Xiao Jingyan sat in the grand armchair in his study, a bronze tube pinched between his fingers.
In the corner, a black-clad death warrior knelt silently. The entire room was lit by only a single slender white candle.
He broke the wax seal and shook out the tightly rolled strip of rice paper inside.
When he slowly unfolded it, he found only twelve characters scrawled in bold, dripping ink:
“Take the bowl, drink the porridge. Ask nothing, say nothing. Show filial respect to your father.”
Xiao Jingyan stared at the message, stunned.
This… Commandery Princess Xu certainly did things her own way!
But Xu Qinghuan’s solution to breaking the deadlock was actually to have him say nothing?
In the struggle for the throne, one retreat meant retreating at every step thereafter. How could he win without fighting?
His mind flashed back to the warm room at the Chengyi Earl’s residence a few days earlier, when Xu Qinghuan had expressionlessly poured water into a cup until it overflowed.
Xiao Jingyan seemed to suddenly understand. He thought no further, crumpled the rice paper into a ball, and casually tossed it into the bronze-shaded lamp on his desk.
Flames curled over it, reducing the paper to ashes.
…
Two days later, in the Imperial Garden.
The north wind swept up the remnants of snow, scattering them across the covered walkway outside the warm pavilion.
Xiao Jingxing strode ahead with both hands tucked into the sleeves of his black fox-fur cloak.
Several young princes who had not yet reached the age to bind their hair hurried after him. Each had hunched his neck against the cold, yet none dared complain that he was freezing.
Xiao Jingxing maintained his steady pace. Just as he turned into the covered walkway, he spotted Xiao Jingyan standing at the foot of the steps with his hands behind his back.
Xiao Jingxing slowed for a moment, then put on a mild expression and walked over.
“Third Brother, you arrived early today.”
Xiao Jingyan turned around and gave him the courtesy due between brothers of equal rank. “Father has bestowed a banquet upon us. I wouldn’t dare be late.”
“His Majesty has suspended court for two days. The ministers cannot submit their memorials, and even the Grand Secretariat has been waiting outside.” Xiao Jingxing watched his face closely, probing, “Why do you suppose he suddenly arranged a banquet in the warm pavilion? Have you heard anything while you were out these past two days?”
Xiao Jingyan remained composed. “I have kept my doors closed to visitors these past two days and merely listened to opera at home. I know nothing of what is happening outside.”
“Kept your doors closed?” Xiao Jingxing gave a derisive laugh and stepped half a pace closer. “Third Brother certainly has admirable composure. I hear the people bringing gifts and trying to obtain shares in the maritime trade have nearly trampled down the threshold of your residence. With that mountain of silver to be made overseas, aren’t you tempted?”
Xiao Jingyan neither retreated nor avoided his gaze. He smiled faintly. “Going to sea is a matter of national policy. What ability do I have to meddle in it? I have, however, heard that you hosted a private banquet a few days ago for several veteran generals who retired from service along the Nine Frontier Garrisons. They spent years defending the northern border. I wonder whether they know anything about naval warfare?”
At these words, a twitch appeared at the corner of Xiao Jingxing’s eye, and his fist clenched beneath his sleeve.
Third Brother actually knew about the private banquet he had held at his residence!
“The military commanders merely attended to reminisce and drink,” Xiao Jingxing said through clenched teeth, lowering his voice. “Why bring up naval warfare?”
“Just making conversation. Don’t take offense, Eldest Brother.” Xiao Jingyan inclined his head slightly and let the matter drop.
Hearing the exchange, the young princes hurried forward to offer their greetings.
For a time, the walkway was filled with brotherly courtesies and polite pleasantries.
Each was trying to gauge the others’ hidden cards, yet no one mentioned the state of the court again.
Just then, the two carved wooden doors of the warm pavilion opened inward.
Eunuch Li stood just inside, bent at the waist, his whisk resting across his arm. In a deferential voice, he said, “Your Highnesses, please enter and take your seats.”
The princes crossed the threshold one after another. The instant they saw the furnishings inside, they all drew a sharp breath.
Whenever a banquet was held in one of the warm pavilions of the imperial gardens, the place was usually decorated with carved dragons and painted phoenixes, with grand rosewood tables set out.
Today, however, every precious object had been removed. In the center stood nothing but an ordinary round table made of yellow pearwood, without even a single brocade cushion.
The bowls and chopsticks on the table were made of coarse, crudely fired pottery of the sort used by peasant households.
Even the heating vessel in the corner had been changed from a golden basin shaped like an animal’s head to a black earthen brazier burning cheap charcoal, which sent out acrid smoke.
The roughness of the surroundings clashed violently with their imperial status. The young princes exchanged glances, and none dared move first.
Suppressing his astonishment, Xiao Jingxing put on an air of composure and walked directly to the left side of the round table.
Xiao Jingyan lowered his gaze and, following the order of seniority, took his place on the right.
The moment everyone had settled into position, unhurried footsteps sounded from the side entrance.
Emperor Tiansheng entered the warm pavilion in plain black robes without a trace of ornamentation.
His steps remained steady, but his sunken cheeks and gloomy complexion were impossible to conceal.
The darkness left by his recent illness had not diminished his majesty in the slightest. Instead, it had added a murderous edge—as if life and death lay entirely within his grasp.
“Your sons pay their respects to Father Emperor!”
The princes dropped to their knees in unison and performed the grand salute.
Emperor Tiansheng did not immediately tell them to rise. He simply walked to the seat of honor and sat down.
His gaze swept over the tops of their heads. Only after listening to the breathing of his younger sons did he lightly raise his right hand.
“Rise. Sit.”
The princes thanked him and took their seats.
Emperor Tiansheng leaned back against the hard wooden chair and closed his eyes without a word.
The round table remained empty, and the servants responsible for the meal were slow to appear.
A quarter of an hour passed, yet no one spoke. The oppressive atmosphere made the princes’ chests feel tight.
At that moment, Xiao Jingyan remembered the words: “Show filial respect to your father.”
He made his decision. He rose half a step ahead of the others, reached for the handled bronze kettle prepared on a nearby stand, and poured a cup of warm tea.
Holding the cup in both hands, he walked to Emperor Tiansheng’s side and bent deeply at the waist.
“The weather is bitterly cold, and you have only just recovered. Please take care of your health, Father Emperor.”
His words were sincere, his tone full of concern.
He did not mention the court even once or ask why the banquet had been arranged. He was simply a son concerned for his father’s health.
Emperor Tiansheng extended a hand mottled with age spots, accepted the tea, lowered his head, and took a sip before setting it on the table.
Xiao Jingxing watched from the side, secretly grinding his teeth.
Third Brother was usually as taciturn as a sealed jar, but when it came to stealing the spotlight, he was remarkably quick!
He hurriedly bent forward as well and tried to make up for it. “Indeed. Your sons have prayed for Your Majesty day and night. Only after seeing that your health has greatly improved could we finally set our hearts at ease…”
The other princes chimed in one after another.
Emperor Tiansheng did not even spare the long-winded Eldest Prince a sidelong glance.
He merely opened his eyes slowly, his gaze lingering for a moment on Xiao Jingyan’s face, which bore an expression of utter earnestness.
Seeing that Emperor Tiansheng had drunk the tea, Eunuch Li immediately flicked his whisk and called out in a loud voice, “Serve the meal!”
Several eunuchs from the Imperial Kitchen filed in.
They were carrying not jade platters laden with delicacies, but several earthenware jars.
When the lids were lifted, each jar contained a pot of coarse-grain porridge cooked until almost all the water had boiled away.
It had melded into a thick, sticky mass of an ugly yellowish-brown color.
The two other dishes consisted of old pickled vegetables that had turned black and dull, and rough-cut mutton served with the skin and bones still attached.
Yet despite their appearance, the dishes gave off a faint, enticing fragrance.
Emperor Tiansheng said nothing. He picked up the coarse wooden chopsticks first, seized a piece of mutton with its tough skin, and put it into his mouth.
He chewed very slowly, swallowing with considerable effort.
But as he chewed, the furrow between his brows gradually smoothed. A trace of reminiscence even surfaced in his eyes.
That leftover, makeshift fare seemed to him like the liver of a dragon or the marrow of a phoenix—exquisite beyond compare.
Next, he picked up the white porcelain spoon, scooped up a large spoonful of coarse rice porridge, and swallowed it in one gulp.
A satisfied sigh escaped him, and a look of contentment spread across his face.
Seeing this, Xiao Jingxing and Xiao Jingyan dared not refuse. They both picked up the bowls before them.
The coarse rice entered their mouths. The husks scraped against the insides of their mouths, and the gritty, sandlike roughness made it nearly impossible to swallow.
Xiao Jingyan forced himself to chew the lump dozens of times before swallowing it with his saliva. At once, his throat tightened, burning fiercely.
The younger princes were even more nauseated by the food. They could only press their lips together and force themselves not to retch.
By the middle of the meal, one layer of the earthenware pot had been emptied.
Emperor Tiansheng set his white spoon against the rim of his bowl, clearly indicating that he would stop eating for the time being.
The sound of chewing ceased at once. All the princes lowered their chopsticks and sat rigidly upright.
Emperor Tiansheng looked at the congee remaining at the bottom of his bowl and spoke in an even tone.
“During the final years of Emperor Ai’s reign, the empire descended into chaos, and rebel bands laid siege to the capital. Those outside could not break in, and those inside could not get out. Emperor Ai ran out of food in the palace. Even the bark had been stripped from every tree in the rear gardens.”
The princes watched their father obediently, beads of sweat gathering on their foreheads.
“On the day Taizu raised his army and breached the city, he stormed the inner palace and found that Emperor Ai had already hanged himself on Coal Hill. Taizu then ordered a huge bronze tripod to be set up before the Imperial Ancestral Temple. Using the last two sacks of millet scavenged from the city, they cooked one great pot of congee.”
At this point, Emperor Tiansheng paused. Then he picked up his chopsticks and transferred the last piece of black pickled vegetable from the dish into his own bowl.
“After Taizu left, he stationed his three sons to guard the tripod.”
Emperor Tiansheng spoke as he chewed. The lines at the corners of his eyes drew together, and his expression softened into one of almost contented reminiscence, as though he were savoring the memory.
“The three of them were starving, and each wanted the entire pot of congee for himself.”
“The eldest, relying on his age and greater strength, wrapped his arms around one side of the tripod and tried to carry it back to his own camp. Seeing that he could not win the struggle, the second son drew his saber and hacked at the dry firewood beneath the tripod, intending to put out the fire so they could all eat the millet raw. The youngest was the most ruthless of all. He swung a heavy iron hammer straight at one of the tripod’s legs.”
Xiao Jingxing remained composed, listening intently as Emperor Tiansheng continued.
“In the end, one of the three legs broke, and the tripod came crashing down. The entire pot of scalding congee spilled into the mud, without a single drop left. To survive, the three men had no choice but to crawl across the ground and lick up the millet mixed with mud, water, and charcoal ash.”
The eldest tried to carry the tripod; the second hacked at the firewood; the third broke one of its legs.
Emperor Tiansheng rose and picked up the long-handled wooden ladle beside him.
Eunuch Li hurried forward to take it, but Emperor Tiansheng pushed him away firmly.
The emperor himself walked to Xiao Jingxing’s side, scooped up a ladleful of thick, coarse-millet congee, and poured it into his empty bowl.
“Those three brothers had eaten their fill of mud. That very night, all three died on the steps of the Imperial Ancestral Temple, their stomachs twisting in agony.”
He went to the second son and likewise filled his bowl with a heaping ladleful.
The Second Prince smiled at Emperor Tiansheng and offered his thanks.
“This great bronze tripod stood firm for a hundred years not because of brute strength or grasping hands. Its three legs were joined to the base, each supporting and bracing the others. That was how it could hold the grain meant to feed the people of the realm. Break one leg, and everyone dies together.”
The weight of the bowl in Xiao Jingyan’s hand seemed to suddenly increase, and his heart sank.
Emperor Tiansheng made a complete circuit of the round table, filling the bowls of all his sons. Then he returned to the head seat and slowly sat down. Picking up his chopsticks once more, he gestured toward the table.
“Eat. The congee is getting cold.”
The moment he said this, the Warm Pavilion fell into utter silence.
The princes sat frozen, each holding a brimming bowl of coarse congee.
Not one of them dared reveal the slightest sign of panic.
The corner of Xiao Jingxing’s eye twitched faintly as he began stuffing the raw, gritty grains into his mouth.
Xiao Jingyan also kept his head lowered, swallowing mouthful by mouthful, pretending to be a simpleton who had understood nothing of the story.
Every one of them was frantically dissecting the hidden meaning behind the emperor’s meal. Only the howl of the wind battering the wooden lattice outside remained, making the silence within the pavilion all the more terrifying.
