?”
The Third Prince took a deep breath: “Still alive. Chen Anguo had the Tiger Guard troops lower ropes to check. He’s now fallen into a narrow cave at the bottom of the cliff, unable to move.”
Shaoshang caught the implication in his words and asked: “Why not pull him up and treat him properly?”
The Third Prince roared in unbearable anger: “Because the cave is treacherous—easy to roll into but hard to get out of. Moreover, his injuries are severe and he cannot be directly bound with ropes and pulled. We must send down a large number of people to chisel open the cave before we can slowly carry him up! But last night he committed monstrous crimes—patricide, unauthorized troop movements, forging imperial edicts… He nearly caused chaos in both the eastern and western garrison camps with their heavy troop concentrations! Now the court and public are shocked. This morning eighteen high officials jointly impeached him, demanding his execution!”
Shaoshang stared blankly at the Third Prince: “So he’s still at the bottom of the cliff now, and no one dares bring him up, is that right?”
The Third Prince was beside himself with rage. He stepped forward and grabbed the girl’s upper arm, yanking her up as he cursed: “It’s all because of you, you wretch! If you hadn’t reported him, how would he have ended up like this!”
Shaoshang’s face was pale. Her arm was being squeezed painfully, but her tone remained level: “Then what outcome does Third Prince hope for him? To flee to the ends of the earth under an assumed name? Or after succeeding, to fall on his own sword?”
The Third Prince choked.
“From the moment I learned that Ling Yi would celebrate his birthday at the villa outside the city, I knew what he was going to do. Killing one’s own father, privately deploying troops—last night’s events could not end well. Even if he got what he wanted, what would the outcome be?”
Shaoshang met the Third Prince’s gaze. The wounds on her back began to ache.
“Either flee or stay.” She spoke slowly. “But under all heaven there is no land that is not the Emperor’s—where could he escape to? Would he defect to Shu, or go north to join the Di people? Or hide under a false name in the mountains and marketplaces, waiting day by day for His Majesty to pass after a hundred years, hoping that once Your Highness achieves great things, he can emerge again?”
The girl’s gaze was desolate yet penetrating. The Third Prince found himself unable to meet her eyes.
“Your Highness knows his character better than I do. He would not be willing—to live furtively in hiding and concealment. He would rather die than be willing to do that.”
The Third Prince released his grip and set the girl back at the bedside, stepping away.
“Then he would stay. Either surrender and be captured, or die and be done with it.” Shaoshang rubbed her painfully squeezed arm. “He wouldn’t kill himself in front of me.”
The Third Prince whirled around, mocking: “You’re quite the prophet—you know everything!”
Shaoshang raised her head to look back: “I know because he couldn’t bear to frighten me.”
The Third Prince turned his head away angrily without speaking.
“Since he was going to be imprisoned and judged, the less he did of certain things, the better.”
Shaoshang was somewhat breathless and couldn’t help panting. “I deliberately called General Chen of the Tiger Guard troops to report to His Majesty, thinking that since he’s always been on good terms with us, he would show some consideration. Who knew… Who is that general in green armor?”
“That man is equally famous as Chen Anguo. Three years ago, he thought Father Emperor would give him command of the Feathered Forest Guard, but who knew Father Emperor gave it to Zicheng! You don’t need to worry about this—I’ll deal with him later!” The Third Prince clenched his fist in anger, then turned back to glare at the girl. “Don’t speak as if you have it all figured out. If he dies, it’s all your fault!”
Shaoshang said quietly: “If he dies, I’ll give my life in exchange. Would Your Highness be satisfied with that?”
The Third Prince said nothing and continued glaring at her.
Shaoshang said: “Actually, saying it’s all my fault isn’t entirely accurate. Third Prince is so anxious and worried tonight—I’m afraid you also feel some guilt. In fact, I’ve had three questions I wanted to ask Your Highness since last night.”
The Third Prince clasped his hands behind his back, his expression icy: “Which three questions?”
“First, was the pond water at Dongbai Mausoleum cold? Second, was the view from Wild Goose Return Pagoda good? Third, pretending for all these years—aren’t you tired?”
The Third Prince’s expression changed: “You know about all that?”
Shaoshang supported herself on Azhu’s hand and stood up with difficulty, like an old woman of seventy or eighty: “We might as well talk about these things on the way—actually, even if Third Prince hadn’t come, I was going to enter the palace anyway. Now please allow this concubine to change clothes and freshen up first. Your Highness might also tidy up at our humble residence. When we have our audience with His Majesty later, improper attire would be disrespectful…”
The Third Prince stared at her for a long while before saying word by word: “If you can properly defend him, I won’t hold anything against you! But if you dare show the slightest cunning or evasive behavior, I will take your life in the future!”
…
On the cold, empty late-night streets, a company of armored guards rode in silent procession, their hooves making dull clopping sounds on the bluestone pavement. A circle of space surrounded the carriage in their midst, with only one person on horseback following alongside—Shaoshang, wrapped in the fluffy fur cloak, had the carriage window open and was speaking with the Third Prince outside.
“He once mentioned casually that the Crown Prince saved him from bone-chillingly cold water, and he’s been grateful ever since. I always felt something was wrong with that statement—half of Mount Tugao has hot springs, so even in the depths of winter the pond water remains warm. Besides, where His Majesty stays, would he deliberately choose a place without hot springs? So where did that statement come from?”
“On the other hand, in early spring of the year Your Highness had that severe cold and high fever, the pond water at Dongbai Mausoleum still had ice that was hard to melt, didn’t it? Lord Zicheng is twenty-one years old this year. When he was five or six, he and Madam Huo were separated and fled outside for two years. A few months after they returned, Madam Huo became mad with illness, and he was taken into the palace by His Majesty—that was exactly thirteen years ago, when he was around eight years old. Your Highness, actually it was you who saved him, wasn’t it?”
The Third Prince was silent for a long while before saying quietly: “You’re right. That year Zicheng had just entered the palace. He was withdrawn and unsociable, and somehow ended up by an empty pond, where he accidentally slipped in but managed to grab onto some dead grass at the edge. I was also withdrawn and unsociable from childhood and was there seeking peace and quiet. When I noticed this, I went over and pulled him up.”
“So half of Your Highness’s clothes got wet, and you came down with a severe cold and fever when you returned.” Shaoshang nodded. “From then on you maintained secret contact. By that logic, Your Highness had grand ambitions even in childhood?”
The Third Prince shot Shaoshang a dark look: “A petty person’s mind judging a gentleman’s heart! The Empress and my mother consort minded their own business, and the princes and princesses on both sides weren’t particularly close. Since Zicheng was being raised in Changqiu Palace, we didn’t want to attract attention, so we didn’t publicize this matter.”
“So the Crown Prince rescuing someone from water was false?” Shaoshang frowned.
The Third Prince said: “At that time, Zicheng had just learned to swim not long before. Seeing the warm pond water at Mount Tugao, he was practicing holding his breath underwater. Who knew the Crown Prince would think he was drowning and, without asking, ‘rescue’ him. After Father Emperor learned of it, he was very pleased. The ministers and common people also spoke of it as a fine story, praising the Crown Prince for appearing weak but actually having courage. It wasn’t appropriate for Zicheng to contradict this, so he went along with the mistake.”
Shaoshang sighed inwardly. Many misunderstandings only looked beautiful.
“How did you see through the Wild Goose Return Pagoda matter?” The Third Prince pressed relentlessly.
“Why doesn’t Your Highness first tell me when you began planning to depose the Crown Prince?” Shaoshang extended a fingertip to feel the dark night breeze.
The Third Prince pondered for a moment, then frankly admitted: “At first it couldn’t really be called deposing the Crown Prince… It was probably two or three years after the Crown Prince married. Zicheng and I were only about ten years old, just dissatisfied with how the Crown Princess’s family was running wild in the capital. The Crown Prince was completely unaware at first. Later we secretly arranged for victims to report to the Crown Prince, but who knew the Sun family were cunning with their words, crying and making scenes, threatening death, and even turning the tables to accuse others of slander—Zicheng got angry and personally went before the Crown Prince to expose the Sun family’s crimes…”
“Tsk, tsk, tsk.” Shaoshang kept shaking her head. “At that time the Crown Princess’s reputation was still excellent—everyone praised her as ‘virtuous and proper, with the temperament of orchids and magnolias.’ The Crown Prince must have been in a difficult position.”
The Third Prince glanced at the girl in the carriage: “Exactly. Even after the crimes were clear, the Crown Prince still hesitated and did nothing due to the Crown Princess’s tears and pleas—the Crown Princess really spent everything she had. I heard she lost the child in her womb. In the end, it was Father Emperor who intervened and sent all the Crown Princess’s large group of paternal relatives back to their home province.”
By this time the procession had approached the southern palace gate. The high gate’s vault passed smoothly overhead. The moon was bright and clear, the night sky deep blue, and the arrow towers on both sides stood tall, their pointed roofs seeming almost to touch the moon.
“The common people are innocent, the masses pitiful. They spend their whole lives just hoping for favorable weather, clean governance, so they can have peaceful families and adequate food and clothing. If there’s a drought, flood, locust plague, or if officials are greedy and tyrannical, immediately it means families destroyed and lives lost. The Sun family was just an ordinary local prominent clan—how could they have seen the grandeur of the capital? For a time they got carried away and didn’t know restraint. From when Father Emperor bestowed honors on the Crown Prince’s wife’s clan to when they were expelled from the capital was just a bit over two years, yet dozens of households had their land seized, and over a hundred people were enslaved… I remember there was a young girl, about your age, who was seized by the Crown Princess’s own younger brother and taken into his residence. When her corpse was thrown out, there wasn’t a patch of good flesh on it.” The Third Prince’s eyes were pitch black, and even after all these years, he still couldn’t hide his anger.
Shaoshang frowned: “Forget Wang Chun, but even Junior Tutor Lou Jing just stood by and watched?”
The Third Prince revealed a mocking smile: “In the early years of the previous dynasty, when the ministers recommended Civil Emperor to ascend the throne, a major reason was that Civil Emperor’s maternal and marital clans were both poor and powerless. Never mind the court officials—the Eastern Palace officials probably hoped the Sun family would be demoted.”
“And the Crown Prince was unmoved?”
“Of course not. Crown Prince elder brother was very sad and cried for a spell, didn’t speak to the Crown Princess for three months, and gave a lot of money to that young girl’s family. Mm, the common people harmed by the Sun family all later received compensation—as long as they were still alive.” The Third Prince was not without mockery.
Shaoshang said nothing.
“To preserve the Crown Prince’s dignity, Father Emperor could only quietly expel the Sun family from the capital, then have the officials from their home province deal with them. Hmph!” The Third Prince sneered repeatedly. “I don’t care about their scheming and infighting, but they shouldn’t have used innocent common people as stepping stones!”
Shaoshang said quietly: “Your Highness, please don’t be angry.”
“I’m not angry.” The Third Prince said, “Because on the Sun family’s journey home, they encountered falling rocks in a narrow pass. Many died or were injured, especially the Crown Princess’s two younger brothers—both were smashed into meat paste.”
Shaoshang looked up and glanced at the mounted man: “Truly heaven has eyes.”
The Third Prince: “That’s right, heaven has eyes… All right, enough nonsense. Your turn to speak.”
Shaoshang sighed: “There’s nothing remarkable about it. Has Your Highness seen Lord Cui You’s family’s legendary technique ‘Swallow’s Return’? With just a few tiptoed steps, he can leap into the air and circle around a tree like a swallow.”
“You heard wrong. That technique isn’t a Cui family tradition. I heard my second maternal uncle say that Cui Marquis’s father bought it from a wandering knight-errant for a few hundred coins. Later that knight-errant died from severe injuries, and the Cui family even arranged his funeral.” The Third Prince very earnestly exposed the truth.
Shaoshang was speechless: Third Prince, your personality really needs improvement. Haven’t you heard of “expose the person but not their shortcomings”?
“Regardless of how that technique came about, with Cui Marquis’s regard, how could he not teach it to Madam Huo’s son? The two young masters of the Cui family are young enough to circle around a tree, so with Lord Zicheng’s abilities, leaping and circling in the air from a tower building probably wouldn’t be difficult either—yet he told me he was also eavesdropping on the secret conversation inside the tower, and also didn’t hear clearly… How could that be possible!”
Shaoshang smiled with some sadness: “I should have thought of this earlier. No wonder I unconsciously refused to believe him.” She took out half a jade pendant from her bosom, bearing only the character ‘weak,’ and gently caressed it—this was what Ling Buyi had returned to her when their feelings were intense.
“I heard two voices inside, so I thought there were two people, but actually there should have been three. The third person was Lord Zicheng! As a martial practitioner, he immediately sensed someone outside and leaped out the window, then used the ‘Swallow’s Return’ technique to circle around to the tower window behind me. After seeing it was me, he immediately pretended to also be eavesdropping. He even broke my jade pendant to frighten me. The other half of this pendant must be in his hands.”
Having passed through gate after imposing gate, shadows fell repeatedly on the rider and carriage. Ahead was the brightly lit Chongming Hall on the west side of the southern palace.
The Third Prince was silent for a long while before saying: “Your guess is entirely correct. That day in the tower there were indeed three people—me, Zicheng, and Master Ouyang. However, we weren’t plotting against the Crown Prince. That day we were only discussing the theft of the Eastern Palace seals, speculating about which family was responsible.”
“I believe that.” Shaoshang said.
The carriage stopped. The deaf and mute driver brought out the mounting step to let the girl support herself on the carriage frame as she descended. The Third Prince also dismounted.
After standing steady, Shaoshang looked directly at the Third Prince: “Someone once told me that since the previous dynasty’s Martial Emperor killed until blood flowed like rivers because ministers conspired to change the Crown Prince, no one has dared use entrapment methods to scheme for the position of Crown Prince anymore. So as long as His Majesty’s will doesn’t change, the Crown Prince’s position is unshakeable. Emperor Xuan’s Crown Prince was similarly weak and yielding, yet he still succeeded to the throne—how much more so our Crown Prince?”
“To be clear, your greatest opponent actually isn’t the Crown Prince, but His Majesty. So how can you make His Majesty change his mind? You can’t use dark schemes or slander, so you can only use open strategy.”
“You need to let His Majesty see clearly and plainly that the Crown Prince truly is unfit to be ruler.”
Shaoshang looked toward the bright hall ahead and bent to smooth the clothes and skirt on her body: “So Lord Zicheng thought, since he was going to exterminate the entire Ling clan tonight anyway, he might as well settle the great matter for Your Highness as well.”
She smiled faintly. “After last night, His Majesty probably felt like when High Emperor saw the Four Greybeards of Mount Shang—knowing the momentum was lost, heaven’s will could not be violated. Those who can hold the Crown Prince position steady will naturally hold it steady; those who cannot will absolutely be unable to.”
“Zicheng, Zicheng…” The Third Prince’s body trembled, his eyes brimming with tears. “He shouldn’t have, shouldn’t have…”
“That’s just the kind of person he is.” Shaoshang’s face was snow-white, her form frail. “Both open and dark; both vigorous and heroic, yet with meticulous thoughts; he’s willing to risk his life to save me, yet will also abandon me without hesitation…”
She lowered her head slightly, moisture dripping from her eyes. When she raised her head again, she pointed toward the great hall ahead: “His Majesty chose to deliberate here, so the situation must be significant. Why don’t Your Highness tell me about it?”
The Third Prince looked ahead and said in a low voice: “Early this morning, eighteen high officials jointly impeached Zicheng. After learning of it, Cui Marquis, who had been recuperating at home, immediately entered the palace to plead. But Cui Marquis couldn’t explain the reasons, and Father Emperor was already furious, so he refused to listen. It went on like this until afternoon, when Chen Anguo brought Zicheng’s household troops back to the capital. After interrogating them, Zicheng and I finally heard…”
He struggled to choose his words, seeming quite confused: “Something about Zicheng’s father not being Ling Yi! Then who could it be? And something about avenging his parents—I’ve never heard of this matter, and Cui Marquis also doesn’t know the details. So we went to Apricot Blossom Villa to question an old woman…”
“A’po?” Shaoshang asked.
“Right, her. But who knew that after Madam Huo passed away, Zicheng had already sent her to the countryside to retire. How could we find her in such a short time!” The Third Prince’s brows shot up anxiously.
“Grand Marshal Cai Yun said that Madam Huo’s son might have died in the war long ago, and Zicheng was someone she picked up. Official Tian said Zicheng is the son of Marquis Ling’s enemy, who has been using a false identity for over ten years and last night was for revenge. But what’s said most is still that Zicheng killed his birth father to redress Madam Huo’s grievances… In any case, the matter is unclear right now, and people are saying all sorts of things!”
“Originally Father Emperor wanted to bring Zicheng back first to question him, but the work of excavating the mountain and cave is too great. Some people said since Zicheng faces the death penalty anyway, we might as well let him live or die on his own at the bottom of the cliff… It went back and forth like this until nightfall! So I had no choice but to interrogate Zicheng’s household troops again. Among them, the leader Liang Qiuqi remains unconscious to this day, and another called ‘A Fei’ spoke incoherently. Finally they said you might know…”
Shaoshang smiled bitterly: “That’s right, I do know. I’m afraid now even Lord Zicheng doesn’t know as much as I do—I’ve figured everything out.”
With that, she lifted her foot to walk toward the great hall ahead. The Third Prince grabbed her arm and said coldly: “Are you confident?”
Shaoshang was pulled into a stumble. After steadying herself sideways, she said lightly: “I said before—if he can’t survive, how about I give my life in exchange?”
The Third Prince was anxious and agitated at this moment. How could he bear to see her indifferent appearance? He lowered his voice to rebuke: “Stop talking nonsense! Zicheng opened his heart completely to you—have you ever thought about putting yourself in his shoes even a little! When disaster strikes, your first thought is how to keep the Cheng family out of it. Now you speak so logically and methodically, as if you’re an outsider! Do you know what it means to be confused by concern, what it means to live and die together? Is your blood cold…”
Hearing this, Shaoshang could no longer endure it. She hurled the half jade pendant in her hand heavily to the ground—with a crash, jade shattered in all directions!
“I can brew wine!” Her chest heaved, fury overflowing, her eyes sparkling like fire.
The Third Prince froze.
“…I can brew the purest, richest wine in the entire capital! But I know His Majesty advocates frugality, and brewing wine consumes much grain, so I can’t publicize it everywhere. I can build water wheels. The water wheels I build are more nimble and convenient than those from the artisan workshops, saving thirty percent of human and animal labor—but because I’m a woman, apart from receiving rewards of gold, silver, and land, I cannot enter official service. I can also build kilns and fire tiles. The tiles I fire are as solid and durable as palace tiles, yet can save half the firewood and manpower!”
“With or without Ling Buyi, I am a person who lives well. I also have parents and siblings to care for! Just because I’m a woman doesn’t mean I should be aggressively questioned with ‘Your man is dying, why aren’t you going to die with him?’!”
“Even more so, just because I’m a woman, I shouldn’t be kept completely in the dark, not even knowing my betrothed’s surname or who he is. Three days before the marriage, after guessing this devastating news myself, I still can’t resent or feel indignant, or else I’m heartless, unfeeling, selfish, and self-serving!”
“He treated me wholeheartedly, so I’ll split open my body and pull out my heart, liver, and lungs to return to him! He saved my life, so I’ll repay with my life! If I can’t save him tonight, I’ll exchange my life for his and will never cling to life in fear of death!”
“If there’s ever a day I want to die, it will be because I’ve grown tired of living, absolutely not because I want to accompany someone else in living and dying together! Ling Buyi is the person I like most in this world, but I am still myself!”
The girl’s shoulders were thin and delicate, trembling like butterfly wings, yet she maintained an upright posture. Tears rolled down her pale, frail face one by one, soaking her collar—this almost solitary defiance formed a kind of captivating pride.