Chapter 185 |
Consort Yi knew the Fourth Prince had returned, and all the palace servants around the small ancestral hall had been cleared away.
Now, only the two of them remained here.
She closed the outer door securely, led the unresponsive Fourth Prince to the front of the small hall, and pulled him down to kneel with her.
On the incense table, faint, wispy smoke rose from the burner.
Consort Yi said, "Since you have already discovered it, your mother will tell you the truth." She turned her head to look at the Fourth Prince. "You are not only a prince of Great Zhou, but also a descendant of the former dynasty's Wei, of the imperial Ling clan."
Back then.
Emperor Taizu of Great Zhou rose in rebellion, attacking all the way into the Wei imperial city, bringing about the former dynasty's end.
Wei revered fierce fire. The last emperor and a host of imperial clansmen, whether by choice or by force, almost all perished in the sea of flames.
They neither surrendered nor knelt. Amidst the roaring fire, they turned to ash together with the dynasty whose fate was intertwined with their own.
The old dynasty perished; a new dynasty was born.
Only the youngest daughter of the last emperor survived, a princess of merely twelve or thirteen, who escaped along with a few guards and palace maids.
They concealed their identities and hid in the area around Zhennan Pass.
Later, when Great Zhou went to war with Nanning, they disguised themselves as ordinary Great Zhou commoners whose families had been destroyed by Nanning soldiers, successfully settling down near Zhennan Pass.
They settled for decades.
They developed quite well locally.
"...That little princess was, in a way, my grandmother," Consort Yi said calmly. "According to my mother, she was nearing her end when I was born. Although she was a princess of the former dynasty, she didn't harbor deep desires for restoration. She thought it was fine for a branch of the Ling imperial bloodline to quietly survive in the world."
"My mother, however, was not like that. She desperately learned many things, even started her own armed escort agency, building a reputation locally. She wanted to train the agency's fighters to assassinate the late emperor. Alas, her plans were utterly defeated; she didn't even get to see the late emperor's face."
A mere handful of remnants from a fallen dynasty, who didn't even dare tell their identities to the husband who married into their family, wanting to oppose a whole country—it was like an ant trying to shake a tree, a mere dream.
Yet the flame of restoration, passed down through generations, never extinguished, spreading across three generations.
Until Consort Yi was born.
She didn't believe that killing the Great Zhou emperor was the only way to restore the dynasty.
As long as the bloodline existed, then the Ling imperial clan would always exist.
Nor did she believe that without vast funds or connections, one couldn't take a single step forward.
She sent the two or three usable people under her command to pursue official careers, letting them go as far as they could. Even if they were just pawns, they needed the qualification to appear on the chessboard.
The opportunity soon arrived: unrest broke out at Zhennan Pass, and Emperor Chongzhao personally arrived.
A well-staged drama of a hero saving a beauty was performed flawlessly. To complete this act, almost all the familiar faces from the escort agency died.
Only her childhood guard, Leng Yue, was left, stationed outside the capital to coordinate her actions within the palace.
Consort Yi: "After you were born, I observed you for three years. I found you naturally indolent and, though clever, not the character who would obediently compete for the throne. This was very bad, and also very good."
At the very least, the Fourth Prince's non-competitive, non-grasping nature became her greatest protective talisman.
She held the Fourth Prince's hand: "Now, the chess game is largely set. Telling you the truth is harmless. As long as you ascend the throne steadily and peacefully, the Ling imperial clan can be reborn within this generation of Great Zhou."
Grafted and born anew, a withered tree springs back to life.
Since Great Zhou could transform upon the bones of the former dynasty, why couldn't the former dynasty be reborn upon the tree that is Great Zhou?
It is merely a cycle.
The Fourth Prince took a long time to digest these words.
He withdrew his ice-cold hand from Consort Yi's grasp. He lifted his head to look at the Buddhist shrine ahead.
The statue of the Buddha, veiled by the hanging red cloth, seemed obscured by the swirling, mundane smoke and desires before it, unable to see clearly the mortal kneeling at its feet.
Fourth Prince: "Leng Yue came to my side not long after I established my own residence outside the palace. During the palace hunting trip, when Third Brother lost his arm, did he participate in that as well?"
Consort Yi said calmly, "The Second Prince is ruthless. His people originally placed venomous snakes that could cripple a person in the pit meant to trap the Third Prince, but the snakes escaped. Leng Yue saw this and merely helped by driving a bear into it."
That incident was planned by the Second Prince and carried out by the Fifth Prince. Leng Yue just happened to see it and helped fill the gap.
Fourth Prince: "Are there others?"
Consort Yi, however, said no more: "Later, when you return to the Purple Palace Hall, remember to control your emotions."
She handed the sachet back to the Fourth Prince.
"There's nothing else added to this one; it's a normal sachet."
Since it had been discovered, this method could no longer be used.
The black empty shell the Fourth Prince took for testing primarily served to isolate the scent. Inside was the former dynasty's 'Bone-Penetrating Incense.' She had slightly altered one ingredient; it would cause blood heat and blockage. For a normal person, prolonged exposure would at most lead to irritable moods, but for the emperor, this incense was no different from a death warrant.
The Fourth Prince didn't move.
Consort Yi bent down and touched his cheek.
"Good child, just treat everything as a dream. Once you leave here, the dream will be over. You know nothing, just pretend you never discovered anything about the sachet, alright?"
The Fourth Prince lifted his head following her touch. Mother and son looked at each other.
One dazed and despairing; the other gentle and serene.
The Fourth Prince didn't take the sachet. He stood up and walked alone towards the Purple Palace Hall.
Inside the Purple Palace Hall.
Emperor Chongzhao lay in bed, unable to rise, occasionally coughing softly.
Seeing the Fourth Prince arrive, he beckoned him over. "Sit."
The Fourth Prince sat on the small stool by the bed.
Emperor Chongzhao's expression was uncharacteristically mild. "I heard you often correspond with Little Seven? How has he been lately?"
The Fourth Prince's mind conjured his younger brother's face. His lips moved. "...Traveling everywhere. He's well."
Emperor Chongzhao snorted. "Doesn't even know to send me a letter. Next time you write to him, hint to him indirectly to write to me as well."
He left in February last year, and now it's September. He's been gone for almost a full year without a single word.
The Fourth Prince was silent for a long time, so long that Emperor Chongzhao thought he hadn't heard.
Emperor Chongzhao said discontentedly, "Fallen asleep again?"
Fourth Prince: "Alright. Noted."
-
Yangzhou.
Prince Yong's Mansion.
Qu Dubian shut himself in his study for an entire night.
The next day, he again requested Master Liu's help to examine Zhang Fanming's burial items for any writings related to the former dynasty.
Unexpectedly, among that box of paper slips, not a single one contained hidden characters. However, inside the wooden box was hidden an ordinary paper slip. No decryption was needed; it clearly and plainly stated—
Stop.
Its meaning was unknown.
But it certainly signified the termination of something.
Qu Dubian randomly selected the porcelain patterns, entrusted Master Liu to keep the matter confidential, and then had him escorted back, leaving Prince Yong's people to keep watch at his residence at all times.
With everything handled securely, Qu Dubian returned to his study.
He stayed there for another full day, without eating or drinking.
Until evening.
Consort Xuan and the others were deeply worried. Ye Xiaoyuan's hand, poised to knock, hesitated for a long time without falling. Finally, unable to bear the sight any longer, Xi Zixing pushed the door open and barged in.
Qu Dubian was standing before the desk. On the wall in front of him hung a painting.
When he was two and a half years old, Emperor Chongzhao posthumously honored Consort Yun as Empress and was to hold the conferment ceremony. As Consort Yun's biological son, he had to attend.
After eating the wheat and salted porridge, Emperor Chongzhao took out this painting for him to look at and perform the kowtow ritual.
The painting depicted Consort Yun.
The original scroll was enshrined in a compartment at Fengde Hall. This was a replica, which he had brought to Yangzhou and kept stored away. This was the first time he had hung it up.
The woman in blue robes in the painting sat atop the city walls on the northern border, gazing out at the grasslands ahead.
Qu Dubian had also been to the place where she sat.
There, he had fought bloody battles, defending Great Zhou, the blood of slaughter staining his armor.
Outside, the sun was setting. In the painting, the sun was also setting.
This mother and son who had never met, one inside the painting, one outside it, were both enveloped by the same twilight.
Xi Zixing stood behind Qu Dubian and read the inscription on the painting, "Wild geese fly cold beyond the frontier, a long song by Qu's riverside... The origin of your name is from this poem, right?"
Qu Dubian: "Mm."
The original painting was done by Consort Yun herself, depicting the most free period of her life. The inscription was also her own. Having never regained her own freedom in life, she bestowed this wish upon her child.
The black silk he habitually wore over his eyes had been taken off and was clutched in his hand. A pair of eyes gazed calmly at the painting.
There was no trace left of his blindness.
He had canceled the simulation. The reality cloaked in a cartoonish skin was now revealed, so clear it was almost uncomfortable.
Xi Zixing said, "Consort Yi is of the former dynasty's remnant clan, and the Fourth Prince is likewise. Consort Yi's wolfish ambition, all her schemes and plots, are laid out on the table. The Fourth Prince is already the Crown Prince. The situation in the capital can change in the blink of an eye."
He walked to Qu Dubian's side, turning his head to look at the youth's serene profile.
"So, you, this wild goose that flew out of the capital, will you fly back?"
-
Capital.
Eastern Depot.
The Fourth Prince brought a jug of wine to visit the Fifth Prince.
Having been forewarned by a jailer, the Fifth Prince had transferred from his luxurious cell to a low-configuration one. He sat at the table, waiting for the Fourth Prince.
The latter entered and greeted him, "Fifth Brother."
The Fifth Prince found it a bit strange.
Because his fourth brother rarely sought them out proactively. Their interactions were limited to fixed gift-giving during festivals. Although they grew up together, their rapport was truly superficial.
There was some brotherly affection, but not much.
And what little brotherly affection existed was largely thanks to Little Seven acting as the middleman, occasionally dragging them together to play when they were young.
Fifth Prince: "What brings Fourth Brother here to see me?"
Fourth Prince: "Just felt like sitting here for a while."
He glanced around the narrow, square space, windowless, where even day and night were indistinguishable.
Fifth Prince: "The place is a bit small. Fourth Brother must find it uncomfortable."
Fourth Prince: "Nowhere feels more at ease than here."
That sounded odd.
"Fourth Brother," the Fifth Prince frowned slightly, "Why have you come? Has something happened to Little Seven?"
"Don't overthink it, Little Five. I'm just here to relax."
Although the Fourth Prince had brought a jug of wine, it clearly wasn't for the Fifth Prince. After opening it, he only poured for himself, drinking slowly, one cup, then another, until he was nearly drunk.
He looked around, disdainful of the narrow bed, and simply lay down on the floor.
Arms and legs spread out, forming a large character.
Fifth Prince: "..."
After a long silence, he sighed, waved for a jailer, and asked for a blanket.
Holding the blanket, he wrapped it around the Fourth Prince on the floor.
"I know you never wanted to be Crown Prince. It's fine to come here to rest when you're tired. No one will see you like this. Just... you have to hide it from His Majesty, or he'll be angry."
"But Fourth Brother, you should change this habit. We're not kids anymore. How can you still just sleep anywhere?"
His hatred dissipated, imprisoned yet with a rich mental world fed by Qu Dubian, having something to do every day, the Fifth Prince's character gradually lost its former gloom and silence.
He was even comforting the Fourth Prince.
After returning from Consort Yi's place, the Fourth Prince's mind had almost ceased to function. When he finally calmed down and sorted through everything from childhood to recent years,
it wasn't hard to discover that his own mother had also had a hand in the death of Fifth Brother's mother.
Or rather, to put it this way: while the subsequent developments had nothing to do with his mother, it was his mother who lit the fuse of the incident.
Not just Fifth Brother, but also Little Seven...
Fourth Prince: "Little Five, if Concubine Lan were to come back to life now, would you kill her again?"
The Fifth Prince paused, then said, "Yes."
He smiled, "You haven't experienced it. Hatred is something that only ends with death."
The Fourth Prince's eyelashes trembled faintly.
"But Fourth Brother, you're being a bit strange. This isn't the kind of question you'd usually ask."
The Fourth Prince turned over on the floor. "Let me sleep for a while. Don't mind me."
"Wouldn't you rather sleep on the bed?"
The Fourth Prince fell silent. The Fifth Prince, helpless, had no choice but to stay there, keeping him company as he slept.
Only after the sky had turned completely dark did the Fourth Prince leave the Eastern Depot.
He looked up at the starlight in the night sky, his eyes utterly clear.
A servant by his side reminded him, "Your Highness the Crown Prince, it's best you don't linger outside for too long."
Fourth Prince: "Mm, let's go."