In the late years of Emperor Xianzhen’s reign, a heavy rain washed away the remaining soot and grime from the Eastern Palace. Over the span of more than two months, everyone implicated in the upheaval was imprisoned. Overnight, the power of the Eastern Palace crumbled like leaves swept away by an autumn wind.
The emperor, heartbroken and grieving, fell ill suddenly, and an unspoken sorrow permeated the entire imperial city.
This winter was colder than any in past years.
In a dilapidated straw hut, there was no sound of human voices.
The young man’s face was pale, and his once clear and clean eyes now resembled lifeless, still water.
He watched as the doctor rolled up his trousers, revealing gruesome, bloodied flesh and bone.
Calmly, he asked, “Is it ruined?”
Doctor Yue gritted his teeth, his expression troubled.
Originally an imperial physician recommended by the Crown Prince, Doctor Yue had always cared for the Crown Princess and had watched the young prince grow up.
How could he bring himself to tell such a tall, jade-like young man that he would be crippled for the rest of his life?
“Your Highness…”
Lianyu merely lowered his head, quiet like a porcelain doll.
But he hadn’t always been like this, just two months ago.
He had been angry, roaring, crying, passing out numerous times only to wake up again and again. His near-collapsing body trapped him in bed. Each time he grew agitated, the taste of blood would fill his mouth. He had been kept alive only by forcing medicine down his throat.
Perhaps after venting all his frustrations, he gradually calmed down.
Seeing him close his eyes for a nap, Doctor Yue quietly left the room.
The straw hut was simple; beyond the inner room was only a single hall. Lou Panshun sat with her legs spread on the stone steps under the eaves. Hearing the noise, she quickly got up and asked, “How is he?”
Doctor Yue sighed, “The critical period has passed. As long as he rests well, his life won’t be at risk.”
Lou Panshun breathed a sigh of relief, “That’s good. I see the young prince has also come to terms with it. Once he gets a bit better, I will take him away from the capital. The capital is a place of trouble now, and this is also the emperor’s wish.”
Doctor Yue hesitated, “But I can see that His Highness…”
Before he could finish his sentence, a sudden noise came from inside the house. Alarmed, Doctor Yue rushed in, pushing open the door to see a blood-stained dagger on the ground and a blood-dripping wrist hanging over the bed’s edge.
The pool of blood was shocking. Doctor Yue ran forward, pressing down on the wound without caring about anything else, crying out, “Your Highness!”
That night, Lou Panshun brought in Ao Zhi to take care of him meticulously.
Though they called it “care,” in reality, Ao Zhi was there to keep a close watch on him, just in case.
After that incident, the young man became even quieter. He never mentioned his attempt to slit his wrist and spent his days staring blankly out the window.
He watched as the snow came and went, from nothing to a flurry, then back to nothing, until everything revived, and winter gave way to spring. His eyes lost all traces of life.
After many days of silence, he finally spoke again, asking, “Uncle Yue, where were my father and mother buried?”
Doctor Yue paused, “They were not interred in the imperial mausoleum…”
The young man responded, “Alright.”
Then he lowered his head and drank his medicine.
Doctor Yue felt a pang of sorrow. The once splendid young prince was like a shattered jade plate, broken into countless pieces, impossible to mend completely.
****
“Where has the general gone?”
“He went out, probably to meet his old comrades from the martial world,” Ao Zhi replied, bringing a bowl of tea. “Your Highness, please moisten your throat.”
Lianyu said, “The weather is clear today. Push me out for a walk.”
Ao Zhi hesitated, “But the general said…”
Lianyu merely looked up at her, his calm and serene gaze silencing her objections. She bit her lip and said, “Yes.”
The streets were lined with shops, bustling with people and horses.
The gloom brought by Crown Prince Huaijin didn’t seem to linger long, and the common folk’s lives remained unchanged by the shifts in power.
Pushing through the lively market, Ao Zhi wheeled the wooden chair into Yipin Building.
She didn’t know why the prince had come to the tavern, but she dutifully reminded him, “Your Highness, you shouldn’t drink.”
Lianyu assured her he wouldn’t and sat quietly in a corner.
Suddenly, there was a commotion outside the window.
A group of young noblemen in fine silks strolled leisurely through the back alley. One of them, notably taller, walked in front, seemingly detached from the rest.
Ao Zhi heard them call out, “Huo Xian.”
Then someone said, “You were the Crown Prince’s companion, always in and out of the Eastern Palace. It’s said the prince held you in high regard, calling you a rare talent. Being so close to the Eastern Palace, did your family, the Marquis of Xuanping, not know about the treason?”
The person in front ignored him, and the person behind raised his voice even higher, “Oh, you are really pitiful. It took you a lot of effort to climb up to the Eastern Palace, but now such a thing has happened there. It even implicated General Lou to die in battle. Isn’t General Lou your master? Hey, Huo Xian, why aren’t you saying anything? Have you become mute?”
The voice abruptly stopped with a “bang” sound, and a figure shot past the window, crashing heavily against the opposite wall.
He spat out blood with a “wah” sound, clutching his chest and crying, “Why did you hit me? If you want to blame someone, blame the Eastern Palace. If the Crown Prince hadn’t committed such an unforgivable crime, how would it have affected others?”
People in the Yipin Pavilion seemed to hear the commotion outside, and a few people at the neighboring table whispered:
“This Crown Prince, he used to be dedicated to reducing taxes and setting up schools. Everyone thought he was a great benefactor. But it turns out he was selfish and just putting on a show for the public.”
“Colluding with the Shen family to hoard private soldiers, causing many families to be separated. Who would have thought, such a great benefactor, it’s simply sinful!”
“I heard that’s not the only thing…”
Ao Zhi quickly drew down the curtains on both sides, as if that could block out the gossip from outside.
Lianyu just lowered his eyes, focusing intently on the floating tea foam.
After a while, he pushed the cup and said, “More tea.”
When he looked up, the darkness in his eyes seemed even deeper than before.
At dusk, the beaded curtain was lifted.
Ning Heng hurriedly came in. When he saw the person seated, his eyes turned red.
He trembled and said, “Your Highness…”
He knelt down, holding back his sobs, and said, “Ning Heng, the governor of the Jiuxuan Camp, came late to the rescue. Please forgive me, Your Highness.”
Lianyu turned his gaze to him, “This poison was made by Doctor Yue. It needs to be neutralized monthly. If not neutralized in time, it will cause a painful death… Uncle Ning, can you be of use to me?”
Ning Heng hesitated for a moment, then decisively swallowed the poison, kowtowing, “This subordinate’s life belongs to the Crown Prince, and to Your Highness. I will go through fire and water, and will not hesitate to die a thousand deaths!”
Lianyu quietly watched him, lowering his eyelids, “Very good.”
From then on, the young man was like a trapped beast, once entering the game, never resting until death.
—
In mid-autumn of August, Emperor Xianzhen passed away, and the new emperor ascended the throne.
By that time, Lou Panshun and others had already changed their names and surnames, and had been in Jiangnan for several months. When they heard this news, Xie Subai did not say a word. He was still busy planning during the day as usual, until at night when he had Ao Zhi push him to the opposite building.
The building had no plaque and no lights, pitch dark.
Only two weak candles were lit on the incense table, with three memorial tablets in the middle, one of which had no name.
This is a small ancestral hall.
Xie Subai, using the moonlight, meticulously carved a new memorial tablet, inscribing the posthumous title of Emperor Xianzhen. He placed it by the candelabrum, sat there for a long while, and then returned to his room.
The room was filled with the smell of medicine, and even the bedding was permeated with the scent.
Xie Subai stared at the bed canopy, unwilling to close his eyes.
He dared not sleep.
As soon as he closed his eyes, the massacre in the Eastern Palace appeared before him.
It was as if the fire had burned from his dreams to his feet. The cries of the palace echoed in his ears, and the blood under his mother concubine slowly stained the blue bricks, glaringly red. He could even hear the cries of the infant.
It asked: Why don’t you die? Your home is in the palace; when will you return?
Return—
Xie Subai woke up with a start. Yes, he had to move faster, faster!
He abruptly got out of bed but forgot that his legs were a burden. With a thud, he fell to the ground, the fall seemingly shaking him awake from his dream.
He stared blankly at his legs, laughing and crying silently. Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous…
Xie Subai rolled up his pant legs, revealing hideous scars. His eyes turned fierce as he looked for a knife on the table, but all sharp objects had been hidden by Ao Zhi. He grabbed the medicine bowl instead and smashed it without care.
The crash was especially terrifying in the night—
Ao Zhi pushed the door open, only to see Xie Subai using a shard of porcelain to cut his flesh, a scene so frightening that her soul nearly left her body.
She quickly pressed down on Xie Subai’s hand, only to hear him say softly, “Don’t worry, it doesn’t hurt. I just want to cut off these scars.”
After that night, he was calm again, as if nothing had happened. During the day, he could even engage in lively conversations at the literary gatherings, his eloquence spreading the name “Xie Subai” far and wide, attracting countless talented individuals.
The influence of the Imperial Study since his childhood became the foundation of his growth. He planned meticulously at night, establishing pawnshops, tea houses, and bookstores throughout Jiangnan. By the time rumors spread in the martial world, the vast organization of Cuixue Tower was already emerging.
The sickly young man who always wore a silver mask was suddenly the center of attention.
Meanwhile, Xie Subai’s emotions grew increasingly stable and calm.
But the calm was terrifying.
Already a man of few words, he now spoke even less.
Ao Zhi could no longer catch a trace of expression on his face. He seemed like a wandering corpse, appearing gentle but with a heart already frozen, as if nothing in this world could catch his attention anymore.
Until the fifth year of Chenghe, when Yunyang City fell—
****
After the plundering and pillaging that followed the city’s fall, Yunyang lay in desolation and decay. Under the heavy snow, starved corpses were scattered everywhere, and the empty streets were devoid of people. Though the city had not been completely slaughtered, it was as quiet as a city of the dead.
The sound of the wheelchair rolling over the cobblestones was jarringly loud.
Xie Subai passed through the area, seeing nothing but desolation. Perhaps the Xie Subai of the past would have sighed with pity, but now, his heart remained unruffled.
