“His Majesty has ordered you to go to Qingping Mountain to prepare for the autumn hunt?” Shen Zheng frowned instinctively.
“Mm.” Wen Zhuo loosened his fingers, and the remaining chess pieces clattered back into the stone bowl. “In my previous life, His Majesty had planned an autumn hunt as well. But the one assigned to arrange it was Xie Langyang, not me. When people reach their twilight years, I suppose they always become fond of doing things to defy fate.”
In his previous life, the task had fallen to Xie Langyang. On one hand, he had volunteered himself; on the other, the children of great noble houses had deep enough pockets to ensure that every detail was arranged thoroughly and with proper splendor.
In order to curry favor with the emperor, powerful clans had always been willing to dip into their own coffers to make up for expenses. The sovereign had generally permitted it as well. After all, no one was a sage, and the imperial treasury’s funds and grain were limited. Even the Son of Heaven wished for a more comfortable life.
“Now that it has been handed to me instead, I imagine it is because Xie Langyang has already been ruined. And besides…” Wen Zhuo smiled slyly. “The officials His Majesty once relied upon have either been thrown into prison or retired from office. There is simply no one left for him to use.”
As he spoke, he reached out and hooked a finger around Shen Zheng’s sleeve. “It’s all because Your Highness has stripped His Majesty of power so thoroughly.”
Shen Zheng took hold of his hand, his thumb gently tracing the veins beneath Wen Zhuo’s wrist. “Would you like me to go with you?”
Wen Zhuo promptly pulled his hand away. “Don’t be ridiculous. His Majesty has little time left—perhaps only a month. Must Your Highness make a spectacle of it at such a critical moment?”
“If Father intends to go on the autumn hunt, then I will certainly have to remain in the capital to oversee the government. But what am I supposed to do without you?” Shen Zheng sighed.
“Your Highness, you’re clingy,” Wen Zhuo murmured.
Shen Zheng simply rose to his feet, leaned across the chessboard, and stole a kiss from Wen Zhuo’s lips. “Yes, I am. I wish Teacher would not leave my sight for even a moment.”
Wen Zhuo reached out and caught hold of Shen Zheng’s jade belt. The corners of his eyes lifted slightly as he said shrewdly, “Your Highness, do not try to wriggle out of it. We agreed that for every piece you lost by, you would copy one scroll of classical prose. Now you’ve gone and messed up the board with your robes.”
Shen Zheng laughed softly. “What are we to do? It is already in disarray.”
Wen Zhuo raised a brow and tilted up his chin. “No matter. Has Your Highness forgotten? I have always been able to remember a chessboard at a glance.”
Shen Zheng tilted his head, admiring his smug little expression, his heart brimming with sweetness. “Teacher has gone to such pains to make me practice my handwriting. How could I bear to cheat?”
With that, Shen Zheng opened his palm. Three white stones lay upon it, which he showed to Wen Zhuo. “There. Teacher has beaten me by three pieces.”
Only then was Wen Zhuo satisfied. “Then Your Highness should begin copying. Once the matters of the autumn hunt are settled, I shall inspect your work.”
Emperor Shunyuan’s decree for the autumn hunt was soon formally issued. Those permitted to accompany him were limited to members of the imperial clan. The court officials would remain at their usual posts, with no need to attend the hunt. Shen Zheng, as Crown Prince, was to stay in the capital and govern in the emperor’s stead.
Wen Zhuo alone set out in advance for Qingping Mountain, where he would take full charge of all preparations for the autumn hunt.
Following the same protocol as in previous years, Wen Zhuo first ordered a hundred craftsmen to form an advance party and depart three days early for the hunting grounds. They were to set up the imperial tents and the officials’ tents beforehand, so that when the main procession arrived, no one would be left without a place to rest.
The thirtieth day of the ninth month, in the twenty-fifth year of the Shunyuan era: the sky was clear and bright, and black sparrows cried sharply as they wheeled overhead.
After the ceremony to Heaven, Wen Zhuo boarded his carriage and set out. A procession of two hundred people departed from the capital, making its grand, winding way toward Qingping Mountain.
Sixty scouts went ahead to clear the road, sealing off each stretch along the route and driving away refugees and hunters.
A hundred men in charge of supplies brought up the rear, escorting provisions, horses, and hunting equipment as they proceeded at a leisurely pace.
Forty personal guards accompanied Wen Zhuo. Among them were twenty-seven eunuch attendants and ten close-protection guards. The remaining three were Liu Qiying, Jiang Mannü, and Six Monkeys, who had tagged along simply for the fun of it.
Six Monkeys had returned from his mission to the Western lands with Liu Kangren, and he was no longer the skinny little street punk he had once been in Mianzhou.
After months of sea winds and sunlight, his complexion had taken on a healthy bronze, and he had shot up so quickly that he was now a little taller than Wen Zhuo. There was nothing about him to suggest that he had only just turned sixteen.
Most of the time, he was very good at hiding his unruly ways. But the moment there was no outsider nearby, his true nature came spilling out. Draped over his horse, he chattered without pause. One moment he would catch up with Liu Qiying and Jiang Mannü, waving his arms as he regaled them with tales of strange people and incredible happenings in the Western lands; the next, he would lift the curtain of Wen Zhuo’s carriage and pester him about exactly how many kinds of beasts lived on Qingping Mountain.
Wen Zhuo held a book in his hands, but every few lines, Six Monkeys’ voice interrupted him. After this happened several times, Wen Zhuo finally turned his head and narrowed his eyes.
“Do you believe I could send you straight back to the capital this instant?”
Six Monkeys stuck out his tongue and immediately fell silent. He obediently lowered the carriage curtain, tightened the reins, slowed his horse, and sheepishly dropped several paces behind.
Watching this, Liu Qiying laughed and mocked him without mercy. “That’s what you get for talking nonstop all day. You brought this on yourself.”
Six Monkeys squirmed around on horseback with no trace of decorum. “The Academy Head finally gets a chance to leave the palace and enjoy some fresh air, yet instead of admiring this beautiful autumn scenery, he’s cooped up in a carriage reading those tiny ant-sized characters. What fun is that?”
Liu Qiying reached out to poke him in the forehead, but unfortunately, their horses were too far apart. Six Monkeys reacted with astonishing speed, leaning back and nimbly dodging the finger.
Liu Qiying withdrew his hand in annoyance. “Do you think everyone is as incapable of sitting still as you are?”
Seeing this, Jiang Mannü urged her horse forward and squeezed in beside them, brimming with interest. “Ignore them. Tell me, what kinds of unusual fish are there in the sea?”
Six Monkeys immediately brightened. He spread his arms wide and gestured emphatically, spraying spit as he spoke. “The mouths of the big fish in the sea are this—big! Their teeth are this—long! One bite nearly split the bow of our ship apart! Even with my superb swimming skills—people call me White Stripe in the Waves—I was scared stiff that day!”
Jiang Mannü sucked in a breath. “That’s terrifying. I never want to go out to sea in my life!”
Six Monkeys grew more animated, embellishing the story with every word. “And when a great storm rises at sea, the waves can toss a ship fifty feet into the air. It’s pitch-black all around—you can’t see the shore or the moon. The moment you light a torch, the wind blows it out. Then, if a huge fish leaps onto the ship and goes chomp—just like that! Someone could disappear, and no one would even know what happened to them!”
The sky was perfectly clear, yet Jiang Mannü felt a chill run through her from head to toe. She instinctively clutched her collar tighter. “Stop, stop! I don’t want to hear any more!”
Seeing this, Six Monkeys immediately burst into hearty laughter, rocking back and forth on horseback. “Hahahaha! How could you be so timid?”
Beyond the carriage curtain, the autumn scenery seemed to roll backward along the road. In the distance, the outline of Qingping Mountain was already faintly visible. The setting sun descended gently, staining the forested mountains in layer upon layer of color as far as the eye could see.
A gust of wind lifted one corner of the carriage curtain. Wen Zhuo could not help setting down his book and looking outside.
Remembering how Shen Zheng had once taken him galloping beneath the slopes of Qingping Mountain, a smile unconsciously spread across his lips.
Only, the hunting grounds for this autumn hunt were not in the same place as the area where Jun Dingyuan’s army was stationed. The military camp lay at the foot of the southern mountain, closer to the capital, while the hunting grounds were at the foot of the northern mountain in the direction of Liangzhou.
The party would first have to pass through Nanshan and cross a deep mountain pass before reaching Beishan, where herds of wild deer, mountain hares, and roe deer roamed.
By now, the scouts should have already crossed the pass and joined the craftsmen who had gone ahead. Their small contingent would also be able to reach the pass before darkness fully settled, arriving at the camp in time for dinner.
At the thought, Wen Zhuo drew in a deep breath of crisp air and let the autumn wind toy with his dark hair.
-
After the sacrificial rites, Emperor Shunyuan remained seated in a daze within the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
His eyes were vacant as he stared straight out the window. Through layer upon layer of palace walls, all he could see was a narrow strip of deep-blue sky.
During that time, Consort Zhen sent someone to deliver sweet soup, but he turned it away.
Liu Quan stayed by his side without moving an inch, his back taut in a rigid curve. He had stood there for so long that he had nearly lost all feeling in his body.
No one knew how long the silence lasted before Emperor Shunyuan finally spoke in a slow voice. “Send for Jiang Ziwei.”
Liu Quan’s head snapped up. In an instant, he understood—the Emperor intended to make his move today!
Suppressing the tumult raging in his heart, he slowly straightened his stiff, chilled body and walked out of the Hall of Mental Cultivation. Then, addressing the young eunuch waiting beneath the corridor, he called out in a loud voice, “Summon Jiang Ziwei, Commandant of the Imperial Guard, to enter the hall and attend upon His Majesty at once.”
“Yes.” The young eunuch bowed and turned to leave.
But Liu Quan suddenly reached out and gripped his wrist tightly. Lowering his voice, he said with grave emphasis, “Take a detour to the Eastern Palace and inform the Crown Prince: the Academy Head is in danger.”
The young eunuch was scared out of his wits. His face went deathly pale, and his tongue seemed to knot itself. “Godfather…”
Liu Quan shoved him hard, sending him stumbling.
The young eunuch came to his senses as if from a dream. He cast a terrified glance at the half-closed doors of the Hall of Mental Cultivation, then fled wildly down the corridor. “Yes, yes…”
Liu Quan drew a deep breath, burying every trace of emotion. He put on his usual respectful, impassive expression and returned to the hall, standing with his head bowed at Emperor Shunyuan’s side.
Jiang Ziwei was patrolling the palace. Before long, he arrived at the Hall of Mental Cultivation and knelt in salute. “This subject pays his respects to Your Majesty.”
Liu Quan withdrew to the doorway of his own accord and gently closed the hall doors.
Inside, Emperor Shunyuan’s voice was almost devoid of emotion. “I command you to immediately gather your elite confidants and hurry to Qingping Mountain.”
“Killing Wen Zhuo.”
Jiang Ziwei looked up in shock, unable to believe his ears.
Years ago, he had personally traveled to Mianzhou to deliver an imperial decree and had met Wen Zhuo once. He knew full well that Wen Zhuo was a loyal minister devoted to the country and its people. To hear this order so abruptly now was nothing short of shocking.
Emperor Shunyuan gave him no time to process it. “Proceed with care. Not a word of this may leak. The guards and attendants at his side may be left alive as well. Afterwards, make it look like they were ambushed and killed by mountain bandits. I... will grant him the dignity of a spotless name after death.”
Jiang Ziwei’s throat tightened. His eyes trembled as he lowered his head with difficulty and cupped his hands in salute. “This subject obeys Your Majesty’s command.”
As members of the imperial guard, they had been born to serve as the sharpest blades in the emperor’s hand. They knew only how to obey orders, never to question right or wrong.
“To ensure your safety in the days to come, I am granting you a secret edict.” Emperor Shunyuan took up the imperial decree that had long been prepared and personally handed it to him.
Jiang Ziwei raised it above his head with both hands, his expression solemn. “This subject will not fail Your Majesty’s trust!”
After receiving the decree, Jiang Ziwei withdrew from the Hall of Mental Cultivation. Just as he was about to hurry down the steps, Liu Quan unobtrusively blocked his path.
Jiang Ziwei paused. “Eunuch Liu?”
Liu Quan gave a faint smile and was just about to offer him a warning when, from the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Shen Zheng outside Zunyi Gate. Dressed in court robes embroidered with nine dragons, Shen Zheng was striding straight toward the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
Liu Quan’s face went deathly pale.
By his calculations, the young eunuch sent to deliver the message had only just arrived at the Eastern Palace. There was no possible way the Crown Prince could have come so quickly.
The only explanation was that the two had missed each other on the way. Shen Zheng had received no message at all.
“Eunuch Liu?” Jiang Ziwei asked, his face showing surprise.
Liu Quan could only watch as Shen Zheng drew nearer and nearer, climbed the steps, and was about to reach them. Yet with Jiang Ziwei standing at his side, he had no reason to stop the Crown Prince or reveal the truth.
“Eunuch Liu, I have urgent duties to attend to. I shall take my leave first.” Jiang Ziwei saluted neither humbly nor arrogantly, then stepped away and swiftly disappeared below the palace stairs.
The moment Shen Zheng entered the hall, he asked, “Father summoned me here during the rites. What matter requires my presence?”
Emperor Shunyuan smiled, his tone mild. “It has been a long time since father and son have spent time alone together. I called you here today to play a game of chess with me.”
Standing outside the doors, Liu Quan let out a long, desolate sigh.
Could this be fate?
Would the tragedy of those years be repeated today?
Shen Zheng lifted the hem of his robe and took his seat opposite Emperor Shunyuan. His gaze instinctively flicked outside before he drew it back, smiling. “This son has been busy with state affairs lately and has had little chance to improve his chess. I fear I am no match for Father.”
With a sweep of his sleeve, Emperor Shunyuan extended his thin, withered fingers and picked up a chess piece. “My son need not be modest. To this day, I still cannot fathom your Mongmen chess style.”
Shen Zheng gave nothing away and could only place a piece in response.
For some reason, from the moment he had entered the Hall of Mental Cultivation, he had sensed that something was amiss. Yet everything appeared perfectly ordinary, without the slightest flaw. Perhaps he had simply been overtaxed by days of relentless work, his nerves wound too tightly.
Casually, he asked, “Father summoned the commander of the Imperial Guard earlier. Were there important orders to give?”
Emperor Shunyuan answered with complete ease. “Naturally. It was regarding the arrangements for the autumn hunt.”
His manner was so open and natural that Shen Zheng did not press the matter further.
The autumn hunt was an undertaking of enormous scale, involving more than a dozen offices: the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of War, the Imperial Household Department, the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, the Imperial Carriage Guard, the Directorate of Imperial Horses, the Imperial Guard, and more. It was hardly unusual for the Emperor to have separate arrangements of his own.
With his eyes lowered, Liu Quan silently stepped forward to refill their tea.
When it was Shen Zheng's turn, Liu Quan's wrist suddenly trembled. Two drops of hot tea splashed onto the table. He hurriedly wiped them away with the corner of his sleeve, looking far less composed than usual.
Shen Zheng caught the movement from the corner of his eye, but the sound of Emperor Shunyuan placing a piece drew his attention back.
He had to focus completely to conceal the fact that he knew nothing at all about the techniques of the Mongol game.
Fortunately, he often played against Wen Zhuo, and his skill had improved considerably. For a time, he and Emperor Shunyuan were locked in a remarkably even match.
Time passed little by little. Dusk deepened, and the temperature within the hall began to fall.
Shen Zheng narrowly won the game. Seeing that the light beyond the glazed roof tiles had dimmed considerably, an inexplicable restlessness rose in his chest.
He gathered the pieces and stood. “Father Emperor, it is getting late. Your health has not been well. You should rest early.”
Without looking up, Emperor Shunyuan said coolly, “There is no hurry. I am in an excellent mood today. Stay and play another two games with me.”
Shen Zheng frowned. At last, he sensed that something was wrong. Instinctively, he looked toward Liu Quan, but before the man could raise his eyes, Emperor Shunyuan said, “What are you looking at him for? This round, I will make the first move.”
Emperor Shunyuan had already placed a piece on the board. Shen Zheng had no choice but to sit back down and pick up a black stone.
Liu Quan closed his eyes, his heart filled with bleak despair.
At that moment, a young eunuch outside announced urgently, “Your Majesty, Noble Consort Liang requests an audience!”
Shen Zheng's fingers paused. He immediately turned toward the door.
Emperor Shunyuan narrowed his eyes. “What does she want?”
A commotion broke out beyond the doors. The young eunuch pleaded urgently, “Your Ladyship, Your Ladyship, His Majesty is playing a game with His Highness. Please allow this servant to announce you first!”
“Move aside!”
Jun Mulan was bold and decisive by nature, with no patience for delay. She waved aside the eunuchs blocking her path, knocked perfunctorily on the palace doors, and called, “Your Majesty, I have an urgent matter concerning the Crown Prince. I ask that Your Majesty permit him to come out and see me!”
Shen Zheng shot to his feet, his brows tightly furrowed.
Emperor Shunyuan slowly turned and fixed Liu Quan with a dark look. After a moment of silence, he said coldly toward the doorway, “The Crown Prince is playing chess with Us. Whatever the matter is, it can wait until another day. Noble Consort, return to your palace.”
Jun Mulan steeled herself and pushed open the doors. Her sharp eyes turned toward Emperor Shunyuan. “Your Majesty, my father’s old illness has suddenly flared up. He wishes to see Zheng'er. The matter is urgent. I beg Your Majesty to forgive my discourtesy.”
Shen Zheng met his mother’s gaze and instantly understood the warning and urgency in her eyes.
He immediately turned and bowed to Emperor Shunyuan. “Father Emperor, my grandfather is ill. I am consumed with worry. I can only accompany Father Emperor in another game another day.”
With that, he moved to leave with Jun Mulan.
“Insolence!”
Emperor Shunyuan suddenly roared. His face darkened into something terrifying as he clutched his chest and broke into violent coughing. “Let Us see who dares take even half a step beyond these doors today! Guards, seal the hall!”
Outside, the armor of the Imperial Guards clinked coldly. In an instant, they surrounded the Hall of Mental Cultivation so completely that every exit was cut off.
Shen Zheng slowly turned around, his cold gaze sweeping over the tightly guarded Imperial Guard before settling on Emperor Shunyuan. “Father, you have kept your son trapped here and deliberately delayed him. What, exactly, are you concealing?”
Emperor Shunyuan closed his eyes and said nothing. Seated upright upon the couch, he seemed as motionless as a wooden statue.
Jun Mulan glanced at Liu Quan. She had never wished to drag anyone else into this, but at this point, His Majesty must surely already know.
She enunciated each word: “Director Wen is in danger.”
Those four brief words struck Shen Zheng like a thunderbolt.
The blood in his body seemed to freeze. His pupils constricted violently, and his clenched knuckles cracked.
Overwhelming terror swallowed him whole. He had no time even to wonder why his father would resort to such cruelty.
Without a word, he cast Emperor Shunyuan one deep look with bloodshot eyes, then turned and rushed for the door.
“How dare you!” Emperor Shunyuan suddenly opened his eyes and thundered.
Shen Zheng halted, but did not turn back.
Pressing a hand to his aching chest, Emperor Shunyuan rebuked him furiously. “Do you truly think your affairs have been so well concealed? I can overlook however many unspeakable deeds he committed while assisting you in your struggle for the throne—but he must never use them to threaten the heir apparent, in hopes of serving as regent and meddling in state affairs in the future!”
Shen Zheng’s voice was cold as ice, sharp as steel. “Since Father puts it that way, you must have believed Shen Chen’s words. It seems that no matter how much merit I, the Crown Prince, have earned, I can never escape Father’s suspicion.”
“Do you dare claim your conscience is clear? Look at how frantic and enraged you are this very moment!” Emperor Shunyuan slammed his fist against the table. The chess pieces jolted and scattered across the floor.
Shen Zheng slowly turned around. In the corner of his eye, Emperor Shunyuan looked old and vicious. At last, he laid everything bare. “He has never threatened me, nor has he ever sought to become regent. It is I who am devoted to him. I cannot live without him. Is that answer satisfactory, Father?”
“You wretched rebel!”
“After Consort Chen’s death, can Father still utter such words without a shred of guilt?” Shen Zheng refused to yield an inch.
“You… What exactly do you know?” Emperor Shunyuan’s expression changed abruptly. He even rose from the couch and turned toward Liu Quan. “It was you—”
Liu Quan hurriedly fell to his knees, tears in his eyes as he bowed his head to the floor. “Even if this servant were to be cut into a thousand pieces, this servant would never dare reveal a single word of Your Majesty’s private affairs!”
Shen Zheng looked toward the palace doors, heavily guarded by the Imperial Guard, and said with a mocking laugh, “It was not Liu Quan. Father is too guilty to let anyone inquire into the matter of Lin Yingniang’s imperial decree. Did you truly believe no one else could see through it?”
Emperor Shunyuan began to tremble. He stared fixedly at the high-spirited son before him, as though he were seeing his younger self.
His throat hoarse, his voice filled with grief, he said, “Since you know, then you should understand that today’s arrangements are the greatest mercy I can offer you!”
“Let all the sins rest upon me! Let all the hatred fall upon me! You may ascend the throne without guilt or reservation, and need not spend every day in pain and torment as I have!”
When Emperor Shunyuan finished, his body swayed. He had to brace himself against the table to remain standing. Liu Quan had just moved to support him, only to be violently shoved away.
Back then, Emperor Kangzhen had told him plainly what fate awaited Ying Xingluo. Unable to resist, he could do nothing but shoulder all the blame and watch helplessly as the flames consumed everything.
His imperial father had taught him, in the cruelest way possible, that an emperor must be ruthless and that the realm came first.
He could not bear to let Shen Zheng suffer such soul-searing pain a second time. That was why he had resolved to dispose of Wen Zhuo quietly. Once news of his death arrived, Shen Zheng would only need to accept reality, cast off every attachment, and become an emperor remembered throughout the ages, unburdened by anything.
Yet his loving concern as a father had been ruined by someone else.
Shen Zheng rebuked him in a grief-stricken voice. “How laughable! You actually managed to find such a lofty and righteous excuse for wrongfully killing someone! Since when did the fate of the realm, the survival of Daqian, depend on a defenseless man?”
“You are the emperor. How will you answer to our ancestors and the rites of propriety when you indulge in male beauty and defy all moral order? How will you answer to the laws of Daqian? Can you bear the resentment of all those throughout history who have suffered and been wronged because of this? You are a son of the imperial house, yet you dare to break precedent and act as you please. The countless voices of the realm will drown you! And where will that leave our imperial ancestors? If you are right, does that mean they were all wrong? How dare you!”
Emperor Shunyuan screamed with such shrill fury that he was no longer himself. In a daze, he had become that father he had once feared. His soul had returned to the Hall of Mental Cultivation on that day, where he stood shoulder to shoulder with his father, determined to subdue this “self” who had strayed so far from the proper path.
According to the course his life had always followed, the “self” before him should have been shattered and disoriented by now, dropping to his knees, weeping bitterly, and bowing his head to fate.
And he would have looked on with the same cold indifference as the late emperor had shown back then, watching this heartbroken “self” weep until his soul was torn apart and he finally submitted to the will of Heaven.
The mountain called imperial power was heavy beyond measure. There had never been a way out. Generation after generation, it would eventually grind every emperor into a heartless man.
But Shen Zheng did not collapse and submit as he had once done.
Shen Zheng merely let out a cold laugh before striding toward the palace doors.
He raised a hand and pressed it against the sword of the captain of the imperial guards. His gaze was sharp and imposing as he said each word with icy severity, “Move aside!”
Emperor Shunyuan was shocked and enraged. He shouted hoarsely, “Crown Prince!”
Shen Zheng did not look back. He merely swept his gaze across the imperial guards before the hall. “Let me see who dares stop me!”
Emperor Shunyuan trembled all over, unable to believe that Shen Zheng could disregard the ancestral laws, rites, and condemnation of the realm that he had invoked. He would rather cast everything aside than abandon Wen Zhuo!
“I'm not without other sons!” Emperor Shunyuan screamed, throwing out his final weapon. “The moment you step through that door, you will no longer be the Crown Prince of Daqian! You... have you truly thought this through?”
Shen Zheng looked down at him with utter disdain. Then he suddenly forced his way through the obstruction and strode straight out. Jun Mulan followed close behind, guarding her son every step of the way.
In the end, the imperial guards did not dare lay a hand on the Crown Prince. They could only stand by and watch him leave.
Emperor Shunyuan stared at that resolute back, dazed and at a loss. Then, as all his strength suddenly left him, he collapsed heavily onto the imperial couch.
