Daybreak arrived, and the morning court session in the Hall of Diligent Governance was drawing to a close.
Zhang Chun personally announced the events from the previous night, detailing how Gao and Chen had conspired to harm the Crown Prince, along with their sentences and punishments.
The court officials knelt and wept loudly for the Crown Prince.
Although many had only entered the palace gates that morning, they had been alarmed by the events of the night and already had a general idea of what had happened. Now, after passing through the palace gates still bearing the scars of cannon fire and walking over ground where, despite being cleaned, traces of blood remained, they listened to these words with a sense of eerie calm.
“These traitors will be dealt with according to the law,” the Empress said from behind the curtain, her voice choked with emotion. “But the most urgent matter now is to arrange the Crown Prince’s funeral.”
The courtiers responded in unison.
After addressing the crimes and the mourning rites, the next issue – the one most concerning to the officials – came to the forefront.
The succession to the throne.
The atmosphere in the court grew tense.
But then, silence fell behind the curtain. The courtiers couldn’t help but look up and saw a eunuch whispering to the Empress from behind the screen.
The Empress seemed startled, rising from her four-legged stool.
Though they couldn’t hear what was being said, the courtiers’ hearts sank in unison.
There had been too many shocks this night – they could hardly bear any more.
“Let it be as it is, then,” the Empress said. “The Crown Prince’s life was marked by hardship. Let him be laid to rest with dignity.”
Did that mean the issue of adoption would not be addressed today?
Why not settle such a matter decisively while momentum was high?
The court officials showed signs of confusion, but seeing the Empress in a hurry to leave, they could only bow and acknowledge her words.
However, they soon learned the reason.
Duke Jin’an had left the palace.
Duke Jin’an had actually chosen to leave the palace at this moment? How astonishing! Shouldn’t he have pressed forward to secure his status as heir apparent?
After all, some matters risked becoming more complicated with delay.
“How is Princess Consort Jin’an?”
Before even leaving the Hall of Diligent Governance, the Empress asked urgently.
“She is said to be injured,” the eunuch whispered. “His Highness took her back to the manor.”
Injured.
Of course – she had been the first to be in the palace and had passed the note to her. Given Gao Lingjun’s cunning, he would surely have noticed. Compared to her own desperate attempt to break through the city gates with fireworks, her situation must have been far more perilous.
Though she had appeared calm and composed when she arrived in the night, she might have already been injured.
“Send someone to check on her,” the Empress said, her expression tense with worry. “Have the imperial doctors been sent as well?”
The eunuch nodded, then shook his head.
“I have sent people, but His Highness has not summoned the imperial doctors,” he said. “Only Doctor Li went with them.”
Only one doctor?
“How can that be enough?” the Empress asked in surprise.
Indeed, upon hearing the news, the imperial physicians had gathered as well, but from the way Duke Jin’an acted, he would not allow them near.
“Perhaps the Princess Consort’s injuries are not severe, and she is merely in shock?” the eunuch speculated.
Shock? The Empress shook her head.
She truly wondered if there was anything in this world that could shock her.
“Bring me any news as soon as possible,” the Empress said with a sigh. “Though perhaps it is best if there is no news.”
…
The morning court session had not yet dispersed, soldiers still patrolled the streets, and officials in the magistrate were too distracted to attend to their duties, finding every excuse to stand outside and gaze toward the palace gates.
A carriage raced toward them from the direction of the palace, drawing countless curious glances and speculations.
“Who is that?”
“Look at the number of guards.”
“Is it Duke Yanping?”
Everyone murmured and speculated, but one soldier standing by the roadside stared, dumbstruck, as the carriage and horses sped past right before his eyes.
That – that man on horseback!
The soldier turned and dashed away.
…
The atmosphere in the Qin family’s residence was tense, perhaps due to the recent return of Qin An and Qin Hu’s demeanor, or perhaps because soldiers had just arrived at their doorstep.
“Master Qin, in order to investigate the rebels, the city is under martial law. We hope you will refrain from going out unnecessarily,” the commanding officer had said.
Though spoken politely, it was already quite discourteous for a military officer to address Qin An in such a manner.
Telling them not to go out casually was essentially instructing them not to leave at all.
The servants in the household immediately became fearful. They had heard that the Gao and Chen families had already been seized – was the Qin family next in line?
But that couldn’t be right. The Qin family hadn’t been involved in the conspiracy against the Crown Prince; on the contrary, they had rendered meritorious service by protecting the Empress.
Qin An smiled calmly, unperturbed.
“Seize the Qin family?” he said. “Unless Duke Jin’an is a fool like the Crown Prince, he would never do such a thing. Our family is not a rebel faction. Rebels get their families seized, but if those who protect the throne also get seized, he might feel satisfied, but the court officials will surely make sure he is anything but. Without just cause, punishing a meritorious subject would only chill hearts and drive people to rebellion.”
“That’s right. Our family wished to support the Yanping ducal line.”
“But don’t forget, we weren’t the only ones who opposed him as heir apparent.”
“If he can deal with our Qin family, he can deal with others.”
“A royal heir with such little tolerance would surely destabilize the court.”
Madam Qin remained silent, lost in thought.
“Are you afraid?” Qin An asked with a light smile.
Madam Qin shook her head, returning to the present.
“Why should I be afraid?” she said. “I’m just worried…”
“There’s nothing to worry about,” Qin An replied. “If he doesn’t want our family as his subjects, then we don’t want him as our lord. We’ll resign from office, return to our hometown, and live leisurely as retired farmers.”
“No, that’s not it,” Madam Qin said. “I’m worried about Shi’san.”
At the mention of Shi’san, Qin An fell silent.
“Master, Master!”
Shouts came from outside the door, and a servant boy rushed in.
“Master, the sixth young master of the Zhou family is unharmed.”
Unharmed?
Qin An looked over in surprise, while Madam Qin stood up abruptly.
“Wasn’t he said to have been shot dead by Shi’san with an arrow?” she asked urgently.
“No, just now people saw him. Young Master Zhou rode out of the palace on horseback, escorting a carriage as it passed by,” the servant boy explained hastily.
…
So he wasn’t dead after all!
Qin An also breathed a sigh of relief.
“Quickly, quickly – go and tell Shi’san,” Madam Qin called out.
If he didn’t die, then her son’s life was also spared.
“…Seen with your own eyes?”
Qin Hu looked at the servant kneeling under the corridor and asked slowly.
The servant nodded eagerly.
“Yes, seen with my own eyes. Young Master Zhou was on horseback, riding by himself without anyone supporting him, and he was riding very fast,” he said, then added with an ingratiating smile, “Master, you can rest assured.”
Qin Hu laughed out loud.
“Rest assured?” He pointed at himself and looked at the servant. “What am I supposed to rest assured about?”
“No need to worry about Young Master Zhou…” the servant stammered, unnerved by his laughter.
“No need to worry about me killing him?” Qin Hu said, looking at him with a smile, then shook his head. “Wrong, wrong – I’ve already killed him.”
Ah?
The servant stared blankly.
“I’ve already killed him,” Qin Hu said, rising and walking inside. “Whether he’s dead or alive makes no difference now.”
The young master must have been severely distressed – he was even starting to talk nonsense.
The servant gulped, watching as Qin Hu walked into the inner room and stopped before a wall.
Hanging on the wall was a longbow.
The servant’s expression darkened again.
He recognized this bow – it belonged to Zhou Liu-lang.
Who could have imagined that the two of them, who used to laugh and play together, would one day end up on opposite sides of life and death?
The servant sighed with sorrow, then suddenly saw Qin Hu reach out, take down the bow and arrows from the wall, holding the bow in one hand and an arrow in the other.
The young master must also be grieving.
Just as the thought crossed his mind, he saw Qin Hu abruptly thrust the arrow in his hand into his own leg.
A sharp scream rang out across the courtyard.
…
The long-quiet residence of Duke Jin’an was suddenly disrupted by chaotic footsteps.
“First, bandage the wound.”
“Bring the maids in, bring the maids in.”
Doctor Li and Eunuch Jing shouted in a flurry.
But Duke Jin’an never let go for a moment.
“No need to bring the maids. I’ll do it myself,” he said, carefully placing Cheng Jiao-niang on the bed. He pulled away the cloak covering her and began gently loosening the clothing that had already fused with her flesh and blood.
Master Gu and the others hurriedly stepped outside. Zhou Fu hesitated for a moment but ultimately followed them out.
“Your Highness, please let the servants handle this,” Eunuch Jing pleaded.
“No, I will do it myself,” Duke Jin’an insisted, his gaze unwavering. “I need to see – I need to see with my own eyes how many wounds she has suffered, how many cuts there are.”
Standing outside the curtain, Zhou Fu bit his lower lip, reached out to grip the doorframe, and gave it two furious thumps.
That foolish girl, that scoundrel.
What on earth was she doing? Why did she have to do this?
“Your Highness, in this critical moment, I must be presumptuous,” Doctor Li said, holding medicine as he stood outside the curtain. Then he stepped inside.
The lifted curtain allowed Zhou Fu a glimpse inside. Her clothes had already been half removed – or rather, what was discarded on the ground could no longer be called clothing. It was torn fabric, piece by piece, stained crimson.
The curtain fell, blocking his view once more.
Zhou Fu leaned his head against the doorframe again.
At midday, after the medicine had been applied, the wounds dressed, and fresh clothes put on, Zhou Fu rushed inside at once.
The girl on the couch lay quietly, her face so pale that no one could mistake her for sleeping – anyone would see at a glance that something was wrong.
Duke Jin’an sat beside her, constantly stroking her face, as though unable to go a moment without feeling her breath.
Doctor Li knelt nearby, carefully checking her pulse.
“Still nothing,” he murmured softly.
“How can we make her wake up?” Zhou Fu asked, his voice trembling.
Doctor Li turned to look at him.
“We would need to know how she ended up like this,” he said. “Young Master Zhou, can’t you recall anything at all?”
Zhou Fu’s face turned pale.
“I’m the one who harmed her,” he whispered.
If he hadn’t been injured, if she hadn’t tried to save him, how could she have ended up like this?
But asking was futile. If he had been awake, if he had been conscious at the time, he would never have allowed this girl to harm herself to save him. Doctor Li shook his head.
Moreover, this was…
“What about those two attendants?” Eunuch Jing pressed the young eunuch beside him. “Are they still unable to speak properly? Find a way to wake them up.”
“There’s no need to question them – it’s certainly pointless,” Doctor Li said, shaking his head. “Those who perform shamanic rituals never allow outsiders to witness them. If they were seen, they would inevitably suffer a backlash they couldn’t withstand. They’ve either gone mad or lost their minds. Even if they were to wake up unharmed, they surely wouldn’t remember what happened.”
Shamanic rituals!
Though Doctor Li had mentioned these words earlier in the palace, hearing them again now cast an inexplicable silence over the room.
“I’ll go prepare more medicine,” Doctor Li said, turning and leaving.
From start to finish, Duke Jin’an never spoke a word, only stroking Cheng Jiao-niang’s face over and over.
Zhou Fu had no idea how long he had been sitting there. He might have fallen asleep, or perhaps he was still awake, until someone nudged his shoulder.
Zhou Fu straightened up abruptly, noticing that the sunlight streaming into the room had begun to slant.
“Young Master Zhou, it’s time to change your bandages as well,” a young eunuch said to him respectfully.
Zhou Fu hesitated for a moment before loosening his clothes.
“Oh!” The young eunuch, holding the medicine, turned around and couldn’t help but exclaim upon seeing Zhou Fu’s chest. “To think it’s healing so quickly!”
This exclamation drew the attention of Master Gu and Eunuch Jing nearby. When they saw Zhou Fu’s chest, their expressions turned complex.
Surprised, and even somewhat horrified.
Zhou Fu looked down at the wound on his chest, which was visibly healing.
A wound sustained last night had already reached the level of recovery expected after seven days in just a single day.
Was this the power of shamanic rituals?
A force so miraculous, yet so terrifying…
Sensing the complicated gazes around him, Zhou Fu instinctively covered his chest with his hand.
“Leave it. I’ll tend to it myself,” he said slowly.
The young eunuch quickly acknowledged with a “Yes,” while Master Gu, Eunuch Jing, and the others averted their eyes, continuing to speak softly as if nothing had happened.
A voice from outside the door sounded.
“Your Highness, someone has arrived from the palace.”
Master Gu hurried out and returned before long.
“Your Highness,” he said softly, standing outside the curtain of the inner chamber.
After what felt like a long time, or perhaps only a moment, Duke Jin’an lifted the curtain and stepped out.
“What is it?” he asked, his voice hoarse.
“It’s about the matter of adoption,” Master Gu replied, lowering his head. “Your Highness, could you spare a moment?”
Silence fell in the room.
Zhou Fu stood up.
“I can,” Duke Jin’an said, stepping outside.
Master Gu breathed a sigh of relief, a hint of relief in his expression. Good – His Highness still had his senses, understanding what the most urgent matter was now.
He quickly followed, and Eunuch Jing hurried after them as well.
Zhou Fu stepped inside, but just as he was about to enter, he paused. A faint, barely discernible voice drifted in from outside the door.
“…Your Highness, have you ever considered certain things?”
It was Master Gu speaking softly.
Duke Jin’an stopped walking.
“What things?” he asked.
Master Gu’s gaze turned toward the room. Through the window, the hanging bed curtains inside were visible.
“The events of today,” he said, lowering his eyes slowly. “Your Highness, doesn’t it strike you that many things seem… too coincidental?”
