Hearing the old dowager’s righteous declaration — condemning even her own flesh and blood for the sake of justice — everyone present was moved to sighs of admiration. Before anyone could speak, Prince Cong said, “Your Majesty, this subject has sought nothing these many years except the safety of his family, the safety of Mingying. Though Mingying may have been reckless and unruly in the past, his involvement in this rebellion today is entirely the result of years of persecution at Prince Ling’s hands.”

“Mingying is this subject’s son. Whether he harbors any ambitions, and how great those ambitions might be, this subject knows full well in his own heart. If Your Majesty is determined to suspect him, to wrong him, then this subject asks that you deal with me as well, along with all the old officials who served alongside me back then.”

The moment the words “old officials” left his mouth, Emperor Zhaoyuan could not help but pause.

He and Prince Cong had weathered the storms of the previous reign together. Back when the late Emperor had died suddenly, had it not been for Prince Cong and a group of loyal old officials helping to secure his position as Crown Prince, the man now seated upon the throne might well have been someone else entirely.

And those very clan members now so attuned to the Emperor’s true intentions, currying his favor — weren’t they themselves among those old officials from years past?

They now assisted Emperor Zhaoyuan in eliminating this threat — but that threat was also the son of one of these old officials. Did they not fear that one day, they too might reap the same consequences?

Prince Cong’s words, spoken with seeming nonchalance, carried immense weight.

Several clan members’ expressions changed at once, a shared sense of foreboding rising within them — the fear of the fox mourning the death of the hare.

Emperor Zhaoyuan finally softened somewhat. “Pingxiu, you worry too much. Chang’er is my own nephew — how could I bear to see him thrown into a prison cell?”

“Xuan Zhi.” Emperor Zhaoyuan said.

“This subordinate is here.”

“Once we return to the palace, question Chang’er the very first thing. If he is innocent, release him back to his residence at once — under no circumstances is he to be wronged.”

“Yes.”

Emperor Zhaoyuan then said, “Let us proceed.”

The Front Hall Command guards lifted the imperial carriage, and horns sounded long across the mountain wind. Though the mountain had been strewn with corpses the night before, by the time the sun rose the next day, the bloodstains had quickly faded, and the surrounding mountains remained as verdant as ever — such, perhaps, is the way of the world’s endless rise and fall.

Emperor Zhaoyuan gazed silently at the distant mountains for a long moment.

If he could, would he not rather spare Chang’er? But he couldn’t. If Chang’er were still the same young prince of old, it might have been different — but this Cheng Chang, sharp and clear-minded as he now was, already held real power in his hands, and now, on top of that, military strength as well. As a sovereign, who would dare let him live in peace?

That supreme, unrivaled throne could only be occupied by one man. Even if Cheng Chang himself had no ambition to contend for it, would those beneath him not still contend on his behalf? And once such contention began, bloodshed would follow.

If, at such a time, either Cheng Xu or Cheng Chang felt threatened, one power would inevitably crush the other, and the court would never know peace again.

The imperial carriage suddenly halted on a stretch of open ground halfway down the mountain, and a Front Hall Command guard hurried forward to report, “Your Majesty, the Crown Prince is blocking the road ahead.”

Emperor Zhaoyuan frowned slightly.

Xu’er? Hadn’t he sent him off to Mingyin Temple?

Emperor Zhaoyuan lifted the carriage curtain to look — Tian Ze had, at some point, returned together with Tian Sisi, and the two of them now knelt together on the mountain path ahead, several monks and soldiers standing behind them — unmistakably positioned to block the imperial procession.

Emperor Zhaoyuan said sternly, “You didn’t go interrogate the rebel soldiers at Mingyin Temple — why are you here instead? Have you forgotten what I told you?”

“Reporting to Father, this son has already been to Mingyin Temple.” Tian Ze said, then paused before continuing, “This son indeed has not yet interrogated the rebel soldiers, only because… there was something more important this son needed to do first.”

He lowered his eyes. “Didn’t Father say this son should learn to bring peace to the four seas, to establish a prosperous reign? This son believes that to do so, the very first requirement is justice and integrity.”

“Yesterday, General Mingwei’s defiance of confinement, her unauthorized mobilization of troops, was indeed improper — but she acted only out of a heart of loyalty, filial devotion, sincerity, and righteousness. This son knows that Mingwei’s actions have raised Father’s suspicions, and wished to speak in her defense — but bare words carry no weight, and so this son went to Mingyin Temple to gather these many witnesses.”

As Tian Ze spoke, he rose to his feet and pointed to a man among the group dressed in monk’s robes. “This is Abbot Mingjue of Mingyin Temple. He can testify that last night, when the Prince’s Heir was caught in the chaos of battle, General Mingwei did not, at first, bring fifty thousand troops to rescue him. In fact, fearing for the safety of Your Majesty and the clan members, she entrusted the majority of the Loyal Valor Army to General Pei Lan, and went alone with only two thousand men to search the temple for the Prince’s Heir.”

He then pointed to a soldier in armor among the rebel ranks. “This man is a fugitive commander who served under Zhang Yue. He can testify that last night, while Zhang Yue was fighting the Front Hall Command, General Pei brought troops to assist. But seeing that the Front Hall Command had sufficient forces to adequately protect the Palace of Bestowed Grace, General Pei turned his troops back and joined General Mingwei in fighting against Xuanwu and Huaiji instead.”

“I ask you all — if not for these two generals joining forces to repel Xuanwu and Huaiji at Mingyin Temple, how could we clan members have safely weathered that night?”

“I ask you all — if not for these two generals decisively defeating Prince Ling’s army outside the Palace of Bestowed Grace, how could today’s rebellion have been quelled so swiftly?”

“Father.” Tian Ze cupped his hands and bowed to Emperor Zhaoyuan. “The truth of the matter, Father, can be confirmed simply by questioning these witnesses. This son believes General Mingwei is not only without fault, but deserves to be credited with the foremost achievement in quelling this rebellion!”

In truth, Tian Ze understood that Emperor Zhaoyuan had long since let go of any grudge against the Zhongyong Marquis household — the reason he wanted to strip Yun Xi of her rank was simply because she had brought troops to help Cheng Chang.

This was a suspicion born of the sovereign’s own nature, one that could never simply be dissolved — no matter how the old dowager or Prince Cong argued the case, none of it could shift Emperor Zhaoyuan’s resolve in the slightest.

The only thing capable of overcoming the sovereign’s own heart was justice, backed by irrefutable evidence.

At the time, atop the cliff, Tian Ze had been the only one free to leave — and so he had seized the chance to go to Mingyin Temple and gather these witnesses.

Among them were monks from the temple, rebel soldiers, guards from the Guard Command and the Front Hall Command, and even deserters from beneath the Defender-of-the-State General’s own banner — all belonging to entirely different factions, with no possibility of having colluded on their testimony.

Tian Ze then knelt again. “This son begs Father to vindicate the Zhongyong Yun household of its wrongs. Whether it be—”

He paused, then said, word by word, “whether it be today’s wrong, or yesterday’s.”

Emperor Zhaoyuan’s gaze darkened as he looked at Tian Ze. He had never expected that after suppressing so many dissenting voices, the one who would ultimately stand in his way would be his own most favored son.

After a long silence, he said flatly, “Xu’er, Father is tired.”

“We’ll discuss these matters once we’re back at the palace.”

Yet Tian Ze remained firmly kneeling, insisting, “This son begs Father to vindicate the Zhongyong Marquis household — today, right here.”

All power in the realm rested in the sovereign’s hands; if these matters were not resolved clearly today, then once they returned to the palace, whether right or wrong would rest entirely on the Emperor’s own discretion. Tian Ze understood this all too well.

“If Father is truly too weary, this son is willing to see the matter through in your stead.”

“Cheng Xu!” Emperor Zhaoyuan finally could not hold back his rebuke.

Hadn’t everything he’d done to sweep away this threat been for Xu’er’s sake in the first place?

Did he not realize that by protecting Yun Xi today, he was effectively protecting Cheng Chang as well — and that if Cheng Chang ever harbored rebellious intentions in the future, how could someone as soft-hearted as him, as Crown Prince, ever hope to contend with him?

Emperor Zhaoyuan reminded him sternly, “Xu’er, you are the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace. You will inherit the throne, ascend to the position of sovereign. Father’s entire realm will one day be handed into your hands. How can you afford to be so indecisive over such trivial matters?”

“Ever since this son returned to the palace, Father has always said this son should become Crown Prince, should inherit the throne. Does Father know how this son managed to survive to earn the right to become Crown Prince, to inherit your realm at all?”

“Does Father know how this son survived, back then, at the northern frontier?”

“The reason this son is alive at all, the reason this son still has the chance to show filial devotion before Father today, is entirely because of the Marquis of Loyal Valor. It was the Marquis of Loyal Valor and tens of thousands of soldiers at the northern frontier who saved this son’s life!”

At these words, everyone present exchanged startled glances.

Regarding the Fifth Prince’s background, those within the palace knew remarkably little — only that he had been born to a low-ranking consort, raised in his childhood under the former Empress’s care, then sent to Mingyin Temple due to poor health. When the Mingyin Temple massacre occurred over a decade ago, the Fifth Prince had vanished amid the bloodshed as well, apparently making his way afterward to the northern frontier, not returning to Jinling until five years ago.

No one had ever imagined that once he reached the northern frontier, he had apparently personally lived through that frontier battle himself.

Thinking this through, everyone present suddenly understood. Of course — hadn’t General Xuanwei said earlier that Prince Ling had offered the frontier defense map in exchange for the Second Prince of Daman’s collusion, precisely hoping to find the Fifth Prince hidden on the grasslands and eliminate him? That battle had been so catastrophically brutal, with the Marquis of Loyal Valor and thirty thousand soldiers all perishing without a single survivor — so how, then, had the Fifth Prince himself survived?

“Back then, when this son and A’Si were stranded at the northern frontier, if the Marquis of Loyal Valor had not found us, the desolate grasslands would surely have claimed our lives. The Marquis entrusted the two of us to the care of a mute uncle living in seclusion near Jishan Fu, saying he had been ordered by the Crown Prince, our elder brother, to bring us back to the capital before long. But then, unexpectedly, war broke out…”

That year’s fighting had been unusually strange — the barbarians had come with overwhelming force, as though determined to fight the northern frontier army to the death.

Yun Shuguang had assumed the enemy had finally amassed sufficient supplies to wage a protracted war, and so he sent word to the Bureau of Military Affairs requesting an urgent shipment of grain and reinforcements. How Yao Hangshan and Prince Yun had diverted those supplies is a matter set aside for now — but the Loyal Valor Army never could have guessed the true reason the barbarians had dared to launch such a massive invasion: they had obtained a defense map of Great Sui’s northern frontier.

Yet Yun Shuguang’s forces were formidable in their own right — even with this defense map in hand, the battle remained fiercely contested.

And so, at the height of the crisis, the Second Prince of the Daman tribe, Samuel, remembered his agreement with Prince Ling. Using the terrain revealed by the defense map, he crossed the border, evaded the frontier scouts, and, in the thick of battle, had men lie in wait outside the mute uncle’s dwelling for several days. When the mute man happened to step out, they seized Tian Ze and Tian Sisi and carried them away.

Samuel then left behind a note, stating that Great Sui’s Fifth Prince had been taken captive, and demanding that Yun Shuguang bring ten thousand measures of grain and a million taels of gold to Shanyue Pass to exchange for him.

Upon discovering that the Fifth Prince and A’Si had gone missing, the mute uncle, panic-stricken, delivered the note to Yun Shuguang.

Yun Shuguang read the note, spent an entire sleepless night in deep thought, and the next day led thirty thousand troops of the Loyal Valor Army out beyond the pass.

Before departing, Yun Shuguang had comforted the mute uncle, telling him not to blame himself: “Samuel’s men had our defense map — there was no way you alone could have guarded against them. The Fifth Prince’s capture was not your fault.”

He had also said, “This campaign of mine is likely to end in near-certain death. But now that these Daman barbarians know the layout of our frontier defenses, no matter how we rearrange our positions in the future, they’ll be able to exploit the terrain and strike whenever they please — an endless source of future calamity. So I have no choice but to use the full strength of the Loyal Valor Army to wipe out the Daman tribe entirely, beyond the pass, so that Great Sui’s borders may know true peace hereafter.”

And so that year, outside Shanyue Pass, when the Daman barbarians discovered that the ten thousand measures of grain Yun Shuguang had brought to exchange for the Fifth Prince were nothing but empty husks, and the million taels of gold merely stones, their fury erupted completely. The two armies clashed, fighting without pause for three days and nights, neither side yielding.

And it was from amid that chaos of battle that Tian Ze and Tian Sisi were rescued by the Loyal Valor Army.

Tian Ze still remembered how, when Yun Shuguang had pulled him free from Samuel’s grasp, he had been so overwhelmed with grief he could barely speak, able only to shake his head desperately — he was a prince scattered among the common people, with no sense of entitlement befitting someone born above ten thousand others; he felt he wasn’t worth the sacrifice of so many soldiers.

But Yun Shuguang had said, “I brought troops to save you not merely because you are the Fifth Prince, but because you are a subject of Great Sui. Isn’t the very duty of a soldier to protect the nation, to protect its people?”

He had also said, “Besides, this battle of mine isn’t entirely for your sake alone.” He raised his spear, pointing toward the hundred-thousand-strong enemy ranks. “Now that they’ve obtained Great Sui’s northern frontier defenses, the consequences will be endless. I lead these troops into battle for the sake of lasting peace.”

Tian Ze remembered the last words Yun Shuguang had said to him: “Don’t look back. Go, now!”

And so he and Tian Sisi, supporting each other, had scrambled and stumbled across the grassland in flight, terrified that any moment’s delay might betray the sacrifice of so many loyal, heroic souls.

Yet in the end, Tian Ze had not heeded Yun Shuguang’s words — he had turned back to look.

The setting sun blazed blood-red; the battlefield was piled high with the remains of the fallen, mountains of bleached bone and rotting flesh. Tian Ze had seen that gentle, brilliant commander of the Loyal Valor Army, after all his soldiers had fallen, still standing at the front of the ranks, spear held high, refusing to fall, holding fast to a single unwavering conviction even as the tide of battle broke against him.

This general, born in the lush south, who had spent half his life far from home guarding the frontier, possessed a singular bearing — a heroism, a resilience, a warmth woven into his very brow and eyes — that Tian Ze would only ever see again, in later years, in Yun Xi and Yun Luo.

After Tian Ze and Tian Sisi finally made it back to the grasslands, having survived by the narrowest of margins, they went daily to the watchtower, waiting for news of the Loyal Valor Army.

But day after day, all that was carried back from Shanyue Pass were corpses. Not a single soldier returned alive.

Of the thirty thousand men of the Loyal Valor Army, not one had deserted.

And upon the northern grasslands, the Daman tribe — who had once known the full layout of Great Sui’s frontier defenses — existed no more.

In time, there were simply too many bodies to bury properly, and to prevent the spread of plague, the people of the grasslands were forced to set fire to the ravine at Shanyue Pass. Yun Shuguang’s body, never found among the dead, was reduced to ash in that same blaze.

The fire at Shanyue Pass burned for several days, and for those same days, Tian Ze and Tian Sisi knelt upon the grasslands, weeping until they could no longer even make a sound.

But one cannot remain forever sunk in grief — eventually, one must learn to find one’s own way forward.

Tian Ze recalled that when he had been taken captive by the Daman tribe, Samuel had once joked with him, saying, “I never meant to kill you. If you must blame someone, blame that elder brother of yours, who would stoop even to collusion with the enemy for the sake of the throne.”

Tian Ze thought — if not a single soldier of the Loyal Valor Army had deserted, then neither could he.

He said to Tian Sisi, “We won’t hide at the northern frontier any longer. The Marquis was harmed by treacherous men — we’re going to Jinling, to seek justice for him.”

And so, on the day marking the twenty-first day since Yun Shuguang’s death, Tian Sisi and Tian Ze packed their belongings, burned incense upon the grasslands, and bowed three times toward the swirling winds of heaven and earth, paying their respects to Yun Shuguang and to the thirty thousand heroic souls lost with him. Then they set out for Jinling.

In truth, up until that point, neither Tian Ze nor Tian Sisi had names of their own — Tian Ze called Tian Sisi “A’Si,” and Tian Sisi called Tian Ze “Your Highness.”

But as they knelt upon the grasslands, Tian Ze suddenly asked Tian Sisi, “A’Si, have you thought about what names we should take once we reach Jinling?”

Tian Sisi shook his head. “N-no, I haven’t thought about it.”

Tian Ze said, “The Marquis once told me he had a son and a daughter — one named Yun Luo, the other Yun Xi. They’re around our age.”

“Yun Luo, Yun Xi — both names carry the water radical. Let’s choose names with the field radical for ourselves instead.”

“For the rest of our lives, we’ll honor the Marquis as our senior, and never forget the kindness of the Zhongyong Marquis household.”

Yun in the heavens, Tian upon the earth.

Yun Luo and Yun Xi. Tian Sisi and Tian Ze.

Profound kindness, boundless virtue — never to be forgotten, for as long as they lived.

Tian Ze had originally planned that, once they reached Jinling, they would seek out Yun Luo and Yun Xi, then uncover which prince within the palace had colluded with the enemy, and together seek justice for the Marquis of Loyal Valor. Unfortunately, the road from the northern frontier to Jinling that year was far from smooth — first they ran into mountain bandits, then a severe drought struck Huaibei, and the entire journey was fraught with danger at every turn.

By the time they reached Huaibei, before they had even had the chance to settle in, they heard the news that Zhaoyuan had rebelled and that Yun Luo had died in battle.

In the dead of night, in a place where no one could see them, the two young men gathered a stretch of bleached bones from the roadside to use as incense, and solemnly held a memorial for Yun Luo.

They did not believe Zhaoyuan’s rebellion had been mere coincidence, and they knew Yun Luo’s death in battle must have been the work of some treacherous scheme. But having weathered so many perils along this journey, they had come to understand just how dangerous and cunning human hearts could be — and they realized one crucial truth: the prince responsible for harming Yun Shuguang and Yun Luo held far too much power for them to act rashly. Otherwise, they might well be silenced before they even reached Jinling.

Even if they managed, by some stroke of luck, to enter the palace and stand before Emperor Zhaoyuan, claiming to be the long-lost Fifth Prince — would Emperor Zhaoyuan even believe them?

And even if they could plead the Marquis of Loyal Valor’s case before Emperor Zhaoyuan, would he truly punish the prince who had colluded with the enemy? That prince was, after all, his own son — would he not shield him instead?

With no evidence in hand, there was nothing they could do.

Once Tian Ze and Tian Sisi realized this, they began planning carefully and cautiously. They deliberately approached Cheng Ye, who was overseeing disaster relief in Huaibei at the time, claiming to be refugees, and through his help, settled themselves in Jinling.

By the time Tian Ze and Tian Sisi arrived in Jinling, it was already two months after Yun Xi had returned from collecting Yun Luo’s remains for burial. Through careful inquiry, they learned that the Zhongyong Marquis household, having fallen due to the ambiguous charges surrounding Yun Shuguang and Yun Luo, had declined significantly — and that Yun Xi, to support herself, had taken up work as a constable at the Capital Bureau.

Given the sensitivity of their own identities, Tian Ze and Tian Sisi were extremely careful, terrified that even the slightest misstep might bring disaster upon Yun Xi. But seeing their benefactor’s daughter left so alone and unsupported, however limited their own strength, they could not simply stand by and do nothing.

Tian Sisi said to Tian Ze, “Y-Your Highness, from now on, take the imperial exams, enter the Ministry of Justice, and — find evidence, for the Marquis. I’ll st-stay by the young lady’s side, look after her, protect her.”

Tian Ze said, “Good. Once the day comes that the Zhongyong Marquis household is truly vindicated, we’ll return together to the northern frontier, to keep watch over the Marquis buried at Shanyue Pass, and stay by the mute uncle’s side.”

That summer in Jinling had been unbearably hot. After Tian Sisi had worked as Yun Xi’s fellow constable for half a month, Uncle Bai and Aunt Bai both fell ill at the same time. Yun Xi, at her wits’ end, suddenly heard someone knocking at the door.

It turned out to be Tian Sisi, come to find her.

Beside him stood another young man, dressed in worn clothes, refined and composed, with a distant, faraway quality in his brow and eyes — clearly a man of no ordinary bearing.

Yun Xi knew that Tian Sisi had a younger brother preparing for the imperial examinations.

Tian Ze cupped his hands and bowed to Yun Xi. “This one’s surname is Tian, given name Ze, courtesy name—”

He paused briefly, recalling what Yun Shuguang had once said: “The Crown Prince hopes for Your Highness’s safety, and that is why he sent me to find you. So I, too, hope for your safety.”

“Courtesy name, Wang’an.”

…

Standing amid the guards on Pingnan Mountain, Yun Xi listened, stunned, to Tian Ze’s account, slowly recalling how, five years ago, Tian Sisi had first come to the Capital Bureau, insisting on becoming a constable.

The other guards there, seeing his fair skin and refined manner, had bullied him constantly. Yun Xi, feeling sorry for him, had once advised him, “You can read and write — wouldn’t it be better to work as a scribe at the yamen? Better pay, and no one to push you around.”

Tian Sisi, wiping a smudge of dirt off his face with his sleeve, had smiled and said, “I h-have a younger brother at home, preparing for the exams. Being a constable pays m-more, and the yamen provides meals.”

Yun Xi had wondered, doing the math, whether a constable’s pay really was that much better. But then again, she didn’t really know how other people managed their households, so she hadn’t thought much more of it.

Tian Sisi had asked, “Constable Yun, c-can I follow you around, from now on?”

“My skills aren’t very good, but I c-can learn. Once I’ve learned enough, I’ll st-stay by your side, protect you.”

When Uncle Bai and Aunt Bai’s illnesses had flared up again, throwing the Marquis household into chaos, a refined, composed young scholar had come to the gate to borrow ink and brush. On his way out, seeing Bai Ling clutching a prescription with a troubled brow, he had offered, “Since the prescription is already written, allow this one to help fetch the medicine for you.”

When Tian Ze handed over an entire month’s supply of medicinal herbs to Yun Xi, he refused any payment. “There’s no need,” he said. “If Constable Yun hadn’t been willing to take my brother in, he might never have found work at the Capital Bureau at all. The Zhongyong Marquis household has shown us great kindness — consider these herbs my way of thanking the household.”

“Constable Yun, there’s no need to stand on ceremony. I didn’t spend any money — I simply agreed to copy prescriptions for the apothecary owner for a month.”

“A’Ting, y-you don’t need to be so polite. I-I’m just running errands, helping out.”

“Colonel Yun, there’s no need for such formality — this isn’t the first time I’ve looked after Uncle Bai. And besides, I still haven’t returned that book I borrowed from the young general’s quarters last time.”

“A’Ting, I— I don’t want to be a constable anymore. You’re going to the Western Mountain Camp, becoming a — a colonel. I— I want to go with you.”

“There’s no need for Wang’an to worry about anything — he’s studying diligently in Jinling, nothing requiring my brother’s attention there. Ten years of hard study for the imperial exams — whether he passes or not isn’t decided in a single moment. But you’re heading south to campaign, and the battlefield is full of danger and uncertainty — better to have my brother by your side, one more person you can trust.”

…

Only now did Yun Xi understand — no wonder, in her most difficult times, she had received the steady support of these two Tian brothers, every step of the way.

No wonder Tian Sisi had always put her first in everything, all these years. No wonder, during that brutal campaign in Lingnan, he had shielded her with his own life more than once when danger struck.

No wonder, when the case of Yun Luo stealing the defense map had been brought before Emperor Zhaoyuan, Tian Ze had been willing to take twenty strokes of punishment himself rather than let Yun Luo bear the blame.

It turned out it had all been seeds her father had sown at the northern frontier years ago, finally bearing this good fruit.

Yun Shuguang had gone to the northern frontier at the late Crown Prince’s command, to search for Tian Ze. In their final conversation, the Crown Prince had told Yun Shuguang, “Marquis, let me be honest with you — this body of mine is beyond recovery.”

“Old Four is foolish. Old Three, though clever, has been coldly neglected by Father these years, and I fear he harbors deep resentment. He’s also extreme in his ways, unsteady in his convictions, and easily led astray. Old Six… is still far too young.”

“As for Old Five — I met him once, at Mingyin Temple. At the time, he’d picked up a bit of rudimentary medical knowledge from the old eunuch who cared for him, and I saw him, together with the young eunuch attending him, treating an injured bird that had fallen from a tree. He was still very young then — he probably doesn’t even remember it. But I sensed a kindness in him, and I hope, I pray, that he grows to be truly virtuous. Go to the northern frontier, find him, and for the sake of this realm, seek out a sovereign who is truly benevolent, truly tolerant.”

Later, at the northern frontier, before the fighting grew fierce, Yun Shuguang had said something similar to Tian Ze: “We soldiers who lead troops into battle protect the nation, protect the people — but we do not protect anyone’s personal power. Yet the Crown Prince’s benevolence, I have kept in my heart. Once, when the Loyal Valor Army was short on supplies, had he not exhausted himself arranging provisions for us, the grasslands might have suffered a great disaster. He was born kind, born good — and the person he values must surely be a person of clear and shining virtue as well. Though I protect no one’s personal power, if I can help find a wise ruler for this realm, then that too is a good deed done in service of the nation and the people I do protect.”

Having finished recounting the events of years past, Tian Ze knelt upon the mountain path and bowed once more to Emperor Zhaoyuan. “Does Father know why Prince Ling rose in rebellion today?”

“Because he knew Father intended to pass the throne to this son, and once this son ascended, he would surely execute him for his old crimes at the northern frontier. With no way out, he had no choice but to raise his banner in revolt.”

“Hasn’t Father often asked this son why, all these years in Jinling, I refused to return to the palace, refused to acknowledge our bond as father and son?”

“Because this son knew that once I resumed my status as a prince, I would find my actions far more constrained, unable to gather evidence of Prince Ling’s collusion with the enemy in time — I might well be silenced the moment my identity was exposed.”

“Because this son knew that even after returning to the palace, if Father was determined to shield Prince Ling, he would continue to do so regardless — which is why, even after this son returned, Father still never gave me the opportunity to plead the case of the Marquis of Loyal Valor’s old injustice.”

“Because this son did not want to become Crown Prince. Did not want to become Emperor.”

“But now, this son has changed his mind.”

“The Marquis once said he hoped to find a wise ruler for this realm. If this son can become such a ruler, this son is willing to devote his entire life to that effort.”

“Because this son’s very life was bought with the heroic spirits of the Marquis and the thirty thousand soldiers of the northern frontier.”

“Father told this son to bring peace to the four seas, to establish a prosperous reign. But this son must ask — how can one bring peace to the four seas, how can one establish a prosperous reign?”

He straightened his kneeling posture. “The witnesses to that northern frontier campaign years ago, this son has found — they are right here, this son and A’Si ourselves.”

“The witnesses to today’s summons at Pingnan Mountain, this son has also found — they are every single person on this mountain, everyone with clear eyes and ears, everyone who still holds justice in their heart.”

“Father wishes for this son to become Crown Prince, to inherit the throne.”

“But how can one be a sovereign without benevolence?”

“This son begs Father to grant the Zhongyong Yun household true justice, to proclaim Prince Ling’s crimes to the entire realm, and to bring comfort to the loyal souls of all those soldiers.”

Clouds drifted across the distant sky, a clear wind swirled through the mountains, and beneath the yellow earth lay buried the souls of countless heroes across a thousand years of history.

Yun in the heavens, Tian upon the earth, the vast wind wandering between them.

The moment Tian Ze bowed his head to the ground, Prince Cong, the old dowager, Cheng Chang, Cheng Ye, Pei Lan, Wei Jie, and many other clan members and court officials — all those who now understood the truth of the matter, who still held justice in their hearts, who believed that justice stood higher than heaven and earth, higher than the throne itself — knelt down together before Emperor Zhaoyuan: “We beg Your Majesty to grant the Zhongyong Yun household true justice, to proclaim Prince Ling’s crimes to the entire realm, and bring comfort to the loyal souls of all those soldiers—”